Ke Xue: He mastered the steel-cutting divine skill at the start.

After getting used to these pleasures, he found that his progress was gradually slowing down.

At this point, he began to panic, so he started to learn from his teacher, Chairman Nakamura, and his swordsmanship improved once again, which made him very happy.

However, he had already reached a good level, and he learned from those around him that there have always been some bottlenecks in swordsmanship.

It's like practicing calligraphy. From the initial beginner stage to rapid mastery, and then to each improvement, a lot of practice is needed. To truly master it, hard work, accumulation of knowledge, and talent are all indispensable.

There are invisible barriers that are difficult to see or explain, yet they exist, making people's progress increasingly slow.

After some attempts, he accepted these things and began to accept the fact that his cultivation speed was getting slower and slower. He even prepared to accumulate experience for more than ten years before slowly reaching the level of a sword master.

But all of this was completely overturned after meeting Miyazaki Yu!

The opponent was clearly much younger than him, but his strength far surpassed his, and his progress was truly terrifying.

When he first faced him, he was full of confidence, believing he could defeat his opponent. However, he never expected that his opponent's strength exceeded his imagination; his opponent had even mastered the technique of cutting steel.

Despite his superb dual-wielding skills, he was utterly defeated by the opponent's sword.

At that time, I staggered away from here and remained in a daze for several days before finally making up my mind to overcome all obstacles and pursue the way of the sword in my heart.

So he began a period of rigorous spiritual practice, abandoning all worldly pleasures and, like an ascetic, going directly to the deep mountains and forests.

He devotes all his energy to honing his swordsmanship every day, meticulously correcting the most basic and insignificant mistakes.

From the slight angle at which you draw your sword, to the rhythm and amplitude of your breathing during a single strike, and then to the force exerted when you take a step forward.

Just like aseptic management in hospitals, it seems simple, but to do it well, you need to find all the details, improve them little by little, and use various methods to urge everyone to implement them.

Several hospitals have become world-renowned hospitals precisely because of their near-perfect aseptic management.

The same applies to martial artists. Basic skills are the foundation of martial arts. If the foundation is not solid and stable, the soft foundation will eventually sink, bringing one's martial arts path to an abrupt end.

After a long period of dedicated effort, he finally made good progress, but even more shocking news left him utterly stunned.

In a short period of time, the other party has become a formal member of the Sword Master Association, becoming the youngest sword master in the history of the Sword Master Association!

This was hard for him to accept. The other party was clearly not very old, yet he had already become a sword master. How was that possible?

So, with a mix of trepidation and excitement, he embarked on his second challenge.

As a result, he suffered another crushing defeat. His opponent didn't even take the match seriously, treating it as casually as eating or drinking, leaving him with no chance to fight back.

His pride and joy were so great, yet in front of his opponent, he was as weak and powerless as a child!

So at that time, he finally realized one thing: this young Miyazaki swordsman was not only a swordsman, but also had the potential to become the leader of the entire swordsmanship in the future!

To put it simply, Miyazaki Hayao's achievements in the field of kendo are like becoming the top scorer in an exam in his teens or winning the Nobel Prize in his teens!

Even after achieving great success, the opponent's progress did not stop at all, but continued to advance rapidly, heading towards the highest achievement in swordsmanship.

It is a tragedy to live in the same era as such a swordsmanship genius, because everyone else can only grovel in his shadow and lose all their own brilliance.

However, this is also a tremendous opportunity, because living in the same era as such a genius gives one the chance to glimpse the splendor of the highest realm!

Looking up to even greater lives elevates one's own spiritual level!

And now, I stand on the threshold of this great road!

When I reached the door and knocked, Miyazawa Mie opened it again, giving me a gentle smile.

"Mr. Nishikawa, please come in. Kengo Miyazaki is already waiting for you."

In private, she still calls Miyazaki Yu "Yu-chan," but in formal settings, she now refers to Miyazaki Yu as "Miyazaki Kengo."

This is a sign of respect for him, as well as for yourself and others.

Tetsuaki Nishikawa nodded: "Thank you, Ms. Miyazawa. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Miyazawa for allowing me to become Miyazaki's apprentice!"

As she spoke, she bowed slightly, but Miyazawa Mie turned her body slightly to the side.

"Mr. Nishikawa, you're too kind. You seized the opportunity yourself. However, there's something I need to remind you of. Now that you've joined Miyazaki Kengo's school, you've gained some things, but you also have to bear some responsibilities. I hope you understand."

Nishikawa Tetsumei stared wide-eyed at Miyazawa Mie, only to find her smiling face had returned, as if it were all just his imagination.

Only then did he realize that this woman was no ordinary person, and that Miyazaki Kengo was truly amazing, or perhaps everything around him was shrouded in mystery.

He immediately replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Ms. Miyazawa. I understand!"

He then went inside. In the lobby, Miyazawa Reina nodded to him and led him up to the third floor, where they entered a room.

At this moment, Miyazaki Yu sat cross-legged on a cushion. The entire room was unusually empty, with no decorations except for the two large characters enshrined on the altar in the center and the eight cushions on either side of the central seat.

However, the decorations on the wall were rather strange. The entire wall was covered with various wavy patterns, which flowed and seemed to be alive. When he saw these patterns, he felt as if there was a flow of energy within his body.

Miyazaki Yu, whose eyes had been tightly closed, suddenly opened them!

Chapter 346 Apprenticeship Ceremony (3rd update!)

"Nishikawa Tetsuaki, you've arrived."

At this moment, Nishikawa Tetsuaki was already sweating profusely.

The instant Miyazaki Yu opened his eyes, he seemed to see two sharp swords shooting out from the other's eyes and instantly landing in his.

In an instant, he felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer, and his entire heart trembled.

He immediately knelt down on both knees and then pressed his forehead to the ground.

"Disciple Nishikawa Tetsumei greets Master!"

A slight smile appeared on Miyazaki Yu's originally solemn face.

It is human nature to want to teach others, and this is the first time in Miyazaki Yu's two lifetimes that someone has so sincerely wanted to become his student, which makes him feel excited.

In fact, since ancient times, the relationship between teacher and student has been the closest. Ancient Chinese people believed that the most important relationship was the so-called five relationships of Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher, which were also the objects of Confucian worship.

However, a closer analysis reveals that the so-called relationship with heaven and earth is merely a figurative expression and doesn't actually count. The third type of so-called "ruler," namely loyalty to the monarch, is also just a facade.

In ancient times, everyone talked about being loyal to the emperor, but how many people were truly loyal to their monarch?

The so-called "kin" refers to relatives, which is a natural relationship based on blood ties. However, everyone knows in their hearts that apart from parents, other people with blood ties may not necessarily want you to be happy.

But generally speaking, your teacher genuinely wants the best for you.

This doesn't necessarily mean the teacher is particularly noble. From the most realistic and ruthless perspective, a teacher's desire for their students to succeed has a practical purpose.

When students do well, teachers become more famous, just like Di Renjie of the Tang Dynasty, who was known for having students all over the world. This is an affirmation of his abilities.

Moreover, for many sages who aspire to lasting fame, disciples are even more important.

Because of the existence of their disciples, the 'Dao' they established, that is, their philosophy, can be passed down. For these sages who have strong spiritual pursuits and want to be remembered in history, this is even more important than life and death.

When many ancient people passed on their teachings to their disciples, they truly treated them like their own sons, sometimes even better than their own sons.

Ultimately, it's because sons typically inherit bloodlines, while disciples inherit the Dao (the Way) of a person!

That's why the master-disciple relationship has received all sorts of praise and been given all sorts of meanings throughout history, and has even given rise to all sorts of unspoken rules.

Just like in officialdom, the master and apprentice are naturally one. To take the ancient imperial examination as an example, the candidates admitted by the chief examiner in the imperial examination are naturally his students.

Although he taught them nothing and they didn't even know each other before, they were already politically united.

Therefore, many famous officials relied on recruiting enough outstanding students in a particular imperial examination to achieve great things with their support.

For example, Yan Song, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty were all like this.

These things were just fleeting thoughts in Miyazaki Yu's mind at the moment. All that he said could only mean one thing: the master-disciple relationship was one of the closest relationships besides that of family members, and it also carried a certain sacredness.

Taking on apprentices is also one of the most important ways to cultivate one's own power!

After acquiring his first disciple, Miyazaki Yu began to cultivate his power!

And everyone is right, the reason Miyazaki Hayao agreed to take Nishikawa Tetsuaki as his apprentice was to cultivate talent for the organization he was creating.

The previous crisis made Miyazaki realize his own isolation and lack of strength. No matter how powerful he was, he would be overwhelmed if he faced a powerful criminal organization.

If a mistake is made, the consequences will be absolutely unbearable, and the people you care about will also suffer because of your miscalculation.

This is absolutely unacceptable!

Only magic can defeat magic, and only an organization can fight against another organization!

And taking on Nishikawa Tetsuaki today is the first step in this plan.

Of course, this is also because Nishikawa Tetsumei has this value. He is young but already has considerable strength. If I hadn't appeared, he would definitely be the strongest swordsman among the younger generation.

Even without his guidance, he could reach the level of a sword master within about ten years.

Such an achievement is already quite amazing among all the swordsmen of all time, except for Miyazaki Hayao.

With his guidance, Nishikawa Tetsumei would soon be able to form a formidable fighting force, making him an excellent choice.

Furthermore, Miyazaki Yu greatly admired Nishikawa Tetsuaki's act of risking his life to save others. In this world, there is never love without a reason; to gain the appreciation and support of others, one must always pay a price.

"Very good. Actually, when I rejected you before, I had already decided to take you as my disciple. However, I still need to test you."

Although I am already a swordsman, I am younger than you. If I cannot gain your heartfelt recognition and respect, it would be a huge mistake for me to be your teacher.”

Nishikawa Tetsuaki was deeply moved and immediately began to explain.

"Teacher, you are right. When I first fought you, I did underestimate you. At that time, I was very arrogant. Although I recognized your strength, I did not look up to you."

But after our second encounter, I was truly impressed by your unparalleled swordsmanship. It was then that I realized you would be the goal I could never achieve in my entire life, and your achievements would shine through the ages!

So it was at that time that I truly understood that living in the same era as a peerless genius like you was both a tragedy and an immense fortune, because it gave me the opportunity to witness the pinnacle of swordsmanship and see the scenery from a higher vantage point.

It was from that time that I changed my mindset. When I re-examined everything, I truly realized that my teacher and I were no longer on the same level. In martial arts, one who has reached the pinnacle is one's teacher. Since my teacher had already reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, he was absolutely qualified to be my teacher.

Miyazaki Yu smiled at the guy's sincere attitude.

Many people fail to succeed because of various concerns and reservations; many good opportunities are often lost for ridiculous reasons.

Those who truly succeed often discard useless things, focusing solely on their goal and relentlessly pursuing it – this is the cornerstone of success.

“Very good. Now, face the tablets with the words ‘Heaven and Earth’ and perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows, and offer incense. Then I will give you the sword, and that will complete the apprenticeship ceremony.”

"Heaven and earth? This is the vision of a teacher, truly breathtaking. But only with the words 'heaven and earth' can one be worthy of being called a teacher to Miyazaki-sensei!"

Thinking this, he immediately stood up and began to kneel and kowtow three times and nine times towards Miyazaki Yu and the ancestral tablet, and then went forward to offer incense.

After finishing, Miyazaki Yu smiled slightly, opened a sword box he had prepared, and two identical bluish-gray longswords appeared inside.

Chapter 347 Moonlit Frost and Azure Snow