Chapter 604
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Chapter 604
It was unclear whether anyone could truly read every cultivation technique developed upon a world, even after practicing the Ten Thousands Scrolls. Anton had certainly read through most of what Ceretos had to offer, but there could have been some unappraised gems that he missed. However, with the inclusion of techniques from the upper realms made possible by improved communications devices Anton had a steady if perhaps not infinite stream of options. He didnt have the equipment with him that would actually print out a copy, but he could read things as they arrived.
Anton was contently looking at the device in front of him as a sword chopped down towards his head then curved away, stopping just short of impacting the roof as Varghese pulled his blow. Dammit. How are you doing this?
The point of the training is for you to figure it out, Anton said. Deflecting the attacks purely with his energy would be trivial and perhaps unfair. His current technique was new and undeveloped with one obvious flaw. For the sake of the training, at least, Anton intended to keep that flaw even if he determined how to remove it.
Varghese struggled to pull back his weapon, though Anton wasnt actively interfering. The young man took his sword stance, a textbook form that had at least the image down if not the essence. But what could be expected after a short time? Varghese had sufficient drive to continue his training. He also didnt uselessly repeat his favored attack, swapping through thrusts and slashes and even moving around Anton despite the man remaining still in his sitting position. None of his attacks approached Anton, but it would be good practice for him regardless.
Now if only he would realize that it wasnt a problem with his own techniques, but Antons. None of the attacks would slip through Antons defenses because they were swift or confusing or otherwise clever.
A booted foot kicked towards Antons face, not simply an expression of anger but part of a proper movement. Anton stopped the boot with one finger. Half a point. Youll only get full marks if you can hit me with your sword.
Taking note of his success, Varghese immediately shifted his strategy. He flipped the sword in his hands, holding onto the blade and using the pommel as a bludgeoning instrument. Another real technique, and a reasonable enough variation to attempt, if rarely useful in battles between cultivators. It was only for when crushing force was required, and that could usually be accomplished with a clever application of energy. And in this case, it didnt stop his attacks from being deflected.
Varghese stepped back, lowering his sword. I have to go for today. I wont be back for at least a few weeks. I have a mission. One with a decent enough reward to sustain my family for a while, giving me more time to train.
Anton nodded. Practical experience will be good for you as well. I cannot be anything more than a daunting sparring partner. Properly winning a fight would be good for Varghese, building his confidence- and understanding. Assuming he survived, of course. Because he liked the young man, Anton was willing to put his finger on the scale should it prove necessary- but if he couldnt manage to some extent on his own, hed never go far.
-----
The mission didnt involve just Varghese. He was going along with the Iron Plate Mercenaries. It was both a mission and sort of a trial phase to see if he meshed with them. For cultivators of a certain power, they might accept them even if they didnt quite fit- Varghese had just finished his second star, tempering his muscles for his first prime tempering. Even in the worlds current state, that didnt make him anything special. He was just another early Body Tempering cultivator.
He met the group outside the mine they were supposed to clear. He recognized Captain Sharma, who had introduced him to the mission. Greetings, Captain. I hope Im not late
Just on time, the man said, leaning on his spear. His black hair had spots of white throughout, especially visible in his beard.
This the rookie? said a somewhat older woman. To Varghese she looked pretty ancient, except for by comparison to Captain Sharma. He doesnt look like much.
I just reached the second star in the One Hundred Stars cultivation method, Varghese politely inclined his head. It is nothing astounding, but my master said it is sufficient to begin my career as a warrior. Taking stock of the other two, they were in early Spirit Building and late Body Tempering respectively. The other handful of mercenaries were spread throughout Body Tempering, mostly early and mid.
One Hundred Stars? Never heard of it. Cant be that great, the woman replied.
Hes still young, Vasudha. Cultivating at his age is still admirable.
Fancy rocks. This is an old mine, but the formation masters want some of the less practical things here. I think they called it magnetite? Pretty awful as any sort of weapon or armor.
Its a rock?
A rock, an ore. Can be a metal. Gets other metal stuck to it.
Interesting. And odd, because Anton didnt wear any metal. And Vargheses weapon didnt stick to him, exactly. It was deflected, though also pulled into the area around him? It was difficult to explain, yet clearly related somehow. ... Do the bears eat the rocks?
That sounds dumb, Vasudha remarked. Why would you think that?
The one I fought did the magnet thing. Pulled on my weapon.
Weird. Well, I guess they might. Or its from living here.
-----
The young man returned from his first mission, alive and vaguely healthy. Anton didnt even have to tip the scales, at least not for Varghese. He did for a couple others, determining that if he did nothing while watching and they died, he was responsible. Nobody should notice a needle-thin hole in anything, and the near death experiences would be sufficient for people to make their decisions between growing stronger or quitting combat.
Whered you go? How was the mission? Anton asked, though he knew the answer to both.
Up into the mountains. I think I learned something, but I cant be sure.
Show me, then.
Instead of starting with taking swings, Varghese carefully pointed his sword at Anton, negotiating the area around him. His sword quickly was drawn into the flow and pulled towards the ground, but he began to trace out the area.
Finally, he held his sword above himself, pointing down in a reverse grip and stabbed towards the top of Antons head. Anton caught the blade between his fingers. That was the weakness of this sort of field. Even if he caused it to work in a certain manner, it had a low point. He could move it around as he pleased, which might be the solution, but he was unsure if he could erase it entirely. Good job, Anton said. I doubt youll run across this particular technique often, but scoping out your enemys defenses is an important skill. Sometimes you just need to swing harder to break through, but sometimes you can ignore it entirely.
Thats surprising, Varghese admitted. Still, this technique seems good. Can you teach it to me?
Could he? Anton supposed it would be possible. It would also be much more difficult without the benefit of being bound to a neutron star, but there was nothing incompatible with One Hundred Stars as a cultivation technique. People focused on many different aspects- light, fire, gravity, or just power. Why not magnetism? It was a part of stars, though often overlooked from afar.
This technique is still in development, Anton said finally. However, I am sure it will not take too long to have a version you can attempt, if you are interested. Though it would take much of your natural energy. Perhaps Anton could find a way to make it efficient. If it wasnt constantly activated but momentary, that might be reasonable. And he could apply the same to himself, creating a powerful burst that was much closer to his inspiration, rather than this field that was weak enough a Body Tempering cultivator could almost stab through it. Though Anton was holding back there.
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Chapter 604
It was unclear whether anyone could truly read every cultivation technique developed upon a world, even after practicing the Ten Thousands Scrolls. Anton had certainly read through most of what Ceretos had to offer, but there could have been some unappraised gems that he missed. However, with the inclusion of techniques from the upper realms made possible by improved communications devices Anton had a steady if perhaps not infinite stream of options. He didnt have the equipment with him that would actually print out a copy, but he could read things as they arrived.
Anton was contently looking at the device in front of him as a sword chopped down towards his head then curved away, stopping just short of impacting the roof as Varghese pulled his blow. Dammit. How are you doing this?
The point of the training is for you to figure it out, Anton said. Deflecting the attacks purely with his energy would be trivial and perhaps unfair. His current technique was new and undeveloped with one obvious flaw. For the sake of the training, at least, Anton intended to keep that flaw even if he determined how to remove it.
Varghese struggled to pull back his weapon, though Anton wasnt actively interfering. The young man took his sword stance, a textbook form that had at least the image down if not the essence. But what could be expected after a short time? Varghese had sufficient drive to continue his training. He also didnt uselessly repeat his favored attack, swapping through thrusts and slashes and even moving around Anton despite the man remaining still in his sitting position. None of his attacks approached Anton, but it would be good practice for him regardless.
Now if only he would realize that it wasnt a problem with his own techniques, but Antons. None of the attacks would slip through Antons defenses because they were swift or confusing or otherwise clever.
A booted foot kicked towards Antons face, not simply an expression of anger but part of a proper movement. Anton stopped the boot with one finger. Half a point. Youll only get full marks if you can hit me with your sword.
Taking note of his success, Varghese immediately shifted his strategy. He flipped the sword in his hands, holding onto the blade and using the pommel as a bludgeoning instrument. Another real technique, and a reasonable enough variation to attempt, if rarely useful in battles between cultivators. It was only for when crushing force was required, and that could usually be accomplished with a clever application of energy. And in this case, it didnt stop his attacks from being deflected.
Varghese stepped back, lowering his sword. I have to go for today. I wont be back for at least a few weeks. I have a mission. One with a decent enough reward to sustain my family for a while, giving me more time to train.
Anton nodded. Practical experience will be good for you as well. I cannot be anything more than a daunting sparring partner. Properly winning a fight would be good for Varghese, building his confidence- and understanding. Assuming he survived, of course. Because he liked the young man, Anton was willing to put his finger on the scale should it prove necessary- but if he couldnt manage to some extent on his own, hed never go far.
-----
The mission didnt involve just Varghese. He was going along with the Iron Plate Mercenaries. It was both a mission and sort of a trial phase to see if he meshed with them. For cultivators of a certain power, they might accept them even if they didnt quite fit- Varghese had just finished his second star, tempering his muscles for his first prime tempering. Even in the worlds current state, that didnt make him anything special. He was just another early Body Tempering cultivator.
He met the group outside the mine they were supposed to clear. He recognized Captain Sharma, who had introduced him to the mission. Greetings, Captain. I hope Im not late
Just on time, the man said, leaning on his spear. His black hair had spots of white throughout, especially visible in his beard.
This the rookie? said a somewhat older woman. To Varghese she looked pretty ancient, except for by comparison to Captain Sharma. He doesnt look like much.
I just reached the second star in the One Hundred Stars cultivation method, Varghese politely inclined his head. It is nothing astounding, but my master said it is sufficient to begin my career as a warrior. Taking stock of the other two, they were in early Spirit Building and late Body Tempering respectively. The other handful of mercenaries were spread throughout Body Tempering, mostly early and mid.
One Hundred Stars? Never heard of it. Cant be that great, the woman replied.
Hes still young, Vasudha. Cultivating at his age is still admirable.
Fancy rocks. This is an old mine, but the formation masters want some of the less practical things here. I think they called it magnetite? Pretty awful as any sort of weapon or armor.
Its a rock?
A rock, an ore. Can be a metal. Gets other metal stuck to it.
Interesting. And odd, because Anton didnt wear any metal. And Vargheses weapon didnt stick to him, exactly. It was deflected, though also pulled into the area around him? It was difficult to explain, yet clearly related somehow. ... Do the bears eat the rocks?
That sounds dumb, Vasudha remarked. Why would you think that?
The one I fought did the magnet thing. Pulled on my weapon.
Weird. Well, I guess they might. Or its from living here.
-----
The young man returned from his first mission, alive and vaguely healthy. Anton didnt even have to tip the scales, at least not for Varghese. He did for a couple others, determining that if he did nothing while watching and they died, he was responsible. Nobody should notice a needle-thin hole in anything, and the near death experiences would be sufficient for people to make their decisions between growing stronger or quitting combat.
Whered you go? How was the mission? Anton asked, though he knew the answer to both.
Up into the mountains. I think I learned something, but I cant be sure.
Show me, then.
Instead of starting with taking swings, Varghese carefully pointed his sword at Anton, negotiating the area around him. His sword quickly was drawn into the flow and pulled towards the ground, but he began to trace out the area.
Finally, he held his sword above himself, pointing down in a reverse grip and stabbed towards the top of Antons head. Anton caught the blade between his fingers. That was the weakness of this sort of field. Even if he caused it to work in a certain manner, it had a low point. He could move it around as he pleased, which might be the solution, but he was unsure if he could erase it entirely. Good job, Anton said. I doubt youll run across this particular technique often, but scoping out your enemys defenses is an important skill. Sometimes you just need to swing harder to break through, but sometimes you can ignore it entirely.
Thats surprising, Varghese admitted. Still, this technique seems good. Can you teach it to me?
Could he? Anton supposed it would be possible. It would also be much more difficult without the benefit of being bound to a neutron star, but there was nothing incompatible with One Hundred Stars as a cultivation technique. People focused on many different aspects- light, fire, gravity, or just power. Why not magnetism? It was a part of stars, though often overlooked from afar.
This technique is still in development, Anton said finally. However, I am sure it will not take too long to have a version you can attempt, if you are interested. Though it would take much of your natural energy. Perhaps Anton could find a way to make it efficient. If it wasnt constantly activated but momentary, that might be reasonable. And he could apply the same to himself, creating a powerful burst that was much closer to his inspiration, rather than this field that was weak enough a Body Tempering cultivator could almost stab through it. Though Anton was holding back there.
Chapter 604It was unclear whether anyone could truly read every cultivation technique developed upon a world, even after practicing the Ten Thousands Scrolls. Anton had certainly read through most of what Ceretos had to offer, but there could have been some unappraised gems that he missed. However, with the inclusion of techniques from the upper realms made possible by improved communications devices Anton had a steady if perhaps not infinite stream of options. He didnt have the equipment with him that would actually print out a copy, but he could read things as they arrived.Anton was contently looking at the device in front of him as a sword chopped down towards his head then curved away, stopping just short of impacting the roof as Varghese pulled his blow. Dammit. How are you doing this?The point of the training is for you to figure it out, Anton said. Deflecting the attacks purely with his energy would be trivial and perhaps unfair. His current technique was new and undeveloped with one obvious flaw. For the sake of the training, at least, Anton intended to keep that flaw even if he determined how to remove it.Varghese struggled to pull back his weapon, though Anton wasnt actively interfering. The young man took his sword stance, a textbook form that had at least the image down if not the essence. But what could be expected after a short time? Varghese had sufficient drive to continue his training. He also didnt uselessly repeat his favored attack, swapping through thrusts and slashes and even moving around Anton despite the man remaining still in his sitting position. None of his attacks approached Anton, but it would be good practice for him regardless.Now if only he would realize that it wasnt a problem with his own techniques, but Antons. None of the attacks would slip through Antons defenses because they were swift or confusing or otherwise clever.A booted foot kicked towards Antons face, not simply an expression of anger but part of a proper movement. Anton stopped the boot with one finger. Half a point. Youll only get full marks if you can hit me with your sword.Taking note of his success, Varghese immediately shifted his strategy. He flipped the sword in his hands, holding onto the blade and using the pommel as a bludgeoning instrument. Another real technique, and a reasonable enough variation to attempt, if rarely useful in battles between cultivators. It was only for when crushing force was required, and that could usually be accomplished with a clever application of energy. And in this case, it didnt stop his attacks from being deflected.Varghese stepped back, lowering his sword. I have to go for today. I wont be back for at least a few weeks. I have a mission. One with a decent enough reward to sustain my family for a while, giving me more time to train.Anton nodded. Practical experience will be good for you as well. I cannot be anything more than a daunting sparring partner. Properly winning a fight would be good for Varghese, building his confidence- and understanding. Assuming he survived, of course. Because he liked the young man, Anton was willing to put his finger on the scale should it prove necessary- but if he couldnt manage to some extent on his own, hed never go far.-----The mission didnt involve just Varghese. He was going along with the Iron Plate Mercenaries. It was both a mission and sort of a trial phase to see if he meshed with them. For cultivators of a certain power, they might accept them even if they didnt quite fit- Varghese had just finished his second star, tempering his muscles for his first prime tempering. Even in the worlds current state, that didnt make him anything special. He was just another early Body Tempering cultivator.He met the group outside the mine they were supposed to clear. He recognized Captain Sharma, who had introduced him to the mission. Greetings, Captain. I hope Im not lateJust on time, the man said, leaning on his spear. His black hair had spots of white throughout, especially visible in his beard.This the rookie? said a somewhat older woman. To Varghese she looked pretty ancient, except for by comparison to Captain Sharma. He doesnt look like much.I just reached the second star in the One Hundred Stars cultivation method, Varghese politely inclined his head. It is nothing astounding, but my master said it is sufficient to begin my career as a warrior. Taking stock of the other two, they were in early Spirit Building and late Body Tempering respectively. The other handful of mercenaries were spread throughout Body Tempering, mostly early and mid.One Hundred Stars? Never heard of it. Cant be that great, the woman replied.Hes still young, Vasudha. Cultivating at his age is still admirable.Fancy rocks. This is an old mine, but the formation masters want some of the less practical things here. I think they called it magnetite? Pretty awful as any sort of weapon or armor.Its a rock?A rock, an ore. Can be a metal. Gets other metal stuck to it.Interesting. And odd, because Anton didnt wear any metal. And Vargheses weapon didnt stick to him, exactly. It was deflected, though also pulled into the area around him? It was difficult to explain, yet clearly related somehow. ... Do the bears eat the rocks?That sounds dumb, Vasudha remarked. Why would you think that?The one I fought did the magnet thing. Pulled on my weapon.Weird. Well, I guess they might. Or its from living here.-----The young man returned from his first mission, alive and vaguely healthy. Anton didnt even have to tip the scales, at least not for Varghese. He did for a couple others, determining that if he did nothing while watching and they died, he was responsible. Nobody should notice a needle-thin hole in anything, and the near death experiences would be sufficient for people to make their decisions between growing stronger or quitting combat.Whered you go? How was the mission? Anton asked, though he knew the answer to both.Up into the mountains. I think I learned something, but I cant be sure.Show me, then.Instead of starting with taking swings, Varghese carefully pointed his sword at Anton, negotiating the area around him. His sword quickly was drawn into the flow and pulled towards the ground, but he began to trace out the area. Finally, he held his sword above himself, pointing down in a reverse grip and stabbed towards the top of Antons head. Anton caught the blade between his fingers. That was the weakness of this sort of field. Even if he caused it to work in a certain manner, it had a low point. He could move it around as he pleased, which might be the solution, but he was unsure if he could erase it entirely. Good job, Anton said. I doubt youll run across this particular technique often, but scoping out your enemys defenses is an important skill. Sometimes you just need to swing harder to break through, but sometimes you can ignore it entirely.Thats surprising, Varghese admitted. Still, this technique seems good. Can you teach it to me?Could he? Anton supposed it would be possible. It would also be much more difficult without the benefit of being bound to a neutron star, but there was nothing incompatible with One Hundred Stars as a cultivation technique. People focused on many different aspects- light, fire, gravity, or just power. Why not magnetism? It was a part of stars, though often overlooked from afar.This technique is still in development, Anton said finally. However, I am sure it will not take too long to have a version you can attempt, if you are interested. Though it would take much of your natural energy. Perhaps Anton could find a way to make it efficient. If it wasnt constantly activated but momentary, that might be reasonable. And he could apply the same to himself, creating a powerful burst that was much closer to his inspiration, rather than this field that was weak enough a Body Tempering cultivator could almost stab through it. Though Anton was holding back there.
