Chapter 54: Training III
The training field was a crucible of transformation, its air heavy with the metallic tang of exertion and the faint hum of latent energy.
If there was one thing Baines discovered during his training, it was the peace he found.
Aside from his meticulous blending of his plants, the rhythm of his sword offered such peace. Each swing was a meditation, a reassurance that tethered him to his purpose, and he continuously wanted that feeling.
After Baines had left,
Tasha lingered near the servant, her eyes tracing Baines’s retreating figure. "Hey, now you’ve seen it, what do you think?" she asked, her voice tinged with both awe and frustration.
The servant, his weathered face creased with disbelief, sighed deeply.
"Haa... I can’t seem to understand him, young lady." Just days ago, Baines’s skills were impressive but not otherworldly. Now, they defied comprehension. Maybe the worst part of it was that the servant had watched every moment of the training, yet somewhere along the line, Baines’s movements had become a blur, an enigma that slipped beyond his grasp.
Over the next two days, Baines refined his 4th star techniques, tweaking subtle nuances with the precision of a master craftsman.
By the 15th day, he ascended to the 5th star techniques, and the training hall swelled with spectators, their numbers tripling as word of his prowess spread. Yet, to Baines, they were mere shadows on the periphery. His focus was absolute, his world reduced to the arc of his blade and the pulse of his aura.