Chapter 342
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Chapter 342
It was impossible for Nthanda to undergo a fundamental change within a short period of time, and even though she had managed to greatly improve herself her peers were not remaining idle either. The next few matches were filled with equal parts wins and losses. That was how Nthanda discovered a serious flaw in her new technique. It was obviously incomplete, but she hadnt even gotten a chance to use it because of the way she had developed it. It didnt help she didnt have a proper bow to use either.
Perhaps it was a foolish notion to begin with. Working around the changes to her left hand made the rest of her tasks more difficult but if it actually worked as she wanted, she was interested in completing the transformation. So far it hadnt been practical in actual combat, but that was her fault more than the technique itself.
She looked at her left palm. Unlike her other, it was not paler in the rest of her skin but darker than even her normal deep brown. It didnt have the same sheen to it as the ants chitin, but it was only an approximation of the creatures. No matter how much a human cultivator might take on certain aspects of creatures, they remained fundamentally the same.
Nthandas final opponent was a woman who hardly looked suited for her weapon. Cultivators didnt necessarily need muscle to wield weapons, but the woman didnt even look as if she was up to the same standard of body tempering as most cultivators, let alone Nthanda. Perhaps most wouldnt have noticed, but she was more sensitive to such things. For most the method through which they made use of their power didnt make much difference as it had to be dealt with regardless, but for Nthandas purposes this was the best chance she would get.
Her opponents weapon was essentially a spiked metal club. It was not quite as long as a proper polearm, but it had a good amount of reach to it. She might have called it a staff had it been symmetrical, but the way it was shaped made it clear only the top end was for bludgeoning, piercing, and otherwise damaging people.
The battle began with clashing weapons. Nthandas opponent seemed to be aiming for her weapon directly instead of trying to avoid such collisions. It was a sensible enough technique given how well it worked. Nthanda was used to being able to force her opponents backwards with her powerful strikes, but her opponent had remarkable stability through a connection to the ground. Furthermore, the impacts strained Nthandas muscles to the point she couldnt just try to wear out her opponents natural energy.
That suited her just fine though. There was no point in testing a trump card against an unworthy opponent. Nthanda continued to weave her halberd as she could, making use of her reach to hold off her aggressive opponent. She continued to fight until her opponent knocked her weapon to the side, not entirely by coincidence.
Her opponent rushed forward, the iron club swinging down at an angle that was not quite vertical to avoid her easily dodging it. Nthanda still had her grip on her halberd but it was too far to the side to bring it to bear. The club came down straight into Nthandas palm.
One of the spikes pierced through her hand, and the force of the blow pushed her into the ground up to her waist. Yet the muscles and bones in her arms, torso, and legs held firm. Taking such a blow head on should have shattered something regardless of how much she tempered her body, but it lost some of its force the moment of impact and was unable to maintain the followup momentum.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
Nthandas grip closed on the weapon. She didnt want to use such a reckless technique but it was the one most appropriate to testing her ability. And it had worked. Her opponent struggled to pull away, but could not force her grip off of the weapon. Nthanda did find herself slammed into the ground back and forth for her refusal to give up her grip, but the force of the blows was very little. That was because from her hand extended an area that mostly negated the energy around it. It barely extended beyond her touch, but that meant the most critical portion of the weapon did not have the additional momentum and power that it required to be a threat.
It wasnt even particularly tiring for Nthanda. Yet the technique wasnt without flaws. It didnt just weaken her opponents energy, but also her own. That meant she was unable to protect her palm, and that meant the weapon had maintained its power up until the point of contact. But still, it worked well enough. It wasnt complete negation like the ants, but it suited her.
Soon enough her opponent realized that Nthanda wasnt going to let go or give up, and the halberd she leveled in their direction gave them incentive to surrender. Nthanda grinned. It was just one battle, but even if it didnt vastly improve her rating she would at least be walking away from the competition with great improvements.
Now she just had to figure out how to make use of the same with a bow. The strange bone bow that Anton lent her for training was just about right, but unfortunately she didnt have one of her own that matched. Perhaps she could develop the technique to turn on and off as well.
-----
Ive been practicing, the young woman said. But I cant do much in real battles.
Dont say that, Chikere commented. I know you can do it. If it were anyone else, Anton would have been surprised at her punctuating her point with a sword slash. It was close enough to Florry to cause her to take half a step back. You just have to react to your opponent.
But what if Im not fast enough?
Chikere shrugged, Then just react before they do anything.
Anton cleared her throat. I believe she means to predict what your opponent will do and act accordingly.
Didnt I say that? Chikere tilted her head.
Umm Florry spoke timidly, Normally people dont call it reacting if you do it first.
Chikere shrugged. Whats the difference? Besides, its important to make sure your actions dont change what your opponent is going to do. Unless you want them to.
... I think I get it, Florry said.
Chikere nodded, Good. But maybe youd get more if you saw it in action. Say, Anton, are you busy?
I am not, Anton admitted.
In that case-
Anton held up his hand, Only if there are trained doctors from the Million Sword Vault on standby, Anton cut off her request for a fight. And wed need to invite both of our students. Perhaps talking to others would be beneficial as well. Im sure more people could learn something from a high level battle.
Great! Ill see you when thats all set up then.
In short, all of the work had been hoisted onto Antons shoulders, though it was just as well because he doubted she would be capable of organizing much. Unless there were the right people around to interpret some of her ideas.
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Chapter 342
It was impossible for Nthanda to undergo a fundamental change within a short period of time, and even though she had managed to greatly improve herself her peers were not remaining idle either. The next few matches were filled with equal parts wins and losses. That was how Nthanda discovered a serious flaw in her new technique. It was obviously incomplete, but she hadnt even gotten a chance to use it because of the way she had developed it. It didnt help she didnt have a proper bow to use either.
Perhaps it was a foolish notion to begin with. Working around the changes to her left hand made the rest of her tasks more difficult but if it actually worked as she wanted, she was interested in completing the transformation. So far it hadnt been practical in actual combat, but that was her fault more than the technique itself.
She looked at her left palm. Unlike her other, it was not paler in the rest of her skin but darker than even her normal deep brown. It didnt have the same sheen to it as the ants chitin, but it was only an approximation of the creatures. No matter how much a human cultivator might take on certain aspects of creatures, they remained fundamentally the same.
Nthandas final opponent was a woman who hardly looked suited for her weapon. Cultivators didnt necessarily need muscle to wield weapons, but the woman didnt even look as if she was up to the same standard of body tempering as most cultivators, let alone Nthanda. Perhaps most wouldnt have noticed, but she was more sensitive to such things. For most the method through which they made use of their power didnt make much difference as it had to be dealt with regardless, but for Nthandas purposes this was the best chance she would get.
Her opponents weapon was essentially a spiked metal club. It was not quite as long as a proper polearm, but it had a good amount of reach to it. She might have called it a staff had it been symmetrical, but the way it was shaped made it clear only the top end was for bludgeoning, piercing, and otherwise damaging people.
The battle began with clashing weapons. Nthandas opponent seemed to be aiming for her weapon directly instead of trying to avoid such collisions. It was a sensible enough technique given how well it worked. Nthanda was used to being able to force her opponents backwards with her powerful strikes, but her opponent had remarkable stability through a connection to the ground. Furthermore, the impacts strained Nthandas muscles to the point she couldnt just try to wear out her opponents natural energy.
That suited her just fine though. There was no point in testing a trump card against an unworthy opponent. Nthanda continued to weave her halberd as she could, making use of her reach to hold off her aggressive opponent. She continued to fight until her opponent knocked her weapon to the side, not entirely by coincidence.
Her opponent rushed forward, the iron club swinging down at an angle that was not quite vertical to avoid her easily dodging it. Nthanda still had her grip on her halberd but it was too far to the side to bring it to bear. The club came down straight into Nthandas palm.
One of the spikes pierced through her hand, and the force of the blow pushed her into the ground up to her waist. Yet the muscles and bones in her arms, torso, and legs held firm. Taking such a blow head on should have shattered something regardless of how much she tempered her body, but it lost some of its force the moment of impact and was unable to maintain the followup momentum.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
Nthandas grip closed on the weapon. She didnt want to use such a reckless technique but it was the one most appropriate to testing her ability. And it had worked. Her opponent struggled to pull away, but could not force her grip off of the weapon. Nthanda did find herself slammed into the ground back and forth for her refusal to give up her grip, but the force of the blows was very little. That was because from her hand extended an area that mostly negated the energy around it. It barely extended beyond her touch, but that meant the most critical portion of the weapon did not have the additional momentum and power that it required to be a threat.
It wasnt even particularly tiring for Nthanda. Yet the technique wasnt without flaws. It didnt just weaken her opponents energy, but also her own. That meant she was unable to protect her palm, and that meant the weapon had maintained its power up until the point of contact. But still, it worked well enough. It wasnt complete negation like the ants, but it suited her.
Soon enough her opponent realized that Nthanda wasnt going to let go or give up, and the halberd she leveled in their direction gave them incentive to surrender. Nthanda grinned. It was just one battle, but even if it didnt vastly improve her rating she would at least be walking away from the competition with great improvements.
Now she just had to figure out how to make use of the same with a bow. The strange bone bow that Anton lent her for training was just about right, but unfortunately she didnt have one of her own that matched. Perhaps she could develop the technique to turn on and off as well.
-----
Ive been practicing, the young woman said. But I cant do much in real battles.
Dont say that, Chikere commented. I know you can do it. If it were anyone else, Anton would have been surprised at her punctuating her point with a sword slash. It was close enough to Florry to cause her to take half a step back. You just have to react to your opponent.
But what if Im not fast enough?
Chikere shrugged, Then just react before they do anything.
Anton cleared her throat. I believe she means to predict what your opponent will do and act accordingly.
Didnt I say that? Chikere tilted her head.
Umm Florry spoke timidly, Normally people dont call it reacting if you do it first.
Chikere shrugged. Whats the difference? Besides, its important to make sure your actions dont change what your opponent is going to do. Unless you want them to.
... I think I get it, Florry said.
Chikere nodded, Good. But maybe youd get more if you saw it in action. Say, Anton, are you busy?
I am not, Anton admitted.
In that case-
Anton held up his hand, Only if there are trained doctors from the Million Sword Vault on standby, Anton cut off her request for a fight. And wed need to invite both of our students. Perhaps talking to others would be beneficial as well. Im sure more people could learn something from a high level battle.
Great! Ill see you when thats all set up then.
In short, all of the work had been hoisted onto Antons shoulders, though it was just as well because he doubted she would be capable of organizing much. Unless there were the right people around to interpret some of her ideas.
Chapter 342It was impossible for Nthanda to undergo a fundamental change within a short period of time, and even though she had managed to greatly improve herself her peers were not remaining idle either. The next few matches were filled with equal parts wins and losses. That was how Nthanda discovered a serious flaw in her new technique. It was obviously incomplete, but she hadnt even gotten a chance to use it because of the way she had developed it. It didnt help she didnt have a proper bow to use either.Perhaps it was a foolish notion to begin with. Working around the changes to her left hand made the rest of her tasks more difficult but if it actually worked as she wanted, she was interested in completing the transformation. So far it hadnt been practical in actual combat, but that was her fault more than the technique itself.She looked at her left palm. Unlike her other, it was not paler in the rest of her skin but darker than even her normal deep brown. It didnt have the same sheen to it as the ants chitin, but it was only an approximation of the creatures. No matter how much a human cultivator might take on certain aspects of creatures, they remained fundamentally the same.Nthandas final opponent was a woman who hardly looked suited for her weapon. Cultivators didnt necessarily need muscle to wield weapons, but the woman didnt even look as if she was up to the same standard of body tempering as most cultivators, let alone Nthanda. Perhaps most wouldnt have noticed, but she was more sensitive to such things. For most the method through which they made use of their power didnt make much difference as it had to be dealt with regardless, but for Nthandas purposes this was the best chance she would get.Her opponents weapon was essentially a spiked metal club. It was not quite as long as a proper polearm, but it had a good amount of reach to it. She might have called it a staff had it been symmetrical, but the way it was shaped made it clear only the top end was for bludgeoning, piercing, and otherwise damaging people.The battle began with clashing weapons. Nthandas opponent seemed to be aiming for her weapon directly instead of trying to avoid such collisions. It was a sensible enough technique given how well it worked. Nthanda was used to being able to force her opponents backwards with her powerful strikes, but her opponent had remarkable stability through a connection to the ground. Furthermore, the impacts strained Nthandas muscles to the point she couldnt just try to wear out her opponents natural energy.That suited her just fine though. There was no point in testing a trump card against an unworthy opponent. Nthanda continued to weave her halberd as she could, making use of her reach to hold off her aggressive opponent. She continued to fight until her opponent knocked her weapon to the side, not entirely by coincidence.Her opponent rushed forward, the iron club swinging down at an angle that was not quite vertical to avoid her easily dodging it. Nthanda still had her grip on her halberd but it was too far to the side to bring it to bear. The club came down straight into Nthandas palm.One of the spikes pierced through her hand, and the force of the blow pushed her into the ground up to her waist. Yet the muscles and bones in her arms, torso, and legs held firm. Taking such a blow head on should have shattered something regardless of how much she tempered her body, but it lost some of its force the moment of impact and was unable to maintain the followup momentum.The debut release of this chapter happened at Nvl-B1n.Nthandas grip closed on the weapon. She didnt want to use such a reckless technique but it was the one most appropriate to testing her ability. And it had worked. Her opponent struggled to pull away, but could not force her grip off of the weapon. Nthanda did find herself slammed into the ground back and forth for her refusal to give up her grip, but the force of the blows was very little. That was because from her hand extended an area that mostly negated the energy around it. It barely extended beyond her touch, but that meant the most critical portion of the weapon did not have the additional momentum and power that it required to be a threat. It wasnt even particularly tiring for Nthanda. Yet the technique wasnt without flaws. It didnt just weaken her opponents energy, but also her own. That meant she was unable to protect her palm, and that meant the weapon had maintained its power up until the point of contact. But still, it worked well enough. It wasnt complete negation like the ants, but it suited her.Soon enough her opponent realized that Nthanda wasnt going to let go or give up, and the halberd she leveled in their direction gave them incentive to surrender. Nthanda grinned. It was just one battle, but even if it didnt vastly improve her rating she would at least be walking away from the competition with great improvements. Now she just had to figure out how to make use of the same with a bow. The strange bone bow that Anton lent her for training was just about right, but unfortunately she didnt have one of her own that matched. Perhaps she could develop the technique to turn on and off as well. -----Ive been practicing, the young woman said. But I cant do much in real battles.Dont say that, Chikere commented. I know you can do it. If it were anyone else, Anton would have been surprised at her punctuating her point with a sword slash. It was close enough to Florry to cause her to take half a step back. You just have to react to your opponent.But what if Im not fast enough?Chikere shrugged, Then just react before they do anything.Anton cleared her throat. I believe she means to predict what your opponent will do and act accordingly.Didnt I say that? Chikere tilted her head.Umm Florry spoke timidly, Normally people dont call it reacting if you do it first.Chikere shrugged. Whats the difference? Besides, its important to make sure your actions dont change what your opponent is going to do. Unless you want them to.... I think I get it, Florry said. Chikere nodded, Good. But maybe youd get more if you saw it in action. Say, Anton, are you busy?I am not, Anton admitted. In that case-Anton held up his hand, Only if there are trained doctors from the Million Sword Vault on standby, Anton cut off her request for a fight. And wed need to invite both of our students. Perhaps talking to others would be beneficial as well. Im sure more people could learn something from a high level battle.Great! Ill see you when thats all set up then.In short, all of the work had been hoisted onto Antons shoulders, though it was just as well because he doubted she would be capable of organizing much. Unless there were the right people around to interpret some of her ideas.
