Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Deep Blue, Let Me See the Limit!
The next day, Louis, having just finished breakfast, received a notification from the lady-in-waiting beside Beatrice.
It was said that Her Highness had already arranged for Lady Olivia to handle matters related to his tutelage, and a carriage would shortly arrive to take him to the Imperial Palace.
Louis nodded to show he understood and began contemplating a reasonable way to have Beatrice help him resolve the factory issue in advance.
Before he knew it, the appointed time had arrived.
Soon, he was brought to a clean and orderly open field.
"Your Highness, please wait here for a moment, the instructor will be here shortly."
Louis held a book and read for a while, and within a few minutes, a middle-aged man in armor approached.
Louis quickly set down the book.
This person obviously surpassed him, at least Louis never felt such an aura from William, the eleventh-level Iron Guard.
"Your Highness, Jino Kaichen, I will be responsible for your Nine Swords instruction starting today."
Louis nodded, somewhat curious, and asked:
"But why don’t I see a sword?"
Instructor Jino paused and then said:
"Because it’s not yet time for you to practice with a sword. Before learning the sword, one must learn the fist. Understand how to exert and channel force, then consider the rest."
After speaking, he remained motionless, merely raising his hand.
Louis didn’t even catch his movement, only hearing a sudden "snap" sound reverberating in the air.
"This is exertion, and it’s what you need to master before learning the Nine Swords."
Louis’s eyes brightened, filled with wonder.
Instructor Jino seemed disinclined to speak further, immediately commencing formal instruction.
The first lesson focused on techniques for exercising different muscle groups, reminiscent of what fitness trainers taught in his past life.
He listened attentively and learned quickly. After Jino corrected some of his basic movements, he nodded and said:
"Practice these movements more when you return, to lay the foundation. Next, I will teach you the basic movements that accompany the Nine Swords."
Having just completed two sets of movements, though his muscles ached, his spirit was invigorated.
"I will slow down the movements and break down the techniques for you to see; concentrate."
Jino’s gaze grew sharper, demonstrating directly.
Right hand feint punch.
Downward pull to break defense.
Curved elbow strike.
Feint punch to deceive.
Forward advancing step.
...
Jino explained while demonstrating.
His movements were slow, yet they made Louis feel slightly dazzled.
This reminded him of sports classes in his past life, where likewise simple exercises seemed dizzyingly complex when first demonstrated by the teacher.
He endeavored to memorize the method for each movement. With this urgency, he felt a force rising within him, and his mind became suddenly clear.
The greedy quest for knowledge, activated.
His brain, a black hole, voraciously devoured every movement he witnessed.
Jino’s motions were deconstructed and reconstructed in his mind.
The world seemed to grow still, and the sounds of insects and birds gradually faded.
He instinctively moved his body.
Each action was reproduced in his hands, though perhaps because his muscles did not obey his brain entirely, the movements were considerably distorted during practice.
Jino glanced over: "Have you practiced before?"
"No."
Jino shook his head, just about to say something when a soldier approached, whispering something to him.
Jino looked at Louis.
Let someone who has practiced take their time practicing.
He moved a bit away to converse with the soldier.
Louis paid no mind to Jino’s departure, continuing to align his body with the mental blueprint of actions and techniques he had created, bit by bit working towards the standard he perceived.
...
"There are shepherds missing around the Dragonbone Prairie? It’s a safe zone, practically devoid of magical beasts.
Perhaps a creature from the Burning Smoke Mountain Range descended, have the Forest Patrol escort a team to clear them out."
Jino pursed his lips, growing increasingly irritated.
He was never one to enjoy hiding and defending like the Iron Guard, and teaching others was already burdensome for him.
He’d rather spend that time eliminating a few more Evil God cultists.
However, there was no choice...
Tino City had been so peaceful last year that it led to excessive indulgence with his wife at night.
Now their second child was born, and the financial strain increased, causing him distress.
Surely the children must be given a high starting point, but all of this costs money, and he was nearly drained by the expenses of raising the first child.
It was then that the Second Princess Olivia approached him, hoping he would act as instructor to Prince Louis.
What a joke, he was after all the commander of the Royal Guard, how could he take on some inexperienced novice without losing face?
But the frail Her Highness Olivia came to him personally, claiming he was one of the best at the royal Nine Swords, so he couldn’t decline...
Indeed, it wasn’t at all because Her Highness offered too much for him to refuse.
To be fair, he was known to be a strict teacher, and even the spirited young guardsmen often cried out, thus a newcomer like Louis naturally...
"Hmm?"
When Jino glanced at the young prince unemotionally, his gaze shifted slightly.
During their brief conversation, Louis’s punching stance had undergone massive transformation.
His eyes seemed unfocused, but each punch carried a degree of control, his arms slightly extended as if ready to pounce like a hunting leopard, his slender shoulders trembling gently, and his abdomen undulated rhythmically.
Sweat dampened the hair on his forehead, dripping down his cheeks and onto the ground.
"Doesn’t seem as lazy as Her Highness said..."
He had previously told Olivia that he was too impatient to coach a complete novice.
Her Highness had responded that Prince Louis was somewhat lazy, and she had been entrusted to shape him into a fine weapon under Beatrice’s orders.
Thus, the Second Princess wanted him to rigorously train Prince Louis.
He hadn’t taken it seriously.
With real intensity, he feared those fragile nobles might get hurt.
But seeing Louis’s focused demeanor now, he couldn’t help but be somewhat moved.
Though effort isn’t the only factor for success, and perhaps not even the most essential one, it remains the only aspect of the process controlled by one’s will.
"Perhaps I should teach a little more seriously, it seems he might endure more training."
But in the very next moment, his expression darkened.
"Huff... puff..."
With a deep exhalation and inhalation, Louis seemed rooted like a nailed sculpture, maintaining a defensive stance without moving, a still white jade statue.
The next moment, through his sweat-drenched garment, his slender muscles visibly engorged, tightened, and throbbed!
A punch was thrown.
A heavy thud resounded.
His body suddenly collapsed forward as if momentarily drained of strength.
Jino’s form flickered; with a pull and a tug, he steadied the weakened Louis.
"You really haven’t been trained," Jino murmured.
Louis felt every part of his body aching, yet upon snapping back to reality, he realized he was drenched in sweat, struggling to breathe.
Despite the pain, he couldn’t resist a chuckle:
"Was the punch decent?"
Jino glanced sideways:
"Not bad, nearly as good as me when I was young."
After a brief pause, he added nonchalantly: "You’ve picked up on the breathing technique rather quickly."
Louis grinned: "It’s just that your demonstration was detailed enough."
Pausing, he added:
"But using that technique takes quite a toll."
Known for his reticence, Jino nearly lost his composure.
Why was he certain this kid hadn’t trained before?
Simply because that punch technique wasn’t documented in the Nine Swords’ handbook.
It was his own unique technique, something he hadn’t intended for Louis to learn.
Yet this kid! This kid!
Is he a monster?