He changed Tiwat

In response, the general also questioned: "Have you ever thought about this? Moving forward on the wrong path will only lead us astray from 'eternity.' It's not that it's 'impossible now,' but that our methods, our thinking, and our actions are all wrong."

Ying paused for a moment, then replied, "I've thought about it, but I firmly believe that I'm right now."

The general sighed softly: "How can you prove you're right?"

Ying stared at his former accomplice and slowly said, "Proof only requires one word."

The general asked again, "What word?"

Ying silently raised the sign "One Heart, One Dream" and uttered that word:

"cut."

"Shh!"

Under the moonlight, the mountain mist and fog that enveloped the shadows of the mountains were pierced by unseen sharpness.

Along with the mountain mist, a large area of ​​forest was also divided in two.

A semi-circular clearing appeared in the once lush forest. The cuts on the trunks of each fallen tree were as smooth as mirrors, like paper cut by an invisible paper cutter. If Han Fulai were present, he would probably ask if Jiang Xue had also taught Yingmei the "Wind-Slaying Sword".

Without a doubt, what Ying just unleashed was something called "sword energy".

"Hoo..." Ying let out a soft sigh and sheathed the deep purple longsword shaped like lightning.

That is a famous sword that ranks among the top three in the "Inazuma's Famous Items List," and was once the waist accessory of the Raiden General's sword - "Mist-Giri no Kaiko."

One day after she was sent out of her consciousness space by the shadow, this family heirloom that once belonged to the Kujo family was finally delivered to her.

Ying is currently familiarizing herself with this famous sword.

For martial artists, weapons are their lifeline on the battlefield, and understanding the weapons they wield is more important than anything else.

The length, weight, center of gravity distribution, performance, and other parameters of a weapon can often influence the course of a battle and even determine life or death in subtle ways.

Having grown accustomed to the bladeless sword, Ying naturally needed to familiarize herself with the "personality" of this new "comrade-in-arms" after switching to the "Mist-Cutting Reflection."

The intensity of this "Anti-Lightning General Special Training" is potentially life-threatening, and Ying must make the necessary preparations beforehand.

She turned to Paimon beside her and smiled: "'Iaijutsu' isn't a difficult technique, is it? Look, I've already learned it."

Paimon glanced sideways: "Don't get too cocky. Why don't you ask those two 'sword masters' over there what they think?"

The "kendo master" that Paimon mentioned is a kendo master from the "Kamisato-ryu" school, who holds the title of "Kaiden" (master of all kendo), and is actually the two siblings from the Kamisato family.

In order to draw out the power of the Thunder God hidden in "The Return of the Mist Cutter" and get closer to the true "One Slash Without Thought", Ying told Ayato and Ayaka about the battle between the two generals in the consciousness space, and then sincerely asked them for advice, hoping that they could systematically teach her the swordsmanship of Inazuma.

When Thomas sparred with Ayaka at the dojo in the Kamisato residence before, he mentioned that the Kamisato family's ancestor had been taught swordsmanship by the Shogun, which led to the creation of the "Kamisato-ryu".

If one wants to learn Raiden-shogun's "unthinking slash," the swordsmanship of the Kamisato family would be a good reference.

Zhongli, that street hustler from Liyue, often says something like, "The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade."

Her previous simulations of "The One Slash Without Thought" were merely imitations; she grasped the "intention" of the sword move but not its underlying principles, thus failing to truly reach the realm of "The One Slash Without Thought." Now, what she needs to do is first fill this "theoretical gap."

So the Kamisato siblings, as "kendo masters," came to this "Anti-Raiden General Special Training" training ground with Hikari to study "Musou's One Slash" together.

However, her performance clearly surprised the Shinri siblings—

"Brother, that one just now, was it...?"

Linghua used her fan to cover her chin, concealing her slightly open mouth in surprise.

Ayato nodded silently, his face showing undisguised surprise.

—The move that Ying just used was a sword technique that Inazuma had lost for five hundred years… “Mist Cutter”.

"Unexpectedly, the swordsman Takane's 'Mist Giri' has been recreated in her hands... What we taught her before was just the most basic 'Iai'..."

Honestly, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, Ayato would never have believed that there was such a swordsmanship genius as Hotaru in this world... No, perhaps "genius" is not the right word; "monster" would be more accurate.

In the main hall of the castle tower, he had personally witnessed Ying imitating Ayaka's "Kamisato-ryu: Frostbite" and delivering a decisive blow to "Lady"... But Ayaka had sparred with Ying before, so it wasn't surprising that she could imitate the moves of "Kamisato-ryu".

Just as talented musicians can reproduce a melody after hearing it only once, Ayato, with his own talent, is also able to reproduce the sword moves of most of the enemies he has fought.

However, Ying has never fought against the Kirikiri Takane from 500 years ago.

After Kirigiri Takane died in the Battle of Kanria, the secret sword "Kirigiri," which he created and was as famous as "Tengu Shou," has been lost for hundreds of years.

But Ying's sword move that just cleaved through the mountain mist and night fog was undoubtedly the legendary "Mist Cutter".

For a normal kendo practitioner, learning "Iaijutsu" for the first time is nothing more than cutting a notch in a wooden stake, and a more skilled one might be able to cut the stake in half... But the "stakes" that Ying cuts are the entire forest.

Not only that, she even comprehended the secret sword technique "Mist Cutter" from five hundred years ago from this basic sword form. The invisible sword energy unleashed by this strike was almost comparable to the light of day that could cleave through space—

Do we need to teach this monster swordsmanship?

For once, Ayato began to doubt whether his own "Kamisato-ryu" was qualified to be Hotaru's teacher.

Ying didn't think her strike was anything special... it was far inferior to the General's "Unthinking Strike".

What pleased her most was that she found the "Mist-Cutting Reflection" very easy to use—not only was the sword's design cool, but it also complemented her own martial arts skills and naturally enhanced the power of her sword moves.

Hmm, that's a really good knife.

Right now, she's only "borrowing" this precious sword. Why not just ask Ying for it as payment when we meet her? Ying is very generous; she wouldn't refuse, would she?

In stark contrast to the relaxed demeanor of Ying and Paimon, Ayato's expression was very serious: "Ying, how did you manage to do that 'Mist Cutter' just now?"

"'Mist Cutter'?" Ying tilted her head to look at Ayato, completely unaware of why he would specifically mention the sword's name. "Wasn't that 'Iai' technique that you and Ayaka taught me just now?"

As she spoke, she gripped the hilt of the sword and demonstrated the stance: "Like this, using the 'metal structure' from the 'Five Elements Structure,' lean your body forward, conceal the sword to your side, and then draw and strike with the fastest speed..."

Before practicing the trial cut, Ayato specifically used his "Kamisato-ryu: Kyoka" to demonstrate the basic "Five Elements Structure" of Inazuma swordsmanship to Hori, which Hori remembered quite well.

“No, yours is definitely not ordinary iaido.” Ayato shook his head with certainty. He and Ayaka had been practicing kendo for more than ten years, and he had dabbled in not only the family’s “Kamisato-ryu” but also various other kendo styles, big and small, from Inazuma.

Especially Ayato, who single-handedly upheld the reputation of the Kamisato family when Ayaka was young, and his practical experience was actually quite rich.

In those years, swordsmen came to challenge "Kamisato-ryu" and assassins tried to kill him in secret... He had seen no less than a hundred different sword techniques, and countless people used "Iaijutsu," but no one's Iaijutsu could reach the level of Hikari.

...And Ying is even just a beginner in Iaido.

“Your sword strike just now incorporated your own understanding of swordsmanship, which could very well be close to the ‘Dao’ of ‘a single strike without thought’… You need to carefully recall how you swung that strike just now,” Ayato said seriously.

Hearing Ayato say that, Ying had no choice but to try harder to recall the feeling of swinging that sword.

"Hmm... This is what I thought at the time. According to you, the 'Five Elements Stance' are the five basic sword stances that General Raiden passed on to the Inazuma samurai. They are the 'origin' of all Inazuma swordsmanship. Each stance of the 'Five Elements Stance' has its own characteristics..."

“'Fire' is 'aggressive as fire,' 'water' is changeable as water, 'earth' is immovable as a mountain, 'wood' is 'quiet as a forest,' 'metal' is 'powerful as thunder'... General Thunder is the god of thunder, so of course 'powerful as thunder' suits her best, right?”

"Moreover, 'a single strike without thought' is 'a single strike,' and 'Iaijutsu' is also 'a single strike,' so they match perfectly, right? That's exactly what I was going to do."

"Ah, it's that 'beep beep beep' feeling, right? I get it!" Little Paimon nodded vigorously, looking like he understood perfectly.

Ayato and Ayaka exchanged bewildered glances. Listening to Ying talk about swordsmanship was like listening to Paimon talk about cooking—outsiders simply couldn't understand it...

Perhaps sensing the confusion of the Kamisato siblings, Yingmei kindly explained again: "This is the 'Sword Zen as One' that you taught me, Ayaka?"

"Huh? Me?" Ayaka pointed to the tip of her nose with her fan, looking bewildered.

Ying nodded earnestly: "Yes, when we first met, didn't you tell me that your mother said, 'Swordsmanship is the manifestation of the sharpness of will'? She said that 'the process of practicing swordsmanship is also a process of fighting against troubles', and that one should use 'the tangible sword to seek the intangible Tao'..."

"I think that makes a lot of sense! My problem is that I'm not strong enough to easily cut through space like a general!"

"So as I swung my sword, I imagined the general unleashing the 'Musou-no-Kage-ma'... and then incorporated that imagery into my 'Iaijutsu' just now..."

"Simply put, it's about infusing the sword with a will that can even cut through spatial barriers!"

Ayaka was speechless. Although the sword theory passed down by the "Kamisato-ryu" was true, it was still just a theory.

To put it bluntly, the heads of the Kamisato family throughout history, including her parents, her brother, and herself, all pursued "approaching" that theory—similar to the "clear mirror and still water" mentioned in "The Flow of Clear Mirror and Still Water." The Kamisato family's "Sword and Zen as One" is a spiritual pursuit that does not exist in reality.

The ability to transform abstract theories into practical swordsmanship, and to bring imagined scenes to life... such "swordsmanship" could only be mastered by that shogun.

But Ying actually reached that level so easily... So there really are people in this world who can create sword moves just by imagining them?

But Ying's surprises didn't end there.

"And this knife..."

As Ying spoke, she drew her "Mist-Cutting Return" sword once again.

"This sword... it seems to respond to my will... how should I put it? The way I was able to unleash that strike just now was actually enhanced by its own power—it seemed very happy to be able to use its power, so it put in extra effort. Well, although this is just my feeling..."

Ayato wanted to say something more, but after hearing Ying's words, he silently shut his mouth.

The artifact possesses a spirit; this is "The Return of the Mist Slicer" recognizing the brilliance.

No wonder her casual slash was so powerful; it turns out it was enhanced by the Thunder God's power within the sword.

One of the topics they originally wanted to study was how to unleash the divine power contained within this "Mist-Cutting Reflection"... Now that's no longer a problem.

If Ayato were to share his thoughts, he'd say that Hotaru is practically the kind of hero depicted in light novels—she can pull the sword from the stone that others can't with ease, it's completely unreasonable. Uh, speaking of which, the hero in the novel is also a blonde beauty, what a coincidence…

Linghua suddenly understood the feelings of Anzai, the master of the "Mirror Still Water Style"—Anzai probably felt the same way when he was easily surpassed by Tsuchimono as the senior disciple of the "Mirror Still Water Style".

To master the "Kami-ryu" style, she practiced relentlessly for ten years. Her swordsmanship, honed through countless trials, was instantly mastered by Ying, who far surpassed her.

Even if Ying is her good friend, it's still very unfair...

Of course, besides feeling resentful, Ayaka felt even more proud of Hikari.

Sure enough, that strike might not be unattainable.

At least Ying proved to her that the "kendo" of the "Kamisato-ryu" school was correct.

If she continues to walk firmly down this path, perhaps one day she too can wield the power of thunder?

Ayato gently patted his sister's shoulder, as if they were on the same wavelength.

Without a word, the two understood what to do next, or rather, this was the only thing they could do to help Ying now.

Ayato drew his sword "Hawaiizuki Shirojin" from his waist, while Ayaka drew her sword "Tenmoku Kage-da".

Ying has already touched upon the "Tao" of "no thought," and what remains is to help her "verify" it through actual combat.

The Kamisato siblings simultaneously lowered their bodies, assuming the "Wabi-Haki" (ribcage) stance of the "Golden Structure".

"The legend of Kamisato Ryuu, Kamisato Ayaka."

"Kamisato Ryu no Kensuke, Kamisato Ayato."

Please advise.

Chapter 247 After countless failures, why should I marry you?

"You mean, go back to the Shadow's side, and then ask the Shadow to use the power of 'Time Rule' to take us back to Inazuma five hundred years ago, or even longer ago...?"

The divine child hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.

“I think this is not feasible.”

Han Fulai seemed to have anticipated the Divine Child Society's denial: "You mean to say that the Shadow does not have the power of 'governing time'?"

“Yes,” the divine child replied. “If it were the Shadow in the ‘Pure Land of One Heart,’ with the help of the ‘Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed Statue,’ perhaps there would be a slight possibility… but the current Shadow cannot do it.”

“Although we are currently deep in the consciousness space of five hundred years ago, this is because of the disordered spacetime of this consciousness space itself, and it is not an ability that I or Ying possess. Ying once told me that the nature of this space is somewhat different from her ‘Pure Land of One Heart’, and she is actually unable to manipulate this space.”

"After entering the consciousness space, I have no way to control the timeline I am in, and the same goes for Shadow."

Her gaze lingered on Han Fulai's shoulder for a moment.

"You were able to come to my side smoothly because Shadow shared the 'Family Contract' with you, and you also possess some 'time' related abilities, which made this 'time travel' possible. In reality, Shadow cannot control when or where you will be sent, so you should say you were very lucky to succeed."

“Even if we return to the Shadow’s side, it won’t make much of a difference—unless you want the Shadow to carry out the ‘Eye Hunt’ again and usurp the power of the ‘Time Ruler’. But accumulating ‘Willpower’ takes a very long time, and the pollution in the ley lines can’t wait another five hundred years…”

Han Fulai nodded. Every word the Divine Child said was undoubtedly to the point, and he had nothing to refute.

After all, he had already considered these things.

"As I've said before, we need to 'prevent illness before it occurs.' We can't go back to the past from the present, but what about the past from the present?"

The divine child was taken aback.

"You mean... that shadow who just returned to Inazuma five hundred years ago?"

"Ah."

Han Fulai nodded again.

"The 'go back' I'm talking about doesn't mean going back to the side of Shadow, who is fighting the Puppet General five hundred years later. Rather, it means going back to the era when the 'Dark Calamity' had just ended, to the side of Lei Ying, who brought the real consciousness space to Shadow Mountain."

He also pointed to the Ba-man mark on his shoulder and said, "With the connection of this contract mark, we can return to the side of that shadow from five hundred years ago."

“Impossible.” The Divine Child immediately refuted his statement. “Even if we could travel through time using the contract mark, we could only return to the present shadow. The past shadow is no longer in this space.”

"I said before that there are versions of myself from different eras here, but that was a lie... There is only one me here, and just like that, there is only one shadow."