“Next is the external sword aura. Frankly speaking, although I did predict that you’d choose external sword aura, I still want to remind you that it relies on the elements despite having amazing lethality at first. The prerequisite requirements are very difficult, because it’s connected with the requirement level for Basic Meditation. In addition, it can be very troublesome once it is restrained. Are you sure there won’t be a problem?” Cheng Na confirmed once she was alone with him.
“No problem.” Xiao Lin actually hesitated, but he thought of Lilith. He had seen that woman fight in The Final Land, and if things were as he expected, Lilith had likely used her external sword aura too.
“Let’s start then!”
Cheng Na did not explain immediately, unlike when she was teaching Cheng Ming earlier. Instead, she turned her wrist and fished out her large black sword from the void. She brandished it and said, “The threshold to entering practice of external sword aura is more troublesome than internal sword aura. It’ll be harder to explain in simple language, so I’ll show you directly.”
Cheng Na was already swinging her big sword without waiting for Xiao Lin to speak. In an instant, purple electricity intertwined all around the blade, causing sparks as a result of friction with the air. After a set of Basic Swordsmanship moves, the air seemed to heat up with the electric ions flowing freely around, making Xiao Lin’s skin feel a little numb.
“Do you understand?” Cheng Na asked.
Xiao Lin thought for a moment and shook his head.
Cheng Na skipped all the nonsense and demonstrated it again. It was a few simple swordsmanship movements, just like before, but the purpose of her demonstration was not to show those moves. She said indifferently, “What’s important in external sword aura is the power of your own comprehension. It’s purely a matter of personal talent.”
“Are there requirements for the basic level of meditation?”
“In theory, as your Basic Meditation reaches level one–which means you’re already beginning to feel the presence of the four elements—you can guide them to release the sword aura. But if your Basic Meditation level is high enough, it might be easier to master external sword aura.”
Xiao Lin was somewhat distressed. If Cheng Na’s level was lower, he would have wanted to use his Academic Genius talent to replicate her skills. Unfortunately, the woman was a graduate, and her level of sword aura would surely have exceeded the range with which he could replicate.
“Don’t look with your eyes. Feel with your heart. Since you’ve taken spell courses, you ought to know that the elements can be felt in a meditative state. On the other hand, external sword aura doesn’t require you to fully perceive the elements, so there’s no need to enter the meditative state. Remember, you’re guiding it! It’s almost like you’re drawing upon them with your own power to control the elements.”
Cheng Na explained it as simply as possible, but it was obvious that she had limited understanding when it came to spell-related knowledge. It was unsurprising that she gave up external sword aura and learnt internal sword aura. She did not seem to be that proficient in internal sword aura.
After dozens of repeated demonstrations, Cheng Na began panting slightly. She put away her huge sword and said, “Let’s stop here for today. You don’t have to be discouraged. It’s really much harder to get started with internal sword aura. You’re considered successful if you can enter the initial stages of practice before the end of the month.”
“Excuse me, Tutor. What’s exactly different with this monthly exam?” Xiao Lin asked quickly.
Cheng Na stopped and looked at him with surprise for a moment. “Didn’t the dean mention it to you?”
Xiao Lin smiled bitterly. “The dean just told me that this exam will be different. Okay, I know what you want to say, but I just want to say that I have no relation with the dean, and I’m sure you know the dean’s penchant for fairness. He could not possibly disclose the contents to me in advance.”
Cheng Na’s gaze eased slightly and she sighed, much to his surprise. “The Academic Affairs Department had actually decided on the map for the upcoming monthly exam, but the dean gave a last-minute notification to replace it. I can’t say much, but you have to pay attention. This exam is… Um… It’s very special.”
“Excuse me, Tutor. Do you know if there’s anyone on campus who mastered external sword aura?” It’s not that Xiao Lin did not believe in his understanding, but it was obviously a waste of time to continue like that. He could not possibly spend the rest of the month on that, so the best way was undoubtedly to replicate first, and experience external sword aura within the limited three minutes. He believed that he could get started quickly after that.
Cheng Na was even more surprised than he was. “You have a good relationship with Department Head Song, right? Don’t you know that he used to be the academy’s famous elemental sword aura master? There aren’t a lot of people in Dawn Academy who chose external sword aura, and even fewer are able to learn it to a higher level. Department Head Song is one of the best, but it’s a damn shame.”
Her last sentence lamented how Song Junlang fell from Gold-rank back to Bronze-rank. Xiao Lin was dumbfounded after hearing that, but he was overjoyed after Cheng Na left. The result was better than he expected! If Song Junlang was only at Bronze-rank, it would mean that his sword aura was not that high a level.
After going through that day’s lessons, Xiao Lin was incredibly excited to rush to the logistics department. Song Junlang was toying with his little dragon-eagle. The little guy was growing almost at a speed visible to the naked eye, and it was no longer kept inside a bird cage. Because of that, Department Head Song had specially prepared a very spacious room to be used as the residence of dragon-eagle; something which he had been busy with for the past two days.
“Elemental sword aura?” After hearing Xiao Lin’s answer, Song Junlang—who was busy in a private chat—suddenly stopped moving and had a strange look. “I haven’t participated in a battle for many years now. Why did you think to bring it up today?”
“I just want to know what level your elemental sword aura is. Umm, it’d be better to describe your evaluation to me. What evaluation is it equivalent to?”
Song Junlang did not pay attention to Xiao Lin’s eager gaze. He continued to bury his head in the private chat and said casually, “Well, that’s hard to say. I reached the advanced elemental sword aura at my peak, so the evaluation might be equivalent to C or B. I can’t remember. But that’s what it used to be. I can only use basic elemental sword aura, at the most, now. In terms of evaluation. Well, it’s probably equivalent to Grade E.”
“Great!” Xiao Lin cheered.
“Huh? Great?”
“Umm, that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry for you. But… Forget it, that’s settled then. I’ll come to you again in a bit.” Xiao Lin wanted to explain, but he simply said goodbye and left Song Junlang with a confused look.
Song Junlang’s elemental sword aura was only Grade E. Xiao Lin’s Academic Genius skill could replicate skills up to Grade F, but it was not a problem. Xiao Lin remembered the dean saying that he would help to double the SS-level talent’s advancement within half a month. With that, his talent would definitely be stronger, and he might even be able to copy Song Junlang’s Basic Sword Aura by then.
