"Clang!"
Haragiri drew the sword in front of Qingshui, carefully examined the blade, then flicked it with his finger, listened to the sound, and nodded in satisfaction.
The materials were hard to discern, but they seemed top-notch. The blade's strength should be quite high, and the craftsmanship was indeed excellent, truly a master's masterpiece.
If that were all, while it would be a rare item hard to find on the market, it wouldn't be impossible to acquire. At least Haragiri didn't think it could necessarily surpass the longsword he held, forged by the world's top swordsmith.
However, Haragiri was already quite pleased with just that. It was a good sword, at least suitable for a collection.
But it unexpectedly had an ability to amplify killing intent and create illusions for enemies.
Now that was worth talking about.
Haragiri had also heard of some miraculous weapons in this world. For instance, the Sword Saint Association possessed two divine swords passed down through generations: one Nichirin Blade and one Moon Ring Blade. Although the latter had been lost for a long time, the Nichirin Blade was still held by Nichirin, the head of the Sword Saint Association.
It was said that only the most exceptional swordsmen could draw this sword, and it possessed incredible power. With both the sun and moon swords in hand, one could become the strongest swordsman in history.
Yet, having lived so many years, Haragiri, a top-tier swordsman of his era, had never owned such a sword. Even Divine Wind, Tianqing, Canmei, and other members of the Sword Saint Association hadn't.
If he, Haragiri, could have one, how much prestige would that bring when he next encountered someone from the Sword Saint Association?
"Qingshui-kun, do you mind if I try it?"
Haragiri gazed at the magnificent blade and the golden tiger head carving on the crossguard a few more times, then asked Qingshui.
"Please, go ahead."
Qingshui smiled and gestured for Haragiri to proceed.
The latter gripped the hilt, turned around, and pointed the tip of the sword at the bespectacled man, releasing an incredibly sharp killing intent.
The bespectacled man's eyes widened, and he instantly fainted, falling stiffly.
Haragiri, curious, then pointed the sword tip at another older man with stubble.
This time the effect wasn't as strong, but the stubbled man still seemed startled, recoiling and instinctively drawing the longsword from his waist, adopting a defensive stance. His body trembled uncontrollably from fear.
Haragiri's killing intent intensified again, yet the stubbled man still didn't faint. He only trembled more violently, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead from fright.
Qingshui knew this was because the illusionary attack amplified by the sword he created had reached its maximum strength.
"Ha-Haragiri-sensei, perhaps you should, uh, rein in your aura. If this… this continues, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from running away."
The stubbled man stammered to Haragiri.
Upon hearing this, the latter retracted his aura, looking at the longsword in his hand with satisfaction.
"Does this sword have a name, Qingshui-kun?"
"Not yet. Senior Haragiri can certainly name it himself."
"Then let's call it Tiger Soul! Like a fierce tiger, captivating the soul!"
Haragiri exclaimed excitedly.
He had actually noticed that the sword's deterrent effect had a limit. Against stronger opponents with firmer willpower, the effect probably wouldn't be as good. But at least it could intimidate people, and it was indeed a good sword with a special ability.
To be honest, this sword didn't significantly boost his upper limit of strength, which left Haragiri a little disappointed. But its special ability could intimidate people, and its design was splendid enough for him to show off. It would bring him prestige when he took it out, allowing him to gloat in front of his Sword Saint Association friends next time. That was enough to make him happy.
What Haragiri desired most was power, followed by money, prestige, fame, and enjoyment.
"Phew…"
The stubbled man wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the fainted bespectacled man on the ground.
"Uh, Black Whirl… Mr. Qingshui, what about Junior Brother Hideo…?"
"Oh, that? Just pinch his philtrum, and he'll wake up. He'll just need a little while to recover."
Qingshui waved his hand.
"Yuto, you take your Junior Brother Hideo to rest first. Qingshui-kun, please follow me."
Haragiri finally tore his gaze away from Tiger Soul, instructed the stubbled man, and then spoke quite gently to Qingshui.
Qingshui hadn't given him money, but he had given him something more valuable than money.
With Tiger Soul in his hands, it was like gaining an AOE mental attack effect against minor enemies, but no one could deny the sword's value.
Haragiri was very satisfied.
Why did he want so much money, if not to turn it into prestige and things he could enjoy?
And so, Haragiri's attitude towards Qingshui immediately became much better than before.
Qingshui followed Haragiri's steps into the lavishly decorated kendo dojo.
"Please."
On the tatami mat, Haragiri sat opposite Qingshui and extended his left hand towards him, pointing at a steaming cup of fragrant tea.
"Thank you."
Qingshui nodded slightly and took the tea.
"Qingshui-kun wishes to discuss swordsmanship; I would be delighted. I just don't know which school your swordsmanship comes from."
"It's a family heirloom, passed down from a samurai family called Tsugikuni about three hundred years ago. It's not very famous; Senior Haragiri probably wouldn't know of it."
Qingshui took a sip of tea.
"Tsugikuni, three hundred years ago?"
Haragiri thought for a moment but found no relevant styles in his memory.
"How would you like to spar, Qingshui-kun?" Haragiri asked again.
"I hope to gain something from it." Qingshui meant that he wanted to learn true skills from Haragiri.
Haragiri took a shallow sip of tea, using the action to mask his thoughts.
Logically, one would need to formally apprentice to him to learn truly impressive techniques.
However, his Haragiri Swordsmanship Dojo had already established a reputation for teaching genuine skills as long as one paid the fee. And the sword the other party gifted was an authentic treasure, a divine sword with special abilities unobtainable on the market. Since they had presented such a thing, if he refused to teach genuine skills, wouldn't that ruin his reputation?
Wouldn't people who came with gifts, hoping to learn from him, stop coming in the future?
He had to teach, and he had to teach some impressive things, but his most secret techniques couldn't be given away.
One must apprentice, or pay more!
"No problem. Qingshui-kun has brought such a generous gift, so I naturally won't let you leave empty-handed. But for us to spar, I need to know your strength, Qingshui-kun. My disciples aren't very skilled, and a match with you probably wouldn't last more than a few moves. How about I experience it myself?" Haragiri asked Qingshui gently.
"In that case, I'll trouble you, Senior Haragiri." Qingshui nodded slightly.
He couldn't ask for more.
No amount of studying battle videos of S-Class Heroes and Dragon-level or Demon-level Monsters could compare to the profound understanding gained from firsthand combat experience.
Haragiri's strength clearly lagged behind top S-Class Heroes like Atomic Samurai, but he was at least no worse than lower-tier S-Class Heroes like Tanktop Master. He definitely possessed the ability to defeat some Demon-level Monsters.
Haragiri continued, "Let's find a larger space. I've seen the traces of your battle with that monster. This small kendo dojo would probably be demolished in just a few moves if we got serious."
"Then let's go to the city outskirts. I remember there's a large uncultivated wasteland in the western outskirts. We could spar there without causing too much damage or being seen by outsiders."
"No need, that's too far. The basement downstairs will do. I built a practice room specifically for myself. The materials and construction there are on par with the refugee shelters built by the Hero Association. It's more than enough for us to go all out."
Well, well. Not only was the kendo dojo located in the prime commercial area of the city center, but there was also a high-spec practice room underneath.
This old man Haragiri was quite wealthy indeed.
Not long after, Qingshui and Haragiri went down to the basement practice room together.
Several kendo students, whom Haragiri had called to "watch and learn carefully," also arrived with them.
The basement was very spacious, about half the size of a standard soccer field, providing ample room for movement.
After the students moved the training equipment from the center of the room, they scurried to the edges to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"Senior Haragiri, please excuse me." Qingshui pressed the wristband on his wrist, summoning the Black Samurai and its accompanying black steel sword. He performed a kendo bow to Haragiri, then raised his steel sword.
Using high-tech battle armor to enhance his body? Haragiri looked at the battle armor on Qingshui with interest. With a masterful demeanor, he placed one hand behind his back and adopted a stance with the other, facing Qingshui.
"Please, Qingshui-kun."
The next second, sword light flashed, and Qingshui's figure instantly surged forward, appearing before Haragiri, and swung his sword in a strike.
"Separation Breathing: Second Form - Separation Dance!"
At the same time, Haragiri also drew his sword, not only deflecting Qingshui's strike but also smoothly changing the angle of his blade, causing the Tiger Soul's edge to cut smoothly and swiftly towards the arm of Qingshui's sword-wielding hand.
Like a whirlwind, Qingshui retreated in the blink of an eye, his sword sweeping upward from below, tracing a semicircle.
"Separation Breathing: First Form - Ion Cut!"
Bright sword light danced as Qingshui retreated while parrying Haragiri's aggressive follow-up attack.
It took him two sword strikes to block Haragiri's draw-and-slash, and a shallow sword mark had already appeared on the arm of his battle armor.
As Haragiri's signature technique, the draw-and-slash truly lived up to its reputation.
The old man's ability to join the Sword Saint Association certainly wasn't without merit.
Sword energy surged, and the two figures, one retreating and one advancing, exchanged blows at high speed. In just over ten seconds, they carved deep, meter-long gouges into the floor and ceiling.
From the very first exchange of blows, both sides continuously assessed each other's strength, quickening their pace.
Qingshui had to admit that relying solely on his swordsmanship and the basic enhancements from his battle armor, his raw strength was indeed inferior to Haragiri's. He was at a disadvantage from the start.
While Wind Release Chakra Mode could increase his speed, making him slightly faster than Haragiri, his opponent could fully keep up, and his sword swings were faster and more powerful.
Qingshui was only capable of parrying.
However, Qingshui had also roughly assessed Haragiri's swordsmanship level.
When it came to the finesse of his moves and his situational awareness, Haragiri was better than him, but only slightly.
What truly affected their combat prowess were their fundamental stats.
In reality, Qingshui's swordsmanship was already at a very high level. He had cultivated both the Breathing Style sword skills and the Mohist Sect's Non-Aggression Sword Art to a profound degree.
It wasn't that he couldn't continue progressing on the path of swordsmanship, but as his skill improved, without other points of reference, his progress would inevitably slow down.
He needed individuals whose swordsmanship was on par with his, or slightly superior, to spar and exchange insights with, to verify his progress. Only then could he accelerate his growth and become stronger.
The more people, the better.
Fortunately, in this world, whether it was swordsmanship or other martial arts combat techniques, there were many who had reached extremely high levels. Their methods of body tempering and strengthening also offered many valuable insights.
"Clang~!"
Tiger Soul and the black steel sword collided countless times in an instant, sending sparks flying.
Powerful sword energy continuously spread outwards, forcing several of Haragiri's disciples to retreat and find cover to protect themselves.
"Wow, is this Master Haragiri's true strength? He truly lives up to his reputation as a world-renowned sword master, sugoi!"
"That Black Samurai is amazing too! Even though he doesn't seem to be able to beat Master Haragiri, he's incredibly fast. I can barely see him; he's like a black gust of wind. His hero name really suits him!"
"Look! Why does Master Haragiri seem to have extra hands! And an extra sword too?"
"That must be the famous Shadow Stitch Slash. They say it's an afterimage created when the sword swing is so fast it makes it look like you have extra arms. I heard Master Haragiri once used this move to kill a Demon-level Monster!"
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
Two more scratches appeared on the Black Samurai's arm.
Qingshui also noticed the increase in Haragiri's sword speed. He actively retreated, creating distance, and with his right hand, he swept his sword upward from below, forming a perfect circle.
"Separation Breathing: Seventh Form - Separation Mirror!"
A bright blue circular mirror appeared, then shattered instantly.
Haragiri, holding his sword with both hands, thrust directly at Qingshui again.
"Clang!"
A clear clang of swords rang out.
Qingshui also held his sword with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of him, using the side of the blade to block Haragiri's attack. At the same time, several sword-wielding hands appeared behind him, like a Thousand-Armed Guanyin.
Ekron's Form.
Five physical clones of Qingshui instantly flashed out from behind, attacking Haragiri from all directions.
However, the next moment, Haragiri burst forth again, increasing his speed and power by another level. It was as if he had several more hands than before, all simultaneously performing drawing slashes.
The clones were destroyed, and Haragiri also used a powerful, heavy slash to force Qingshui back several steps.
"Alright, let's stop here."
Haragiri spoke, halting the fight.
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