<h4>Chapter 163</h4>


    Two months passed. Time flew by like a shot arrow, like a bolt of lightning. Leonard let out a long sigh as he thought about how much time had passed. He couldn’t even me anyone because he was the one who had proposed the program in the first ce.


    <i>I didn’t know it would be this big. </i>


    Though it wasn’t training season, there was a boot camp in full swing at the 7th ck Dragon Division’s base by the Hellgate.


    He’d taught Audrey and Demian the basics of cultivation and written a few books about some cultivation methods he picked out from his memory. That was all well and good. Just as when he’d taught Demon’s Bane, all he needed to do was give a few demonstrations of swordy and hand-to-handbat techniques, and that was enough for the knights to learn them.


    The real issue came after that.


    <i>“Instructor Leonard! If I direct mana in the opposite direction as I do when I generate heat, wouldn’t it generate cold?”</i>


    <i>“How is it possible that making these weird movements and manipting mana in such a bizarre way produce such effects? I simply don’t understand!”</i>


    There was a saying that stated that those with little knowledge were more dangerous than those with no knowledge at all. Ever since the Cardenas knights obtained new knowledge and music, they’d been giving him a headache.


    Some tried to change the route of major circtions without even knowing about the dangers of qi deviation.


    Some had qualms about standardized martial arts after spending their whole lives being taught styles that had no forms.


    Countless people even tried to do things murim martial artists would never dream of and came to him with questions.


    <i>I’ve also learned a decent amount when correcting the knights, but this is too tiring. </i>Leonard smiled bitterly as he thought back to the past month.


    After writing and lecturing about tens of cultivation arts, he’d uncovered clever uses he’d never thought of, and his understanding of fundamental martial arts theories was heightened. He couldn’t deny how valuable it was.


    In his past life, he had taken some knowledge for granted because he thought it was obvious, but he reconsidered those ideas on a deeper level. He’d been trying to simplify ideas for the sake of teaching beginners, but he’d also found that it was helpful for himself.


    “Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old, and you may be a teacher to others.” This Confucian proverb was very fitting.


    Why does internal energy have to be directed in the right direction? What is the philosophical exnation for how the body and internal energy interact to induce certain phenomena? For those who were brand new to cultivation arts, these questions were extremely difficult to answer, but for those who already had an understanding of cultivation arts, they were so used to it that it was justmon sense. For them, it was simply the way things were.


    Most people didn’t think about why apples fell to the ground, and most murim martial artists didn’t think about why circting internal energy produced certain effects. Again, it was simply the way things were.


    But they didn’t start out with that mindset. Anyone who was born into a martial arts family would ask at least once why they had to sit in the ufortable lotus position when doing breath cirction, why the eight extraordinary meridians were so central to manipting qi, why the lower dantian had to be the first energy center, and why they couldn’t open the upper dantian before the middle dantian.


    There weren’t many teachers who provided proper exnations, and it was already hard enough to understand such concepts when one was young enough to be asking such questions in the first ce.


    One had to assume the lotus position when meditating or doing breath cirction in order to absorb external energy through one’s palms and the soles of one’s feet.


    The eight extraordinary meridians were important in cultivation training because, unlike in the twelve main meridians where energy flowed evenly through the limbs, most internal energy flowed down the midline of the body, where the three dantians were located.[1]


    The lower dantian was the first energy center that had to be opened because of the way the human body was a manifestation of the Three Aspects. The lower dantian was associated with the earth, the middle dantian was associated with humanity, and the upper dantian was associated with the sky.


    How could young girls and boys who were brand new to cultivation understand these concepts? Even if they could learn the answers by heart, they couldn’t <i>truly </i>understand them until they were at least in the Peak Realm, and it took at least twenty or thirty years to reach that level. By then, they would have long lost their childlike curiosity.


    Leonard was no different; Dan Mok-Jin had criticized him for being too single-minded and only looking forward. He’d needed time to look back. And after dissecting the sutras he’d taken for granted and breaking down the movements, he was able to take one step closer to perfection.


    <i>In terms of pure swordy,mander-level knights would be on pretty equal footing with me but not in any other aspect, </i>Leonard mused.


    Swordsmen didn’t train only in swordy. They began with movement arts and physical arts, which were the foundation of <i>all </i>forms of martial arts, and then moved on to palm arts and fist arts, which were rted to swordy. It was a given. How could someone who didn’t even know how to control their body manipte another object freely? For that very reason, members of the Wudang Sect were required to learn Taiji fist arts, while members of the Mount Hua Sect were required to learn Six Harmonies fist arts.


    The knights could manipte the sword as they wished, but the intention of moving a weapon was channeled through the limbs. They had to faithfully train in not only hand arts, of course, but also finger arts and leg arts if they wanted even a chance of reaching a level of mastery.


    That was why the Sword Emperor had traveled the world, looking for opponents to fight. He’d realized that he couldn’t reach the next level when the family martial arts he was trained in was only partially tested in battle. He sought out even the shortest line, even the smallest movement that could help him refine Five Elements One Origin Sword Arts. In the end, that was how he reached the Creation Realm.


    <i>Do they need more real battle experience with cultivation arts instead of simple swordy? </i>Leonard wondered. He’d thought about it a hundred times over, but that was the only answer he’d been able toe up with.


    They needed real-life experience.


    Yeon Mu-Hyuk hadn’t been able to gain much from it despite the fact that he’d constantly sought improvement to the point that he was dissatisfied with the way he gripped the sword, but that was because he had already progressed very far. However, for a person to gain a deeper understanding of the essence of martial arts, they had to master the elementary aspects.


    Regardless of whether one was born with innate talent, at the lowest level of martial arts, simply putting effort into training created visible growth. Even a dunce could very quickly be a Third-ss martial artist as long as they could concentrate enough to circte energy for a few hours.


    If they had the perseverance and stamina to do a thousand, ten thousand practice swings, the Second ss wasn’t far off either. If they were lucky enough to obtain an elixir or learn ascension cultivation methods, they could be First ss, and if they were <i>really </i>lucky, they could be a Peak Realm expert.


    However, starting from the Apex Realm, when mind arts came into y, one’s diligence barely mattered. There was a reason that experts chased opportunities for growth and sought out opponents with whom they could fight to the death.


    No matter how intense of a training regimen they went through, it paled inparison to a single life-or-death duel, and even if they did solitary training and performed ten major circtions in a single day, it couldn’t match the effects of ingesting the neidan of a ten-thousand-year-old fire carp.


    At that level, one needed epiphanies.


    Of course, attempting gradual cultivation wasn’tpletely meaningless, but that was all. Someone who had an epiphany could surpass in just one day another martial artist’s century’s worth of gradual cultivation.


    But even so, they couldn’t just stop trying. Even as martial artists anguished over whether or not their efforts would be futile, their feet kept moving.


    “Instructor Leonard, the session begins in five minutes.”


    He was suddenly jarred. Leonard hadn’t even realized that he’d started meditating. He opened his eyes, the light returning to his pupils.


    He stood up. “Follow me to the arena.”


    * * *


    The knights who were stationed at the ck Dragon’s nine bases were all Transcendence Tier veterans hardened with decades of experience fighting Demoniacs. There were tens of experts about as strong as the White Dragon Knight Isaac and on the verge of reaching the Demigod Tier. There weren’t many people who were more experienced and well-respected than them, other than themanders.


    “The instructor has arrived!”


    However, as soon as the knight who had fetched Leonard announced Leonard’s entrance with a shrill cry, the troops fell into formation before he even finished his sentence.


    The ck Dragon Knights were more disciplined than the knights who came fresh out of boot camp. Even the most courageous might quiver at the sight of so many powerful Transcendence Tier knights.


    But Leonard’s face was calm. “At ease,” hemanded.


    The knights, who had been standing at attention, rxed a little.


    Whether it was the one who had given the order or the ones who were being ordered around, themand structure seemed obvious.


    The hierarchy ofmand had clearly solidified over the past two months, adding more aspects other than Audrey’s authority. The doubts that the knights had about Leonard due to his age andck of experience had been crushed in just one day.


    <i>“Now, it’s time to give him a proper wee!”</i>


    Leonard had known that they wouldn’t disobey him because Audrey had ordered them to listen to him, but he also knew that if he didn’t prove that he had the right to be there, things would be troublesome.


    As a martial artist, he could solve this problem very easily.


    He simply needed to beat the knights who had gathered at the training grounds fair and square. Having faced all sorts of enemies, they were able to sense the difference in their power as soon as their des met. They’d been shocked, but after that, they were filled with a burning desire to win and took on the challenge. Leonard beat every single challenger.


    <i>For martial artists, the pecking order is simply determined by strength. </i>Even those who cared a lot about age and how well one fit in couldn’t treat the strong as inferior.


    Even though Yeon Mu-Hyuk had be one of the most powerful martial artists despite not being from a specific sect, the sect leaders had treated him with the greatest respect, partly because he was so strong.


    “No. 1, step forward. Show me what you’ve learned,” he instructed.


    “Yes, sir!”


    Leonard was not only speaking to them as if they were inferior but also referring to them by numbers. Despite this, no one seemed discontent. In fact, No. 1 seemed to be happy with it because his number meant that he could go first.


    The ck Dragon Knight stepped toward Leonard and drew his sword. “I will begin.”


    “Mm.”


    As soon as the reply came, an aura zed up from the de. Tiny currents of electricity sparked with a crackle.


    It was lightning energy.


    <i>I believe I taught No. 1 lightning energy techniques and Thirteen Lightning shes, </i>Leonard thought to himself.


    Lightning energy techniques were rare even among users of elemental cultivation methods, but there was one thing Leonard had failed to consider: mana cores. Every member of the Cardenas family had formed mana cores during their Blood Awakening Ceremony, and most of those who were strong enough to join the Seven Great Orders either had a single-core or a dual-core. There was nothing better for elemental cultivation arts.


    For example, a ck Dragon Knight who had a fire mana core would be considered a genius in the zing Sun Art in murim. Though they could possibly not reach legendary levels such as obtaining a Potent Yang Body, they would progress hundreds of times faster than the average person.


    In No. 1’s case, it was a lightning core.


    <i>Crackle. </i>As the name implied, No. 1’s sword transformed into a sh of lightning and grazed Leonard’s hair. However, Leonard’s natural speed was as fast as a First-ss martial artist’s, so he easily dodged the attack.


    Blue strands of lightning trailed the de, proof that No. 1 had reached the tenth stage of Thirteen Lightning shes.


    “Not bad,” Leonard said, praising his opponent’s improvement. Then he raised his hand.


    He didn’t even need his sword to counterattack.


    They weren’t having a proper duel with their lives on the line, so fist and palm arts were more than enough to defeat the ck Dragon Knights. Besides, with how powerful Leonard was, he could barely still be considered a Transcendence Tier knight.


    Eighteen Thunderp Strikes


    Fourth Form: Thunderbolts & Lightning


    Like No. 1’s attack, Leonard’s technique included the word “lightning.” He’d learned the move from a vagabond who had merely been in the Peak Realm, but he’d refined it to the point that it would be hard for an Apex Realm expert to block it.


    In an instant, over twenty afterimages of his hands shed through the air. As was befitting of the lightning element, the technique relied on speed.


    <i>“Hah!” </i>No. 1 responded with Thirteen Lightning shes’ secret technique.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Thirteen Lightning shes


    Severing Form: Lightning Strike


    Like the Eighteen Thunderp Strikes, No. 1’s sword left behind tens of afterimages as he attacked and continuously pierced through the images of Leonard’s hands.


    It was speed versus speed.


    <i>Boom! Crackle! Boom! </i>


    Two bolts of lightning split into tens of strands, creating deafening thunderps as they struck. Considering that lightning energy was regarded as the fastest and most destructive of the elemental energies, the impact was immense, even though neither of them used augmented energy.


    After shing tens of times, the two opponents pulled back at the same time. As a result, Thunderbolts & Lightning and Lightning Strike offset each other, putting them at a stalemate as they each took three steps back.


    “Instead of trying to intercept the opponent, focus on your own attacks. There aren’t many elemental energies that have more offensive power than lightning,” Leonard advised.


    “Thank you for your guidance, sir!”


    Their sparring match made the knight realize his shorings. While Leonard used a less advanced Form, No. 1 had used a secret technique and was still unable to win, resulting in a draw. Furthermore, Thirteen Lightning shes was more powerful than Eighteen Thunderp Strikes.


    As soon as No. 1 epted the results of the match and moved aside, No. 2 took his ce, sword raised. He seemed impatient to learn more Forms as fast as possible.


    “Begin,” Leonard ordered.


    “Thank you, sir!”


    As soon as Leonard gave hismand, No. 2 used the Burning Eighth Form of zing Heat Illusion. A fire zed up from his sword, and the heat emanating from the vibrant red sword energy made the air shimmer. It looked like a magic sword.


    He gave a powerful swing. Unlike Thirteen Lightning shes, this variation focused solely on strength and used a heat haze to disguise its user’s movement as they aimed for their opponent’s neck.


    <i>His form is wless. As I expected, because they’re in the Transcendence Tier, these knights can find the most optimal way to perform an attack terrifyingly fast, </i>Leonard thought.


    He responded with Crimson Exploding Fist, a scorching me attack that created a small explosion on impact.


    <i>Boom! </i>


    The sword concealed under the heat haze was thrown back with great force, and No. 2 unwittingly left his torso open. Leonard pummeled his abdomen. No. 2 had one sword, but Leonard had two fists. Wielding a sword with two hands made the weapon powerful, but it also came with significant drawbacks.


    Since they had limited their abilities to match a First-ss martial artist, No. 2 couldn’t dodge or block.


    “Gah!”<i> </i>He stumbled back, heaving out air instead of blood. Even though No. 2 hadn’t been able to brace himself, Leonard’s attack was too weak to injure a Transcendence Tier knight. Still, it left enough of a mark to teach him a lesson.


    “If you put too much power into your sword, your opponent can detect and intercept your attack, thus killing you. Unless you’re confident that you’ll trick your opponent, be more thoughtful when you choose what techniques to use,” Leonard advised.


    Then he turned to look at No. 3.


    “Next!”


    1. The three dantians are located at the middle of the navel, heart, and forehead. ?