People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

The two spoke in low voices, but enough to carry throughout the quiet kendo dojo.

Three minutes and twenty seconds—this result was heard by everyone.

After a moment of deathly silence, a burst of loud laughter erupted in the kendo arena, as if the best comedian in all of Runeterra had just finished performing a show.

"Did I hear that right? Three minutes and twenty seconds? Hahaha..."

"This is outrageous! Is this all the legendary invincible swordsman is?"

"My grandma got here faster than you!"

……

Countless sarcastic remarks entered his ears. Mu Bai turned his head to look at the crowd and saw faces twisted with laughter.

Morgan forced himself to suppress a laugh, but the hot breath he exhaled from his nostrils betrayed his disdain.

"Three minutes and twenty seconds, not bad. Actually, I wasn't much faster than you, only one minute and forty-six seconds."

"Hmm." Mu Bai nodded calmly, the Dolan sword sliding out half an inch, its cold gleam reflecting on his indifferent face.

"Stop talking nonsense and get to the testing... It's a real-world test, right?"

..............................

Outside the training room, the butler peeked into the corridor again.

The sound of the mechanical wooden stakes moving stopped, indicating that the first round of testing was over.

Driven by curiosity, he walked through the corridor and into the training room.

Then, he was stunned by what he saw—

A full hundred mannequin heads!

They've all been cut down!

There's a steel pipe underneath that wooden board! How was it cut so cleanly?!

You can get a perfect score for slicing a dummy's neck with a sword, but what if you cut them all off?

And... what's with the hundred? If every sword strike is a perfect score, then the test should be over after cutting ten swords!

The butler swallowed hard and looked at the timer on the wall with trembling body.

Three minutes and twenty seconds!

On average, it takes two seconds to decapitate a dummy!

Morgan's record is 1 minute and 46 seconds to chop ten wooden stakes... an average of 10.6 seconds per stake, and that's just a slit in the neck, not a severing...

This……

"Good luck, Morgan..." The butler tapped his forehead and both shoulders as if in prayer.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Do you even understand the true value of the Wind-Riding Sword Technique?

"Actually, judging from your performance, any student could easily help you complete the test."

Inside the kendo dojo, Morgan stood arrogantly to one side, arms crossed, a wooden sword clasped around his arm, his tone conveying a sense of nonchalance:

"However... the patriarch has ordered that I must test you personally. Alas, you're really unlucky... Be careful, it wouldn't be good if you got hurt."

"Hmm." Mu Bai maintained his indifferent expression and casually picked up a training wooden sword from the weapon rack.

He remained indifferent to the sarcastic remarks, simply listening to them casually.

One minute and forty-six seconds is indeed much faster than three minutes and twenty seconds.

To be fair, he believes that even with an exceptional performance, he could only be ten seconds faster at most; a time of one minute and forty-six seconds is definitely not a level he can achieve now...

This scarred swordsman is very strong.

The Firos family truly is a place where hidden talents abound...

"So you're ready?" Morgan stood casually, not taking his opponent seriously at all. "Here's what we'll do: I'll let you make the first move. I won't attack until you do."

As soon as he finished speaking, another burst of laughter and whispers erupted in the room:

"The coach is going to go easy on us, haha."

"Don't criticize him harshly. The coach is showing swordsmanship by giving his opponent face."

"Sparrows eat crickets."

"The kendo dojos these days have lost their prestige. I don't need to tell you who the top ten swordsmen in Ionia were back in the coach's era, do I?"

"To be honest, objectively speaking, as a complete outsider, I think the coach is a sure winner this time."

……

Countless sarcastic and strange auras surrounded Mu Bai, but they could not stir up the slightest ripple in his heart.

He gripped the wooden sword with both hands, scrutinizing Morgan closely, trying to find a weakness that would allow him to win.

A few seconds later, he found it, but then again, it seemed like he hadn't.

Because... he felt that the other party was full of flaws.

Being full of flaws is practically the same as having no flaws at all. The last time I encountered such a strange situation was...

Not good.

"What's wrong?" Seeing that his opponent hadn't moved, Morgan grinned mischievously again. "Don't be afraid, this is just a test, not a life-or-death battle."

Upon hearing this, Mu Bai frowned slightly, took a deep breath, and gradually lowered his body.

"Then... please enlighten me!"

A gentle breeze swept by.

It's very light and soft, like a cool and comfortable evening breeze in early autumn.

Morgan didn't see when his opponent drew his sword, nor even catch a glimpse of his shadow. By the time he realized what had happened, the wooden sword in his hand was broken in two, and a few tufts of hair had fallen from his sparse head.

In an instant, all the noise turned into deathly silence.

Morgan stared blankly at the few strands of hair on the ground, her mind a complete blank.

What happened?

Why did my sword break? Why is my hair falling to the ground?

When did he draw his sword? When did he charge at us?

"Huh?" Mu Bai, the person involved, blinked in confusion, also a little bewildered.

He adopted a conservative fighting style just now, so instead of attacking the opponent's body directly, he struck the sword.

But... what's going on here?

Before he could figure it out, the students watching the battle were already losing their composure.

A young man with curly blond hair suddenly stood up and shouted, "Coach, stop going easy on us! Take it seriously!"

"Let him see the true value of the Firos family's head swordsmanship instructor!" someone quickly joined in, the noise growing louder and more indignant than before.

"This time, the coach was careless and didn't flash."

"Coach! Stop worrying about those few strands of hair on your head, get serious!"

This time, the pressure from public opinion has shifted to Morgan.

Those expectant gazes suddenly felt heavy, pressing down on him so much he could hardly breathe.

He could only silently comfort himself, telling himself that it was just an accident, that he had been careless...

"Cough cough, not bad..." He casually tossed aside the broken sword in his hand, picked up a new one, his feigned composure a last vestige of stubbornness. "Your sword is quite fast, and powerful enough. Not bad, not bad..."

"You flatter me." Mu Bai assumed his sword stance once more, not daring to slacken in the slightest.

Having learned his lesson, Morgan no longer underestimated his opponent, nor would he continue to act cocky and let the opponent make the first move. He grabbed his wooden sword and launched a rapid attack, attempting to end the battle as quickly as possible.

Or... end the battle.

All the students held their breath, their eyes focused on the wooden sword that was swiftly swung out.

The same applies to Mu Bai.

He stood still, unmoved even as the wooden sword was about to fall, as if he were frozen in fear.

He finally moved when the blade was less than twenty centimeters from his head.

The same familiar gesture of raising his hand, the same familiar sword strike—remaining unchanged amidst constant change.

Wind-Riding Sword Technique: Steel-Cutting Flash!

The two wooden swords were made of the exact same material, but the results of their collision were completely different.

Mu Bai's sword pierced Morgan's blade, shattering it with overwhelming force.

“Uh…” Morgan stared wide-eyed at the sword tip pressed against his nose, his whole body going limp.

If this isn't a test...

I'm afraid I'm already dead...

His head was severed by a training wooden sword...

Breaking bones with wood...

Gasps of astonishment echoed through the kendo dojo, and everyone wore expressions of disbelief. The few who had shouted the loudest earlier huddled in the crowd, trembling.

"I... lost..."

Morgan wasn't one to back down from a fight. He immediately dropped the tattered wooden sword, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and spoke sincerely:

"Please forgive my previous arrogance, Mr. Mu Bai."

"You flatter me." Mu Bai bowed slightly in return. At the same time, he still had some doubts in his heart.

A time of one minute and forty-six seconds... shouldn't that be ridiculously strong? At least the sword-drawing speed should be very fast, right?

That's it?

The water has been released?