"From tomorrow on, every morning at 9 AM, I will be waiting for you here."
Fiore's face looked calm, but the look in his eyes was very subtle.
After today's teaching, he had discovered that these two suddenly appearing VIP students of his seemed to be somewhat extraordinarily talented.
Yol looked delicate and weak, but her physical strength and flexibility were extraordinary, and her physical power was even a bit scary.
Merlin looked "ordinary," but he had an indescribable wildness about him. Moreover, his physical agility, explosive power, and control over his muscles were extraordinary.
Both of them had already learned the frameworks of the three swordsmanship styles decently.
Could this be genius?
More genius than my pair of genius children I'm proud of?
It was somewhat unbelievable, so much so that after bidding farewell, there was a faint trace of trance in his eyes.
Merlin watched Fiore leave. At this moment, he looked at the unsharpened training katana in his hand.
The three types of swordsmanship learned today each had different advantages, corresponding to strength, agility, and balance respectively.
The greatsword had wide openings and closings, heavy and powerful swings, advancing and retreating like a tiger descending a mountain, oppressing people with majestic momentum.
When Fiore demonstrated this swordsmanship today, he also gave Merlin a faint sense of heaviness like an immovable mountain.
The rapier was flexible and tricky, emphasizing technique in sword use, specializing in speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness in swinging movements, full of explosive power.
However, Fiore himself didn't seem to be good at this swordsmanship; he just blindly exerted a kind of speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness.
As for the last technique using the katana, his usage seemed somewhat ordinary. It gave Merlin the awkward feeling of simply mashing together the usage methods of the greatsword and rapier.
There wasn't that sense of artistic conception like an immovable mountain.
But regarding the basics of the three types of swordsmanship, what he taught was still impeccable.
"Are we going home?"
Yol wiped the sweat from her forehead, holding a greatsword, walked up to Merlin and asked.
Merlin glanced at the darkening sky, then at Monde not far away who was still seriously swinging a long sword practicing basics, and said to Yol:
"You take Lami home. I'll practice a bit more. For dinner, you guys buy something to eat outside!
"Don't worry about me; I'll find a place to eat myself later."
Yol was helpless, but nodded:
"Alright then, do as you see fit, but don't practice too late. Rice needs to be eaten one bite at a time."
If she weren't worried about Lami going home alone, she would have wanted to stay and continue practicing with Merlin.
Yol left.
Merlin, holding the katana, continued his basic swordsmanship swing training.
The swords of this world could be said to be very inclusive; there wasn't a strict distinction between dao (single-edged sword/saber/knife) and jian (double-edged sword).
A dao is a single-edged sword.
And a jian is a double-edged sword.
In today's study, Fiore didn't introduce the differences between dao and jian, only the different usages of three types of swords.
Moreover, Merlin learned from him that in the vast seas of ancient and modern times, the group of "swordsmen" referred to those below Sword Masters (Sword Heroes). So-called swordsmanship was just a skill of proficiently using that weapon.
As for the realm of Sword Masters among swordsmen.
Fiore didn't go into detail, only saying that he would tell them after the two had laid a good foundation in swordsmanship.
Regarding this.
Merlin didn't expect too much.
This was nothing more than.
Progressing from the realm of physical skills to the realm of spiritual will.
And for this step, Merlin thought that Fiore couldn't give him much help either.
What he needed to do now was to make the skills of using this weapon proficient into his instinct.
With constant swinging. Merlin's spirit calmed down, his gaze focused, recalling the body force exertion techniques taught by Fiore, and carefully sensing himself.
Swinging the sword again and again.
Every swing was trying to mobilize the strength between his muscles and sinews.
Coordinating with forward and backward footwork, force rising from the ground, from ankles to calves, then surging up the waist, flowing from the spine to shoulders and arms, and finally slashing out from the sword in both hands.
Recalling the force exertion movements of Fiore's figure recorded in his mind by his keen eyesight during the day.
When a lynx hunts, what it lacks least is patience.
And Merlin was the same at this moment.
Holding the hilt with both hands, raising the blade above his eyebrows, slowly mobilizing the strength of his whole body, stepping forward with his left foot, naturally following with his right foot, and slashing down naturally with the raised sword.
Step back.
Then raise the sword again, step forward and slash down.
Merlin's swinging movement was standard, his eyes staring straight ahead brightly, repeating this downward slash movement constantly at this moment.
Unknown how long passed, Monde not far away panted and stopped practicing, looking at Merlin's practice with great curiosity.
Since Miss Yol left, Monde thought Merlin would also leave, but unexpectedly Merlin stayed to practice with him.
Therefore, he also began to pay attention to Merlin from the corner of his eye from time to time, "Practicing by constantly repeating one movement?
"Teacher said before, if talent isn't good, one can also practice one movement hard first, swinging the sword hundreds of thousands of times, concentrating on one point to reach the peak of perfection.
"Why is Merlin doing this too?
"Isn't his talent very high?"
Monde couldn't figure it out. His talent in swordsmanship could only be said to be okay.
But he liked swordsmanship, so he remembered the teacher's words firmly, and therefore he would give himself extra practice alone every day.
Glancing at Merlin, gritting his teeth, Monde continued to swing his sword. He was learning the technique of using the katana.
His arms were sore, swollen, and red.
Numb and stinging.
Expanding pain began to transmit from his whole body. Every swing of Merlin's sword was mobilizing the muscle and sinew strength of his whole body.
Therefore, the frequency of body usage was very high, and consequently, the load on the muscles of the whole body was extraordinary.
Reaching the physical limit.
If he didn't stop, generally speaking, it would definitely affect tomorrow's learning tasks.
However, Merlin didn't stop. Gritting his teeth, he continued to swing the sword. As time passed, under the moonlight, Merlin's eyes began to blur, and his consciousness began to be unable to fully concentrate. But at a certain moment, as the katana slashed down, a stream of heat quietly appeared from every corner of his body, instantly clearing his blurred consciousness.
Feeling this strength seemingly squeezed out from inside his body, a faint happy smile appeared at the corner of Merlin's mouth.
Panting slightly, only then did Merlin's movements stop.
However, at this time, Merlin began to bounce slowly in place, then slowly performed various difficult complex movements with his body to stretch the joints, muscles, and sinews of his whole body.
Crawling on the ground like a lynx, twisting from the hips, segment by segment upwards from the spine and tailbone.
Joints all over his body cracked one after another. With his head raised, his chest and abdominal muscles slowly expanded and contracted, performing breathing movements rhythmically.
[Lynx Body Tempering Arts]
Monde's eyes widened slowly not far away. He rubbed his eyes hard, then breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment just now, his eyes played tricks on him, thinking Merlin was a big cat.
He couldn't help but laugh dryly.
Maybe he was too tired.
Not long after, Merlin stood up from the ground, stretching his body. A string of crisp cracks came from the joints and bones all over his body.
He let out a long breath.
At this time, looking at Monde, Merlin had a smile in his eyes:
"What's wrong? Looking at me with such curious eyes."
Monde hesitated seeing Merlin asking him, but he still walked over and couldn't help asking:
"What was that just now?"
Merlin smiled and said casually:
"My family used to keep a cat. Feeling that cats move very nimbly, I learned the cat's movements to stretch and relax muscles.
"Any problem?"
Monde opened his mouth, looking at Merlin with a dumbfounded face: "Huh?"
Merlin smiled, didn't explain much, just said:
"By the way, can I get an extra set of training uniforms from the dojo? One set is inconvenient to wear. After all, soaked in sweat, it might not dry completely after washing for the next day?"
Monde nodded with a smile, "Sure, we can get a new set of training uniforms every quarter.
"If you want, I can take you to register right now. Anyway, I have nothing else to do now, and I plan to go back to the dormitory to rest."
"Then thanks. By the way, I'm going out for dinner later. Let's go together!
"Let's go! My treat."
"Hehe!" Monde chuckled naively immediately: "That's so embarrassing!"
Merlin smiled and beckoned him to leave together.
Before long, the two went to the logistics room to get three more sets of clothes for Merlin, including clothes for Yol and Lami.
Then Merlin went to the changing room to change clothes and left the manor with Monde.
They had a delicious big meal at a restaurant in the town, and then bought some wine in the commercial street of the town.
...
Parting ways with Monde.
Merlin returned to the villa. Seeing the bright lights inside, Merlin felt warmth in his heart:
"It's the warmth of home."
He didn't have the key on him, so Merlin called Yol to open the door. It was Lami who came out to open the door, grinning at Merlin:
"Sister Yol is taking a bath!"
Lami diligently took the things from Merlin's hands, and the two entered the villa together.
In the living room.
Lami blinked at Merlin and grinned:
"Merlin-niichan. How about helping me remove the accumulated fatigue in my body?"
Merlin rolled his eyes at her but didn't refuse: "Let's do it together later! I'll go wash up first. Lami, put the bottles of wine I bought on the wine rack in the living room."
Lami nodded happily.
Merlin went back to his room to wash up.
Under the shower, clear water washed his body. Feeling the soreness on his body lessen, Merlin had a thought. Black flames ignited from his whole body, and Calamities like fatigue, strain, redness, and swelling accumulated in his body today began to be peeled off.
After all, negative statuses like these, if left untreated and accumulated for a long time, might evolve into hidden injuries.
After all, the human body's recovery has elasticity; one can't just blindly squeeze it.
Calamity absorption is also maintenance.
After the bath, he was just a little tired. In the end, he felt physically comfortable. Before long, he absorbed the fatigue Calamity from Yol and Lami's bodies in the living room.
Merlin looked at the brighter red color on the index finger of his right hand. They were all homologous pain Calamities from the body; this kind of related Calamity "bullets" could be fused together.
Sitting on the sofa,
Yol, wearing a nightdress, stretched her exquisite and curvy body comfortably. After stretching, Yol looked at Merlin with a beaming smile:
"Good technique, I feel very comfortable."
Merlin rolled his eyes at her and said:
"I'm going back to sleep. You guys go to sleep early too."
With that, Merlin left the living room on the first floor and went up the stairs.
A smile appeared at the corner of Yol's mouth.
"Good night! Merlin."