I'm not crazy, you're crazy!

-Next day, 12th day-

As Axilya was working, throughout the day her eyes occasionally would rest on Eilhauver with a contemplative gleam. 'I can feel a subtle shift happening. Is his Dantian loosening slightly?' It was a curious feeling she got as he observed him, sometimes he would be just a bit stronger than was natural, his stamina was a bit higher, and numerous other small things. Now - this could be seen as just having gotten a cultivation method and slowly practicing it - but he was clearly a step ahead of his parents.

'Curious. Is he faster because he's more talented, or because he's younger?' It was an interesting question - after all Beldroth and Kaylessa were one hundred and eighty-five years old respectively, compared to Eilhauver's 25. 'If we were to stupidly divide their ages by five, Eilhauver would be 5, Beldroth would be 20, and Kaylessa would be 17. In martial world cultivation, and in general mortal cultivation for any novel - that's a huge difference! But it could also just be a gap in talent, after all, Beldroth's 'flames of life' or whatever cultivation term you want to use will still be quite bright for another 340 or so years!' 

Her contemplative thoughts turned towards the obvious next place - Haryk. 'It's hard to tell where he stands in this formula because I don't work with him for hours upon hours every day. But, he's certainly at least more motivated than Eilhauver, Beldroth, and Kaylessa - at least for now. How curious! It'll certainly be interesting to see as I teach more and more people.' 

-That night, the forest-

Taking a deep breath, her second hand slowly wrapped around the hilt of her saber, and instantly once more her vision changed. Standing in the void, with only that magnificent saber in front of her - she was again enthralled by its beauty, power, craftsmanship, and sheer skill. 

The saber once more began to chop away at her. Each of its blows landed on Axilya's body, branding her flesh and soul with its expertise. There was no pain - only joy. 'I see! I see!' A wide smile spread across her face. 'Truly unfathomable. Oh? That's how you do it! Tsk, no wonder my blows weren't so fast! Oh? Interesting, you're meant to flex just like that for that blow?' 

Question after question was answered, most of which she didn't even know she had questions for. Idea after idea popped inside of her mind, before immediately being discarded as they grew in size and scope. Each thought was swiftly being replaced by something better as if the saber was responding to her, and her ideas. Time passed, before eventually - the void faded away. The saber faded away, and she once more woke up in the forest.

Slash! Stab! Chop! Stab while stepping forward! Slash from one side! Slash to the other side! Chop to make someone get off-balanced! Chop to cut off an arm! Chop to disarm! Numerous different ideas and micro adjustments of the various most basic of moves were done as her mind churned faster and faster. "37 errors! 43 errors! 8 errors! 18 errors! 3 errors! 57 errors! 92 errors! 1 error!"

Each error was categorized, and thought about, before slowly over time being fixed blow after blow - only for it to be replaced by another or even multiple! 

However, eventually, no more slashes came, no more chops, no more stabs. Instead, a slightly dazed look appeared on Axilya's face.

[DING!

Congratulations to the host for reaching the 'Basic' level of Saber! Please reach the basic level with Footwork to complete the mission named "Practice!"

]

"Huh? Already? But it's only been two sessions of training! I don't even feel that different... it still feels like I can barely even hold this saber." Yet, the system did not respond, and all she could do was feel confused. "I guess so?" She slowly nodded. "Alright, I guess. I suppose I should practice with my fists now..." Axilya was completely befuddled as she put the saber back into its box and started to punch at the tree. "Eh? So many errors? I swear there wasn't this many last time. It must be because I focused too hard on the saber these last two days."

One blow after another reigned down on a tree, and as time passed, it came to the point that Axilya had to begin to head home...

[DING!

Congratulations to the host for reaching the 'Basic' level with Fistwork!

]

"What?"

-13th Day-

Staring with deadeyes at Eilhauver, she slowly said, as if she couldn't quite believe it, "You broke through?"

"Yup! It happened all of a sudden this morning. I was just doing some stretches, eating breakfast, and then it happened." Axilya's face spasmed for one moment before it went blank.

"I see. In that case, congratulations! You've embarked on a long road, but one that if you tread carefully, and don't lose sight of yourself, will be a glorious one. It doesn't stop us from having to work the fields though!" 'Bu- I wa- huh? I was serious when I said it was only theoretically POSSIBLE for some talented people in the capital with resources to enter Strength Training in ten days. What's happening here?' 

-Haryk's house-

Axilya was dead inside. Her eyes were dull, as she stared at the man in front of her. A few minutes passed as Haryk twitched and ever-so-slowly began to shift away from Axilya when she finally spoke. "You broke through. Not only that - you broke through in a week?" 

"Yes?" Haryk more obviously shifted away from her.

"A week. A week. You broke through in a week, and Eilhauver broke through in ten days. With no resources. No prior knowledge of cultivation. Nothing. This cultivation method isn't even specifically designed to play to either of your talents, and you broke through - in a week."

Her face spasmed. "You know what, I'm just going to start my lecture and ignore the absolute statistical anomaly that two people in a tiny village of 88 did that."

-That night in the forest- 

"At this point might as well try to hunt. Who knows, maybe a golden goose that lays the Dao will fall on my head." 

With those words, she glided into the forest saber in hand. Hours passed. She didn't even see a bird. Standing in the middle of the forest, staring at the moon, Axilya's face was perfectly blank as she began to speak, "I have a system. I have the Ice Phoenix bloodline and am in fact Half Phoenix. Why does it feel like I'm not the protagonist here? Why does it feel like I'm being set up to be the big bad evil and one of my fellow villagers will slay me when I'm not strong yet?"

[DING! 

The system can't help but feel like the host is forget-

"You be quiet. I know you're somehow at fault for this. I'm going back to training, we can try hunting tomorrow."

[DING!

The system has not yet touched the residents of this village!

]

Axilya didn't respond and instead started to trudge back to her training grounds. Yet, merely halfway through her walk to the training ground, her emotions had already faded away, leaving only cold logical thinking. 'Is the snowfall increasing the talent? Or, perhaps should I ask the question, is the cultivation method increasing talent? Is that why this technique was meant to be teachable? If that's the case then why? What's so needed that a technique that could elevate the talents of the entire world was given to me? Or perhaps a different line of thought - whether it's my mom or dad that's my Phoenix parent, they probably rested here in their last days before nirvana. So in that case - why here? Why in this tiny irrelevant kingdom? In this tiny cursed species? In this small and insignificant village?'