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

However, the path of a swordsman is not so easy!

Being able to cut through steel only proves that one's skill level is high enough, but to become a true swordsman, one still needs to prove oneself with the sword in one's hand!

"It seems you are very confident in your strength. However, if you want to become a swordsman, simply mastering the skill of cutting steel is not enough. After all, human strength has its limits, and the skill of cutting steel can only play a crucial role in decisive moments."

To become a master swordsman, one must prove their strength with the sword in their hand; only the sword never lies!

Miyazaki Yu pondered for a moment.

"Does Lord Takizaki mean to engage in battle?"

Takizaki laughed and said, "That's right, it's a battle, and the opponent is another member of the Sword Master Association! Only when three or more members of the Sword Master Association truly acknowledge a person's strength will a new sword master truly emerge!"

These words caused everyone to gasp in shock once again!

Chapter 125 Terrifying Difficulty

"How can there be such a requirement? That's too demanding!"

"I can't help but say this," Rena said, her face full of disbelief.

Even Sonoko and Ran looked on with surprise.

Ran said, "Lord Takizaki, isn't this too difficult?"

Indeed, that is the case. For a newcomer to challenge a veteran swordsman is simply wishful thinking.

After all, every swordsman is an extremely powerful fighter. From what Ran has seen and heard along the way, no matter how strong Miyazaki Yu is, he cannot surpass a swordsman.

Gaining the approval of three swordsmen at once is extremely uncertain and fraught with danger!

Takizaki Kensho snorted lightly: "It is indeed difficult, but that's the reality. Becoming a Kensho is by no means an easy thing. There are no fewer than hundreds of thousands of people practicing swordsmanship in Japan, but only a handful can be recognized as Kensho!"

Even during the Edo period, a time renowned for its many swordsmen, it took an average of five years for a new swordsman to emerge. The current Swordsmen's Association has not produced a new swordsman for twelve years!

However, Miyazaki Yu remained quite calm after hearing these things; he understood the reasons behind these rules.

In most professions or specialties in this world, once they reach a truly advanced level, the skill level of an individual becomes something that ordinary people and laymen cannot comment on.

Just like how you can't let an elementary school student judge the competence of a university professor, you can't let an ordinary soldier determine the competence of a pilot.

A doctor's skill level also needs to be judged by people in the industry!

Therefore, peer review is a universally accepted practice. Whether a professor or scientist is qualified can only be determined by other professors and scientists.

Becoming a swordsman is actually similar.

Only by gaining the approval of three or more sword masters can one become a new sword master. In fact, it is those three sword masters who evaluate one based on their own honor.

If the selected people are not qualified, their qualifications will also be questioned!

Seeing Miyazaki Yu's expression, Sonoko knew that he had probably already decided to participate.

He couldn't help but say, "Miyazaki, you're the best! I believe you can do it!"

However, he immediately turned to Takizaki Kengo and said, "During the competition, you should be wearing protective gear when using bamboo swords, right? But your strength is too great, ordinary protective gear probably won't be enough. Miyazaki, should I have someone make a set of protective gear with stronger protection?"

Otherwise, your strength is too great, and ordinary protective gear probably won't be effective."

Takizaki Kensho shook his head: "No, no! The Kensho Trial is an extremely sacred and solemn event. The rule since ancient times is to try to recreate real combat as much as possible. It is absolutely impossible to wear protective gear, and the contest must be fought with real swords!"

However, they only use unsharpened swords, but their power is still extremely strong. In a real sword fight, the swordsman, as the opponent, would certainly not intentionally hurt the other.

However, in these twenty years, a total of fifteen people applied for the exam. Of them, two died, four were seriously injured, and almost everyone sustained minor injuries.

Not a single one passed the exam. Given this, do you still want to try?

By the end, he had adopted a scrutinizing gaze, noting that young people raised in peacetime often lack genuine courage and vigor.

Kendo emphasizes courage and continuous improvement, and there can be no retreat whatsoever. Once you retreat, your confidence will waver, and your strength will be greatly reduced.

At this moment, Chairman Nakamura also reached out and pulled up his sleeve, revealing a scar nearly half a foot long on his left arm. Although it had long since healed, the dark red mark was still clearly visible, indicating that he had been seriously injured back then.

Sonoko couldn't help but say, "Wait a minute, didn't President Nakamura say that he shouldn't be qualified to apply for the trial if he didn't have the skill of cutting steel ten times?"

President Nakamura shook his head: "That's true. This is a helpless move by the Sword Masters Association. There are very few people who can cultivate to my level. If we continue to stick to the original standards, no one will be able to challenge us."

Takizaki Kensho shook his head and said, "So at that time, one of the sword masters suggested that we could skip cutting steel before the trial, as that would be too high a threshold. He suggested that we could just have a trial competition, as long as we could get the approval of two sword masters."

Even so, all the challengers failed; not a single one gained the recognition of even a single swordsman!

Both Chairman Nakamura and Masahiro Ishida looked somber; these were lifelong pains for them.

When they were full of vigor, they launched an attack in that direction, and even in the face of great danger, they did not back down in the slightest.

But only when they actually stand in front of that door can they perceive how magnificent and breathtaking the scenery behind it is.

But as time went by, they drifted further and further away from that realm, until they could no longer see any hope at all.

"Takizaki Kensho, the way of the sword has always been about forging ahead bravely, so I accept this goal."

Seeing that the three girls were about to stop him, he waved his hand, signaling them not to rush.

"Don't rush. I don't need to try it now. I can try cutting steel ten times first, and then spar with Master Takizaki. Since it's not a formal trial, we can wear protective gear and use bamboo swords. Only through a real battle can I know how much of a gap there is between me and a swordsman."

These words were spoken so discreetly that the risk factor was minimized.

This relieved Ran, Sonoko, and Rena.

What that swordsman just said was terrifying. Twenty years and fifteen people went through the trial, and in the end, almost half of them were seriously injured, while the rest were all wounded. That's too scary!

"You're quite clever, kid. The reason I called you here today was to test your mettle and see just how far you've come. So you don't need to try anything funny with me."

Miyazaki Yu smiled and said, "In that case, President Nakamura, there must be test rooms for the Steel-Cutting Trial prepared in this building, right? Now it should come in handy!"

Chairman Nakamura laughed heartily: "That's right, everyone, please follow me."

This is described as a room, but in reality, it is extremely spacious, about a third the size of the hall we just left.

Inside the room, on one side were wooden frames and bamboo mats used for cutting mats, arranged in five rows, each row from one ketone sword target to a four ketone sword target, neatly arranged and looking very solemn.

On the other side, however, it was completely different. There were iron pillars as thick as a wrist, and a rough count revealed that there were a full hundred of them.

The first few iron pillars were covered with sword marks. These marks crisscrossed, but none of them could cut through the iron pillars. The pillars were like broken wood, covered with marks of hacking.

"These marks must have been made by Chairman Nakamura and Vice Chairman Ishida, right?"

Chairman Nakamura reached out and gently touched the first iron pillar. The marks on it, which had initially been cut more than halfway, gradually became shallower and shallower. Clearly, the old man's strength was gradually declining, and the depth of his strikes was also gradually decreasing.

"I am truly ashamed. This is my achievement from twenty years ago. Now, with my qi and blood declining, even if I try my best, I can only cut less than half an inch. I am extremely ashamed."

Miyazaki Yu then reached out and lightly flicked the iron pillar. After a crisp "ding," the iron pillar began to vibrate.

"Let's start with this one!"

Chapter 126 Miyazaki Yu VS Takizaki Kenshin

Miyazaki Yu picked up a real sword from the sword rack beside him and weighed it in his hand.

"These are all standard katanas. Although they are not particularly outstanding, they are still of much better quality than ordinary swords."

"That's it!"

He quickly ran his fingers across the blade, then flicked it sharply, producing a soft hum.

He slowly walked up to Tie Zhu, then suddenly swung his sword. Everyone was still immersed in the atmosphere of the hall and hadn't even reacted when the sword shadow swept past their eyes.

"What! He made his move? Didn't he even need to gather his strength?"

As Miyazaki Yu strolled leisurely to Tie Zhu, no one expected him to wield his sword, because his aura remained restrained and unchanged, just as it always had been.

Even a master swordsman needs to cultivate his inner strength and power to cut through steel. Every strike requires his full strength, not to be completed so easily!

Clang—

The half of the iron pillar slowly fell, and the entire iron pillar looked like a bamboo that had been neatly cut, with a tilted surface.

The sloping surface, cut open, is as smooth as a mirror. It forms a stark contrast with the dark, heavy iron pillar!

Clearly, this iron pillar had been easily cleaved in two, as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.

Everyone was stunned by the power of Miyazaki Yuichi's sword and remained speechless for a long time, especially Chairman Nakamura and Vice Chairman Ishida Masahiro.

They had all tried to cut steel countless times in private, and had succeeded on some occasions, but each success was due to thorough preparation.

One must ensure one is in top form and full of energy the day before, and also take some tonics. Then, on the second day, one must bathe and change clothes to adjust oneself to the best condition, and then use the secret sword technique to enhance the skill, so that one can use the long sword to cut the iron pillar and complete the steel-cutting feat.

And what did he see now? The opponent casually swung his sword and completed a standard steel-cutting maneuver!

Everyone was stunned and speechless, but Sonoko quickly came to her senses, her eyes shining brightly.

"Xiao Lan, no wonder Kidd was no match for him. He's too amazing. I wasn't too shocked when I saw him finish the battle before, but now it's really exciting!"

If he were wielding the famous sword "Horizontal Cloud Slayer," cutting through the iron pillar would be as easy as slicing bread, wouldn't it?

Xiao Lan didn't understand either: "Maybe? But judging from their expressions, that sword strike must have been extremely impressive."

Miyazaki Yu, however, had no time to listen to the crowd's exclamations.

He continued walking forward, and at this moment, Takizaki Kensho's eyes truly lit up!

"Could it be that he has truly acquired the strength of a swordsman? It's unbelievable! A swordsman in his teens! This is unprecedented in history!"

Soon, Miyazaki Yu arrived in front of the second iron pillar. He swung his sword again, and the sword light flashed like a swift shadow. Without the slightest sound of metal colliding, the second iron pillar snapped in two!

Then Miyazaki walked to the third, fourth, fifth, and tenth iron pillars in turn.

Every time he faced the iron pillars, he would casually slash with his sword, and the iron pillars would break in the blink of an eye, as if these iron pillars were very soft, brittle, and thin tubes that could be easily cut by an ordinary person's sword.

The whole process was as smooth as eating Dove chocolate, without any pauses. This steel-cutting test was even less difficult than the bamboo-sword-cutting-mat test I had done at home before.

After all, a bamboo knife is a bamboo knife. Although this long knife is of average quality, it is still a long knife and is naturally incomparable to a bamboo knife.

Takizaki Kensho silently examined all the iron pillars one by one, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

"There was no change at all. It takes time to build up power, and cutting steel is extremely physically demanding. If your breathing becomes disordered, it will be impossible to make such a smooth and silky slash!"

In other words, although he appeared to have unleashed ten strikes, in reality, he only charged up once, and it was a casual charge with very little process!

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel shocked!

If that's the case, then is this boy's strength already above his?

An immense fighting spirit had risen within him, and he was eager to personally verify just how strong his opponent's combat power had become!