Chapter 106

The door at the other end of the arena opened slowly, and a tall, burly figure walked out of the darkness.

That was a Tiger-kin warrior nearly three meters tall, with his upper body naked, showing his strong muscles covered in scars, and his lower body wearing only a leather battle skirt protecting his vital parts.

The most striking thing was his face—a tiger head and human body, with fangs exposed, and a cold and cruel light flickering in his amber eyes.

There was almost no armor on his body; this was the extraordinary characteristic of the [Weapon Master] profession. When wearing light armor or no armor, his movement speed and attack speed would receive a certain bonus.

The Tiger-kin held a giant sword almost as tall as a human in his hand lightly, as if it were just a wooden stick.

"Human, you look very weak." Akesa's voice was low and rough, carrying an obvious mocking tone: "I hope you can persist for three seconds under my sword."

Luo En took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing to the rhythm of the "Sun Crown Breathing Method."

The heat flow in his body began to accelerate, providing additional gains for his muscles and reaction speed.

"Battle begins!" The mechanical voice announced.

Almost at the same moment the sound rang out, Akesa moved.

His speed was shockingly fast, almost unbelievable for a creature of such a large size.

In the blink of an eye, he had already crossed most of the arena, and the giant sword drew a terrible arc, heading straight for the enemy's waist, making a gesture to cut Luo En in half with one sword.

Luo En barely had time to raise his sword to block, but the huge impact still sent him flying, and he rolled on the ground a few times before barely standing firm.

His arm trembled violently due to this blow, and he could barely hold the sword handle.

"Only this much strength? A pathetic weakling..." Akesa snorted disdainfully and continued to approach with easy steps.

Luo En adjusted his breathing, endured the soreness of his arm, and set up a defensive posture again.

He understood that he was completely outmatched in strength and could only rely on technique and flexibility to seek a breakthrough.

The second round of attacks came quickly; Akesa used a series of fast and precise stabs this time, each strike pointing directly at vital parts.

He tried his best to dodge and block, but he was still hit several times, and his body was soon covered with tiny wounds.

"Your defense has loopholes, your movement is too slow, and your sword-holding posture is not stable enough."

Akesa commented while attacking, his tone cold and professional: "As a swordsman, you are far from good enough."

Luo En felt a sense of frustration; although he knew this was just a simulated battle, being crushed so thoroughly still made him feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

What made him feel most broken was that every one of Akesa's evaluations was incredibly accurate, pointing directly at the weaknesses in his sword skills.

The battle lasted for about ten minutes; he was exhausted and covered in wounds, while Akesa didn't even look like he was sweating.

"I thought you would perform better." The Tiger-kin weapon master shook his head, disappointment flowing in his eyes:

"It seems like a complete waste of time; it can end now."

After speaking, he suddenly accelerated, and the sword tip went straight for Luo En's throat.

In this critical moment, time seemed to slow down.

Luo En watched the fatal sword tip gradually approach, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—he had been trying to fight strength with pure technique, but in the face of an absolute gap in strength, this was futile.

The real breakthrough is not in the perfection of the moves, but in understanding the essence of the sword—all weapons exist for the purpose of killing.

At this moment, he no longer thought about technique and posture, and his consciousness was completely immersed in the connection between the sword and his body.

He forgot all his training, all his movement memory, and all his accumulation merged into one at this moment, forming a brand-new realization.

[Basic Sword Skills Experience Points +1]

[Breakthrough! Basic Sword Skills (Proficient 100/100) -> Basic Sword Skills (Mastery max)]

[Characteristic Advancement: Sharp -> Sharpness Exposed (Weakness insight rate and attack speed increased)]

Just as the sword was about to pierce his throat, Luo En made a move that seemed very stupid at ordinary times...

He did not retreat but advanced, his body turned slightly, avoiding the fatal blow by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, the long sword in his hand passed through Akesa's defense at an incredible angle, pointing straight at the other party's heart.

Akesa's movement suddenly stalled, a flash of surprise in his amber eyes, followed by appreciation.

"A good strike, human." He said in a low voice: "It seems you have understood the mystery of weapons."

Luo En stood on the spot, watching his sword tip being blocked before piercing Akesa's chest, but he felt an unprecedented sense of clarity.

At this moment, he was no longer using the sword, but had become the sword itself—sharp, precise, and deadly.

"The essence of sword skills is not in flashy moves, but in the determination to kill."

Akesa retracted the giant sword, his tone carrying a trace of appreciation:

"Just a moment ago, you did it; if it weren't for my strength and speed being far superior to yours, I'm afraid my heart would have been pierced by you by now."

Luo En took a deep breath, feeling the earth-shaking changes in his body.

The basic sword skills that reached the mastery level brought him not only an improvement in technique but also a brand-new understanding of sword skills.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Akesa." Luo En said sincerely and bowed to the other party.

The Tiger-kin weapon master nodded: "You have potential, human! But this is just the beginning; the road of the strong is endless, keep moving forward."

As soon as the voice fell, the entire arena began to distort and dissolve, returning to the empty circular room.

"Simulated battle ends, congratulations on your breakthrough." The mechanical voice announced: "Welcome to use the simulated battle device again."

The iron door opened slowly, and Luo En walked out of the room, seeing Andre waiting anxiously outside the door.

"Luo En! Are you okay?" The blonde boy stepped forward and looked at Luo En with worry: "You stayed inside for nearly two hours, and I started to worry."

"Two hours?" Luo En asked in surprise, "It felt like only ten minutes or so."

"Time perception in a simulated battle will be distorted." Andre explained: "How does it feel? Did you break through?"

Luo En nodded, a satisfied smile on his face:

"Yes, I have some understanding of the essence of sword skills; it is not mechanically repeating movements, but integrating will into every sword strike."

He raised his hand and made a simple sword-swinging movement.

Although there was no real sword in his hand, that movement carried a heart-palpitating sharpness, as if the air had been cut open.

Andre looked at this scene in shock: "This... this is completely different! Your previous sword skills were already quite good, but now, it's like you've become a different person."

"Yeah, it's like suddenly having an epiphany."

Luo En laughed: "Thanks to this simulated battle device, I had the opportunity to fight with a real sword master."

The two left the central tower and walked on the way back to the workshop, Luo En still immersed in the joy brought by the breakthrough.

"The devices created by those alchemists are truly amazing."

He said to Andre: "They can actually build such a realistic combat environment, and even the touch and smell are simulated seamlessly."

"Yeah, I heard it was a project jointly developed by several senior alchemists and spiritual wizards back then, with the purpose of training the school's combat power."

Andre nodded in agreement: "It's a pity that the school's research direction later turned to more theoretical fields, and such practical devices were neglected."

"But the potential of this technology is too great." Luo En's eyes flickered with excitement: "If it can be further researched, perhaps more practical alchemy devices can be developed."

His thoughts ran fast, imagining various possibilities:

A magic furnace that can precisely control the heat, a device that can automatically extract medicinal essence, and devices like this that can assist in cultivation...

"Must speed up learning alchemy." Luo En decided secretly: "The potential of this discipline is much greater than I imagined."

He looked back at the training room covered in dust: "I plan to go there for training regularly; although thirty magic stone fragments are not a small amount, compared to the benefits it brings, it is absolutely worth it."

After returning to the workshop, Luo En couldn't wait to take out his sword, wanting to experience the changes after the breakthrough personally.

As the sword momentum unfolded, he could clearly feel that every movement became smoother and more natural, as if the sword had become a part of his body.

The characteristic of sharpness exposed made every strike carry a heart-palpitating precision and sharpness; even if he only used a training wooden sword, it seemed to possess the power to cut gold and break jade in his hands.

"This feeling... is really great." Luo En praised in a low voice, his eyes flickering with excitement.

The mastery of basic sword skills undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for his future breakthrough to [Magic Swordsman].

What made him even more happy was that the breakthrough obtained in this way seemed to be more profound and internalized than relying solely on system prompts.

This is not just an increase in experience points, but a real realization of the essence of the skill.

In the corner of the room, Ailan quietly observed Luo En's sword practice, its vines swaying gently, seemingly happy for its master's breakthrough.

"Ailan, I broke through." Luo En said to the Treant, his face full of joy: "This is another important milestone since I came to the Black Fog Forest."

The Treant's vines spelled out a few words in the air: "Congratulations, Master."

Luo En nodded with a smile, carefully put the sword back on the sword rack, and began to think about the next plan.

With the experience of this breakthrough, he was more convinced that some seemingly insurmountable obstacles might just be because of the lack of the right method or environment.

………………

A few days later, Luo En's workshop was brightly lit.

The "Sun Flame Essence" formula scroll gifted by Ma Genusi was spread out on the table, and Luo En was carefully preparing various materials according to the formula.

"Red Phosphorus Grass powder, three qian... Starfire Stone Marrow, two drops... Sun-Day Orchid rhizome, four inches..." Luo En recited the materials and dosages on the formula in his heart, his fingers moving flexibly among various medicinal materials.