Traveling Through Multiple Realms: The Supporting Character's Counterattack

City G is a coastal city, with a rugged, sparsely populated coastline to its east.

The jagged black reefs, like the spine of a giant beast, stubbornly resist the relentless onslaught of the waves.

The salty sea breeze, carrying moisture, made the air moist and fresh.

Here, there is no gentle sandy beach, only the most primitive and direct collision of the sea and rocks, the roaring sound never ceasing day and night, enough to make ordinary people uneasy.

However, for Iaido, this solitude amidst the hustle and bustle became an excellent training ground.

Recently, he rekindled his past life's hobby—fishing.

Not only because of his hobby, but also because he discovered that fishing, a seemingly boring activity, was helpful for his spiritual practice.

At that moment, Iai sat alone atop the most prominent giant rock.

He was wearing a dark gray waterproof jacket and a wide-brimmed hat, making him almost blend into the gray-black rocks.

He held a black fishing rod in his hand, the rod pointing straight at the surging sea in the distance.

He didn't look at the bobbing float a hundred meters away, and even deliberately restrained his invincible Observation Haki.

He simply closed his eyes, immersing his entire being in this world.

All I could hear was a tremendous, ceaseless roar: the roar of waves crashing against the rocks, the splashing of pebbles as the tide receded, and the sharp whistling of the sea breeze through the cracks in the rocks…

These sounds mingled together, forming a powerful sonic wave that attempted to disturb the mind.

But Iai's heart is like the eye of a storm.

He strives to maintain a state of "a calm mind and a clear vision".

The loud noises from the outside world seemed to be filtered by an invisible membrane, losing their destructive power and instead becoming a background rhythm.

His breathing became extremely long and steady, subtly in sync with the rhythm of the waves.

In this extreme stillness, his senses became exceptionally sharp.

He focused his attention on that thin fishing line, a hundred meters away, beneath the seemingly calm but actually turbulent sea.

He is "listening".

It's not about listening to the movement of the float with your ears, but about listening with your "heart" to the slightest vibrations transmitted through the fishing line.

Feel the pull of the current as it sweeps across the hook, discern the subtle ripples caused by small fish nibbling at the bait, and wait for the decisive and powerful "bite" when the real target takes the bait.

This is an extreme form of focus, and also an extreme form of relaxation.

One's mind must be as clear as a mirror, reflecting the most subtle changes at the other end of the fishing line, yet one must not have the slightest distracting thoughts.

One must also remain calm and undisturbed by expectations, anxieties, or even the disappointment of potentially gaining nothing, maintaining absolute peace.

Time flows slowly with the ebb and flow of the tide. The setting sun dyes the sky and sea a magnificent blood red, which is then gradually replaced by the dark blue night.

The stars began to twinkle in the sky, and the moonlight cast its clear glow, gilding the roaring waves with a silvery edge.

Iaido is like a stone sculpture, completely still.

His presence seemed to blend into the rugged coastline.

suddenly!

In the midst of another thunderous crash of waves, a distinctly different, extremely faint "tremor" traveled along the fishing line, precisely transmitting to Iai's mind like an electric current.

It wasn't the dragging of an undercurrent, nor the probing of a small fish.

It was a sense of struggle that carried a certain regularity and was full of power.

coming!

Iaido suddenly opened his closed eyes, a fleeting, all-knowing clarity flashing in them like a sword gleaming beneath a calm lake, before returning to its still, placid state.

Without the slightest hesitation, all the muscles in his body coordinated and exerted force instantly, like the most precise springs.

With a flick of the wrist, the rod tip shot up sharply, the movement as fluid as flowing water, carrying a precise and beautiful sense of effortless mastery.

"middle!"

The fishing line tightened instantly, making a sizzling sound that made your teeth ache.

The pole bent into a breathtaking arc, as if it might break at any moment.

A tremendous, violent force surged from the depths of the sea, attempting to drag the iaido into the ocean.

"He's quite strong."

Iai's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. He firmly planted himself on the reef, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground, his waist and stance perfectly aligned, and began a pure contest of strength and skill with the unknown behemoth underwater.

He didn't use his superhuman strength to end the battle directly, but instead used the strength of an ordinary person to reel in, release, pull, and wear down the line. Every movement was perfectly timed, as if he could predict every exertion of the giant sea creature.

This is precisely the manifestation of the extraordinary insight brought about by the "Water Mirror" mindset in actual combat.

The fight lasted for nearly half an hour.

Finally, an unknown sea fish, over two meters long, with scales shimmering with a dark blue luster under the moonlight and a ferocious appearance, was skillfully lured by Iai to a relatively calm area of ​​water near the rocky shore.

Seeing the giant creature still struggling in vain in the water, Iai did not kill it, but carefully removed the fishing hook.

"Go."

With a gentle push, the sea fish, as if granted a pardon, flicked its tail and quickly disappeared into the deep blue seawater, leaving only a ripple that gradually spread outwards.

Iaido slowly reeled in his line, exhaling a long breath of stale air.

This time, he went fishing not for the sake of satisfying his appetite, but for spiritual practice.

In his silent struggle with the sea and the giant fish, his understanding of "a mind as clear as a mirror and as still as water" deepened.

The state of maintaining ultimate tranquility amidst extreme noise, focusing on a single thought over a long period of time, and unleashing a precise strike at a crucial moment is the perfect interpretation of the "Water Mirror" state.

For the next few days, Iai continued to go to that bustling coast without fail, treating fishing as a way to cultivate a "water mirror" state of mind.

The sea breeze, waves, reefs, and the unknown struggles underwater all became whetstones for him to hone his spirit.

On this day, the sky was somewhat gloomy, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low. The sea breeze was stronger than usual, whipping up turbid waves that crashed against the rocks again and again, breaking into white foam. The air was filled with the oppressive feeling of an impending downpour.

Iai sat as usual on the highest boulder, his aura almost blending into the surrounding environment.

His specially made sea fishing rod remained motionless, the fishing line plunging straight into the depths of the churning sea.

Suddenly, a completely different, tremendous force came from the fishing line!

It wasn't the faltering feeling of a fish struggling, but rather a savage, violent, and destructive dragging force, as if what was hooked underwater wasn't a fish, but a sea monster trying to overturn the reef.

The fishing rod instantly bent into a breathtaking full moon arc, emitting a creaking sound as it struggled under the weight.

"Um!?"

Iaido suddenly opened his closed eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them, but his hands moved quickly.

A tremendous force instantly surged into his arms, and Armament Haki silently wrapped around the fishing rod and line, greatly increasing their strength.

"rise!"

With a low shout, Iaijutsu exerted force with both arms and suddenly swung them upwards.

Boom!

A huge splash erupted on the sea surface, and a massive figure was forcibly pulled from the deep sea by this irresistible force, tracing an arc before crashing heavily onto the rocky beach in front of the Iaijutsu with a dull thud.

It wasn't some rare sea fish, but a hideous monster.

It has a human-like torso, but its skin is an unsettling grayish-blue, covered in mucus, with webbed fingers and toes. Its head is more like an enlarged monster fish, with a split mouth revealing a dense array of sharp teeth, and a pair of dead fish eyes that bulge out, exuding a savage aura.