Radiant Sword Technique

Old Hans couldn't contain his excitement.

Although his feet were soaked in the icy river water and had gone somewhat numb from the cold, he had successfully retrieved magic-infused pearls for his Lord!

He knew clearly that his position as Manor Supervisor was now secure.

Had he not seen the Lord personally instruct the butler to bring him a steaming cup of milk tea? This was a delicacy only noble masters could enjoy; it was said to contain not just fresh milk and sugar, but also chocolate sauce, honey, cinnamon powder, and even brandy.

It was fragrant and enticing; one sip made his entire body feel warm.

"Good heavens, praise the Master, this is delicious. I've never tasted anything this good in my entire life," Black Pete, the Tunic Chief of Barley Tunic, groaned in admiration.

"The Master truly is the best of masters!" One-Eyed Boris, the Tunic Chief of Wheat Tunic, added blissfully from the side.

"The Master is indeed the best of masters," the plump cook from the kitchen said as she walked over carrying a kettle. "Not only did he let you warm yourselves by the stove, but he also had me bring you a refill. The Master is simply too generous to you serfs!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Moore."

The men, who had originally been reluctant to finish their tea, saw that refills were available and ignored the heat, downing their cups in one go before extending them, staring longingly at the kettle in the cook's hand.

"Uncle Boris, you retrieved pearls for the Master, didn't you? What exactly is a pearl?" the kitchen maid, who was adding coal to the stove, asked curiously. "Do pearls grow inside river mussels? Are they a type of gemstone?"

"Ah, you must be Barbara, right?" One-Eyed Boris recognized the busy kitchen maid. "Old Barton's girl?"

"Yes."

"You've grown so much. Old Barton said you were working at Fluorite Castle; I didn't expect you to return to the manor with the Master."

Barbara grinned, her freckled face lively and her two fangs particularly eye-catching. "I wanted to be closer to home. Uncle Boris, you still haven't told me what a pearl is."

"A pearl..." One-Eyed Boris didn't actually know what a pearl was. He had touched river mussels his whole life, and this was the first time he had ever seen one inside, but that didn't stop him from boasting. "A pearl is a gemstone from the water. Let me tell you, noble masters love pearls the most!"

Drinking tea and bragging, the boiler room was filled with a pleasant atmosphere.

"Barbara, stop chatting and go fetch a bucket of water. We still have a pile of mussels and river snails to clean!" the cook shouted from the kitchen.

Barbara stood up quickly. "I'm going right now, Mrs. Moore."

"Be quick about it, act like someone who gets things done."

"Yes, Mrs. Moore."

Meanwhile.

In the hall of the manor's annex, five silvery-white pearls sat on the table. Russell, Charles, and Eric sat around them.

"The magic isn't very abundant; it's inferior to gemstones. However, compared to the overly violent magic within gems, the magic in pearls is much milder. Perhaps they could be used to craft magic potions," Eric offered his opinion.

He was the only Great Knight in the entire manor, one rank above an Armored Knight, and his Battle Aura had already permeated all the meridians in his body.

He only needed to bond with a phantom beast to be promoted to a Phantom Beast Knight.

"It's a pity there are only five pearls. Russell, I think it's better to treat them as jewelry and keep them as gifts," Charles said.

A gemstone mine nourished by a dragon could produce a significant quantity of gems, which was what generated immense economic value.

A single accidental river mussel producing five pearls was indeed rare, but their true value wasn't high.

Russell, however, was lost in thought. "Teachers, since river mussels can produce pearls, do you think it's possible to farm them artificially?"

"Artificially?" Charles shook his head. "Russell, that's a bit whimsical. Pearls are gifts from the heavens, not magic potions; how could they be farmed... The Baron Lord sends people to catch river food every year, and we've never seen a mussel produce pearls."

Eric nodded in agreement.

Russell wasn't surprised by this. Previously, not a single mussel in the Glimmering River had produced a pearl, so naturally, no one would have thought of farming them.

But the knowledge of a transmigrator told Russell that pearls could indeed be farmed.

He didn't know the specific operational methods, but he knew a thing or two about the principles of pearl formation. When the soft body of a shellfish was invaded by a foreign object, it secreted nacre to wrap around the intruder, eventually forming a pearl over time.

Perhaps I can farm pearls using artificial methods! he thought to himself, though he didn't voice it yet.

After all, this was another world, and pearls were magical creations; whether they could be farmed was hard to say.

Moreover, farming pearls wasn't the most pressing matter.

He signaled Butler Morris to put the five pearls away, then followed Eric to begin the day's knightly morning lesson.

"The Radiant Sword Technique is the most suitable for you to practice, my Lord." Eric held a refined steel longsword in both hands, surging Battle Aura pouring into the blade. Visible to the naked eye, faint ripples like steam emanated from the edge. "It has powerful lethality and, above all, is best suited for breaking through bottlenecks."

Russell also held a refined steel longsword in both hands, following Eric to learn every move of the Radiant Sword Technique.

Eric was usually taciturn, but when teaching, he was extremely detailed and patient. "In every move and stance, we must pursue not only power but also feel the connection between our Battle Aura and the technique. Then, use the technique to force a breakthrough!"

Hah!

Eric slashed his sword, and a faint, steam-like blade aura flew directly from the edge, traveling a full three meters through the air.

"In this move, the Battle Aura will be drawn by the technique to strike at the meridians in your hand. My Lord, you only need to focus on practicing this move today."

"Understood!"

Russell nodded and began to swing repeatedly. The refined steel longsword cut through the air, yet no blade aura emerged.

His predecessor's desperate attempts had indeed caused his Battle Aura Seed to bloom, providing him with genuine Battle Aura.

However, the Battle Aura only circulated through the main meridians of his body, barely forming a Lesser Heavenly Cycle to nourish his body and strengthen his physique. It couldn't be like Eric's, where he could infuse the aura into a weapon and release a flashy blade aura.

Only by continuously strengthening the Battle Aura and then striking at the meridians of the limbs, clearing all of them to form a Greater Heavenly Cycle, could he wield it as easily as his own arm and release blade aura at will.

At that point, he would also advance from an Armored Knight to a Great Knight.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

Russell swung his sword earnestly, not slacking off in the slightest even when drenched in sweat.

With every swing, a wisp of Battle Aura was drawn from the main meridians of his torso, striking toward the meridians in his hand, carving out new branch paths bit by bit.

He didn't feel tired; he only felt a sense of wonder and exhilaration!

Practicing Battle Aura is actually a bit like those martial arts novels, he occasionally let his mind wander. But in my situation, I should probably clear the Conception and Governing Vessels first, then move on to the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Standard Meridians...