Chapter 91: Meteor Climbing Stance (II)

The excitement was almost contagious.

In the training grounds, students could be seen testing their newly acquired skills, their movements accompanied by flashes of elemental energy and bursts of spiritual power. Some practiced until their clothes were soaked with sweat, while others repeatedly studied the same techniques, determined to extract every possible advantage from them before the assessment.

Their confidence had grown considerably.

Of course, receiving a Rank Three skill did not automatically make someone a formidable fighter. A skill’s true value depended on the user’s mastery, compatibility, and ability to apply it under pressure. Nevertheless, even a basic understanding of a powerful technique could make a noticeable difference in combat.

With only a few days remaining, nobody wanted to waste the opportunity.

While the rest of the academy was caught up in the approaching assessment, Jackson remained in his room, completely absorbed in his own training.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes tightly closed. The room was quiet, with only the faint sounds of his breathing breaking the silence.

Two knives floated in the air around him.

Both were sharp-edged alloy weapons, their metallic surfaces catching the light whenever they changed direction. Yet the most remarkable thing about them was not their craftsmanship.

Each knife was connected to Jackson by an almost invisible strand of crystalline white light.

The strands extended from his body and attached themselves to the weapons, remaining taut even as the knives moved through the air. They were manifestations of the divine strands he had been cultivating through Meteor Climbing Stance.

With every subtle movement of his consciousness, the knives responded.

One glided forward while the other circled behind him. A moment later, they exchanged positions, their movements so smooth and coordinated that they appeared to be following a carefully choreographed dance.

Jackson’s breathing remained steady as he focused on controlling them.

For days, he had devoted nearly all his attention to understanding and practicing Meteor Climbing Stance. The technique was far more demanding than he had initially expected. Cultivating the divine strands required patience and concentration, and even a minor lapse in focus could disrupt the delicate connection between his consciousness and the weapons.

At first, he had struggled to make even a single knife respond consistently.

Maintaining control over its direction was one thing. Making it move at the precise speed and angle he intended was another. The slightest hesitation could cause the weapon to drift off course, while an excess of force could disrupt the stability of the divine strand.

But Jackson had persisted.

He repeated the same exercises countless times, gradually improving his control and learning to distribute his concentration more efficiently. Once he could control one knife reliably, he began practicing with a second.

The difficulty increased considerably.

Managing two weapons simultaneously required him to divide his attention without compromising the precision of either. He had to account for their positions, trajectories, and intended movements while maintaining the delicate strands connecting them to his consciousness.

It was a demanding process, but the results were finally beginning to show.

The two knives accelerated, tracing intersecting paths through the air before abruptly stopping on either side of him.

Neither weapon wavered.

A moment later, Jackson opened his eyes.

"I’ve finally succeeded..."

Joy was unmistakable in his voice.

After days of relentless effort, he had finally reached the Initiate Stage of Meteor Climbing Stance.

The first part of the technique had only two stages of mastery. At the Initiate Stage, a cultivator could establish stable control over two knives. Upon reaching Complete Mastery, that number would increase to five.

The difference might have seemed insignificant to someone unfamiliar with the technique, but Jackson understood how much more demanding it would be to control additional weapons simultaneously. Every new knife would introduce another variable that required attention, precision, and coordination.

Still, reaching the Initiate Stage was a substantial achievement.

He had progressed from struggling to control a single weapon to commanding two knives with enough precision to make them move almost like extensions of his own body.

Even so, Jackson was well aware that he still had a long way to go before reaching Complete Mastery.

His current accomplishment was merely the beginning.

As he contemplated his progress, the two knives began circling him again. They moved in perfect harmony, one sweeping past his shoulder while the other glided around his opposite side. Their movements followed his thoughts with increasing responsiveness, requiring less conscious effort than before.

Jackson watched them with growing satisfaction.

The technique offered more than a convenient way to control weapons remotely. It opened up entirely new possibilities for combat.

With his current level of mastery, he could attack from angles that would be difficult for an opponent to anticipate. His enemies would have to contend not only with his physical movements but also with weapons capable of changing direction independently of his hands.

And as his mastery improved, the threat would only grow.

Jackson allowed the knives to settle before withdrawing the divine strands connecting them to his consciousness. The weapons descended gently into his hands, their metallic surfaces cool against his palms.

A faint smile appeared beneath his mask.

For the first time since beginning his cultivation of Meteor Climbing Stance, he felt that his investment had truly begun to pay off.

His confidence had increased considerably.

After spending so many days confined to his room, Jackson decided to take a short break and see what the others were doing. With the month-end assessment approaching, he was curious about how much progress his fellow students had made.

He stood up, stored his knives, and left his room.

Contrary to his expectations, the main hall was almost completely empty.

Jackson paused near the entrance, his gaze sweeping across the spacious interior. The usual bustle of students moving between rooms and discussing their training was nowhere to be seen. Even the familiar sounds of conversation that generally filled the villa had disappeared, leaving behind an unusual stillness.

He looked around but found no sign of Jonathan or Jackal.

Angela was absent as well.

For a moment, Jackson wondered whether something had happened. However, after giving the matter a little thought, he quickly dismissed the possibility.

With less than five days remaining before the assessment, it was only natural that everyone would be focused on improving their strength. Jonathan was ambitious enough to take the competition seriously, while Jackal was unlikely to waste an opportunity to secure a better ranking.

As for Angela, she had always carried herself with considerable pride. Someone like her would hardly be content with an ordinary result when competing against the academy’s most talented students.

They were probably training somewhere else or making use of the academy’s facilities.

Jackson shook his head.

Everyone is working hard. I can’t afford to fall behind, either.

Although he had made considerable progress over the past few days, he was not satisfied with his current strength. Reaching the Initiate Stage of Meteor Climbing Stance had improved his combat options, but the technique was only one part of his overall cultivation.

If he wanted to stand out during the assessment, he needed to strengthen his spiritual space as well.

With that decision made, Jackson returned to his room and opened the academy’s private network.

His next target was a large number of Peak Rank Three monster cores.

Their attributes did not matter much to him. Earth, air, fire, water, or any other attribute would do, provided the cores contained enough energy to nourish his spiritual space.

The Shadow Titan Nurturing Method was exceptionally demanding when it came to resources. Ordinary cultivation techniques did not consume monster cores at anything close to the same rate, which was one of the main reasons many students who had chosen it in the past had eventually abandoned the method.

Jackson, however, possessed an advantage they lacked.

The Golden Brush.

With its ability to alter attributes, he did not need to waste time searching for rare shadow-type monster cores. He could purchase whatever suitable cores were available, modify their attributes, and use them to cultivate.

The only remaining question was how to obtain enough of them.

The academy’s official exchange was an option, but his contribution points were limited. Purchasing a thousand Peak Rank Three monster cores through ordinary channels would require resources he could not afford.

Fortunately, Jackson had another source of wealth.

The loot he had collected from the demonic hunters.

He had already decided to sell the treasures he did not need rather than allow them to gather dust in his storage. After examining his options, he visited the black market, where he could trade the spoils for mana stones and use the proceeds to purchase the resources he required.

The process took time, but the result was worth the effort.

By the time Jackson had finished his transactions, he had managed to acquire approximately one thousand monster cores. Most belonged to monsters with earth or air attributes, largely because those were the types he had been able to obtain in the greatest quantities.

Looking at the collection, Jackson felt a sense of satisfaction.

For most Awakened, such a mountain of Peak Rank Three monster cores would represent a considerable fortune. For him, they were cultivation resources waiting to be put to use.

He immediately summoned the Golden Brush.

Its familiar presence appeared before him, ready to carry out his instructions.

Jackson began modifying the monster cores one after another, changing their attributes to shadow. Each successful alteration transformed an otherwise unsuitable resource into something compatible with the Shadow Titan Nurturing Method.

Once the process was complete, he began consuming the cores.

The Shadow Titan Nurturing Method activated, drawing out the energy contained within them and converting it into nourishment for his spiritual space. Rather than allowing the energy to disperse, the technique directed it toward the boundary wall surrounding his spiritual space, strengthening its structure and gradually refining its composition.

Jackson focused on the process.

The boundary wall was the foundation upon which his future advancement depended. Its strength determined how much energy his spiritual space could withstand and how effectively it could support further growth. If he wanted to progress toward the next stage, he needed to ensure that the wall was sufficiently reinforced.

One after another, the monster cores were consumed.

The energy they contained flowed through the technique, steadily nourishing the boundary wall. Jackson could feel the changes taking place as the wall became increasingly stable, its structure approaching the limit that his current cultivation method could achieve.

He continued without interruption.

Hours passed, and the enormous collection of monster cores gradually dwindled. What had initially appeared to be an almost inexhaustible supply was eventually reduced to nothing.

By then, Jackson’s spiritual boundary wall had reached its limit.

He slowly opened his eyes and examined the results of his cultivation.

The wall had absorbed all the nourishment the monster cores could provide at this stage. Continuing to feed it additional resources would no longer produce the same benefits. He had reached the point where the next step was no longer a matter of accumulating more energy.

It was time to reinforce the boundary wall with runes.

Jackson’s gaze sharpened as he recalled the next stage of the Shadow Titan Nurturing Method. The reinforcing runes would further strengthen the wall, preparing it for the advancement he had been working toward.

He was eager to begin.

After spending so much time and so many resources cultivating the technique, he wanted to see the results of his efforts as soon as possible. The prospect of strengthening his spiritual space further was difficult to ignore, especially with his longer-term goal of reaching Fourth Sequence within a year.

However, even Jackson had limits.

By the time he finished consuming the monster cores and preparing for the next stage, the hours had slipped away. He had been so absorbed in cultivation that he had barely noticed the passage of time.

When he finally checked the clock, the date had already changed.

It was morning.

And today was the day of the month-end assessment.