As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Hibiki didn't press further, but simply waved his hand: "Come with me, I'll take you to see someone. Perhaps you can find the answers you're looking for from him."

After saying that, Xiang Gui turned around and walked out of the dense forest. Lin Chen followed silently behind him.

They walked in silence, emerging from the dense fog-shrouded forest into a sunlit clearing. The air here was fresh, the vegetation lush, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere deep within. In the center of the clearing, a young figure was diligently training—it was Tomorrow's Dream.

He was dressed in simple martial arts clothes, his forehead covered in sweat, his hair sticking to his cheeks, his hands tightly gripping two wooden drumsticks, striking them heavily on the training board in front of him again and again.

"Thump, thump, thump—"

The drumbeats were deep and powerful, the rhythm steady, each strike delivered with all one's might, without the slightest slackening. The boy's arms were already trembling slightly, sweat dripping from his chin, splashing onto the ground and spreading into a small wet patch, yet he still did not stop, his eyes focused and resolute, as if the drumsticks in his hands were his everything.

Hibiki led Lin Chen to Asumu's side and quietly watched him train without making a sound to disturb him.

Asumu only stopped exercising after a set of training sessions was over, panting heavily. Turning around and seeing Hibiki and Lin Chen, she immediately flashed a bright smile, wiping away her sweat: "Master Hibiki! Mr. Lin Chen! What brings you here?"

Hibiki didn't answer his question, but calmly asked, "Young man, why are you practicing the Way of Sound so diligently?"

Asumu paused for a moment, then straightened her back, her eyes bright, and her tone incredibly firm: "I want to become a demon like my master!"

"Just to become a demon?" Hibiki pressed, his gaze deep.

"No!" Asumu shook her head vigorously, her little face full of seriousness. "I became a demon to have the power to protect! I don't want to see anyone hurt by demonic monsters anymore, I don't want to see anyone lose their family. I want to rely on my own cultivation and my clear voice to protect this mountain forest and all innocent people!"

Pure, passionate, and without any distractions.

This is the path of Tomorrow's Dream—to cultivate oneself for protection and to become stronger for others.

Hibiki nodded in satisfaction, a rare gentle smile appearing on his face. This was the reason he took Asumu as his disciple—not to pass on the techniques of the Sound Strike Way, but to pass on the original intention of protecting her.

Lin Chen stood aside, listening quietly to Tomorrow's Dream's answer, lost in thought.

Both men strive to become stronger, but Asumu has a clear direction, people to protect, and goals to fight for; while he himself only has the flimsy obsession of "surviving." He possesses power far exceeding Asumu's, yet he lives with less clarity than this boy.

The meaning of power is not simply being strong, but having something worth protecting with that power.

Just as Lin Chen was deep in thought, Hibiki's actions suddenly changed.

He reached out and snatched the drumsticks from Asuka's hand. With a flick of his wrist, the two wooden drumsticks arced through the air before crashing heavily to the ground and rolling a long way.

"Master Hibiki?!" Asumu was instantly stunned, staring at Hibiki in astonishment, completely unable to understand why her master would throw away her training tools.

Hibiki's expression returned to calm, without the slightest ripple, and his tone was as indifferent as if he were talking about something trivial: "From today onwards, you are expelled from the sect."

"W-What?!" Asahi was struck dumb, frozen in place, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Master Hibiki! What did you say? What did I do wrong? Why did you expel me from the sect?!"

The boy's voice was filled with grievance and confusion, and his eyes were slightly red. He had been training day and night, giving his all to become a sonic warrior like Hibiki, but his master suddenly wanted to send him away.

Lin Chen frowned, about to ask why, but was stopped by a look from Xiang Gui. That look was deep and firm, signaling him not to say anything more.

Just then, Lin Chen's mental energy suddenly sensed a familiar aura rapidly appearing in the dense forest on his left. He turned his head to look to the left, and at the same time, Xiang Gui also noticed the disturbance. With a flick of his wrist, he had a sonic disc in his hand and, without hesitation, threw it directly at the figure.

The sonic boom, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, hurtled straight towards them!

A white figure darted out from the forest, moving nimbly and easily dodging the attack of the sonic disc. It landed steadily at the edge of the clearing and looked at the crowd with amusement.

A white trench coat, a defiant smile, and the iconic Diend drive gun in his hand—it was none other than Daiki Kaito.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Hibiki, you're too impolite to attack right away." Kaito Daiki dusted himself off and said with a smile.

Hibiki withdrew his hand, his tone indifferent: "There are quite a few guests today."

"Master Hibiki! Who is he?" Asumu hurriedly moved closer to Hibiki and asked in a low voice, still immersed in the shock of being expelled from the sect and feeling uneasy.

Hibiki didn't answer Asumu's question, nor did he give Lin Chen a chance to reveal Haidong's identity. He spoke directly, his voice clear and firm, echoing throughout the open space: "Young man, from this day forward, you are no longer a disciple of the Hibiki school. Your new master is him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hibiki raised his hand and pointed directly at the large tree of Kaito standing to the side.

!!!

Asumu was stunned, staring blankly at the large tree in the sea, then turning to look at Hibiki, her mind completely blank: "Hibiki-sensei? What are you talking about? He's a stranger! You want him to be my new master?!"

Hai Dong Da Shu himself was stunned. The playful smile on his face froze on the spot. He pointed his finger at his nose, looking incredulous: "Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about?!"

"Master Hibiki! You've been acting so strange lately!" Asumu was almost in tears, grabbing Hibiki's arm. "What did I do wrong? Tell me, I'll change! Don't send me away, don't let anyone else be my master!"

Hibiki gently pushed away Asumu's hand, his eyes firm and unwavering. He looked at Kaito Daiki, bowed slightly, and said solemnly, "I entrust the young man to you."

After saying that, he stopped looking at the devastated Tomorrow Dream and the bewildered Haidong Tree, turned around and walked to Lin Chen's side, saying in a calm tone, "Let's go."

Before Lin Chen could recover from this series of absurd changes, he was led by Xiang Gui towards the edge of the dense forest.

Chapter 54 The Cultivation of the Heart

Lin Chen stood behind the tree trunk, his gaze fixed on the figure that was gradually disappearing into the distance in the forest—Ming Ri Meng, with her head down and shoulders slightly slumped, followed behind Hai Dong's big tree, walking step by step.

"Are you really going to treat him like this?" Lin Chen finally spoke, his voice low and filled with confusion. "Tomorrow Dream admires you a lot. For him, Sound Strike Path is not just a practice, but a belief."

Hibiki stood beside him, his hands still in his pockets, his face expressionless. He merely glanced at Lin Chen, shook his head slightly, and gestured with his eyes for him to stop talking.

"Some roads must be walked alone," Hibiki's voice was low and calm.

Lin Chen opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words. He didn't understand the bond between master and disciple in the Sound Strike Dao; since Xiang Gui had made his decision, he must have his reasons.

The two stood quietly behind the ancient tree until Asumu and Haidong's figures completely disappeared, then slowly turned around and left in another direction.

...

Tsukasa Kadoya, along with Natsumi Hikari and Yusuke Onodera, arrived at the area where the demons were appearing.

At that moment, the demons from the Demon Slayer faction and the Demon Blowing faction each dealt with a lynx demon.

"It seems we're too late; someone else has already taken care of us," said Guang Xiahai.

Yusuke Onodera nodded: "These people are very powerful, and their aura is very similar to that of Mr. Hibiki. They should be the other schools of demons that Asumu mentioned."

Tsukasa Kadoya raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping across the entire area, and he quickly noticed that there was still one person who had slipped through the net.

"Perfect, there's one left."

Tsukasa Kadoya took a step forward, giving his opponent no chance to escape, and pulled out the Decade card with his left hand, attaching it to his waist driver.

"Kamen Ride! Decade!"

A high-pitched electronic sound echoed through the valley. Crimson armor instantly covered his entire body. Tsukasa Kadoya, holding the Card Box Sword, flashed and appeared behind the demonized monster.

Without any unnecessary movements, he slashed horizontally with two swords.

Repel the demon, then immediately use your ultimate attack.

"Bang?"

The lynx-like demon had no chance to resist and simply vanished.

Neat.

This scene was witnessed by Ibuki, who turned his head to look.

When Ibuki's gaze fell upon the pink Otokage-do master's robe on Kadoya Tsukasa, his eyes lit up, and an enthusiastic smile immediately appeared on his face. He quickly stepped forward and bowed to Kadoya Tsukasa: "Master! I never expected to meet a top figure in Otokage-do here! I am Ibuki, head of the Ibuki-ryu school. May I ask your honorable name, Master?"

Tsukasa Kadoya deactivated his transformation, waved his hand casually, and said, "No need to ask my name, I was just passing by."

"Passing by is no problem!" Ibuki laughed even more enthusiastically, grabbing Kadoya Tsukasa's arm. "Since the Grandmaster is here, why don't you come with me back to the Ibuki-ryu headquarters for a short while? Let us learn some of the Grandmaster's insights!"

Before Tsukasa Kadoya could answer, the group of young and beautiful female disciples dressed in uniform behind Ibuki immediately swarmed around him, their eyes sparkling as they looked at him.

"Grandmaster, you're amazing!"

"Grandmaster, please come back with us! We'll make you some tea!"

"Grandmaster, please come this way!"

Amidst laughter and chatter, a group of beautiful young female disciples surrounded Tsukasa Kadoya, making a lively entrance towards the Ibuki faction's headquarters, much like stars surrounding the moon.

Surrounded by people, Tsukasa Kadoya feigned helplessness, but a slight smile crept onto his lips, clearly enjoying the treatment.

Yusuke Onodera watched Tsukasa Kadoya's retreating figure with envy, muttering to himself, "So envious...being surrounded by so many people..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a cold gaze fall on him.

Onodera suddenly turned his head and saw Hikari Natsumi glaring at him, her cheeks slightly puffed out and her eyes showing obvious displeasure.

Yusuke Onodera swallowed the rest of his words instantly, lowered his head, stood obediently, and dared not utter another word.

On the other side, beside a clear stream.

Lin Chen and Xiang Gui each sat on a small stool, holding a simple fishing rod in their hands, with the hooks lowered into the water, quietly waiting for the fish to bite.

Lin Chen held the fishing rod, sitting upright, but he seemed somewhat absent-minded.

He was used to fighting, used to being constantly vigilant about the dangers around him, so sitting quietly fishing like this, doing nothing and thinking nothing, was completely foreign to him.

"I don't understand." Lin Chen finally broke the silence, turning to look at Hibiki. "We clearly came here to cultivate the Way of Sound Strike, so why are we fishing here? What does this have to do with becoming stronger?"

Hibiki continued to gaze at the water, his tone calm and distant: "Boy, you possess immense power, far surpassing the vast majority of demons in this world after your transformation."

He paused, then slowly turned his head, his gaze sharp as he looked at Lin Chen:

"But have you ever thought that great power must be wielded with an even greater heart?"

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback.

“Your strength is great, but your heart is too chaotic, too tense, too confused.” The voice of the demon entered Lin Chen’s ears clearly, word by word. “You are like a strong bow that has been forcibly drawn, always stretched to its limit. Once it encounters an unbearable impact, the bow will break.”

“The practice of Sound Strike is actually not as complicated as you imagine.”

Hibiki gently shook the fishing rod and continued:

"You have already achieved the ultimate physical training. Your physique, your reaction, and your endurance far surpass those of ordinary Sound Strike Dao disciples. Sound Strike Dao has no mysterious cultivation methods, no formulas that can make someone stronger overnight, and no secret techniques that can increase power out of thin air."

"The so-called inheritance is nothing more than the master passing on his beliefs to his apprentice, and the apprentice passing on those beliefs. Generation after generation, guarding the heart of protection and guarding the clear sound, that's enough."

Lin Chen's grip on the fishing rod tightened slightly, and a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.

It turned out to be the case.

He had always thought that the Sound Strike Dao had some unique cultivation method that could allow the human body to reach its peak, but in the end, the most essential thing was actually the mind.

Refine your mind, calm your spirit, and find your own beliefs and direction.

This is what Hibiki really wanted to teach him.

"I understand." Lin Chen let out a long breath. "Thank you, Mr. Hibiki."

"Good to know." Hibiki turned his head back to look at the water. "Today, you don't have to do anything or think about anything. Just focus on fishing. Consider it... a day off for yourself."

Lin Chen nodded and said nothing more.