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"Second is Sword Control," Sylvia continued, raising her wooden sword.
"You must practice the Flowing Spirit Sword Forms transformed from the Basic Sword Arts together with the Iron Body Foundation Art until you reach the proficient level."
"This art contains twelve foundational forms. Watch my body closely. Do not just look at the sword; look at how my hips, shoulders, and legs move to generate power."
She stepped into the center of the floor, giving herself plenty of room.
"First, the attacks. Vertical Slash and Horizontal Slash."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sylvia swung the heavy wooden blade down, then across. The sheer force of her swings caused the air to whip loudly.
Her breasts heaved slightly against her tight top with the sudden exertion.
"Rising Slash and Thrust."
She dipped her knees low, practically squatting, before exploding upward with a fierce, rising cut.
Immediately after, she twisted her slender hips violently, stepping hard into a forward thrust.
"Next, your footwork," Sylvia called out, not breaking her rhythm. "Forward Step and Retreat Step."
She darted forward like a striking snake, then instantly glided backward.
Her upper body remained perfectly straight and balanced, moving with a terrifying grace.
"Side Step and Pivot."
Sylvia shifted her weight, dodging an imaginary blade.
She planted her leading foot and spun her entire body in a sharp pivot.
Her crimson top rode up slightly, revealing a flash of a pale white stomach.
"Finally, your defense!" she continued, her eyes flashing fiercely. "High Guard and Low Guard."
She brought the wooden blade up high to block an overhead strike, then instantly dropped down to one knee.
She leaned her upper body incredibly far to the side, blocking low while maintaining perfect balance.
"Side Guard and Deflect."
For the final move, Sylvia stood up, angled her blade to catch a side attack, and twisted her wrists.
She arched her back beautifully, redirecting the invisible opponent's force away from her body and finishing her sword stance.
The room was dead silent. Every single girl was staring at her with a mix of deep awe and heavy respect.
"These twelve forms are not just moves," Sylvia said, lowering her sword and breathing out a soft sigh, wiping a bead of sweat from her neck. "They are the core for any Sword Skills you wanna learn in future."
"These twelve forms are not just moves," Sylvia said, lowering her sword. She breathed out a soft sigh, wiping a single bead of sweat from her smooth neck. "They are the core for any Sword Skills you will want to learn in the future."
She rested the tip of her wooden sword on the ground and looked around the room, making sure everyone was paying attention.
"And that brings us to the third requirement," Sylvia continued, her tone turning more serious. "To truly become a Swordsman, you must successfully create your Sword Seed."
A petite girl near the front raised her hand timidly. "Instructor Sylvia? Is a Sword Seed like the Life Seed that Knights use?"
Sylvia smiled, nodding approvingly. "Good question. Yes, it is very similar."
"A Knight creates a Life Seed or Seed of Life, whatever you call it by using their raw physical life energy and combining it with mana. We Swordsmen do the exact same thing. We combine our physical vitality with the mana inside our bodies."
Another girl, a tall blonde, frowned in confusion. "Then... What is the difference between us and them? If we both do the same thing, aren't we just called Knights?"
A few of the girls chuckled, but Sylvia shook her head.
"At the very beginning, yes, they seem the same. But the higher the realm you reach, the greater the changes in your mana attribute. A Knight's mana becomes heavy, focused on building an unbreakable defense and raw, blunt power."
Sylvia lifted her sword again, her eyes glowing with a fierce pride. "But for us, once you reach the Expert Realm—what is commonly known as a 'B' Rank professional—a massive change happens. Your mana actually liquefies inside your body."
Whispers broke out among the girls, some excited and some confused.
"When your mana liquefies," Sylvia explained, speaking over the whispers, "it can be manifested entirely outside your body as 'Sword Intent'."
"Because our mana is sharper and more refined, we gain an incredibly strong mana control ability. It gives us a much higher damage output than any other profession. A Knight can take a few hits, but a Swordsman can cut through anything."
The room grew quiet again as the girls imagined wielding that kind of destructive power.
"However," Sylvia clapped her hands together, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Dreaming about Sword Intent won't help you right now."
"For now, we will just concentrate on the first two requirements: conditioning your body and learning the Flowing Spirit Sword moves. To do both at the same time, you must learn the Breathing Technique."
Sylvia walked back to the center of the room. She stood perfectly straight, her hands relaxed by her sides.
"Watch my chest and my stomach," she ordered.
Every eye locked onto her toned torso. Sylvia took a slow, deep breath in through her nose. Her tight crimson top stretched tightly as her chest expanded, and her stomach pulled in flat.
"You do not just breathe air," she instructed, her voice steady as she held the breath. "You breathe in mana. And as you exhale..."
She let the air out slowly through her lips.
"...you must force that mana down into your blood. You use your breathing to manually push the mana into your muscles, tendons, and bones. This is how you strengthen your body to adapt to the heavy strain of the sword forms."
Sylvia suddenly dropped into a low, wide stance. "If you do a Horizontal Slash without breathing mana into your arms and core, the sheer force of the swing will tear your own muscles. You must inhale, gather the mana, and right as you strike, exhale, pushing the energy into the exact muscles you are using!"
She swung the sword, exhaling a sharp, hissing breath. The air whipped violently again.
"It will feel difficult to concentrate on doing two different things at the same time. However, as you get used to it, your own body will begin to adapt and work on its own."
"It might even feel like fire burning right under your skin," Sylvia warned them, standing back up. "But that heat means it is working. Now, everyone, spread out."
"Find your space. I want you to start with the slow, deep breathing while practicing the basic stances. Feel the mana move."
The girls immediately scrambled to give each other space, raising their wooden swords clumsily.
Standing near the back, Alex took a deep breath, feeling the tight band of his bra press firmly against his ribs as his chest expanded.
He held the wooden sword in both hands, testing its weight.
'This sword technique... it seems tailor-made for me,' Alex thought, his mind racing as he listened carefully to Sylvia's instructions.
He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing inward. He could feel the changes in his body from the shedding process.
His muscles were becoming leaner, softer to the touch, but packed with a strange, highly elastic tension.
His hips were a bit wider, lowering his center of gravity perfectly for the low stances Sylvia had shown them.
He had the Serpentine Physique.
Snakes were all about fluid motion, bending perfectly without ever breaking. The Flowing Spirit Sword forms required exactly that, smooth, unbroken movements that darted like a striking snake.