The Martial Unity

"Perhaps it is more viable at the Apprentice Realm, but it becomes increasingly difficult for Martial Artists of higher Realms." Headmaster Aronian explained. "Martial Squires exert an enormous amount of force. Yet even they are akin to children before the might of Martial Seniors. The gap in power between the two Realms is as large as that of the gap between the Apprentice Realm. And above that Realm lies the Martial Master Realm. Martial Masters such as myself are capable of exerting titanic amounts of force far beyond anything you could even close to beginning to fathom."

He paused. "Of course, I am merely a retired old man who is far weaker than I was in my prime. Who knows? perhaps even you can defeat me, hohoho." He chuckled mirthfully.

Rui's eyebrow twitched at those words. Even though headmaster Aronian restricted the pressure his mind exerted, even the tiniest shreds of the weight of his mind were enough to strain Rui. There wasn't the faintest doubt in the latter's mind that headmaster Aronian could erase every trace of his existence with the slightest bit of exertion.

"But you get the point." Headaster Aronian continued. "It's highly resource-intensive. Not only that but forging a weapon of enough quality to be worthy of a Martial Artist requires among the most skilled blacksmiths. However, the incredible toughness of the materials needed to forge the weapons is incredibly high. This means that the forging process is extremely difficult. Forging even a single weapon requires a massive amount of heat and powerful esoteric technology. The same is true for maintenance. It's an extremely expensive endeavor."

"I see..." Rui nodded. This made a lot of sense, it perfectly explained why weapon usage was common among humans, but not among Martial Artists. "Thank you for your explanations, Headmaster Aronian."

"Hoho, not at all." Headmaster Aronian. "Is there anything else you came to see me for?"

"No, this was all. Sorry for taking your time. I'll take my leave then." Rui said, bowing deeply.

"Mmm." He nodded. "You're at a crucial stage in your Martial Path. Soon, this Academy will no longer be able to be worthy of you, you will begin your life as an independent Martial Artist. You have important decisions ahead of you. More than anything, make sure you stay true to your Martial Path at the end of the day."

headmaster," Rui affirmed.

around and left the

doors closed behind him as he headed towards

Martial Path.')

of the two choices was truer to his Martial Path? A path of speedy mastery of techniques, or a path that empowered the very core of his Martial Art that he

part with

Especially a technique that could potentially

As long as he did everything he could, the probability that something

out his communication device, sending a message to Squire Grillogan, informing him of his

stage where I retain my growth speed advantage." Rui murmured with a tinge of resignation. "I really have

mindset one had when stocking up as much discounted food as possible before the prices went

reached the Apprentice

He mused. He was pretty certain about this. Regardless of whether he became a Squire Candidate from this training stage or not, he would be leaving the Academy. It had begun to feel like a dull shackle that no longer provided him with much more utility.

training stage at the Martial Academy." Rui murmured, walking in. The Apprentice

He wondered. ('What to

mind up. Though he was sure about the avenues of his Martial Art that he most certainly did not want