At 15, Ryan was in his growth spurt, and his appetite became increasingly exaggerated. Coupled with his improved financial situation, two months of frequent meals led to him acquiring his second skill point today.
The reason he saved two skill points was that it takes two points to upgrade a skill from level one to level two.
The skill to be upgraded was, of course, Flame Breathing. The second level of the skill, 'Proficient Mastery,' was no longer a level that could be quickly achieved just by listening to explanations, so using skill points was the most cost-effective way. As for the third and fourth levels, even more skill points would be needed.
Of course, all of that was for the future. The most urgent task now was to raise Flame Breathing to level one through his own efforts.
Fortunately, he was almost there.
In the afternoon, Shinjuro sipped fine wine and ate snacks while watching Ryan demonstrate his moves in the courtyard. Kanao stood by, silently cheering for Brother Ryan.
"First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Ryan's feet seemed to be loaded with gunpowder, propelling him forward with explosive speed. At the same time, he held a wooden sword and executed a horizontal slash. A thick wooden stake, pre-positioned in front of him, was cut in half at the waist. After a "bang," Ryan stopped his steps and calmly sheathed his sword.
The entire process was clean and precise.
As the earliest move he learned, he could already control the speed and power of First Form.
Shinjuro glanced and continued drinking; there was nothing to say about this move.
But Ryan wasn't just demonstrating one move this time.
Over two months, he had learned all the moves of Flame Breathing. During this process, Shinjuro was drunk countless times and answered countless questions. Eventually, this good master simply resigned himself and no longer brought up the "three questions" rule.
How much valuable information he could extract before Shinjuro got drunk depended entirely on Ryan's speaking skills and Shinjuro's mood.
Ryan thought this was easy, and the result was that Shinjuro lived a life of drunken stupor, while Ryan learned the final form in just two short months.
In short, it was a win-win.
A memory flashed and receded. Ryan took a deep breath, picked up the section of wooden stake that had rolled to the ground, and tossed it into the air.
The real demonstration had just begun.
"Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
The wooden sword swung violently from bottom to top, bringing with it a few sparks, forming a bright red arc in the air.
"Crack!"
The oval wooden stake was directly split into two halves, with black smoke rising from the cut surface, emitting the smell of burnt wood.
Shinjuro narrowed his eyes, savoring his wine. Not bad. Cutting a wooden stake in half in mid-air with a wooden sword required considerable strength and speed, which indirectly demonstrated the boy's excellent physical fitness.
However, it wasn't over yet.
"Third Form: Blazing Universe!"
The wooden sword's movement changed from bottom-up to top-down. The sparks brought forth during the downward chop were even more dazzling. A half-round wooden stake hadn't even landed yet when it was struck again by the wooden sword.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the half-stake exploded, sending wood splinters and flames flying in all directions, each piece igniting with tiny flames.
Shinjuro nodded slightly. This move had enough explosive power, and his swordsmanship foundation was very solid.
Ryan didn't pause.
"Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
With himself as the center and the wooden sword as the radius, a swirling vortex of flames swept outwards. This move was not only an area attack but could also be used to defend against others' assaults.
Shinjuro put down his sake flask and looked intently. Interesting. This move had a certain fiery essence, grasping the core of Flame Breathing.
"Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!"
While the flames had not yet dissipated, Ryan wielded his wooden sword and charged forward. Under the effect of the Breathing Technique, the flames around his body faintly revealed the outline of a fierce tiger.
"Rumble!"
The section of wooden stake previously nailed to the ground was directly blown apart by this attack. Under the illumination of the tiger-shaped flames, Ryan himself appeared very mighty.
Shinjuro stood up directly. Good boy! How long had it been since he had mastered the Fifth Form to this extent? With just a bit more tempering through fire and blood, this fiery tiger would gain true spiritual essence.
Although he disliked the boy, he had to admit that he truly had talent.
The wooden sword ignited and began to burn, and the blood in his body also boiled. Ryan began to inhale and exhale deeply, maintaining the physical burden brought by Flame Breathing, which placed heavy pressure on him. Continuously using five combat techniques also severely depleted his stamina.
Kanao looked at Ryan's tired figure and shouted loudly: "Go… Go, Brother! Only one more form left!"
"What's wrong, kid? Can't you use the next form?"
Shinjuro was more aware of Ryan's condition. He knew that the boy had reached a critical point, and once he crossed it, he would undergo a qualitative change.
"I'll explain the key points of Ninth Form again. Listen carefully. First is…"
Perhaps moved by the talent displayed by the other party, or perhaps due to the last bit of responsibility as a Flame Pillar, this alcoholic uncle, for the first time, gave specific guidance to his disciple while sober.
Ryan was greatly moved. While listening to the explanation, his physical strength began to slowly recover.
"The most important point is…"
As he listened, Ryan knew what to do. He raised his fiery red wooden sword, accelerated the rhythm of Flame Breathing, and a large amount of oxygen entered his body.
In the blink of an eye, the intense heat throughout his body was ignited.
"Flame Breathing Secret Art…"
"Kid, feel the spirit of fire, let yourself bloom like a flame."
"Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
Ryan used all his strength, burned all the blood in his body, and erupted with even more ferocious speed than First Form, like a fire dragon charging forward relentlessly. At this moment, he truly bloomed.
"Crackling…"
Leaving a trail of flames, Ryan charged directly towards Shinjuro.
"Haha, what courage, what presence!"
Shinjuro looked at the rapidly approaching fiery red figure, laughed heartily, and became excited. At the same time, he understood that if Ryan didn't attack him, the courtyard would suffer. Only he could stop this attack.
He tossed aside his sake flask, gripped his sword hilt, and for the first time, raised his nichirin blade.
Strong winds lashed against Shinjuro's face, and the firelight was close at hand.
"Clang!"
A diagonal slash from his scabbard collided with the wooden sword, precisely interrupting Ryan's attack. This unadorned strike stopped the entire fire dragon, and the flames in front of him could not harm Shinjuro in the slightest.
"Crack!"
The wooden sword couldn't withstand the force and broke into two pieces. Ryan was also at the end of his rope, only crashing forward due to inertia.
Shinjuro had anticipated this. He spun his body and used a simplified version of Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation, throwing Ryan into the air with a spin.
"Brother!"
Kanao greatly enhanced her physical state using Flame Breathing and subconsciously used the dashing technique of First Form, rushing forward quickly. Her powerful dynamic vision quickly determined the landing spot, and then she spread her arms.
And so, Kanao gave Ryan a princess carry.