Mage Manual-Chapter 66 - 63: The Unmatched Secret Sword of the Five Spirits

Chapter 66: Chapter 63: The Unmatched Secret Sword of the Five Spirits

Crackling—

The Thunder Holder retracted his nine-section whip, which had been thrown out. By this time, the small boat had already reached the shore and remained within his attack range. He grabbed one end of the whip with both hands and spun it around. The Thunder Whip lashed the sandy ground, leaving behind a trail of dark marks, before he suddenly took a step back.

Seeing this, Sonia’s face turned pale as she quickly ducked behind Ash, “Be careful!”

But it was already too late. The Thunder Holder aggressively stepped forward, crossing his arms and lashing out. The two nine-section Thunder Whips intersected like a pair of shears, viciously snipping toward Ash!

This was the cruel move that nearly gave Sonia a mental scar. Although it was no Miracle, the kinetic energy from the rotation of the whip combined with the properties of the Thunder Technique made it incredibly destructive and hard to evade. Being struck by it would make one so painfully tremble in their soul; it was almost comparable to kicking a cabinet leg and simultaneously shattering a toenail with the small toe.

“Quiet. You’re disturbing my contemplation of the world’s ultimate mysteries.”

Ash lifted his eyebrows and jabbed the sword hard into the boat. The Sword Barrier enveloping them suddenly radiated a faint gold light, directly withstanding the deathly thunder shears of the Thunder Holder!

Crackling!

The nine-section whip wrapped around the Sword Barrier but couldn’t penetrate the transparent shield. Meanwhile, the longsword that Ash leaned on mysteriously developed several notches, but due to the properties of the Void Realm, the sword quickly restored to its original state.

“With glorious adornment we stand, dragons gleam and phoenixes shine.”

The Thunder Holder’s eyes deepened with blood, chanting poems that no one could understand. Thunder wrapped his entire body, veins bulging as if entering a berserk mode, continuously and wildly lashing at the Sword Barrier.

Sonia calmed down and, upon closer inspection of the Sword Barrier, she discovered many details she hadn’t noticed before—the transparent shield was actually made up of incredibly sharp Sword Qi. It not only served as a defense but also could inflict damage upon close melee attacks, even breaking the enemy’s weapon!

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

However, this was hard to demonstrate in the Void Realm because the weapons here were projections of the Mage’s consciousness. As long as the Mage’s consciousness could keep up, the weapons were essentially invincible in durability.

Similarly, in the Void Realm, there were no differences between the superior or inferior quality of weapons. The battle in the Void Realm was a contest of Magic Power. Even if Sonia materialized a wooden sword, it could still split mountains and rocks; on the other hand, Gun Masters would be less dominant in reality. If they lacked a deep understanding of firearms, the power of their materialized firearms would greatly diminish.

Sword Barrier, a move that combined defense and counterattack, was certainly not something that a single Technique Spirit could unleash. It was a Miracle formed by a combination of Technique Spirits!

Just as this realization hit her, Sonia couldn’t help feeling a bit frustrated—she had wanted to show off her own strength with the Water Moon Miracle, make her presence known, and warn the Observer to stop manipulating her. But now, not only had the Observer saved her, but he had also effortlessly used a defensive and counterattacking Miracle that was no less impressive than the Water Moon. Was he waiting for her to be in dire straits before making his move just to mess with her mindset?

While Sonia pondered chaotically behind him, Ash looked at the familiar Sword Barrier in front of him, feeling an inexplicable frustration in his heart.

“Sorry, I’m in a very bad mood right now.”

Ash raised a finger.

“So what I’m about to do to you is purely venting.”

Cling!

As the sound of the sword overpowered the thunder, the Thunder Holder immediately fell back, spinning his nine-section whips into two Thunder Shields to fend off that glint of light descending from the sky!

“Heart Sword Technique Spirit!”

Sonia recognized this signature Technique Spirit of the Sword Skill type in an instant, her eyes almost popping out, “Where did you get a Heart Sword Technique Spirit? Do you know how to use the Heart Sword stance? Teach me, please—I’m begging you!”

She was like a child who’d come across their favorite bubble blaster, unable to hide her yearning for the Technique Spirit.

There was a rumor within the Sword Skill type that possessing one of the ‘Five Peerless Secret Sword Spirits’ would allow you to develop a perfect swordsmanship system around that primary Technique Spirit.

The Heart Sword Technique Spirit was one of the Five Peerless Secret Sword Spirits.

Apart from this, there were also the ‘Twenty-One Secret Sword Spirits’ and the ‘Fifty Ingenious Sword Spirits’.

Sonia’s Wave Sword Technique Spirit was one of the ‘Fifty Ingenious Sword Spirits’.

Even though it was the lowest tier of the ‘Fifty Ingenious Sword Spirits’, it was not to be underestimated. After all, it was the Wave Motion Sword Technique System that had established the original Duke Vosloda’s prestige as a ‘Sword Skill noble’. There were numerous Sword Masters in Jiale City who had sold themselves to the Vosloda Family to obtain the Wave Sword Technique Spirit.

Having experienced the power and potential of the Wave Sword as a Mage who possessed the Wave Sword Technique Spirit, Sonia couldn’t help but wonder how much more powerful the ‘Twenty-One Secret Sword Spirits’ and the ‘Five Peerless Secret Sword Spirits’ were?

Seeing that he had awed the usually haughty Sword Maiden, Ash felt quite pleased with himself, “Don’t rush. Let me take care of this juggler, and then we can chat at leisure.”

“Okay!”

Sonia watched expectantly as the Observer showed their might. She watched the Heart Sword attack, deflected by the Thunder Holder, the Heart Sword thrust, deflected again, the Heart Sword going for a backstabbing, deflected yet again…

“Your swordsmanship level has room for significant improvement.”

“I’ve worn him down, exposed many of his weaknesses. Go on, don’t waste this vengeful opportunity I’ve prepared for you.”

The more Sonia thought about it, the more she believed that the Observer must be an old monster reborn.

Without centuries of weathering, how could one develop such a thick skin?

She silently criticized in her heart and leaped forward to kill the Thunder Holder. Ash wasn’t idle either; he conjured another sword-wielding Substitute. Together with his Heart Sword, they simultaneously encircled and attacked the Thunder Holder from three sides.

Ultimately, the Thunder Holder had only two nine-section whips. He could defend the front but not the back, fend off the back but not the sides. His whips were no match for the three swords, and like a strong man facing a multitude, he ended with a strange moan of poetry before succumbing and dissipating into a light smoke, bursting into two Technique Spirits and a Mage’s Handbook.

“Thunder Walk”

“One-winged Technique Spirit”

“Restriction: The medium used must have a certain level of conductivity.”

“Basic Effect: Release a bolt of lightning.”

“Passive effect: The conductivity of the body gradually increases.”

“‘Fire is the enlightener of wisdom, thunder is the defender of reason. So when you come across fools who defy reason, you know what to do, don’t you?’”

…

“Pattern”

“One-winged Technique Spirit”

“Restriction: Must carve the pattern in advance on an object with the Technique Spirit’s excrement.”

“Basic Effect: Ensures that the effects of most Technique Spirits flow along the pattern.”

“Passive Effect: The pattern gradually solidifies until it is indelible.”

“‘The path is underfoot, the path is on the body, the path is in the heart.’”

‘Thunder Walk’ looked like a praying mantis, while ‘Pattern’ resembled a silkworm. Without a doubt, these two Technique Spirits formed a very straightforward Miracle combo: carve the pattern first, then let the lightning flow within it, turning a one-time consumption of thunder into a continuous boost in status—simple yet practical Miracle thinking.

No wonder that Thunder Holder earlier was covered with all sorts of messy tattoos; he’d been etching circuits onto his body.

But compared to this Miracle, Ash was more interested in a piece of information revealed in the Technique Spirit introduction.

“Technique Spirits actually poop?”

“Why wouldn’t they? You’ve seen Technique Spirits consume silver and gold coins, right? If the coins are consumed and the Technique Spirits don’t poop, then our economic cycle would lose a link, and the world’s silver and gold coins would only dwindle.”

“Exactly because Technique Spirits poop, that’s why silver and gold coins can keep circulating. The silver coins you’re feeding your Technique Spirit now might be the poop from some Technique Spirit thousands of years ago,” Sonia said as a matter of fact.

“Good thing I’m not a Technique Spirit,” Ash muttered. “So when do Technique Spirits poop? I’d like to let them out in advance.”

“How should I know? I don’t have that kind of voyeuristic fascination.”

“Ah?”

“You don’t need to prepare in advance. Technique Spirits sneak out on their own to do their business. Their excrement is so light a breeze could blow it away; hardly anyone notices it. If you need to collect Technique Spirit poop, just summon it out to feed, cover it up, and wait.”

“Sneak out… on their own? How can they leave without a Mage’s permission?”

“Technique Spirits have their own thoughts and their own lives.”

Sonia shrugged. “Of course, they’ll obey the Mage’s commands when needed, but when your focus is elsewhere, like sleeping, daydreaming, or reading, they get a bit of freedom. They’ll take the chance to sneak out for a breath of fresh air. Some Mages, after long periods of intense involvement, find their Technique Spirits respond slowly when summoned; that’s usually because they’ve run too far and can’t get back in time.”

Ash got the picture; it was just like slacking off.

Although he’d already tried to see Technique Spirits as intelligent beings, he hadn’t realized they were smart enough to pick up on such human habits as slacking off. However, since they used their slacking-off time to poop rather than using pooping as an excuse to slack off, Ash didn’t make a big deal out of it.

After a brief discussion, the combo of ‘Thunder Walk’ and ‘Pattern’ looked like it could sell for a high price at Sonia’s school, so they gave the Technique Spirits to her.

As for keeping them, neither of them considered that—the Thunder Technique faction was known as the most bitter, taxing, painful, and violent system. The thought of cultivating Thunder Technique from scratch was daunting.

As long as you sailed far enough in the Sea of Knowledge, there would be plenty more chances to stumble upon sets of Technique Spirits. If a Mage thought of using every set they found, they’d never have enough energy for anything else.

Learning to choose what to keep and what to let go was an essential lesson for a Mage.

As for the Mage’s Handbook, naturally, Ash used it again. Sonia just glanced at the first page and promptly retreated, even running to the side to dry heave.

In Ash’s view, it was no big deal, just a ‘cult ritual record,’ albeit with some cruel practices.

It was almost as bad as the sins Heath once committed.

Looking at it, the Gods of Four Pillars cult was part of a particularly fierce bunch among the cults.

After going through the Thunder Holder’s sacrificial record, Ash naturally learned a new skill: ‘Skin Stripping Mastery.’

Luckily it had no limitations on targets—this skill could come in handy for skinning a rabbit after escaping into the wilds.

Having dealt with the spoils, Ash sat at the front of the small boat, completely at ease.

Sonia sat at the stern, silent.

After Inheritance Island had completely sunk, silence still dominated the boat.

After a long while, Sonia couldn’t help but burst out a few words from the corner of her mouth, “Where did you get those swords and Technique Spirits?”

“Well, since you earnestly asked, I’m not against generously telling you—”

I knew it, Sonia cursed fiercely in her mind, giving him another chance to show off!

Actually, Ash was eager to brag too. He coughed softly, reached out, and summoned three Technique Spirits. From left to right were a golden Single-winged Sword, a clay-like Two-winged Swordsman, and a pale green Single-winged Bird.

“Heart Sword, Earth Sword, Wind Barrier, these are the Technique Spirits I’ve just obtained. Both Heart Sword and Wind Barrier are One-winged, Earth Sword is Two-winged.”

“Just obtained? So was it for these three Technique Spirits that you were late?”

“You could say that.”

Ash gazed into the depths of the mist, seemingly looking at a wandering Phantom.

“After all, their former master just killed me once.”