The only way to acquire anything new was to finish something I had started. I needed to learn how to manipulate my internal De to continue my training with the De Blade Technique. I had been unable to practice since my last night in the mountains.

Before I came down from the hills, I could feel the energy even though I couldn't manipulate it, but as soon as I reached the lowlands, it seemed as if something was blocking my ability. I only had a few days of travel to the city from there, and I've had a whirlwind of a day since I got to the city.

Has it seriously only been a day? I need a break.

Once I entered the trees in search of the Fleeing Rock Beetle, I could feel the power welling up inside me again. It was very similar to the area between the town and the city when I was on my walk.

I wonder if it has something to do with the amount of nature in the area?

I needed to look into why that was happening. First, I needed to focus, and I needed more time.

"Corelink, open Augmented Reality Training Program."

The world changed around me as the program initialized. Thanks to my position on the branch, it looked a little different than the last time. Inside the program, I would usually just see the ground, but the only area I could see was the branch I was on. On either side of the bough was a glowing blue grid representing the program's lower boundary.

What surprised me was that the instructor for the program sat crossed-legged in the same position as when I left the training program. He was still wholly unmoving even as he floated in the air a dozen paces away from me.

I guess it's just some type of image that is displayed on my goggles, though. At least I don't need to approach the instructor right now. Hopefully, I won't need to when I complete this step either.

I ignored the instructor and got right down to trying to manipulate my energy. I did take a moment to look down the tree at the Rock Beetles below me. They were almost as still as the instructor. I could see them moving ever so slightly, though, and they were also blurry. I didn't know why they appeared blurry, but it also started to give me a headache while I looked at them.

I closed my eyes and focused on myself. I imagined the energy flowing in and through me. In my mind, I assigned my internal De as the color blue. As before, I couldn't feel the energy, but I pretended I could.

If I remembered correctly, the instructor said the power I manipulated would feel like it was leaving instead of coming. I wasn't sure what exactly that meant, but I decided to try what I could.

I breathed deeply to bring the imagined De into my body. I visualized the energy flowing into my lungs as I held my breath as long as possible. When I exhaled, instead of the energy leaving the same way it entered, I envisioned it saturating my lungs with power and flowing throughout my body. Once that power was successfully inundated from my head to my toes, it started to flow along my veins.

I moved the energy through my veins and arteries to eventually pool into my heart. The De continued slowly pooling in my heart as it circulated through my body. I focused on that process the longest while I contemplated my next step.

I felt I had circulated the energy enough, and there was a significant buildup of the make-believe force. I must have been doing a good job imagining because I could have sworn it was real. I split the energy apart and pushed it out toward my arms. I kept pushing the power through my arms, to my hand and fingers, and finally out of my fingers.

I thought the tips of my fingers tingled when I did it. It made me open my eyes to check if I could see anything. Alas, there was nothing there. I was just about to close my eyes and try again when the holographic entity that was my instructor moved his gaze in my direction.

"Congratulations, pupil," he said simply. "You have learned the basics of internal energy manipulation. You are ready to proceed to the next step."

Huh, I guess it wasn't imaginary after all.

I looked at the internal clock on my goggles and noticed an hour had already passed inside the training space. I didn't bother to look at the beetles. I didn't think they could get that far in the short amount of time that took place.

I sat still, waiting for the instructor to continue. It wasn't as if I had much to do while stuck on the tree branch.

"Now that you have learned the first step, do you wish to continue your journey in the Technique of the De Blade?"

"Yes."

"Excellent," he said, and the ghost of a man stood in the air. He placed his hands behind his back and started talking again. "Within the Technique of the De Blade, there are five levels. While each step doesn't need to be mastered before moving on, one does need a sufficient level of skill. Additionally, the better mastery of one skill will lead to a more powerful later skill and ease of learning. The five levels of the technique are," he held out his hand and put one finger up and then subsequent fingers for additional levels, "De Point, De Edge, De Beam, De Blast, and finally, De charge.

"The names might sound inconsequential, but there is immense power to be utilized, and a name means nothing. One more thing before beginning. While the Technique of the De Blade is powerful, it can only be as powerful as your overall cultivation level. Just as you could not start learning this without the basic energy manipulation that comes with cultivation, you will further be hampered in its true power without advancing cultivation further. This lesson will not help you advance your cultivation; it is up to you to find that path."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

He once again placed both arms behind his back. "Do you wish to continue your lesson and learn De Point, the first level of the Technique of the De Blade?"

"Yes."

"Your true journey begins now," he said with a nod. "The first level is called De Point. This lesson will cover the basic aspects and uses of De Point and how to channel your energy into your weapon to manifest the ability."

The instructor began pacing back and forth in the air as he talked. "De point uses the energy you control inside your body and moves it through your weapon to create a hardened point at the end. You actually don't need a weapon to manifest De Point. You can do it with your finger or any object with a tip, for that matter. Putting the De point at the end of an object helps to focus the ability, so it is more stable. The primary use of De Point is as an armor-piercing capability."

Holy crap! What are the odds that it was exactly what I needed to get out of the tree? I can use the ability to kill all the Rock Beetles while staying safe.

"If you are ready to begin the training, unsheathe your weapon and get into the ready stance." The instructor unsheathed a thin straight-bladed sword and held it in front of him.

I was worried that the technique called for a specific weapon, but then I quickly remembered that it didn't even require a weapon. The construct began instructing me on how to form my energy and where to expel it. To my surprise, it was nearly the same method I used.

The instructor went over a few of the finer points of manipulating my energy as well as how to make it flow through the weapon. It didn't actually flow through the weapon, but it had to flow around and condense at the point I wished.

At the end of the instruction, the teacher demonstrated the technique. I was sitting the entire time, thankful that the program didn't make me stand. I was doubly glad during the demonstration that the summoning of the energy and move to condense and strike were a simple thrust. The instructor's thrust lit up with a bright light that sparked for a fraction of a second before he pulled it back and sheathed his sword.

"If you want to see the demonstration again, simply tell the program to show it again. Remember, student, practice is the key to mastery." The instructor bowed low for a moment and came up. "Do you wish to continue your lesson and learn De Edge, the second level of the Technique of the De Blade?"

I absolutely wanted to learn the next level of the technique, but I had more pressing concerns. I needed to ensure I could sufficiently use the first level before moving on to the next. I instructed the program to show me the ability a few more times. When I was happy that I had analyzed all I could, I slowly stood to attempt the maneuver.

I made sure that my stance was secure on the narrow bough. I got into my ready position and started to manipulate my De. I took my time with the first attempt. I felt the energy swirling and building up, then I pushed it down my arms. My fingers tingled as the De flowed through my hands. I pushed it into and over the shaft of my spear and kept pushing until I believed it was condensed at the tip.

I thrust my spear forward while imagining it condensing even more. The tip of my spear lit up with power for a brief moment as the ability worked to my elation. I had done it!

A feeling of exhaustion washed over me briefly. My breathing became harsh, and I felt as if I had been running a long distance. Once my breathing returned to normal, I continued to practice. I wasn't expecting the feeling of exhaustion, but I wasn't really surprised by it either.

I didn't have a choice but to keep practicing, but I hoped it would get easier with time. If it didn't, I would have made a colossal mistake, and the technique would be mostly useless. Besides practicing to make it easier, I also needed to make it quicker.

I eventually used up all my time in the training space. I was relieved to find that I could indeed perform the attack quicker, and it became less tiring as I did so. However, at the end of the session, I was covered in sweat, and my body felt even worse than it had.

My arms trembled from all the exertion and the De that flowed through them. My legs and feet were sore from the constant use as I balanced on the branch. Unfortunately, I still had some more training to complete.

I hadn't been able to practice if I could use the skill in my current position. Sure, I could use the ability in a normal spear stance with a thrust forward, but I didn't know if I could do it from my perch on the branch. I

Actually, I might as well get some practical practice and try to kill the beetles too.

First, I needed to rest for a few minutes. Cramming eight hours of training into an hour was incredibly tiring. It also worked up an appetite. My stomach growled with famine, but I had nothing to soothe the beast.

I rechecked the status of the beetles since I couldn't really see them while in the training program. The creatures had made progress taking the tree and area down, but I still had time. Once again, it also appeared as if there were fewer of them than before, but still too many.

"I might as well practice with my new upgrade," I said to myself. "Symbiotic mode."

-Initialization failed…

-New upgrade detected…

-Download required…

-Would you like to download upgrade packet? Y/N

"Are you kidding me?" I yelled into the world. "Yes!"

-Downloading upgrade packet…

- Current time until download completion – 30 minutes….

I decided to continue doing extra training in Companion Mode before switching to Symbiotic Mode. Besides, practicing without the additional stat boosts would be good for me. That was the real reason, nothing else.

I wiggled into what I felt was the most advantageous position to attack the beetles from the tree. It took me a minute as I wanted to be comfortable but have a good position that would allow me to have power in my strike. I had to hold the spear with one hand and in a reverse grip. I hoped that wouldn't be a problem.

I prepared by getting into position with the spear held high, where I could bring it down in a vertical stabbing motion. My first strike took longer to prepare and execute than it did while I was standing. After the attack, I realized it was probably due to using only one hand. Everything else leading up to the execution was the same except for the De being distributed through a single arm.

I stabbed my spear downward while activating my new De Point strike. The blade tip flashed so quickly that I would have thought it was my imagination if I hadn't seen it done before in the training program. The spear hit one of the Rock Beetles right on top of its body in one of the thicker covered parts. It was hard at that angle to aim well.

The spear wasn't turned away by the rock-like surface; it sunk deep into the beetle's body. The beetle didn't seem prepared for the sudden pain erupting from its back. I definitely wasn't prepared for the wild thrashing that ensued.

My spear was nearly ripped from my grasp as it started to flop around. I had to secure the spear with my other hand to keep from losing it. When I did, I almost lost my balance. I clamped my legs tightly around the branch and yanked my spear free. I would have to be more careful with future attacks and pluck my spear out quickly.

I practiced my downward attack a few more times just to get better, both with control and speed. Then I decided to wait until the new update for my goggles finished downloading before getting down to business.