The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

"Ito Ittosai, the founder of Itto-ryu, was a swordsman of the Sengoku period. He pursued the goal of killing with a single strike throughout his life, and was undefeated in 33 real sword duels. The Hokushin Itto-ryu, which Sakamoto Ryoma practiced, is the most prominent branch of his swordsmanship a century later."

"This is a figure who does not belong to this era, yet here he is, standing before you, arriving in a carriage from the Shogunate Steam Research Institute."

"Time-space fragments +200"

Zhang Chang'an took a deep breath and gripped his knife tightly in front of Tang Zhu, who was unleashing a furious barrage of blows. He gritted his teeth and endured the attacks, his arm growing numb with each strike.

And just as the family tree suggested, his next strike was indeed aimed at Zhang Chang'an's arm, which was already exhausted!

"Hiss—" Zhang Chang'an quickly turned to the side, and his blade sliced ​​down along the outside of Zhang Chang'an's arm, tearing the sleeve.

Fortunately, the exoskeleton inside was well-protected, and his arm was not injured.

Zhang Chang'an seized the opportunity, decisively retreated slightly, and slashed down with his sword.

Ito, however, showed no intention of dodging. With a horizontal slash, he immediately forced Zhang Chang'an back, followed by two consecutive vertical slashes.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Five Classics - True Sword

"Clang clang clang..." Zhang Chang'an blocked the attack, but as he parried, he clearly heard that the sound coming from the blade was no longer just the clash of blades.

"not good……"

This steam-powered longsword was brought from London by him. It replaced the original bayonet and the impact drill at his wrist. Its advantage was that it could be retracted to the length of the handle, making it very portable.

However, due to weight and structural issues, no power assistance device has been installed. Furthermore, because of its telescopic structure, although the material is forged steel using modern techniques, its actual strength cannot surpass that of swords of this era.

However, the swordsmanship of the person in front of him was extraordinary. This guy looked like a complete brute, and his actual physical abilities were also those of a brute.

His movements were initially somewhat distorted, but now every strike is incredibly precise, and he is consciously attacking the seams of the steam-powered longsword.

Moreover, the knife in his hand seemed to be extraordinary as well. It showed no wear and tear after clashing with Zhang Chang'an for so long, and was extremely sharp and sturdy.

"If you're going to be crazy, then be crazy to the end..." Zhang Chang'an stepped back slightly, but Ito decisively and suddenly sheathed his sword, assuming a half-kneeling position, with the tip of his sword pointing directly at Zhang Chang'an's throat.

Five Classics - Unique Sword.

"Whoosh!" A sudden thrust aimed straight at Zhang Chang'an's throat.

Zhang Chang'an turned to block, but Ito rose and thrust again, then slashed back, and then, half-kneeling, chopped at Zhang Chang'an's torso.

The barrage of attacks was dazzling. Zhang Chang'an tried his best to block, but the condition of the steam-powered longsword was worse than he had imagined.

With a "crack!", the long, straight ancient sword in Ito's hand cleaved a gash in the blade of the steam-powered sword.

The crisp sound of metal snapping exploded in the night sky. The blade of the steam-powered longsword broke directly in half, with only the unstable connecting mechanism remaining attached.

Zhang Chang'an was stunned for a moment, but only for a moment. He flipped his wrist, activated the mechanism, and the broken blade instantly retracted, leaving only the hilt. He then flicked it and tucked it into his sleeve.

At the same time, he exerted force with his feet, advancing instead of retreating, and closing in on the enemy.

The armored hands instantly transformed into tiger claws, reaching out to grip Ito's wrist as he held the sword, and simultaneously locking his elbow. The exoskeleton, operating at full power, forcefully held down Ito's hands, which were poised to swing the blade.

"Ah..." The two were locked in a stalemate, wrestling with each other. The blade was only three inches away from Zhang Chang'an's face, but it could not advance any further.

Ito's eyes widened in surprise, but at the same time, Zhang Chang'an's gaze fell directly on the knife in Ito's hand.

Only then did he have a chance to see the knife that had been moving at high speed.

The blade is long and slender with little curve, and the edge is extremely sharp. It is clearly a typical Chinese ancient sword design, quite different from the katana and tachi commonly found in Japan.

Under the moonlight, several ancient inscriptions were faintly visible on the hilt of the knife.

"Bingzi Pepper Grove..."

Zhang Chang'an's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You have discovered a historical secret: Bingzi Jiaolin, a famous sword from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, was introduced to Japan a thousand years ago and has been regarded as a national treasure-level artifact, stored in Shitennoji Temple for a long time."

And now, it's right before your eyes, held in the hand of this strange swordsman.

"Time-space fragments +200"

"This knife!" Zhang Chang'an stared in shock at the information, but Ito gave him no time to think.

He let out a low shout and suddenly exerted force in his arm, breaking free from Zhang Chang'an's grasp.

The immense force forced Zhang Chang'an back two steps, and Ito seized the opportunity to stand up, his blade flashing once more.

Zhang Chang'an didn't have time to think. Death Eye activated automatically, and he decisively chose to advance instead of retreat, taking a gamble with minimal effort. He sidestepped the blade, simultaneously grabbing Ito's arm and belt, and tensed his waist and hips.

"call!"

Ito's massive body carried immense momentum, but this also allowed him to use it against him, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Huff, huff..." Zhang Chang'an took a few steps back, panting, to adjust his breathing, his eyes fixed on his opponent on the ground.

As the dust settled, Ito slowly got up, shook off the dirt, and still held the Bingzi Jiaolin tightly in his hand, not letting it fall.

His gaze fell on Zhang Chang'an, but it had changed considerably: "No knife to take?"

He spoke, his voice still deep, but tinged with surprise: "You... you know this skill? What's your relationship with Yagyu Muneyoshi?"

Zhang Chang'an was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Muto-tori is a technique in Japanese Kendo that involves disarming an opponent without their bare hands. Legend has it that it was created by Yagyu Muneyoshi, the founder of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school, which was used by the leader of the caravan of samurai.

Hearing this, he naturally felt quite helpless, especially after just seeing the precious sword from his hometown.

He flexed his numb fingers, then slowly spoke, his gaze fixed on Ito, enunciating each word clearly: "No sword to take?"

"I'm using the ancestor of all these things!"

Ito's eyes narrowed.

Under the moonlight, the two faced off once again.

Zhang Ansheng held his arms horizontally in front of him, the metal armor of his exoskeleton gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Ito Ittosai slowly raised the Heishi Chōrin, its tip pointing directly at his throat. In those empty eyes, a fighting spirit burned like a raging fire.

"No sword?" he spoke, his voice like the tolling of an ancient bell. "Interesting. Let me see how many more blows you can withstand."

Zhang Ansheng did reply, but he was thinking about something else.

Because there were many swordsmen in this era, which was convenient for reference, and Jack the Ripper's assassination dagger was also available as supplementary information. His purpose in setting out this time was to make a breakthrough in his martial arts skills, particularly in swordsmanship.

But now he has found an opponent who is no weaker than him, but using a knife is definitely not an option.

But besides weapons, what about fists?

The Ten Forms Fist, the essence of Hung Kuen obtained from the London instance: "Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane, Lion, Elephant, Horse, Monkey, Leopard".

Ten forms of Xingyi, ten ways of exerting force. He had practiced them, but had not yet used them properly, nor had he truly mastered them.

"In that case... let's go!"

Zhang Chang'an decisively slid forward, a movement he learned from Jack the Ripper. His body swayed like a leaf in the wind, appearing and disappearing unpredictably to Ito's left.

Ito retaliated decisively. Facing his sudden appearance, he did not dodge but instead unleashed the Golden-Winged Bird King Sword in its most imposing stance, slashing down directly.