No!
That's not it!
But soon,
Irie realized something.
The Mitsuya he knew was definitely not the kind of person to be so generous.
"Is this a trap?"
Irie's heart tightened, and he quickly composed himself.
"Irie, calm your emotions. Don't let yourself be swayed by extreme highs or lows."
Mitsuya looked up at Irie, his eyes seemingly piercing through his very soul.
"Ah… I understand."
Irie nodded.
He didn't deny it because, to someone like Mitsuya, his acting was nothing more than a clumsy performance full of holes.
Rather than trying to hide it, it was better to admit it openly and avoid an even more awkward situation.
"The so-called Asura Shinto, in simple terms, is about cultivating the mind!"
Mitsuya, sitting cross-legged on a rock, spoke in a deep voice. "If we view tennis as a form of cultivation, it can be divided into three aspects: Mind, Technique, and Body."
The three of them nodded.
Before entering U-17, they had already heard of this concept. In fact, compared to the five-dimensional data theory, the theory of Mind, Technique, and Body had emerged much earlier.
However,
this tripartite theory had never been quantified.
At this point,
Mitsuya continued, "What we call Technique represents skill, experience, and talent. Body represents physical strength, speed, reflexes, and explosiveness. Finally, Mind represents spirit, willpower, and mentality."
The three nodded again.
What Mitsuya was explaining was straightforward and easy to understand.
"In the theory of Mind, Technique, and Body, the Body determines the lower limit. A player's physical天赋 largely determines whether they can become a top-tier player."
Mitsuya's tone softened. "However, to truly become a top-tier player, Technique and Mind determine the upper limit. Especially the Mind, which represents infinite possibilities!"
"Therefore,"
"to truly master power, one must first cultivate the Mind!"
"Oni."
At this point, Mitsuya turned to the red-haired young man beside him. "Your Asura Shinto evolved during your match with Ishikawa, didn't it?"
"Yes."
Oni nodded.
The match against Ishikawa had brought him immense pressure, which in turn fueled his desire to grow stronger. It also awakened a deep-seated craving for power within him.
In the end,
his Asura Shinto had evolved.
"According to the head coach's explanation, I did feel tremendous pressure during that match."
Oni spoke up. "After the match, I could sense that my mental strength had indeed grown."
As a super power-type player,
Oni's daily routine included carrying a one-ton boulder and doing squats.
This kind of training had given him a body as tough as steel.
Before facing Ishikawa,
Oni had been confident that he could still defeat someone like Byoudouin.
However,
his defeat the previous day had made him realize that his training method of solely focusing on physical strength might not be the right path.
That's why
he had come here to seek answers from Mitsuya.
And now,
from Mitsuya's explanation, it seemed that Asura Shinto relied not on brute strength, but on spirit and willpower!
"The Mind represents infinite possibilities."
After Oni finished speaking, Mitsuya added, "When someone breaks through their limits, the power of the Mind is released. However, very few people can truly harness this power!"
"In the early days, people didn't understand how to control this power. They thought it was the body's strength that opened the door to a new level."
The Realm of Selflessness?!
Hearing Mitsuya's words, Ishikawa quickly thought of this concept.
"No."
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Even if Mitsuya and Echizen Nanjiro were connected, Mitsuya was much older. The "early days" Mitsuya referred to couldn't have been during Echizen Nanjiro's active period.
"During that time, because the power of the Mind was unstable, players with stronger physiques dominated the world of tennis."
"Later, as techniques were developed, pure power players were overshadowed. This led to the rise of a group of top-tier technical players."
Hearing this,
the three of them nodded silently.
Mitsuya's explanation provided a different perspective on the history of tennis over the past century.
As he said,
the early tennis world was dominated by pure power players with exceptional physical abilities.
But later,
around twenty years ago, it became the era of technical players.
"So…"
At this point,
a thought flashed through Irie's mind, and he blurted out, "The next era should be the era of the Mind, right?!"
"You're close, but not entirely correct."
Mitsuya shook his head. "The era of the Mind did arrive, but it was fleeting. Compared to the previous two eras, it was like a flash in the pan."
"W-what do you mean?"
Irie was a bit confused. "According to your explanation, there was a time when players who mastered the Mind dominated tennis, right? Wait…!"
Suddenly,
as if realizing something, Irie exclaimed, "The Samurai of Tennis, Echizen Nanjiro?!"
"That's right."
Mitsuya nodded. "It was that guy."
"I see."
Irie finally understood.
Ishikawa and Oni also looked surprised.
According to Mitsuya, the Samurai of Tennis had once reached such incredible heights.
Especially Ishikawa.
Before his transmigration, he had only known that Echizen Nanjiro was an incredibly strong player. But he hadn't realized that Nanjiro had nearly ushered in a new era.
"Head Coach,"
Oni asked, puzzled, "What era are we in now?"
"Now?"
Mitsuya thought for a moment before answering with a sigh, "In a way, it's an era where Technique and Body have merged."
In today's tennis world,
the top players have all trained their bodies to an almost terrifying level.
Moreover,
these elite professional players have also pushed their technical skills to near-insane levels.
"If that's the case,"
Irie pondered for a moment before saying, "Was the Mind realm created by Echizen Nanjiro?"
"That guy? No way!"
To their surprise,
Mitsuya looked almost disdainful. "He just got lucky and had a bit of talent. That's all."
"Uh…"
Hearing this,
both Oni and Irie were stunned, while Ishikawa remained calm.
It seemed their head coach had some unresolved issues with the Samurai of Tennis.
"Let's get back on topic."
Mitsuya clearly didn't want to talk about Nanjiro any further and quickly continued, "As I mentioned earlier, early players didn't know how to harness the power of the Mind. But later, a remarkable figure emerged."
"Through repeated study of players who had broken through their limits, he discovered the existence of the Mind realm. By organizing and summarizing his findings, he created a method to develop and strengthen the Mind."
"That realm is what we call Asura Shinto!"
"And what I'm going to teach you is a form of mental meditation that can strengthen your spirit and unlock your body's potential!"