Chapter 4: The First Technique
The sun peeked lazily over the misty peaks of Jade Sky Mountain, casting gold across the Outer Sect training grounds. Legend D. Clinton stood among a crowd of new disciples, all dressed in standard white robes and clutching wooden training swords.
He could feel the others watching him—some with curiosity, others with disdain.
> "They sense your ignorance," Narvek said smoothly inside his mind. "Your stance, your breath, your Qi circulation—they all scream amateur."
Clinton gritted his teeth. "Gee, thanks for the confidence boost."
A tall instructor stepped onto the platform. His voice boomed like thunder. "I am Instructor Feng. I teach the basic sword technique of the Outer Sect: Wind-Cleaving Slash. Master it, and you may survive your first month. Fail—and you'll be pushed aside like the rest of the trash."
He drew his blade, and with a flick of his wrist, a blast of wind surged forward, slicing a distant boulder clean in two.
The disciples gasped. Clinton's eyes widened. He made air cut a rock?
> "Wind pressure generated from Qi-infused motion. Primitive, but effective," Narvek explained.
"Primitive? That was awesome."
Instructor Feng tossed a wooden sword toward Clinton. He barely caught it.
"Form stance!" Feng barked.
Clinton mimicked the others—feet apart, sword high, body slightly angled. But when he moved, his sword was stiff, awkward. Everyone else moved like flowing rivers. He moved like a plank.
"Hey, Earth-boy," a snide voice called. Clinton turned to see a smirking teen with silver eyes and a scar across his nose. "Try not to chop your own foot."
"Shut it," Clinton muttered.
> "Your control is poor because your muscle memory is untrained," Narvek said. "Permission to initiate adaptive motor alignment?"
"Do it."
A pulse of warmth surged through his spine, then down to his wrists, fingers, and legs. Suddenly, Clinton felt... lighter. Like his arms knew how to move, just a little.
He slashed again.
This time, the motion felt cleaner. Not perfect, but less like random flailing.
"You improving, foreigner?" Scar-face scoffed. "Let's spar."
Before Clinton could respond, the boy lunged at him, slashing his wooden sword with speed that startled him. Clinton instinctively raised his blade.
Clack! The impact rattled his arms.
He stumbled back. The boy grinned. "Told you. You don't belong here."
> "Engaging predictive reflex protocol. Adjust grip. Shift weight. Counter—now."
Clinton twisted his wrist, spun the wooden sword upward, and stepped into the strike.
Whack!
His sword smacked the boy's ribs with a clean hit.
Scar-face gasped and dropped to a knee.
Silence.
Instructor Feng raised a brow. "Hmph. Lucky timing… or hidden skill?"
Clinton was panting, but inside, he smiled. Thanks, Narvek.
> "Don't thank me. You still move like a slow worm."
Clinton chuckled under his breath.
Later that evening, bruised but not broken, Clinton sat alone under a tree near the cliffside training platform. His body ached from repeated drills, but his spirit buzzed. His dantian hummed with Qi, swirling slowly with every breath.
"Is there anything I can learn faster?" he asked Narvek.
> "There is a technique stored in this world's energy database: Rapid Neural Martial Assimilation. Dangerous, but efficient. Would you like to try?"
"…Yes."
> "Very well. Uploading Wind-Cleaving Slash protocol into short-term memory."
Suddenly, a flood of images, instructions, angles, and force vectors poured into Clinton's mind. He gasped, clutching his head. His body began to twitch, arms moving on their own—replicating the moves repeatedly.
Slash. Step. Flow. Cut.
The motion became automatic, seamless—almost like dancing with a blade made of wind.
When he came to, an hour had passed.
He stood up.
Held his sword.
And with one clean motion, slashed forward.
The air shivered.
The grass ahead split in a line.
Clinton's eyes widened.
He had done it.
He had performed a Wind-Cleaving Slash.
And that was only the beginning.
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End of Chapter 4
Want Chapter 5 next? That's where trouble begins—maybe a forbidden forest, an unexpected beast… or the first time Narvek unlocks a hidden combat feature. What do you think?