Somehow, the beautiful female instructor made significant progress in her studies. On the first day, she couldn't learn anything and left in anger; on the second day, she managed to slowly execute the basic movements of the spiral; on the third and fourth days, she began to coordinate her body movements, moving her feet in sync with the rotating staff, enduring much hardship in this endeavor. She fell countless times due to failed coordination, but fortunately, she was as light as a feather, a great sorceress.
However, with sweat-soaked practice, she gradually made fewer mistakes. Initially, Rody often demonstrated personally, but later, he just needed to correct her verbally, and eventually, he continuously fed her moves.
"Wow, I said I could do it, such a simple thing, how could I not learn it!" exclaimed the female instructor, jubilantly like a little girl, jumping and shouting non-stop, as she spun Rody's weapon out of his hands with a powerful strike.
"You should have redirected the attack back at me, spinning me away while simultaneously rebounding the force of the hammer strike onto me," Rody reminded.
"Stop nagging, of course, I know," the female instructor said, in a good mood today, not resorting to her usual playful punches.
Quickly, a month passed.
Rody held a flower branch in each hand, able to spiral catch Martina's battle axe, Ye Yue's crescent blade, Jia Bao's six types of weapons, Victoria's frosty snowballs, and even catch with his feet the close-range attacks of magic condensed by Chris. Pandora and Annabelle, who were not primarily fighters, watched from the sidelines, unable to join the fray.
Bai Li'er frowned prettily, also wanting to learn this 'spiral rebound' magical technique for its elegance. But she hesitated, knowing it required long-term practice.
Mitis felt as if she was witnessing a deity. How could this be possible? Every time Rody finished practicing, she would check the flower branches, which initially often broke or got frozen. But later, they were mostly intact, with only a few petals and leaves falling off. Such delicate flowers capable of such divine skill were truly admirable.
"If it were a sword, using it for counter-attacks and subsequent strikes would undoubtedly be a nightmare for the enemy..."
"Don't hit me, no tricks, and most importantly, no laughing," the female instructor set different rules from the others. Unlike the others who were Rody's sparring partners, Rody was hers. He had many conditions, such as not exerting too much force to ruin the spiral, nor too little to make it ineffective. The female instructor maintained a 'teacher' demeanor in front of the other women while practicing.
"Alright, I'm going to attack now. While attacking, I'll also shoot out leaves, like a thief's flying daggers. Teacher, be careful," Rody knew the female instructor loved being called 'teacher' in front of the other women.
Although the female instructor had many restrictions, her strength improved rapidly. She could not only deflect Rody's powerful strikes but also dodge hidden weapons and even occasionally handle the magic orbs launched by Chris in collaboration with Rody, turning danger into safety.
Though she started practicing later, she was actually the best learner, even surpassing Martina, the orcish female war god, skillful Jia Bao, and Ye Yue, who was one with her mind and body.
Another month passed, and Rody now could effortlessly maneuver between two saint-level powerhouses with a flower branch in hand. The fifteen ancients, who had risen from a thousand years of death, each unconvinced, lined up to spar with him, but none could defeat Rody.
"It's strange, this technique is really devilish. I've never been hit by my own Flying Slash before. It's my unique skill, how can you rebound it? If I hadn't held back a third of my strength, I'd have been blasted into the sky by now. My goodness, this spiral force is truly devilish!" exclaimed Tristram, the father of Norn, in utter disbelief. He could accept being unable to defeat Rody, a ninth-tier saint, but having his own move rebounded was too much for him.
"Ancestor Father, this kid's mind works differently from others, everything about him is different. Don't be too angry," King Norn hurriedly soothed.
"Of course, I'm not really angry, just a bit frustrated that I'm not his match," Tristram downed a few gulps of wine and then turned to the old mage saint Naduvindo, "You're the last one. Show this kid some color, stop him from getting too arrogant."
"Let's see if my Storm Vortex can break through it then!" Naduvindo smiled slightly.
He condensed a storm vortex almost similar to Rody's spiral, highly concentrated, compressing the magical power to its limit, explosive upon touch. He made it rotate in the opposite direction to Rody's previous spin, carefully throwing it towards Rody.
If this storm vortex exploded, its power could lift the entire garden into the sky, turning houses and faux rocks into rubble.
Rody, seeing this, didn't dare to be careless.
He inhaled softly, activating his Dragon Power Technique, letting dual dragons coil around his arms, his hands moving slowly.
A dazzling galaxy appeared with his hand movements, millions of starlights forming a spiral. Several spiral arms drove the vortex, slowly meeting the incoming storm vortex. As they touched, all the powerhouses were on high alert, ready for disaster if Rody failed, which could destroy the entire garden.
Chris and the other women immediately shielded themselves with magic, while the saints prepared to control the storm should it explode.
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Just when everyone was on edge, Rody's galaxy instantly condensed at the moment it touched the storm vortex, reversing its spin direction. Millions of starlights miraculously reversed, as if they had always been spinning that way, growing larger and engulfing the storm vortex entirely. The galaxy expanded to its limit, then rapidly shrank, condensing into a shimmering silver ball.
Rody aimed at a distant lake and threw the silver ball far away.
The ball entered the water without a reaction at first.
But after a dozen seconds, ripples began appearing on the lake's surface. Suddenly, a huge vortex emerged at the center of the lake.
A water spout, roaring like thunder, swiftly rose from the lake, spinning rapidly, shooting straight into the sky, piercing the clouds, and even drawing a vortex-shaped hole in the clouds...
This spinning force lasted at least five minutes before slowly dissipating, turning into raindrops falling from the sky.
Rody City was quite accustomed to such 'man-made rain,' as there were countless powerful individuals there, capable of altering the heavens and earth. More than a dozen could be named offhand.
Everyone marveled, betting on which saint was responsible for this feat. Some bold people even flew close to the giant water column to take photos, indifferent to the splashing water. Fifteen minutes later, soldiers repairing roads thirty kilometers away from Saint Song Fortress were astonished to find a 'fish rain' falling from the sky.
Rain, snow, hail, and even fire rain and meteor showers from mages in battle were common.
But a rain of fish was unprecedented. Could this be an omen of victory from the distant hell?
Someone immediately reported to Marshal Fendesman that a fish rain had fallen from the sky, possibly a divine sign. Fendesman laughed heartily, rushed to Rody City, and upon inquiry, indeed found out it was Rody's doing.
"This technique, capable of backfiring an attack, is really deadly. Rody, anyone who battles with you on the battlefield is truly unlucky," Marshal Feng Desman was also very astonished. In Rody City, to whisk up the lake water and fish into the sky and to throw them hundreds of kilometers away is an incredible feat. If such power were to hit a person, even a Sword Saint's protective aura might not withstand it.
"It was very dangerous just now. It was a risk I took, and luckily it succeeded, otherwise, we would all have been blown into the sky..." Rody himself broke into a cold sweat. If it weren't for his quick thinking, using the Dragon's Chant in conjunction with the power of the Galaxy Star to create a black hole vortex of the Milky Way, it would have been a complete disaster.
"That was close!" Everyone else was also patting their chests, relieved.
The power of a Saint-level is so immense that if it were not diffused in this way, a direct confrontation would lead to the destruction of half of Rody City.
Everyone had some regrets about the old Saint Naduvan's action.
Just for the sake of pride, if Rody couldn't handle it, the consequences would be severe. Everyone might be blown into the sky. Not to mention, the small buildings and gardens where Rody lived would be gone, and the maids with no means of self-protection would be in danger.
Through this experiment, everyone became aware of the miraculous kid's latest spiral energy technique.
Many hoped that Rody would share his insights, to give them more means of survival on the battlefield. But in reality, one in a million could understand and learn it. Even members of the elite squad often made mistakes, taking hits from the enemy without any effect of the spiral rebound. This tactic is only for those with special talents, otherwise, it would be a suicidal approach in combat.
The elite squad learned a modified version of this technique over a month, a 'Sword-Twisting Art' that reduced risk and power, parrying and deflecting enemy attacks. Each had endured hundreds of merciless hits before mastering this 'Sword-Twisting Art.'
This art should not be used frequently and must be timed well.
When the enemy attacks recklessly, first dodge, then use your sword to leverage the force of the enemy's attack and twist their weapon away.
Those like Red-haired Sal and Silver-haired Tommy who mastered it better could even twist the enemy's body. But to do what Rody does, spiraling the attack back at the enemy, is impossible. Such skill requires ample talent and long-term training. It's unrealistic to think one can master it in a month or two to counter every enemy attack. But with the Sword-Twisting Art, there is an added defensive tactic.
Against brute force enemies, the elite squad will be more adept.
Few soldiers in Rody City could learn the Sword-Twisting Art, but they quickly adapted, turning it into a dodging technique.
If they couldn't twist the enemy's weapon away, why not dodge it? If using a sword doesn't work, watch for the attack and dodge it, right? So, under the guidance of the Saints, the soldiers of Rody City extensively practiced an improved technique of dodging enemy attacks, a 'Sword Defense Art.'
As the expeditionary army gradually finished their training and prepared for their campaign into Hell, the beautiful female instructor's 'Dragon Striking Staff Technique' had achieved even more astonishing progress.
Using only her body movements, she could elegantly and effortlessly dodge Martina's continuous slashing attacks, rarely facing danger.
With the spiral energy rebound, she could deflect attacks from anyone at the elite squad level. Although she might not always rebound the attack back onto the opponent, at the very least, she wouldn't get hurt. Even if the Drunken Swordsman and Buke teamed up to attack, it would take them hundreds of attempts to cause her to make a defensive error.
The beautiful instructor was a master of long-range attacks. Rody, worried about her being ambushed by close-range assassins during charges, taught her this unique skill.
This was not her main combat technique; it was enough as long as it ensured she wouldn't be ambushed by enemies.
With the 'Dragon Striking Staff Technique' equipped with spiral defense and attack rebounding, it was believed that no enemy, including the demons of Hell, could ambush the instructor after her progress.
"Little Rody, should we hold a swearing-in ceremony?" asked King Norn. He felt it was necessary to reassure the people.
"Yes, before the ceremony, let's show a video of the expeditionary soldiers' drills. That will reassure everyone." Rody nodded slightly, then said softly, "Your Majesty, it seems that there are some undercurrents stirring on the continent. Have you heard anything? Angels and demons might create some disturbances while the expeditionary army is away…"
"With us in the rear, you can go on your expedition without worry. Queen Mire, Marshal Feng Desman, William, and I have already had a meeting about this. You needn't worry about these small disturbances; we can handle them. Otherwise, what's the point of being a king?" King Norn laughed heartily.
"I think it's necessary to inform the public. If they are mentally prepared, their fear will be greatly reduced," Rody suggested.
"Good, this is exactly what we should do," King Norn chuckled. "Little Rody, to speak selfishly for a moment, of my sons, you must at least bring one back. Otherwise, when I pass away, the Norn dynasty that has lasted for a thousand years will end with me. My ancestors are watching, Little Rody, don't let me lose face."
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Our expedition to Hell won't incur heavy casualties. Trust me!" Rody assured firmly.
"Ah, I trust you, of course, I do!" King Norn's heart was relieved of a heavy burden as he happily embraced Rody's shoulders. As a king, sending his sons to the battlefield was an absolute support to the human expeditionary army; but as a father, he naturally had his selfish desires, hoping that while his sons fought bravely, they would also return safely.