Chapter 27: Sharp

Sunlight spilled into the room through the window lattice. Luo En had finished today's meditation and was preparing to start practicing "Corona Sword Art."

Since killing Da Lun De last time, his understanding of this sword art had undergone a qualitative leap.

Especially in that life-and-death struggle, he more deeply realized the mystery of combining sword art with breathing method.

"Let's start."

Luo En adjusted his breathing, and the wooden sword in his hand slowly raised.

Under the guidance of the "Corona Breathing Method," every movement of his was filled with a certain special rhythm.

First breathing, inhale for seven breaths.

The wooden sword drew a beautiful arc from bottom to top, the sword tip pointing to the sky, as if a knight was paying tribute to the sun.

This is the "Dawn Ring" move in the Corona Sword Art, which emphasizes resolving attacks from all angles with a rounded arc.

Second breathing, hold breath for three breaths.

The sword body was parallel to the ground, holding the sword with both hands in front of the chest, posing in a classic defensive stance.

This is a defensive posture derived from ancient inheritance, which can guide the enemy's power to the surroundings.

The halo on the surface of the wooden sword gradually became bright, which was the energy unique to the "Corona Breathing Method" accumulating on the sword body.

Third breathing, exhale for five breaths.

The sword momentum changed suddenly, from horizontal grip to straight thrust, the sword tip as swift as a poisonous snake out of its sheath.

This move is called "Dawn Cross," a rare offensive and defensive change move in the Corona Sword Art.

The blade drew a perfect cross in the air, which could block incoming attacks and contained powerful counterattack power.

As a complete set of sword art was finished, the wooden sword drew a beautiful arc in the air, perfectly matching his breathing.

Unlike the previous rawness, every movement now began to appear smooth and flowing.

【Current progress: Basic sword art (Entry 49/50)】

"Just a little bit..."

Luo En took a deep breath and began to practice the last set of sword moves.

This was the most complex set of moves in the "Corona Sword Art," requiring multiple changes in direction in a short time.

But this time, he found that his body seemed to have its own consciousness.

Every turn was just right, and the connection between sword momentum was flawless.

A set of movements was completed smoothly, and Luo En could clearly feel a certain change in his body.

【Basic sword art breakthrough!】

【Basic sword art (Entry 50/50) → Basic sword art (Proficient 1/100)】

【Obtained additional characteristic: Sharp (Penetration increases when using sword art to attack)】

He raised the wooden sword and swung it lightly.

The trajectory drawn by the sword edge seemed to carry a certain invisible fluctuation, and even the air trembled slightly.

If he faced Da Lun De again now, I am afraid he could defeat the enemy in one encounter.

"Is this the gap between proficient and entry levels..."

Luo En sighed secretly in his heart. In fact, the evaluation standards like "entry" and "proficient" were all judged by the panel itself.

He felt that the sword art at the "proficient" level on his panel was already not inferior to those long-famous sword art competition champions in the kingdom.

Putting away the wooden sword, he began to prepare for today's body tempering.

With the deepening of the "Corona Breathing Method," he became more and more proficient in the process of this breathing body tempering.

【Breathing body tempering experience +1】

【Current progress: Breathing body tempering (Entry 43/100)】

Although the progress was just over halfway, Luo En was not in a hurry.

Body tempering is different from other skills, requiring cooperation with special essential oils, and the body needs a certain recovery time after each body tempering.

Moreover, this kind of foundation-laying work is more likely to cause problems if you are impatient.

After finishing body tempering, Luo En felt his whole body soaked in sweat and essential oil, and decided to go to the public bathhouse to wash up.

Tidying up his belongings, he was about to go out when he suddenly remembered Andre's reminder.

In this world, even if you go to take a bath, you must remain vigilant. After all, bathing and going to the toilet are the moments when people are most relaxed.

"Hope it can be quiet today."

Luo En whispered to himself, pushed open the door, and walked into the corridor.

The public bathhouse was filled with steam. He chose a corner position and began to wash off the essential oil and sweat on his body.

The warm water washed over his body, allowing the tense muscles to gradually relax.

This period of body tempering made his physique more solid, especially the lines of his meridians and muscles became extremely distinct.

When several probationary apprentices walked into the bathhouse and saw Luo En's figure, they subconsciously avoided him and chose a position further away.

After the Da Lun De incident, plus Andre helping him out before, they were both in awe and somewhat wary of this neighbor who could kill a deformed body with a wooden sword.

After washing, Luo En put on his clothes, took his toiletries, and prepared to return to the room.

The corridor was quiet, with only a few faint magic crystal lamps flickering.

Just as he was about to reach his room, a figure suddenly walked out from the corner.

"Master Luo En."

It was a young woman dressed exquisitely. Luo En recognized her as one of Ma Ge Si's slaves.

Compared to other slaves, her attire was more gorgeous, and she also wore a gemstone-encrusted necklace around her neck.

"I am Dan Ni, the personal maid of Master Ma Ge Si." She bowed slightly, her voice soft and pleasant:

"I heard you work at Princess Yi Fu's herb shop?"

Luo En looked at her blankly: "Something up?"

"It's like this." Dan Ni showed a decent smile:

"My master has always been very interested in potion-making, and I heard you have quite an achievement in this regard recently. I don't know if..."

"No." Luo En directly blocked what she was about to say.

He knew these slaves' tricks too well—first probing for information, then trying to find handles from it.

Moreover, he had a confidentiality agreement with Princess Yi Fu. This kind of trick of asking what one already knows was too clumsy.

"This..." Dan Ni showed a difficult look on her face:

"If it's a price issue, we can discuss it. The master said as long as you are willing to share some formulas, he is willing to pay..."

"Not interested, move aside."

Luo En didn't want to continue this meaningless conversation and bypassed her to leave.

Just then, Dan Ni, who brushed past him, had a cold light flash in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled into a successful smile.

Her slender fingers made a special gesture under her sleeve, and at the same time, she silently chanted an incantation.

This is a zero-ring spell called "Light-Handed Theft"; although it has no offensive effect, its strength lies in being stealthy and difficult to detect.

A dark energy tentacle, faint as light smoke, quietly drifted towards Luo En from her fingertips.

At this distance, even an experienced apprentice would find it difficult to detect this kind of energy fluctuation without preparation.

While casting the spell, her eyes stared closely at the bulging cloth bag at Luo En's waist.

Inside it were not only magic stone fragments but also several potions that Luo En had worked hard to refine.

The energy tentacle had quietly approached the cloth bag. As long as there was another instant, this stealing spell could transfer the cloth bag into her hand.

By then, she only needed to frame him by saying that he intended to steal her personal belongings, and she could easily...

—At the critical moment, Luo En's spiritual perception suddenly captured that trace of eerie energy fluctuation.

It was an extremely subtle sense of disharmony, just like something repeatedly plucking the strings of his spirit, making him irritable.

Dan Ni saw the young apprentice who brushed past her suddenly stop, and alarm bells rang in her heart.

But it was too late. The speed of drawing the wooden sword was unbelievably fast, and the "Corona Sword Art" at the proficient level showed its terrifying power for the first time.

The sword light flashed, and a shrill scream followed.

Dan Ni's right wrist, along with the dark energy tentacle, was slashed open, and blood sprayed out instantly.

She looked at her broken wrist in horror and was about to scream again when she was kicked away by Luo En without any pity.

At the same time, he caught his cloth bag that was about to fall to the ground, which contained his magic stone fragments and potions.

"If it weren't for this public area with 'surveillance eyeballs'..."

Luo En shook the blood off the wooden sword, his eyes carrying bone-chilling coldness: "You would already be a dead person now."

Dan Ni rolled to the ground and couldn't get up for a long time. Her originally gorgeous dress was covered in mud and dust, and there was an extremely conspicuous footprint on it.

She tried her best to cover her bleeding broken wrist, her elegance completely disappeared, leaving only horror and pain: "You... how dare you..."

Just then, a cold voice suddenly came from the end of the corridor:

"Hmph, just as rumored, a brute with nothing but muscles in his head!"

Ma Ge Si didn't know how long he had been squatting there. He was wearing a dark gray apprentice robe, and the green badge on his chest flickered with faint light in the dim light.

"I just witnessed with my own eyes how you cruelly injured my slave."

This ugly-looking short man had a ferocious smile on his face:

"The school has strictly forbidden internal fighting, especially you, a mere probationary apprentice, actually daring to use such a heavy hand on the property of a formal apprentice..."

(End of chapter)