Under John''s eloquent persuasion and sugar-coated barrage, Shadowcloud eventually, albeit reluctantly, forgave him.


    As John had anticipated, Shadowcloud indeed came to teach him, specifically, a mystical technique coveted by countless awakeners - the "Godyer de."


    Turning to serious matters, Shadowcloud''s demeanor changed, adopting a grave tone.


    "Learning the Godyer de isn''t something that can be achieved overnight.


    It requires a considerable amount of time and effort.


    Moreover, frequent use of the Godyer de can inflict severe damage on your body," he cautioned.


    His eyes briefly clouded with a touch of mncholy, "And this damage is irreparable. Are you sure you want to learn it?"


    Without hesitation, John affirmed, "Of course, I want to learn!"


    The power of the Godyer de was evident to all; it could unleash strength far beyond one''s level in an instant.


    In critical moments, it might just save his life.


    Faced with such an opportunity, John wouldn''t dream of declining.


    After all, if it could preserve his life, what did side effects matter?


    Shadowcloud wasn''t surprised by John''s decision.


    With a smile, he said, "Since you''ve made up your mind, there''s nothing more for me to say. Prepare yourself; we start training tomorrow."


    John nodded eagerly.


    Afterward, Shadowcloud left with Victor and others, leaving John to continue his training in the room.


    Once outside the training room, Shadowcloud halted his wheelchair, turning his gaze towards Victor, who silently acknowledged, understanding Shadowcloud wanted a private word.


    He led Shadowcloud to a quiet office.


    Upon entering, Victor personally poured a cup of tea for the legendary awakener of the Federal.


    As Shadowcloud blew gently on the mist rising from the cup, he inquired, "Has that person not been found yet?"


    He referred, of course, to the shadowy figure lurking behind the scenes.


    Without this individual being found, Sterburg could not settle into peace, and they couldn''t lower their guard.


    Victor frowned, "There are some clues, but the person remains elusive. They might be rted to House Foster, but by the time we got to them, they had vanished, likely having left Sterburg."


    Shadowcloud''s brow furrowed in frustration, fearing the possibility of their adversary having left Sterburg the most.


    Within the city, though the foe was like an unstable bomb, at least they knew where the bomb was located.


    Should the individual leave Sterburg, finding them would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.


    With a deep look, Shadowcloud expressed, "I''ve always had a bad feeling about this, fearing this person might cause significant trouble for the Federal in the future."


    Their goals remained unknown, and now, their only lead, House Foster, had disappeared, indicating the severity of the situation for individuals of their caliber.


    Lighting a cigarette, Victor revealed, "Things have been unstabletely, with demons emerging incessantly. The Southern Sea Fortress has descended into chaos, seemingly under the influence of someone wishing to establish their divine kingdom there. And it''s not just the Southern Sea Fortress; the dark gods outside the eight fortresses are restless too.


    The higher-ups have already secretly dispatched powerful beings to maintain order, but it''s uncertain if they can stabilize the situation."


    Victor''s recent mission to the Southern Sea Fortress was, in fact, a secret assignment to suppress those harboring ill intentions.


    Shadowcloud''s expression carried a hint of weariness as he shared, "A few years back, the principal of the Star Cluster Academy divined the stars and foresaw signs of impending chaos. It appears that prediction is indeeding true."


    He paused for a moment before adopting a more carefree smile, "I''ll leave these matters to you younger folks. I''m practically a cripple now, eager to help but physically unable."


    Victor remained silent.


    Shadowcloud had devoted his life to the Federal, and now in hister years, it was indeed unnecessary for him to exert himself further; a rest was well deserved.


    Suddenly, something crossed Victor''s mind, and he asked, "I heard from John that you''ve known him for quite some time and that you taught him the Stealth Spell quite early on. Did you see something special in him?"


    With a sip of tea, Shadowcloud chuckled, "You''re overthinking it. I simply took a liking to him."


    Victor gave him a nce but said nothing more.


    He didn''t quite believe Shadowcloud''s im, but since Shadowcloud was unwilling to borate, Victor didn''t press further.


    However, he couldn''t shake off a hunch.


    Perhaps the semi-divine figure from the Star Cluster Academy foresaw not only the Federal''s imminent turmoil but something more...


    A day passed quickly, and John found himself in the training room early the next morning, only to be surprised that Shadowcloud had arrived even earlier.


    However, the reason for his early arrival...


    At that moment, Shadowcloud, seated in his wheelchair, was engaging in conversation with a few cleaningdies.


    With his worldly experiences and bawdy jokes, he had the group ofdies giggling uncontrobly, all the while casting lecherous nces at their ample bosoms, presenting a rather unsavory sight.


    John couldn''t help but twitch his mouth in disdain.


    Despite being wheelchair-bound, the old man was still up to no good.


    Upon seeing John approach, Shadowcloud made ns to grab coffee with the cleaningdies at ater time, then asked them to leave first.


    The cleaning staff reluctantly exited the training room, leaving just the two of them in the spacious area.


    Shadowcloud gave John a once-over and remarked with a hint of emotion, "Yesterday, you were beaten to a pulp; I didn''t expect you to recover in just a day. Being young is great; you can withstand rigorous training."


    Observing the smile on Shadowcloud''s face, John suddenly had a bad feeling.


    But it was toote for any second thoughts now.


    The training officially began.


    Shadowcloud didn''t start by teaching John how to wield the Godyer de right away.


    Instead, he first adjusted John''s training schedule.


    He eliminated most of the courses John had already mastered and extended the original 12-hour training period to 18 hours, leaving John with only 6 hours of rest each day.


    Additionally, Shadowcloud increased the frequency of John consuming transcendent food, ensuring John ate again every few hours.


    John thought Victor''s training was strict enough, but he was now realizing that the real hellish training was just beginning.


    Learning the Godyer de was more challenging than he had imagined.


    The most difficult part was that the user not only needed to highlypress their own power but also had to bring their mind power into a peculiar state.


    This state allowed them to discern the opponent''s fatal weakness in a split second.


    As Shadowcloud put it, everything in this world, including gods, has its weaknesses.


    Once those weaknesses are discerned, even mortals can bridge the chasm and y gods!


    This was why Shadowcloud was able to use the Godyer de to intimidate a deity in his heyday.


    Although it sounds simple, the execution is challenging.


    Merely the first step,pressing one''s power, proved to be a significant hurdle for John.


    He had always believed he had decent control over his power, but it was only during thepression training that John realized his understanding ofpression was fundamentally different from what Shadowcloud described.


    Shadowcloud''s concept ofpression involves condensing one''s internal power to a single point, achieving a qualitative transformation, not merely using mind power to forciblypress elemental energy as John did with his skill fusion technique.


    The two approaches are fundamentally different.


    Besides teaching John how to master the Godyer de, Shadowcloud also imparted knowledge that''s difficult to find in books.


    For instance, "mystical techniques" are essentially a form of skill fusion technique.


    However, "mystical techniques" are more mature and stable, allowing others to learn or mimic them.


    The "Stealth Spell" that John mastered is a mystical technique uniquely created by Shadowcloud.


    Simrly, Victor''s "Starfall de Rain" and most of his skills are also his own creations of mystical techniques.


    However, Victor''s situation is unique.


    His mystical techniques are tailored only for him and not applicable to everyone else, which is why he cannot teach them to John.


    As Shadowcloud puts it, Victor has taken the "swordsman" ss to its extreme, even transcending the limitations of talent.


    He has forged his own path, one that others cannot replicate.


    Moreover, Shadowcloud imparted to John some knowledge about the "Divine Realm," a power that originates from the gods.


    John''s Crimson Realm is an instance of such a Divine Realm.


    Once his strength reaches a certain threshold, he will be able to manifest the Divine Realm into the physical world at will.


    Within the confines of his Divine Realm, he would wield godlike omnipotence!


    However, John''s current strength is too limited to harness the full potential of the Divine Realm, to the point where he can''t even fully control the monsters within it.


    Thus, alongside teaching John the Godyer de, Shadowcloud is also guiding him on how to master the Crimson Realm.


    Mastering either the Godyer de or gaining control over the Crimson Realm is not something that can be achieved quickly.


    John is mentally prepared for this.


    In addition to learning from Shadowcloud, John continues to partake in Victor''sbat training without fail.


    Victor''s contributions to John''s education have been focused solely onbat.


    No matter how John attacks, Victor can perfectly deflect his assaults with his iron staff, then counter with a seemingly effortless strike, rendering John incapacitated.


    Victor''s swordsmanship, at times lightning-fast and at others ghostly elusive, has left a significant psychological impact on John.


    Under such rigorous training, time swiftly passes by.


    Each day, John experiences both agony and ecstasy.