Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Louis, You’re a Bit Too Extreme
Several hours before the Little Swan received the news.
In another part of the expansive Imperial Palace.
On the training ground.
Bam!
Bam bam!
Bam bam bam!
Dull thuds echoed in the air.
Louis took a deep breath. Instructor Jino’s breathing technique had slightly altered his Qi circulation, and he punched towards Instructor Jino ahead of him.
Jino held up a square target with one hand, firmly blocking Louis’s swinging fist.
"Harder, harder, didn’t you eat? Imagine me as your enemy, just like when you practice shadowboxing, don’t hold back!"
Louis only felt droplets of sweat falling down.
A muffled force climbed along his muscles and bones, reaching his heart.
In a trance, Louis recalled that punch aimed at Factory Director Snow in the processing plant.
He did not hesitate at all.
Even a half-second of hesitation would be unfair to himself on the guillotine.
In that moment of parry, Instructor Jino noticed a change in Louis’s gaze towards him.
"Huff..."
Suddenly, he took another deep breath, with veins bulging on the back of his hand,
「To beheaded by the guillotine, you scum wish to harm me, then I will beat you to death!」
With a swift step, he closed in, swinging a fierce whip kick at Jino, who was defending.
This kick was as swift as scissors, clipping down and making Jino, who stayed firm as a mountain, slightly falter.
Louis’s hands weren’t particularly thick, but streamlined muscles could be seen tensing neatly.
As a punch was thrown, it seemed to tear through something, a sharp crane’s cry resounded in the air.
「War God above!」
Jino’s eyes widened, the shock in his eyes beneath his thick eyebrows was no longer concealible.
Whip kick.
Back kick.
Backhand heavy strike.
Elbow strike.
A series of seemingly violent counterattacks caused Jino’s steady arms to slightly lift.
The barrage of attacks was blocked one by one by Jino.
But the astonishment in his eyes became increasingly apparent.
Because within such a short time, Louis’s striking power was visibly rising.
What startled him even more was that as the fight went on, Louis’s attacks began integrating tail strikes.
The tail swings lashed out like whips, bursting with a series of thunderous cracks in the air.
Landing on the square pad, it exploded in billows of steam.
Amidst the high-speed barrage, his fists seemed to find a flaw in that instant.
Louis punched continuously in the same spot several times.
In a moment, it seemed like something was torn apart.
The once tough pad couldn’t withstand it anymore and was shattered, spewing out the filling material.
Louis panted heavily for breath.
Jino stared blankly at the utterly destroyed pad, his gaze sliding quietly to Louis’s tail that participated in his lethal attack.
「Wow! Such strength! Dominance!」
He said with a somewhat husky voice:
"Well done, Louis. Next time, if anyone treats your tail as a resting tool, smash their heads like today!"
But after saying this, Jino regretted a little,
He originally heard that Louis had broken through to a level 3 warrior three days ahead of schedule, and wanted to take this opportunity to temper his temperament well.
After all, for a warrior, learning to calm down and continuously hone their body is an essential practice.
Yet he never imagined Louis entering the state so swiftly; the combat state that usually required a significant time to genuinely enter, he stepped into just like that?
This technique, too, didn’t seem like something a level 3 warrior could execute.
This fighting style, for someone unaware, may think he was Louis’s mortal enemy.
「You’re a bit too extreme, Louis」
He intended to remind Louis not to utilize his fighting style on peers of his own level.
Because if he truly faced off, the person might end up with their head tilted to the side as if a soy sauce shop had exploded, with all kinds of salty, sour, and spicy things bursting out.
He feared Louis would be on his knees begging those young professionals not to die.
But in the end, looking at his composed demeanor, Jino refrained from saying anything to dampen his enthusiasm:
"Very good, very spirited, just maintain this state."
Because—
"I like it!"
Yes, because Jino and Louis are alike.
This kid Louis, is just to his taste, and embodies what he thinks to be the "style of a warrior".
—he just wonders what those opponents, who had their heads blasted by Jino, would think.
"When it comes to basic force techniques, I have nothing more to teach you." Jino said after taking a deep breath.
At this moment, Louis was panting hard:
"This... this punching technique is quite hard to learn."
Originally, Jino, who was standing with his hands on his hips trying to look indifferent, heard this and twisted his mouth. It took a while for him to unclench his teeth:
"You’re doing quite well. Just right, you’re a level 3 warrior now, and you can start learning the combat techniques of the Nine Swords."
Louis nodded.
This time reaching level 3 warrior, the most obvious feeling he had was the boost in physical ability and strength, almost a 30% increase compared to level 2, and roughly doubled compared to LV1.
The tail behind him shook a bit; as an innate magical weapon of the succubi, his bloodline became more active with the level-up, making him always want to control the tail to bite something.
This subtle discomfort made him want to stuff a gag in his tail.
No way, his tail is too flexible now. He can even use it for support, lifting his feet off the ground, cosplaying a yellow electric mouse.
"The instantaneous explosive power brought by the breathing technique has further improved..."
But the muscle soreness afterwards also became more pronounced.
Jino scratched his head.
He had never seen such a curious warrior.
At this pace, it seems inevitable that all of his skills will be learned.
He coughed and said seriously: "Body refinement methods and force techniques are just basics of basics..."
"It’s like this."
"So don’t let down your guard, these are just basics of basics, things even newcomers can master."
"I understand."
Looking at Louis’s serious expression, Jino inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.
He was sweating all over.
"I’m not lying; it’s just that other people’s career advancement speed is several levels slower than yours... and your learning speed is somewhat absurd."
Then, he felt even more guilty.
Poor Jino, never showing weakness throughout half his life.
He quickly found a way to reduce the guilt:
"Which kinds of Ense’s Nine Swords do you want to learn?"
Louis said: "Can you tell me how the Nine Swords are specifically divided?"
Jino grinned. This is where he’s most skilled.
"Let me first detail the characteristics of the Nine Swords."
"The Nine Swords is a unique system based on three fundamental professions, covering nine martial arts genres."
"Celestial Punishment Sword, Sage’s Sword, Sword of Martial Arts—these are the three major professions of the Nine Swords."
"Just like the warrior profession you are engaged in, the three basic professions of the Nine Swords also have their own unique characteristics."
"Depending on which basic profession you choose, the genres you can learn will differ."
"They are Desert Wind, Pious Heart, Steel Soul, Iron Heart, Twilight, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, Tiger Claw, White Crow."
Jino handed Louis a chart of the genres that can be learned by the three major professions.
"The Celestial Punishment Sword and the Sword of Martial Arts are considered the two major basic professions with the most learners in Ense."
"Especially the White Crow genre, which both can learn, is naturally suited for legion combat. Its matched White Crow Swordsmanship has surpassed profession limits, becoming one of the most widespread swordsmanships globally."
"We’ve even formed a White Crow Legion with it, renowned for its battle achievements, with few opponents on today’s continent."
"Sage’s Sword can learn the most genres, but is mediocre in strength, a jack-of-all-trades genre. I wouldn’t recommend you learn it."
Louis was stunned: "Why?"
Jino said: "Sage’s Sword can learn too many genres, inevitably falling into the trap of being broad but not refined, and I think you kid...
Haha, prefer directly cutting down opponents compared to the soft Sage’s Sword, right?"
Louis nodded: "If I can take them down with one sword stroke, why bother with scraping?"
"Exactly, so just take a look at Sage’s Sword."
"Then Sword of Martial Arts... what a shame, why can’t I learn all of them?" Louis licked his dry lips, showing a fascinated look, "Why can’t I have them all?"
Jino smiled slightly, liking this kid more: "You can’t do it now, but if you advance to the pinnacle... the genre restrictions won’t be so daunting."
"The Ense Royal Family is the only one with the complete inheritance of the Nine Swords. When the time comes, there’ll be plenty of people to teach you."
Louis murmured: "But I want to master them all right now."
"You’re really... greedy!" Jino lamented, "People like you and me, it’s a waste not to learn the Nine Swords."
Louis laughed: "Can I take that as a compliment?"
Jino’s mouth twitched slightly, trying hard to forget that Louis learned the Nine Swords in one-fifth of the time he himself did.
He grudgingly said: "I’m complimenting myself—you’re still far from it!"