Chapter 343
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Chapter 343
When putting on a combat for people to see and learn from, Anton was unable to work at his full capacity. Especially when doing so for lower level cultivators, most would only be able to perceive one of the two endpoints of the battle. If Anton actually cared about winning that would be a problem, but he had worked with Chikere to put together a reasonably viewable setup for the battle.
They started slow. Anton took a few dozen shots with his bow and Chikere cut them out of the air with her sword- or dodged them, letting them fly off into the sky. Both combatants focused on the skill of their movements more than the power, because teaching people the lesson that overwhelming power trumped proper technique wasnt useful, even if it happened to be true. Though obviously having both was the best option.
Anton brought another pair of bows into the equation, one the sword-bow and the other the bone bow. Chikere responded in kind by making use of more swords and not just staying on the defensive. She allowed herself to fight suboptimally and allow Anton points where he could retreat from melee so the demonstration could continue.
As the battle continued, it gradually became more serious. Neither side was trying to hurt the other, but at some point they stopped trying not to injure each other. Anton found himself with a myriad of small cuts that were indicative of what could have been much greater wounds. In response, he started a rain of arrows from those that had missed and were simply circling in the distance. It wasnt a particularly useful tactic given how he could only maintain a few dozen shots at once, but it certainly surprised the students.
Some of Antons shots made it through Chikeres flurry of defenses, and her ability to dodge attacks by a hair was insufficient against Antons ability to predict her movements, forcing her into bad positions with a rain of arrows. He even made use of ascension energy, but the outcome of the battle had been decided from the start. Chikere was not only better suited to close combat but higher in cultivation as she had both the great talent and youth.
Anton was glad to have people to stitch his muscles back together, as he was not terribly familiar with recovering from debilitating wounds and never intended to be. It took him a long time to heal regardless of whether or not he could accelerate it with the use of natural energy, and he wasnt a fan of pain. Allowing himself to get injured in battle was sloppy anyway. He would tolerate injuries as they happened, but never voluntarily choose to receive them.
Even an hour after the battle had ended, some of the spectators were stunned to silence. Others couldnt help but try to discuss with each other, but putting what they had seen into words was difficult. Most people didnt get to see battles of Life Transformation cultivators, and it was even less likely to have been done for the purpose of teaching them. They would be given some days to digest the information before there were other demonstrations by different cultivators.
-----
Several months passed in what felt like an instant to some. In the end it was an extremely lengthy and costly competition, and not just because of the distribution of rewards. Monopolizing the time of dozens of Life Transformation cultivators wasnt cheap, either in direct cost or because of what else they could have been doing. Anton firmly believed the value of teaching younger generations was worthwhile, and he was not alone in that belief, but some had required payment.
It was a warning and a deadline. Comparing to the grandiose ancient sects like the Luminous Ocean Society, Anton felt the top ranking sects of their current time were lacking. However, he hoped it was merely in ornamentation and enduring fortifications and not actual strength. He knew that at least the Luminous Ocean Society had some access to anti-ascension techniques, but with the whole of the cultivation world aware of them it should be more impactful. Likewise, it was impossible to say what percentage of the population had been able to cultivate during previous invasions, but the general population was developing rapidly in that regard.
Cities were growing larger as individual farmers were able to produce more higher quality crops to feed people. The changing world did come with some costs. Those with lower cultivation talent often found it difficult to keep up in their various trades and professions. That was unfortunate, but Anton knew that there would always be those who were less talented in certain areas. If a craftsman was exceptional at his job, he could still outperform cultivators with less experience and knowledge of the crafts. They would simply lose out to those who were good at both aspects, as cultivation made people better at both mental and physical tasks.
One more decade, more or less. Anton would be close to a hundred and fifty years old when it came. A hundred years in his normal life, and fifty as a cultivator. If he was fortunate, he would surpass seventy stars by that time, placing himself just shy of mid Life Transformation cultivation. It was an arbitrary milestone, but it would let him at least provide some challenge to most Life Transformation cultivators.
As for ascension cultivators he had no way to know for sure. Even memories of the battles didnt really tell him everything he needed to know. If they couldnt recover their ascension energy, would they be the strength of peak Life Transformation cultivators? Would their insights make them stronger? Or, perhaps, they might be weaker due to their reliance on a particular type of energy they no longer had access to.
There were so many factors to consider that they had no way to know. Perhaps the Exalted Archipelago might know something, but further interaction there was risky. Even if the Worthy Shore Society and a few others were welcoming to visitors, the area as a whole was not- and they had the power to wipe out anyone they didnt like moving through their waters. Just accepting that they would not engage in aggression beyond their waters was necessary to even have any hope for the future.
The threat of the coming invasion filled Antons mind, especially since he had many people he cared about. Family who had survived the destruction of Dungannon, such as Alva, Annelie, and Devon. Family who he had met after, like Catarina. New family like the children of Anish and Annelie. That particular union was still causing changes in their sects, and especially the Frostmirror Sect. The faction that was merely learning to suppress emotions when they chose to was winning out over the old guard who had completely severed theirs.
But Anton didnt care about just family. He had friends and companions all throughout the world, but his desires to protect didnt extend merely that far. With the growth in his power, he felt an ever-widening responsibility for the world around him. He knew he couldnt actually protect the whole world with just the strength of early Life Transformation. Not even with all of his best companions or the sects he had influence in.
Unfortunately, he would have to limit himself in scope, at least at first. Working with the Order and the other growing sects within Graotan to defend what they had would be the first priority, after which they would seek out other locations of conflict if they could.
There were only ten more years, as the skies beyond the skies cracked and weakened beyond mortal senses.
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Chapter 343
When putting on a combat for people to see and learn from, Anton was unable to work at his full capacity. Especially when doing so for lower level cultivators, most would only be able to perceive one of the two endpoints of the battle. If Anton actually cared about winning that would be a problem, but he had worked with Chikere to put together a reasonably viewable setup for the battle.
They started slow. Anton took a few dozen shots with his bow and Chikere cut them out of the air with her sword- or dodged them, letting them fly off into the sky. Both combatants focused on the skill of their movements more than the power, because teaching people the lesson that overwhelming power trumped proper technique wasnt useful, even if it happened to be true. Though obviously having both was the best option.
Anton brought another pair of bows into the equation, one the sword-bow and the other the bone bow. Chikere responded in kind by making use of more swords and not just staying on the defensive. She allowed herself to fight suboptimally and allow Anton points where he could retreat from melee so the demonstration could continue.
As the battle continued, it gradually became more serious. Neither side was trying to hurt the other, but at some point they stopped trying not to injure each other. Anton found himself with a myriad of small cuts that were indicative of what could have been much greater wounds. In response, he started a rain of arrows from those that had missed and were simply circling in the distance. It wasnt a particularly useful tactic given how he could only maintain a few dozen shots at once, but it certainly surprised the students.
Some of Antons shots made it through Chikeres flurry of defenses, and her ability to dodge attacks by a hair was insufficient against Antons ability to predict her movements, forcing her into bad positions with a rain of arrows. He even made use of ascension energy, but the outcome of the battle had been decided from the start. Chikere was not only better suited to close combat but higher in cultivation as she had both the great talent and youth.
Anton was glad to have people to stitch his muscles back together, as he was not terribly familiar with recovering from debilitating wounds and never intended to be. It took him a long time to heal regardless of whether or not he could accelerate it with the use of natural energy, and he wasnt a fan of pain. Allowing himself to get injured in battle was sloppy anyway. He would tolerate injuries as they happened, but never voluntarily choose to receive them.
Even an hour after the battle had ended, some of the spectators were stunned to silence. Others couldnt help but try to discuss with each other, but putting what they had seen into words was difficult. Most people didnt get to see battles of Life Transformation cultivators, and it was even less likely to have been done for the purpose of teaching them. They would be given some days to digest the information before there were other demonstrations by different cultivators.
-----
Several months passed in what felt like an instant to some. In the end it was an extremely lengthy and costly competition, and not just because of the distribution of rewards. Monopolizing the time of dozens of Life Transformation cultivators wasnt cheap, either in direct cost or because of what else they could have been doing. Anton firmly believed the value of teaching younger generations was worthwhile, and he was not alone in that belief, but some had required payment.
It was a warning and a deadline. Comparing to the grandiose ancient sects like the Luminous Ocean Society, Anton felt the top ranking sects of their current time were lacking. However, he hoped it was merely in ornamentation and enduring fortifications and not actual strength. He knew that at least the Luminous Ocean Society had some access to anti-ascension techniques, but with the whole of the cultivation world aware of them it should be more impactful. Likewise, it was impossible to say what percentage of the population had been able to cultivate during previous invasions, but the general population was developing rapidly in that regard.
Cities were growing larger as individual farmers were able to produce more higher quality crops to feed people. The changing world did come with some costs. Those with lower cultivation talent often found it difficult to keep up in their various trades and professions. That was unfortunate, but Anton knew that there would always be those who were less talented in certain areas. If a craftsman was exceptional at his job, he could still outperform cultivators with less experience and knowledge of the crafts. They would simply lose out to those who were good at both aspects, as cultivation made people better at both mental and physical tasks.
One more decade, more or less. Anton would be close to a hundred and fifty years old when it came. A hundred years in his normal life, and fifty as a cultivator. If he was fortunate, he would surpass seventy stars by that time, placing himself just shy of mid Life Transformation cultivation. It was an arbitrary milestone, but it would let him at least provide some challenge to most Life Transformation cultivators.
As for ascension cultivators he had no way to know for sure. Even memories of the battles didnt really tell him everything he needed to know. If they couldnt recover their ascension energy, would they be the strength of peak Life Transformation cultivators? Would their insights make them stronger? Or, perhaps, they might be weaker due to their reliance on a particular type of energy they no longer had access to.
There were so many factors to consider that they had no way to know. Perhaps the Exalted Archipelago might know something, but further interaction there was risky. Even if the Worthy Shore Society and a few others were welcoming to visitors, the area as a whole was not- and they had the power to wipe out anyone they didnt like moving through their waters. Just accepting that they would not engage in aggression beyond their waters was necessary to even have any hope for the future.
The threat of the coming invasion filled Antons mind, especially since he had many people he cared about. Family who had survived the destruction of Dungannon, such as Alva, Annelie, and Devon. Family who he had met after, like Catarina. New family like the children of Anish and Annelie. That particular union was still causing changes in their sects, and especially the Frostmirror Sect. The faction that was merely learning to suppress emotions when they chose to was winning out over the old guard who had completely severed theirs.
But Anton didnt care about just family. He had friends and companions all throughout the world, but his desires to protect didnt extend merely that far. With the growth in his power, he felt an ever-widening responsibility for the world around him. He knew he couldnt actually protect the whole world with just the strength of early Life Transformation. Not even with all of his best companions or the sects he had influence in.
Unfortunately, he would have to limit himself in scope, at least at first. Working with the Order and the other growing sects within Graotan to defend what they had would be the first priority, after which they would seek out other locations of conflict if they could.
There were only ten more years, as the skies beyond the skies cracked and weakened beyond mortal senses.
Chapter 343When putting on a combat for people to see and learn from, Anton was unable to work at his full capacity. Especially when doing so for lower level cultivators, most would only be able to perceive one of the two endpoints of the battle. If Anton actually cared about winning that would be a problem, but he had worked with Chikere to put together a reasonably viewable setup for the battle.They started slow. Anton took a few dozen shots with his bow and Chikere cut them out of the air with her sword- or dodged them, letting them fly off into the sky. Both combatants focused on the skill of their movements more than the power, because teaching people the lesson that overwhelming power trumped proper technique wasnt useful, even if it happened to be true. Though obviously having both was the best option.Anton brought another pair of bows into the equation, one the sword-bow and the other the bone bow. Chikere responded in kind by making use of more swords and not just staying on the defensive. She allowed herself to fight suboptimally and allow Anton points where he could retreat from melee so the demonstration could continue. As the battle continued, it gradually became more serious. Neither side was trying to hurt the other, but at some point they stopped trying not to injure each other. Anton found himself with a myriad of small cuts that were indicative of what could have been much greater wounds. In response, he started a rain of arrows from those that had missed and were simply circling in the distance. It wasnt a particularly useful tactic given how he could only maintain a few dozen shots at once, but it certainly surprised the students. Some of Antons shots made it through Chikeres flurry of defenses, and her ability to dodge attacks by a hair was insufficient against Antons ability to predict her movements, forcing her into bad positions with a rain of arrows. He even made use of ascension energy, but the outcome of the battle had been decided from the start. Chikere was not only better suited to close combat but higher in cultivation as she had both the great talent and youth. Anton was glad to have people to stitch his muscles back together, as he was not terribly familiar with recovering from debilitating wounds and never intended to be. It took him a long time to heal regardless of whether or not he could accelerate it with the use of natural energy, and he wasnt a fan of pain. Allowing himself to get injured in battle was sloppy anyway. He would tolerate injuries as they happened, but never voluntarily choose to receive them.Even an hour after the battle had ended, some of the spectators were stunned to silence. Others couldnt help but try to discuss with each other, but putting what they had seen into words was difficult. Most people didnt get to see battles of Life Transformation cultivators, and it was even less likely to have been done for the purpose of teaching them. They would be given some days to digest the information before there were other demonstrations by different cultivators.-----Several months passed in what felt like an instant to some. In the end it was an extremely lengthy and costly competition, and not just because of the distribution of rewards. Monopolizing the time of dozens of Life Transformation cultivators wasnt cheap, either in direct cost or because of what else they could have been doing. Anton firmly believed the value of teaching younger generations was worthwhile, and he was not alone in that belief, but some had required payment.It was a warning and a deadline. Comparing to the grandiose ancient sects like the Luminous Ocean Society, Anton felt the top ranking sects of their current time were lacking. However, he hoped it was merely in ornamentation and enduring fortifications and not actual strength. He knew that at least the Luminous Ocean Society had some access to anti-ascension techniques, but with the whole of the cultivation world aware of them it should be more impactful. Likewise, it was impossible to say what percentage of the population had been able to cultivate during previous invasions, but the general population was developing rapidly in that regard. Cities were growing larger as individual farmers were able to produce more higher quality crops to feed people. The changing world did come with some costs. Those with lower cultivation talent often found it difficult to keep up in their various trades and professions. That was unfortunate, but Anton knew that there would always be those who were less talented in certain areas. If a craftsman was exceptional at his job, he could still outperform cultivators with less experience and knowledge of the crafts. They would simply lose out to those who were good at both aspects, as cultivation made people better at both mental and physical tasks.One more decade, more or less. Anton would be close to a hundred and fifty years old when it came. A hundred years in his normal life, and fifty as a cultivator. If he was fortunate, he would surpass seventy stars by that time, placing himself just shy of mid Life Transformation cultivation. It was an arbitrary milestone, but it would let him at least provide some challenge to most Life Transformation cultivators.As for ascension cultivators he had no way to know for sure. Even memories of the battles didnt really tell him everything he needed to know. If they couldnt recover their ascension energy, would they be the strength of peak Life Transformation cultivators? Would their insights make them stronger? Or, perhaps, they might be weaker due to their reliance on a particular type of energy they no longer had access to. There were so many factors to consider that they had no way to know. Perhaps the Exalted Archipelago might know something, but further interaction there was risky. Even if the Worthy Shore Society and a few others were welcoming to visitors, the area as a whole was not- and they had the power to wipe out anyone they didnt like moving through their waters. Just accepting that they would not engage in aggression beyond their waters was necessary to even have any hope for the future.The threat of the coming invasion filled Antons mind, especially since he had many people he cared about. Family who had survived the destruction of Dungannon, such as Alva, Annelie, and Devon. Family who he had met after, like Catarina. New family like the children of Anish and Annelie. That particular union was still causing changes in their sects, and especially the Frostmirror Sect. The faction that was merely learning to suppress emotions when they chose to was winning out over the old guard who had completely severed theirs. But Anton didnt care about just family. He had friends and companions all throughout the world, but his desires to protect didnt extend merely that far. With the growth in his power, he felt an ever-widening responsibility for the world around him. He knew he couldnt actually protect the whole world with just the strength of early Life Transformation. Not even with all of his best companions or the sects he had influence in. Unfortunately, he would have to limit himself in scope, at least at first. Working with the Order and the other growing sects within Graotan to defend what they had would be the first priority, after which they would seek out other locations of conflict if they could. There were only ten more years, as the skies beyond the skies cracked and weakened beyond mortal senses.
