Chapter 175: Shadowless Sword

Once again, he arrived at that open area. After observing and confirming that there was no one around, Rod finally pulled out the Dark Dragon and prepared to begin his training.

The failure from yesterday had taught him many lessons. In particular, the advice and insights given by the Sword Spirit had been extremely enlightening to Rod. After returning to his dormitory that night, he spent almost the entire time immersed in those materials, feeling as though he were touching another world.

Standing still with the sword in one hand, he took a deep breath before starting. First and foremost, having learned from his mistakes, Rod decided to start with the basics. At this stage, this was perhaps the only thing he could do—at least he didn’t want to repeat yesterday’s situation.

He recalled the basic attack combinations used with the Shadowless Sword and began practicing from that point. The first thing he needed to achieve was control over the strength of these moves—balancing firmness with flexibility—before moving on to the next stage of training. This was the decision he had made after considering the Sword Spirit’s advice throughout the night.

After making such a foolish mistake as falling yesterday, he realized that mastering control of strength wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight, especially with a technique as difficult as the Shadowless Sword.

Controlling strength meant the center of gravity in the body was constantly changing. With the speed and footwork required by the Shadowless Sword, it was impossible to manage everything at once. So, the best approach was to break it down and tackle each aspect gradually.

Wielding the Dark Dragon in his hand, he stood still and slowed down his movements, allowing the sword to trace slow arcs upward and downward. Although this made Rod feel frustrated and uncomfortable, he had to endure it for greater success.

The long sword cut through the air, emitting a whooshing sound—sometimes loud, sometimes soft! Rod’s hands moved continuously. Repeated failures couldn’t shake his determination; his gaze was resolute. At that moment, he devoted himself entirely to training, ignoring everything outside, as if the entire world consisted only of him. After countless attempts, he finally grasped some principles.

As he gradually mastered the sword techniques, he fully immersed himself in the state of training. Keeping in mind the control of strength and speed, he began to adjust his movements, alternating between fast and slow—creating a rather impressive pattern.

As time passed, those few simple sword techniques gradually became thoroughly familiar to him; once broken down, everything seemed simpler. Moreover, as his training continued, Rod discovered a deeper understanding and insight into these techniques of the Shadowless Sword. Remembering the principle of endless variation, he found many new variations, making these techniques less monotonous and uninteresting. Within Rod’s body, Xuan Yuan closely monitored his progress. Seeing how far he had come in such a short time, Xuan Yuan was secretly amazed and impressed—seemingly always bringing unexpected joy to him. The results far exceeded his expectations. Initially, he hadn’t revealed those secrets when Rod first started practicing the Shadowless Sword because those who lacked a solid understanding of swordsmanship couldn’t appreciate their subtleties; explaining them would be like playing music for an ox, achieving no effect at all. But now was different. After mastering these two techniques, Rod had spent considerable time, and everything he had experienced during this period had given him some understanding of these secrets. Additionally, Xuan Yuan had another goal: Rod had now reached a certain level in mastering the Shadowless Sword and Autumn Wind techniques, but it was as if a warrior had hit a wall—his techniques had reached a bottleneck. To take his understanding and application of these techniques to the next level, he needed to make changes and improvements. Just like now, he needed to focus more on adjusting strength, speed, and other aspects—only then could he make greater progress. Although he had anticipated Rod would make progress, he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. In just one day, Rod had managed to grasp the essence and key points of these techniques—a speed that was truly astonishing. As he became more proficient in these techniques, Rod’s swordplay became more dynamic, with speeds and strengths varying. Meanwhile, the once ferocious Shadowless Sword became smoother in its movements. If it had been a fierce wolf before, it was now like a cunning fox—unattractive in appearance but far more deadly than a wolf. Through repeated practice, he gradually moved from awkwardness to proficiency. Realizing this, Rod was naturally excited. A single day of training had already brought him many rewards, with a qualitative leap in his control and understanding of the techniques. How could he possibly give up now?

Although it was already pitch black and he had been practicing all day long, he didn’t feel any fatigue or hunger at all. His body seemed to have endless energy, leaving him full of vigor. He had already mastered the control of his techniques to a considerable extent. Instead of taking a break, he decided to push forward and tackle the next challenge. His steps gradually slowed as he moved around the area, executing attacks at a very slow pace to simulate his combat range. Under these slow drills, though there was only one figure, Rod smiled. As he had guessed, once he mastered the control of the technique’s strength and combined it with his movements, it improved significantly compared to before. Although using the technique still required some effort, it was finally taking shape. As for speed, he wasn’t worried—everything could be done gradually; he still had time. Once he became fully proficient, he slowly increased the speed. As the speed rose, his figure split into two, then three, then four—gradually, multiple figures appeared, moving back and forth across the open space. With a “thud,” a muffled sound came followed by a clear clang as the long sword hit the ground. Rod failed once again, his movements disorganized. This time, his figure split into only five, and at this point, it became difficult. His technique execution became chaotic, leaving Rod feeling somewhat overwhelmed. “Damn it!” Sitting on the ground, he cursed loudly. With a bitter smile, he looked at the Dark Dragon beside him. He had been too optimistic—this was just the beginning. It was like when he first started learning combat energy in the world of martial arts; this path was still long and difficult. “I must succeed!” A fierce look flashed in his eyes. Picking up the Dark Dragon, he stood up, ignoring the cold wind blowing against his soaked body and the icy sensation spreading throughout him. Rod declared firmly that whatever he decided on, he would pursue and persevere unswervingly. He had done the same when practicing martial arts, when deciding to enter the world of mercenaries, and now with swordsmanship—he wouldn’t allow himself to yield to failure or be defeated by difficulties. Picking up the long sword and taking a deep breath, Rod plunged back into his practice. Unfortunately, when his figure split into five, he failed again, stuck in his own awkward technique!

Standing still, he stared at the Dark Dragon in his hands, frowning deeply as he pondered where he had gone wrong and how to improve. Complaining at this point was useless; finding a solution was the only way forward, a belief he held firmly.

Recalling his previous two failures and learning from yesterday’s mistakes, he began to ponder using the insights, formulas, and techniques taught to him by the Sword Spirit.

Since he had failed twice in a row, with the same issue arising each time, there must be some mistake or flaw in that area, and he needed to start fixing it there.

With this in mind, Rod temporarily put aside his training. Continuing to practice without resolving this issue was meaningless. He knew that even if he kept practicing, he would fail at the same point. So, it was better to pause and thoroughly study the problem first.

Frowning slightly and deep in thought, feeling the coolness of the late night, Rod’s mind worked rapidly, analyzing and calculating quickly.

“Change… yes, the inability to keep up with changes. The moves have changed, so the steps must too…” Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he murmured to himself. Then his eyes gradually brightened.

That’s right—he had overlooked a very important issue. If the moves changed, he needed to be able to adapt flexibly. Since the moves had changed, his steps must also change accordingly; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to use them effectively. It was like water and fire—forcing them together could only lead to destruction. To blend water and fire, a catalyst was needed. Just as high-concentration liquor requires alcohol to allow fire to float on water, enabling harmony and integration.

Thinking this through, Rod lowered his head and fell into deep thought, figuring out how to address the issue. He needed to improve his steps so they could keep up with the changing moves, achieving versatility, controlled speed, and a blend of strength and flexibility to defeat opponents from afar.

In the dead of night, in the dark forest, on this open space, a figure sat with his head bowed on the messy grass, writing a chapter of magic for the future continent.