Rising god
Chapter 54: Training III

Chapter 54: Training III

The training field was a crucible of transformation, its air heavy with the metallic tang of exertion and the faint hum of latent energy.

If there was one thing Baines discovered during his training, it was the peace he found.

Aside from his meticulous blending of his plants, the rhythm of his sword offered such peace. Each swing was a meditation, a reassurance that tethered him to his purpose, and he continuously wanted that feeling.

After Baines had left,

Tasha lingered near the servant, her eyes tracing Baines’s retreating figure. "Hey, now you’ve seen it, what do you think?" she asked, her voice tinged with both awe and frustration.

The servant, his weathered face creased with disbelief, sighed deeply.

"Haa... I can’t seem to understand him, young lady." Just days ago, Baines’s skills were impressive but not otherworldly. Now, they defied comprehension. Maybe the worst part of it was that the servant had watched every moment of the training, yet somewhere along the line, Baines’s movements had become a blur, an enigma that slipped beyond his grasp.

Over the next two days, Baines refined his 4th star techniques, tweaking subtle nuances with the precision of a master craftsman.

By the 15th day, he ascended to the 5th star techniques, and the training hall swelled with spectators, their numbers tripling as word of his prowess spread. Yet, to Baines, they were mere shadows on the periphery. His focus was absolute, his world reduced to the arc of his blade and the pulse of his aura.

The 5th star introduced a new dimension: will.

Baines then realized that his ’Will’ was not a byproduct of techniques like Absolute Cut or Destruction, as he had once believed. It was the concentrated essence of a swordsman’s thoughts, spirit, and resolve, channeled through their blade.

His own resolve, to exact revenge, to obliterate anything tied to his enemies, burned with an intensity that shaped his will was staggeringly high at the moment. And that will over his sword became his ’Intent.’

With a resounding bang, the ground beneath him cracked as he unleashed the first 5th-star skill.

In an instant, he crossed the training field, leaving a trail of shimmering energy in his wake. An arc of sword aura sliced through the air, its afterimage lingering like a comet’s tail. He transitioned seamlessly to palm techniques, which disrupted senses and disoriented energy pathways. Sending a mental note to Eye, he instructed the clone to integrate these into its swordplay.

Next came fist techniques, each punch releasing shockwaves that rippled across the field, shaking the very air. Finally, he briefly explored body techniques.

Eager to push further, Baines dove into the 6th star techniques without pausing for sparring.

Presence.

This was the major change from the 5th star to the 6th star, and that change came from the strong will to overcome intent. He felt like he finally understood the reason he broke through that way when he unleashed Ashenfall..

When he had commanded his will, he had surpassed intent.

The 6th star techniques were a labyrinth of complexity to the onlookers, with motions, postures, and flows that seemed to defy physics. Yet, to Baines, fresh from his resonance, they were as natural as a single sword strike. He trained relentlessly for five days, his blade a whirlwind of precision and power.

On the fifth day, the training field fell silent. The spectators, forced to retreat as Baines’s aura expanded, crept back to investigate and found him bathed in a strange white glow, his form radiating an otherworldly calm.

The servant’s face crumpled in disbelief. "S-Second sword resonance?" he stammered. In a mere month, Baines had achieved what most swordsmen chased for a lifetime, two resonances. "From unbelievable to impossible," the servant muttered, his voice trembling with awe.

Once again, after returning from that state, Baines expressionlessly carried his exhausted body back to his quarters. The crowd seethed with a mix of admiration and envy. He had shattered their understanding of what was possible, yet his stoic demeanor suggested it was merely another step in his journey.

In his room, he devoured three days’ worth of food, the plates piled high with roasted meats and hearty grains. After a scalding shower that washed away the grime of his efforts, he collapsed into a deep, dreamless sleep, his mind finally at rest.

Three days later, he awoke, his body rejuvenated.

Sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, he reflected on his progress.

He didn’t need anyone to tell him. If he used the collections now, his power would exponentially increase.

His next step was to integrate the Absolute Cut and Destruction cultivation technique and the Aging Reversal cultivation technique into his stomach core. His Origin Arts already allowed him to pursue multiple cultivation paths, and his dual cultivation enabled simultaneous practice of two at the same time.

After using their manipulation techniques for a while now, integrating them wasn’t an issue. Chanting the mantras for Absolute Cut and Destruction, he gathered his will to cut and destroy, focusing it into his core. His aura flared, sharp and lethal, instilling a visceral sense of being sliced in anyone nearby. Strengthening this will was simple: the more he desired to cut, the more potent it became.

The Aging Reversal technique was trickier. Just as he manipulated aura to create decay externally, he now channeled it within his core. For a 6th star aura master, this was as instinctive as breathing, though it would have been perilous for lesser ranks.

His aura then split, one half radiating a dark, decaying energy, the other pulsing with the will to cut. For the remainder of the month, he honed these dual forces, increasing their intensity until the air around him crackled with decay and menace.

When the month ended, Baines left his lodgings, his steps purposeful.

His destination: the Darkan Pit.

"I’m ready," he sent into the pit’s depths, a mental message carried by his will.

A response stirred, and his eyes widened in shock.

A few minutes later, before him stood Smalltooth, no longer the diminutive creature he knew but a striking human figure, her presence radiant yet undeniably draconic. His heightened senses confirmed her authenticity.

And the shock was the same for her.

"Y-You... got stronger?" Smalltooth’s voice trembled, her surprise eclipsing his own.

She, as a dragon, could see his level, a feat few could match save for elders like the old man.

And in a single month, Baines had transformed into a monster.

Her thoughts raced to the purple energy he wielded, a power so fearsome it made even a dragon quiver. "T-Then, if he uses that..." she whispered, her voice trailing off as the weight of his potential settled over her.