Before Kael could answer, the Sword Saint raised a hand, cutting him off.
"On second thought..." the old man said with a faint smile. "There’s no point asking."
His eyes sharpened.
"We’ll simply find out."
He casually gestured with his hand.
"Come at me with everything you’ve got."
"Let’s see what you’re capable of."
Kael hesitated.
"...Right here?"
The Sword Saint nodded.
"Yes."
Kael instinctively swept his gaze across the training chamber.
The walls looked ordinary. They were built from weathered stone bricks that had clearly existed for many years. Nothing about them suggested they could withstand the force generated by two high-level Awakened.
If he fought without restraint...
This entire place might collapse.
The Sword Saint followed his line of sight and immediately understood what he was worried about.
A chuckle escaped the old man.
"So that’s what’s bothering you."
Without another word, he casually flicked his hand.
A razor-thin strand of sword light burst from his fingertips.
It crossed the room in an instant before crashing directly into one of the stone walls.
BOOM!
The chamber trembled violently.
Kael expected the entire wall to explode.
Instead...
The moment the sword light struck, countless intricate runes hidden beneath the surface suddenly lit up.
Silver patterns spread throughout the entire wall like veins awakening beneath ancient stone.
A translucent barrier manifested an instant later.
The sword light slammed into it, unleashing an overwhelming burst of force, yet the barrier merely rippled before calmly dispersing the attack.
When the light faded...
The wall remained completely untouched.
Not even a scratch had been left behind.
The runes slowly dimmed before disappearing back into the stone as though they had never existed.
The Sword Saint looked back at Kael.
"Well?"
He smiled.
"Still worried about breaking my house?"
The corner of Kael’s lips lifted.
"Not anymore."
He rolled his shoulders before taking a slow breath.
"Then... here I come."
The instant those words fell, earth energy erupted from within his body.
His muscles tensed.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Boom!
Kael shot forward like a cannonball.
The distance separating them disappeared almost instantly as his fist tore through the air with explosive force.
The Sword Saint remained where he stood.
Only when the punch was inches from his face did he move.
His body shifted ever so slightly.
The fist brushed past his cheek.
Kael’s other arm immediately followed, driving toward the old man’s ribs before seamlessly flowing into a knee strike aimed at his abdomen.
Every movement connected naturally into the next.
There wasn’t the slightest pause.
The Sword Saint’s eyes flashed with interest.
His palm intercepted the incoming knee before effortlessly redirecting its momentum.
Kael twisted his body in mid-motion, using the redirected force to launch an elbow toward the old man’s temple.
Bang!
Palm met elbow.
A violent shockwave burst outward.
The collision echoed throughout the training chamber.
Neither of them stopped.
Kael flowed from one strike into another without interruption. His fists, elbows, knees, shoulders, heels, even the slightest movement of his body became opportunities to attack.
Every part of him had become a weapon.
The Sword Saint, however, remained firmly in control of the clash.
His movements were minimal.
He didn’t waste a single motion.
One palm neutralized a punch.
A slight turn of his waist caused a kick to skim harmlessly past him.
His forearm intercepted an elbow before immediately transitioning into a counter that forced Kael onto the defensive.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each collision released another deafening explosion that reverberated throughout the chamber.
The runic formations embedded within the walls continuously flickered to life, quietly absorbing every shockwave that reached them.
Despite Kael attacking relentlessly, he couldn’t land a clean hit.
Not one.
The gap between them wasn’t merely strength.
It was experience.
Every attack Kael threw seemed to have been predicted before he even committed to it.
The Sword Saint always appeared exactly where he needed to be.
His defenses were airtight.
His counters merciless.
Several times, Kael tried to create openings by altering the flow of his attacks.
Yet each attempt was calmly dismantled before it could achieve anything meaningful.
Minutes passed.
Sweat gradually formed along Kael’s forehead as the relentless exchange continued.
The old man, meanwhile...
Didn’t appear to have exerted himself in the slightest.
Finally...
"Enough."
The single word instantly ended the spar.
Kael immediately halted his next attack before stepping backward.
The Sword Saint lowered his guard.
Silence returned to the chamber.
For several moments, the old man simply observed Kael.
Then he nodded slowly.
"I’ll admit..."
"I didn’t have particularly high expectations for a self-created combat technique."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But you’ve exceeded them."
He looked directly at Kael.
"The way you utilize that strange ability of yours..."
"...to transform every part of your body into a weapon..."
"It’s quite fascinating."
There was unmistakable admiration in his voice.
"But."
The single word caused Kael’s expression to become serious again.
"There are several things I don’t like."
"Such as?"
The Sword Saint raised a single finger.
"First."
"The direction you’ve chosen."
He slowly walked around Kael while speaking.
"Your technique attempts to imitate too many different weapons."
"I could see traces of all of them hidden within your movements."
He stopped beside Kael.
"At first glance, it seems impressive."
"Many paths."
"Many options."
"Greater versatility."
He shook his head.
"In reality..."
"It’s counterproductive."
His gaze became noticeably sharper.
"The more paths you attempt to walk simultaneously, the slower each one progresses."
"Eventually, you’ll find yourself trapped."
"Jack of all trades."
"Master of none."
The Sword Saint folded his hands behind his back.
"If you truly wish to reach the peak..."
"Choose one."
"Walk that path until the end."
"Pour everything into it."
"Only then will you discover what lies beyond."
Kael quietly listened.
He couldn’t deny the old man’s reasoning.
From the perspective of an ordinary Awakener...
It was absolutely correct.
Mastering even a single weapon required decades of unwavering dedication.
Attempting to master several simultaneously would only divide one’s focus and ultimately stunt their growth.
But...
Kael wasn’t ordinary.
His Infinite Reward Multiplier had already shattered countless conventional limitations.
The talent possessed possibilities so absurd that even now he had yet to fully uncover them.
Restricting himself to a single path because ordinary people had no choice felt...
Wrong.
If his talent truly possessed limitless potential, then the greatest mistake he could make would be limiting himself before discovering where that potential ended.
For now...
He intended to continue walking this road.
The Sword Saint silently observed Kael’s expression.
The slight narrowing of his brows.
The thoughtful look in his eyes.
He could already guess the young man hadn’t been completely convinced.
Surprisingly...
He didn’t press the matter.
Instead, he continued.
"As for the second issue..."
"I believe your idea and your execution don’t quite match."
Kael frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The Sword Saint smiled.
Rather than answering immediately, he asked a question of his own.
"Think carefully before you answer."
"What is it..."
"...that you truly wish to achieve with this combat technique?"
His eyes locked onto Kael’s.
"Do you want your body..."
"...to become an extension of a weapon?"
He allowed the question to linger before speaking again.
"Or..."
"Do you wish to become the weapon itself?"