The Lightning Laceration cut through the air with a mesmerizing grace, the arc widening and contracting in response to Azmond's evolving control.
The mountains, already annihilated by the previous onslaught, now faced a more calculated barrage.
Azmond observed with intense focus, analyzing the feedback from each strike and honing his connection to the elemental forces at play.
As the Lightning Laceration continued to surge forth, Azmond dove deeper into the intricacies of the skill.
He experimented with variations in speed, trajectory, and the concentration of qi within the blade.
The once chaotic energy began to harmonize under his command, revealing a newfound synergy between Azmond and the thunderous forces he wielded.
The mountain range, now a canvas for Azmond's training, bore witness to the relentless dance of lightning.
Peaks crumbled, and valleys echoed with the resounding whoosh of each strike.
Azmond's movements became a seamless extension of the elements, a testament to the increased comprehension Azmond now wielded with the Lightning Laceration skill.
Azmond was improving his comprehension over highly intricate skills like it was as easy as breathing.
It would normally take months, if not years, or dozens of years for normal Cultivators to increase the mastery over their skills.
Yet, Azmond was doing the same with advanced techniques mere minutes after learning the skill…
....
Amidst the tempest of electric power, Azmond transitioned seamlessly to the Quantum Rift Blade Technique.
With a profound understanding of the cosmic forces at his disposal, he plunged his sword into the fabric of space once more. The dark energies spiraled outward, creating a vortex that mirrored the voracious hunger of a black hole.
This time, however, Azmond aimed to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Quantum Gate.
The celestial forces responded to his intent, and the gravitational pull intensified.
Rocks, debris, and remnants of the shattered mountains were drawn into the void, creating a mesmerizing interplay of destruction and creation.
As Azmond wielded the Quantum Rift Blade with refined precision, he delved into the very essence of spatial manipulation.
The fabric of reality warped at his command, and he marveled at the intricate dance between his will and the cosmic forces.
Each activation of the Quantum Gate revealed a layer of understanding, a step closer to unraveling the true potential of this profound skill.
The cycle continued—an interplay of Lightning Laceration and Quantum Gate, each iteration refining Azmond's prowess.
The landscape bore the scars of his relentless pursuit of mastery, a testament to the indomitable spirit that drove him forward.
That is what Azmond told himself to feel better, but in reality, he just wanted to show off more of his power to the world…
'I went through a sh*t ton of pain to be able to have this moment. I'll be damned if I'm not allowed to show off a little!'
...
In the crucible of destruction and creation, Azmond's skills were unleashed in swift succession, a symphony of elemental forces and cosmic energies converging in the hands of an immortal-like figure.
....
Azmond's indifferent expression quickly started to break apart as a small, distorted smile began to form on his chiseled features.
"This is so much fun!" His excitement started to leak a little as a big, beaming smile emerged on Azmond's face.
Swing after swing, Azmond's crazed grin only grew more and more.
Every mountain within hundreds of miles was being completely destroyed one after another, as Azmond's |Lightning Laceration| skill knew not how to hold back. It only knew how to swiftly and precisely eradicate everything it laid its eyes on.
...
Azmond's relentless skill testing continued for a couple hours; only then did Azmond's seemingly infinite number of slashes and black hole-like strikes stop coming.
He only let off his trigger finger once all the energy stored within Azmond's Qi Cyclones and Dantian started running dry.
Azmond didn't want to completely empty himself out, for if he did, he knew he would immediately go into a deep coma due to complete Qi depletion.
And, he didn't know exactly when he would next wake up if that situation ever happened…
He would prefer not to fu*k around and find out, so he just played it safe for now and gave up on further casting his apocalyptic spells.
He instead focused on a certain topic that he has been setting aside for quite a while now.
That subject being the fact that Azmond had yet to increase the size of his Qi Cyclones and Dantian for a number of breakthroughs now, and what better time to increase his energy capacity than the point where he was about to run dry?
"I would expand the size of my Qi cyclones right here and now, but I know I would waste a lot of precious time cultivating without the help of my trusty spiritual stone." A slight smile appeared on Azmond's features as he turned his head in the direction of the giant spiritual stone garden he has been away from for a few hours now.
"My Little Ice Flower is most likely still in a deep slumber…" Azmond's thoughts went off track a little as he thought of something other than cultivation.
"I really want to wake her up, but... sigh..." A loving smile almost emerged on Azmond's features before it quickly dispersed and morphed into a downcast expression.
"I guess I should just keep cultivating then, not that I have a problem with gaining more strength, but I really would enjoy my training a lot more if my Little Ice Bunny was awake as well." Azmond was in a melancholic mood for a while before it eventually turned into one of determination.
"I just need to get strong enough to help Crystallie out of this strut without harming her, and then all my problems will be solved!" Azmond said to himself while an obsessive darkness began to grow inside his pupils.
Azmond was not one to give up so easily without even trying.
"I wonder how strong I need to be to speed up Crystalline's cultivation process, or whatever is currently going on inside of her." A contemplative look formed on Azmond's face as he thought about the amount of strength one would need to help someone in the Nascent Soul Realm, cultivate.
He thought about the topic for a long time, and with each second that passed, Azmond became more and more depressed. "I would need to be a countless number of times stronger than I am right now, wouldn't I?"
Azmond looked behind his shoulder and saw the apocalyptic destruction he left in his wake.
He couldn't imagine at what level his strength would be once he reached a level where he was capable of helping Crystalline.
"That version of me seems so far away…"
"I should just focus on the present and worry about the future later. There is no point in dwelling over something I have no control over; I have faith that Crystalline will wake up, even without my assistance."
"Whatever is happening to her is obviously something that will benefit her greatly. What use would all those benefits be going towards if she stays asleep forever?" Azmond spoke to himself with a knowing tone.
But, deep down, Azmond knew that Nascent Soul Realm cultivators could spend dozens or even hundreds of years in seclusion during a single cultivation session.
He knew that even if Crystalline did end up waking up, it could not be until many years from now, but Azmond was quite the optimistic person, so he was partial to believing that Crystalline would wake up sooner rather than later.
She was a very special woman, after all. She reached the Late-Golden Core Realm by the time she turned 19, and she had already broken through into the Nascent Soul Realm with the assistance of some mystical forces.
Azmond refused to believe that someone so talented would not be able to wake up from a simple cultivation coma within a short period of time.