Great, we're doomed now!

At the same time, the katana slashed downwards, grazed the longsword, and with that one swing, adjusted its posture and thrust out again, the angle tricky and aimed straight at Ye Shou's face.

Ye Shou rolled to the side to dodge the blade, his longsword sweeping across the ground with a sharp gust of wind, aiming directly at Jing Long's chest—

Clang!

The two exchanged blows, their swords flashing and clashing, the only sound echoing through the forest the crisp clash of their blades.

Jinglong's moves were steady and powerful, simplifying complexity to the extreme, yet each strike contained the foundation honed through countless trials, making him both offensive and defensive. Despite his ordinary physique, he gave Ye Shou the impression of being an unshakeable monster.

Ye Shou's moves are agile, sharp, and unconventional, with a strong "my own style." Although he is Jinglong's disciple, he is a person who does not follow the rules and has clearly forged his own path.

He sometimes confronted opponents head-on, and sometimes launched surprise attacks from afar, making full use of the explosive power and speed advantage of his physical body—something that Jinglong, as a spirit, did not possess.

Of course, neither of them would think it was despicable:

In battle, one must go all out, use one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, and make full use of one's own advantages—that is the most reasonable approach!

"drink!"

After dozens of moves, a hint of approval flashed in Jinglong's eyes. Suddenly, he let out a low shout, and his demon-breaking spiritual power surged. The originally simple katana instantly shone with a dazzling golden light.

"Be careful!"

The katana seemed to be plated with a layer of flowing gold, carrying the power to purify all evil spirits. With a vertical slash, it fell straight down, splitting the air into an invisible wave crest.

—Only then did they move beyond the stage of comparing skills and begin the real "battle".

"it is good!"

Ye Shou's eyes narrowed, and he also stopped holding back. A faint light power lingered around his body, turning into ripples that flowed into the longsword. The blade instantly lit up with a pure white light, echoing Jinglong's golden light.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, swinging his blade upwards to meet the attack. A crisp "clang" resounded, far surpassing the previous collision, echoing through the forest!

The shockwave spread outwards, rustling the leaves and cracking the ground beneath their feet—damage far beyond what a human could cause.

The moment their forces collided, Ye Shou lowered his elbow, using the force of the blow to slash his longsword across Jinglong's neck with a white light!

The samurai reacted extremely quickly, his katana immediately returning to defense. The two collided again at the last possible moment, and both were thrown backward, each landing steadily several meters away.

"Excellent swordsmanship!" Jinglong spoke first, his aura in spirit form fluctuating slightly, clearly indicating that the previous attack had also consumed a lot of his spiritual power.

"Your talent in swordsmanship is extremely high. If you can specialize in this art, you will surely grasp the true essence of the sword in time!"

Ye Shou sheathed his Miao sword, raised his hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his forehead. The battle just now had left him feeling refreshed, and the ripple energy within his body was circulating more and more smoothly. Far from being tired, he felt even more energetic.

"It's just average, not as steady and solid as yours, where every cut is just right."

"Wow, you think so?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jinglong suddenly moved, and his katana was drawn once more!

This time, instead of a straight strike, it transformed into a golden light, aiming directly at Ye Shou's wrist. Ye Shou instinctively turned to the side, simultaneously pushing off the ground with his left foot, his body leaping out like a cheetah. As he dodged the blade, he formed a fist with his left hand, carrying a faint light power as he aimed straight at Jing Long's face.

The movements were fluid and seamless, showcasing both explosive power and agility.

A hint of surprise flashed in Jinglong's eyes. He quickly sheathed his sword to parry, and his fist instantly transformed into a hand blade. His fingertips flicked at the side of the blade like swimming fish, and waves of power emanated from it continuously, causing the energy within the samurai's body to become disordered. The katana in his hand almost flew out of his grasp.

He quickly switched his grip on the knife and dodged backward to avoid the attack. Then, his gaze towards Ye Shou gradually changed: "Your physical skills... are they really that profound?"

Ye Shou smiled and did not deny it: "I also learn some things during training. After all, it's always good to have more skills."

“This is not something you can just practice casually.” Jinglong frowned.

In that instant, Jinglong clearly felt the power and speed of Ye Shou's fist. The explosive force was no less than that of the Iaijutsu in swordsmanship, and it was perfectly coordinated with the footwork without any hesitation. Although Jinglong had the first move, he was forced into a disadvantageous position in an instant.

It should be noted that Jinglong has exceptionally rich combat experience and has encountered many highly skilled opponents before, but something like what just happened...

He was silent for a moment, then smiled with relief: "I was being narrow-minded. You really don't need to specialize in swordsmanship. There's no need to limit yourself to a specific path; just make full use of your talent."

Jinglong slowly sheathed his katana, his eyes full of admiration. "A true all-rounder like you is rare indeed. In my eyes, you have a bright future ahead of you..."

As the morning mist gradually dissipated, sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell upon the two of them. The forest breeze carried the fragrance of grass and trees. Both of them put away their weapons and abandoned their fighting stances, closing their eyes to quietly enjoy the tranquility of the moment.

...After a long while, Jinglong looked at Ye Shou again. The warrior's figure had become somewhat transparent because he had used a lot of spiritual power, but it was clear that he was in a good mood.

"Ye Shou, what are your ambitions?"

"Ok?"

Ye Shou opened his eyes, slightly surprised: "Ambition? What kind of ambition are you referring to?"

"I think you're about to reach that stage too."

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Jintian Jinglong chuckled like a friendly uncle and said, "The skills that a human can achieve are ultimately limited. To break through to a higher level, one often needs to find one's 'true self'."

If you don't understand this, you won't be able to climb to the top.

This is usually something you only consider when you reach the age of fifty, when your physical functions have long passed their peak, and you're willing but unable to... But who told you to progress so quickly?

"A higher realm?" Ye Shou asked, his tone slightly dazed.

Despite becoming Ultraman, Ye Shou is actually a very materialistic person at heart. Compared to things like mindset, he believes more in simple and clear numbers and skills, always thinking that as long as he keeps improving these two things, his strength will naturally improve.

For example, his "kendo" initially consisted of ordinary swordsmanship skills, which he learned from a swordsmanship teacher during his youth.

Later, he met Sukuna Kiryu and Keiryu, and began to come into contact with extraordinary powers... After obtaining the bonus of the [God's Left Hand], he used the power of the entry to become a true master of swordsmanship.

Through battles and trials, and with many factors combined, such as the newly acquired [Sword Beast], he now possesses skills that rival Jinglong's—isn't that enough?

“That’s true,” Jinglong understood when he saw Ye Shou’s expression. “Human strength has its limits. We often realize our limits when we encounter setbacks, and then we can have an epiphany… But you are exceptionally talented and have not had a similar experience yet… It was just wishful thinking on my part.”

"Do I need a 'defeat'?" Ye Shou frowned. "It's not that I've never lost; in fact, there have been many enemies who have made me feel powerless."

"But you never doubted that you would eventually win—that's a good thing, even if the way is different, it's still the same way to understand your true nature."

Jinglong laughed and stopped dwelling on the matter, then changed the subject to something else.

"When I was young, I traveled to various countries and encountered many enemies with extraordinary skills. But in the end, human strength is no match for demons. Even if humans gathered an army of 10,000 people, they could not fight against demons like Sukuna-ki and Onijuro.

Although I was born with the extraordinary ability to slay demons and monsters, I am ultimately just a mortal with a wielding sword... What allows me to create miracles time and time again is my 'true self'.

"Hmm~"

"Whether you believe it or not, the power of the mind can be manifested in this world."

Jinglong earnestly instructed Ye Shou: "Those monsters were transformed into beings that wreaked havoc on the world like natural disasters under the influence of evil hearts, while a heart of justice and light can wield the sharp blade to vanquish demons!"

Although it sounds unrealistic…

No, that's just reality!

Ye Shou did not question Jinglong's meaning at all; on the contrary, he nodded in deep agreement.

"Ambiguous thoughts are far less lethal than a firm will, so I hope you can figure out your life's ambition as soon as possible, so that you can forge the 'sword' that is most suitable for you."

"For example?"

"The desire to protect someone, to save a village, to sever a karmic bond... the human heart can unleash a power far greater than the physical body!"

"This……"

"Everyone needs to recognize their truest self."

Jinglong patted Ye Shou on the shoulder: "Ye Shou, you are stronger than I was in life. As long as you can stick to your original intention, you are invincible!"

Tell me, what is your 'ambition'? Why do you take up arms to fight demons?

Ye Shou did not answer immediately.

Sometimes words are pale and cannot express one's truest thoughts, but Jinglong understood everything just by looking at him.

So you already knew all along. I'm just a name without substance—the samurai smiled with satisfaction.

Sometimes having too many outstanding students can be a problem.

……

Two weeks later, with his answers in hand, Ye Shou had made all the necessary preparations in advance for this period and opened the dungeon passage in the last few days.

Next stop, One-Punch Man!

Volume 8: A hero cannot desert his post!

Chapter 303: This is the true value of the Holy Letter D (Part 2)

The high-speed train weaves through the mountains and forests, and the scenery outside the window rushes past.

A woman sat by the window, her short black hair hanging loosely, slightly longer than her earlobes, barely covering her slender neck and revealing her fair and clean face. A smart dark green dress accentuated her beautiful figure, exuding a mature and sophisticated aura.

Many literary works use the metaphor of slender branches bearing abundant fruit to praise a woman's figure, but this is not common in real life. This is because a heavy chest will inevitably lead to thicker shoulders and back, and curves can only be accentuated by a bra, otherwise they will sag naturally. This is all to be expected, just as a perky butt is often accompanied by a pair of thick legs.

Only a very few exceptionally gifted individuals can defy the laws of nature, such as Ye Shou's childhood sweetheart, or the one by the window.

This is an enviable asset, even rare in the generally good-looking main world.

Ruri is already quite outstanding. Although she usually wears a rather conservative maid outfit, her development is surprisingly perfect when she takes it off. While she may not have the same visual impact as Chika, her shoulders, back, waistline, thighs, and even her jade-like feet are all perfectly proportioned, as if sculpted. Her flexibility is also astonishing.

—But the maid put in a great deal of effort for this.

Previously, it involved daily exercise, dietary control, and professional nutritionists and yoga instructors. However, after learning Ripple Qigong, things became much simpler: she discovered that this technique can precisely burn fat and enhance muscle control.

From that time on, she became an "artist," meticulously sculpting her body as if it were a statue of Venus, thus cultivating an extraordinary level of precision. In terms of subtle control over Ripple energy, the maid is second only to Ye Shou!

When women pursue "beauty," they can unleash incredible power...

One secondary reason she disliked Chika was that she felt this Fujiwara lady didn't know how to cherish what she had:

A perfect family background, a perfect childhood sweetheart, a perfect appearance, and on top of that, a body blessed by heaven. She doesn't need to put in much effort; just running and doing some exercises is enough to give her curves that would make countless women envious—naturally, the maid feels unbalanced.

You see, because of her insufficient breast size, she couldn't completely cover Ye Shou when she was "massaging" him. Even though Ye Shou praised her for her increasingly good technique and said that he felt very comfortable... the serious maid always felt that this was her shortcoming.

I was also secretly drinking home remedies like papaya milk.

But that pink-haired fat woman was born with a great set of breasts... tsk!

—If the maid had come with Ye Shou this time and met this person on the train, she would probably have subconsciously compared her to Chika.

Overall, they are evenly matched in terms of numerical strength, but their personal temperaments are completely opposite.

Chika is like a sunflower, a youthful girl who makes you feel warm and cozy even to the bone; having lustful thoughts towards her can even make you feel guilty...