Chapter 85: Chapter 84 Breaking Through the Grandmaster Bottleneck
After resolving his doubts about his time ability, Fang Zheng immediately sought advice from Shi Dong on another matter—the question of swordsmanship. This was something he intended to ask on his way to Shadow Canyon, but due to a lack of time and subsequent accidents, Fang Zheng had not had the opportunity to inquire. Now that he saw Shi Dong here, he naturally wanted to resolve it as well.
What surprised Fang Zheng, however, was that after hearing his request for guidance, Shi Dong did not immediately respond. Instead, he looked at Fang Zheng for a good while before sighing and patting his shoulder.
“I really didn’t expect that you, kid, would make progress so quickly… but it’s not surprising… Well… Thinking about it, with your strength, it’s only natural to encounter this bottleneck.”
As he spoke, Shi Dong’s expression grew much more serious. He stared at Fang Zheng and said,
“The bottleneck you are facing now is one that every professional, whether spellcasters or warriors, must confront. If you can successfully break through it, then you can step into the domain of a Grandmaster. But if you can’t break through, then I’m afraid you’ll be stuck at your current level for the rest of your life. Even if you have great strength… it’s the same…”
“Is it that serious?”
Hearing this, Fang Zheng’s expression changed slightly, but seeing his reaction, Shi Dong just laughed.
“All right, relax a bit. Actually, this is not so difficult, but it’s not so simple either… Well, to put it plainly, you’re beginning to realize the shortcomings of your swordsmanship.”
Fang Zheng couldn’t make sense of Shi Dong’s words, feeling that Royal Cross Swordsmanship was quite useful. Being a Paladin means being able to attack, defend, AoE, heal, be invincible, and break control—all quite comprehensive. What shortcomings could there be? Of course, it would be nice if the invincibility could last a little longer…
Shi Dong seemed to have sensed Fang Zheng’s thoughts, shrugging his shoulders and then gazing at the two-handed giant sword in his hands.
“The Storm Swordsmanship I learned was actually created by a female ancestor of ours. At that time, it wasn’t called Storm Swordsmanship but Sword of the Heavens. It described this swordsmanship as being like a light breeze in the vault of the heavens, elusive but omnipresent.”
Hearing this, Fang Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling that what Shi Dong described was entirely different from what he had seen. Fang Zheng had witnessed Storm Swordsmanship more than once, and if he had to describe it, there was only one phrase that fit—a moving, human-sized land-based tornado.
Impossible! Such a huge tornado is visible to everyone, only a blind person would miss it!
“But to me, it’s not the Sword of the Heavens, it’s Storm Swordsmanship, do you understand, kid?”
As he spoke, Shi Dong tapped his sword.
“What we learn is swordsmanship, what spellcasters learn are spells, but in the end, all of these are legacies left by those before us. Our ancestor was a woman, and perhaps she was more suited to the Sword of the Heavens style. But I’m not, I prefer to roll right over them, so in my hands, the Sword of the Heavens is not the Sword of the Heavens, it’s Storm Swordsmanship. It’s the same for you, kid.”
Speaking of this, Shi Dong once again looked towards Fang Zheng.
“Everyone needs to find their own path, and here you stand, making a decision. The reason why you feel that your swordsmanship isn’t smooth enough is that it simply isn’t meant for you to fight in this manner.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng instinctively opened his mouth, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he fell into deep thought.
To be fair, Fang Zheng thought he was quite right. He had never really been a melee player. In online games, Fang Zheng favored long-range attacking professions, such as Archers and Mages. Next would be classes like Thieves that could control and backstab, while he did not particularly excel at or enjoy classes like Knights and Warriors. In fact, whenever Fang Zheng started an online game, the first roles he would look at were remote and summoning classes, followed by those that allowed for stealth and survival. As for Knights and Paladins? They were always his last choice.
Mastering the Royal Cross Swordsmanship for Fang Zheng was more like being pushed into a situation he hadn’t chosen, because, at the time, he was powerless and would take whatever he could get without giving much thought to other options.
He might even say that he preferred the combat style in Dark Soul more than Royal Cross Swordsmanship because it allowed him to take advantage of openings, and exploiting weaknesses was what Fang Zheng enjoyed the most. Put simply, Fang Zheng relished the experience of capitalizing on an enemy’s vulnerability to deliver a deadly, powerful blow. This was unlike the Royal Cross Swordsmanship, which required a poised, steady approach, typical of Paladin tactics.
For instance, it’s like comparing the Thief and Knight classes in a game. A Thief might have a weak basic attack but can strike a critical hit or triple damage from sneak attacks. Knights might do slightly more damage with their basic attacks but are less likely to land a critical hit. Given the choice between these two classes, Fang Zheng would prefer the former over the latter. Yet, now he was following the path of the latter.
Shi Dong’s words were clear to Fang Zheng; the biggest difference between a Grandmaster and an elite was that a Grandmaster could innovate, developing unique skills based on existing knowledge. That is why Shi Dong said that while the Sword of the Heavens remained the same in the hands of his ancestors, it became Storm Swordsmanship in his own. The same swordsmanship, because of the different focuses of the wielders, could have entirely different manifestations.
The old Fang Zheng was just a novice, so he would use whatever skills were handed to him, much like many beginner gamers who would follow the game instructions for their actions. But with a deepening gaming experience and increasing knowledge, these novices would gradually grow and start mastering and using skills suited to them. Some people prefer to be aggressive, while others are more cautious. Thus, when you see Hunters charging forth with polearms and Paladins who only throw hammers from the back… it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
And Fang Zheng had now successfully moved past the “Novice Period” and reached the point where he needed to find the “style of output” that fit him best.
“So, instructor, do you have any advice?”
“I don’t have any good advice.”
Faced with Fang Zheng’s earnest request for guidance, Shi Dong shook his head.
“If I were to say anything, it would be to stick to your own ideas. Every combat style exists for a reason, and while some may look down on them, it doesn’t mean they aren’t effective. Stay true to yourself, find the fighting style that suits you best—that’s the only advice I can give you.”
“Thank you, instructor.”
Having listened to Shi Dong’s guidance, Fang Zheng stood up and bowed to him. In all honesty, Fang Zheng understood what Shi Dong meant. Although it sounded simple, he knew very well that perfecting his combat style—or even just defining the style he wanted to stick to—was not going to be easy. But no matter what, Shi Dong had pointed him in the right direction and resolved his doubts. What was left… as Shi Dong said, was up to his own efforts.
It must be said that Shi Dong was quite an adequate instructor. The two questions that had always troubled Fang Zheng had been answered—his Time Ability was not strong enough because his own strength was too weak. As for a breakthrough in swordsmanship, it was up to him to work hard and achieve it.
However, unfortunately, neither of these was an easily solved issue. So Fang Zheng had to put aside the idea of further improving himself for the time being and shift his focus to the group of Cultists.
After all, that was where the focus lay ahead.