Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

This is preparation before practicing Kendo, clearing the mind of distractions, concentrating the spirit, and improving practice efficiency.

At the peak of his energy and spirit, Uesugi Kiyoshi suddenly opened his eyes, ready to begin his swordsmanship training for the day.

Just then, the shoji door of the inner room of the dojo was suddenly pulled open.

With a soft cough, Uezumi Hidekawa strolled leisurely out of the inner room.

The head swordsman of the Shinkage-ryu school had a refined and elegant appearance. At first glance, he seemed to have the air of a Taoist priest rather than a Japanese man. He was dressed in a simple kendo uniform and held a wooden sword in his arms that was the same style as the ebony sword in Uesugi Kiyoshi's hand. He lazily yawned and walked up to his closed-door disciple.

He first looked at the gleaming dojo, frowned, and sighed.

“I told Rin to come back and mop the floor, not for you to come back and mop the floor. If you spoil her like this, she’ll only become lazier in the future.”

Uesugi Kiyoshi bowed his head in agreement, smiling with a hint of shame, but inwardly he rolled his eyes. He knew his master well; he was fiercely protective of his own, doting on his daughter like a little princess. He guessed this was the reason for Izumi Rin's optimistic personality.

Whenever Izumi Rin made a mistake, Izumi Hidekawa would at most scold her a few times. Although he threatened to spank her, he hadn't seen Izumi Hidekawa lay a finger on his daughter in the past year.

This is understandable. Kamiizumi Hidekawa's wife passed away shortly after their daughter was born. He probably felt he owed Kamiizumi Rin a lot, which is why he was so indulgent and doted on his daughter.

“I did it on a whim, so there’s no need to trouble Rin. He teaches those kids swordsmanship at Shiba Park. I went to check on him when I came and told him to go home early. Master, don’t worry.”

Kamiizumi Hidekawa nodded without saying anything, but when he glanced at Uesugi Kiyoshi's posture, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hmm, Qing, did something good happen to you?"

"Your demeanor has changed, changed a lot."

"You're at least three times more confident with your sword than you were yesterday!"

What Kamiizumi Hidekawa said sounded very mysterious, but Uesugi Kiyoshi immediately understood.

Has he changed?

Of course he has changed.

With the opening of the Hundred Tales Card Game in the Mirage Tower, he now possessed a trump card to deal with the demons and gods. With this confidence in his heart, his spirits and energy naturally became more stellar.

It's perfectly normal for someone as shrewd as Hidekawa Kamiizumi, who has lived most of his life, to see this.

Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded slowly, revealing a somewhat calm smile.

"Yes, Master, I've figured some things out."

Kamiizumi Hidekawa clapped his hands excitedly.

"Not bad, not bad, I knew I hadn't misjudged you, Qing."

"How's your practice assignment from yesterday coming along?"

Kamiizumi Hidekawa was referring to the "Funeral Knife" technique, which was said to have been leaked to outsiders.

Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded slightly, giving an affirmative answer.

“Master, I have mastered that Iaijutsu.”

“The spirit of a demon can testify to this.”

He secretly added a sentence in his mind.

Kamiizumi Hidekawa's gaze toward Uesugi Kiyoshi grew brighter and brighter. He took two steps back to create some distance, then suddenly put the wooden sword aside and made a gesture to Uesugi Kiyoshi with his empty hand.

"Come on, show me how to use it."

"Use the burial knife with all your might, with the determination to kill me!"

"Let me see just how strong you've become!"

Chapter 15 Taking Without a Knife

Uesugi Kiyoshi did not feel alarmed or surprised upon hearing this.

Over the past year, the opponent who has given him the most sparring is his own mentor, and the second most is Izumi Rin.

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but he couldn't beat either of them.

With those two Inugami's Hundred Tales cards, he was now confident he could deal with Kamiizumi Rin, but he knew he had no chance against his swordsman mentor.

That was a contest of completely different magnitudes.

Even a child wielding a sharp blade is no match for a martial artist who is unarmed.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate and closed his eyes for a moment before preparing for battle.

He immediately opened his eyes, his left hand on the sword blade, his right hand on the hilt, and with a low shout, he unleashed a brilliant, black dragon-like Iaijutsu technique in a fifth of a second!

He went all out, without any worry about hurting his master.

The first move, a reverse slash with a drawn sword, was easily dodged by Izumi Hidekawa with a simple step back. Uesugi Kiyoshi was not surprised at all. He took a step forward suddenly, his sword momentum turning like a shooting star. Without the slightest hesitation, the ebony sword drew a dark arc in the air, and the kesa slash charged straight at him with the momentum of splitting Izumi Hidekawa in two!

This second move, the Kasaya Slash, is the final killing move!

Instead of being surprised, Kamiizumi Hidekawa was overjoyed.

His eyes were filled with relief when he looked at Uesugi Kiyoshi, almost as doting as when he looked at his own precious daughter—this was truly a rare and outstanding talent!

The mirage energy he gained from slaying the demon yesterday further enhanced Uesugi Kiyoshi's physical abilities. In addition, the greatest effect of his cheat ability finally took hold, and many of his inner conflicts were resolved. Furthermore, after slaying a demon with the funeral sword yesterday, he gained a deeper understanding of this Iaijutsu technique.

When these three elements are combined, this strike is the strongest "funeral sword" technique that Uesugi Kiyoshi can currently use!

Without dodging or avoiding, Kazumi Hidekawa stepped forward, his eyes burning. With a swift movement, he caught Uesugi Kiyoshi's wooden sword between his bare hands.

Then, Uezumi Hidekawa took a half step back, his shoulders slumped, and following Uesugi Kiyoshi's sword momentum, using the point where his palms touched the wooden sword as a fulcrum, he brought his palms together and twisted them, a powerful force came from the ebony wooden sword, and Uesugi Kiyoshi's tiger's mouth went numb, the wooden sword was forced to slip from his hand, and Uezumi Hidekawa grabbed it in his other hand, using the same funeral sword technique to lock his own throat.

Uesugi Kiyoshi took a deep breath, not particularly frustrated, but simply lowered his head slightly to indicate defeat.

"I apologize for my poor performance. Please give me your guidance, Master."

"No! No! No!"

Kamiizumi Hidekawa patted the wooden sword in his hand and paced around Uesugi Kiyoshi, his face full of admiration.

He said "no" three times in a row, his face slightly flushed.

"Do you know, Qing?"

“Someone once tried to emulate my ancestors and bestow upon me the title of the greatest swordsman in the world. I knew they were trying to flatter me to my detriment, so I did not accept it.”

"But I approve of accepting this title in my heart."

"It's not that I'm arrogant."

"I am Kamiizumi Hidekawa. I touched a sword at the age of three, practiced swordsmanship at the age of five, participated in real sword fights at the age of eleven, and by the age of sixteen, I had already made a name for myself in the kendo circle of Tokyo."

"When I was twenty-one, I was known as the undefeated swordsman of Tokyo. Now I am forty-five years old, and I have experienced countless duels with very few defeats!"

"But I can say with certainty."

"At sixteen, I was not as good as you were at sixteen."

"At least this funeral knife move, I definitely couldn't have used at sixteen!"

"You keep surprising me; you were born to wield a sword!"

This string of praises made Uesugi Kiyoshi blush a little—he had the Mirage Tower, he had taken shortcuts, he had twice as much time as ordinary people to practice swordsmanship, and he also used the Mirage Tower to regulate his body. He had achieved such results, and he really didn't deserve such praise.

But he couldn't say these things, so he could only accept his master's praise with a forced smile.

Seeing his obedient apprentice blush slightly, Uezumi Hidekawa knew he was neither arrogant nor impatient, and was even more pleased. He exchanged the ebony sword with Uesugi Kiyoshi, patted him on the shoulder, and gestured for him to sit down.

Uesugi Kiyoshi readily agreed, and the master and disciple sat cross-legged facing each other.

Hidekawa Kamiizumi started talking.

"Qing, you are really good. You are not arrogant, conceited, or complacent."

"You can endure hardship and loneliness, and you have great talent. You were born for the way of the sword. The best decision I've ever made in my life is probably to take you as my disciple."

“I told you that before.”

"Swordsmanship has never been a simple act of killing with brute force, but a comprehensive contest of wits, courage, mind, skill, and body."

"What is swordsmanship? It's a minor art of war! It's a military strategy!"

"Sword dueling is like playing chess; exchanging moves is like placing a piece. It's not simply about brute force or rushing in to win!"

"If I make this move, how will my opponent react? Can I counter his moves to parry me? After I counter, what move should I make, and what will he do then?"

"Don't think I'm exaggerating. A master of swordsmanship really does think this much."

"Yes, muscle memory and reaction speed can often determine the outcome of a sword fight, but those master swordsmen, when facing a strong and healthy young swordsman, can know which sword moves the opponent will use as soon as the opponent makes a move. The one who loses the initiative cannot win."

"They are all swordsmen. Ordinary people take one step at a time, experts take one step at a time and see ten steps ahead, famous sword masters can see a hundred steps ahead, and world-renowned sword saints can see the end result with just one step."

"That move just now was one of those techniques that uses anticipation in practice—it's called 'taking without a knife,' have you heard of it?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi had certainly heard of him; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a household name.

The "no-sword disarming" technique is the ultimate technique of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school. It was created by Yagyu Muneyoshi, a disciple of the sword saint Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, and is a secret technique that allows one to disarm without a sword, thus defeating someone with a sword.

In April of the eighth year of the Eiroku era during the Sengoku period, the swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna arrived at the hometown of his prized disciple, Yagyu Munenobu. Upon seeing his master, Munenobu immediately invited Nobutsuna to the dojo and demonstrated the "no-tap-gathering" technique, which he had mastered through his swordsmanship studies, to Nobutsuna.

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna was deeply moved upon seeing this, because his lifelong dream of "taking no sword" had been finally fulfilled by this outstanding disciple. He praised him, saying, "My skill is inferior to yours," and immediately awarded him the seal of approval for the Shinkage-ryu school.

This is the origin of the legend of taking it without a knife.

Although it is a legendary tale, this technique of taking a sword without a blade is indeed recorded in the secret techniques of the Shinkage-ryu school.

It also has a different name – “The Sword-Seizing Technique, Three Stances”.

Just now, Izumi Hidekawa used it, and it really had the effect of winning by surprise.

Seeing Uesugi Kiyoshi nod, Uezumi Hidekawa continued, "You've also experienced this move. How many days would it take you to learn it?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "...This move is a bit difficult."

"About three days."

Kamiizumi Hidekawa nodded in satisfaction, not at all thinking that Uesugi Kiyoshi was spouting nonsense.

"very good."

"You've learned the murder knife, the life-saving sword, and the art of drawing a sword where there's no knife."

"I have already passed on all the knowledge of the New Yin Stream Inner Transmission to you. You are proficient in the Six Forms of Swallow Flight and the Heavenly Dog Copy."

"You've mastered the Thunder Blade technique. You're very skilled with fast blades, which is your strength. Don't give up."