Chapter 542: Chapter 542: The precision machine

Roy reached out with trembling hands, his fingers wrapping around the braided silk hilt of his father’s katana. The moment he took the weight, his posture shifted. He tried to mimic Ethan’s stance, widening his feet and lifting the blade above his head to execute the vertical downward strike.

SHUG!

The swing was incredibly awkward. Roy’s shoulders were completely stiff, his elbows flared out at an unnatural angle, and the trajectory of the blade wobbled visibly before cutting into the empty air. He tried to transition into the horizontal slice, but his balance gave out, forcing him to stumble half a step forward just to keep from falling over.

Ethan watched the display, a faint, sighing breath escaping his lips as he shook his head. "Your body is entirely too tense, Roy. You are fighting the weapon instead of directing it."

Roy’s face flushed a deep crimson, sweat already pooling at his temples. "I’m sorry, Instructor... My arms just feel so heavy when I try to align the wrist. It’s completely different from thrusting a hunting spear."

"It’s difficult to understand the true geometry of a blade simply by looking at it or moving your body in empty space," Ethan said, walking toward the rear of the courtyard. "You cannot see your own flaws while you are in motion."

Ethan approached a stack of raw Azure Mist timber logs resting near the wooden fence. With a series of precise, lightning-fast hand strikes, he began shattering the timber into uniform lengths. He then reached into the tool shed, retrieving a thick iron hoop and a handful of slender, flexible wooden rods.

Within ten minutes of focused assembly, Ethan constructed a bizarre, vertical training apparatus in the center of the dirt yard. At the very peak of the primary wooden pillar, he securely mounted the small metal hoop. Below it, along the vertical shaft, he drilled holes and inserted three pairs of slender wooden rods aligned perfectly horizontally, followed by three pairs aligned completely vertically. The structure looked like a chaotic wooden skeleton.

"This is a crude but highly effective tracking matrix," Ethan explained, gesturing for Roy to step forward. "When you execute your downward strike, the blade must pass cleanly through the center of these six horizontal and vertical rods in a single, unyielding line. If your angle deviates by even a hair, the flat of your steel will clash against the wood, instantly exposing your error."

Ethan tapped the iron hoop at the top. "And your thrust must pass directly through the hollow center of this small metal ring without grazing the inner edges or knocking the apparatus over. It forces your wrists to maintain an absolute straight line."

Ethan stepped back, resting his hands casually behind his back as his cold, analytical eyes locked onto the boy. "The wooden rods will not lie to you, and they will not spare your pride. Take your stance, adjust your center of gravity, and show me your movements again."

Roy swallowed hard, gripping the katana with white knuckles as he stepped in front of the wooden skeleton. He raised the blade, focused on the central gap between the rods, and swung down with all his might.

CLACK!

The flat of the silver steel slammed violently against the third horizontal rod, sending a sharp, stinging vibration straight up Roy’s arms.

"Again," Ethan said, his voice flat and unyielding.

Roy grit his teeth, reset his feet, and delivered a horizontal slice.

SNAP!

The blade clipped a vertical guide rod, throwing off his momentum entirely.

"Again," Ethan commanded.

CLACK! CLACK!

"Again."

The courtyard filled with the relentless, punishing rhythm of steel striking wood. Over and over, Roy threw his body into the motions. His shoulders burned, his lungs felt like they were on fire, and the skin on his palms began to blister and split beneath the rough silk wrapping of the hilt. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, the rigid wooden apparatus exposed every micro-error in his form. His cuts drifted, his wrists wobbled, and the metal hoop at the top remained entirely untouched.

"Again. Don’t look at your hands, look at the target. Again."

Ethan stood completely motionless, his cold amethyst eyes tracking every failing muscle fiber in the boy’s body. He offered no praise, no comforting corrections, and no respite. His voice was a mechanical, freezing metronome driving the boy to the brink.

By the two-hundredth repetition, Roy’s vision was swimming. His legs shook like reeds in the wind, and his arms felt as heavy as lead pillars. He raised the katana one last time, but midway through the downward arc, his fingers completely lost their grip. The beautiful silver blade slipped from his grasp, clattering into the dirt as Roy dropped to his knees, collapsing face-first into the dust, gasping desperately for air.

He couldn’t move. Every muscle in his torso was locked in an agonizing cramp.

Ethan stepped forward, standing over the fallen teenager like an immovable mountain. He didn’t reach down to help him. Instead, his voice pierced through Roy’s fading consciousness, ringing with a fierce, absolute intensity.

"Good. That is exactly the sensation we are looking for," Ethan murmured, his gaze cutting into the boy. "True swordsmanship isn’t born from comfort; it is forged when the mind is forced to command a broken vessel. You only stop when your body has reached its absolute physical limit."

Suddenly, Ethan’s tone sharpened, becoming as loud and commanding as a crack of thunder. "But before you dare to close your eyes, you get back up and you execute one more! That single, final repetition when your flesh is crying out in agony is worth more than all the previous ones combined! Stand up, boy! Stand on your feet!"

Roy’s chest heaved, a tear of sheer exhaustion cutting through the dust on his cheek.

"Give it everything you have!" Ethan roared, his presence expanding slightly, pressing down on the courtyard like an invisible weight. "And when you have given absolutely everything... dig deeper and find more! Up!"

Driven by a sudden, primal surge of adrenaline—ignited by the terrifying authority in Ethan’s voice—Roy let out a raw, guttural scream. Weakly, painfully, he dragged his knees beneath him, pushed his trembling body off the ground, and gripped the hilt of his father’s sword once more.

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??