After returning from the Forest of Bones, Leonard did not go out for a few days and began closed-door training.
"Seniors, I would like to stop sparring for a month."
After declaring that he would take a break from sparring with the trio, he devoted himself to refining his newly acquired abilities. He didn't even have a middle dantian in his previous life, but he had it, including his penta-core, which was the privilege of the Cardenas bloodline. His middle dantian and penta-core had to be harmonized. It was also necessary to fine-tune his body and his internal energy, which far exceeded what a Third Degree External Force Tier martial artist should possess.
If a normal apprentice knight suddenly gained this level of power, at least half a year would have passed before they could handle their newfound power with their senses. However, it only took Leonard fifteen days to accomplish it, perhaps because his mind was at the level of the Creation Realm.
"In terms of physical ability, I think it's more than five times that of when I was Yeon Mu-Hyuk. Isn't this a little too much?" Leonard mumbled with a dejected face.
He couldn't help it. In his previous life, he had also never neglected cultivating his body, and he possessed a body several times stronger than the body of any martial arts expert who only trained their internal energy.
Only the Divine Monk, who achieved the Vajra Physique through the Tendon Cleansing Transformation, and the Fist King Hwangbo Jung-Hyuk, who could shatter augmented qi with his fist after decades of grinding and polishing his internal energy, could surpass him.
Nevertheless, the capabilities of Leonard's current body were overwhelmingly outstanding. When he grabbed the wall of the cave and scratched it with his fingers, the rock wall was crushed into powder as if it were being reduced to sand.
Even if he used a claw art or a finger art, which he did not properly train in, he could tear apart flesh and shatter bones with his physical strength. He could be even more destructive if he used a fist art, which could land a direct hit.
Come to think of it, I should train in fighting techniques too.
It would be a crime to not use fighting techniques properly when he had such a strong body. If he learned some, he would be able to crush the opponent just by incorporating one or two techniques when spotting an opening in a sword fight.
Leonard went through and screened the martial arts in his memories. It didn't take him long to come to a decision.
As expected, it would be better to start with the Form Intention Fist Art.[1]
Yeon Mu-Hyuk also used this fist art as a fundamental form, and he also referred to other martial arts to create one that was in tune with his body. This was because the Form Intention Fist Art was extremely compatible with the One Origin Five Elements Cultivation Method.
The Form Intention Fist Art was basically learned with the Santishi[2] posture as the foundation, and he integrated it into the Five Elements Fist Art.
After Leonard learned the five fist element phases, namely the Crushing Fist, Chopping Fist, Drilling Fist, Exploding Fist, and Crossing Fist, the training ended with him mastering the routine of the Five Elements Fist Barrage, which connected the five phases. Next, there was the Twelve Animal Fist Style, but it was nothing more than an application theory for the Five Elements Fist, so there was no point in learning further.
As Leonard took a step forward and threw out a straight punch, the air in front of his fist burst, and the ground in front of him reverberated slightly. It was the Crushing Fist, the Fist of Wood, a punch that extended in a straight line.
Boom!
At the same time, he stepped back while blocking and threw out a punch. The resulting fist pressure shot forth and pounded against the wall. It was the Exploding Fist, the Fist of Fire, a punch that exploded outward like a cannonball while protecting the martial artist at the same time.
Starting with the two movements, Leonard executed the techniques one after another with ease. Along with the Wudang Sect's Taichi and the Shaolin Temple's Eight Trigrams Palm, the Form Intention Fist was also known as one of the Three Internal Hand Arts.
Taichi and the Eight Trigrams Palm drew arcs like those in dancing and boasted complex and diverse trajectories, but the Form Intention Fist was the opposite. There were only linear movements in the Form Intention Fist, and they were short and concise, so it was awkward to refer to them as having complex trajectories.
I had a pretty hard time when I just learned it. I remember it now.
It was common for martial arts trainees to practice from simple to intricate movements. Beginners couldn't even maintain their balance properly. However, the more intricate the movements were, the more important it was for the trainees to control their strength in each part of their bodies. The profound pursuit of such a principle had resulted in the Acala Movement Art, one of the Shaolin Temple's unique cultivation skills.
However, this process of going from simple to intricate was completely skipped when a practitioner was learning the Form Intention Fist.
The practitioners have to synchronize their movements, breathing, and minds right from the beginning. It's only natural that most of them gave up before they could master it.
Even Yeon Mu-Hyuk had to dedicate months to master the skill. Once a person had a breakthrough, nothing could stop them from mastering the skill, but achieving that initial breakthrough was too difficult. That was why many people had given up.
He naturally connected each of the Form Intention Fist's movements and turned them into the Five Elements Fist Barrage. It was evidence that he still had mastery over his skills even after his death from the previous life.
Is it because my body is stronger and more flexible than in my past life? I can use the Five Elements Fist Barrage longer, and the number of combinations I can make from it has increased significantly. .
The Five Elements Fist Barrage was derived from the five basic fist skills, and it was developed into hundreds of different techniques before it utilized the original five again. The mechanism of the Twelve Animal Fist Styles wasn't any different.
However, the Form Intention Fist was made from the movements the experienced martial artists found useful in order to help their juniors who lacked experience in actual combat. Anyone could create their own Twelve Animal Fist Style if they were at the level where they could freely make modifications to the basic forms.
"Phew."
A deep footprint was left on the ground because of the strength he was exerting with his leg. He exhaled for a long time to release the remaining heat within him.
Leonard was already covered in sweat, despite the fact that he only practiced a series of brief and simple movements.
In a way, it was another mysterious phenomenon. After his breakthrough to the External Force Tier, his stamina increased tremendously and yet he was still exhausted.
If I limit the amount of my old self's internal energy and compete only in fist arts, it will be difficult to defeat myself right now.
The level of mastery of the One Origin Five Elements Cultivation Method was higher in his current life, and his physical ability was more than five times better. The only thing that he lacked as compared to his previous life was the amount of cultivation.
However, Leonard was convinced that even if the amount of cultivation was equal or greater, he would still not be able to defeat Yeon Mu-Hyuk. If the level of martial arts was simply determined by the amount of cultivation and the developed physical capabilities, it would have been natural for the Shaolin Temple to produce the world's strongest person in each generation.
"I guess there's still a long way to go before I can unite my life essence, energy, spirit..."
Leonard stood still and reflected on his inner self. The life essence was the body, the energy was the cultivation, and the spirit was the mind. Leonard had the soul of the Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk. Therefore, his spirit was too powerful, and he had yet to close the gap in his energy and life essence.
Although he had managed to strengthen his body to be stronger than that of his past life after reaching the External Force Tier, his mind was still too strong. The reason Leonard deduced was simple and clear.
I didn't expect my soul to also be strengthened when I reached the External Force Tier. Well, I guess I don't need to fret over it.
It was usually more difficult to develop one's mind than their body and internal energy. His mind had already been at the level of the Creation Realm before it had become even stronger. The strength of his mind would help him a lot when he tried to advance to the next level.
Leonard wouldn't stop training just because he reached the Transcendence Tier in the future. Therefore, he decided to be satisfied with the fact that it was possible to harmonize his life essence, energy, and mind, even if it was delayed a little. Besides, the memory of Yeon Mu-Hyuk he could refer to would only be useful until the Creation Realm.
From the Profound Realm to the Life and Death Realm—I mean, from the Demigod Tier to the Deification Tier—I have to approach it with the determination to start from the beginning.
Even Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin, the strongest man in the world, was only at the Profound Realm. In contrast to murim, where Life and Death Realm experts could only be found in legends, Deification Tier masters actually existed in this world. Considering this, Leonard had to surpass more than just Dan Mok-Jin's level. There was still a long way to go, so the stronger he became, the better. Rather than rushing to complete his mastery, he should do it step by step from the bottom. Dan Mok-Jin had also told Yeon Mu-Hyuk that he was too impatient with training his swordsmanship.
"Hmm."
Eyebrows twitching, Leonard sensed a presence approaching his residence from a distance. It was the trio that he had not met for fifteen days.
I'll have to go out to see them.
With his index finger, Leonard quickly pressed the acupoints all over his body at high speed, limiting his internal energy and closing the acupoints. He felt as if he had dived into the water after flying in the sky, but he couldn't let others discover his true level for the time being.
"Oh! It's Leonard!"
As soon as he opened the door and went out, the apprentice knights saw him and ran over excitedly to welcome him.
Leonard was surprised after seeing them for the first time in fifteen days, and his eyes widened. The waves of energy flowing over the trio had intensified. They probably hadn't learned any new cultivation methods, so there was only one other reason for the change.
"Seniors, did you break through to the next level?"
The trio looked at each other with surprised looks and opened their mouths in unison.
"Huh? Who told you?"
"We were going to surprise you ourselves!"
"No, how did you know?"
If a fourth-year apprentice knight was at the Third Degree External Force Tier, they would be regarded as a talented individual who would be treated well even in the Cardenas family. So, how could a junior in his first year see through their mana cultivation levels at once?
"You felt a bit different. I also broke through a few degrees in the Body Refining Tier, so my mana increased. That was why I was able to figure it out."
Hearing Leonard's reply, the trio immediately showed radiant expressions as if to ask him to say more. Ian was the most straightforward, directly asking, "Ooooh! What degree are you at?"
"I'm at the Eighth Degree."
"That's fast! That's an unbelievable speed for someone with a penta-core. Maybe it's true that the side effects are lessened and the stabilization period is shortened as long as there are enough mana stones."
Leonard had already realized this when he had first broken through in the Body Refining Tier, but judging from what Ian said, it seemed some people were already aware of it.
A penta-core itself was quite rare, and it was rare for people to break through Degrees and Tiers quickly, so the knowledge wasn't common. Many people studied the scriptures of First Class martial arts in murim, but most of the Third Class martial arts were not carefully researched, even by the weak. Still, it was better for Leonard this way.
I think it'll be fine even if I let them know the level of my mana cultivation a little earlier.
It couldn't be helped for everyone to pay attention to an unusual occurrence in a field that everyone was well-informed about. In contrast, people would only wonder why an unusual occurrence in a less well-known field was abnormal and wouldn't pay too much attention to it.
Even if there were only a few people with single cores, the value was high, so a lot of research would have been done. On the other hand, the penta-core was the opposite.
With that in mind, Leonard said, "Then, shall we have a spar in celebration of each other's breakthroughs? It's been a while, so it's going to be fun."
It had been fifteen days since their last spar, so Hayden, Ian, and Gale smiled brightly. But soon the corners of their lips stiffened because they remembered something that they had forgotten.
"Ugh, we really appreciate the suggestion, but not today."
"Why?"
"We have a night training session scheduled. After an hour, we have to gather at the assembly point and go inland with our seniors. If we're late, we'll probably be smacked by the bannerets," Hayden said.
Agreeing with him, Gale added, "I guess the bannerets got angry because the apprentice knights didn't go out at night, and we even avoided difficult or bothersome areas. They even asked us why we had come to the most difficult region if we were going to avoid the challenging places."
"It's not wrong, though."
"So, starting from tonight, we are going to be entering the inner part of the island in the middle of the night with our seniors."
Leonard nodded in agreement to their remarks. If they only entered comfortable regions and continued to deal with monsters they were familiar with, all the advantages of the Cardenas family's formless swordsmanship would disappear because it would imbalance their swordsmanship, leading them to have specific characteristics.
The Order of the Fledgling Dragon, including Sir Bradley, had to have planned the midnight march to prevent it.
Amazing. I don't think taking the initiative and setting an example is such an easy thing to do.
Night expeditions were more burdensome for the mid-rank knights of the Order of the Fledgling Dragon because they would need to manage and supervise the apprentice knights. Unlike humans, monsters were often nocturnal and their behavioral patterns were often tailored to their nocturnal tendencies, so the knights were bound to run into more surprises and dangers than they would expect in normal night battles.
Nevertheless, they chose to go through the trouble to maximize the children's potential. It was definitely an action befitting the members of a prestigious family.
"Do I not need to go?" Leonard asked just in case, but the trio giggled as if they had expected his question.
"Do you think they would take someone who is only at the Eighth Degree Body Refining Tier? Unlike his appearance, Sir Bradley is also human."
"Even we will probably have to go through hell for the night expeditions. You should get some rest."
"When we have some spare time again, we will ask you for a spar."
Hayden took out his subspace pouch and put on a sympathizing expression. "By the way, Leonard, you said you broke your sword last time, right?"
"Ah, yes."
"We bought a few swords, so use them as spares. The quality is subpar, but there's probably nothing that you cannot kill with these swords in the area where you are active."
When Leonard picked up all the swords that fell out of Hayden's subspace pouch, there happened to be exactly five swords. It was the perfect gift for Leonard, who was planning to train in the One Origin Five Elements Sword Art.
Leaving Leonard with his eyes wide open, the trio turned around, as they had to leave in a hurry.
Ian bid a short farewell as the representative. "Well, then, we'll go first. Stay safe!"
"Senior Ian!"
"What's up?"
The distance between them widened a bit, so Leonard had to speak a little louder when Ian turned around but didn't stop. "Which region are you going to for the night expedition!"
"It's the Forest of Bones! Recently, there was a huge territorial fight, and monsters from all over the area flocked over there! Because of that, we'll be cleaning up the mess there during our night training!"
"Okay. Take care!"
"Will do!"
The trio quickly disappeared into the forest.
Night training, huh?
After storing all five swords in his subspace pouch, Leonard looked towards the depths of the island. The balance of the food chain seemed to have collapsed due to the disappearance of the red troll he had defeated and the lycanthrope the red troll had defeated. The absence of the two True Demon Tier monsters was huge.
The apprentice knights and the Order of the Fledgling Dragon would probably concentrate on stabilizing the area for the time being, so the surveillance in the other areas would be low.
Then, what if I go to the opposite side of the Forest of Bones?
It was likely that no one would notice his presence even if Leonard used his powers in full force. As soon as he realized it, his eyes shone brightly. It was a good opportunity for him to test his capabilities as a knight at the Third Degree External Force Tier.
1. Xingyiquan, or Xingyi, is a style of internal Chinese martial arts. It is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power that's most often applied from a short range. ☜
2. Santishi(三体势) literally "three bodies power," referring to how the stance holds the head, torso, and feet along the same vertical plane. ☜