The Core Tenets of the Water God Style, Rieda Lia's Abilities

The next day, Paul's anger had subsided, but after last night's earnest admonitions to the two children and the "rest and recuperation" of the past two days, he was full of energy. Right after breakfast, he led them to the courtyard and gestured for them to assume their stances.

Once the three of them were standing in a triangular standoff in the courtyard, he adopted an adult-like demeanor and spoke to them.

"You two have had enough fun these past two days. It's time to get back on track with your Swordsmanship studies! So, today, we're doing extra practice, personally supervised by me. Especially you, Allen, how can a teacher fight with his student? Have you been properly teaching Rudy Swordsmanship these past few days?"

Rudy looked at Paul's posture and subconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword. Since Allen arrived, he hadn't really studied Swordsmanship properly, but the reason was clearly because Paul was obsessed with sparring with Allen, which significantly shortened the time for his Swordsmanship Class.

However, now wasn't the time to say such a thing. If the Swordsmanship Class, which had finally been reduced by an hour, reverted to its previous state because he argued with Paul, it would be too much of a loss.

Allen, on the other hand, couldn't help but twitch his lips as he looked at Paul's serious face.

I've only been here for a week, and half of that time I've been fencing with you. What am I supposed to teach?

Yet, he replied respectfully.

"Reporting, Master. Although I haven't been here long, I believe Rudy has quite a talent for North God Style in the future."

Of course, using Magic Armor counts as North God Style.

Paul's face fell, revealing a look of disdain. He had previously taught Rudy Sword God Style and Water God Style because—

"North God Style? That kind of thing is just fighting with a sword; it's not Swordsmanship at all."

Paul, who was highly accomplished in North God Style, held it in great contempt. Thanks to North God Second, who opened North God Style dojos in the Dragon King Empire, the main popular style in the Central Continent was the Qiba Faction. This might seem too unorthodox in Paul's eyes.

Though Paul himself wasn't a very orthodox person.

Allen cleared his throat, his expression very respectful.

"Then today, we'll trouble Master to help us sort through the Swordsmanship knowledge of Sword God Style and Water God Style."

Seeing this, Paul nodded in satisfaction, then bellowed, "Let's begin!" He pulled out his sword and excitedly pointed it at Allen's forehead.

"This time, you attack!"

Silence fell.

A gust of wind blew, and a withered leaf landed dismally on Rudy's face, as if he were an outsider. He looked at the tense atmosphere between the two in front of him, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

So, I should go?

Allen looked at the tip of the wooden sword in front of him. Under Paul's surprised gaze, he extended two fingers, clamped the blade, and moved it away from his face.

"Master, I believe that summarizing after actual combat is quite important. Perhaps today we can start by reviewing experiences. To be honest, I also have many questions I'd like to ask you."

Paul blinked, suddenly realizing that Allen was highly accomplished in Water God Style, and that his words seemed to be an attempt to inquire about Sword God Style, which he was clearly not proficient in.

"Oh, I see. Alright, but I'll say this upfront: I'm more of a 'feel' person, so I might not be good at teaching theoretical knowledge."

"That's still much better than me fumbling around blindly."

The three of them each pulled up a small stool and sat in a circle. The country breeze continuously blew around them, very gentle, just like Zenith's smiling face as she leaned on the window on the second floor, chin in hand, looking down.

Allen looked at Paul, who was silently observing him with a pained expression and crossed arms, his own expression somewhat serious.

His Sword God Style was currently only at an intermediate level. As someone who had read the novel, he shouldn't have been stuck at this stage. But the problem was that the novel's descriptions of Swordsmanship training methods were too abstract. If it weren't for the fact that he had undergone systematic training in Water God Style since childhood, it would probably be very difficult to comprehend the advanced levels just from the book's descriptions.

Thinking of this, he first turned to Rudy and said, "I don't know if Master has ever thoroughly analyzed the three Swordsmanship styles for you. I'm more proficient in Water God Style and North God Style, so let me first explain the detailed characteristics of these styles to you."

Rudy blinked.

"Actually, I know them."

Allen smiled indifferently and asked, "Then what do you think is the core essence of Water God Style?"

Rudy scratched his face.

"Defense?"

Allen shook his head.

"That's the manifestation. The core essence of Water God Style is—perception."

At this, Paul raised an eyebrow.

...This boy...is interesting.

Rudy, however, looked puzzled.

"Perception?"

"Exactly, perception."

As Allen spoke, he took a deep breath, and his breathing gradually became steady. His mind was as calm as a windless surface of water.

Within his five senses, the rustling of leaves, the smell of earth, the smile at the corner of Paul's mouth, Rudy's raised eyebrow, and the movement of his own body hair as the wind blew—all were revealed in exquisite detail to his five senses.

He opened his eyes and looked at Rudy again, extending his arm and pointing two fingers at Rudy. As Rudy looked at him with a puzzled expression, he said, "Perceiving all the information in the surrounding environment: the direction of the wind, the source of sound, the vibration of the air, the shape of objects, and even deeper, you can feel the eruption of killing intent, the flow of Mana..."

As he spoke, a fallen leaf landed precisely between Allen's two fingers. His fingers trembled slightly...

At the same time, his unfinished words trailed off.

"Then, based on the information gathered, you determine the most appropriate response for the current situation, find your opponent's weakness, and deliver a fatal counterattack."

As Rudy watched in surprise and Paul in admiration, the leaf in Allen's fingers snapped in two instantly, sliding down both sides of his fingertips and the back of his hand.

The process was so smooth that Rudy even thought the leaf had actively collided with Allen's fingers, meeting its own 'end.'

He snapped out of his daze, suddenly realizing the illogical part of Allen's words, and asked, "I understand the first part—it means keeping your mind calm and analyzing a huge amount of information about your opponent in a short time to choose the most suitable counterattack. I understand 'killing intent' as something like ferocity, but what about the flow of Mana? Can that also be felt by someone who isn't a Magic caster themselves?"

Allen smiled. "Yes, it can."

Rudy's eyes widened as he looked at Allen, who, a little embarrassed, withdrew his fingers and rubbed his nose. "But... I can't do it under normal circumstances right now."

Rudy's face fell. "Then you're not trying to fool me—"

"He's not fooling you."

Rudy turned to look at Paul, who had suddenly interjected. Paul nodded gravely at Allen. "It's rumored that high-level Water God Style Swordsmen can indeed reach that level, but honestly, I've never seen it myself."

Rudy frowned. "Isn't that just a rumor then? How could something like that be possible?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes."

Rudy and Paul simultaneously looked at Allen, who had spoken. However, he didn't meet their gaze; instead, his eyes swept down to the sword at his waist. After a slight pause, he said, "At the Water God Style main dojo in the Asura Royal Capital—Her Excellency the Water God, Rieda Lia—she can do it perfectly."