Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1546
The next day's morning light arrived as expected.

Fujiyoshiro set out before daybreak, walked out of the castle tower, and rushed between various government offices and wealthy families in the city.

He just held his head high and chest puffed out, without any trace of the awkwardness and uncertainty he had yesterday.

Instead, he walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, as if he didn't take the arrogant adults from yesterday seriously at all.

He really didn't take those people seriously anymore.

He touched his chest, feeling the texture of the folding paper that he had examined countless times last night. This texture brought Fujiyoshiro a sense of fullness and power that he had never experienced before.

There is also the peace of mind and solidity that comes with it.

This was a feeling that Fujikichiro, who was born into a farming family and spent the first half of his life as a traveling merchant, wandering rootlessly in troubled times, had never experienced.

While Fujiyoshiro was busy outside, he secretly swore in his heart that he would make all those people kneel before the lord tomorrow.

Wuming in the castle tower still followed the agreement between him and the old warriors and went to the dojo to win five consecutive games.

Lan En and Ah Xiu, who followed him, specially invited the warriors who stayed overnight to have dinner together.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality."

A strong old man who looked much older than the old samurai in the castle tower greeted Lan En and A Xiu who were seated at the upper seats with perfect etiquette after the meal, neither humble nor arrogant.

He was already of an age with white hair, and the beard on his chin was the same color, grown into a goatee.

Her white hair was tied into a short ponytail that reached high into the sky.

He was wearing a green haori, and the muscles on his chest exposed at the collar under the clothes were still strong and robust.

Lan En and A Xiu, who were sitting in the upper seats, looked at the old man who looked so calm with concentrated eyes.

"No need to thank me, old man." After exchanging a glance with Ah Xiu, Lan En said directly, "If it weren't for the sharp sword energy on the sparrowhawk feather, I probably wouldn't have agreed to your request last night."

Lan En leaned forward with interest and said, "You arrived at Lushan City yesterday afternoon, right? I saw your sparrowhawk in the sky then."

"You haven't asked for my name yet?"

The old man, who had just bowed politely to express his gratitude for the hospitality, now stood up straight.

The calm gaze first looked at Ah Xiu and Lan En carefully, and then, with the shaking of the goatee, words began to come out of his lips.

"I just heard that there are rare kendo talents and unskilled geniuses here, so I took a detour and came to Lushan City during my travels. I didn't expect that what the man said was not only true, but also far less than one tenth of what you two have described."

"It is not an exaggeration to say that such a clear and sharp breath is rare in the world."

He did not respond to Lan En's question first, but instead expressed his feelings first and then spoke.

"I am Tsukahara Bokuden."

Lan En first slightly widened his eyes, and the originally "interesting" look in his eyes suddenly subconsciously burst into a little aggression, but overall he was not surprised.

Ah Xiu tilted her head without any reaction.

Instead, the two warriors with small surnames who were guarding the door during dinner twitched all over, and the soles of their feet made a harsh friction sound against the wooden floor.

They looked around the room with shocked eyes, as if they had forgotten that they were the ones who opened the door for the old samurai just now. They were eager to see what Tsukahara Bokuden looked like.

This is actually a normal thing in the Japanese archipelago today.

After all, this is a great swordsman who has earned the title of "Sword Saint"!

During Japan's Warring States Period, all kinds of killing techniques were developing and becoming famous, and there was no shortage of people in each school who wanted to achieve success and leave their names in history.

After all, when it comes to martial arts training, few people can endure the hardship without a strong enough desire.

After all, there are only a few people who can truly appreciate the aesthetics and philosophy of martial arts and immerse themselves in them.

In the battlefield where a group of people are fighting for power and profit, coupled with the seemingly natural exaggeration of Japan, various titles such as "Sword Saint" and "Spear Saint" emerge one after another.

However, if we talk about the 'undisputed' [Sword Master], this title does have some value.

There were two in total, one of whom was Kamiizumi Ise no Moritsugu, who founded the Shinkage-ryu.

The second one is the Tsukahara Bokuden in front of us, who inherited the Tenshin Shinto-ryu Katori Shinto-ryu and is also considered the founder of the Kashima Shinto-ryu.

Kamiizumi Nobunaga was still considered his apprentice.

Interestingly, Lan En first systematically learned Eastern martial arts techniques in Ashina.

And if the inner court that Ashina was fighting against at that time was indeed a variant of Tokugawa Ieyasu from another time and space, then the swordsmanship masters under the inner court were most likely using the Shinkage-ryu.

The most famous branch of the Shinkage-ryu of Kamiizumi Nobunaga was passed down to Yagyu Ishifune Munezane of the Yagyu family, and the Yagyu family served the Tokugawa family.

Later, as it became famous, it was simply called "Yagyu Shinkage-ryu".

Even without considering his battle record, just looking at the origins of his swordsmanship, Tsukahara Bokuden's seniority and reputation are among the best in the history of the Japanese archipelago.

"The famous Tsukahara Bokuden has come from Kashima Shrine? That's a long way to go." Lan En said with interest. "Are you here to fight a master?"

He thought that after handing the relationship map to Fujiyoshiro yesterday, today would be a boring day, but the old man in front of him gave him a big surprise.

Tsukahara Bokuden was born into a Shinto priest family, and his family worshipped Kashima Jingu Shrine.

So in addition to being a samurai, he also has a Shinto priest background. He usually lives in Kashima Shrine.

"I am just an ordinary human being. I will grow old and die." Facing Lan En who was obviously interested, Tsukahara Bokuden's voice was calm.

His sharp eyes, which showed no signs of aging, swept across Lan En and A Xiu, and it was unclear who he was referring to.

"I am old now. Even if I am 'undefeated' in my career, my fighting spirit is not as strong as when I was young."

"Now, I am mainly fulfilling my duties as a priest, slaying demons and monsters when I travel outside, and looking for talented people to exchange ideas with."

The so-called "undefeated career" is a famous saying of Tsukahara Bokuden.

He had been in and out of the battlefield more than thirty times, and had participated in countless single combat matches, but apart from six wounds from arrows, there was no trace of sword or knife wounds on his body.

This was enough to prove that he never gave anyone a chance to hurt him in close combat, and he always won.

"That's really a shame."

Lan En pursed his lips, his interest waning. But he was not the kind of guy who could force an old man to do something, so he could only suppress his itchy urge.

"But even if we can't fight each other with swords, there's no need to regret it too early, Acting City Lord."

Unexpectedly, the old man refuted Lan En's regret.

"You are undoubtedly what I call 'absolute talents'."

"No, even calling him 'a genius' is a bit of an understatement."

As he spoke, the old man turned his eyes to Ah Xiu.

"This person should be the 'returning princess' that is rumored in the city, Her Highness Hidechiyo?"

"The depth and rhythm of his breathing are just right. Whether it's the basic [Zanxin] or the advanced [Liuchuan], it seems to have been integrated into his bones and blood as naturally."

"Your basic skills are so solid, but the marks on your hands are mainly from practicing katana and double sword techniques?"

"But there is no trace of practicing [Mountain Wind] on his body, let alone [No Thought Sword]."

"The same goes for the dual swords. I've only practiced the first stage of [Wind God]."

"Logically speaking, with His Highness Hidechiyo's level, he is qualified to comprehend the secrets of the katana, the [Killing Sword] and the [Living Sword]. The same goes for the secrets of the two swords, the [Panshi Sword] and the [Ransei Sword]."

"So it seems that Your Highness Hidechiyo has only received the most basic training in samurai martial arts, and has only relied on hard training to get to this point?"

"It's really an awe-inspiring tenacity and talent."

Tsukahara Bokuden bowed slightly to Ah Xiu to show his respect.

The fact that one can continue to practice hard without the guidance of others is a manifestation of superhuman intelligence and resilience.

What's more, Ah Xiu has advanced his skills to such a high level.

She is certainly worthy of admiration.

But this famous "Sword Saint" in front of him, with his sharp eyes and familiarity with various martial arts, could tell from the practice traces what Ah Xiu had practiced and to what level!
His level is no joke!

Of course, Lan En is even better than him in terms of vision and analysis.

However, he is not familiar with the martial arts developed in this world, so he cannot achieve the level shown by Tsukahara Bokuden.

Then, after observing and evaluating Ah Xiu, the old man turned his attention to Lan En.

His eyes suddenly became sharper and brighter, and at the same time, his expression was filled with more interest and disbelief.

"As for your abilities, Acting City Lord, they are far from those of our Japanese archipelago."

"Is it martial arts from the Western Continent? Or is it really from the Southern Barbarians as you revealed?"

"I can hear your breathing is rhythmic, deep and powerful. Your movements are always maintaining a certain degree of 'perfection and completion'."

"Please forgive my poor eyesight," Tsukahara Bokuden stroked his goatee. "I can't even see what's going on?!"

It's not just the martial arts of the Japanese archipelago. Because of his background as a priest, Tsukahara Bokuden actually pays more attention to the balance and harmony of wild souls and Japanese souls than the infighting among the human court. For this reason, he travels around the world and kills demons.

Therefore, he also saw the stick spinning technique from Ryukyu and the fighting methods of the southern barbarian warriors. He also saw the large pirate fleet of the Ming Dynasty on the sea.

However, no one has ever seen Lan En's style, let alone the martial arts achievements he has achieved in this style.

If he admired Ah Xiu for her resilience and talent, then Lan En simply shocked him.

Lan En is on a different martial arts path, but Tsukahara Bokuden compared himself to his position on this martial arts path and felt that he was afraid that he could not catch up.

Thinking of this, Tsukahara Bokuden did not feel discouraged or disheartened. Instead, he felt open-minded, as if he had seen a whole new world before his eyes.

Martial arts and martial arts skills are indeed boundless!
If he was a petty person, Tsukahara Bokuden would not have been able to practice his swordsmanship to this level.

Immediately, the high-spirited old warrior slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

"Hahaha! Meeting two rough gems in one day really makes me not even think about taking a break!"

But in the second half of the sentence, he suddenly changed the subject of the conversation, and it was unclear who he was shouting at.

"Hey, come over here, you ghost guy! Are you listening? I agree with what you said before. I will definitely teach these two rough diamonds a lesson!"

(End of this chapter)