Sword God in a World of Magic

Contestant 1 and contestant 12 looked at Lei with narrowed eyes.

They had heard of these strange warriors that didn't follow either of the two established paths, but they hadn't seen one of them yet.

"What authority do you have to call me a Barbarian?" contestant 1 asked.

"What else are you?" Lei said. "We can all agree that True Path Stage warriors are warriors, but that is where the lineage of warriors has ended in the Lightning Manor's territory."

Nearly everyone's eyes shone in understanding and recognition.

In the Lightning Manor's territory?

Now, they knew where these warriors were coming from and why they were making trouble.

This was a rivalry between Empires.

"The person that has created the True Path Stage was a pioneer for warriorkind, but the people that invented the Diamond Body Stage and Weapon Variance Stage were not."

"They were pioneers for Barbariankind and Weapon-Master-Kind."

"What is a Diamond Body?" Lei asked rhetorically. "Isn't it just an expansion of the Bloodline Infusion?"

The two contestants narrowed their eyes when they heard about the Bloodline Infusion.

It was possible that the warriors in a different territory created a True Path Stage separately, but the chances of them creating something as specific as the Bloodline Infusion were incredibly low.

This meant that the knowledge of these mysterious warriors derived from Area 23.

"Would you call the Bloodline Infusion a path of its own?" Lei asked with a smirk. "No, it isn't. It is just a basic tool for warriors. It is an addition to a warrior's power, not its own thing."

"Yet, look at you," Lei said to contestant 1 with a snort. "You refined the Bloodline Infusion and pushed it one step further. You managed to transform your spine into a storage for Mana, increasing the overall level of Mana inside your body."

"That is an amazing accomplishment," Lei said. "However, instead of using it to increase the warriors' powers, you say this is the path forward."

"At most, you are a Barbarian, but in truth, you are someone that slaughtered the golden goose that lays golden eggs. You can increase your power quickly in the short term, but you will ruin your future."

"And not just yours. You ruin every warrior's future."

"Do you know what I think of your Diamond Body Stage?"

Lei held his hand out.

SHING!

of pills appeared in

think of your Diamond Body Stage," he said before throwing the bottle

he opened

he looked at them,

body in the entire world,

to let anything show on his face, but deep

was a heavy

complex, the Bloodline Infusion

obviously. The Diamond Body only transformed one part of a body into Mana, while the Bloodline Infusion changed

become public knowledge and the sheer amount of work that was required to

monumental procedure

Something this fundamental.

Something this complex.

Something this advanced.

a small bottle

of medicine. You only have to take it for

will be any different?"

CRACK!

bottle of pills blew apart as contestant

from the body of a True Path Stage warrior, and a Soldier Stage warrior can't withstand the pressure of the Diamond Body traveling

and the Diamond Body

continued smirking at

said. "They

Diamond Body

his best to keep

Lei asked. "You think we wouldn't notice the

exchange for more power,

of your body that just releasing a tiny bit will fill all of your Mana Pathways. Performing intricate techniques requires incredible control, and

You have more physical

exactly

1's hands turned white as his grip on

managed to enrage contestant 1 to this degree before, but this Lei did it in less than five

Lei said as he turned to the silent contestant 12, "your Path could be considered to be an actual Path, but it is not the

12 said in an even voice. He wasn't nearly as outraged as contestant 1. In fact, he felt actually quite good right now since Lei managed to publicly lay out

of all trades, master of

12 didn't react as strongly as contestant 1 to