Brian Carter gritted his teeth, drew his mental power from the core of his right hand, and suddenly charged downward. He remembered this kind of trial—it was very difficult, and after hearing Looks Like the Warrior talk about it so much, he figured it would be even harder.

Boom...

Brian Carter's mental power went straight through the first... second... third level... Soon, Looks Like the Warrior didn't even need to say anything. His mental power seemed to be guided by something, directly completing the small cycle of sixteen levels in his right hand.

"Looks Like the Warrior, does this count as completion?" Brian Carter looked blankly at the middle-aged man. This level of difficulty was really... low. It wasn't even a ten-thousandth as hard as the Blade Technique he practiced in the beginning. Could this be the spear version?

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Looks Like the Warrior's serious face. "That's enough for today. Practice this for now." With that, the light faded and he disappeared.

At the moment he vanished, Looks Like the Warrior seemed to mutter in annoyance... "Dumb luck."

Brian Carter didn't care what kind of luck it was. Since he had completed it, he enthusiastically began to practice. Adding a small cycle to the grand cycle felt a bit awkward, but it was also fun. The Blade Technique taught by the old man had become boring to practice, and young people are always interested in new things—especially when it's the legendary "Blade Technique."

Looks Like the Warrior was probably really shocked by Brian Carter, as he didn't show up again until two days later. "Kid, show me a round of practice."

Brian Carter smoothly directed his mental power through a cycle. He had been practicing this Blade Technique since he was seven, and had never felt any effect. The old man would always force him to practice it, and while everything else could be negotiated, this was non-negotiable. Now, he was finally seeing some results.

"Hmph, I really wonder if you have some blood relation to the Blade Warrior. Not bad. Try striking the wall with your palm."

Without a word, Brian Carter rushed forward. Boom! Dust and debris flew as a crack appeared in the wall.

"Idiot! I told you to use an empty palm strike, not to smash it directly. I've seen fools, but never one as foolish as you. Are you trying to bury us alive?"

Although he couldn't feel the dust, if Brian Carter got buried, he would never see the light of day again either.

Brian Carter scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected himself to have so much strength. In that moment, his whole body felt alive.

"So this is the power of gene core force?"

Curious as ever, Brian Carter once again drew a look of disdain from Looks Like the Warrior. Well, his temperament really wasn't suited for teaching, but Looks Like the Warrior still answered, "Of course... not. If gene core force was only this strong, humanity wouldn't stand a chance. Before you complete the Blade Technique, you can't activate gene core force. Right now, it's just your mental power coordinating with your body, with maybe a bit of gene core force mixed in. Not bad. Today you can move on to the next step."

It seemed that even Looks Like the Warrior's gaze held a bit of appreciation. Although Brian Carter's combat power wasn't much, the so-called most difficult Blade Technique was so easy for him—it really was a bizarre thing.

What followed was a month of pitch-black, endless days in the mine. The food was long gone, so Brian Carter could only gather leaves from Norton Star's plants and feed them into the machine to make nutrient pills. Anything made from human organic materials tasted bad enough, let alone the primitive plants of Norton Star. The strange taste was enough to make anyone sick. But with all his focus on cultivation, Brian Carter quickly got used to it. He had never been so focused before. Of course, every day included bickering with Looks Like the Warrior, while Black Charcoal took care of Brian Carter's simple daily needs. When not needed, Black Charcoal would quietly stay in the corner.

But as long as it was there, Brian Carter never felt alone. Unknowingly, Black Charcoal was no longer just a simple robot, but had become his friend.

Brian Carter actually mastered the Blade Technique. To be honest, neither of them really knew what that meant, but it seemed he had succeeded. Every time Brian Carter completed a part, the bright spots on the light projection would disappear, and now they were all gone. Looks Like the Warrior didn't seem to know how difficult the Blade Technique was to practice—he'd never practiced it himself, nor heard of anyone who had. In any case, it seemed to be a success.

This 256-level technique was now operating complexly within Brian Carter's body. Now, it took him a whole day to complete one grand cycle—an absurdly slow pace, but at least it was a success.

Unfortunately, this earth-shattering achievement was completed in a dark, grimy mine. If the five great families knew someone had mastered the Blade Technique, they would probably mobilize everything they had.

This legendary technique, after four hundred years, had become almost useless—its only function seemed to be slightly increasing the chance of awakening. Of course, this was the simplified version; no one had probably ever seen the real one.

"Not bad. With your talent, getting this far is decent. For the next month, keep cultivating, but also start actual combat," said Looks Like the Warrior.

"Actual combat? Haha, great! I was just wanting to test my power. Can I activate core force now?"

"Idiot, of course not! What's the rush? Master the technique first, then activate it. What are your schools teaching these days, that you don't even know you need to stabilize the technique before starting gene core force!"

"Ahem, I never went to military school, so I don't really know the details."

How could Brian Carter know? When he first arrived, he hadn't even awakened, let alone learned the basic knowledge of an armed warrior.