Chapter 111: Consciousness Space

“Training? Sword techniques, martial arts, and control over combat energy?” Hearing this, Rod frowned. What was going on? This was his own consciousness space—training here? He didn’t understand what kind of training method could be used here.
“Yes, that’s right. Train right here. Didn’t you just obtain a guide to using combat energy? It’s basic, but it can still be useful. Train according to its instructions. I’ve experienced its content—it will be of great help to you. As for sword techniques and martial arts, they’re simple. Concentrate and imagine holding the Dark Dragon. Hurry up!”
As soon as those words were spoken, his mind experienced a sharp pain as a massive amount of information rushed in, filling his entire mind. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself not to scream. After a while, it finally stopped. Upon careful reflection, he was stunned—wasn’t this exactly the content of the guide to using combat energy and its techniques?
“I see!” He smiled bitterly inwardly. So Xuan Yuan had already read it and been fully prepared, even making some modifications. He had casually flipped through it before and noticed some changes.
A slight smile appeared on his lips. Without hesitation, he followed the Sword Spirit’s advice, concentrating and imagining himself holding the Dark Dragon.
“No, not focused enough. Concentrate more. Don’t get distracted. Eliminate all other thoughts now!”
Sensing Rod’s thoughts, the Sword Spirit complained unhappily.
Not daring to complain, Rod quickly dismissed all distractions and devoted himself entirely, imagining the scene in his mind, which became increasingly clear, giving him a sense of being there.
Suddenly, his hand felt heavier, as if something had appeared there. Realizing this, he quickly opened his eyes. “What… what’s going on?”
Seeing what was in his hand, Rod exclaimed in shock. Indeed, at that moment, a sword appeared in his hand—identical to the Dark Dragon. He was holding the Dark Dragon? It was unbelievable.
“Heh, good. That’s right. This is the consciousness sea. Its greatest advantage is that you can do whatever you want. As long as your mental strength is strong, your will is firm, and your focus is sharp, you can achieve anything you desire.
For example, this sword right now was created by your consciousness. With this, you can train properly here!”

A satisfied smile, clearly pleased with Rod’s performance, came from the Sword Spirit in a cheerful voice. Indeed, Rod had great talent, and his mental strength was terrifyingly strong. Successfully achieving success on his first attempt was truly remarkable—a fact that spoke volumes.

“I’ll explain the essence of swordsmanship once more. You must remember it well; I won’t repeat it again. Your swordsmanship may seem good now, but it’s full of flaws. You lack agility and precision, and you can’t achieve speed, accuracy, or ferocity to any standard. What I say next will help you! From now on, focus on improving in these areas.

Remember, swordsmanship relies mainly on hooks, hooks-and-lags, points, lifts, thrusts, sweeps, and slashes. When practicing, let the sword move with your body, using your body to guide the sword. In application, ensure the sword is in harmony with your body, your body with your energy, your form with your intent, your intent with your energy, and your energy with your spirit. Your hands, eyes, body, techniques, and steps must all be perfectly coordinated. When drawing the sword, move like a dragon emerging from water, calm as a cat hunting a mouse. In motion, your hands should be versatile, your body full of changes, your steps light, with your energy internalized and your form externalized. Of course, more importantly, you must be able to adapt to any situation with unwavering composure, learning flexibly and responding skillfully—only then can you truly unleash the essence and power of swordsmanship.

As for martial skills, start by strengthening your body—you’re already doing well in this regard. Next, work on improving your sensitivity, reaction time, and judgment. While practicing these, combine them with the cultivation of combat energy, learning how to use it best to maximize its effects.

This is your consciousness sea—you are its master. Nothing is impossible here. It’s a unique training space, a place dreamed of by countless people. Don’t waste it. Remember to make the most of every moment; otherwise, you’ll regret it in the future! Time is running out—start now. Begin with controlling combat energy, advancing simultaneously! Hehe, such opportunities won’t be easy to come by again. By then, it will all depend on you!”

After such a long speech, even Rod was amazed at his own memory—how he could clearly remember every word and sentence amidst such chaos. The Sword Spirit spoke seriously, and he listened attentively, achieving the best results through interactive teaching.

Nodding firmly, he quickly immersed himself in cultivation. Soon, he was captivated by the secret manual on using combat energy. Reading its contents, he felt deeply moved, realizing just how foolish he had been in the past. …

“Hurry up and apply it to him. That damned guy went into the Warcraft Forest alone? Hm? There’s also a magic bag—seems like he has quite a lot of stuff!” Back in the room, Alice carefully laid Rod on the bed and cast several advanced water-based healing spells on him. After several treatments, his external injuries improved significantly; at least they weren’t as terrifying and severe as before. His complexion also began to recover gradually.
“He’s stable now. Thank goodness he’s fine. Huhu…” Sitting beside Rod, Alice panted. Casting so many spells had left her exhausted. Seeing Rod sleeping peacefully and feeling his steady breathing, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“The Spirit-Strengthening Pill truly lives up to being the First Holy Medicine—it really works!” Anderson marveled at Kiro. Such severe injuries could be cured; it was likely impossible to find another medicine that could replace it!
“It only plays a supplementary role. It’s mainly because of his strong will and excellent physical condition. Otherwise, no one else would achieve such results!” Kiro thought to himself while observing Rod. He knew all too well the effects of the Spirit-Strengthening Pill produced by his own family. The First Holy Medicine? Maybe, but it certainly didn’t have such obvious effects. The outcomes varied depending on each user’s condition.
“Never mind. Let me apply the medicine instead!” Alice volunteered to treat Rod. The wounds, after treatment, appeared even more severe, which gave him chills. It was the first time he’d seen someone with such serious injuries.
At Alice’s offer, Anderson and Kiro exchanged puzzled looks. Had this girl changed? Didn’t she used to complain constantly about hating him, vowing to kill him if she saw him again? Why was she now more anxious than anyone else?
“It seems this senior is truly powerful. He could teach that girl techniques capable of even dealing with the Earth Bear—how terrifying!” Yet soon, everyone’s attention was drawn back to the Earth Bear. Even now, Anderson still felt uneasy thinking about that terrifying bear. His expression changed slightly when he recalled how Rod had managed to drive away a creature that even a Martial Emperor found troublesome. One could only imagine the strength and combat skills required.

“It’s truly terrifying. I don’t know what technique he used, but it’s definitely forbidden. Didn’t you see his condition? The external injuries are severe, but you overlooked the internal ones—especially the damage to the muscle tissue and cracks. These were caused by the technique itself, resulting in self-injury. It seems that technique requires immense self-destruction and pressure!” Recalling what he observed while helping change clothes and examine the body, Kiro frowned and said with a bitter smile.

“It seems that’s the case!” Anderson pondered for a moment before saying in a deep voice. There’s no such thing as a free lunch; there must be a cost for any gains.

“Alright, it’s done. Let him rest. We should clean up too!” Only after everything was settled did Alice breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at Rod, who was sleeping peacefully, she wiped the sweat from her nose and smiled bitterly at their own appearance.

“That’s true. As long as he’s safe, we should get ourselves sorted out too. Damn that damned Earth Bear! I’m injured too!” Touching his back, which had been hit by the Earth Bear and was already swollen, Anderson grumbled in pain.

After that, the group left the room, leaving Rod alone in bed.

At this moment, Rod was unaware of anything outside, not even his own physical sensations. In his mental sea, he was deep in cultivation.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally finished reading the manual on using combat energy. His memory was astonishing, and he quickly grasped the basics—mainly how to achieve the best results with the least amount of combat energy.

Muttering to himself and thinking, his eyes lit up as he gained some insights after a short while.

After further study, he began preparing to apply these techniques in actual combat.

With a thought, a virtual Dark Dragon appeared in his hand. Recalling Xuan Yuan’s teachings, he started practicing again from the fundamentals: hooking, hanging, pointing, lifting, stabbing, flicking, and chopping.

Time passed quickly. In this dark space, with no sense of time, he practiced until he was completely exhausted.

Only then did he lie down, breathing heavily. He felt satisfied with his gains and, before he knew it, fell asleep due to the severe mental strain. He needed proper rest to recover.

Day after day, he devoted himself to studying the manuals on using combat energy and practicing basic sword techniques. In this endless cycle, Rod had no idea how long it had been going on. He had forgotten where he was, completely absorbed in what he was doing and ignoring everything else in the world.