Charlot Mecklenburg gazed at the meteor hammer in deep thought. Julian Arsilo, who had come to call him for dinner, couldn’t help but ask, “What’s troubling you this time?”
Charlot replied, “I feel the meteor hammer doesn’t quite suit me.”
Julian nodded in agreement. “It’s indeed not very suitable for you.”
“Although the meteor hammer technique of the Southern Orc Tribes employs unique power techniques and isn’t purely reliant on brute strength, without exceptional strength, many of its moves can’t be fully utilized.”
Charlot pondered for a moment and then asked, “What do you think about tying a dagger to the end of a long rope?”
Julian’s expression turned aghast as he exclaimed, “What kind of weapon is that? It surely can’t be practical!”
Charlot silently thought, You’ve never seen it before, so you don’t know how versatile a rope dart can be.
After contemplating for a long time, he said, “Find me a long rope and two short daggers.”
Julian did as requested. Old Flor’s shop stocked all kinds of weapons, so obtaining a rope and some ordinary daggers wasn’t difficult.
In his past life, Charlot had been a math teacher with no training in traditional martial arts, let alone rope dart techniques. His only exposure came from occasionally scrolling through short videos featuring martial arts experts like Yan Yan Shijie and Han Liang Laoshi on Bilibili. However, Charlot had mastered the Southern Orc Tribes’ throwing knife techniques and had trained in meteor hammer techniques. His foundation was stronger than that of ordinary martial artists.
Charlot measured and cut the rope to the appropriate length, tied the daggers securely, and flicked one with his finger. A dagger shot out like lightning, reached the end of the rope, and was pulled back with a sharp jerk. The dagger rebounded into the air, looping in a dazzling arc.
Combining his throwing knife techniques with the meteor hammer method and drawing on the rope dart maneuvers he had seen, Charlot quickly adapted to this improvised weapon. Most importantly, he could channel his bloodflame aura into it...
After watching for a short while, Julian’s expression changed dramatically. Even he could tell that while this new weapon had many drawbacks on the battlefield, it was practically unfair in a duel.
The throwing knife’s speed was far greater than that of a rapier or a knight’s lance. While ordinary throwing knives were spent after being thrown, the rope dart could be repeatedly launched.
What made it even more formidable was that this was a world of extraordinary abilities. Unlike Earth’s martial artists, both Julian and Charlot had mastered Wings of the Young Dragon and could move with incredible speed, allowing them to fight while keeping a distance from their opponents.
Recalling an unsold dagger in his possession, Julian decided to withdraw it from sale. He planned to return to Byron and pair it with a vampiric dagger before commissioning an alchemy master to create a transcendent-level rope dart.
Charlot completed a sequence with the weapon, then shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, Julian interjected, “That dagger has already been sold.”
Charlot laughed. “That’s not what I was going to say. This weapon is better than I expected, but it has one flaw—it’s ineffective against heavily armored opponents.”
Julian suddenly understood. He thought to himself, The other dagger must not be a vampiric weapon. It needs to have armor-piercing and anti-magic properties.
Charlot tossed the makeshift rope dart to Julian. Without armor-piercing attributes, it wouldn’t be able to breach Count Lamorak’s frost dragon battle energy. The heavy meteor hammer remained the more reliable choice.
Even though the meteor hammer wasn’t a transcendent weapon, its sheer weight and immense kinetic energy when swung could force any transcendent to avoid it at all costs.
When Charlot had fought Big Bear, he had been suppressed by the opponent’s meteor hammer and couldn’t close the distance. He had many ways to turn the tide—using firearms, for instance—but relying on the rapier alone to counter the meteor hammer was nearly impossible.
Julian, inspired by Charlot’s rope dart technique, felt a little guilty and said, “If you’re going to duel Count Lamorak, you should practice your lance skills. Why don’t I help you train with the Arsilo Family’s lance techniques for a few days?”
Charlot had only acquired the Angel’s Thorn techniques from Blood Rose, and Julian had helped him complete the Arsilo Family’s secret manual. This gave Charlot an understanding of their lance techniques.
The Arsilo Family, an ancient lineage of swordsmen, practiced battle energy techniques even older than standard combat energy.
Combat energy was cultivated from a power seed into an energy source, deriving from the knight’s abundant life essence.
Battle energy, on the other hand, involved refining a spiritual seed, born of the warrior’s indomitable will and unwavering combat spirit!
The Arsilo Family’s lance techniques, distinct from the knightly lancing methods popular on the Old Continent, were called Wings of the Sky.
At the lower levels, these techniques emphasized speed, while at higher levels, they focused on spiritual suppression.
Saint-rank practitioners of Wings of the Sky were known to exude such overwhelming spiritual auras that enemies mistook them for descending deities, surrendering without a fight.
Julian, often hailed as Byron’s youngest “Celestial,” owed much of his reputation to his mastery of lance techniques. He aspired to earn military glory on the battlefield and devoted seventy percent of his efforts to Wings of the Sky. His progress in Angel’s Twelve Movements, by comparison, was modest, leaving him at a middle-tier transcendent level, slightly inferior to Charlot.
Charlot knew that no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to achieve significant progress in lance techniques in just a few days. That was why he had initially abandoned lance training in favor of the meteor hammer. However, since Julian offered to spar with him, it wouldn’t hurt to accept.
Borrowing a knight’s lance from Julian, Charlot prepared for the training. While Julian had his own lance, it would have been excessive to use a transcendent weapon during practice, so he too chose an ordinary knight’s lance.
The two squared off in the underground training field of Old Flor’s shop. Charlot, aware of his own mediocre lance skills, launched the first strike to seize the initiative.
Wings of the Sky consisted of seventy-seven forms and was rooted in Stardust Battle Energy, derived from Angel’s Thorn. Although Charlot hadn’t practiced much, his initial thrust was impressively swift.
Julian, a true lance expert, smiled faintly at Charlot’s attempt. With a subtle motion, he pressed down with his lance, causing Charlot to lose his balance and slide forward, only to be toppled by a well-placed knee strike.
Rising to his feet, Charlot said in frustration, “I know how to counter that move with a rapier, but using a lance feels cumbersome.”
Julian explained, “While lance and sword techniques share similar principles, there are crucial differences. The Arsilo Family’s Wings of the Sky manual emphasizes the following for offensive moves: ‘Do not leave the south open, do not leave the north unguarded; avoid low in the east and high in the west; advance straight.’
“For defensive maneuvers: ‘The upper area must not be exposed, and the lower must not be neglected. Defend the inner circle, not the outer. Block above, not below. Parry the light, not the weak. Suppress rather than lift. Always aim toward the center.’
“Your earlier thrust was flashy but failed to embody the true essence of the Arsilo Family’s lance techniques.”
Charlot felt his head spin. Why does this sound more like fruit tree cultivation advice than a lance manual?