I feel that the Water God Style is a very passive school. Absolute defense, reflecting all kinds of spells, and the Five Secret Arts that no one but the first generation has fully learned. It seems very impressive.
But in reality, when facing someone, if they don't attack you, couldn't they just eliminate your teammates first?
The only record of the contemporary Water God in the novel was being killed by Orsted with a single hand-blade through the heart. Even the Deprivation Sword Realm is just like scratching an itch against high-defense opponents. Orsted didn't even draw his God Blade, and he didn't even seem to use mana; he just used Battle Aura to defend against all attacks and then walked right up to her.
Most importantly, the stone tablet already lists the Seven Great Powers:
Technique God — Laplace
Dragon God — Orsted
God of Fighting — Badigundy
Demon God — Laplace
Death God — Randolph Marian
Sword God — Arl Falion
north god — Alexander
The Water God's name is not there, which means the Water God Style can't even beat the North God Style.
So, I can't just blindly practice the Water God Style; I need to make my own changes.
According to Master, the Water God Style ranks can be divided as follows:
Beginner: Master the basics of swordsmanship and be able to cover the whole body with Battle Aura.
Intermediate: Can fight against ordinary knights, with more proficient use of Battle Aura.
Advanced: Consciously use Battle Aura and learn the "Flow" technique.
Saint-tier and above: Begin to encounter the Five Secret Arts.
But I have no way to use Battle Aura. Yes, just like Rudeus, I can't use Battle Aura; I don't even know what Battle Aura is. Although I exercise my body, the human body has its limits. In real life, no matter how much someone practices swinging a sword, they shouldn't be able to cut a large rock in half with one stroke like Paul taught Rudy.
So I have to find another way, combining mana with sword techniques to forge my own path.
If I use mana instead of Battle Aura, I should currently be at the Advanced rank of the Water God Style. I can consciously use mana in my attacks and apply it to actual combat, creating my own sword techniques.
However, there is still a big difference between mana and Battle Aura. Although I can make the final result look the same, the internal drive is different. It's like electric cars versus gas cars. Both can run on the road, and electric cars aren't slower than gas cars, but the difference between these two is actually worlds apart; they basically can't be seen as the same thing.
"If your strength grows in the future and you forge your own path of the sword, it should no longer be called the Water God Style," those were Master's exact words.
She meant that Izoruti is still her successor of the Water God Style, and she took me as a disciple because she saw something different in me. My path of the sword can serve as a reference for the development of the Water God Style. No school can remain unchanged forever. That would only cause the school to slowly sink into history and eventually disappear.
I also gained great inspiration from her words. Moreover, I remember that the founder of the Water God Style was also a Water Saint in terms of water magic. This might be the main reason why the first-generation founder could create and learn the Five Secret Arts of the Water God Style.
A day's practice wasn't much different from before. Every morning starts with physical exercise, then swinging a wooden sword. Then practicing the Water God Style techniques I've already learned. During this time, Master would guide us on errors in power application and posture, correcting them. Once we've mastered the current techniques, she would teach us others.
Finally, there's the daily sparring. My sparring partner has been fixed: Izoruti.
She's a very strange girl, with few expressions and few words. It feels like she's not very good at socializing; she just does whatever Master tells her to do.
During our first battle, she hit my unprotected leg. At first, I thought she was trying to intimidate me, but in reality, the best point to attack my defense at that time was my unprotected leg. I was just judging a noble person by my own petty standards.
However, she seems exceptionally devoted to learning swordsmanship. She's very serious about her daily exercise and sword practice, and every move is very standard. Master basically only corrects my improper postures; I've never seen her go to Izoruti to correct a posture error. One can only say she's a talent perfectly suited for learning the Water God Style.
Daily sparring is our only time for interaction. At least after taking our combat stances, we bow to each other. I can feel that she really enjoys sparring with me, though she's never said so. But I can feel her excitement from her expression and the speed at which she gets up when we start sparring.
Moreover, her expression after I defeat her is actually more excited, or rather, more spirited. If she defeats me, she instead looks a bit troubled. It's quite baffling. I don't know why; could she be a closet masochist? Does she like being beaten by me? Does she feel uncomfortable if she's not beaten?
Although I have such doubts, I won't take the initiative to ask her. A five-year-old girl doesn't catch my eye. I'm not a pervert of the Prodia clan; I have no interest in five-year-old brats, even though I'm also a brat who is four and about to turn five.