Chapter 237
Ivan witnesses a miracle. A miracle he has created.
He sees the angle of the sword’s tip, the concentrated weight of a decisive strike, the shifting center of gravity and trajectory, and a straight line without wavering.
Many evaluate him as having good eyesight. This was rather a curse. What does it mean to be able to replicate something just by seeing it once?
It means he can disassemble and understand all the elements of the opponent’s actions just by observing them. The process of mastering skills becomes unnecessary through repetition. If one is accustomed to using their body, all techniques that utilize the body can be imitated.
Thus, he could not grow. He merely traced the footsteps of those who have grown. It is akin to walking in the path of footprints left by others on the long road of martial arts.
He does not grow. He only stands still on the path of those who walked ahead of him. If there are no longer those in front of him, his steps will also come to a halt there.
That is stagnation. And like every process, stagnation is akin to regression. As Edel evaluated, his martial arts resembled that of a child just learning to walk.
He was finally attempting to grasp and take steps on his own. What all martial artists had done from the beginning, he was only now beginning to do.
But now, he is witnessing a miracle.