Chapter 134: King Rank Sword Art

West Side of the Manor.

This manor was one of the Alves family’s secondary estates in the Northern Territory, a considerable distance from the city where the main family resided. That was also one of the reasons Victor hadn’t run into any of his immediate relatives since returning.

Alves Family Private Training Ground.

The spacious outdoor training ground was paved with special stone, with dozens of sturdy training dummies standing around its perimeter. Protective runes capable of absorbing a portion of magical impacts were engraved into the surrounding walls.

When Victor entered the grounds, several family guards who were organizing the training equipment immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Young Master!"

"Carry on with your work."

Victor waved them off before walking directly toward the central training area.

The original Victor had trained here during his occasional visits to this estate.

However, after enrolling at the Royal Academy, he had rarely found opportunities to return and use the facility.

Now, standing in this familiar place once again, Victor couldn’t help experiencing a somewhat different feeling.

The person he used to be would probably have found it difficult to imagine himself voluntarily spending so much time studying swordsmanship.

But now, he casually drew Crimson Flame Fang, its blade tracing a clean, decisive arc through the air.

Whoosh!

The wind generated by the sword swept across the ground, stirring several fallen leaves.

The next moment, the fire-attribute mana within Victor’s body began circulating slowly. A faint crimson glow spread along the blade, and the previously calm air immediately grew scorching hot.

Heaven Burning Sword Art!

This was one of the strongest sword techniques he currently possessed.

Although he had only reached the Beginner stage, its explosive power had already been thoroughly demonstrated during his previous battle against the Abyssal Bone-Spike Wolf.

However, that was precisely what Victor found unsatisfactory.

Although he had successfully unleashed his strongest Heaven Burning strike during that battle, the experience had also exposed shortcomings in his ability to control his power.

Whenever he needed to simultaneously maintain high-speed movement, Mana Plunder, and powerful sword techniques, his mana consumption increased noticeably.

Especially during prolonged exchanges, if he couldn’t manage his mana output more efficiently, even his maximum mana capacity of 787 points would struggle to sustain unrestricted bursts of power.

"In that case..."

Victor adjusted his grip on the sword, his gaze locking onto a training dummy ahead.

"I’ll start with the simplest part."

Rather than immediately executing the complete sword technique, he concentrated his fire-element mana at the tip of his blade.

As the mana gradually condensed, the crimson glow that originally covered the entire sword rapidly contracted, eventually forming a thin, brilliant line of fire.

Flame Line!

Hiss!

Crimson Flame Fang suddenly thrust forward!

The crimson line of fire instantly crossed several meters, striking the protective area on the training dummy’s chest with perfect accuracy.

Bang!

Accompanied by a dull impact, the protective runes on the dummy immediately lit up before gradually returning to normal.

Victor didn’t continue attacking. Instead, he lowered his gaze toward the blade.

The power of that strike hadn’t been weak, but a portion of his mana had still dispersed outward at the moment of release.

For an ordinary fire-attribute swordsman, that degree of energy loss might not amount to much.

But what Victor wanted to master was a King Rank sword art capable of determining victory or defeat in a genuine life-and-death battle.

Even the smallest details couldn’t be ignored indefinitely.

And so, he adjusted the circulation speed of his mana once again before delivering a second strike.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crimson sword lights repeatedly flashed across the center of the training ground. At first, each attack was accompanied by obvious fluctuations of flame, but as Victor gradually adjusted how he exerted his strength, the previously scattered fire elements actually began becoming increasingly concentrated.

The guards standing along the edge of the training ground had long since stopped their work.

They had previously heard that the Young Master’s strength had increased tremendously recently, and that he had even defeated a Level 29 senior student at the Academy.

However, witnessing Victor’s swordsmanship with their own eyes still left them considerably shocked.

Those sharp, precise attacks were completely unlike anything they remembered from the young nobleman who had frequently treated his training as a mere formality.

Especially as the practice continued, Victor’s strikes became increasingly clean and efficient. The fire elements were released almost entirely along their intended trajectories, with fewer and fewer unnecessary movements.

Finally, after yet another swing of his sword, an even more concentrated crimson line of fire suddenly shot forward!

Hiss!

The protective runes covering the training dummy’s chest flickered violently, and a tiny crack actually appeared across its surface.

Victor withdrew his sword and stood still.

Looking at that crack, he finally revealed a satisfied smile.

Although he was still some distance away from truly mastering the Heaven Burning Sword Art, this training session had at least helped him discover a direction worth continuing to refine.

Rather than simply pursuing greater explosive power, ensuring that every bit of mana produced its intended effect was equally important.

"Young Master!"

A somewhat astonished voice suddenly sounded nearby.

Victor turned his head and saw a middle-aged guard responsible for managing the training ground hurrying toward him.

The man first glanced at the crack on the training dummy before looking at Crimson Flame Fang in Victor’s hand.

"Was that a King Rank sword art you just used?"

"Something like that."

Victor returned Crimson Flame Fang to its sheath.

"I’m still not proficient enough."

The middle-aged guard’s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing those words.

A King Rank sword art!

Even within the Alves family, sword techniques of this level were absolutely not something ordinary guards were qualified to practice at will.

Yet the Young Master was actually complaining that he wasn’t proficient enough?

In the end, however, the guard said nothing more and merely asked respectfully whether Victor needed the training dummy replaced.

"No need."

Victor glanced at the sky.

"That’s enough for today."

He had already been practicing for quite some time. Although his body showed no obvious signs of discomfort, his mana consumption had reached the level he had intended, and forcing himself to continue training wouldn’t necessarily produce better results.

After all, cultivation wasn’t something that could be accomplished through sheer effort alone.

Besides, he still had other arrangements to attend to.

...

Victor had just finished his training when he encountered a familiar figure in the corridor leading toward the dining room.