Chapter 676 - Space Element Techniques

*Bam!*

A loud and powerful shockwave shook the entire field as Alex and Ryuu appeared in the middle of the field with their sword clashing each other.

Ryuu finally realized how much strength was inside Alex's body as he quickly began losing his advantage and leaped backward.

Alex didn't come to him like how their Master stayed composed while facing him. He followed her and started assessing Ryuu. "A good sword, a good strength. However, I feel your Intent is still lacking. I don't mean the quality, but quantity."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm… It is your release speed to be exact. You should be able to release all of your Sword Intent simultaneously but has not enough speed to do it, right?" Alex looked at Ryuu's sword with his Spirit Eyes. 

Ryuu's body shook as Alex was spot on. This was his worst weakness, and Alex got it right on the first clash. "You are correct. My speed is not enough to release the Sword Intent in time. That's why I usually pair it up with Space Element to buy me time."

"Why do you think your speed is not fast enough?"

Ryuu looked down, weighing something in his mind. Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with a single reason. "I have consulted many people, but none of them have the answer."

Alex simply smiled. "Haven't you already found the answer?"

Ryuu furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. 

Alex sighed and asked him. "When our sword clashed, I felt you slightly slid your sword even though your sword didn't have a curve. We might be a master of the sword, but we still have our own preferences for swords, including the shape. That's why you can't exert your full power in your swing. You should be using a curving sword in the past, right?"

Ryuu dropped his jaw to the ground and gulped down. "Ye-yes. I used it in the past, but not anymore."

"Why?"

He gritted teeth and clenched his hands. "It was my family sword… My family wasn't that big, but they sometimes went to the surface until one point that my father died in battle while my mother was poisoned. Despite containing the poison, my mother refused to tell me a single thing until her body became too weak to even move.

"Not long after, she committed suicide with that sword, so I…" Ryuu looked down, feeling remorseful. He didn't plan to say this, but in his heart, he wanted to settle it once and for all since long ago… Only his scared and wounded heart made him unable to pick up a sword like this again and talked this matter. 

Alex looked at him with a gentle smile. "A wounded heart might heal over time, but if you don't want to improve yourself, it will be useless. You can still go without courage or determination, but I am sure you will succeed in overcoming it. After all, I had once overcome it with my stubbornness."

Ryuu looked down before letting out a long sigh. "Luckily, I met Master at that time and Maya not long after… Before I know it, I can smile again. I think it's the perfect time to settle the matter of my heart…"

"You don't need to force yourself at once." Alex thought for a moment and changed the topic. "Anyway, let's continue. I need to see if I can sense any troubles in your swordsmanship first before proceeding with your Intent and other things until you reach Sword Saint Stage."

Ryuu took a deep breath to calm his heart before raising his sword again. "Thank you… And here I come." 

Slashing the air, Ryuu sent out an invisible Sword Wave, flying toward Alex.

"Space Cut!"

Alex had a slight astonishment in his face because he could see a huge amount of Space Element traveling through that Blue Layered Realm. He simply moved to the side, dodging the Sword Wave completely before striking the Sword Wave with his sword. 

He was curious whether the Sword Wave had a physical form or not, but it surprisingly exploded when Alex hit it as if there was a real Sword Wave. Of course, the explosion was in the Space World, so it didn't affect him at all. 

"This is Space Cut… One of my biggest Space Arts. We can send a Sword Wave like this through the Blue Layered Realm and cut something in the real world. It is a very useful ability because you can kill someone without anyone noticing… That is if he/she has lower cultivation than you. Their perception might also be low since it can be felt.

"However, I like this Sword Technique, because I can use it in many ways. First, people won't like it when they need to be wary of invisible skills. I can also use it to distract their attention. Besides, I can simply create a few more gates inside the Blue Layered Realm and confuse the enemy. In other words, it can be my decoy or my main attack, depending on how I plan to use it." Ryuu explained after finding a slight confusion in Alex's face.

Alex nodded in agreement. "This is indeed a good Element Art." 

"I am planning to let you see all my Element Arts so you can take your pick later. Don't worry, I have mastered them all, so my technique won't be sloppy like Maya's."

"Oi, Elder Brother! What are you saying?" Maya pouted but couldn't say anything because he was right.

Ryuu laughed out loud before turning back to Alex. "So… Shall we continue?" 

Alex raised his sword again as his mouth slightly curved upward. He took a deep breath and was ready to charge, but Ryuu beat him as he closed their distance in a single leap. 

Before arriving, Ryuu suddenly pointed his index finger toward Alex and raised it slightly. 

Alex suddenly felt danger from his surroundings, and he suddenly realized he couldn't move. His Spirit Eyes could see chains coming out of the ground around him, but all of it originated from the Blue Layered Realm. In other words, he was restricted by invisible chains.

Looking at Ryuu, who almost arrived in front of him, Alex should know that he was played perfectly by Ryuu, but there was no change of expression on his face. Instead, he smiled brightly as he adjusted his position and slashed his sword. 

"Triple Draws!" 

*Bang—!* Ryuu's sword clashed twice with Alex's sword as he quickly leaped backward. He realized that only the chain on Alex's right hand was cut, while the others were still chained. He wanted to take this opportunity to attack Alex, but Alex was one step early as he sent three Sword Waves at him.

"Blade of Conquest!"

Ryuu furrowed his eyebrows. The Sword Waves were covered with Intent and Element, but he felt it was stronger than he expected. He thought it must be Alex's Original Sword Skill, so he quickly raised his sword once again. "Twin Worlds Slash!"

*Bang!*

The cut shattered the three Sword Waves like it was nothing. 

Alex lifted up his eyebrows as he saw something really interesting. He knew the technique from earlier couldn't be copied, meaning it was Ryuu's Original Sword Skill. What piqued his interest was like how Space Cut flew inside the Blue Layered Realm, Ryuu was also holding a sword in that realm along with his original sword to create a stronger swing. In other words, it was like his Triple Draws but the attack from two worlds. 

However, Alex didn't stop at this attack and thrust his sword as if using a spear, shooting out a laser toward Ryuu.

On the other hand, Ryuu didn't feel any pressure coming from this attack as he pointed his palm forward. 

"Spatial Lock!" 

Suddenly, the space in front of him distorted and created a kind of huge marble, absorbing all the power behind Alex's Mythical Spear Cannon. After that, it disappeared from the real world.

At the same time, he also created another sphere and compressed it to small before teleporting right behind Alex. 

"Spatial Lock. Bomb Version!"

Alex glanced at his back and smiled.

*Boom!* 

A huge explosion occurred. Ryuu thought Alex must be injured after this, but all the smoke or the dust kicked up by the explosion were blown away.

*Cry!* 

A loud crying sound from a phoenix shook the entire place as it flapped its wing and blew all the smoke away. Ryuu opened his eyes wide to see Alex standing still while being covered with Fire. He quickly teleported again to escape from Alex's grasp. 

Luckily, Alex had no intention of moving as he asked, "Is that all?"

"Yeah. I have shown you all my Space Arts. The second one that bound you was called Space Bind Technique, and you have experienced the effect yourself. As for the third one… It was my Original Sword Skill, while the last one was Spatial Lock. As the name implies, I can seal many things inside and throw them inside the Blue Layered Realm. At the same time, I could use the second version, which was to compress the air around us to create a powerful shockwave. It will be better if we insert our Intent to increase its power, and in your case, you can add your Fire Element." Ryuu explained all the moves.

Alex thought for a moment. "Those techniques are certainly useful for me to the point I'm wondering which one that I need to pick."

"Haha… Although I have mastered all of these, I only have confidence in my Space Cut. Master can use the Space Bind and Spatial Lock better than me. If I am not wrong, she can combine the Space Plates with Space Bind and lock us completely. As for Spatial Lock, can you see my second version? My Master can compress and maintain a few balls like that and create a stronger explosion. Besides, she can even compress others' attacks and drop it in the center of the enemy. It's really catastrophic to fight Master with a high number because she is a master in dealing with an army." Ryuu sighed. 

"I can see that." Alex nodded in agreement. 

"Maya has a very good technique for escaping. It's called Space Mark." Ryuu looked at Maya for a bit and sighed in disappointment. "Unfortunately, she can't teach you because she has yet to master the technique. Anyway, the technique itself allows you to create a mark on human bodies. You can instantly teleport to them as long as they are inside your teleportation radius.

"She is learning it to teleport to me or Master if she needs to run away. This technique is not high level, but the usage is incredible… Albeit it's not really popular because it looks like a thief technique. As for myself, I have never had a need to learn it because I usually kill my opponents. Anyway, it's a good technique you can consider." 

At first, he was planning to have Maya to help Alex in order to receive some instructions about Spear since Alex was a master of sword and spear. Unfortunately, she was too playful and didn't practice seriously. He thought about confining her to have her study like crazy after this.

On the other hand, Alex looked down, contemplating over the Space Arts. 'Space Cut is a must since I can combine it with my Triple Draws… If I use it with both hands along with my Mythical Fire Slash… I can release twelve Sword Waves at the same time. Unfortunately, I can't add Blade of Conquest because it will collide with the Mythical Fire Slash…

'As for Space Bind and Spatial Lock… Both techniques are really interesting. Great Elder Aileen even mastered both techniques, so I feel like I need to see it with my own eyes how she uses that. I might be tempted to choose both even if I need to go bankrupt.

'At the same time, this Space Mark is also useful to me. I can teleport to another person in the area and confuse the enemy even without my Teleportation Array… It will surely play a role in my fight against Fire God Clan…

'Still, I can't be greedy to avoid not knowing which ability I need to use because I have too many… Anyway, I can think of it later. I will teach Ryuu about Sword first.'

Finishing his thought, he looked at Ryuu and said, "All techniques are tempting to me. But I still need to learn Space Plates and Spatial Gate first, so I will think about it after I finish both." 

"Sure. You can inform me whenever you want. I can even bring you to the Martial Arts Temple."

Alex nodded. "Then, let's start again?" 

Ryuu smiled and raised his weapon again.