I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Without the correct posture, not only can the body's strength be smoothly transferred to the sword, but it also makes it easy for another advantage of the sword-drawing technique to not be fully utilized."

"Another advantage?" Qing Deng asked.

Kiryu immediately provided an answer.

"Besides the destructive power of the slash, the sword-drawing technique has another terrifying aspect that can frighten opponents—they have difficulty judging the distance of your sword strike."

"When performing a sword-drawing technique, one either holds the scabbard in their hand or wears the sword at their waist."

"Whether you hold the scabbard in your hand or wear the sword directly on your waist, the sword will naturally extend behind you."

"Therefore, without drawing the knife, it is difficult for the opponent to accurately estimate the length of the knife, and thus cannot accurately predict your attack distance."

"On the other hand, you know how long your sword is and the extent of your attack range. Therefore, once the battle begins, it is obvious which side has the advantage and can better seize the initiative on the battlefield."

"The most significant difference between my Flowing Light technique and other schools of sword-drawing techniques is that my Flowing Light technique places great emphasis on the force generated by the weight of the sword itself when it is drawn from its sheath."

"This is the secret to why my Stream of Light has such great speed and power."

"Our swords are very heavy. If you don't hold them firmly when you try to draw them, the swords might fly out of their sheaths due to their own weight."

"But conversely, if you can harness the weight of the knife to your advantage, you can significantly increase the power and speed of your strikes."

"So, to put it simply, Flowing Light is a sword-drawing technique that emphasizes the use of the weight of the sword."

Whether you can master the Flowing Light technique depends on your ability to understand and utilize the weight of the blade.

"Now, I'll demonstrate the flow of light. Watch my movements carefully."

Having said that, Kiryu casually spread his legs, his left hand resting on the scabbard of the sword at his waist, while his relaxed right hand gently rested on the hilt.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng quickly stepped aside to increase the distance between himself and Tong Sheng.

The sword Kiryu wore at his waist was the same sword he had seen when fighting Kamaitachi. Its hilt and scabbard were both black and purple, and the blade reflected a bewitching purple light under the moonlight.

Kiryu regulated his breathing, lowered his center of gravity, relaxed his shoulders, and steadied his feet, just looking at the rolled-up bamboo mat standing in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, Kiryu drew his sword.

Closing my eyes, opening my eyes... in such a short time, the scene before my eyes had already changed.

The bamboo mat was missing a small section, and the cut was incredibly neat.

Kiryu twisted his waist, took a step and crouched down. A flash of light appeared on his blade, and the ground darkened—all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The small section of bamboo mat that had been cut off flew horizontally and landed at Kinoshita Mai's feet.

Kiryu, maintaining his sword-drawing stance, held the sword high in his hand.

The blade, with its sharp curve, gleamed purple in the sunlight.

"Well? Did you see everything clearly?"

Although Aoto blinked slightly when Kiryu drew his sword, he was still able to make out Kiryu's sword movements thanks to his excellent dynamic vision provided by "Eagle Eye".

Qingdeng nodded: "Hmm... I think I saw it clearly."

"Okay, it's good that you can see it clearly now."

Kiryu flipped his right hand, performed a graceful sword flourish, and then sheathed his sword with a reverse grip.

"Now try to imitate my movements and use your sword-drawing technique to cut this bamboo mat."

Aoto nodded absentmindedly—his attention was focused on Kiryu's right hand and the sword at his waist.

—That was a really cool sword-sheathing move…

……

Aoto gathered his mind and stood where Kiryu had just stood.

With his eyes closed, Aoto tried hard to recall the actions he had just witnessed Kiryu take.

—I remember… Mr. Kiryu seemed to lower his center of gravity like this…

—Then…stand slightly to the side like this…don’t spread your arms too wide…

The three talents of "Sword Prodigy", "Heart of the Demon", and "Gathering of Spirit" are activated simultaneously at this moment!

Qing Deng slowly opened his eyes, staring intently at the bamboo mat in front of him, which had already been partially cut off by Kiryu.

He exhaled long, deep breaths... his mind became more and more focused... soon, the world before Qingdeng's eyes consisted only of this bamboo mat.

In that instant when mind, energy, and body were in perfect harmony, Qing Deng suddenly drew his sword!

Buzz...!

The sword that shot out from its sheath made a sharp, whistling sound as it swept towards the bamboo mat!

chap!

Like the sound of a cloth bag being cut, another small section of the poor bamboo mat was chopped off.

However... even though Aoto successfully cut the bamboo mat, anyone who is not an expert can see that Aoto's skill in cutting it is far inferior to Kiryu's.

The huge skill gap between the two sides can be seen just by looking at their cuts.

Kiryu's cut was remarkably smooth, so smooth it didn't look like it was made with a knife.

The cut of Qingdeng is very rough.

However, although Qing Deng's attack was not very good, it was important to understand one thing beforehand—this was Qing Deng's first time using the sword-drawing technique.

"Oh..." A faint look of surprise flickered in Kiryu's eyes behind his glasses.

"Well done." Kiryu walked over and picked up the piece of bamboo mat that Qing Deng had just chopped away. "Your movements were even more precise than I expected."

"I was a little surprised that the first time I tried Flowlight, it could achieve this level of performance."

"Your arms were a little too far apart just now, tighten them a bit more..."

Kiryu patiently corrected Aoto's movements.

Finally, Kiryu stood to the side, picked up a few bamboo mats that had been prepared earlier and placed by the yard, rolled them up, and lined them up in front of Aoto.

"Practice on your own for now."

"Try cutting all these bamboo mats in half."

"Mr. Kiryu, why do you have so many bamboo mats here?" Aoto couldn't help but ask.

"I wove all these bamboo mats."

"what?"

“I used to learn how to weave bamboo mats in the Hizen Domain in Kyushu. After opening this Senjiya in Edo, I often wove bamboo mats to pass the time. I intended to sell this pile of bamboo mats, but I kept forgetting. This pile of bamboo mats has just been piling up in the warehouse. Now it’s a good opportunity to make use of them and use them as equipment for you to practice your sword-drawing technique.”

Qingdeng glanced at these bamboo mats, which looked to be of very good quality and appeared to be woven by professionals, without saying a word.

"Mr. Kiryu, you know so many things! You can repair kimonos, do calligraphy, do woodworking, and even get rid of termites. And your swordsmanship is amazing..."

Kiryu smiled slightly: "But they are just some trivial skills."

—You call this a minor skill...?

Qingdeng couldn't help but take another look at these exquisitely crafted bamboo mats...

……

Qing Deng did not rush to complete the "study task" assigned to him by Kiryu.

Feeling a bit thirsty, Aoto quickly walked to Kinoshita Mai's side after receiving Kiryu's permission and took the water bottle that Kinoshita Mai had prepared for him.

As Qing Deng gulped down water to replenish his body's fluids, his gaze unconsciously fell on the sword at Kiryu's waist, who was standing not far from him.

"what happened?"

Kiryu, noticing Aoto's gaze, asked a question.

"Nothing... I just feel that Kiryu-sensei's sword is very special." Aoto put down the water bottle in his hand. "Kiryu-sensei, why is the light emitted by your sword purple?"

"Oh no... my knife..."

Kiryu smiled calmly, then stroked the scabbard with his left hand, opened the scabbard opening, and grasped the sword with his right hand, slowly drawing the sword out of the scabbard inch by inch.

The bewitching purple light once again filled Qing Deng's eyes.

"The reason why the emitted blade light is purple... is not complicated. It's just that the blade uses some special materials."

Qingdeng didn't know much about swords.

But as a samurai who spends his days with swords, he still has at least some basic eyesight.

The purple sword in Kiryu's hand... just by looking at it, you can tell it's of exceptional quality.

Qing Deng felt that, in terms of quality, his Ding Gui Shen was far inferior to Kiryu's purple sword.

"Mr. Kiryu, what's the name of your sword?" Aoto couldn't help but ask curiously.

“…Vairocana.” Kiryu softly uttered a name that would resonate with anyone with even a slight understanding of Buddhism.

“Vairocana?” Qingdeng was taken aback. “Isn’t that the name of Vairocana Buddha?”

"Yes." Kiryu smiled. "Because wielding this sword is like being possessed by the Great Sun Buddha, hence the name."

“Besides Vairocana’s real name… my sword also has the nickname ‘Demon Sword’.”

"A demonic sword?" Qing Deng blinked, then couldn't help but smile. "Kiryu-sensei, is there some kind of demon residing inside this sword?"

"A sword inhabited by demons... such things only exist in myths and legends."

After saying this in an annoyed tone, Kiryu slightly raised his eyebrows and glanced at the Vairocana in his hand.

The blade, gleaming with a purple light, clearly reflected Kiryu's eyes, which were flashing with a look of reminiscence.

“Vairocana is the family heirloom of a family with a history of killing… People consider this sword to be ominous, hence it is called the ‘demon sword’.”

"There are no demons residing in it. The so-called 'demon sword' is just a rumor."

"A knife is a knife; there's no need to elaborate."

Having said that, Kiryu twirled his sword, then held the Vairocana sword upside down and sheathed it.

"..." Qing Deng couldn't help but look at Kiryu with a strange gaze.

A family heirloom sword from a clan with a long history of killings... Why would you have such a sword in your possession?

Thinking of this, Qing Deng couldn't help but say to Kiryu in a complicated tone: