I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"of course I know."

Qing Deng answered without hesitation.

The blade's movement trajectory, simply put, is the movement path of the blade.

By controlling the trajectory of the slash and the target to be slashed on the same horizontal plane, the ideal slashing effect can be achieved naturally.

Conversely, it is easy to encounter situations such as being unable to cut the target smoothly or having rough edges on the cut.

Therefore, when using a knife, all the force should be applied in a straight line.

The direction of the blade and the direction of force when slashing down must remain completely consistent.

Otherwise, at best the cutting effect will be unsatisfactory, and at worst the blade will be damaged.

"When the mind is calm, the tendons of the blade are easy to straighten; when the mind is chaotic, the tendons of the blade are easy to become crooked. Therefore, regardless of the school or sect, they all attach great importance to 'training the mind'."

"No matter what situation you face or encounter, you will not be swayed by your personal emotions and can always wield your sword calmly. Only by doing this can you be called a qualified swordsman."

Kiryu looked at Aoto meaningfully.

"So—Ju-kun, let me ask you: if you could take 'not being swayed by personal emotions' to the extreme, what kind of scene would emerge?"

Qing Deng was taken aback.

In that instant, he felt as if a string was being lowered into his mind, as if something was about to take the bait.

Kiryu smiled and gave Aoto a moment to think.

A moment later, he continued:

"To reach the level of being able to cut things that ordinary people cannot cut, only two conditions need to be met."

Kiryu held up two fingers.

"Firstly, it has a good weapon."

"No matter how skilled a woman is, if you don't give her needles and thread, she can't produce beautiful clothes."

"The same applies to swordsmen."

"No matter how skilled a swordsman is, if you don't give him a good sword, he won't be able to fully utilize his abilities."

"As for the second point... do not be confused."

"If the sword is not drawn, all is well; but if it is drawn, one must be in perfect harmony with the mind and spirit."

Qingdeng's pupils immediately contracted.

"Mind and spirit in perfect harmony..." Qing Deng was all too familiar with this phrase—it contained almost identical content in the description of "Muwang Hachiman's" abilities!

For a moment, Aoto subconsciously held his breath, staring intently into Kiryu's eyes without blinking, his cheeks seemingly plastered with the word "serious".

Aoto's intuition told him that what Kiryu was about to say might be the key clue to launching the "Muwang Hachiman" and he absolutely could not miss it!

Makimura and Kinoshita Mai, standing nearby, wisely kept quiet, creating the most comfortable and peaceful environment possible for the teacher and student who were giving a lesson.

"Mr. Kiryu," Aoto countered, "does your 'unity of mind' mean being completely focused and free from distractions?"

Kiryu shook his head.

“To be fully focused and attentive—even a young, inexperienced child can do that.”

"What I mean by 'unity of mind and body' is not just about being highly focused. The most important thing is to maintain a high degree of unity between will and emotion, to reach a mental state where you don't think about anything except 'cutting off what's in front of you'."

A complex expression appeared on Qing Deng's face: confusion, bewilderment, and a mixture of understanding and confusion.

"Mr. Kiryu, could you explain in a more detailed and clearer way?"

Qingdeng tentatively pressed for an answer.

Kiryu adjusted his glasses, adopting an expression that said, "Of course, why not?"

"Many times, you think you've entered a state of complete focus, but in reality, there are still quite a few distracting thoughts in your mind."

"For example, when you're fighting with someone, do you often find yourself thinking: ?"

How will the opponent attack next?

"What should I do if my attack misses?"

"If he launches such an offensive, how should I defend myself?"

"If I lose, will I have to say goodbye to my loved ones and friends forever?"

"When this happens, it means that you have not controlled your emotions."

“If you find it troublesome, you can forget everything I just said and just remember this one sentence—'Control your emotions'.”

"A fighting will more unshakable than a rock, and a steadfast purpose to never give up until something is severed—with these two powers, one can cleave through anything within the reach of the sword."

Qingdeng chewed over and over again these two sentences:

"A fighting spirit more unshakable than a rock... a resolute goal to never give up until something is severed..."

The dangling wire in my mind sent a tactile sensation of something getting tangled in it.

Something has taken the bait...

However, no matter how hard Qingdeng tried, he couldn't finish the stroke smoothly.

The unidentified object tangled in the hanging line was heavy, slippery, and very heavy.

The harder you try, the less likely you are to catch a fish.

Just as Aoto was still troubled by his inability to "remove the dangling wires from his mind," Kiryu's sudden shout brought Aoto back to reality:

"Kid Tachibana, that's all I can say. The rest is up to you to figure out on your own."

"What?" Qing Deng exclaimed, dumbfounded. "Kiryu-sensei, don't stop halfway through your story! Please give me a few more pointers!"

Kiryu Kanji:

“My silly apprentice, I didn’t stop halfway through my sentence.”

"I have shared everything I can and should share with you without reservation."

“If this level of knowledge is explained too thoroughly, it will actually be harmful to you.”

"Therefore, I must stop here and leave you enough room to 'figure it out on your own'."

"It's like this: Before, you were wandering around aimlessly in a foggy wilderness like a headless fly."

"After listening to my instructions, you have successfully escaped the 'Misty Wilderness' and arrived at a crossroads."

“Leading you to this crossroads—that’s the limit of what I can do.”

"Whether to go north or south, east or west, depends entirely on your own thinking and judgment."

"I cannot share my past experiences with you."

"Because there is no right answer as to which path to take."

"No matter which path you choose, you may reach the destination."

"That's why I said that explaining things too clearly to you could actually harm you."

“‘Your master went south back then, so as long as you follow in my footsteps and go south, you’ll be right.’ Saying something like that could very well get you into serious trouble.”

"After all, not everyone is suited to the road to the south; perhaps the east is the most suitable direction for you."

After listening to Kiryu's concise and vivid explanation, Aoto slumped his shoulders with regret.

"Okay... I understand."

Kiryu reached out and patted Aoto on the back.

"No need to be anxious, no need to be impatient."

"The more desperately you want many people, things, and events in the world, the less likely you are to get them, and this is especially true of martial arts."

"Therefore, relax and let things take their course."

"Eat and drink as usual every day. Don't obsessively insist that I must understand the mystery of what I just said by today or before a certain date."

"Such a forced growth not only easily leads to no harvest, but may also cause irreparable negative consequences."

In short—follow the natural order and human nature, and do not force things.

"This approach of doing nothing is the ideal state of 'enlightenment'."

At this point, Kiryu paused. After a moment, he adopted a half-joking tone:

"You are a disciple of the Natural Logic School."

When reading the words “natural” and “reasonable,” Kiryu emphasized his tone.

"Since you are a disciple of the Natural Reason School, you must never do anything that violates the school's principles."

Aoto's lips curled slightly at Kiryu's joke.

"Hmm... Mr. Kiryu, you're right. Things like 'enlightenment' can't be forced."

After saying that, Qingdeng let out a long sigh of relief.

At the same time, he released the fishing line in his mind, letting the line and the unknown object entangled in it sink into the deepest part of his mind, no longer stubbornly insisting that he must "reel in" at this moment.

"Mr. Kiryu, thank you for your guidance!"

Aoto bowed respectfully to Kiryu before him, completely convinced.

Kiryu chuckled and shook his head.

"Mr. Orange, you're being too polite."

“It is only natural for a master to impart knowledge, skills, and guidance to his disciple. Why be so formal?”

"If you really want to express your gratitude to me, then have a few drinks with me."

Kiryu pushed the bottle towards Aoto.

Qingdeng laughed heartily and repeatedly said, "Okay, no problem!"

The master and apprentice toasted each other, enjoying their drinks and conversation.

At this moment, Kinoshita Mai and Makimura, who had been silent until now so as not to disturb Kiryu's teaching work, rejoined the conversation.

"Hey Kiryu, you're doing a pretty good job as a teacher!"