Chapter 24: Lili Zi’s Practical Combat Lesson, Natural Reason School, Beginner!
“Natural Reason School?”
The blacksmith repeated, staring at the little figure beside him completely shrouded under the hood, remaining silent.
Shangshan Che nodded, but in his heart he wondered if practicing any sword technique in the Eternal World still had its intricacies?
“Good.”
After a dozen seconds of silence, the blacksmith, having thought of something, said: “Come pick up the weapon in a few hours.”
……
After turning in the task at the blacksmith’s, Shangshan Che naturally went to the Kendo Hall to meet up with Lili Zi.
It was now afternoon class time, and as expected, in the vast Kendo Hall, only Lili Zi was silently cultivating alone.
The privileged class could do whatever they wanted in school.
Arriving at the doorway, Shangshan Che looked toward her soles—that section of the wooden board had all turned deep brown, soaked through by the girl’s sweat.
Silently swinging the sword, climbing alone. Shangshan Che thought that perhaps this was the manual behind why Lili Zi stood out among her peers.
But the more he watched, the more Shangshan Che felt something was off.
He rubbed his eyes—why was Lili Zi’s body glowing?
An illusion?
Hoo—
With the bamboo sword’s final whoosh fading, Lili Zi lightly exhaled, walking toward him.
Her soles contacting the board made a pattering sound like a duck walking.
Sipping mineral water, she greeted: “You’re here? Change clothes and let’s practice.”
“Wait.” Shangshan Che grabbed her sleeve, leaning in to look, then puzzledly said: “Lili Zi, your body is really glowing, haven’t you noticed?”
Lili Zi felt pleasantness well up inside, but on the surface casually replied: “This is the symbol of just breaking through to Clear Sword Heart; of course you can see it if you can achieve calm as still water.”
Shangshan Che puzzled: “What is Clear Sword Heart?”
—Finally waited for you to ask proactively.
Lili Zi faintly replied: “The second sword technique realm after calm as still water, not much of an achievement.”
“Oh, I see.”
—Shangshan Che half-understood and chose to believe it.
—Then, Shangshan Che fell into deep contemplation.
“Ki-Gong Technique is roughly like that, let me demonstrate once more…”
“No need.”
Shangshan Che was slightly stunned.
“I’ve got it all.” Lili Zi smirked at him, revealing an arrogant smile Shangshan Che had never seen before: “Shangshan Jun, your breathing technique is quite exquisite!”
With that, she deeply inhaled, puffing out her chest, and swung the sword with a loud shout: “Ha!”
Shangshan Che saw it clearly.
Without a doubt, this was beginner-level Ki-Gong Technique, far inferior to his current proficient level.
—But the issue was he’d only just spent a few minutes explaining it once.
Right?
How does this non-cheat user seem even better than me, the cheat user?
Lili Zi mastering it in one go must be related to that “Clear Sword Heart”—you call this not much of an achievement?
What kind of new Versailles is this?
“Hey!”
A brand-new mask was tossed into Shangshan Che’s arms; he caught it and saw Lili Zi resting her bamboo sword on her shoulder.
“Since I’ve learned Shangshan Jun’s breathing technique, next it’s time to switch positions.”
Though Lili Zi was a head shorter than him, at this moment Shangshan Che had the illusion that the girl before him was looking down on him.
“Shangshan Jun, you’re a genius.” Lili Zi watched him put on the protective gear, her mouth curving up uncontrollably: “As a genius, you can’t progress step by step like ordinary people.”
Shangshan Che sensed something amiss.
He said: “Right, I want to learn how to do sound location…”
“Stop.” Lili Zi withdrew her sword: “You’ll learn all that one by one in the upcoming combat training.”
Combat training?
Shangshan Che realized why Lili Zi had given him the protective gear.
But he’d only been practicing sword for one day!
“Shangshan Jun!”
Lili Zi shouted using Ki-Gong Technique, snapping Shangshan Che back to attention.
She held the sword with both hands, her eyes fervent and earnest:
“—Don’t get left behind by me!”
Gripping his bamboo sword tightly, Shangshan Che met her gaze.
Since Lili Zi had put it this way, he felt he had no excuse to refuse.
【You used Soul Incense Ash×1】
In a world depicted down to the finest details, Shangshan Che took a deep breath:
“Come.”
Thus the bamboo sword turned into a phantom, crashing down like thunder.
Not a metaphor.
Shangshan Che merely blocking that single bamboo sword made half his body go numb,
Not because Lili Zi’s strength was absurd, but because the force transmitted instantly through the contact point into his limbs and bones.
With Soul Incense Ash’s boost, Shangshan Che could clearly sense how Lili Zi did it.
But knowing the principle and applying it were worlds apart.
Before Shangshan Che could regroup, another sword came.
This time to his back, bringing a stinging pain.
Shangshan Che stumbled, Lili Zi’s light laugh coming from behind: “Hey hey, that’s it?”
When!?
Shangshan Che instantly swung back with force, but hit nothing.
The next instant, his head took a heavy blow.
Lili Zi’s instruction followed: “Don’t follow first reactions, think with your brain—didn’t you say you wanted to practice sound location?”
After a moment to recover, focusing on hearing, Shangshan Che finally heard the distinct “patter patter” sounds.
—This was the sound of Lili Zi’s feet contacting the floor.
Now light, now heavy… now light, now heavy… stopped!
The instant the footsteps stopped, Shangshan Che swung a kesa cut in that direction.
But there was no sensation of hitting a solid object.
Smack!
This heavy blow sent Shangshan Che sprawling to the ground.
In the moment of contact with the floor, he couldn’t help but wonder how that kitsune-dog had cornered Lili Zi like that?
—Maybe even without him, Lili Zi could solo the kitsune-dog?
“Don’t think of your enemies as idiots, think from their perspective more.” Lili Zi looked down at him, gently pressing her bare foot on his helmet: “Also, combat isn’t discover then act, but a continuous whole.”
“Get your foot off.”
A muffled voice came from the helmet.
Hearing the change in voice, Lili Zi compliantly lifted her foot, her eyes growing even more excited.
—Force transmission, sound location, perspective-taking, combat as a whole.
These vague concepts gradually clarified in Shangshan Che’s senses, and with each sword swing from Lili Zi came not just pain.
But realization!
Being wildly beaten, Shangshan Che not only ignored the pain but grew increasingly excited.
Shangshan Che even felt like Lili Zi held an experience stick, each hit on his head displaying “Experience +1”.
But still a bit short.
Applying a second Soul Incense Ash, as his body neared its limit, Shangshan Che puzzled in his mind.
He could clearly hear Lili Zi’s footsteps and slowly block her sword…
But one problem remained—Lili Zi’s sword was always just a fraction faster than his.
Not by much, but precisely that perfect, unbiased fraction.
Shangshan Che pondered, tracking Lili Zi’s position changes, anticipating where her sword would strike next.
As his body tired more, Shangshan Che’s thinking inevitably slowed, even becoming hard to think.
Wait.
Hard to think? No thoughts, no delusions?
Shangshan Che’s movements stalled briefly, taking another heavy sword, stumbling back.
Lili Zi’s roar came: “Is that all! Shangshan Che, is this all you’ve got!”
Damn woman, so noisy!
Shangshan Che felt he’d grasped the key—if thinking was hard, why not just abandon thinking!
Not reverting to instinctual fighting, but letting something else take over thinking!
Body or subconscious, anything to replace his half-beat-slow brain.
After eating another sword, Shangshan Che consciously let go of thinking, shutting out all external info from his brain.
But the deeper he sank into this state, the more vividly he sensed Lili Zi and her sword. Closer, closer, almost tangible…
So Shangshan Che reached out, gripping tight!
Under Lili Zi’s stunned gaze, Shangshan Che’s swung sword became elusive flowing water, or ungraspable lightning, dismantling her guard in a flash.
Sending the bamboo sword from her hand flying heavily!
Thus, the tip wrapped in cloth hovered steadily before Lili Zi’s neck.
That fleeting clear sword light illuminated her pupils, leaving an indelible mark on Tokugawa Ririko’s clear sword heart.
The next instant, Shangshan Che’s consciousness blacked out, his whole body collapsing heavily onto the floor.
Lili Zi just watched.
She was stunned for a while before reacting to what happened.
The girl hurriedly crouched, removing Shangshan Che’s mask, and after confirming no serious issues, let him pillow on her lap.
In the faint late-spring sunlight, Tokugawa Ririko looked down at this sweat-drenched exhausted face, revealing a heartfelt joyful smile.
“Shangshan Jun.”
She gently closed her eyes, earnestly and immensely pleasantly saying:
“Never have I felt so clearly—it’s truly wonderful to live in the same era as you.”
……
【Your skill, Ki-Gong Technique Fragment proficiency +75!】
【You had an epiphany in combat, Natural Reason School proficiency +300!】
【Your skill, Sword Technique·Natural Reason School has reached beginner level!】
Change the update time later to noon 12:00 with two chapters together
