Atlas had already chosen a Martial Cultivation Manual. And it was a thousand times better and less restrictive than the one found in the library.
However, the dangerous world waiting for him outside required the young man to make more preparations.
His grandparents couldn't help him now because they were far from home. But he had prepared a lot in the past for this day and forced his grandfather to teach him his overbearing combat technique, Myriad Devastations of Angrarum.
He had fallen into a trance the first time he saw his grandpa swinging various weapons and exercising that technique. Indeed, he started to copy those abstruse movements and deadly stances when he was only a little child. Until the day he directly asked his grandfather to teach him more and more.
At that time, Atlas couldn't exert the mystical properties of that technique, and he could only swing, chop, thrust, block, and parry against a wooded doll. But now, with his body bursting with pure Chaos Energy, no one could stop him from unleashing that frightening power.
"AHH!!!"
Astra hacked the air rapidly. Moving left and right, winds arose, yet those were only simple movements that the young man was using to warm his body. Indeed, they were without internal energy like he had always done in the past.
He wasn't in a hurry, and so he kept recalling the stance and several combat attacks available with the Myriad Devastations of Angrarum.
The first was Wrath of Yinsu, where the wielder could do a series of quick and precise strikes with the weapon.
It wasn't a normal chopping motion. Indeed, the energy infused in this attack would gradually increase at each strike, oppressing the opponent with an even fiercer force.
The second, Mow of Siryu, exerted a large quantity of internal energy in a single powerful downward swing of the weapon aimed at the opponent's head or torso.
In this case, the usage of internal energy was more like an instant explosion of pure energy concentrated for a small fraction of the time in the blade to hack the opponent.
The third was Avalance of Uturet, a mighty swing of the blade aimed at splitting the opponent in half or stunning, disorienting, and oppressing it.
The fourth, Guard of Paxis, was a defensive move in which the wielder could use a thin or expanse aura of pure energy to intercept and deflect the opponent's attack.
Those were only four of the possible attacks collected in the Myriad Devastations of Angrarum. In fact, there were even exclusive moves for different kinds of weapons, like the Chains of Ragraty or Tempest of Icaris, primarily used for battle axes.
With the Chains of Ragraty, the wielder could make a series of complicated maneuvers to distract and then catch and pull the opponent's weapon or limbs toward himself.
Instead, with the Tempest of Icaris. The wielder could make a spinning strike, a move in which the attacker spins around while swinging the axe, creating a powerful whirlwind that can knock opponents off balance.
Most of those attacks also had a version for combat stances for dual-wielder of sword and battle-axe, sword and knife, knife and battle-axe, battle-axe and shield, and many more.
It was simply an absolute combat technique that one could hardly renounce.
Atlas spent hours testing his internal energy and adapting to that new power. The core kept stabilizing and refining more and more. Still, that wasn't enough to destroy that damned wall blocking his path toward the next minor Realm.
Soon, the sun fell on the other side of the Lonely Mountain.
The young man was exhausted by the strenuous training yet also excited because he had taken another step forward.
"Uhh... Grandpa's teachings were simply the best..."
It was time to recover and relax his tired muscles. So he went back home, and under the warm light of the fireplace, he started studying the martial technique bought by Grandma River.
Different from the Nameless Martial Technique, this one was well-written and much more detailed.
The process of manipulating the Chaos Energy was much better explained. There were even clear illustrations with different methods.
There was an abysmal difference between the two scrolls.
"Hmm... Earth Technique: Earthly Blessing... Receive the blessing of Mother Earth to strengthen the body... Direct contact with the ground amplifies the powers of the blessing... The sacred nectar of the earth relieves the lightest wounds, giving more strength to the warrior..."
Atlas read the content attentively and spent most of the time on those pages where a picture of a standard human was drawn. In those sections, the correct movement and path used to activate the technique of using internal energy were explained in detail.
The young man didn't have problems, and after a couple of tries, he effortlessly replicated those representations in his mind.
"Well... let's test it out..."
He couldn't wait for the next day. So, he stood up and closed his eyes to perceive better the changes all over his body.
Initially, Atlas found some impendence, but after a couple of attempts, the energy collected in the soles of his feet reacted, and a golden halo started to slowly surround his body.
Eager to try out the results, Atlas took out a knife, and sure, the blade found much more resistance to slice his skin.
"Mmm... My flesh and skin have become stronger... incredible..."
There was another effect to check, and after a small sigh, Atlas lacerated his skin using a more potent force.
"Damn it..."
Blood started flowing out of the wound. It was painful, but Atlas resisted tenaciously and let the secondary effect of the Earthly Blessing take effect.
Soon, the halo surrounding his body lost some brilliance. It was a normal reaction. After all, Atlas was redirecting the effects where he had suffered the wound.
It didn't take long, and finally, the blood stopped flowing out from the cut.
"Well... it's not a definitive remedy, but it's more than enough to gain some time."
Indeed, the technique had limitations that were clearly visible. The wound didn't close at all and instead only partially mended. But at least it could give the young man time during a fight and lessen his worries.
For another hour, Atlas experimented with the differences and possible uses of his new technique, but inevitably, his strenuous body forced him to rest for the night.
Just like that, a few days passed, and Atlas spent his time sharpening his combat skills and preparing for the inevitable day...