Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

It was at this moment that Yu Xietian and Mingyin arrived at the scene. The two hid on the roof and heard what Hisumura Tan's words were.

He said:

"No."

Chapter Thirty-Two: Evasion

Himura Dan's words were not explicitly stated as "no," and some of the people around her did not understand either... but regardless, the Sword Saint and Himura Dan's words were understood.

When he said it wouldn't work, he meant the Sword Saint's duel with Kui the day after tomorrow; that wouldn't work.

The Sword Saint gripped his sword slightly and said, "What business is it of yours whether my decision is right or wrong?"

Himura Danzakura laughed and said, "Teacher, you know what I'm thinking. Whether the weak want it or not, the strong can impose their will on others..."

This is an unchanging reality throughout history. However, as times change, the definition of 'strength' and the forms of 'imposing one's will' will constantly evolve. In primitive times, being able to fight meant being strong, while in relatively orderly times, perhaps having money and power is what constitutes strength.

The Sword Saint spoke, his voice heavy and carrying an inexplicable sense of desolation.

"Do you want to impose your will on me, on me, the 'weak'?"

At first glance, it seems that the Sword Saint was simply following Himura Tan's lead, putting himself in the shoes of the "weak" to ask this question, but what these two were really thinking... is probably only known to them.

Himura Tanzaku smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Heh..." The swordsman's hand traced the back of his blade. He said calmly, "Very well, fighting Kui is fighting, and fighting you is fighting too... Come on, Himura, it's been three years. Let this old man see how much you've improved."

"Teacher!" Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "How can we trouble you to do it yourself, teacher? Although I am not very talented, I hope I can help you!"

"No," the Sword Saint said succinctly. "He is powerful; you are no match for him."

This is a perfectly normal explanation, but Hishimura Tanzakura showed a strange expression.

"That's strange..." Hishimura Tanzaku tilted her head slightly and said, "Why not..."

“Look, teacher, you want to fight Kui Jue to the death, and I want to stop you. So I’m imposing my will on you. But now… my senior brothers want to compete with me, and you’re stopping them. So, teacher… aren’t you also imposing your will on others?”

"However, I used force, while you used 'authority'."

The Sword Saint's expression remained completely unchanged.

"You're still the same as before, always spouting these seemingly reasonable but ultimately useless platitudes..."

As the Sword Saint spoke, he suddenly took a step forward. He and Hishimura Tanzaku were not far apart to begin with, and with this step, the two of them were basically at a distance where they could attack each other.

With that step, the Sword Saint acted without hesitation. He knew that Hisumura Tanzaku had his own set of values, which were different from those of ordinary people, and that there was no point in wasting words with him.

He gripped the knife and slashed horizontally from right to left without mercy. If this strike landed, it could probably cut a person in half at the waist!

The best approach to this strike would be to block it. Such a wide, sweeping attack is easy to block, simply because the opponent's stance is better. Normally, it's difficult to block, but the Sword Saint is old and his physical abilities are far inferior to what they used to be. Hishimura Tan's actions—taking Ying Qin Guan's blow head-on and then coming here to provoke the Sword Saint as if nothing had happened—clearly demonstrate that his physical abilities are far superior to the Sword Saint's. If he wanted to block this strike, it would be easy for him.

But Himura Tanzaku did not block it.

He took a step back.

The swordsman's blade grazed past his body, tearing his clothes... but only his clothes were torn.

This fighting style... is the style Ying Qin Guan used in class. In his words, it's "a showy style," "I could fight like this," and "more for show than for real combat."

Himura Tan's retreat was very clever.

If he had been too slow to retreat, he would have been killed instantly.

If he retreats too early, the Sword Saint will have enough time to change his move and kill him with a single strike.

If he retreated less, he would at least be seriously injured.

If he retreats too much, the Sword Saint can catch his breath and strike again.

But his retreat was neither too early nor too late, neither too much nor too little.

This is the ultimate flashy fighting style. Although it doesn't look fancy at all, in the eyes of knowledgeable martial artists, this one move is enough for them to learn for thirty years.

The most dazzling skills are hidden in the most simple and unadorned movements. It is no exaggeration to say that based on this one move alone, Yu Xietian concluded that the Sword Saint was no match for Himura Tan's attack. He and the Sword Saint were probably the only two people in the arena who could see this. The remaining disciples and followers simply assumed that Himura Tan's attack had just happened to avoid the strike.

The Sword Saint probably knew deep down that he was no match for him. But he had nowhere to retreat. Using the momentum of the strike, he turned 360 degrees to avoid pausing for breath.

As he spun, he took another step forward, closing the distance between himself and Hishimura Tanzaku... and unleashed a second, almost identical strike!

Himura Tanzakura shook her head and took another step back.

The timing was still perfect, and the Sword Saint's attack still missed.

Now, it wasn't just Yu Xietian who could see that something was wrong; many of the Sword Saint's disciples and followers also realized that something was amiss, and Mingyin's pupils also contracted as well, standing next to Yu Xietian.

One successful demonstration of skill can be explained by coincidence, but what if you succeed in demonstrating skill twice in a row?

At this point, talking about coincidences is just self-deception.

"How could this be...?!"

"This step..."

The Sword Saint's attack missed, and his strength was exhausted. Even if he forced another strike, it would be weak and powerless. He had to catch his breath and stopped, but only for a moment. The disciples' astonishment and his repeated failures could not affect the Sword Saint in the slightest. His eyes were like lightning, and he slashed out with his sword once again!

From top to bottom, it looks like it's going to cut a person in two!

Himura Tan Sakura... Move one step to the left.

One step forward, one slash through the air.

Dodge, dodge again, and more dodge!

Himura Tanzaku had several opportunities to counterattack, but he never made a move; he simply dodged, dodged, and dodged.

Every time, it's just the right speed, not too fast, not too slow, perfect to the extreme.

Once, twice, three times... I don't know how many times.

Those around them were speechless.

They all had a background in martial arts, so they naturally understood what this scene represented, but no one was willing to admit it because it was... simply too surreal.

Yu Xietian, being an outsider, didn't have so many concerns. He watched this scene and said softly, "The Sword Saint... has been completely outmatched in terms of physical strength and skill."

Chapter Thirty-Three: Zhao Yunxian is just a broken novelist.

Simply having better skills or superior physical abilities isn't enough to achieve this level. Unless both aspects are significantly stronger... and by a considerable margin.

The physical attributes are easy to understand. The Sword Saint's cultivation method, focused on combat, makes him formidable in his youth, but his physical abilities decline rapidly with age, making him inferior to those who cultivate for health and longevity. However, what's unacceptable is that the Sword Saint was outmatched not only in physical attributes but also in technique...

To be a sword saint, yet be utterly outmatched in swordsmanship, every move of his exposed—what a humiliation!

“I should have guessed it…” Naruto watched this scene and spoke softly.

Seeing that she didn't seem worried about the situation, Yu Xietian thought to himself, "If you keep being my riddle-maker, I'll kick you off the stage and show you the price of being a riddle-maker." He then asked, "Why do you say that?"

Naruto said, "Himura Tansaku... He's our junior brother, a little beggar my dad picked up from the streets... He's very self-centered and has his own twisted logic. Before my dad died, there were people who could keep him in check. But after my dad died, he... He's always smiling, but nobody knows what he's thinking."

Yu Xietian, completely oblivious to Mingyin's flashback, squinted and said, "What does this have to do with what's happening now?"

Mingyin paused slightly, then said, "He's not exactly a good person. He's arrogant by nature and speaks wildly. But he's probably not a bad person either. His current actions are probably aimed at the same purpose as mine."

What does Naruto want to do?

As a daughter in mourning, she wanted to team up with outsiders to beat up her grandfather—it sounds crude, but it was the only method she could think of. She couldn't persuade him, so she had no choice but to beat him.

However, she now says that Hiramura Danzai did the same thing as her.

Mingyin's ultimate goal is only one thing... that is to keep the Sword Saint alive.

Yu Xietian couldn't help but turn his gaze to the battlefield.

“Mr. Yorozuya… I told you before that before we actually take action, let me talk to my grandfather first.” Naruto gazed at the battlefield and said, “Taking action should also be Hishimura’s alternative, and his last resort. And before that, the method he chose is… murderous intent.”

Yu Xietian repeated, "Killing intent?"

“Yes.” Mingyin paused, then repeated, “Killing intent.”

-

"Murderous intent? What kind of new term is that... Even with this disguise, it doesn't change the fact that Ji Li is not human."

Ying Qin Guan marveled at this.

He and Shenxin strolled around for a while. When they passed a 24-hour bookstore, they went in to ask for directions and look for a hotel. They discovered that the tenth volume of "The Travels of the Nameless Swordsman of Southern Qin" had been published. The two of them discussed it and thought that if other people could calmly play Gwent even after losing their wives and children, what was it to them if they got lost? Since they were already here and couldn't find their way, they might as well take a look at what the tenth volume was about.

So they bought the tenth book without a second thought, found a hotel, and planned to read it before going to sleep and discuss the plot. As for getting lost, they figured they could deal with that tomorrow; after all, a living person wouldn't die from holding in their pee, right?

"To be honest, that's true."

Shenxin raised the small blackboard in agreement, and then wrote something.

"It would be better to just kill him outright."

Clearly, a plot point in the book brought the two of them to a high degree of agreement.

Ji Li adhered to the principle of "no killing," and even after reaching the tenth level, he never actually killed anyone. However, he did attract a lot of trouble, and had several mortal enemies. After each victory, Ji Li couldn't simply let them go as if nothing had happened.

He doesn't kill people, but... he kills other things.

This is a new concept that Zhao Yunxian proposed in the book.

"Murderous intent"

This has always been Ji Li's mode of action. However, in the tenth book, Zhao Yunxian finally summarized this mode of action and proposed a new term to describe it.

That is 'murderous intent'.

The murderous intent here doesn't refer to the kind of murderous intent like "I'm going to kill you!" If you had to say, it's more like the kind of intent that kills someone by destroying their heart.

But compared to destroying the mind, killing the mind seems to be even more ruthless.

Ji Li never kills people, but he is always destroying their hearts. In the words of Zhao Yunxian in the book, he is always killing other people's hearts.

Shenxin raised the small blackboard.

"But it does have a certain feel to it, this kind of 'murderous' act."

Ying Qin Guan nodded and sighed, "Yes..."

Recalling Ji Li's actions in these books, he couldn't help but say:

"Let those who seek fame be utterly disgraced."