Chapter 228: Cloudrift Style
Chapter 228: Cloudrift Style
The next day, the master began teaching Caelum sword techniques.
Several other disciples studied alongside him, all around his age, roughly seventeen or eighteen.
In truth, Caelum’s swordsmanship proficiency had already exceeded two hundred thousand.
Each point of proficiency represented his understanding and insight into swordsmanship.
Although he had no formal techniques, his attainments in the sword were already profound.
What seemed like a simple swing had, in reality, returned to simplicity and reached the essence of the art.
There was no need for dazzling moves.
One strike was enough to defeat an enemy.
The master saw that Caelum’s fundamentals were solid beyond compare, but he did not see the true nature hidden beneath that plain and ordinary strike.
Caelum approached the lessons with the mentality that there was no harm in learning.
In only one month, he mastered every sword technique the master taught.
Basically, the master only needed to demonstrate once, and Caelum could perform it perfectly.
The reason it took a full month was purely because the other disciples slowed down the pace of instruction.
Once the lessons ended, the master no longer taught sword techniques to this group of disciples.
Those who failed to learn simply lacked talent.
He had no desire to force them.
What surprised him was that the only disciple who had mastered all of his sword techniques was Caelum.
In his eyes, Caelum’s talent had not seemed especially outstanding among this group.
"It seems I misjudged him."
The master sighed in amazement.
The school he had inherited was called Cloudrift Style.
Its sword techniques were extremely profound and refined.
Mastering them all was no ordinary challenge.
Because of that, the school had established a rule.
No matter who it was, anyone capable of mastering every sword technique of Cloudrift Style could become its heir.
They would become the one who carried the school forward.
That was how it was stated, but in reality, the style was so difficult to pass down that it had already declined almost completely.
There was not much left to carry forward.
In the previous generation, the master had learned all the techniques of Cloudrift Style and inherited its name.
In this generation, it was Caelum’s turn to inherit the name of Cloudrift Style.
This title was not especially useful.
It simply allowed Caelum to claim Cloudrift Style as his school if he ever opened a training hall to spend his later years.
Aside from that, the heir of Cloudrift Style also inherited one other thing.
Inside the training hall, the disciples sat nearby with legs crossed and watched the scene before them in surprise.
They would serve as witnesses and see Cloudrift Style passed into Caelum’s hands.
Cerys was among them.
As she watched, her fists clenched.
From this moment on, Caelum would become the true goal she had to chase and surpass.
There was no other reason.
She simply wanted to prove that she was not weaker than any man.
Losing to Caelum had become her greatest frustration so far.
Her stubborn nature and competitive spirit would never allow her to admit defeat so easily.
She had to win it back.
The master lifted a plain looking blade with solemn dignity and placed it in Caelum’s hands.
The sheath of the blade was white like drifting clouds.
Caelum accepted it and drew the blade.
The steel carried a graceful curve.
Its edge was sharp, and the patterns along the blade also resembled white clouds.
The master said, "This blade is called Cloudrend."
"It is the treasure passed down through Cloudrift Style for several hundred years."
"It is also one of the thirteen famed blades known throughout the world."
"You must take good care of it."
"I will."
Obtained weapon: Famed Blade, Cloudrend
At the sight of the blade, every disciple’s eyes burned with envy.
Possessing a famed blade was the lifelong pursuit of many swordsmen.
This was one of only thirteen legendary famed blades in the entire world.
It was also one of Cerys’s dreams.
Now she had one more reason to defeat Caelum.
She would seize the name of Cloudrift Style from him and become the owner of that blade.
After that, the training hall returned to its calm and quiet days.
The disciples seemed to have been inspired by Caelum.
Every one of them trained with great effort.
Cerys found something strange.
Even after learning every sword technique of Cloudrift Style, Caelum still persisted in practicing basic sword swings every day.
Again and again, it was always the same motion.
She had never seen him practice any other movement or sword technique.
Another month passed.
Through relentless practice, Cerys finally built a solid foundation of her own.
She earned the master’s approval and began learning the sword techniques of Cloudrift Style.
"Yes!"
Her sweat over the past two months had not been wasted.
The moment she received the master’s recognition, she felt joy and encouragement unlike anything she had ever experienced.
It was the first time someone had acknowledged her like this.
And Caelum was still swinging his sword.
Swordsmanship: Proficiency plus 1
Swordsmanship: Proficiency plus 1
Swordsmanship: Proficiency plus 1
Swordsmanship Proficiency: 800000
His swordsmanship proficiency continued to rise steadily at a rate of ten thousand points per day.
Before he knew it, his proficiency was approaching the one million mark.
Caelum’s swordsmanship was about to enter an even higher Realm.
The proficiency of all three forms of Haki had reached one hundred eighty thousand.
In this way, the sun and moon turned.
Another month passed in silence.
Swordsmanship Proficiency: 1100000
Observation Haki Proficiency: 240000
Armament Haki Proficiency: 240000
Conqueror Haki Proficiency: 240000
His swordsmanship proficiency had broken through one million.
Caelum’s swordsmanship had advanced another step.
Previously, his slash could split open a mountain.
Now, it was powerful enough to cleave apart an island several kilometers across.
Such swordsmanship could already be called the peak within the world of Legend of the Empire.
However, this clearly was not Caelum’s limit.
As long as his proficiency continued to increase, he could become even stronger.
It was just that raising his swordsmanship proficiency to ten million and entering the next Realm would likely require two or three years of hard training.
That would take a fair amount of time.
But to Caelum, two or three years was nothing.
He had patience, and he did not lack perseverance.
Armament Haki and Conqueror Haki had grown more than twice as strong as before.
The improvement in Observation Haki was reflected in its sensing range and the upper limit of how far into the future it could see.
Now, Caelum could sense every presence, sound, and thought within a radius of seven kilometers.
At his limit, he could see twenty four seconds into the future.
Very few powerful fighters could use Observation Haki to foresee the future with true mastery.
Those on the weaker end could only see three seconds ahead.
Those with considerable strength could see ten seconds into the future.
In any case, none of them could compare to Caelum.
The gap was vast.
He had yet to leave the starting town, but Caelum’s strength had already reached the summit.
If he used swordsmanship together with all three forms of Haki, he should be able to sweep through the entire world of Legend of the Empire.
But it still was not enough.
He was still far from being able to destroy the world.
The rear door of the training hall slid open.
Cerys walked in with bandages wrapped around one arm.
She looked somewhat battered and carried several injuries, yet her eyes shone brightly.
Today was the day she completed her training in Cloudrift Style sword techniques.
The moment it ended, she rushed impatiently to the rear courtyard and challenged Caelum with excitement.
"Morven, spar with me again."
"This time, I will not lose!"