Inside the cosmic behemoth's stomach.
A swarm of sub-stingers flew toward Nolan, attacking with their primitive mouthparts.
Nolan drew out the long-unused Dull Blade, using it to practice the new sword arts he had recently learned.
Shin-ryu Sword Style, Oni Clan Inherited Swordsmanship, the light and graceful Dandelion Swordsmanship, the dignified Ceremonial Swordsmanship, the weighty Earth Sword, the thunderous Donglei Swordsmanship—
he switched between them freely, swift and fluid.
By around noon, he had already mastered the essence of each, bringing them to roughly the seventh or eighth level.
The results were better than expected. With a bit more practice, he would max them out completely.
For someone of his swordsmanship level, training several secret-tier sword arts was almost trivial.
So he continued, practicing until just before lunch, successfully pushing every secret-tier sword art to max level.
And thanks to slaying countless insects, he also gained a huge amount of Adventuer EXP.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Nolan
Level: Lv.103 (125536/13000000)
Race: Human
Titles: Honorary Knight, Distinguished Citizen of Liyue, Legendary Adventurer, Honorary General of Watatsumi Island, Sumeru Sage
Innate Talent: Entangling Affection
Skills:
- Lumine's Authority: Divine Level Lv.10 (Starsea Manifestation, Boundless)
- Musou no Hitotachi: Divine Level Lv.10 (Musou State)
- Domain of Objective Illusory Shadows: Divine Level Lv.10 (Unobservable State)
- Flowing Sky Shot: Arcane Level Lv.10 (Frostglow Arrow)
- Element Manipulation Lv.10 (Max Level)
- Martial Arts Lv.10 (Subtle Mastery)
- Shin-ryu Sword Style Arcane Level Lv.10 (Exorcising Blade)
- Oni Heritage Swordsmanship Arcane Level Lv.10 (Strength of Gods and Demons)
- Dandelion Swordsmanship Lv.10 (Dancing Drift)
- Riding Sword Technique Lv.10 (Charge)
- Donglei Swordsmanship Lv.10 (Thunderclap)
- Earth Sword Lv.10 (Riftquake)
- Ceremonial Swordsmanship Lv.10 (Elegant Stance)
Specialties:
- Beloved by Maidens (Exclusive)
- Unmoving Gospel of the World Tree (Exclusive)
- Threads of the Northern Wind (Exclusive)
- Spiritual Core (Exclusive)
Adventuer EXP: 5,266,831
---
Roughly one hundred and twenty thousand of yesterday's progress had come from cultivating with Jean and Ningguang—their "training" together in bed last night.
By controlling ice-water into a thin membrane that wrapped around most of their bodies, it was as though they were submerged in freezing water, further enhancing the cultivation effect.
Troublesome, yes, but the boost in speed made it worthwhile.
With so many sword arts maxed out, Nolan now held an arsenal of skill traits. Seeing the time, he left the cosmic behemoth's stomach and returned to the Wonderland.
While waiting for lunch to begin, he sat down to start merging sword arts.
Seven secret-tier sword skills—at least one would surely fuse into an Arcane Level sword art.
Seated on the sofa, Nolan began merging them one by one.
First: Shin-ryu Sword Style + Oni Clan Inherited Swordsmanship → Sword of the Inherited Oni-Ninja (still secret-tier).
Not quite Arcane.
He then merged Riding Sword Technique, forming Ninja Swordsmanship · Oni Rider—a skill infinitely close to Arcane Level, but still a step short.
One more fusion would push it over.
After some thought, he chose Ceremonial Swordsmanship. The skills on his panel twisted and folded together—
At last, a new name appeared:
Ceremonial Ninja Sword Art · Oni Rider Stance Lv.1 (0/5000).
An Arcane Level sword art!
Four secret-tier skills fused into one, leaving three sword arts behind.
Likely not enough for another Arcane on their own, but he decided to fuse them anyway, and later consult Ningguang.
From Liyue's side, acquiring a few more sword arts should allow him to craft another two or three Arcane Level skills. With luck, one could even ascend to Divine Level!
To his surprise, merging Dandelion Swordsmanship + Donglei Swordsmanship + Earth Sword resulted in an immediate breakthrough:
Three-Element Sword Art · Arcane Level Lv.1 (0/5000)!
Now he had two Arcane Level sword skills already. One more, and he would meet the minimum threshold for Divine Level ascension!
Nolan felt a genuine thrill of excitement.
He thought for a moment and decided it was better to tell Ningguang now, so she could simply bring the sword manuals back with her tonight.
That way, he wouldn't have to bother with tedious procedures. With Ningguang, the Tianquan Star, handling it, everything would be simple and efficient.
Come to think of it, he had originally wanted to ask Captain Jean to bring some sword manuals directly, but since he also wanted to see Barbara, he went through the proper channels instead.
With some anticipation, Nolan used the "Waymark" to contact Ningguang at Liyue Harbor and explained his request.
For Ningguang, a few sword manuals were nothing at all.
She agreed to bring them back later in the evening.
After lunch, Nolan trained with Noelle and Nilou for a while, helping them improve their strength.
Thanks to continuous effort these past few days, Nilou had already risen past level eighty.
In a few more days, she should be able to catch up with the others. For now, he was level 103, and channeling Harmonization Energy to raise the girls up to level 93 was highly effective.
Beyond that point, however, the effects would diminish significantly. Just like with Ei and the others, progress still came, but it wasn't something that could be achieved in just a day or two.
That afternoon, as promised, Nolan returned to the Cathedral of Favonius.
Rosaria was already waiting for him at the entrance. He smiled and asked, "So, I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?"
"It's fine. I just arrived as well." Rosaria shook her head, her expression cool as always.
"So then, where do we head first?"
He steered the conversation back to business.
"Simple. The pilgrimage will be at places most attuned to the breath of a thousand winds—Starsnatch Cliff, Windrise, and Springvale, where hunters often gather.
Springvale is mainly to spread the faith of the Anemo Archon."
The locations Rosaria mentioned weren't particularly dangerous, and none were too far. They could be finished today.
"In that case, why don't we go from Starsnatch Cliff to Windrise, then to Springvale, and fly back along the roads?" Nolan suggested.
"No, the Church plans to start from Springvale and make the pilgrimage all the way to Starsnatch Cliff. We only need to scout the route along the way."
Rosaria explained the plan briefly.
"I see. Then let's head out now." Nolan nodded, understanding perfectly.
He summoned Anemo energy, shaping a wind current before them. Both unfurled their Wind Gliders, riding the updraft high into the sky, soaring out of the city.
"Mhm. Thank you."
Rosaria once again expressed her gratitude. Clearly, she was someone cold-faced but warm-hearted.
[Rosaria Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (50/600)]
(End of Chapter)
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