Katori Sora sparred with Kensei as well, in order to check his foundation in swordsmanship. Kensei, having come from the Rukongai, had no private tutor to build his fundamentals; his basics were not as good as Kana Azashiro's.
So, Sora had him continue to practice stances, footwork, and other swordsmanship basics. However, Kensei's Spiritual Pressure was a bit higher than Kana's, making him capable of practicing Marlin suburi. Sora had him add that to his training after he completed his basic drills.
Kensei had no objections and started practicing according to Sora's guidance.
As for Kana, Sora planned to begin teaching her a sword technique. He brought out two rolled-up straw mats from the house.
"Kana, you need to use a regular wooden sword to cut this standing straw mat," Sora said, rolling up and tying a mat before gesturing for her to try.
"This should be pretty simple, right?" Kana felt this would be easy. After mastering Spiritual Pressure control, she could unleash much more power than before. She thought cutting this straw mat would be a piece of cake.
"Hah—" Kana gripped the wooden sword with both hands, let out a great shout, and with a downward slash from a high stance, she forcefully struck the mat.
However, the straw mat did not break in two as she had expected. Instead, after the heavy impact, it simply folded in the middle. The wooden sword had not cut into it at all.
"Eh—I failed..." Kana stared blankly at the sword and the mat. "The wooden sword isn't sharp enough..."
"Yes, the dojo's wooden swords are not sharpened. It's very difficult to cut a straw mat with just the blade's own sharpness. No matter how much force you use, you'll only bend it or break it," Sora said.
He stood up the other straw mat, held his sword in his right hand, and with a single, swift motion, the mat was instantly cut in half.
"How did the professor do that?" Kana went to check the cut, which was perfectly smooth. "This cut looks like it was made with a real sword!"
"Spiritual Pressure can not only make you unleash greater power, but it can also make your sword sharper," Sora said, holding out the wooden sword. "Touch the surface of the blade and carefully feel the difference in Spiritual Pressure."
Kana reached out and touched it. It didn't feel like normal wood. She could feel Spiritual Pressure on the surface of the blade. Moreover, it wasn't just a simple gathering of energy inside the sword; it was a layer of Spiritual Pressure adhering to the surface, forming a sharp "Spiritual Pressure blade."
In other words—Spiritual Pressure had become the edge of the wooden sword!
"I understand. I need to shape the Spiritual Pressure into a sharp blade and attach it to the wooden sword. But that seems very difficult," Kana said, scratching her cheek. This operation required stronger control, so it was no wonder the professor was only having her practice this after she had preliminarily mastered Spiritual Pressure control.
"This requires diligent practice. These are all basic skills. The path of the sword is never a one-step process. Only by building a solid foundation can you go further," Sora said seriously.
"I will work hard!" Kana nodded heavily. For the chance to freeload meals at the professor's house, she was very diligent.
...
Two weeks later.
In the Katori Dojo, Kana Azashiro and Kensei Muguruma were both training hard.
Kana was still practicing cutting straw mats. It was much more difficult than she had thought. She had reached the professor's standard for Marlin suburi in just one week, but she hadn't managed to cut the straw mat even after two weeks of practice.
Kensei was on the other side, practicing Marlin suburi. His foundation was weaker, and his control over Spiritual Pressure was considerably worse than Kana's. It took him two weeks to preliminarily master the control techniques. Today, he had finally learned how to properly allocate his energy.
"Professor, I'm done. I've swung for a full hour today," Kensei said, putting down the Marlin and letting out a long breath. He had finally reached the one-hour standard.
"Very good. From now on, you must continue the Marlin suburi training every day until your foundation is solid."
"Yes—I will continue to train!"
Sora looked at the information that popped up.
[You have conducted a lesson for your disciple Kensei Muguruma. Calculating rewards.]
[Reward obtained: 20 Zanjutsu experience points.]
[Obtained extra reward: 20 Hakuda experience points.]
[Your disciple Kensei Muguruma has preliminarily mastered Spiritual Pressure control techniques. Obtained extra reward.]
[Obtained 1,000 Zanjutsu experience points.]
The rewards from teaching feedback increased with the Affinity Level. After Kensei's mastery, he could provide Sora with 20 Zanjutsu experience points a day. Kana's Affinity Level was one level higher, so she provided 40 points a day. Sora glanced at his own basic panel; his Zanjutsu level had now increased to 52.
Additionally, Sora found that guiding disciples occasionally yielded other extra rewards. The rewards from Kana were different from those from Kensei. Guiding Kana provided currency or extra Zanjutsu experience, while guiding Kensei provided Hakuda experience or extra Zanjutsu experience. Sora felt that the probability of getting extra rewards was related to the Affinity Level, as it was significantly higher with Kana than with Kensei.
"Alright, Kana, you can stop for now," Sora said, beckoning to her.
"Professor, what is it? I feel like I'm about to succeed!" Kana said. To reduce interference, she had even tied up her wide sleeves with a rope.
"Oh? Is that so? Then you can continue. I was just going to call you to eat," Sora said with a smile. Training also needed a balance of work and rest.
"It seems you're not hungry yet. Professor, let's go. I feel particularly hungry today. Let's leave Kana's share for me!" Kensei laughed and ran to the kitchen.
"What! Wait a minute! You're not allowed to eat my food!" Kana hurriedly chased after him.
After tasting the professor's cooking, Kensei felt that the school food was tasteless. He would also stay here for dinner now. After eating, the two would help the professor clean up before going back. They now had a clear division of labor: Kensei cleaned the kitchen, and Kana cleaned the courtyard. Originally, it was the other way around. However, one day Sora found her squatting in the kitchen, gnawing on a raw radish. After that, he never let her clean the kitchen again.
Sora glanced at the message that popped up as Kana's teaching feedback was settled.
[You have conducted a lesson for your disciple Kana Azashiro. Calculating rewards.]
[Reward obtained: 40 Zanjutsu experience points.]
[Obtained extra reward: 40 Zanjutsu experience points.]
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