Chapter 103: Chapter103-Godslayer Blade

Under John's eloquent persuasion and sugar-coated barrage, Shadowcloud eventually, albeit reluctantly, forgave him.

As John had anticipated, Shadowcloud indeed came to teach him, specifically, a mystical technique coveted by countless awakeners - the "Godslayer Blade."

Turning to serious matters, Shadowcloud's demeanor changed, adopting a grave tone.

"Learning the Godslayer Blade isn't something that can be achieved overnight.

It requires a considerable amount of time and effort.

Moreover, frequent use of the Godslayer Blade can inflict severe damage on your body," he cautioned.

His eyes briefly clouded with a touch of melancholy, "And this damage is irreparable. Are you sure you want to learn it?"

Without hesitation, John affirmed, "Of course, I want to learn!"

The power of the Godslayer Blade was evident to all; it could unleash strength far beyond one's level in an instant.

In critical moments, it might just save his life.

Faced with such an opportunity, John wouldn't dream of declining.

After all, if it could preserve his life, what did side effects matter?

Shadowcloud wasn't surprised by John's decision.

With a smile, he said, "Since you've made up your mind, there's nothing more for me to say. Prepare yourself; we start training tomorrow."

John nodded eagerly.

Afterward, Shadowcloud left with Victor and others, leaving John to continue his training in the room.

Once outside the training room, Shadowcloud halted his wheelchair, turning his gaze towards Victor, who silently acknowledged, understanding Shadowcloud wanted a private word.

He led Shadowcloud to a quiet office.

Upon entering, Victor personally poured a cup of tea for the legendary awakener of the Federal.

As Shadowcloud blew gently on the mist rising from the cup, he inquired, "Has that person not been found yet?"

He referred, of course, to the shadowy figure lurking behind the scenes.

Without this individual being found, Stellarburg could not settle into peace, and they couldn't lower their guard.

Victor frowned, "There are some clues, but the person remains elusive. They might be related to House Foster, but by the time we got to them, they had vanished, likely having left Stellarburg."

Shadowcloud's brow furrowed in frustration, fearing the possibility of their adversary having left Stellarburg the most.

Within the city, though the foe was like an unstable bomb, at least they knew where the bomb was located.

Should the individual leave Stellarburg, finding them would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

With a deep look, Shadowcloud expressed, "I've always had a bad feeling about this, fearing this person might cause significant trouble for the Federal in the future."

Their goals remained unknown, and now, their only lead, House Foster, had disappeared, indicating the severity of the situation for individuals of their caliber.

Lighting a cigarette, Victor revealed, "Things have been unstable lately, with demons emerging incessantly. The Southern Sea Fortress has descended into chaos, seemingly under the influence of someone wishing to establish their divine kingdom there. And it's not just the Southern Sea Fortress; the dark gods outside the eight fortresses are restless too.

The higher-ups have already secretly dispatched powerful beings to maintain order, but it's uncertain if they can stabilize the situation."

As Shadowcloud put it, everything in this world, including gods, has its weaknesses.

Once those weaknesses are discerned, even mortals can bridge the chasm and slay gods!

This was why Shadowcloud was able to use the Godslayer Blade to intimidate a deity in his heyday.

Although it sounds simple, the execution is challenging.

Merely the first step, compressing one's power, proved to be a significant hurdle for John.

He had always believed he had decent control over his power, but it was only during the compression training that John realized his understanding of compression was fundamentally different from what Shadowcloud described.

Shadowcloud's concept of compression involves condensing one's internal power to a single point, achieving a qualitative transformation, not merely using mind power to forcibly compress elemental energy as John did with his skill fusion technique.

The two approaches are fundamentally different.

Besides teaching John how to master the Godslayer Blade, Shadowcloud also imparted knowledge that's difficult to find in books.

For instance, "mystical techniques" are essentially a form of skill fusion technique.

However, "mystical techniques" are more mature and stable, allowing others to learn or mimic them.

The "Stealth Spell" that John mastered is a mystical technique uniquely created by Shadowcloud.

Similarly, Victor's "Starfall Blade Rain" and most of his skills are also his own creations of mystical techniques.

However, Victor's situation is unique.

His mystical techniques are tailored only for him and not applicable to everyone else, which is why he cannot teach them to John.

As Shadowcloud puts it, Victor has taken the "swordsman" class to its extreme, even transcending the limitations of talent.

He has forged his own path, one that others cannot replicate.

Moreover, Shadowcloud imparted to John some knowledge about the "Divine Realm," a power that originates from the gods.

John's Crimson Realm is an instance of such a Divine Realm.

Once his strength reaches a certain threshold, he will be able to manifest the Divine Realm into the physical world at will.

Within the confines of his Divine Realm, he would wield godlike omnipotence!

However, John's current strength is too limited to harness the full potential of the Divine Realm, to the point where he can't even fully control the monsters within it.

Thus, alongside teaching John the Godslayer Blade, Shadowcloud is also guiding him on how to master the Crimson Realm.

Mastering either the Godslayer Blade or gaining control over the Crimson Realm is not something that can be achieved quickly.

John is mentally prepared for this.

In addition to learning from Shadowcloud, John continues to partake in Victor's combat training without fail.

Victor's contributions to John's education have been focused solely on combat.

No matter how John attacks, Victor can perfectly deflect his assaults with his iron staff, then counter with a seemingly effortless strike, rendering John incapacitated.

Victor's swordsmanship, at times lightning-fast and at others ghostly elusive, has left a significant psychological impact on John.

Under such rigorous training, time swiftly passes by.

Each day, John experiences both agony and ecstasy.