Breaching Heaven

Continuously circulating qi throughout his meridians, Zhenya felt refreshed. This was great; the feeling of getting stronger felt wonderful. Losing track of time as he cultivated to his heart's content, time slowly passed. From evening to morning.

Until he suddenly jerked awake, nearly falling over sideways. "Huh? What?" he mumbled, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth. Looking up at the bright sun, he realized with embarrassment that he had dozed off while cultivating.

"So much for being a dedicated cultivator," he grumbled to himself, stretching his stiff muscles.

His stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl, reminding him that in all his excitement about cultivation, he had completely forgotten about eating. Looking around the island, he stood up, searching for something to eat.

"Only a couple apples hanging on the tree. I should hurry and practice the other techniques," he said as he bit into an apple.

"This apple tastes so good! I also feel qi entering my meridians. Is this spiritual fruit?" His eyes widened. Something so rare was just hanging on that tree. Was this a special place then?

With a big smile, he continued munching on the apple, and after finishing three, he felt completely satiated.

"Now onto the next part. First I cultivated, and now I should see if any of the other techniques are useful."

Sitting down, he closed his eyes, imagining the three other manuals he had yet to open. "Serene Tide Sword Art. Oh, a sword art—this will definitely be useful for the test. I'll start with this one."

Opening his eyes after finishing the manual, he scanned the island for a sword or anything he could use as a substitute. But there was only a huge tree in the middle.

"A huge tree is perfect. I can use a branch to practice."

Zhenya approached the massive tree, his mind already focused on the technique. He reached up and snapped off a sturdy branch, holding it like a sword. The branch was light but firm in his grip.

"Let's see what this sword art can do," he muttered, settling into a stance. He visualized the movements from the manual, recalling the fluid motions of the Serene Tide Sword Art.

With a deep breath, Zhenya swung the branch in a wide arc, the motion slow. Then he transitioned into a more defensive stance while still moving the branch fluidly. From the left to the right, forward then back. He was fluidly moving his body and sword as if he were a wave.

His stance shifting with each step, a series of flowing movements building in rhythm. It wasn't perfect, but he could feel the technique working. The technique focused on fluidly transitioning between offense and defense. Like water, become flexible.

As time passed, Zhenya's movements became more connected and more fluid, his posture steadier. The strikes becoming faster, and his footwork rapidly improving. With each swing he could feel his control improving.

"Not bad for a first try," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He took a moment to rest, letting his mind settle as he replayed the movements he had just practiced. His thoughts focusing on the fluidity of the transitions. 

Now, he thought, it was time to move to the harder part. Trying to master the individual techniques within the Serene Tide Sword Art. He recalled the first move: Tidal Slash.

Zhenya stepped into position, recalling the first move. He held the branch with one hand, remembering the manual's instructions to keep his movements fluid. He swung the branch in a wide arc, but the motion felt off, too stiff, too mechanical.

"The wave must flow," he mumbled, taking a deep breath. "It's about grace, not just strength." He tried again, allowing the motion to flow through his body, his arms guided by the rhythm of the wave. This time, the branch moved more naturally, but he could still feel it lacking something. Remembering the manual's notes: Tidal Slash requires the transition between offense and defense to be seamless, like a wave ebbing and flowing. It wasn't enough just to strike. He needed this strike to be part of his swordplay. So he could use it at a moment's notice to catch enemies off guard.

As he kept repeating the same moves over and over again, he started improving his Tidal Slash slowly. But he couldn't keep going forever, so after he had practiced for the whole afternoon, he fell down headfirst into the grass, too exhausted to even move a finger. 

As Zhenya lay in the grass, his body sore from hours of practice, a satisfied smile lingered on his face. He had pushed himself to the limit, but it had felt worth it. His limbs heavy, he quickly drifted off into a deep sleep, his mind still immersed in the sword art.

From a distance, Solvara, who had been watching him with quiet amusement, shook his head in disbelief. "How does he manage to practice that long? Did he enter a trance or something?"

"Well, at least I know the test is not going to be boring," he said as he just kept watching Zhenya peacefully sleep.

The next morning, Zhenya awoke to the bright sunlight streaming across the island. His muscles ached, and his face was drenched in sweat. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes, looking around to see if Solvara had returned yet. The test was supposed to begin soon, wasn't it?

For now, he needed to gather his strength; his stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten since yesterday. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, he staggered over to the tree and plucked a few more apples, their sweetness refreshing and invigorating.

After finishing his meal, he took a few deep breaths and sat in a cross-legged position, settling into his cultivation. The qi flowed through him, rejuvenating his body and mind.

Once he felt more centered, he stood up and stretched, ready to continue his training. His sword art still needed a lot of work, but he had made progress. Without hesitation, he moved into position with his branch and began to repeat the same movements as yesterday.

The sword art felt a bit more familiar now, his movements smoother, more controlled, but still lacking something that he wasn't sure what it was. He practiced again and again, refining the movements, focusing on the transitions, trying to capture the essence of the technique.

After some time, Zhenya took a break, wiping sweat from his brow. Exhausted, he went to the edge of the island to wash up. Jumping straight into the ocean, he felt it cool him down immediately, washing away the exhaustion that had been building up from practicing all morning.

Stepping out of the ocean, he lay down on the beach. His body exhausted. "I'll take a small break and afterward try and learn the movement technique."