Chapter 223 This time, William is serious.
William wasn't too lazy to teach Alice swordsmanship. On the contrary, by gifting her his treasured blade, he hoped she could grasp the essence of wielding a sword.
While sword techniques are crucial, the spiritual energy a swordsman imbues into the blade is key.
The Sword of Soulbreaker houses two Sword Spirits. While the spirit of the blade itself is sealed in power, even so, the spirit of the scabbard can be deemed unparalleled in the current era.
With Alice wielding the Sword of Soulbreaker, even if Kyle summoned the legendary magical artifact passed down from the mage Merlin, he couldn't harm Alice in the slightest.
This ensured that Alice could protect herself, no matter the circumstances.
Yet, William couldn't help but wonder: given the power of the Sword of Soulbreaker, what kind of calamity would Alice face that could potentially end her life?
If he wished to predict Alice's fate, it wouldn't be difficult. However, he chose not to.
He had learned from past experiences.
Whenever William predicted the fate of close friends and family, their subsequent destinies would become obscured by an inexplicable energy field.
If William attempted to prevent their impending disasters, the resulting calamities would only become more terrifying, often endangering even more people.
Years ago, after predicting the death of Artemis and intervening in her destiny, he inadvertently unleashed his inner dark powers. In a fit of rage, he destroyed the entire world of the gods with a single blow, inadvertently causing Artemis's death.
Over the years, he realized a truth: the fate of anyone he predicted would inevitably change.
Except for his own inescapable death, the universe seems to assume William bears ill intentions toward the person, plunging them into inevitable doom—ceasing only with their death.
If he refrained from predicting someone's fate, perhaps they might live a bit longer.
Acting with one's heart and letting things flow naturally is best.
At the very least, meddling with fate is best avoided.
Having just received the Sword of Soulbreaker, a curious Alice began conversing with the two Sword Spirits.
"You two teach her how to use the sword to release arcane pulse. " William said, appearing relaxed. When it comes to teaching arcane pulse techniques, these two Sword Spirits are the best.
Hearing William's instructions, the two Sword Spirits hurriedly began imparting the secrets of controlling the arcane pulse to Alice.
The two Sword Spirits have been with William for quite some time now. The essence of swordsmanship they impart is unique, and the arcane pulse they produce is definitely beyond the comparison of any Sword Saint in the human world.
Under the guidance of the two Sword Spirits, Alice began practicing with her fingers, emulating sword movements.
She merely made a casual gesture in the air, and hundreds of giant trees in front of her were sliced in half at their trunks, falling in unison. This astonishing spectacle drew the attention of everyone on the mountain, prompting them all to look in her direction.
The spectacle that William previously displayed by manipulating the clouds had already captured the attention of the people on the mountain, gazing up at the sky. The resonating hum of the Sword of Soulbreaker was even more spine-chilling. Now, with hundreds of massive trees crashing down, how could anyone not take notice?
Alice gestured again with her finger, and a corner of the mountain peak was cleanly sliced off, plummeting into a deep abyss below. Stunned by her own action, she froze, tightly clutching her hands, afraid to make another move.
"Do you intend to level this mountain?" William asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he fixed his gaze intently on the Sword of Soulbreaker in Alice's hand.
Alice was merely at an intermediate Soulmancer level and had just learned how to use arcane pulse; there's no way her casual gestures could wield such power.
All the strength displayed had come from the spirit within the scabbard!
William had always believed this spirit to be calm and restrained, which is why he hadn't sealed its power. It turned out this spirit was not so trustworthy after all.
With a single glance, William completely sealed off the scabbard's power, leaving only the ability for the two Sword Spirits to communicate with Alice.
Have there ever been such reckless Sword Spirits? If Alice were to confront someone, wouldn't her casual gestures cause mass destruction?
"Master, isn't this quite normal? I didn't even lend her much of my power," the scabbard responded, feeling wronged. According to the strength William wielded when slaying ancient beasts millions of years ago, the scabbard's current power wasn't even one ten-millionth of that. It believed it had been quite restrained.
From its perspective, since William tasked them with teaching the girl to use arcane pulse, shouldn't she be able to unleash a pulse spanning thousands of miles?
At the very least, a casual wave should have the capacity to bisect multiple mountains.
The previous two gestures were merely underpowered because Alice, a novice, hadn't used the power properly.
William coldly retorted, "Times have changed. Avoid taking lives if possible and don't damage the environment. Mountains like these are scarce now."
Emerging after tens of thousands of years in silence, how could these two Sword Spirits know that the current mountain ranges were so limited? It was nothing like the vast landscapes of the ancient era of gods.
"Master, I promise not to let Soullet emerge," Kindshield said.
It is the scabbard, and if it refuses to allow the sword to be drawn, unless William intervenes, Alice won't even be able to unsheathe the sword.
Soullet: "..."
William pondered for a moment and thought that this was a good arrangement, saying, "Alright."
Kindshield responded, "Master, rest assured, leave everything to me."
Soullet: "..."
They had been released by William, but with Kindshield prohibiting the drawing of the sword, and the Sword Spirit's power sealed away, their current state seemed not much different from when they were confined in the storage ring.
William didn't feel like indulging in unnecessary chatter with the two Sword Spirits.
Even though these entities had accompanied him for tens of thousands of years, their intelligence was at most on par with Amy, the endearing child. Speaking with them only made William feel as if his own intelligence was being dragged down.
"Use the arcane pulse to slice that tree," William instructed Alice, raising an eyebrow as he pointed to a large tree 300 feet away.
He had previously overthought the situation. If he truly didn't restrain the power of the Sword Spirit, it wouldn't just be about ensuring Alice's safety. The Sword Spirit was entirely unfamiliar with the energy scales of the modern world. If Alice, wielding such a potent artifact, accidentally destroyed an entire city, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Alice had never wielded a sword before. Her understanding of swordsmanship was very rudimentary. Even when Kindshield lent her so much power earlier, her arcane pulse couldn't spread beyond a hundred miles. To say she was weak would be an understatement.
However, the massive force she wielded just a while ago had given Alice a sense of overconfidence.
After all, the tree was merely 300 feet away. Couldn't she simply wave her hand to deal with it?
She gestured with her fingers, just as before, but the large tree remained utterly unmoved.
Forget slicing it in half, there wasn't even a trace of an arcane pulse between her fingers!
William coldly stated, "Stand here. If you can't slice that tree, you needn't come down the mountain." With that, he turned and left.
"No way!" Alice initially thought William was joking and lifted her foot to follow him.
William slightly turned his head, fixing his gaze on Alice, and said, "If you can't do even this, you're unworthy of this sword! You're also unworthy of being my disciple! Do you understand?"
"I... I get it," Alice paused, hearing the seriousness in William's voice.
If she couldn't use the arcane pulse to slice the tree 300 feet away, not only would William take back the Sword of Soulbreaker, but he would also abandon her.
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