Within those six months, Baines had endured pain beyond magnitude.Along the way, he had fully grasped some of the abilities of 'Eye.'
One of them was replaying a past memory. So he took it upon himself to replay those memories anytime he felt like giving up.
With both emotional and physical pain, the only thing he could do was move forward, push himself further than the previous day.
Finally he was done with the six months training regime and his graduation ceremony was to faced Martos.
"Come." Martos stood casually, gesturing for Baines to approach.
With a light run-up, Baines reached him and threw a punch, keeping his other hand up in defense.
Martos lightly tapped the strike away, prompting Baines to use the momentum to swing with a kick going for his legs.
'Hmm… what kind of fighting style is this now?' Martos had only taught him correct postures, Baines was the one who formed his style.
With the little time he had between days, he had taken elements from modern martial arts eye showed him and combined them with the fundamental movements Martos had drilled into him.
This blend of combat principles formed the foundation of what Baines now considered his basic combat style.
With a small shift, Martos lifted his sword and pressed forwardz meeting Baines' strike head on.
To counter unfamiliar techniques, one needed broader knowledge. Baines had adjusted his swordplay accordingly, incorporating elements of fencing, thrusting, and horizontal cuts alongside dirty boxing and other methods.
Martos found himself blocking in unexpected places. Sometimes he swung his sword and leg together, at time he lifted his sword into the air and launched it at Martos.
Though Martos blocked them all. In the end, their levels were simply to far apart, and Baines fell.
Baines sprawled on the ground, heaving continuously after the spar.
"Congratulations!" Martos said lightly.
He didn't need to say Baines had passed his final exams, the white energy wafting of him told every he needed to know.
Aura.
That was the energy one obtained after pushing their bodies to the limit.
"Get up." Martos barked, "Your real training just began."
Baines pulled himself to his feet, holding his sword. Now hovering it was small white flecks.
'I just got stronger, but I doubt it's worth anything. I have to push myself further.' Baines thought, stilling his resolve.
Like that he was thrown into another month of training. Baines learned to sense, spread, distribute, and incorporated the energy into his fighting style.
It didn't stop there, Martos also how to sense mana.
The ashen family had a technique that allowed them be able to simultaneously wield mana and aura, gaining basic mana control.
By the end of that period, he had reached the level of Sword Adept and was a One-Star Energy Practitioner in both mana and aura.
Learning to wield both energies and accustoming his body to Ashenfall, those were the requirements to learn 'Ashenfall.'
Absorbing the violent storm into the body was naturally dangerous. Not only might the person die, but might lose their bodies and become ruinborns.
Though the family had developed a cultivation technique in that regard.
Baines sat atop the mountain in a cross-legged form where he had first seen the colossal mana storm.
The method was inscribed onto his body as it wasn't something that could be explained with mere words.
'Eye, how does this technique compare to the Origin Arts in absorbing energy?' Baines inquired.
[THE ASHENFALL CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE ABSORBS 40% PURE ENERGY. ORIGIN ARTS CULTIVATION ABSORBS 100%.]
The collections his ancestors gathered would fall nothing short. 'Huh? Why the difference?'
[ORIGIN ARTS TARGETS THE ROOT OF ENERGY. ASHENFALL CULTIVATION TARGETS WHAT IS SEEN.]
Baines pondered this.
He could feel similarities between the two techniques, yet even within those similarities, there were key differences.
'For now, I'll use it.' He knew Martos wouldn't wait forever, and the time of parting was drawing near.
"Did you grasp it?" Martos asked.
"Yes." Baines nodded and began moving the energy slowly according to how he was shown.
In truth, he had already mastered it but showing too much was risky. However even with that,
'Good. He has talent, patience, and the intelligence,' Martos thought, nodding in approval, oblivious to the actual situation.
The base of the cultivation method was mutating his aura and mana with ashenfall, becoming his main energy. But that wasn't Baines' plan.
For 'Ashenfall,' he had decided that he would cultivate it in his new heart. While he could dual cultivate, mana and aura in his stomach core.
One month later, Martos had taught Baines even more techniques, which he absorbed like a sponge and with continued improvement, he became a Two-Star Aura Practitioner.
Now, he could maintain Aura Flow to reinforce physical attacks, sense other aura users within a small radius, and had developed slight resistance to weak magic and physical strikes.
After another month, he reached the level of externalizing aura in short bursts. His durability increased to the point where he could block weak projectiles with aura alone. His reaction speed approached inhuman levels. He was now a Three-Star Aura Adept.
Three months later, following an intense fight with Martos, a thick concentration of aura manifested over Baines' sword.
The aura represented—
Sword Aura.
Baines gripped his sword tighly and screamed to the sky.
Finally, after a full year of training, at the age of 13, he could say he had made progress.
He had become a Sword Knight and a Four-Star Aura Knight.
With this rank, he could perform Aura Blades, unleash shockwaves, create defensive barriers, and withstand conventional attacks. His reaction speed and battle instincts had improved far beyond that of a mere Sword Adept.
"Congratulations," Martos said lightly, actually impressed. How had he reached this stage in just a year? But he didn't show it.
"You have reached a stage where further training alone will yield little progress. Now, I advise you, go out and experience the world. True enlightenment comes through roaming and learning from the unknown."
He nodded to himself knowingly.
If all students were like Baines, he might have retired from battle to become a full-time instructor. But he knew the truth, Baines was simply different.
"Yes, teacher." Baines bowed respectfully. This was one of the rare times he had spoken. Over the course of his training, he spoke less everyday, focusing everything on his training. Now he could sense it.
Today was their last day together.
"You know the way out, or you can choose to stay and cultivate further. Originally, your training was meant to last two years, but you shortened that time significantly. Be proud."
"Now, the conditions for becoming the successor are simple. Gather achievements. Your deeds will speak of your strength and capability. Prove yourself, and the Ashen family will rise again."
Martos gave a rare final smile before vanishing.
"Thank you for everything, teacher," Baines said solemnly, though he knew Martos was already gone.