The Martial Unity

Techniques were like weapons themselves. They allowed Martial Artists to achieve things that they would ordinarily not be able to. They allowed for greater prowess in combat. Lower-grade techniques had a marginal effect whereas higher-grade techniques could change the tide of battle.

Usually, the one with more of these weapons, and better-quality weapons won. They would usually overwhelm with a quantity or a quality advantage.

However, there was a variable that was often left unseen.

Mastery of these weapons. Mastery of these techniques.

Someone who had higher mastery of a technique would defeat someone with a lower mastery. Mastery was an important variable that had significant impact on the outcome of a clash.

Yet, there was a reason people moved on to another technique after mastering one to a satisfactory level. Learning new techniques was easier than increasing an already high mastery.

The higher the mastery, the more energy and time it took to raise that mastery. It became an inefficient exchange and the effort and energy it costed to raise the mastery even a bit simply wasn't worth it. Why spend all that time and energy for marginal gains when one could simply start mastering a new technique and make much greater progress?

This was the rationale that drove ninety-nine percent of Martial Artists to mastering multiple techniques.

Even Rui was part of this group. Perhaps he was even at the forefront of that group with sheer number of techniques he had mastered in a short amount of time.

But not Hever Mendelieve. Born in a prestigious Martial Family, he had reached Martial Apprentice even before he had joined the Academy.

Academy, he was the only Martial Apprentice to have never entered the Apprentice

Meteor Swing technique the day he broken through

had mastered it to a level that other Martial Apprentices

Hever wasn't satisfied with his

much better he got, there was always

of inadequacy only grew stronger

grew more and more unsatisfied with his mastery of

to attempt learning other techniques, but he had deigned to reject their suggestions. He would move onto other techniques after he was satisfied with his mastery of Meteor Swing, despite their unspoken

Headmaster Aronian had encouraged

well of potential and possibilities. This is true even for the lowest of techniques, as well as the highest." Headmaster Aronian told him. "Yet most never realize this until much later in their Martial Path, many have heard this, yet very few truly understand

grows because your subconscious awareness of

realize that potential." Headmaster Aronian told him as he stroked his flowing white beard. "You don't have

that mean?" Hever had asked,

isn't an obligation. It's a choice, it's a will, it's a desire." He said. "You only need to do what you want to, if you wish to keep travelling down this Path. So what is it that you want to do? Continue mastering this technique despite it yielding lower short-term growth or... abandon your training of this technique and pursue new

Mandelieve stood before Nel in one of his final few matches in the twenty-seventh preliminary contest

had yet to master more than

No.

asked, he would say he hasn't mastered a single

story, to be honest." Rui muttered excitedly as they waited for the match between Hever and Nel to

enough reason to spectate their match. Furthermore, this was a fight between two undefeated top rankers, the outcome mattered a lot and would significantly affect who would eventually become the representative of their