bigabreads Chapter 602: Training?
Chapter 602: Training?
The week passed in a blur of intense, unyielding sweat and blood. True to his word, Ethan dedicated every single ounce of his spare energy to his domestic duties. He pushed Louisa to her absolute limits every night, leaving her soft, revitalized body filled to the absolute brim with his potent Yang-nourishing essence. Louisa no longer showed even a hint of her former resistance. Instead, she cooperated with active, shameless fervor, moving beneath him like a professional courtesan whose only purpose was to please her dominant master.
But during the daylight hours, the suite’s private courtyard turned into a literal slaughterhouse.
"Sister! Please, by the gods, wake up and take him back!" said Roy. He screamed in pure agony, his voice cracking as he slammed hard into the stone wall of the courtyard. "Recover faster, Louisa! Save me from this monster!"
"Your sister is resting, boy," said Ethan. He stepped through the dust with a terrifying, effortless stride, his piercing amethyst eyes completely devoid of warmth. "And right now, your life belongs to me. Get up."
"I can’t move my arm!" said Roy. He spat out a mouthful of dark blood, his body trembling violently inside his black and gold armor.
"Then use your other hand," said Ethan. With a blindingly fast flick of his wrist, Ethan’s blade flashed through the air, executing a ruthless, precise strike.
"Ahhhhhhh!" said Roy. A choked, horrifying shriek tore from his throat as the razor-sharp edge sliced cleanly through the flesh and bone of his right forearm. The limb flew into the air, spinning twice before landing with a wet thud on the bloody pavement, spraying a dark crimson river across the stones.
From the balcony above, Louisa quickly turned her head away, burying her face in her hands as tears welled in her eyes, unable to witness the sheer brutality being inflicted on her little brother. Mary stood right beside her, her face deathly pale, her hands trembling as she forced her eyes to stay wide open, refusing to look away from the gore.
"Do not look away, Louisa," said Mary. Her voice shook, but her maternal gaze remained fixed on the bloody scene below. "Ethan is being a cruel tyrant because nobody inside that pavilion will ever be kind to your brother. Every drop of blood he spills here is a life saved tomorrow."
"Drink the recovery solution and reattach it, now!" said Ethan. He kicked the severed arm back toward Roy, tossing a glowing red healing vial at his feet. "Every second you waste bleeding is a second the enemy uses to pierce your heart!"
"Damn it! Damn it all!" said Roy. He wept from the sheer, burning pain, using his left hand to chug the bitter medicine. He slammed the severed limb back against his bleeding stump, the heavy, magical regeneration inscriptions instantly sizzling and sewing the flesh back together with agonizing speed.
"The stance was completely wrong," said Ethan. Before Roy could even catch his breath, Ethan lunged forward again, his heavy pressure completely suffocating the courtyard. "Your guard was too low! Again!"
"I am ready!" said Roy. He roared with sheer desperation, gripping his katana with both hands as he thrust forward with everything he had left.
"Too slow, too weak!" said Ethan. He parried the strike effortlessly, his blade instantly counter-attacking, carving deep, jagged gashes across Roy’s chest and thighs. Blood splattered across Ethan’s black robes as he drove his boot directly into Roy’s cracked ribs, sending the boy tumbling through the dirt once more.
This was the exact same hellish, demonic training that the elite White Unicorn Corps had brutally propounded onto Ethan in the name of the Princess before his infiltration mission began. Back then, Ethan had genuinely wished for death rather than continuing for another minute under their merciless blades. But he could not deny the absolute truth: the method was incredibly, terrifyingly effective. If Roy wanted to survive the chaotic den of wolves inside the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Ethan would have to push the boy past the brink of sanity, forging his spirit in a crucible of pure, unrelenting agony.
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"Your armor is completely clean, my titan," said Louisa. She smoothed down the dark, reinforced fabric of Ethan’s black and silver gear, her fingers lingering over his chest.
Deep inside his new blade-carved silver spatial ring rested the destroyed sword. Yet, strapped firmly across his broad back, he still carried the same notched, double-edged blade of cold steel. Even though his current wealth allowed him to buy the finest spiritual weapons in the commercial district, he refused to abandon that piece of junk. To Ethan, there was simply no need to upgrade yet; he hadn’t faced an opponent who could force him to exert his maximum power anyway.
"Take care of yourself out there," said Louisa. She leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against his jaw, her eyes shining with absolute devotion.
"I will," said Ethan.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the suite, a completely different atmosphere hung in the air. Mary was carefully adjusting the Star Iron plates on her son’s shoulders, her hands shaking violently as hot tears streamed down her wrinkled cheeks.
"Mother, please do not cry," said Roy. He tried to smile confidently, but his voice cracked slightly under the weight of her sadness. "You are going to ruin the look of my new armor."
"How can I not cry, my foolish boy?" said Mary. She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, her heart feeling as though it were being ripped into two separate halves. She knew with absolute certainty that this day could very well be the last time she ever saw her son.
The plan for their future was clear and unyielding. If Roy passed the grueling entry trial, he would join Ethan inside the gates as a disciple. But if he failed, Roy had already firmly declared that he would leave the frontier entirely, wandering the dangerous, unknown world alone to harden his blade. In that scenario, Mary and Louisa would move into the Heavenly Sword Pavilion’s outer quarters under Ethan’s protection, disguised as his personal servants to ensure their safety from the core border politics.
"I want you to succeed more than anything in this world, Roy," said Mary. She tightly grabbed his armored shoulders, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed. "But I am so afraid. The people in that pavilion are monsters, and the world outside is even worse. I don’t want to lose you."
"You won’t lose me, Mother," said Roy. He wrapped his strong arms around her, his gaze hardening as he looked over at Ethan. "Master didn’t cut my limbs off all week just for me to fail on the first day. I will pass this exam, and I will make you proud."
"It is time to go," said Ethan. His heavy, dominant voice cut through the emotional room like a razor, his piercing amethyst eyes flashing with absolute readiness. The week of preparation was officially over; the gates of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion were waiting, and the frontier was about to see exactly what a true Brightsword could do.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??