Chapter 1199 Pursuit (Part 5): Becoming One with Nature
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Shin held the pair of swords in front of them, crossing them against each other. At the same time, he also activated the 'Eclipse Wielding' Epic Combat Technique to produce the same effects as the 'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship' that he had in the real world.
Alongside the Elemental Spirit Possession, he further strengthened the battle prowess that he had. The aura surrounding me was also much stronger than earlier, especially since everything was under the influence of Reality Manifestation.
"I am planning to be more familiar with my sword-drawing technique alongside my fire elemental attribute, but I guess it can't be helped since Solus is not around," he muttered as he twirled the two swords, drawing beautiful trails in the air with their light.
"Let's settle with my original swordsmanship. It has been a while since I've used this," he added before disappearing from his current location.
This time, he wanted to take the initiative to attack.
Swoosh!
He reappeared in front of Andre within an instant. He then stomped on the ground for a sudden halt before swinging the left-hand sword forward.
The tip of his sword left a brilliant white trail on its trajectory. The blazing trail that it had connected the point where he was previously and the spot where he was currently. A straight line was drawn in the air as he brandished the sword to his opponent.
'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Sword Excursion'
Swoosh!
The attack came a little too fast, which caught Andre somewhat off guard. He was not expecting this huge boost of speed from Shin just by activating his Elemental Spirit Possession.
Andre was a veteran player, so he was familiar with a lot of things. He was also aware of this combat system that the game had, specifically prepared for players that had Transcendent Classes and Races. And from what he knew, the current boost that Shin had far surpassed the limit that it was supposed to have.
He also knew a couple of players with Transcendent Races and had Elemental Spirits in their possession. But the Elemental Spirit Possession that he could do was far inferior to what he was seeing from Shin.
He could tell that there was something more to it than what he could see from the surface. He could tell that Shin might have discovered something that most of the players were unaware of.
"What was it?" despite having those thoughts inside his head, Andre was still able to respond to the incoming attack.
He enveloped his daggers with a dark aura, coating the blades of the daggers with a dense corrupted mana. He then raised them in front of his chest blocking the opposing blade of his opponent's sword.
'Demonic Skill: Shadow Guard'
Bang!
The attack came a little too strong, making Andre throw his guard up in the air. He even lost a bit of his health points due to the flame embers that were accompanying the strike.
He then quickly retreated, trying to create enough distance between him and Shin. But the latter swiftly chased after him along with the second sword that came after the previous one.
It came as silent as it could be and as fast as it could be. It was already approaching Andre's neck when he noticed it, making it impossible to avoid.
'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Silent Blade'
Swoosh!
The pupils of Andre contracted as he saw the rapidly approaching sword. His body tensed intensely for a brief moment when his instincts suddenly kicked in.
He quickly activated one of his lifesaving skills to escape this predicament. He turned into a smoke that dissipated in the air.
Puff!
Shin's sword hit nothing but air. He barely missed his opponent's neck as his sword cut through the black smoke that Andre turned into.
Shin did not linger around after throwing that attack and quickly leaped forward, barely dodging the pair of daggers that were trying to claim his head from behind.
Swoosh!
After that, he suddenly turned around and swiftly raised the black sword in his right hand, blocking yet another strike from Andre, who quickly caught up to him.
Clang!
Shin was about to counterattack when Andre disappeared once again and reappeared from the other side, attacking from another angle.
Shin quickly responded and swung his sword in that direction, creating bright sparks that flew in the air due to the collision. Before he could even follow with a counter, the same time happened once again, making him turn to the other direction and block the surprise attack for another time.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Andre continued to attack this way, not showing any kind of pattern in each transition. He was attacking from a random angle with a random timing. He was attacking so randomly that it quickly put a lot of pressure on his opponent.
At times, he was also summoning a shadow phantom that looked exactly like him and possessed a similar aura to his own. This not only made it more realistic but also created some distractions that threw the rhythm of his opponent when protecting themselves.
'Personal Combat Technique (Quasi-Legendary): Phantom Illusion'
This technique was one of the highest-level combat techniques that the current players could hope for. Any other player who was placed in front of it would be easily slaughtered.
It was a technique that not only confused the sense of his opponents but also something that could grow constantly as the battle progressed with the help of the demonic formation.
Due to Andre constantly absorbing the corrupted mana provided by the demonic formation that the people from the Demonic Churches had set up earlier, his strength gradually grew stronger as more time passed.
Andre was confident that he would be able to finish off Shin as long as he kept up this pressure.
At least, that was what was supposed to happen.
But it did not take long for him to realize how na?ve that thought was.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Shin was able to keep up with his irregular attacks and constantly warded off any advances that he had. Each of his ambushes failed while his most straightforward attacks had always been blocked in an easy manner.
Shin was swinging his sword repeatedly, seemingly creating a protective barrier with them in the shape of a dome. He was always deflecting and redirecting all the attacks that tried to approach him from every direction before throwing a counterattack of his own.
Aside from that, Andre also discovered that all the force accompanying his attacks was completely nullified every time their weapons collided with each other.
He then later discovered that all those forces were being absorbed by Shin before throwing them at him with twice the force that they originally had.
Shin was showcasing one of his signature techniques after a long time. But instead of using it as an in-game combat technique, the 'Infinity Edge', he was using the real version where it was based.
One of his favorite martial arts skills in the real world.
'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Sword Transmigration'
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of metal clashing against another metal reverberated in the whole place for every collision of the two sides. They also produced some bright sparks that were flying in the air, signifying the point of collision.
Shin maintained a steady stance while keeping his rhythm. He was calmly defending himself against the advances of his opponent while also throwing some sword techniques to counterattack, whenever he found a chance.
At the same time, he was also immersing himself in his current state as he was trying to sense the elemental prowess of his Elemental Spirits.
Professor Henry had told him that he could set aside his study about Light and Darkness elements since they could not help him in awakening the innate attributes suited for his Mentalism.
But he could not help but take this opportunity to test a couple of moves, as well as test his luck. He felt that these elements could help his Martial Arts advance to the next level alongside the elements of fire and ice.
He might not be able to use this in the real world right now since his Martial Arts was still currently sealed. But the gains that he would get from the experience would be able to help him with his future progress.
Given that he already experienced how it felt to have absolute control over fire with the help of Solus' Elemental Spirit Possession, he would be able to gain more when using his 'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship' inside the game alongside the Elemental Spirit Possessions of Whitie and Blackie.
With this, he would be able to find the right method on how to properly adjust when he finally awakened his other innate attributes. He would also be able to wield them with great familiarity if he was able to master this method.
Swoosh!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The more Shin swung his swords, the more proficient he became. Or rather, he started to remember what he used to be when he was only using his 'Yin-Yang Arts and Swordsmanship'.
Every twirl of the swords, every swing that he did with them, and every movement of his body had to complement those moves, started to awaken the slumbering beast that Shin had set aside for quite some time.
His movements started to become more fluid and smoother as the battle progressed. His body was also starting to regain the form that he used to have when using this style.
His mind started to remember and so did his virtual body. His breathing, his qi circulation, martial and sword techniques, and body movements were starting to catch up and adjust with each other.
And when they finally reached an equilibrium, something clicked inside his mind. It was as if something was coming back to him once again.
"When the mind and body become one and when the breathing resonates with nature. That is when everything will come back to its origin."
"That is the state of absolute unity. The state of becoming one with nature."
He was not sure when he heard it, but he could still remember who taught him those words. He could clearly and vividly remember that it was the words that Professor Plum had taught him during his earlier days of training.
It was the time when Old Plum was telling him about the different Realms of Martial Arts. Those phrases were the very words that Professor Plum had to him to briefly describe the 'Ascension Realm'.
Reminder: (The Ascension Realm is divided into three stages; Ethereal Opening, Void Manifestation, and Domain Creation)
He remembered that Professor Plum was describing the Martial Path in a different way. He was interpreting it differently because he was also walking a different from compared to the others.
"Don't just focus on yourself. Include nature with it."
"You will not be able to understand it now, but you will realize that my words are right when you reach that point."
"Martial Arts is rather complex when you look at its overall structure. But it is actually much simpler if you look closely into it."
"Let me simply do everything for you."
"The 'Foundation Building Realm' is for yourself and building a perfect vessel of your martial arts."
"The 'Ascension Realm' is for surpassing yourself and becoming one with nature."
"The 'Transcendent Realm' is for transcending the mortal limits and becoming a Transcendent Being that reaches the heavens."
"Remember this well, Brat. Yourself, the Nature, and the Heaven"
"These three are the only ones that you need to focus on, and you will naturally reach the peak of your chosen Martial Path without knowing."
This particular lesson that he had received a long time ago started to come back to Shin one after another, seemingly a flowing water that he could not stop.
Alongside it was the continuous movements of his body that seemed to be applying those words into action. He was still missing a single piece, but he was rapidly approaching it without him knowing.
"After oneself was nature," he muttered as he defended another powerful skill from his opponent.
Then something happened.
As if responding to his words, his breathing seemed to have connected the flow of mana within his body and the flow of mana in his surroundings.
At this point, Shin seemed to have completely merged with nature itself.
It was not an illusion created by his breathing technique or his stealth technique. It was also not a trick that was created by having absolute control over one's strength.
This might be brief, but he truly became one with nature.
...…
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