“The Ancient King said that the Ash of War you used before was Storm Stomp, so let’s start with Storm Stomp.”
Edgar stomped his foot, and a storm howled to life around him.
“The principles behind the storm combat arts aren’t actually that complicated.”
“The first step is to channel your mana. The second is to control the formation of the storm.”
Bai Shi listened intently. Combat was a matter of life and death; there was no room for carelessness.
“Once you can successfully channel your mana, regardless of the power, you’ll be considered to have learned the combat art.”
“As for the ability to control the storm, that determines its power when using the same amount of mana.”
“With the Ancient King’s guidance, controlling the storm should actually be much simpler for you.”
The Storm Stomp Edgar demonstrated this time wasn't particularly powerful, and he did so intentionally.
Unlike a Tarnished, he couldn't just rest at a Site of Grace to restore his mana; he had to spend time accumulating it again.So his plan was to teach combat arts for a while, then switch to combat fundamentals to recover his mana, then return to teaching the arts, repeating the cycle.
“How to channel your mana is the most critical problem you face right now.”
“The Ancient King can directly mobilize your mana to generate a storm, but you won't learn the combat art that way.”
“Because of our different races, what the Ancient King actually does is dissipate your mana into the air, and then control it himself to form the storm.”
“Although you no longer have a weapon with the Ash of War, you’ve used it so many times that you should remember the feeling of unleashing it. Try it again.”
Bai Shi recalled the sensation of using Storm Stomp, gathered his mana in his foot, and stomped.
But all he managed to stir up was a gentle breeze.
Bai Shi frowned. Without the Ash of War, it was much more difficult than he had imagined.
The Ash of War was like a pre-written program; as long as he fed it mana, it would execute according to its code.
Now, Bai Shi had to run the program himself. The slightest deviation would lead to failure.
Fortunately, he had ample mana, two Flasks of Cerulean Tears on his person, and a Site of Grace nearby. All he had to do was practice relentlessly.
Again, and again, and again.
When he ran out of mana, he drank from a flask. When the flasks were empty, he rested at the Site of Grace.
Through countless repetitions, Bai Shi gradually mastered the Ash of War version of Storm Stomp.
But he didn’t stop there. With each activation, he sensed that the Ash of War’s Storm Stomp could be improved.
To put it bluntly, the Ash of War was merely the remnant of a warrior skilled in the art; it was a far cry from a true storm.
It was a difficult feeling for Bai Shi to describe. Even though he had been following the Ash of War's mechanics, he just knew he could take it a step further.
Following that intuition, he unleashed Storm Stomp once more.
The flow of his mana became smoother. Areas that were once blocked were now clear, and less mana was wasted on unnecessary parts of the process.
A storm swirled around him, uprooting the green grass of the plains and tearing it to shreds in the gale.
Bai Shi carefully savored the sensation. The mana cost was lower, and the casting speed was faster.
After a few more attempts, he had completely finalized the path of his mana flow.
Bai Shi had now thoroughly mastered Storm Stomp, his proficiency even surpassing that of the warrior who had left the Ash of War behind.
He was very satisfied.
Seeing that Bai Shi had already mastered Storm Stomp, Edgar was secretly astonished. It was no wonder the Ancient King had taken an interest in him.
Even if a Tarnished could use a Site of Grace to recover, effectively giving them infinite mana to practice with, Bai Shi had completely mastered Storm Stomp in just one or two hours. His talent was simply astounding.
Moreover, having witnessed a true storm, Bai Shi's understanding of them ran deep. With the same amount of mana, the effect he produced far surpassed Edgar’s.
Edgar suddenly felt a twinge of sadness. He was born in an era when the storm had already faded; he had never witnessed a true storm.
He recalled how his father would always sigh with lament when teaching him. He hadn't understood back then, but now he felt it keenly.
The true storm had long since dissipated along with their homeland. ‘Ancient King, do you believe he has a chance to bring back the storm? If it’s him, perhaps he really can.’
Edgar thought to himself.
Seeing that Bai Shi had mastered Storm Stomp, Edgar proceeded to the next stage of his training.
“Next, we’ll work on footwork. Footwork is very important in combat.”
... ... ...
“Try to summon a storm around you without stomping on the ground.”
... ... ...
“Try channeling mana through your weapon. Treat it as an extension of your body and wreathe it in the storm.”
... ... ...
——
The day passed quickly. Each time, Edgar would demonstrate a few times, then silently watch Bai Shi train.
When he saw a mistake, he would correct it.
Thanks to the recovery from the Site of Grace, Bai Shi trained without rest, quickly mastering most of the exercises.
However, aside from Storm Stomp, the other skills were still a bit too raw to be used in actual combat.
He was still a long, long way from achieving the Lightning Cyclone Slash.
But Bai Shi wasn’t discouraged. To have made such great progress in a single day of training was already more than satisfying.
He still had plenty of time to learn.
Once his training was complete, it would be time for him to set out for Stormveil.
Night fell, and the light of the Erdtree gradually dimmed.
Bai Shi and Edgar returned to Castle Morne.
The courtyard had been cleaned. Aside from the lingering smell of blood, there was no sign of the tragedy that had once occurred there.
Bai Shi and Edgar had a simple meal. Although it was just plain bread and vegetable soup, it was the first proper meal Bai Shi had eaten in a long time.
Supplies in Castle Morne were still scarce. The Misbegotten had spoiled much of the food, so Edgar couldn’t have a great feast prepared to welcome Bai Shi.
Although Edgar had already dispatched men to transport supplies, before they arrived, there was truly nothing presentable to offer.
They didn't even have a cook right now; he had just asked a resident who knew how to cook to prepare something.
After bidding farewell to Edgar, Bai Shi returned to his room.
Lying on the bed, Bai Shi didn't sleep. Instead, he tried to communicate with the Ancient King.
‘Ancient King, why did you choose me?’
A long time passed without a response. Just as Bai Shi thought the Ancient King was ignoring him again, a voice resounded in his mind.
‘Resemblance.’
Bai Shi was a little bewildered. What did that mean?
‘What do you mean by resemblance?’
‘Exactly what it means. You remind me of a former companion. Otherwise, you would have never been able to approach my ashes.’
Though the Ancient King was dead, he could still command the storm. In the storm-swept Chapel of Anticipation, it would have been effortless for him to keep Bai Shi away.
‘So, do you want me to get revenge for you?’
The Ancient King fell silent, and finally, he only sighed.
‘There is nothing to avenge. We were the vanquished; we should have scattered like the wind. There was no grand purpose in choosing you. I simply wished to do so.’