Chapter 75: Conviction
[Welcome, Hunter, to the Trial Grounds. Please select a mode.]
[Assistance Mode / Combat Mode]
Su Xiao selected Assistance Mode.
[Assistance Mode selected. Please choose the level of summoned projection.]
[Low-Level Projection] 100 Paradise Coins per hour.
[Intermediate Projection] 1000 Paradise Coins per hour.
[High-Level Projection] 10000 Paradise Coins per hour.
Su Xiao pondered for a moment. He had always chosen to summon [Intermediate Projections] before. Now, he only had 11,947 Paradise Coins left. If he summoned a [High-Level Projection], he would be left with just 1,947 Paradise Coins.
However, Su Xiao could use the 1,947 Paradise Coins as capital to craft [Intermediate Psychic Bombs], netting a profit of around 4,700 Paradise Coins. Adding the cost, that would total over 6,600 Paradise Coins, enough to purchase supplies.
[High-Level Projections] cost 10,000 Paradise Coins. In Reincarnation Paradise, you get what you pay for. Su Xiao decided to take a gamble.
He had recently felt his swordsmanship hitting a bottleneck and urgently needed guidance from a strong opponent.
"Summon... High-Level Projection."
[You have chosen to summon a High-Level Projection. Random summoning in progress...]
[Selection successful. Beginning summoning of Dracule Mihawk!]
Su Xiao stood frozen in place. He had randomly summoned Hawkeye Mihawk. The High-Level Projection was indeed extraordinary.
Light converged, and the figure of Hawkeye, Dracule Mihawk, became increasingly clear. He was about two meters tall, wearing a long black coat and a black top hat adorned with white fur.
A large black broadsword was slung across his back. The sword's guard was at least half a meter long, and the entire hilt resembled a jewel-encrusted cross. This was a top-tier weapon from the One Piece world, the Black Sword: Yoru.
Hawkeye slowly opened his eyes. They were deep yellow pupils, no different from an eagle's eyes. No wonder he was called Hawkeye.
"Your fundamentals are solid. Your swordsmanship needs improvement."
Hawkeye spoke, looking Su Xiao up and down.
"Do you have a habit of meditating?"
Su Xiao was slightly surprised. How did he know?
"I meditate every day."
"Then this will be much easier."
Hawkeye slowly drew the Black Sword: Yoru from behind his back.
"I'm not used to lecturing with words. It's better for you to personally feel the gap."
The moment the words fell, Hawkeye was already in front of Su Xiao, both hands gripping the hilt of the Black Sword: Yoru. Su Xiao didn't even see the specific way the blade was swung; it was too fast. The black sword slashed across Su Xiao's chest.
Pfft, blood splattered.
Su Xiao's chest went numb, and his entire body lost control, falling backward.
He was quite frustrated. He had spent 10,000 Paradise Coins to summon Hawkeye, not to be cut down.
With a thud, Su Xiao hit the ground. A half-meter-long gash appeared on his chest, blood gushing out. A few seconds later, the wound healed.
"What did you feel?"
Hawkeye sheathed his sword.
Su Xiao sat on the ground, pondering. That slash was perfect in terms of force, speed, and angle.
"I felt..."
Su Xiao stopped mid-sentence. He couldn't describe the feeling. Hawkeye's slash was different from his own, as if it had a unique essence.
"Is it a matter of artistic conception?"
Su Xiao looked at Hawkeye.
"No, it's an understanding of yourself. Why did you take up a weapon?"
"I took it up for... revenge."
Hawkeye walked over to Su Xiao.
"Whether it's revenge or getting stronger, it's all a form of conviction. Fight with your conviction, not just by swinging a weapon with your muscles. If you do that, your achievements won't be high..."
The hour passed quickly. Hawkeye didn't teach Su Xiao any techniques or weapon skills. Instead, he emphasized one point: don't use a weapon with brute force alone.
Hawkeye's projection disappeared, and Su Xiao remained sitting on the ground.
"Conviction... the rhythm of objects... the blade in my hand."
Su Xiao held the Dragon-Slaying Flash and unconsciously swung it once.
"No, combat isn't about relying on brute force."
Su Xiao swung again. He sat there, repeating the motion of swinging the blade over and over, trying to find the essence of Hawkeye's slash.
Time passed unnoticed until his stomach growled loudly, snapping him back to reality.
"Is it already two in the morning?"
Su Xiao stood up. Just as he was about to leave the Trial Grounds, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with disbelief.
[Blade Mastery has been upgraded to Lv.13.]
Blade Mastery had jumped three levels in a row! This was completely unexpected.
"Is the effect of a High-Level Projection this strong?"
Su Xiao was puzzled. Although a [High-Level Projection] cost 10,000 Paradise Coins per hour, it shouldn't have this kind of effect.
It might be due to his long-term accumulation: high-intensity battles, daily meditation, and his passion for swordsmanship. Today, under Hawkeye's guidance, all of this came together, causing his Blade Mastery to jump three levels.
Su Xiao immediately checked the changes in Blade Mastery.
[Blade Mastery (Passive)]
Skill Effect: Increases melee attack power by 40% and proficiency with blade-type weapons.
Lv.10 Additional Ability:
Rhythm of All Things (Intermediate): This ability cannot be enhanced in Reincarnation Paradise and can only be comprehended by the Hunter themselves.
...
Not only had Blade Mastery jumped three levels, but the Rhythm of All Things had also been upgraded to Intermediate.
Su Xiao's swordsmanship had now entered the threshold, vastly different from his previous reliance on brute force.
With the Dragon-Slaying Flash upgraded to Purple quality and his Blade Mastery significantly improved, Su Xiao's strength had clearly increased.
Su Xiao took a deep breath, adjusted his state to the best, and slowly gripped the sword hilt.
Clang.
A silver thread sliced through the air in front of him, lingering for a second before disappearing.
"This feeling... is it a blade aura?"
Su Xiao had a vague sense that when his Blade Mastery reached Lv.20, he might be able to unleash a blade aura. If so, his mid-to-long-range killing ability would skyrocket.
This lifted Su Xiao's spirits. The three main attributes of the Shadow of Law Destruction were about to reach 30 points. When the new skill of the Shadow of Law Destruction unlocked, his overall strength would undergo a transformation.
Although Su Xiao wanted to go to the Arena to test how strong his swordsmanship had become, his body clearly wouldn't allow it. Waves of fatigue set in.
Su Xiao returned to his Exclusive Room to rest. In his Exclusive Room, he could rest peacefully. Just as he was sleeping soundly, a message woke him up.
'The commission has been completed. Come pick it up anytime.'
Having just woken up, this cryptic message left Su Xiao a bit confused. After checking the sender, he understood what it was about: the [Minotaur Lord Armguard] matter.
Su Xiao pushed Bubuteni off the blanket. He had been having a strange dream where he was fighting with a millstone tied to his waist, and it was a mission issued by Reincarnation Paradise...
He lightly kicked Bubuteni in annoyance, then got dressed and left the Exclusive Room. Bubuteni, that fool, was still sleeping soundly.
The bald old man was very efficient. The agreed time was to pick up the item tomorrow, but it was actually completed today.
After wandering around for twenty minutes, Su Xiao found the bald old man's shop. He had been there once before, but it still felt hard to find. No wonder business was so poor.
Entering the shop, there were others besides the bald old man: two contractors who had come to forge weapons.
"7,000 Paradise Coins is too expensive. I already spent 30,000 Paradise Coins on these Blue materials. I'll pay at most 5,000 Paradise Coins for the forging fee."
The bald old man was attending to customers. Su Xiao stood to the side without saying a word. Interrupting would be rude; first come, first served.
The bald old man curled his lip and said, "Blah blah blah. 7,000 Paradise Coins, no haggling. Did your language teacher teach you PE? Can't you understand plain words? Idiot."
The bald old man's attitude was terrible. He tossed the materials back to the contractor, with an expression that said, "Take it or leave it."
"You..."
The contractor's lips trembled with anger. His companion spoke up.
"Hammer, cursing is bad behavior. Communication between people..."
A middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses began a long-winded speech. It seemed he knew the bald old man. Five minutes later, the bald old man's forehead was bulging with veins.
Unable to stand the gold-rimmed glasses man's chatter, the bald old man pointed at the door and roared, "GET OUT!!"
"Hammer, at your age, getting angry is bad for your liver. Listen to me... (the following three thousand words omitted)"