Super Fighting Tokyo.

The two players got better and better at the same time. Suddenly, they changed their moves, twisting their waists, rotating their ankles and pushing off the ground, pushing forward with both feet at the same time, and colliding their soles once again.

Bang!

Swish...

Because of the extremely close distance, after pushing off with both feet, the two were immediately pushed back and slid several steps, creating a considerable distance between them.

"—!!"

Bai Mucheng's eyes narrowed, a dark light flashing deep within them.

He stomped hard on the ground with his back foot, cracking the floor beneath his feet. His figure blurred instantly as he sprinted forward, heading straight for Du Bu.

【Charge with Fighting Spirit】!

Ode!

But this forward rush was not a direct journey to the destination. Instead, at the very moment when he was just one step away from taking the final step, his movements changed again.

Boom!

Shiraki Cheng's right foot, positioned slightly behind him, slammed down on the ground a second time.

This time, he shattered the hard floor with a loud crash, and Shiramu Cheng used the momentum to lunge forward, throwing a swift straight punch.

"Shh—!"

[Battle Aura Bursts Out with Shock!]

Ode!

Meanwhile, from the moment Bai Mucheng stomped his foot and charged forward until he accelerated and threw a punch a second time, Du Bu remained completely still.

Not only that, but Du Bu's aura had completely vanished, and he showed no desire to attack whatsoever.

But, I'm watching alone—

Watch Bai Mucheng's punching movements and rhythm, aim at the moment just before he throws his punch and unleashes his power!

Boom!

In that instant, Du Bu suddenly bent his knees, stomped his feet on the ground with a muffled thud, and assumed a stable horse stance, his power rising from the ground.

The left fist follows the movement, slightly raised and held horizontally in front of the waist, while the right fist strikes forward swiftly, delivering a lightning-fast straight punch.

Swish!

The two men's right fists crossed and struck each other's bodies.

Boom!

Two muffled thuds erupted simultaneously, and the two figures staggered backward, taking several steps in total, with wisps of white smoke emanating from their bodies.

Shiraki Sei and Doppo each raised one of their left arms to block the opponent's straight punch.

"call--!"

Both of them exhaled a large breath of hot air at the same time, feeling numbness on half of their bodies and wincing in pain.

After regaining their footing, they resumed their stances, facing each other.

Du Bu reminisces, "Your desire to attack was so strong, yet you slowed down along the way, almost letting this old man fall for your tricks!"

Shiraki Seiji admired the right fist of Yuji Doppo.

The way that fist was clenched was not the usual way of clenching all five fingers; instead, it had a relaxed feel, with even the index finger and little finger slightly raised.

This is one of the unparalleled skills of the [Martial God]!

He pondered this day and night for countless days, and finally subconsciously created a design that resembled a "Bodhisattva statue," following the earliest form of humankind—the way a fist is clenched.

For Yuji Doppo, that was a "real punch."

Conceal your beliefs, even discard hostility and murderous intent, leaving only the "straight punch" itself!

It was this same punch that severely injured the "Martial Saint" Shibukawa Takeki, and almost decided the outcome of the battle!

"How lucky..."

Bai Mucheng pursed his lips and sighed, "The mighty [Martial God] Yu Di Du Bu actually used such a unique skill to spar with me? I guess that's a kind of trust."

Dobu tilted his head and moved his numb left hand. "It seems we both believe that the other can defend against one of our moves."

"Neither of us has any flaws..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shiramu Cheng looked puzzled. "Wait a minute, what are we, the two guys who lost to Miyamoto Musashi, praising each other for?"

Doppo's lips curled down as he realized what was going on. "Hmm, something does seem a bit off!"

After saying that, Dubu lost interest in continuing the fight.

Or perhaps he was uninterested from the start, only wanting to test his skills, and Shiramu Cheng had already noticed this.

Both of them tried not to treat this moment as a duel, but as an everyday action or behavior.

That's what "Miyamoto Musashi's" domain is all about!

puff.

The two sat down on the ground and continued chatting.

Doppo explained, "The method I used to deal with your punch just now is called 'waiting for the opportune moment' in the Book of Five Rings."

"Simply put, when the enemy launches an attack on our side, we should first show weakness and remain still, and then seize the opportunity to counterattack when the enemy gets close."

"Recognize the enemy's offensive rhythm, understand the enemy's intentions, change the form of attack at any time, and strive to win the victory in an instant—this is 'seizing the initiative'."

"..."

After listening to Doppo's words, Shiraki paused for a moment, then suddenly commented, "Indeed, this really doesn't resemble 'Guji Doppo' at all. Are you imitating Miyamoto Musashi?"

Du Bu raised an eyebrow, pursed his lips in exasperation, and asked, "You figured it out?"

Bai Mucheng sighed helplessly, "The previous provocations, such as the comments on the [Rising Dragon Fist] and [Battle Aura Burst], including this sparring match itself, were all too obvious!"

Dubu blushed at the comment.

He scratched his head, feeling incredibly embarrassed, and decided to act shamelessly, "After all, no matter what I do, Brother Bai Mu won't be angry!"

"But then again, it is indeed too obvious..."

Du Bu looked at Bai Mucheng and said in a deep voice:

“I didn’t really mean to do that—I didn’t really mean to belittle your moves, I didn’t want to provoke you, and I certainly didn’t want to yell at you like ‘Come on!’”

"That feeling of forcing it is like how, although I know a few Aikido moves, I can't use Aikido techniques in a duel like Master Shibukawa."

“It’s not that I can’t do it, but that ‘Foolish One’ would not use Aikido in a duel, as that would not conform to ‘Foolish One’s Way’.”

Doppo abruptly changed the subject, "—But Miyamoto Musashi would be fine."

Bai Mucheng listened quietly, seemingly lost in thought.

Doppo continued, "Some of the 'moves' or 'actions' I just used on you were written in Miyamoto Musashi's 'The Book of Five Rings'."

"For example, the questioning of the jump in the [Rising Dragon Fist]."

"Miyamoto Musashi believed that leaping into the air during combat would cause one's energy to be scattered, making it impossible to concentrate on the next move, and that repeatedly leaping into the air was a foolish move."

"And the act of 'questioning you' itself is a tactic that disturbs your mind and makes you waver or act impulsively."

“Even my shout of ‘Come on!’ is called ‘Shout Technique’ in the Book of Five Rings, and is used to intimidate the opponent.”

"..."

Doppo remained silent for a moment, then touched his face with his hand—the "sword mark" left by Miyamoto Musashi.

It wasn't even a scar, it would have healed in just a day or two, but it had already left an indelible mark on Yuji Dobu's heart.

"At the moment I was struck, I realized that I had not understood the contents of the Book of Five Rings."

"So now I'm trying to understand that 'Miyamoto Musashi' again."

Du Bu pondered:

"Perhaps, Miyamoto Musashi was not called 'Peerless Under Heaven' because he was the 'strongest'."

"Miyamoto Musashi—is not a representative of a school of martial arts or anything like that, but rather the individual 'Miyamoto Musashi' himself, which is why he is the 'Peerless Under Heaven'!"

Dubu seemed to have figured things out, and his expression became much more relaxed.

He then introduced the book "The Book of Five Rings" to Shiraki.

"Brother Bai Mu, do you know?"

"The Book of Five Rings is a military treatise, that is, a 'methodology of combat,' which contains many things rather than a single 'martial art.'"

Before I walked alone, I recalled the past.

"I heard that you, Brother Bai Mu, once traveled to that 'lawless land' and used it as a battlefield, training there for quite a few days."

"But actually, the time period of 'several days' is too long, which makes you feel like you're not really on the 'battlefield'."

"On the real battlefield, victory and defeat are more complex and faster, and only a 'combat methodology' can cope with them!"

"Perhaps, when facing a battle with Miyamoto Musashi, we need to think about it from the perspective of 'fighting methods'..."

"..."

Doppo looked at Shiraki and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, are you going to continue challenging Miyamoto Musashi, or give up now?"

"Actually... I don't have any specific plans..."

Bai Mucheng thought for a moment, "I'm not really suited for seclusion, so I might go out for a walk?"

Upon hearing this, Dubu crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and murmured, "Hmm, let's give it a try..."

Chapter 617 Understanding

After resting alone for a while, Yudi took his leave.