After Martos left, Baines set his long-planned strategy into motion.
First, he dispelled all the Ashenfall energy he had gathered in his body.
And as expected, it didn’t lower his swordsmanship rank. To track his progress, he instructed Eye to record his current state:
[SWORD RANKING: SWORD KNIGHT]
[HEART CORE: ASHEN-ORIGIN: 0-STAR]
[MIDDLE CORE: ORIGIN ARTS CULTIVATION: 4TH STAR, AURA KNIGHT]
In the power scale, there is a different level for skills and aura. The skill ranking represented how far and deep one had gone in their techniques and skill, and for aura, it represented how much energy one had gathered.
For example, a sword master who lost their arm can no longer perform their skills however, their aura remains. Likewise, if a sword master loses their aura, their skill could remain. But they needed each other to be complete.
He nad his technique Ashen-Origin because he was using Origin Arts to absorb the natural energy called Ashenfall.
Now, he was going to use Ashen-Origin on his heart. Maybe the sad part was that he couldn’t track his progress because he couldn’t even use the first technique of Ashen fall until he reached Sword Master and attained five stars in Aura.
Baines then laid out everything he had gathered from his family’s underground treasure. He extended his hand, summoning a dark red blade from his wrist that extended over his clenched fist. Releasing it, he summoned it to his other arm.
Demonic Blade, Roesha, was a weapon that grew stronger the more blood it consud.
"Rest for now. That ti will co," he whispered, patting the blade. It vibrated before retreating into his body.
Next, he picked up a martial book:
[Undefeatable God Body]
Then another:
[Absolute Cut Destruction]
After skimming through more texts, he raised a dangerous elixir he had been warned against consuming.
"Can I take it now?" he asked.
[ADVISABLE TO CONSU AT SWORD MASTER OR 5TH STAR IN AURA.]
He sighed, placing it back before inspecting the rest of the weapons. His main focus was the sword, but so had effects too unique to ignore.
Five years.
"Eye, set a tir for five years."
[TIR SET: 4 YEARS, 11 MONTHS, 31 DAYS, 11 HOURS, 58 MINUTES.]
For his Ashen-Origin in his heart, he was going to form stars with the energy. Eye had assured him of the safety of this thod, which would accumulate imnse energy, though at the cost of a longer cultivation ti.
No, it would be his trump card.
As for his middle core, he hadn’t decided yet. He would wait until he reached Sword Master.
To reach that level, he needed more training.
A hologram of Martos appeared from his Eye.
Martos had certainly surpassed the Sword master, and using eye, he could fight with the hologram and make the attacks real to give life experiences, aning it was perfect for training.
Though it was limited to what Eye had seen, he could just add more power and aura.
’I will use Eye to absorb all these techniques, get my body used to them with Martos. And the weapons, I would try to get used to them. The rest will co after I reach sword master.’ His plans had been laid, it was ti to begin.
...
One Year Later
A dark purple fla flickered around Baines as he exhaled and opened his eyes.
He had just ford his third star in his heart.
The mont he started cultivating Ashen-Origin, he realized how far the Ashen family had fallen behind. Two stars already contained more energy than the four stars in his middle core. At three stars, the comparison beca aningless.
Yet, none of this halted his dual cultivation towards the 5th star.
Now 15 years old, Baines had grown taller, shedding the softness of childhood. His features sharpened, hinting at the man he was becoming. But he cared little for that.
’It’s ti.’ He stood facing Martos’s hologram and gripped his bladeless sword. A deep purple aura engulfed it as he charged forward.
For the next two years, he fought Martos under various simulations: assassinations, ambushes, army battles, single combat, he faced every possible scenario.
A year was spent adjusting to different weapons. Another year was dedicated to pushing toward Sword Master.
But nothing ca. No breakthrough.
Exhausted, he decided to collapse, not physically, but ntally. The transfer of martial arts through Eye was brutal, risking head implosion if he wasn’t careful. So, as Eye transferred techniques, he forced himself into deep rest.
A month later, he woke up, his mind digested with endless techniques.
From all the techniques he had just learnt, only one word ca to his mind
Cut.
Without hesitation, he picked up his sword and charged at Martos.
Many techniques required special conditions to activate, but he used what he could. He spent another two months adapting his muscles to these techniques, modifying them, and making them his own.
Still, that voice in his head persisted. No, it grew louder.
Cut. Cut. Cut.
For months, he ignored it. Until, at last, it interfered with his training.
That day, during another near-death battle against Martos, he snapped.
"FUCK IT! I’ll CUT YOU. I’LL FUCKING CUT YOU!"
With his body aching and bleeding, he envisioned the source of the voice, so unseen force demanding destruction. He gritted his teeth, fueled by sheer will to cut.
Purple aura surged, gathering in his blade.
"CUT, YOU BASTARD!"
As he swung downward, his mind expanded.
Sothing opened inside him, and a wellspring of energy unlike anything before gushed in.
His blade radiated an intense purple light, extending to his entire body.
He instinctively knew.
Sword Intent.
The mark of a Sword Master.
With a final swing, he cleaved through the hologram.
He collapsed onto his back, breathing ragged.
For the first ti in years, he smiled.
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