The Reincarnation of a Third-Rate Ronin Chapter 3 : The Training of a Warrior

Chapter 3: The Training of a Warrior

Since I turned five, three years had quietly passed.

During those three years, my body had changed beyond recognition.

My limbs had stretched out like those of boys several years older, and my abdon bore a clearly defined eight-pack.

It was, in every sense, a body befitting the title of a young warrior.

All of this was thanks to mastering the Martial God’s martial art—The Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique.

For three years, I devoted myself solely to learning the Martial God’s martial art.

As expected from a technique created by one who bore the title God, the efficacy of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique was truly formidable.

First of all, it changed the very nature of my body. Even to put it kindly, my physique had not been suitable for becoming a warrior.

Not only were my muscles slow to develop, but my flexibility and bone structure were also far from ideal.

It was hard to believe that I was the son of Zeke, the greatest warrior of Elphrel.

My body was so frail it wouldn’t have been strange if people thought I had been picked up from sowhere.

But the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique greatly improved my weak constitution.

By training my Qi every single day without fail, the slow-growing muscles and nearly hollow bones began to change in density.

It was a transformation that occurred as the technique began to take root within my body.

Afterward, I focused on honing my martial skills.

Every day, I analyzed and practiced the Martial God’s swordsmanship.

However, his swordsmanship was as difficult as it was profound.

With my ager talent, I couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Even so, I persevered. I continued polishing the Twelve Star Cloud Swords, a sword technique composed of twelve forms.

After endless effort, I finally managed to use the first form of the Twelve Star Cloud Swords.

It was only one out of twelve, but I was happy nonetheless.

What mattered most to was that I was growing a little each day.

Just as I smiled in satisfaction—

“Leon.”

Soone called out to from behind.

I turned my head and spoke.

“Brother.”

The one who had called was none other than my older brother, Adam.

Adam was Zeke’s firstborn son. Perhaps because of that, he resembled Father so much that people often mistook them for one another.

That sa reddish hair, those fierce eyes, and the violently sculpted muscles.

Adam was a mirror image of Zeke in every way.

But unlike Father, Adam’s personality was gentle like Mother, Heath’s.

Especially his lips—they often curled up softly just like hers.

Even now, Adam was approaching with that sa gentle smile.

“Training again, I see?”

“Yeah. Did you co ho to rest today? You never return unless it’s a break.”

“That’s right. Today’s my rest day. But more importantly, what are you doing right now? I’ve never seen such a strange posture before.”

Adam looked curiously at sitting cross-legged.

“ditation.”

I answered casually.

Even if I told him the truth, he probably wouldn’t understand what I was actually doing.

However, Adam must have seen through my lie, because his eyes widened as he laughed.

“Ha! Already keeping secrets from family? That hurts, you know.”

Despite his words, there wasn’t a hint of resentnt on his face. Instead, his gaze was full of fondness.

He slowly approached and lightly gripped my arm. It was sudden contact, but I didn’t flinch—Adam often did things like this.

“Hmm?”

Then Adam frowned slightly and tilted his head.

He began to touch my abdon, thighs, calves, and the muscles on my back.

“How strange,” he muttered under his breath.

“Was your body always this well-developed?”

“I trained, so maybe that’s why?”

“No, it doesn’t feel like that. If I recall correctly, your physique would have needed at least ten more years to reach this level… It feels almost as if soone altered your body.”

Anyone else would have dismissed it as nonsense, but I couldn’t hide my surprise at Adam’s words.

After all, Adam was known as the most outstanding young warrior of Elphrel.

True to his reputation, he must have sensed sothing unusual about my physique.

“I don’t know how it happened, but your vessel has grown larger than before. If you keep up this growth, you’ll surely reach the level of an Interdiate Warrior.”

“Really?” I asked in delight.

The Novice Warrior Examination, held at age ten, tested one’s basic qualities as a warrior.

The Interdiate Warrior Examination, however, truly judged whether one possessed a warrior’s qualifications.

It was said that starting from the interdiate level, life and death often hung in the balance.

And he thought I could pass such a dangerous test?

My goal wasn’t rely to stop at becoming an interdiate warrior. My final goal was to beco Elphrel’s greatest warrior.

Even so, I couldn’t help but feel happy—because for the first ti, my family had recognized my efforts.

Before I knew it, three years had passed since Father, Zeke, began teaching .

During that ti, I had constantly doubted myself.

Is this the right path?

Am I truly moving forward?

And just as I was questioning everything, soone had given confidence.

I couldn’t express how grateful I was.

To , an eight-year-old boy, those words were nothing short of a ray of hope.

As he watched my excitent, Adam smiled softly—his face carrying both Zeke’s fierceness and Heath’s warmth.

Then he plucked a single strand of his red hair and placed it atop my head.

“In our family, the stronger a warrior becos, the redder their hair turns. I look forward to seeing your black hair turn as red as mine soday.”

I nodded, gently—careful not to let the blessing he had bestowed fall away.

After Adam’s encouragent, I didn’t skip a single day of training.

To slice through the steel-like straw bundle, I couldn’t afford a single mont of laziness.

Half a year passed.

Then a year.

Before long, about ten days remained until the Novice Warrior Examination.

And at that ti, a sudden realization ca to .

A warrior’s most fundantal need is strength.

Whether one wielded a sword or an axe—

To face a powerful enemy, a warrior’s foundation was strength.

That was why I had been training my martial skills and Qi every day.

To cut through the steel straw bundle before , I believed I needed overwhelming power.

But the more I reflected on the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique, the more I began to understand—strength was not what a warrior needed most.

Suppose one possessed a strength of a hundred. To use all that strength perfectly, one would have to exert it fully—but humans could maintain such power only for a fleeting mont.

With training, one could maintain full strength for several minutes… but it was still exhausting.

So I thought—perhaps the true power of a warrior was to unleash the strength of a hundred with only fifty.

The thought ca to suddenly—

and I acted on it imdiately.

Flow Control, Seamless Continuity, and the Unity of Offense and Defense…

Within Chun Gwang’s mories lay a wealth of martial knowledge from the world of martial arts.

Drawing upon that knowledge, I—Leon—intensified my efforts to refine my sword technique.

At first, I believed I was using the sword art fairly well.

But as ti passed, I began to notice unnecessary movents—the angle of my wrist, the speed at which I twisted my waist, the way my lower body moved two beats faster than my upper body.

Flaws began to surface one after another.

They were obvious shortcomings, yet I gladly accepted them.

If I could see what was wrong, it ant there was room for improvent. And if I improved, I would grow stronger.

How could that not be sothing to welco?

I slowly raised my sword toward the sky.

For a brief mont, the blade floated motionlessly in midair—then suddenly sliced downward with great speed.

It was a simple downward strike, yet I realized this swing felt slightly different from usual.

What was different?

There was no visible change—it rely cut through empty air. To confirm the difference, I stood before the steel straw bundle.

I stared at it in silence.

Until now, no matter how many tis I struck, not a single mark had been left on it.

But this ti, I was certain—it would be different.

I slowly lifted my sword again, its tip pointing toward the heavens—

—and swung it down.

Whoosh!

The sound of air being split echoed as my blade struck the straw bundle.

At that mont, I felt an unfamiliar sensation course through my fingertips.

My eyes widened in surprise.

“This… is the Grain?”

When Chun Gwang had lived his life, he could never follow the Grain of an object.

Even the act of cutting along the Grain had been beyond his shallow perception and talent.

But now I realized what I had just discovered—it was the thod of cutting along the Grain.

I surrendered myself to the feeling at my fingertips.

This was the first ti the sensation of cutting through sothing felt so vivid, so alive.

I could feel the sword tracing the natural Grain within the straw bundle. Though it was said to be harder than steel, I didn’t believe my sword would stop.

If I simply continued to follow this sensation, I was sure I could slice through the entire bundle cleanly.

But then—

Thunk!

Just as the blade was about to pierce through, it stopped.

Startled, I widened my eyes.

I was certain I had followed the Grain—so what had blocked ?

I slowly drew my sword out and peered inside the bundle—then sighed softly.

Inside was a piece of blue tal.

The outer straw had rely been a decoration; the true material was that tal.

“So Father wasn’t exaggerating when he said it was harder than steel.”

My shoulders drooped in disappointnt—but soon after, I smiled.

“This isn’t a failure. It’s a stepping stone forward.”

Thanks to Adam, I already knew I would pass the Novice Warrior Examination.

If there was one thing Adam wasn’t capable of, it was lying.

If he said I would pass, then I would.

And so, I decided to welco this new challenge with joy.

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“You’ve cut it.”

“So it seems.”

A quiet dawn.

Zeke and Heath stood in the yard, gazing at the steel straw bundle.

“Phil said you’d recognize Leon if he even managed to scratch this thing, didn’t he?”

“I never take back my word. I only ca to confirm sothing for myself.”

With that, Zeke examined the marks Leon had left on the bundle.

“He truly cut it. And not just that—he followed the Grain perfectly.”

“He’s already awakened to the Grain of objects?”

“It’s unbelievable, but true.”

Then, Zeke inserted his hand into the cut section—and tore it apart with ease.

The bundle that Leon had struggled so hard to cut through, Zeke ripped apart effortlessly with his bare hands.

He looked at the blue tal within and chuckled.

“Seems my eyes have been blind all along.”

“What do you an?” Heath asked.

“There’s a mark inside.”

At his words, Heath leaned in to look—and gasped. Her gaze shifted toward the room where Leon was still asleep.

“What on earth…?”

“That’s Atilans’ Tear—a tal said to be nearly impossible for even High-Ranked Warriors to cut.”

Zeke grinned broadly, his white teeth showing in pride.

“That tal has been sliced—however slightly—by a boy who hasn’t even taken the Novice Examination.”

It was unbelievable.

Atilans’ Tear—a blue tal so durable and rare that it was used to forge the weapons of High-Ranked Warriors.

Even the Empire and Holy Kingdom coveted it for its unmatched hardness.

And yet, a re ten-year-old boy had managed to cut it?

Zeke turned his proud eyes toward the room where his son slept peacefully.