Pillar of Yita

But the King of Warriors took a step back, parrying, without using any other abilities, engaging purely in swordsmanship with him. With a single block, he diverted the Energy Angel’s sword, lightly disarming the attack.

After one strike, they separated, then advanced again, clashing swords three times, sparks flying between their consecutive hits.

Fang Hong then realized the opponent’s difficulty, although the opponent had repressed his strength to the extreme, only using pure swordsmanship against him, every time he allowed the Energy Angel to advance, the opponent could predict his intention faster, then block his movements.

Though a Heavy Swordsman is not known for speed, Fang Hong intentionally increased his speed every time, yet he was suppressed and couldn’t raise it at all.

When he lost focus, Odin stepped forward and ended the combat with a thrust.

The Energy Angel, losing its power, drooped.

Odin shook his head, signaling him to repair it, then replied, ”This won’t do.”

Fang Hong wiped the sweat, looking up at him in confusion.

”How much experience have you used?” Odin asked.

”About half.”

Odin shook his head, ”I told you to learn Swordsman’s skills, but not to use these sword arts against me. No matter how much you learn, can you be more professional than a real warrior? You must remember you are a Combat Artisan, you cannot invest all your experience into combat skills.”

He pointed this out, ”And you must understand what the purpose of learning combat skills is. Learning swordsmanship is not for using swordsmanship, but for understanding swordsmanship. You’re using swordsmanship against me, but you’re unaware of a warrior’s professional ability - Sword Reading, a skill that a Combat Artisan cannot manifest through Constructs.”

”I can judge your next move from your initial stance, and the Dragon Knight System can help me do that too because I possess a vast amount of warrior experience. Using such an approach against me won’t let you withstand three moves in my hands.”

At this point, Odin paused:

”Understand?”

”...Learning swordsmanship is not for using swordsmanship, but for understanding swordsmanship?” Fang Hong slightly frowned, chewing over the words repeatedly. He repaired the Energy Angel as he contemplated, then nodded.

”Truly understood?”

”Yes.”

”Good then.” Odin raised his sword, the hilt aligned beneath its center, with the blade angled towards Fang Hong’s face, adopting a plow stance, ”This time I’ll change tactics, and I’ll tell you I’ll use Thin Window to threaten your upper line and deliver a fatal blow. Can you guard against it? Give it a try?”

Fang Hong merely nodded.

The King of Warriors slightly closed his eyes, and when he suddenly opened them, he stepped forward, his Great Sword slicing forth a myriad of luminosity, aiming straight for the Energy Angel’s face.

The speed was so quick, it caught Fang Hong off guard. Yet at the critical moment, he calmed—he had studied this strike, though superficially, but enough to analyze Odin’s intent.

This was precisely what the opponent wanted him to learn.

He raised his right hand, finding the opponent’s true attack trajectory amidst a storm of blows, then raised his sword, blocking consecutively. The sparks flying seemed to confirm it was a precise judgment—but it was far from enough, after all, it was just a conventional Swordsman’s response—yet he wasn’t a Swordsman.

Moreover, even as a Swordsman, how many could stand as Odin’s match?

Odin suddenly from a mass of silver blooms transformed a true sword edge, from an inconceivable angle, altering thrust into a slash, sweeping the Energy Angel’s neck. If this strike landed solidly, the Construct would likely be instantly rendered useless.

But at that precise moment, the Energy Angel suddenly flickered, Odin’s blade seemed to strike a phantom among water ripples, dispersing. The silver maiden then vanished, only to reappear blinking behind the King of Warriors.

Odin without thought transferred the Great Sword from left hand to right, backhandedly striking, sending the Energy Angel flying with a ’whoosh’.

It crashed into a tree and tumbled down.

Yet he stopped, this time nodding in satisfaction.

He looked toward Fang Hong, speaking: ”This is how a Combat Artisan should be, a Combat Artisan does not make their Constructs learn a single profession’s techniques rigidly, but must leverage the Constructs’ true characteristics—”

”Even forsaking the Construct when necessary because this is a Combat Artisan’s greatest advantage. Using other profession’s skills, you cannot defeat other professions, only by leveraging your own professional advantage can you win.”

Odin instructed word by word:

”Anyone wishing to advance further in their profession must understand this—mediocrity offers no way out, specialization and excellence are your key to standing out. While Combat Artisans seem versatile, it can ironically lead to blind spots as this profession also possesses its own distinctiveness.”

Fang Hong nodded in deep agreement nearby.

He originally thought a warrior couldn’t teach him much, but the facts proved him wrong, a top Invoker is truly a top Invoker, though it was merely half a day’s practice—but he felt he had gained immensely.

Odin taught him mostly classic combat skills, some of which he could never learn through community avenues.

At this moment, behind them came the sound of applause.

Fang Hong turned around, seeing a lady with a beige trench coat stepping out of a tree hollow there. The other person smiled slightly, ”Little guy, long time no see. Didn’t expect just arriving to hear such a wonderful lecture.”

”But that foolish warrior got one page right, Combat Artisans certainly have their own line of thinking,” she replied, ”but we remain the strongest.”

Fang Hong stared in astonishment at the lady, although Odin told him he would find some ’instructors’ for him.

He didn’t expect the person brought would be the Construct Queen.

”Nether, Lady Nether...”

However, Nether paid him no heed.

She only looked at Odin, speaking: ”Today this little guy is mine, okay?”

Upon hearing this, Odin nodded.

...