Is This the Holy Spirit Inheritance?

"What's wrong with you, kid?"

Looking at Fang Zheng before him, Stone couldn't help but ask curiously. It was no wonder the Grand Knight had such a question—the way Fang Zheng felt right now was just too strange. Though he still had that unyielding perseverance, one look at his expression told you he was utterly exhausted, like he hadn't even woken up properly.

"Nothing, Mentor. Just had a nightmare..."

Hearing Stone's question, Fang Zheng shook his head helplessly.

In truth, it was more than just a simple nightmare.

"A nightmare? Haha, I never thought you'd still have nightmares... Well, if you've got the energy to dream, that means my training isn't intense enough, right? Come on, perk up! By the way, what's that supposed to mean?"

As he spoke, Stone glanced curiously at Fang Zheng's waist. Hanging there now, besides the standard training weapon he usually used, was an extra short sword.

"You're not thinking of going dual-wielding, are you?"

"I just figured out some techniques when I went back yesterday."

Hearing Stone's question, Fang Zheng forced a bitter smile. Normally, he'd be happy to chat with Stone a bit longer. But right now, he didn't even have the leisure for that.

"So I want to give it a try."

"Give it a try? Alright, kid. Let me warn you first—don't go looking for shortcuts. Sure, the traditional way might seem old-fashioned, but if it's lasted this long, there's a reason for it... Mm, then let me see what you've actually figured out!"

"Alright, Mentor."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng reached out with both hands, grasping a long sword and a short sword and drawing them. Then he fixed his gaze intently on Stone.

"Hm?"

But seeing Fang Zheng's stance, Stone froze for a moment, even widening his eyes in slight surprise.

This kid... what's going on?

No wonder Stone was so shocked. He'd trained with Fang Zheng for over ten days and had come to know the young man somewhat. In Stone's view, up until yesterday, Fang Zheng's performance had matched his expectations. In fact, from their sparring, Stone had already noticed that while the young man had decent fighting spirit, he didn't seem particularly skilled at close combat. Though his grasp of battle flow was impressive, his swordsmanship was on par with a raw beginner. It made Stone curious—he could tell Fang Zheng was better at ranged attacks, but his archery was equally disappointing. As for magic... the kid didn't look like a mage at all, did he?

But that was up until yesterday.

In fact, from the moment they met today, Stone felt something different about the young man. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. But the instant he saw Fang Zheng draw his sword, Stone's eyes lit up—he finally realized what was off!

If Fang Zheng had been a rookie up until yesterday, the aura he gave off now was like a battle-hardened veteran!

In Stone's eyes, Fang Zheng held his swords with both hands, but his stance wasn't balanced. Instead, his left shoulder drooped slightly, and his body was a bit hunched. It looked awkward—any ordinary person would think the soldier couldn't even hold a sword properly. But to Stone, it was a versatile stance, equally suited for offense and defense. In his view, Fang Zheng was like a coiled spring, watching him intently. If Stone made a move, he'd either be countered or dodged.

What unsettled Stone even more was how natural Fang Zheng's movements were—completely unforced. This wasn't something he'd deliberately thought up and forced himself into; it was a habit ingrained in his bones! That kind of instinct only came from veterans who'd fought tooth and nail through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It shouldn't have appeared in someone as young as Fang Zheng!

Was this a coincidence? Or...

With that thought, Stone's expression grew more serious. He slowly raised his Two-handed Sword, staring at Fang Zheng. Then, in the next moment, Stone suddenly stepped forward, swinging his Greatsword down like thunder toward Fang Zheng!

To Stone's surprise, the moment his Greatsword came down, Fang Zheng seemed to have anticipated the strike. He rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging Stone's attack. Then he stood back up, holding both swords, eyes locked on Stone.

"You've definitely improved."

Looking at Fang Zheng, Stone nodded in satisfaction. He'd deliberately left an opening in that last strike. The old Fang Zheng would've probably rushed in to counterattack. But this time, Fang Zheng reacted swiftly, dodging and rising in one smooth motion. Most importantly, he'd successfully suppressed his urge to attack—that was the mark of a qualified warrior. Charging in to fight to the death was something only hotheads did. Any proper warrior had to learn when to attack and when to defend. Without a clear judgment, the only outcome was death.

"Then try this!"

Now fully engaged, Stone raised his Greatsword again and launched another assault.

Since this was just a "training session," neither Stone nor Fang Zheng used those flashy Sword Skills that could obliterate everything with dazzling light effects. It was pure sword technique—slashes, sweeps. Under Stone's hands, the Greatsword howled like the wind, constantly hacking at Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng, in turn, swayed and rolled, narrowly dodging Stone's attacks time and again.

How interesting!

Stone found Fang Zheng more and more impressive. On the surface, Fang Zheng seemed to be struggling against his attacks. But only Stone understood that Fang Zheng's seemingly clumsy dodging was actually highly refined. Not only did it let him evade every strike, but it also kept him ready to counter at any moment.

And more importantly, Fang Zheng hadn't counterattacked at all!

Stone didn't think that was because Fang Zheng was too focused on dodging. He could instinctively sense a faint threat. And more crucially, Fang Zheng's left hand had been holding that short sword in a reverse grip the entire time, without making a single move. Stone was certain that sword wasn't just for show.

"Whoosh!!"

The Greatsword thrust forward again, and as Stone expected, Fang Zheng rolled to the side, dodging the strike. Immediately after, Stone gripped his Greatsword with his right hand, swung it back, and brought it down hard toward Fang Zheng.

At that same moment, Fang Zheng suddenly stopped rolling. He lunged forward, swinging the short sword in his left hand toward Stone's right arm!

Not good!!

The instant he saw Fang Zheng's move, Stone's heart jolted. He didn't know what was wrong, but his combat instincts screamed that this strike was bad news!

Unfortunately, Stone had no time to change his move. He could only watch as Fang Zheng's short sword slammed into the base of his Greatsword.

"Clang!!"

The blades clashed, and the Greatsword was knocked backward. It looked almost unbelievable. But Stone didn't care about that—he was drenched in cold sweat!

Because Stone realized in horror that the moment Fang Zheng blocked his attack, all the strength in his body seemed to vanish. He couldn't even stand, collapsing to his knees as if his body no longer belonged to him! His right hand naturally lost its grip on the weapon, sending it flying backward.

Stone couldn't even dodge. He could only watch helplessly as Fang Zheng's long sword thrust straight toward his chest!

Just as the blade reached Stone's chest, he felt his body return to his control. In that moment, under the threat of death, Stone didn't hesitate to unleash his power!

"Boom!!"

A roaring gale erupted from Stone, forming a armor of wind around him. Fang Zheng, caught off guard by this last-minute "cheating," was blown away, crashing heavily to the ground.

Fortunately, Stone quickly came to his senses. Seeing Fang Zheng lying on the ground, his old face reddened as he hastily withdrew his power.

"Mentor, that's a bit..."

Lying on the ground, Fang Zheng looked helplessly at the towering Grand Knight. Weren't they just supposed to be sparring? The one time I finally beat you, this is how you treat me? Where's the basic trust between people?

"Ahem, my bad. I lost this round. I admit defeat."

Catching Fang Zheng's gaze, Stone's face flushed slightly as he readily raised his hand in surrender. Then his eyes lit up as he looked at Fang Zheng, seeming to think of something. He glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then pulled Fang Zheng up, slung an arm around his neck, and whispered in his ear.

"Hey, kid, when did you learn this... Is this the Holy Spirit Inheritance?"