Asher couldn’t help but smile; he was pleased that he didn’t need to spell everything out for Williams as though the boy had no understanding of the sword.

Although he had told Williams about his grip, he had simply mentioned it briefly so that Williams could discover his own mistakes as he attacked, and the boy had done just that, and not only that, he had done more, surpassing even what was subtly expected of him, refining the correction in real time and applying it with a natural instinct that could not be taught through ordinary instruction alone.

’Teaching seems fun, no wonder instructors or professors, or any form of teacher, have a soft spot for geniuses or smart students; they are simply a marvel and easy to guide,’ Asher mused to himself before the attack devoured him whole, his thoughts lingering for only the briefest of moments before instinct reclaimed full control of his body.

Although Instructor Jane taught the class as a whole, she might never give instruction in the way Asher was doing at this particular moment; after all, she wasn’t there to hold any student’s hand, she was simply there to impart as much knowledge as needed to survive outside while allowing the students to also learn on their own, forcing them to adapt, to fail, and to rise again through their own understanding rather than reliance.

’Did I get him this time?’ Williams thought to himself, as he hadn’t seen Asher dodge in time, a faint glimmer of anticipation forming within his chest despite everything he had already witnessed.

But the next moment, he felt a light weight on his sabre that was pointed forward, and there Asher was, standing on the flat side of the sabre with his hands still behind his back, his posture relaxed, his balance flawless, as though the very concept of weight did not apply to him in that instant.

Williams couldn’t help but break into a smile at his own arrogance; the mere fact that he thought he might have landed an attack against a monster like Asher was pure arrogance in itself.

’What kind of movement technique is this? He basically has no weight despite standing on my sabre, as though he isn’t even there aside from the moment he landed on it,’ Williams thought to himself, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend what defied his understanding.

Asher stared down at Williams, a smile appearing on his lips, a genuine one.

"Honestly, I will give you an A for effort," Asher began to speak, "but I’m afraid I will have to reduce that score to a B." As Asher spoke, he vanished from atop the black sabre, his body reappearing a couple of meters away, the transition so smooth it seemed as though space itself had shifted rather than him moving through it.

"While you are here to spar and listen to my corrections, it doesn’t change the fact that you are here to learn; you don’t always have to wait for words to leave my mouth before you adjust and then make an improvement. You should also watch your instructor: how are they moving, how hard are their muscles contracting, which muscles are contracting, how are they conserving stamina, how much motion and force do they put into their evasion, be it a step back or a side step," Asher paused for a moment as though allowing Williams to understand his meaning, his gaze steady, giving space for comprehension rather than rushing the lesson.

"You aren’t just here to learn how to swing your sabre; motion too is part of that lesson. While your speed is commendable, speed without agility, control, and dexterity is incomplete, lacking the harmony required for true mastery. If your upper body doesn’t align with your lower body, then you might need to start learning about the sword again from the beginning," Asher stated with calm ease.

It wasn’t that Williams was moving without control, no, he had control, he had finesse, he had dexterity; he was a genius after all, but... Asher was simply setting too high a standard, as though he believed Williams could do better than he currently was, as though he knew Williams had more talent he could tap into but was wasting it on things like women and brothels, diverting his potential into fleeting indulgences rather than long-term refinement.

Of course, Williams knew he was already good in the aspects of speed, dexterity, and agility, but if Asher said it wasn’t enough, then it wasn’t. Besides, he knew nothing about the muscle contractions and stamina conservation Asher was talking about; although he didn’t know, he would try to learn as much as he could at this moment, because he knew the type of person Asher was, after today, Asher might not give him any other lessons unless he felt like it or was simply bored, making this opportunity something he could not afford to waste.

"Feel the wind, read the flow, move with it, ride it, embrace it," Asher spoke, but those words echoed from a place he was no longer at, as right now, he was standing directly in front of Williams as though he had teleported there, yet Astra energy couldn’t be used at this moment, meaning he had simply moved with such overwhelming speed that perception failed to keep up.

Williams immediately became flustered at Asher’s sudden appearance, his sabre flashing with rapid swings; seeing the incoming attack, Asher simply raised a finger, and with that, a metallic booming sound ruptured outwards as though two metals had collided, but no, it was flesh and sabre meeting in a manner that defied expectation.

Williams’ eyes widened in pure shock as Asher had stopped his attack with nothing but his finger. He could hardly believe it; even if Asher’s strength was greater than his, shouldn’t his sabre tear through Asher’s skin like a knife through butter, rather than being halted so effortlessly?

"How?" he couldn’t help but mutter aloud, his voice carrying disbelief, confusion, and a hint of awe.

This moment was no different from when Asher used a low-grade dagger to attack Blue, which simply shattered on impact.

Asher was already at the Swiftstar Life Rank, meaning that whatever lower-quality weapon Williams was using was effectively useless against him; besides, with his Absolute Physique, his natural Wargrave body, and his Limitless Physical Growth ability, Asher’s body was simply too absurd, he could have shattered Williams’ sabre with a single finger if he had wanted to, but he chose to simply stop the attack, holding back not out of necessity, but out of consideration.

Why? Simply because Williams was poor and had spent his academy points on that sword, and destroying it would serve no purpose beyond unnecessary loss.

Asher flicked his finger forward, and Williams felt his sword bounce back towards him as though he had just struck a rebound wall, the force returning to him in a controlled yet undeniable manner. But for a moment, he seemed to want to test whether what he had just witnessed was real, so he attacked again, this time at Asher’s ribs, but Asher simply blocked with the same finger and the same calm posture.

"In a situation where you are facing an impossible opponent like me, where running away is impossible, what will you do, Williams Canestane?" Asher asked, his question rhetorical, as he wasn’t exactly expecting an answer from the boy, but rather expecting him to think.

After all, if he, Asher, were in that situation, he would simply run away through Virelass’ ability, choosing survival over pride without hesitation, because in a true battlefield, survival was the only victory that truly mattered.