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.

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

broken through to Martial Apprentice, and

mastered the technique to a general level. He had mastered it to a level that other

Hever wasn't satisfied with

much better he got, there

fact, his sense of inadequacy only grew stronger and

more unsatisfied with his

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

Headmaster Aronian had

lowest of techniques, as well as the highest." Headmaster Aronian told him.

paused before, continuing. "Your sense of inadequacy grows because your subconscious awareness of the

have to realize that potential." Headmaster Aronian told him as

that mean?" Hever had

want to, if you wish to keep travelling down this Path. So

years later, Hever Mandelieve stood before Nel in one of his final few matches in the twenty-seventh preliminary

had yet to master more than one

No.

he would say he hasn't mastered a

crazy story, to be honest." Rui muttered excitedly as they waited

had faced either one of the, so that alone was enough reason to spectate their match. Furthermore, this was a fight between two undefeated top rankers, the