Ram remembered the effortless control he'd experienced in his memories—the leaves blurring as they zipped through the air.
But now, as he tried to control Jian Ling's blades, they moved sluggishly, draining his spiritual power with each strained motion.
Determined to master this technique, he took a deep breath to steady his racing mind.
"Okay, focus," Ram muttered to himself, "I need to visualize the movements."
He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing the blades from his memories—how they swirled and danced around him.
Opening his eyes, he decided to start simply, using just one blade.
He imagined the single blade circling around him with smooth, controlled motions. Slowly, tentatively, he began to move the blade in the pattern he had visualized.
At first, the blade seemed to fight against his control. It stuttered and jerked through the air, making Ram's spiritual power feel like it was being sucked away.
"Come on," he encouraged himself, "You can do this." With every attempt, the movements grew a bit smoother.
It was as if he was rediscovering a skill he had once mastered but had now forgotten.
The strain on his spiritual power lessened as he began to feel a growing sense of connection, like he was remembering something old and familiar.
As he became more comfortable with one blade, Ram began to experiment with two.
Then three. It wasn't long before he was juggling four blades at once.
At first, controlling them was difficult; they collided and scraped against each other, causing him to lose focus.
"Whoa, hold on," he said, trying to regain control. "Let's take it slow."
Gradually, he got used to the sensation of multiple blades moving around him.
The blades started to respond better, their movements becoming more fluid and coordinated.
Soon, they whirled around him with a soft, continuous hum.
He began to experiment with different techniques.
He sent the blades to move through complicated patterns: spirals, figure eights, and even a rudimentary shield made of rapidly spinning blades.
Each attempt felt like unlocking a dusty corner of his mind, the memories of how to control the blades coming back to him.
"Not bad," Ram said, smiling as the blades danced through the air. "But I still have a lot to learn."
Jian Ling hovered beside him, she communicated her thoughts and feedback through their bond, helping Ram refine his techniques.
Her mature and intelligent demeanor guided him, and he could almost hear her gentle encouragement.
As the sun began to set, Ram's concentration remained unbroken. Four blades danced around him, their movements blurring into a whirl of green.
The blades moved with increasing accuracy as he practiced various attack patterns from his memories.
They zipped through the air with a soft hiss, cutting through the targets he had set up around him.
He noticed that the amount of spiritual power needed varied depending on what he was trying to do.
A simple forward thrust required only a trickle of power, while a more complex maneuver, like a multi-blade strike, drained him faster.
He estimated that at their peak, the blades could reach speeds comparable to bullets, making them deadly projectiles in mid-range combat.
He got so absorbed in his practice that he lost track of time.
After more than three hours of intense training, Ram began to feel a headache and a bit dizzy from exhaustion.
Realizing he had pushed himself too far, he stopped practicing and allowed his spiritual power to recover naturally.
Sitting down to catch his breath, Ram reviewed his progress. "I've learned a lot today," he thought. "But I still have some limitations to work on."
He had discovered that the Thousand Leaf Pinnacle technique had its challenges. One limitation was the range.
His control over the blades was strongest within a radius of about five meters.
Beyond that, it took more spiritual power to maintain control, and the blades became less effective.
He hadn't tried the Shattered Sword technique yet, which would presumably combine all the blades into a single, powerful attack.
But based on what he had learned, he could already guess it would require a significant amount of spiritual power.
Each blade needed a single point of spiritual power every ten minutes just to maintain its form and connection to him.
Techniques like the Leaf-Shuriken required more energy—three points per projectile, but with much greater offensive potential.
The biggest challenge he faced was accuracy, and he knew he needed more practice to improve his control and refine his techniques.
"If I can level up the Thousand Leaf Pinnacle technique," Ram thought, "I'll gain more experience and improve my control over the blades."
He looked at Jian Ling, who hovered beside him, her sword-like leaves shimmering in the fading light of the evening.
"Thank you, Jian Ling," he said softly, a smile on his face. "With you by my side, I feel much stronger. Let's continue to grow and become even more powerful together."
Jian Ling nodded, her cold face softening slightly as if acknowledging his gratitude.
Ram packed up the mushrooms he had matured earlier and headed toward the first pharmaceutical store on his list.
The streets were now bustling with merchants, buyers, and mercenaries, their chatter filling the evening air.
"With these mushrooms, I'm on the right track," he thought. "Next, I'll find Liam, gather more resources, and prepare for the upcoming mission."
It didn't take long for him to reach the store. Inside, the air was filled with the rich scent of herbs and spices. Behind the counter stood a middle-aged woman with a kind smile.
"Good day," she greeted him warmly. "How can I help you?"
"I have some Vitality and Spirit Mushrooms I'd like to sell," Ram said, showing her a sample of each.
The woman's eyes widened in surprise as she examined the mushrooms. "These are high-quality mushrooms," she said.
"We don't see these very often. How many do you have? If you have more of the same quality, I can offer you a higher price than usual."
"I have 36 Vitality Mushrooms and 27 Spirit Mushrooms," Ram replied.
The woman nodded, her smile widening. "We can offer you 6 shadow points per Vitality Mushroom and 9 shadow points per Spirit Mushroom. Does that sound good to you?"
Ram quickly did the math in his head. "That comes to 216 shadow points for the Vitality Mushrooms and 243 shadow points for the Spirit Mushrooms, totaling 459 shadow points. Yes, that's acceptable."
They completed the transaction, and Ram left the store with enough shadow points, to buy ordinary transfer materials and combat skills.
"Next stop, Craftsman's Corner," he thought. "It's time to get those professional materials and prepare for the mission ahead."
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