I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kiryu remained silent, only raising the tip of his sword and switching to the more aggressive Eight Pairs stance.

In fact, what Prajna said just now was absolutely right.

Kiryu was indeed concerned about his own physical strength, which is why he didn't enter the "state of selflessness" at the beginning.

He originally intended to test Prajna's moves first, and then enter the "state of no-self" when the time was right to defeat Prajna in one fell swoop.

However... regardless of Prajna's strength, the series of side effects brought about by physical aging alone made him feel helpless.

A move that I could easily block 7 years ago is now extremely difficult to defend against.

An attack that could be easily avoided 7 years ago is now being dodged quite awkwardly.

The saying "Youth has the upper hand" still applies to the realm of kendo.

With the balance of power shifting, he will be defeated in just a few rounds.

Although it's much earlier than expected... we have no choice but to reveal our hand!

According to his own estimation, after entering the "selfless state," he would only be able to fight at full strength for about 3 minutes.

In other words, the next 3 minutes will determine the outcome of this battle!

The two men repositioned themselves, standing about 10 meters apart, staring directly into each other's eyes.

An eerie silence fell over the scene, broken only by a gentle breeze.

It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality, it was only a blink of an eye.

Bang!

The sound of stomping the ground—Kiryu disappeared from his spot, leaving a small crater where he had stood!

Prajna felt as if a huge monster was pressing down on him like an overwhelming force!

Immediately following behind was a silver-white blade of light that covered the entire field of vision!

Kiryu aimed at Hannya's eyes and swiftly slashed down!

Although the attack was fierce, Prajna was already prepared to deal with it.

"Drink up!"

He brandished his Nagasone Kotetsu, instantly drawing a bright line in the air to intercept Kiryu's slash.

Nagasone Kotetsu truly lived up to its reputation as one of the world's finest swords, managing to block such a powerful strike without even leaving a nick.

"Drink up!"

With another shout, accompanied by a clang, he knocked aside Kiryu's sword, then swung his blade diagonally towards the man's chest.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Kiryu was even faster.

After the sword was knocked away, Kiryu pulled it back to his hand with incredible speed, repositioned himself for the attack, and then slashed fiercely at Hannya's head!

Left with no other choice, Prajna had to switch from attack to dodge, awkwardly dodging to the side.

The blade swept past his earlobe, leaving a faint wound from which blood seeped.

"The state of no-self" - as the name suggests, after entering this state, the mind will become nothing, and emptiness is nothingness. It is a legendary martial arts state and is considered the ultimate in martial arts and Zen.

Kiryu, who has now entered a state of "selflessness," is frighteningly focused! It goes far beyond what ordinary terms like "complete concentration" or "devotion" can describe.

His strength, speed, and the sophistication of his moves have all increased significantly!

With his arms moving swiftly in sword flourishes, his figure as light as a butterfly, and his steps as agile as a fish, one would never guess that he is a man nearing 100 years old!

Their positions suddenly reversed.

Just now, Kiryu-sensei was being suppressed.

Now, those who have been oppressed have become Prajna.

In order to achieve a swift victory, Kiryu went all out, unleashing a fierce offensive without pause.

One blow after another, each one fatal.

Under Kiryu's relentless attacks, Hannya's defenses increased while his counterattacks decreased.

Despite the unfavorable situation, Prajna was neither discouraged nor timid.

He was like a child who had received a desired gift, his face beaming with even greater joy.

Kiryu's biggest weakness is his physical strength, which is weakened by old age.

Therefore, the most effective countermeasure for Prajna is to adopt a defensive posture like a tortoise shell, to wage a war of attrition against Kiryu, and drag it out until he is exhausted.

However, Prajna did not do that.

Instead of resorting to such a trick, he launched a truly aggressive offensive, attacking back at the enemy!

Prajna, who is usually talkative and fond of gossiping, couldn't care less about speaking at this moment. She held her breath and concentrated all her energy on the fierce attack and defense in front of her.

The flashing swords were dazzling under the bright sun, and the continuous, fierce clashes completely drowned out the sound of the wind, but unfortunately, no one paid any attention.

Boss Kiryu swept his knife diagonally, tearing Hannya's collar.

Hannya rushed forward, gliding silently towards Kiryu, and delivered a swift blow to his side. Although Kiryu nimbly dodged, a small part of his haori hem was cut off.

The next moment, Hannya relentlessly continued to stick close to Kiryu and unleashed a second attack.

As Kiryu retreated again, dodging Nagasone Kotetsu's blade, he used the twisting motion to fling off his tattered haori with a "whoosh."

Before Hannya could launch his third attack, Kiryu secretly unleashed a fierce burst of energy, concentrating his power in his toes and swiftly lunging into Hannya's arms, interrupting his offensive and regaining control of the battle.

This fierce battle lasted quite a long time.

This is a straight thrust.

That's a horizontal slash.

This is dodging.

That's the pursuit.

They're launching a relentless attack.

The other side is where water is contained by earth.

They are not backing down at all.

They retaliate against every move they make.

They moved nimbly, feinting and dodging.

The two men's movements and footwork were dazzling.

If someone with poor eyesight were to see this pair of master and disciple, they would probably not be able to see their movements at all, and would only be able to see two afterimages flashing, moving and colliding repeatedly!

Under the influence of the "state of selflessness," Kiryu seems to have transformed into a heartless, knife-wielding machine.

He was unusually calm, so calm it was chilling!

Not to mention negative emotions such as anxiety and impatience, you can't feel any emotional fluctuations from him, just like a mirror-like lake.

This is one of the greatest characteristics of the "selfless state"—the mind is completely free of any distracting thoughts, emotions and desires disappear, and the possibility of emotions causing trouble is eliminated.

Even in this incredibly powerful state, Kiryu could only gain a slight advantage.

This advantage is far from enough to translate into a victory!

Kiryu-sensei has shown his true skills—the same goes for Hannya!

He stared intently at Kiryu's every move, without even blinking.

In just a few breaths, he adapted to the frequency of his opponent's attacks and adjusted his own rhythm to be able to fight back.

On the one hand, he was flexible and adaptable, making Kiryu's deadly offensive completely miss its mark, and his methods were flexible and diverse.

On the other hand, he seized every opportunity to launch a counterattack, remaining calm and composed.

A fierce and intense offensive and defensive battle... the turning point suddenly arrives!

Suddenly, Prajna thrust the knife to her chest, stepped back, and temporarily avoided the blade's edge—that's the appearance, but what's the truth?

The truth is, he feigned a retreat to lure Kiryu's boss into attacking.

Having fought countless battles, from his childhood to his current ninety-year-old self, how could Kiryu, the boss, not understand his apprentice's little scheme?

He saw through Prajna's intentions at a glance.

However, he had no intention of backing down. Instead, he chose to turn the tables and charged forward without hesitation!

Then his body lunged forward like a beast hunting its prey! The force of his attack was so fierce that Prajna felt as if a hurricane was hitting her face, and her hair was disheveled!

In an instant, the "silver lightning" stirred up the dust and fallen leaves on the ground and struck Prajna's chest and abdomen.

As time jumped to the next instant, Prajna mustered all her strength and leaped up from the ground.

The flash of Kiryu's sword and the figure of Hannya—two afterimages, one bright and one dark, passed each other by, separated by only a hair's breadth.

Although Prajna escaped a calamity, the big tree behind him suffered misfortune.

The terrifying blade of light swept across the empty air and struck the trunk of the large tree.

This tree is quite old; it would take at least two adults to encircle its trunk.

Even the most skilled "wooden axe general" would need to swing his axe more than ten times to cut him down.

But with a single strike, Kiryu's boss split the tree in two, the cut surfaces perfectly clean.

Rumble rumble rumble...

As the towering tree collapsed, a tremendous commotion was immediately heard, and countless fallen leaves scattered down, creating a shower of leaves.

Instantly, the surrounding space was filled with rustling sounds, severely interfering with Mr. Kiryu's hearing.

Mr. Kiryu strained his ears and quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for Hannya's figure.

In the blink of an eye, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and immediately turned his head to look—amidst the rain of leaves, Hannya spread his legs, lowered his waist, and the blade of Nagasone Kotetsu was already sheathed, his left hand gripping the hilt and his right hand pressing on the handle.

A familiar pose...

For Kiryu's boss, it was a pose he knew all too well!

Upon seeing this, Mr. Kiryu narrowed his eyes, and a cold, needle-like glint flashed from behind his glasses.

"Master, come on!"