BANG!
Shang exploded forward with an Ice Blast.
Teacher Mervin only lightly moved his sword.
Shang swung his sword with one hand, keeping his other one ready to counter whatever Teacher Mervin would throw at him.
Shang released his strike.
Clink!
Shang's eyes widened in shock.
Teacher Mervin had only lightly moved his sword, and all of Shang's power was thrown to the side.
In Shang's vision, Teacher Mervin's sword hadn't moved very fast, but at the same time, it felt like it had moved impossibly fast.
It was almost like time moved differently for Teacher Mervin.
It was like Teacher Mervin had only gently brushed some stalks of wheat to the side to pass.
It was effortless, clean, and easy.
And then, Teacher Mervin's sword moved towards Shang's chest.
It moved slowly and with ease.
Shang quickly pointed his arm forward to release a Fire Blast to retreat.
Teacher Mervin only smiled.
BANG!
Shang released his Fire Blast, but his mind nearly stopped.
Teacher Mervin's sword had suddenly moved in a circle, and all the Fire Mana that had left Shang's hand began to spin and shoot diagonally to his right.
And there was no recoil!
Shang's body didn't move!
Teacher Mervin's sword peacefully moved forward.
And entered Shang's chest without any resistance, piercing through Shang's heart.
Time seemingly stopped.
Shang couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed!
Then, one of Teacher Mervin's hands left his sword and touched Shang's chest.
BANG!
Shang was thrown away as Teacher Mervin pulled his sword out of Shang's chest.
Shang rolled several times on the ground, and his warrior's body instantly healed his heart.
After quickly standing up, Shang looked with shock at Teacher Mervin.
Then, Shang smiled bitterly.
He had already lost.
If Teacher Mervin had wanted, he could have cut Shang in two. He only needed to move his sword.
Yet, instead of killing Shang, he had thrown him away, knowing fully well that Shang had a warrior's body.
Shang was only alive because Teacher Mervin didn't want to kill him.
At this moment, Shang realized that he had overestimated himself.
Yes, his body was nearly on the level of a Peak Commander Stage warrior, but he was far too young and inexperienced.
How much time had Shang had to practice his swordsmanship?
Shang was training his body, his Mana control, his Affinity control, basic Spell casting, and his swordsmanship. But at the same time, he also needed to hunt, gather ore, and fight.
There was so much for Shang to do. He simply didn't have the time to practice his swordsmanship.
However, if Shang had only focused on his swordsmanship, he wouldn't be as powerful as he was right now.
All these different aspects of Shang's power contributed greatly to his Battle-Strength.
He couldn't neglect any of them, and he hadn't.
Shang's swordsmanship was definitely outstanding amongst the Initial Commander Stage warriors.
Yet, he was like a child in front of someone like Teacher Mervin.
He simply hadn't had the time.
"There was no finesse in your attack," Teacher Mervin suddenly said. "You simply attacked. Is that your Path?"
Shang looked at Teacher Mervin in uncertainty.
At that point, Shang was questioning if his method of fighting was correct.
Teacher Mervin's words rang true.
Shang was only moving his sword forward in a way to attack. From time to time, he was also moving it to the side to block and parry with it.
Shang thought back to some of the warriors he had fought.
They had moved their weapons in very delicate and quick ways. Their weapons sought out the tiniest opening in their opponent's defense and homed in on them.
However, Shang didn't forget to look at the full picture.
He was fighting against people many decades older with far more experience, and he still managed to win.
He definitely wasn't weak.
Not in the slightest.
At that moment, Shang thought about his battles with the beasts and Mages.
He was surprised to find that the feeling he got was very different.
In front of the warriors, Shang saw his inadequacies, but while fighting Mages and beasts, Shang didn't feel like he was inadequate.
In fact, Shang felt like his battle style was perfect for fighting Mages and beasts.
And that was when he realized something.
"Yes, this is my Path," Shang said.
Teacher Mervin had just criticized Shang's attacks and had asked Shang if that was truly his Path.
Yet, Shang had doubled down.
Yes, this was how he fought, and he was happy with it.
Teacher Mervin only smiled. "Why did you choose that Path?" he asked.
Shang looked at Teacher Mervin, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Because warriors are not my enemies," he said.
"Your Path is incredibly powerful, and I feel like a helpless child in front of you," Shang said. "However, your Path is optimized for fighting other warriors."
"You are one of the most powerful warriors in the world. If there were a grand tournament where all warriors would gather to fight, you might even enter the top 10."
"But what if the tournament were a comparison of points? What if every warrior had to fight Mages and beasts to gain points?"
"Would you still be in the top 10?" Shang asked.
Teacher Mervin's smile didn't vanish.
"Yes, I would be," he said.
Shang's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"However, your analysis is correct," Teacher Mervin said. "In fact, you managed to find the very flaw in my Path that took me years to find."
"I always trained against other warriors, and I even kept my Stage suppressed and my weapon weak to give my enemies a chance to win."
"Don't think of me as arrogant when I say that I am probably the most powerful warrior when it comes to fighting other warriors in the entire world. If the Dean were on my Stage, I would be confident in beating him."
"Even if he retained his current experience," Teacher Mervin said with a grin.
This surprised Shang and his eyes opened wide in shock.
"Then, doesn't that mean…?"
Teacher Mervin nodded.
"Yes, Shang."
"I consolidated my Path around 30 years ago."
"If I wanted, I could reach the True Path Stage by strengthening my body."
