Sword God in a World of Magic

"Is this truly what you want?" Shang asked as he faced his student.

His student was a black-haired man who seemed to be in his thirties, and he was also over two meters tall, which was quite intimidating.

Surprisingly, he didn't have an Affinity.

However, not having an Affinity also increased someone's physical power by a little bit.

"Is fighting this aggressively truly what you wish for?" Shang asked.

The student looked to the ground as he furrowed his brows in thought.

"Do I have a choice?" the student asked.

"Yes, you always have a choice," Shang said. "You can follow whatever Path you want to follow, Duma."

Duma, Shang's student, wasn't quite sure what he should answer. "But what if my Path doesn't lead to an Impose, Master?"

Shang slowly shook his head. "The principle of Impose is to impose your will upon the world around you. The world is not the one that decides what gets an Impose or not. You are the one."

"Duma, you view yourself as a protector, not a killer," Shang said. "You told me that your goal is to protect your loved ones, correct?"

Duma nodded.

"Then, you should follow a Path that shows that. The Path you have established is a Path of the shield, and you broke into the True Path Stage with that. The gladius you use as an actual weapon hasn't received its own Path."

"Yet, as soon as you became my student, you started to emulate my way of fighting. You are using your shield to throw the enemy to the side, to crush them, and to break their balance, but you are not using it to block an attack or push the enemy away."

"Watching me train and fight has given you the illusion that following my Path is the only way to become powerful."

Duma didn't look at Shang's face.

"Is what I have taught you over the last two years worth just this much?" Shang asked in an even voice. "Are you someone that simply follows what others do? Have I not taught you to think and decide for yourself?"

None of the two of them said anything.

At the moment, Duma's imposing figure stood in front of the corpse of an Early True Path Stage corpse, but in front of Shang, he felt tiny.

a bit smaller than Duma in stature, and Shang's

Duma, his Master felt

for?" Shang asked after a while. "Following orders?

say anything

he said after a couple of seconds. "Not

Shang didn't answer.

had to develop your Impose without any guidance. That requires tremendous

at the ground,

to blindly follow what you are doing, but just

my power just to find out that my work has been for nothing

have established several Imposes, and your Colossal Sword Path seems very fitting

that what everyone is essentially doing? After all, we are all learning from our predecessors," Duma

anything for several

to create a weak Impose with their Path, you will never be above-average in Battle-Strength, and you can forget about reaching the Sixth

slowly raised his eyes to

Silence.

True Path Stage was

to live in a castle with my family. I

towns and cities. How many people can claim to

Sixth Realm. Just the Fifth Realm is enough for

didn't say anything

"Fine," Shang said coldly.

SHING!

a thick

at the cover and saw the words Mana Pathway

SHING!

additional thick books and also threw

to a beast's and a

actually create an aggressive Impose for your shield, you have to change your Mana Pathways. You created a defensive Path for your shield, and the world has created Mana Pathways

books. Learn the Spell. Get more

of the Adamantite Branch Seeds, and you will eventually create

might need 100 to 200

shock and surprise at all the

always taught him in a very roundabout and difficult

things, and he said that reaching

realized why there was such a glaring difference between the two ways his Master had taught