Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Aya's pupils contracted, and she quickly drew her sword to defend herself.

The moment the wooden swords clashed head-on, a force far exceeding the previous one emanated from Gwen's sword.

Aya's hand jerked, and her entire right arm went numb instantly. The wooden sword in her hand flew out, spun twice in the air, and landed with a thud on the stone slab a few steps away.

Aya looked down at her empty right hand, then at Wayne standing in the distance, and lowered her head.

"Sir... I lost."

Before Wayne could speak, Gwen had already sheathed her sword and strode over, saying, "No, no, no, Aya, I lost."

Aya looked up, blinked, and asked in confusion, "But even my sword was knocked away..."

Gwen bent down to pick up the fallen wooden sword and handed it back to Aya. Her tone was sincere: "I used sword techniques during the fight. If I hadn't used sword techniques and had continued fighting you with only basic sword techniques, I would have been the one to lose, given my superior strength."

Gwen looked at her and smiled. "Congratulations, Aya, you've successfully completed the level. Next, I'll take you to meet my grandfather. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you."

Aya's eyes lit up immediately.

"Really?!"

"Really." Gwen nodded. "You're the most talented kid I've ever seen."

Aya turned around and bowed to Gwen.

"Um... thank you, big sister."

Gwen smiled and waved her hand, then turned to the side: "Come on, I'll take you up to see my grandfather. He'll be very happy to see you."

Gwen led the three through an inner corridor to the door of a spacious training room on the second floor. The door wasn't fully closed, and a loud, complaining voice came from inside:

"What kind of trash are these? Their talent is so poor, yet they have the nerve to send themselves to me..."

Gwen gave an awkward laugh.

"It's okay, he was talking about someone else."

Gwen pushed open the door without changing her expression.

"Grandpa, I've brought someone to see you."

The complaints in the tea room stopped.

Wayne followed Gwen into the tea room, his gaze landing on the old man at the head of the table. The old swordsman wore a simple gray robe, his hair was completely white, but he was lean and showed no signs of age. He didn't look at Gwen or Aya first; his gaze went straight past everyone else and landed on Wayne.

His gaze lingered on Wayne for two seconds, then his tone was filled with undisguised praise: "A mid-stage fourth-tier body cultivator, your aura is quite strong. You're even showing signs of being a fifth-tier cultivator. Not bad, not bad."

The old swordsman continued talking.

He looked at his granddaughter.

"My dear granddaughter, could this be the boyfriend you found?"

Gwen's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly waved her hands, "Oh dear, Grandpa, what nonsense are you talking about! They brought someone to become my apprentice. And this is Alice's brother, Wayne."

The old swordsman also noticed Alice at this moment.

"Alice is here too."

He looked at Alice, then at Wayne.

"Is this your brother?"

Alice replied politely, "Yes, Grandpa Sword Saint. This is my brother, Wayne."

The old swordsman nodded, his gaze lingering on Wayne for a moment before he sighed, "Alas, he's too old. He's no longer suited to swordsmanship, and the systems are different too."

Alice was speechless after hearing this: "Grandpa, what are you talking about? I was talking about her."

She pushed Aya forward.

Aya stood before the old swordsman, her figure slender but her back ramrod straight. She raised her head and greeted him earnestly, "Hello, grandpa, I'm Anya."

The old swordsman's gaze fell on Aya, and his previously lazy expression slightly hardened.

He glanced at her from top to bottom, then gave a soft "hmm," his tone tinged with surprise: "Your qi and blood are quite abundant."

Gwen, who was standing to the side, immediately stepped forward and recounted in detail the process of testing her swordsmanship in the courtyard. From the moment Aya caught her first sword strike, to Aya imitating her swordsmanship, to the point where she was forced to use her own sword skills to knock Aya's sword away, she left out every detail.

After listening, the old swordsman looked down at Aya.

"Is everything you're saying true?"

"Oh, Grandpa, how could I possibly lie to you?"

Just then, Wayne stepped forward and said respectfully, "Senior, I apologize for disturbing you. I brought Aya back from Frost Town. I saw that she has extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, so I have been trying to find her a real teacher. If she continues to follow me, it will only bury her talent."

"Hmm, you're right, kid. Everyone has their own expertise, and people should be used in the right places, just like a sword."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aya gently tugged at Vien's sleeve, her voice soft but firm: "Sir, Aya will always be yours. Whether or not we become disciples, that will never change."

Alice, standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly upon hearing this: "So young, yet she's already captivated by my brother's charm? He truly is my brother."

The old swordsman's panel popped up at this moment.

[Ron Grayson - Biographical Information]

[Identity: Wiggins, the second-ranked Sword Saint.]

[Note: He has a collecting obsession and enjoys collecting all kinds of swords.]

[Note 2: He is an upright person.]

The old swordsman looked down at Aya, then asked, "Little girl, let me ask you. Why did you learn swordsmanship?"

Aya raised her head almost without hesitation, meeting the old swordsman's gaze, and answered earnestly, "To protect those I want to protect. To avoid being abandoned again."

This answer caused the old swordsman's gaze to flicker slightly. He offered no comment, but simply nodded slowly.

Then he waved to Aya.

"Come here, let me see your physical attributes."

Aya stepped forward and stood in front of the old swordsman.

The old swordsman reached out and gently squeezed Aya's arm, then pressed her shoulder blades and the side of her hand, his technique skillful and gentle.

After a moment, he released his grip and praised repeatedly: "Good physique. Well-proportioned bones, smooth meridians, and abundant qi and blood. You have a very good foundation. It seems that the person who taught you the basics did not force you to grow too fast; every step you took was steady."

Aya was a little embarrassed by the compliments.

The old swordsman changed the subject: "However, the most important thing in swordsmanship is not physical constitution, but talent and comprehension. Talent determines how fast you can go, and comprehension determines how far you can go."

He stood up, walked to the wall of the training room, took down an unsharpened practice sword from the shelf, weighed it in his hand, and then glanced at Aya: "Next, I'll swing my sword. The most important thing about this strike isn't the power or the speed, but the change in the flow of sword energy. Watch carefully, and how much you can remember depends on your own ability."

He stood still, without assuming any starting stance, simply gripping the hilt of the sword casually, and then gently swung it.

There was no sound of wind breaking, no scene of sword energy crisscrossing.

The ornamental tree in front of him, as thick as a bowl, remained unchanged from beginning to end. After about two breaths, a smooth, slanted cut appeared in the middle of the trunk, and the upper half of the crown slowly slid down along the cut, landing on the ground with a thud. The cut was as smooth as a mirror.

Wayne's pupils contracted slightly.

He could sense that the sword was coated with an extremely pure layer of sword energy the moment it was swung. The moment that sword energy touched the tree trunk, it spread out along the internal texture of the tree at an extremely high speed, and then quickly dissipated after making the cut. The whole process was so fast that it was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

The old swordsman sheathed his sword and looked at Aya.

"How's it going? How much have you remembered?"