Critical Point!

The spiritual cultivation teachings have come to an end. Fiore has finished teaching the key points, and what remains is diligent practice for the two of them.

Time skips.

It's noon.

During the lunch break, Yol went home to retrieve her rapier, Fine Snow, and Merlin's katana, bringing them back with her.

She then took the opportunity to hand them over to Fiore.

The Manor.

In the first-floor hall, This book is first published on Taiwan Novel Network, t͎͎w͎͎k͎͎a͎͎n͎͎.c͎͎o͎͎m͎. It's super convenient and offers you an error-free and non-scrambled reading experience.

As the two swords were drawn from their sheaths before him, a hint of surprise flashed in Fiore's eyes:

"I must say, both swords are excellent pieces. Alright, that's settled then.

I'll call you over in a few days when your swords are forged."

Merlin and Yol thanked Fiore at this point and bid him farewell.

The two left the hall and continued on to the training grounds for their cultivation.

They didn't engage in idle chatter.

Merlin, holding an unsharpened katana, moved through the training area, practicing his footwork and swinging the katana in basic exercises.

Yol, meanwhile, sat cross-legged under the ginkgo tree at the edge, breathing in a special rhythm, trying to figure out how to proceed with her spiritual cultivation.

According to Merlin, the process involved first constructing the outline of a visualized object in one's consciousness and then continuously filling it in with that visualization over time.

Thinking this, Yol's consciousness began to gradually feel dizzy with the rhythm of her breathing, and her mind went blank.

Vaguely, it felt like she had entered the bone-deep state of prayer she had experienced in the past.

A special kind of "stillness" emerged.

Scenes appeared one after another in her consciousness.

The peaceful life of a nun in the past.

The anxiety of suffering from plumbism.

The fragmented White City, burned to ashes by destructive flames.

The sudden appearance of a familiar young boy.

A carefree life in the deep forest.

Kendo practice in the dojo.

Spending every day with Merlin, the two of them swinging their swords tirelessly, and before she knew it, the sword seemed to have become integrated into her life.

She could use her sword to help him, to protect him.

Then...

In the pitch-black consciousness, outlines of bright lines began to quietly appear, shaped like a [Greatsword].

At some point, Merlin quietly came and sat down in front of Yol. Seeing her incredibly pale face, furrowed brow, and pained expression, he could hear her heart pounding violently at that moment.

"You're pushing yourself too hard!"

He said softly, wisps of Black Flame appearing in his eyes.

[Calamity Vision]

He could see that different types of negative "calamities" were quietly emerging in her heart and lungs.

Suddenly, Yol's breathing rhythm faltered, becoming rapid, and she began to gag violently.

Seeing this, black flames surged from his left hand and landed on her shoulder. The Black Flame spread over her body.

Disaster Absorption.

Soon, the abnormal state on Yol's body disappeared, and her breathing also became steady.

A thoughtful look flashed in Merlin's eyes. He knew what Yol was cultivating. At this moment, the calamity carried by the Black Flame in his hand merged into his own body. It wasn't absorbed and stored, but released onto himself.

Instantly.

His breathing became rapid, his heart pounded violently, his lungs ached unbearably, and his consciousness went blank at that moment.

Merlin sat on the ground, struggling to breathe. However, thanks to the tolerance boost from the Lynx.

Merlin did not lose consciousness at this moment. In his hazy consciousness, he recalled the object he was trying to visualize.

Suddenly, a figure broke into his consciousness. A vivid and agile Lynx appeared.

It crouched low, opening its mouth to roar.

Its eyes were fierce and cunning, Preparing to pounce.

This posture appeared instinctively in Merlin's consciousness.

Merlin's consciousness met its gaze, observing it closely, imagining it.

Its limbs were thick, long, and powerful, with shorter forelimbs and longer hindlimbs, balanced in proportion. The contours of its face naturally exuded a sense of majesty.

A lynx.

Even though it was only the first visualization, its image was already deeply imprinted in Merlin's consciousness, unforgettable.

And this lynx in his mind, its chest and abdomen slowly rose and fell, a low, guttural rumble vibrating from deep within its throat.

The muscles and bones of its body moved in a unique rhythm.

It was as if it were tempering its own body through a peculiar body tempering technique.

Outside.

Yol quickly regained consciousness. Upon seeing Merlin's pained expression, a hint of worry appeared on her face.

However, she soon noticed Merlin lying on the ground, propped up on his elbows. Her heart immediately fluttered with panic, but then she realized Merlin wasn't unconscious; he was breathing in a peculiar manner.

A low, vibrating sound emanated from his throat.

"Lynx Body Tempering Technique?" Yol knew about this body technique Merlin had developed, so she wasn't unfamiliar with it. Merlin had even taught it to her, though she hadn't managed to learn it yet.

Seeing this, she felt relieved.

After a while, noticing no other negative changes in Merlin, she stood up, picked up the one-meter-four silver-white greatsword from under the ginkgo tree, and walked about three meters away.

She stopped, taking a breath.

She stepped forward, raising her sword and bringing it down.

The sound of the sword cutting through the air.

Immediately, it appeared from beneath her blade.

As time passed.

A beautiful scene unfolded.

Beneath the golden, lush tree.

A beautiful woman, amidst the golden leaves drifting down from the tree, wielded a silver-white greatsword, continuously raising and swinging it.

It was filled with a sense of power and coordination.

And under a nearby tree, a black-haired boy lay propped on his elbows, his chest and abdomen rising and falling, like a dozing young tiger.

Utterly coordinated and aesthetically pleasing.

The sun began to set.

At some point, Merlin had already stood up, holding his katana. He stood side-by-side with Yol under the tree, about two meters apart, continuously swinging his sword.

Merlin's gaze was sharp and focused. With each swing of his sword, his entire musculature was trained along with it.

At this point, Merlin stopped his movements.

He walked to a nearby pavilion and placed his katana back on the weapon rack.

Immediately, he began clenching and unclenching his fists, relaxing his body and swinging his legs.

He stretched the muscles in his body.

A sapphire-blue interface appeared before his eyes. He willed himself to click on [Lynx], and then...

[Synchronization Value: 18% → 21%]

This morning it was still 18%, but not long ago, after successfully visualizing [Lynx].

The first cultivation session of the day had ended.

And now.

"Increased by 3%?"

With the success of the visualization, it was as if the synchronization with the lynx had progressed from the physical form to the mental level.

Body and mind were gradually tending towards unity.

Now, the synchronization value with the lynx had reached 21%. At this moment, a glimmer of anticipation appeared in Merlin's eyes as he sensed his own body.

Vaguely, he felt a peculiar sensation, as if the connection with the [Lynx] equipment was approaching some critical point.

"Is it close? The specialty..."

At this moment, a smile flickered in Merlin's eyes. He was breathing rhythmically through his nose and mouth, relaxing his body and mind.

He glanced at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

"Yol, shall we go home?"

Hearing Merlin's call, Yol stopped her movements, sheathed her sword, and stood upright. She then turned and walked over. Reaching the edge of the pavilion, curiosity flickered in Yol's eyes:

"Aren't you going to train more today?"

"Work and rest are balanced. I'm in a good mood today, let's go back, change our clothes, and then bring Lami along to eat something delicious in town?"

A smile appeared in Yol's eyes. She let out a light breath and turned her head to the side:

"Then let's go!"

Before long, the three of them were walking home together, Lami in the middle, holding Merlin and Yol's hands, one on each side.

Though tired, she hummed a cheerful tune softly, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Are you that happy?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and asked.

Lami turned to look, a brilliant smile blooming on her young face:

"Of course! Lami hasn't gone out to play with you guys for over a week!

Now that I have the chance, of course I'm happy!"

Merlin chuckled, and Yol's lips curved upwards as she blinked at Lami, "Then Lami, what kind of delicious food do you want to eat later~?"

"Hmm~!" Lami pondered, then after a few seconds, she said with a grin, "Let's go eat teppanyaki! I remember that place has really good grilled meat."

Hearing this, Merlin burst out laughing:

"I wonder who it was that completely burned their food last time and ate it with tears in their eyes."

When Lami heard this, her face immediately looked like she was about to cry, "Can we not bring that up again? Just thinking about it makes me feel bad."

"Hahaha!"

"Hehehe!"

Merlin and Yol both burst into laughter, while Lami puffed out her cheeks and turned her face away.

Before long, they returned home, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and the three of them went into town.

They ate at that delicious teppanyaki place.

After the delicious meal was finished.

The three of them walked around the streets, window shopping.

They also bought a few warm and beautiful winter outfits for the two of them.

Ever since teaching them the "true skills" in Fiore, he had said that the foundation was laid, and the rest was their own Cultivation.

And from that day on, he no longer came at the scheduled time every day.

Furthermore, because he had taken on the task of forging swords for Merlin and Yol, he hadn't been seen for a week.

Clang!

In the VIP training grounds, two figures were pushed back rapidly by the rebound of clashing swords.

Merlin stamped his feet repeatedly on the ground, dissipating the immense force transmitted from Yol.

Gazing at Yol, who was ten meters away, Merlin's eyes were filled with seriousness. Combined with her increasingly skilled swordsmanship, her powerful physique now posed an ever-increasing threat to him.

Feeling the numbness in his hands, and without using his Ability to absorb it, Merlin stomped on the ground the next second, and shot out like an arrow! In a single breath, he closed the distance to Yol, his Katana in his right hand slashing upwards fiercely from his side.

Yol's expression was grave as she swung her greatsword, held vertically to her right, down with a spin.

Clang! Clangclangclang!

The two figures nimbly swung their weapons, colliding violently in the open space.

Merlin agilely weaved around Yol, his blade flashing non-stop, but Yol was like a turtle shell, constantly blocking with her greatsword at the smallest possible angle.

Moreover, her physical strength far surpassed Merlin's, and for a while, Merlin couldn't do anything about her.

However, at the same time, Merlin's eyesight and agility far surpassed Yol's, which was precisely why Yol had been employing a defensive counter-attack strategy.