Shang looked at his sword with a lifted eyebrow. Earlier, he had assumed that his sword didn''t like the


    technique because he hadn''t perfectly used it. After all, the sword had only been mildly disgusted, not


    completely.


    But apparently, it was the opposite.


    The sword really didn''t like the technique.


    "What don''t you like?" Shang asked.


    He still felt a bit weird talking to his sword like it was another person or a pet, but he knew that he


    should get used to it.


    Of course, the sword didn''t answer.


    Shang had a couple of suspicions, but they would need further testing.


    So, Shang tried the second technique. All of these techniques were short, singr movements. They


    weren''t aplex array ofplicated moves or something like that. At most, they described how one


    should move one''s arms generally and how one should move their legs. One could call these


    techniques even basic instruction manuals.


    When Shang finished the technique, his sword gave feedback again.


    It felt a bit weird.


    It was like it was eating something with an unknown vor. It was like it wasn''t certain if it should like


    that vor or not.


    After unleashing the strike and feeling the sword''s feedback, Shang stopped with a frown.


    He felt the sword''s feelings to be familiar.


    ''Actually, I felt simr to the sword,'' Shang thought. ''Although, during the first technique, I wasn''t as


    disgusted as it. However, I still didn''t like it.''


    ''Why is that? Why do I not like this technique?'' Shang thought as he scratched his chin.


    Shang thought back to the first technique.


    The first technique was an upward slice with a simultaneous jump to the back. The purpose of this slice


    was to reset the flow of battle.


    In a battle, one side nearly always had the advantage. One of the two sides was very often the


    aggressive one, while the other one had to react. The reason why one side could be aggressive in the


    first ce was that the other side had been unable topletely stop the aggression.


    Being on the offensive in a fight was incredibly advantageous.


    If one performed a subpar strike during one''s offense, no one would get injured.


    However, if one performed a subpar block, one would be injured.


    So, as long as the offensive side didn''t lose the offense, they could theoretically continue attacking


    forever. They only had to wait for their opponent to make a mistake.


    Now, the first technique, the upward slice with the jump to the back, was a technique to get one out of


    such a bind. The upward slice would include nearly all of the power of the user, and since it went from


    the bottom to the top, it basically went through the entire fighting space.


    This slice was meant to threaten the opponent with an attack and also block a strike, as long as they


    used a fitting strike during that time. Not every technique could be used under all circumstances.


    So, with the opponent attacked and their own attack blocked, the user could jump back, resetting the


    fight. At that point, the opponent would lose their momentum, and the two of them could have their first


    sh again, which often decided the offensive and defensive side.


    The sword had hated that technique, and Shang also hadn''t been the biggest fan of it. However, he


    had still been willing to give it a try.


    ''Why don''t I like the first technique?'' Shang thought as he scratched his chin.


    ''It definitely has its uses. If I were in a passive situation, it would definitely be useful. Just looking at its


    performance, I see no ws. It''s a good strike.''


    Shang thought about this situation a bit more.


    ''It just feels wrong,'' Shang thought with a frown. ''I mean, it is strong. I can''t deny that. It''s also very


    useful.''


    ''But it just feels wrong. It''s like it''s disrupting my flow or my rhythm.''


    Shang scratched the back of his head. ''I mean, that''s the point, right? It''s supposed to disrupt the flow


    of the battle.''


    ''I''m not entirely sure why, but I think the issue is that I simply don''t like it. It''s like some amazing series


    TV show about crime. Everyone loves it, and every crime fanatic rmends it. However, I don''t like


    crime shows.''


    ''I just don''t like them.''


    Shang looked at his sword.


    ''I guess it''s simr with this technique? I can see the quality, but I just don''t like it.''


    ''What about the second technique? The sword felt unfamiliar with this technique, and I know why.''


    ''I''ve never really used something like this.''


    The second technique had been a feint. Feints had the goal of making the opponent move in a certain


    manner, which would make it harder for them to react to unsuspecting attacks. In short, feints


    attempted to take away the reactive flexibility of the opponent.


    The second technique was a sh that came from the top right, but instead of shing at the enemy, it


    went into a curve and went back to the right side, but on a lower level. This left the user in a very wide


    and open stance, but it also gave them a lot of space and wind-up time for a devastating strike.


    If the opponent fell for the feint, they would have either shed to their left or blocked.


    If they shed towards the feint, they would be caught off-guard, literally. Their equilibrium and power


    would be fully focused on their front. If they decided to block, they would lose their opportunity to


    counterattack.


    Attacks with long wind-up times were risky since the enemy could simply unleash a quick counter. If a


    boxer just suddenly started pulling back their shoulders to unleash a devastating hook, the enemy


    would unleash a quick jab at them.


    Of course, a quick jab wasn''t really devastating to a boxer.


    However, if that quick jab were apanied by a sharp weapon, things would be different.


    Going for wide swings left someone open to quick stabs.


    But with the feint, the enemy wouldn''t be in a situation to take advantage of the opening, which gave


    the user of the feint the opportunity to unleash a devastating strike. Even if such a strike didn''t hit the


    body of the opponent, the opponent would still be thrown back. They might even fall down.


    Shang hadn''t really used any feints up to now.


    Why?


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    Because he had only really been fighting beasts.


    Weapons were hard and could block Shang''s sword, but beasts couldn''t easily block it. If they tried to


    block it with anything, that thing would most likely be cut off. Because of that, nearly all beasts focused


    on evasion instead of blocking.


    As for parrying?


    Beasts were too stupid for that.


    Because of that, beasts could only avoid attacks or counter with an offense.


    That was why Shang felt unfamiliar with this technique.


    And the feelings of his sword reflected that.


    ''So, the sword is actually reflecting my own feelings, but with more rity,'' Shang thought as he


    scratched his chin. ''Although I can''t be sure if it is reflecting my current feelings or if these are its own


    feelings. They could also just be identical since it went through all the training I did. After all, how am I


    supposed to train my swordsmanship without a sword?''


    ''This means that this is either a mirror of my current feelings or simply a case of feeling the feelings of


    an identical twin.''


    ''Is my sword its own being with its own feelings, or do its feelingse from my own mental state?''