Chapter 267: Learning The One-Breadth Evasion Technique.

Chapter 267: Learning The One-Breadth Evasion Technique.

Time passed quickly under the Sword Saint’s training.

By the time the session finally slowed down, Kael was completely beaten down. His clothes were torn in several places, bruises covered his body, and his breathing had become heavy and ragged. He lay sprawled across the floor, staring toward the ceiling while trying to force enough air back into his lungs to stand.

A short distance away, the Sword Saint stood with one hand behind his back, his expression as calm as ever. Not even a trace of exhaustion could be seen on his face as he looked down at Kael.

"Not bad. You did well for your first training."

Kael slowly turned his head toward him, his expression flat.

"Did I?"

His chest rose and fell heavily before he continued.

"Because all I felt was getting my ass whooped."

The Sword Saint’s expression stiffened for a moment.

He coughed awkwardly into his fist.

"Well, that was all part of the training."

Kael stared at him.

The Sword Saint calmly ignored the look.

"Anyways, for today’s training, you seem to rely solely on your eyes to follow my movements. That isn’t necessarily bad, but relying on your vision alone can become troublesome, especially when you’re trying to learn the One-Breadth Evasion Technique."

Kael’s expression became more serious.

"The technique requires you to react to movements that occur within an extremely narrow distance. If your eyes are the only thing you depend on, you’ll eventually reach a limit. You need to learn how to perceive your opponent through your other senses as well."

The Sword Saint shifted his stance.

"Your hearing. Your sense of touch. Your perception of changes in the air. Even the movement of the ground beneath your feet. Don’t simply watch me. Feel me."

He raised one hand.

"Okay. Let’s go again."

Kael’s eyes widened slightly.

"Again?"

The Sword Saint was already moving.

"Here I come."

His body shot forward.

Kael immediately rose to his feet and assumed a defensive stance, his eyes locked onto the Sword Saint. His perception expanded as he focused completely on the approaching figure, tracking every movement of his body.

Yet the instant the Sword Saint entered striking range, Kael’s expression changed.

He couldn’t follow him.

Not because he was too fast.

Kael could see the Sword Saint’s movements clearly enough. His eyes could keep up with the speed of his attacks, but something about the Sword Saint’s footwork completely disrupted his perception.

His body seemed to flicker between illusion and reality.

One moment, the Sword Saint appeared to be stepping toward Kael’s left side. The next, his position had subtly shifted, making it seem as though he had slipped through the space between two moments.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

A low kick came toward his leg. He moved to defend, but the Sword Saint’s leg suddenly changed trajectory, and before he could react, a jab slammed into his stomach.

"Ugh!"

Kael’s body bent forward from the impact, but the Sword Saint didn’t give him time to recover.

Another attack came.

Kael raised his arm.

The attack changed.

A strike that looked as though it were heading toward his shoulder suddenly became a kick toward his ribs. Kael barely managed to twist his body, but the heel still crashed into his side and sent him stumbling backward.

What the hell?

It was as if nothing was truly what it appeared to be.

Every movement contained another movement hidden within it. Every attack seemed to carry multiple possibilities until the very last instant.

Kael tried to predict the next attack, but he kept guessing wrong, again and again.

The training continued. Kael was beaten down repeatedly, forced to experience the same overwhelming sensation from different angles. Whenever he thought he’d finally understood the Sword Saint’s movement, the old man would alter his footwork slightly and completely dismantle that understanding.

Eventually, the Sword Saint stopped and allowed Kael a moment to rest.

Kael sat on the floor, breathing heavily, while the Sword Saint calmly explained his mistakes. After another short rest and lecture, the Sword Saint stood.

"Enough rest. Let’s continue."

And with that, the training room filled once more with the sounds of impacts, footsteps, and Kael’s increasingly desperate attempts to keep up. Every time he failed, the Sword Saint corrected him. Every time he made a mistake, he was punished for it.

Yet slowly, something began to change. At first, Kael could barely react to the Sword Saint’s attacks, but then he began noticing small things about the way the old man moved, small patterns he was starting to grow familiar with.

Of course, Kael still couldn’t fully follow the Sword Saint’s movements, but he was beginning to sense where the attacks were coming from before they happened.

His reactions grew faster. His predictions grew sharper. He still couldn’t dodge every attack, but he was improving with each passing moment.

A faint smile appeared on the Sword Saint’s face.

"Better."

That single word was enough to make Kael crack a smile, but he stayed focused as the training continued.

Time slowly passed, and with every exchange, Kael grew better at predicting the Sword Saint’s attacks. His grasp of the strange footwork remained far from perfect, but the difference between his first attempt and his current performance was obvious.

He was slowly getting there.

Eventually, the Sword Saint stopped.

"Alright. That will be all for today."

Kael immediately relaxed.

The Sword Saint turned and walked back to the center of the room, settling into a lotus position once more. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking toward Kael.

"What?"

Kael stared at him.

"You have something to ask?" The Sword Saint’s expression grew slightly impatient. "If not, scram."

Kael ignored his tone.

"Actually, I do."

The Sword Saint raised an eyebrow.

Kael thought for a moment before asking, "You’re above S-Rank, right? Like the Pioneer Rank or something?"

The Sword Saint’s eyes narrowed slightly.𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Oh?"

He looked at Kael with renewed interest.

"You know about Pioneers?"

"Somewhat."

The Sword Saint nodded.

"Technically, yes. But Pioneer isn’t actually a rank."

Kael blinked.

"What?"

"It’s more like a title."

The Sword Saint leaned slightly against his knee as he explained.

"The title is given to the first batch of people who reached the hundredth floor of the Tower and also reached Level 500."

Kael’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh."

So it was actually a title. He had always assumed Pioneer was a rank above S-Rank, but it turned out to be a title given to those who had accomplished something specific.

That actually made sense, it sounded more like a title than a rank. Which meant the ranking still went the way he’d originally thought, S, then SS-Rank, then SSS-Rank.

The Sword Saint suddenly spoke again.

"Actually, the Hunter ranking system is quite inaccurate."

Kael’s attention immediately returned to him.

"Inaccurate? How so?"

"The Association ranks Awakeners according to their performance within their respective fields."

The Sword Saint raised one finger.

"For example, someone with a combat class who wants to obtain a certain rank will be assessed by having them defeat a beast corresponding to that rank."

He raised another finger.

"Someone with a crafting class, on the other hand, would need to craft an item of a certain level to attain the corresponding rank."

His fingers slowly lowered.

"The same principle applies to other classes. Healers, alchemists, blacksmiths, mages and every other profession are assessed according to the standards of their own field."

Kael nodded slowly.

"So the rank doesn’t necessarily represent their overall strength."

"Exactly."

The Sword Saint’s expression remained calm.

"It merely measures their performance according to a specific standard."

He paused briefly.

"That doesn’t truly give meaning to what each rank actually represents."

Kael remained silent as he processed the information.

"That is why I prefer not to use the Association’s ranking system when determining someone’s true strength."

He looked directly at Kael.

"But if you want to determine mine using their system, then I should be around the Quasi-Ascendant Realm."

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"Quasi-Ascendant?"

"Yes."

The Sword Saint nodded.

"That would probably put me somewhere around SSS-Rank, if you insist on using the Association’s measurements."

Kael’s expression became thoughtful.

"Quasi-Ascendant..."

The Sword Saint nodded again.

"Most Hunters currently fall within the Mortal Realm. They can become stronger within that realm, of course, but they are still fundamentally mortals."

He raised his hand slightly.

"Those who have begun comprehending a Law are different."

A faint pressure seemed to spread through the room as the Sword Saint spoke the next words.

"They are Quasi-Ascendants."

Kael’s expression became more serious.

"And once someone successfully comprehends a Law?"

"They become an Ascendant."

The Sword Saint’s eyes remained fixed on Kael.

"An Ascendant is a realm that surpasses the current Hunter Association’s system of measuring an Awakener’s power."

Kael remained silent for a moment.

So that was what existed beyond the ranking system.

The Association’s ranks weren’t the true measurement of strength. They were simply a system designed to categorize Awakeners within the boundaries of what ordinary people could understand.

But beyond that boundary existed entirely different realms.

Kael stored the information away carefully.

The Sword Saint watched him for another moment before speaking.

"Any more questions?"