*Ding*
Converting technique experience to improve Mana Gathering chapter of the Cloud's Ascent perfected technique.
Cloud's Ascent Perfected (100,000/100,000) -> Ascent of the Heavenly Cloud (max)
Mana Gathering level 999 (100,000,000/100,000,000) -> Mana Gathering level 1000 (Max)
Immediately following the advancement of the technique, the sea of clouds all around James began to stir. Their light blue colour slowly brightened and turned gold.
James felt a profound difference compared to before the advancement. He now felt as if the golden clouds surrounding him now contained an indescribable pressure. They now had a weight he could not explain and felt as if they were watching him.
James opened his eyes and was back on his meditstion mat. Faldon had a small home built for him to have some privacy with it's own cultivation room. He stood up and walked out if his small house, seeing his senior sister Liz's house across from his own and an outdoor practice area separating them. Faldon's house was slightly higher up the mountain, surrounded by medicinal herb gardens.
James walked over to Liz's house and knocked on the door. He waited a couple seconds before the door was opened.
"Hi, senior sister Liz! Could we continue our sword training?"
Liz smiled, "Sure thing. You've been practicing swings and different sword forms the past 6 months now. Let's do combat practice today."
Liz led James out to the practice area and handed him the wooden practice sword. Liz had been teaching James a basic sword technique. For some reason, even after 6 months of practice swings, the system has not shown the basic sword technique in the Profile section.
Liz began sparring with James. Overhead swings, sword chops, stabbing motions, all the basic sword forms that James has been practicing were being used. No matter which move James used, Liz easily parried or blocked them all.
There was a significant desparity in their physical abilities. Not to mention that James was only 10 years old, but Liz herself looked to be in her early twenties. James didn't know if that was her actual age as cultivation increased lifespan and with Liz being well within the Core Formation realm, her maximum lifespan was at least 500 years.
The advantages from cultivation only manifest themselves as of the Foundation Establishment realm. While still in the Mana Gathering realm, no visible changes occur since cultivators are only absorbing mana and storing it within their bodies. It isn't until they establish a foundation that their bodies become integrated and strengthened by the mana.
The maximum lifespans for cultivation realms are:
Mana Gathering - 100 years
Foundation Establishment - 300 years
Core Formation - 500 years
Nascent Soul - 1000 years
James couldn't wait until he established his foundation to see just how much his stats would increase with his insanely high Mana Gathering level. He was also trying to work out how he'd be able to establish his foundation without the associated technique. The Advancement tab in his system no longer showed an option to recieve the Foundation Establishment chapter so he's been trying to think of a solution.
They continued sparring, swing after swing. James was unterly outclassed both in cultivation and combat experience. Liz was leading him around, deliberately showing openings and then landing a soft tap when James fell for them. James was slowly learning to see the traps within the openings. He felt like not only was Liz guiding him in the sword but also some unseen force was whispering to him. Like the world itself was moving his sword.
As the sparring reached a high point, James' eyes glazed over. He fell unconscious but his body did not stop. It struck faster and stronger than before. A golden glow appearing around his body and sword, alighting the surroundings.
Liz was instantly surprised by the change. James' face lost all emotion and he seemed to be moving on instinct. She tried to stop the spar to investigate the annomaly but James wouldn't let up the attack. His previously amature sword skills had completly disappeared and what replaced them seemed to be the embodiment of the sword itself.
Their swords crossed and immediately Liz's sword intent flared to life. Her decade of sword practice that had culminated into an elementary form of sword intent seemed to resonate witht he strange golden light surrounding James. Her sword intent became more and more refined with each collision of the wooden swords.
After 20 minutes of this intense sparring session, Liz's sword intent finally took form, moving from a basic elementary form to level 1 sword intent. As soon as her sword intent took form, the golden glow around James began to recede.
Liz watched as the golden glow returned back into James' body and then looked down at her own sword. She had been known as one of the top 5 prodigies of their sect for over a decade. What cemented her title as a prodigy was that she was able to comprehend the elementary form of sword intent soon after entering the Core Formation realm. This fully demonstrated her talent as most cultivators normally only come into contact with intent once they reach the Nascent Soul realm.
Nascent Soul cultivators are able to use the souls they cultivate as a medium to comprehend the laws of the world. The laws, are the framework of the world. From the earth beneath their feet to the flaming sun in the sky, cultivators could take inspiration from anything in life and try to comprehend and eventually utilize the world's laws for themselves.
The first stage of this comprehension is intent. Intent eventually evolves into laws as the cultivator learns and comprehends more anout their specific law. In this case, Liz was able to gain initial comprehension of the Sword Law, obtaining an elemntary form of Sword Intent. While this wasn't originally strong enough to do anything, simply being a symbol of her potential, now that it has evolved into a level 1 Sword Intent, Liz will be able to utilize it as a form of aura and coat her sword in her Sword Intent making it far more deadly in combat.
Liz looked at the grey glow surrounding her practice sword and then the young boy lying unconsciously on the training ground.
'What the hell was that."