I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Although not fatal, the wound, which was more than two inches long, looked particularly horrifying.

Using the momentum of her movement, Prajna performed several backflips, moving away from Qingdeng and widening the distance in one go.

Once he had planted his feet firmly on the ground, he immediately raised his eyes and glared fiercely at Qing Deng:

"This truly is the 'state of selflessness'...!"

In terms of speed of attack, power of sword swing, and agility of movement, Qingdeng is no less capable than the current Prajna.

Without a doubt—he too has grasped this legendary realm of martial arts!

After a brief moment of shock, Prajna's expression gradually became complicated.

Resentment, hatred, annoyance, jealousy... most of humanity's negative emotions can be found on his face.

He probably never imagined that Tachibana Seiden, whom he had always looked down upon, could break through his own limits in battle, just like him!

His jealousy and disgust towards Qingdeng had reached an extreme.

"Hmph! This is fine too!"

A moment later, he let out a cold snort, his fighting spirit ignited:

"Once I defeat you, my strength will definitely rise to a new level! You'll just have to become my nourishment!"

Qing Deng slightly raised his head, looking down at his opponent with disdain, his aura boiling:

"Then what are you waiting for? Come on, bring it on!"

The two men simultaneously spread their legs and assumed a fighting stance.

A clash between two states of "selflessness"... Such a scene is extremely rare, even in the long course of history!

In the wind, the standoff between the two sides made the air heavy, as if an invisible barrier had been erected, preventing bystanders from approaching.

Two pairs of eyes, each gleaming with an eerie light, filled the surrounding space with sharp, rapidly shifting gazes that seemed to engage in fierce combat.

Prajna moved the tip of her knife slightly, making a provocative gesture.

Qingdeng ignored him completely, his body remaining motionless.

The opportunity to shift from stillness to change arrived unexpectedly.

In an instant, both of their swords erupted with astonishing force!

Prajna took the initiative and charged forward, her body like a cannonball, crashing straight into Qingdeng.

Qingdeng's knife shot upwards with lightning speed, striking Banruo's right wrist.

Prajna's move is feint, but his true intention is to deceive.

He feigned a slashing motion with his sword, but in reality, he was only trying to expose Qing Deng's weakness.

In a split second, he skillfully retracted his wrists and the blade, causing Qing Deng to miss his target.

The next instant, he thrust the knife forward, its blade whistling as Nagasone Kotetsu drew a tricky arc in mid-air, striking Aoto's chest.

If it had happened just now, Qingdeng might not have been able to withstand that attack.

And now-

clang!!!

Qingdeng quickly pulled the knife back to his side, steadily parried, and easily blocked the opponent's slash.

The two men's swords clashed, their blades locked in a fierce struggle.

For every bit of effort you put in, I'll put in my own back.

Because their strengths are equal, they are evenly matched, and neither can gain the upper hand.

But if you look closely, you'll see that they both cracked the ground beneath their feet, their hind feet carving out a long trench like shovels.

It's not hard to imagine how much power they used!

In an instant, Qingdeng suddenly shifted his force laterally, attempting to use his signature technique of "suddenly withdrawing force to cause someone to lose their balance."

But to everyone's surprise, Prajna sensed his intention first and deflected the force in the same direction.

And so, with their swords still resting together, the two ran eastward together.

Before long, they left the clearing and ventured into a dense forest.

Looking around, the dense tree trunks cut through the view.

Prajna seized the opportunity, pushed away Qingdeng's knife, and then launched a fierce stab.

Aoto twisted and dodged, and Nagasone Kotetsu powerfully pierced through the large tree behind him, the tip of the blade protruding as easily as cutting paper.

In the next instant, Prajna shouted and exerted force horizontally—a muffled sound rang out, and he directly cut the tree in half! Then he smoothly pulled the knife back to his hand, leaving no flaw.

The tree fell, its branches and leaves flying everywhere.

At this point, it was Qing Deng's turn to strike first.

He stepped back slightly, then dashed towards his opponent like an arrow released from a bow, launching a fierce attack.

Prajna spread her arms wide, refusing to back down.

Sometimes defending, sometimes dodging, with each change of footwork, he skillfully neutralizes the opponent's attack.

Sometimes he slashed, sometimes he thrust, and the surrounding environment was completely transformed, as if a typhoon had passed through!

The ground was dented and uneven from being trampled.

Countless large trees were cut down and shattered, including many ancient trees that would require several adults to encircle.

A fierce shout rang out as the blades clashed with a clang.

If someone who didn't know better saw this, they might think there were two monsters causing havoc and rampaging here!

……

……

Qingdeng had never experienced this feeling before.

My body felt incredibly light, with almost no fatigue or pain, and my limbs were brimming with explosive power.

My concentration is terrifying. Even though my mind is filled with countless thoughts and my chest is churning with a multitude of emotions, I feel a sense of inner peace, and nothing can affect me.

This level of focus is far beyond what a natural talent like "concentration" can achieve!

Is this the state of "selflessness"...?

Although it is quite different from the "invincible state" of seeing through the world that I happened to encounter yesterday, it is equally powerful!

Only after experiencing it firsthand did Qingdeng finally understand why the "state of selflessness" is the lifelong pursuit of many martial artists.

With his heart surging with excitement, Qing Deng fought with increasing ferocity, his sword energy surging forth!

……

……

Even now, Kiryu's face still showed clear surprise.

Watching Qingdeng locked in a fierce battle with Prajna, for some reason, he suddenly recalled scenes from long ago when he chatted with his old friends—

……

"Jiulang, what does it feel like to 'accept a disciple'?"

Kiryu looked at Kinoshita Rin with a strange expression.

"Hmm? My lord, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"It's nothing, just a sudden whim. I've never taken on an apprentice before, so I suddenly became curious about what it would be like to have one."

As soon as Kinoshita Rin finished speaking, Makimura Yahachi chuckled softly.

"Although I have never taken on any apprentices, I would be very gratified to see my beloved students grow into talented individuals day by day."

Upon hearing this, the Kiryu boss nodded slightly.

"Indeed. It is very gratifying to see my beloved student succeed."

He paused here, then put on a calm smile:

"However, for me, the most gratifying... or rather the happiest thing in the process of nurturing disciples is not when their growth increasingly meets my expectations."

"It is when my disciples' growth surpasses my imagination."

"It's a pity that, so far, he has not reached my standard of self-discipline."

"Perhaps one day in the future, self-discipline... or one of my new apprentices, will be able to bring me this kind of happiness."

……

……

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Since both of them had entered the "selfless state," their combat power became evenly matched.

The continuous clanging of steel blades and the relentless, unabated attack made one wonder if they would fight forever.

Just then, as if by prior arrangement, the two of them kicked up a cloud of dust from their heels, and as if scalded by boiling water, they retreated simultaneously, separating themselves by nearly twenty meters.

The reason they suddenly stopped was not because the two were unable to fight anymore.

They are not lacking in physical strength; they both have the confidence and ability to fight another three hundred rounds.

But... their knives couldn't hold on any longer.

The storm-like attack severely damaged both sides' swords.

Whether it's Qingdeng's Vairocana or Prajna's Chozenmi Kotetsu, both are now covered in scars.

The blade is covered with slits of varying sizes, just like a saw.

Looking back, Qingdeng had often used Vairocana to chop hard objects such as bones, stones, and steel, and even tried to chop boats.

No matter how much it was handled, Vairocana remained perfectly intact, without even a single crack.

To think that such a powerful sword could be damaged like this... one can only imagine how terrifying the duel between Qingdeng and Banruo must have been!

This also indirectly proves that the genuine Nagasone Kotetsu truly lives up to its reputation as one of the "Twelve Greatest Treasures".