He turned towards the elder with reddened cheeks that showed his inner shame. Due to the surprise caused by the change in the nearby environment, he lost his focus and forgot about the elder in front of him.Thankfully the man didn"t take it at heart and brushed the matter away with a movement of his limb. He then coughed and exclaimed with a calm yet powerful voice.
"My name Ishvar, and I"m one of the elders that help in the training of players with potential.", he stopped for a second before continuing, "Before coming here I"ve watched a few of your fights, but it wasn"t enough for me to gauge your level."
"If I remember correctly, your weapon of predilection is the sword but your also quite talented when it comes to barehanded martial technique, right?"
Fell nodded silently as he knew that the elder was currently making a point.
"I"m going to need you to show me a few of your moves. The fundamental ones are enough, I want to check if your fundamentals lack something.", he immediately explained his methodology.
Fell swiftly acquiesced and executed himself. A sharp screech resounded from his sword as he unsheathed it from its scabbard, and began executing the basic stance of his Ma.s.sin Sword Art. He followed the man"s instruction and didn"t attempt to execute his complex "Moon Above" or "Sun Below", and only showed him the basic stance of his sword art.
Strokes and thrust were executed one after the other, their angles differed, and his sword encompa.s.sed the eight directions where he could step. Due to having face the endless battlefield during the trial by fire, his basic sword technique had evolved into being capable of responding to attacks from any angle.
Although he felt somewhat pressured due to being watched by someone who could see through his weaknesses, as soon as he began executing his sword art, he lost himself in the joy of the sword path and forgot everything.
Sometimes his strikes would be as soft as a quiet morning breeze, while other times, his sword would scream and turn into a vicious beast as it cut through the air. His sword hand-controlled his weapon with a fluidity that made it seem as if the weapon was part of his body, and he expressed himself through his sword art one cut at a time.
His movements were untethered, and he followed through every single one of them. Not a single stance felt forced, and he moved from one to another with a water-like flow.
Time pa.s.sed quietly, and his body began moving more and more. From the very basic sword strike that used the body to generate momentum, he pa.s.sed to sword arts that created momentum that moved the body. One opposite concept could birth the other, and Fell had been aware of this fact since his first martial practice.
He could still remember with clarity how Anzar"s muscles moved. From the softest move was birthed an aggressive momentum that leveled the ground under his legs. And from a slow punch that gave the impression that it moved at a snail pace, a lighting fast kick would appear from an unpredictable angle.
Ever since he has seen the way of Anzar"s Ma.s.sin Martial Art, he had ingrained those principles down to his core and tried to incorporate them in every domain he studied. His sword arts were akin to a sponge that soaked up those concepts the most.
After what seemed like dozens of minutes of practice, Fell stopped and looked at the silver-haired elder with eyes filled with expectation. Although he didn"t show him "Moon Above" and "Sun Below", he couldn"t help but feel that further revision to his foundations could already become a huge boost to his strength.
A solidification of the first few stones that laid the foundation for a building would lead the become more lasting in time. And like a pyramid, those sword stances he showed to the elder were the stones for the pyramid of his sword path.
The elder pondered for a long time before opening his lips. With a hand supporting his chin, he gazed at the nearby stars and fell in deep thoughts. Fell couldn"t help but try to wonder the abstruse concepts he was thinking about.
"Where the h.e.l.l did this kid come from?", inwardly, the elder was shocked, but he didn"t reveal anything about his inner turmoil. An amiable smile was on his face as he thought about the advice he could give to Fell. "If I don"t do my job correctly, I will get laughed at by the other and turn into a giant joke."
He could already hear the jeer from his peers, "He"s not even capable of teaching the juniors…", as he faced a mental crisis that Fell was unaware about, he finally opened his lips. "Where the h.e.l.l did this brat even come from?!"
His mouth opened, and a cough was released from his throat, breaking the silence that had taken place after Fell finished his practice. With hands placed behind his back, he looked deeply into Fell"s eyes before speaking in a clear voice that didn"t sell his inner turmoil.
"Your foundation is deep, and it seems like you have never lacked a single practice session."
"I don"t see any apparent weakness in your sword art…", he explained before pausing. "Yet you will face many difficulties in your sword path due do a fact… Your sword arts are all encompa.s.sing, and that alone makes them hard to get further growth."
"Unfortunately, I am no sword cultivator, and I"m afraid that I"ll change your way if I help you too much.", the moment he began speaking his inner fear disappeared as he tried his utmost in helping the junior in front of him.
"But I can do one thing for you, and that is in relation with the laws that govern the universe!", the moment he spoke about the laws, the green in his eyes intensified as his hair began moving without any wind.