I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

On the first floor of the dojo, two minutes later, Uesugi Tetsuya was once again drenched in sweat, and even the spiritual power of his four-tailed fox form was almost completely depleted.

"But finally..."

Uesugi Tetsuya, panting heavily, held the slightly gleaming parchment scroll in his hand to either side—

Tear it in half!

stab.

The parchment, cleansed by a massive amount of spiritual energy until it was spotless, was easily torn open, and the ancient golden inscriptions stored inside immediately flew out.

With a whoosh, it shot straight into Uesugi Tetsuya's forehead.

In an instant, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly realized that his five senses had been extracted from his body—he could still feel them, but he couldn't control them.

When he was in a daze again, his consciousness arrived in a black space that was neither high nor low, without boundaries, and almost devoid of everything.

Only before his eyes stood an ancient and imposing silver cryptic text.

Ancient, noble, and exuding a profound sense of majesty.

Although he couldn't understand it, Uesugi Tetsu thought it must be the character "临" (Lin).

He waited for a while, but the learning prompt did not appear.

Uesugi Tetsuya exclaimed "Ah!"

What happened to the promise that you could learn it just by tearing it open?

So you want me to come here and figure it out on my own?!

Just as he was thinking this, the character "临" in front of him suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light and crashed towards him.

Uesugi Tetsuya tried to avoid it.

After a brief moment of dizziness, he felt he could freely enter and exit the black space, and the learning prompt finally appeared before his eyes—

[You have mastered the Nine-Character Mantra - The Formula for the Character "Lin"!]

【The Secret of the Character "Lin"】

Mastery level: 1%

[Effect: After use, a barrier can be created at will.]

[—The beginning of all things, the ruler of all things.]

After looking at the Linzi Jue skill panel several times, Uesugi Tetsuya fell into deep thought.

The introduction sounds impressive, but the actual results are disappointing.

Creating barriers... There are countless types of this Yin-Yang technique in the special affairs department. If not a thousand, there are definitely hundreds.

Anyway, let's try it out first.

With a thought, Uesugi Tetsu returned to reality and used the Lin Word Technique to summon a semi-transparent barrier in front of him without warning.

He extended his fingers and began to tap, gradually increasing the force.

Finally, when he exerted only a fraction of his strength, the barrier shattered under the strain.

Uesugi Tetsu stroked his chin—this effect was only slightly more powerful than the earth barrier of basic Yin-Yang magic.

The Great Yin-Yang Technique?

That's it?

He then turned his attention to the "Mastery" section.

The low strength of the barrier may be related to the fact that the ultimate limit of this nine-character mantra is only 1%.

and many more.

Another barrier was summoned, and Uesugi Tetsuya, who was preparing for the test, suddenly realized something.

Since maintaining the circulation of internal energy requires internal energy, using Yin-Yang techniques consumes spiritual energy...

What is required to use this "Lin" technique?

His internal energy and spiritual power were not depleted at all!

At that moment, I felt a slight warmth on the back of my hand.

Uesugi Tetsu looked down and saw a faint, almost invisible mark on the back of his right hand that was exactly the same as the character "临" in the black space.

He then released several more barriers, and a burning sensation came from the back of his right hand.

I understand.

This "Lin" technique is like a special skill. Releasing it does not require consuming any energy; it only consumes its own "use count"!

In all likelihood, this number of uses will continue to recover over time.

Uesugi Tetsu stared intently at the fading mark on the back of his right hand, his gaze equally intense.

—Now, it truly lives up to its name as the Great Yin-Yang Technique!

He closed his eyes and quickly re-entered the black space.

The majestic and ancient character "临" still stands in the darkness, as if it were eternal.

"If you want to improve your mastery, you'll probably have to come here to understand the meaning of the character '临' (lín)."

Uesugi Tetsu pondered, then focused his gaze upwards, trying to concentrate.

Eating the ash of the calming incense before meditating would surely have miraculous effects, but now he wants to test his strength without using the incense ash.

I don’t know how much time passed.

It seemed like a long time, or perhaps a moment, when a strong sense of dizziness appeared in Uesugi Tetsuya's mind, kicking him out of the black space.

In the dojo, Uesugi Tetsu shook his head and first glanced at the panel for the Lin character technique.

Mastery level: 1.005%.

A single moment of enlightenment actually increased the progress by a full 0.005%?

It's not so much that it's incredibly effective, but rather that it's completely ineffective.

It seems that when faced with such ancient characters, relying solely on one's personal understanding is quite ineffective.

He rubbed his throbbing temples: "This means we'll have to pay for more incense ash for pacifying the soul."

Looking up at the clock again, Uesugi Tetsu realized that almost an hour had passed.

His sensory experience only lasted for a few tens of seconds.

"Time really flies..."

"—Uesugi-kun, come eat!"

Ririko's shouts echoed across the floors, interrupting Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts along with the aroma of tonkotsu ramen.

Why did I immediately realize it was tonkotsu ramen...?

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had just stood up, shook his head, wondering if this was also part of the principles of swordsmanship.

As you walk up to the third floor, you can smell the rich, mouthwatering aroma emanating from the carefully simmered ramen broth.

He turned his head and saw two bowls of tonkotsu ramen, each the size of a hot pot, on the huge dining table.

The first thing that catches the eye is a mountain of char siu, piled high with sauce, as if they were afraid he wouldn't have enough to eat.

Two perfectly soft-boiled eggs are cut in half and neatly placed on the side, while tall seaweed is half placed in the soup base and half exposed to the air, offering a combination of two flavors.

Beneath the ingredients are noodles that exude a sense of "chewiness" at a glance.

Without a doubt, this "Ririko Ramen" is a hundred times, or even a thousand times, more authentic and delicious than any of the popular chain ramen on the street!

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but drool.

If I don't suck it in, the saliva will drip onto the floor.

—As for how Ririko managed to process so many ingredients into their current form in just one hour?

There's no need to ask such a question.

At the dining table, the girl, still wearing her apron, had already pulled out a chair and sat down.

She just didn't touch her chopsticks, probably waiting for him to arrive.

Uesugi Tetsu quickly sat down opposite Ririko, picked up his chopsticks, and said to the girl, "I'm starting to eat."

"I'm gonna start now."

Ririko replied, then paused just before inserting her chopsticks into the bowl, secretly glancing up at the bottom of her head.

I want to observe Uesugi Tetsu's expression when he takes his first bite.

Generally speaking, the first reaction when you are unaware that you are being watched is the most genuine.

This was her first time making such a complicated dish, so she didn't know how it would taste.

Suck it~

Under her gaze, Uesugi Tetsuya, who wrapped the ramen in char siu and put it in his mouth, smiled and showed a happy expression, and then continued to eat heartily.

Ririko looked away and ate in the same way.

After taking a bite, the girl was stunned for a moment.

Really delicious.

she thought.

As expected of me.

The two ate slowly, but neither of them spoke.

Aside from a few special cases, both Uesugi Tetsuya and Ririko are the type to quietly enjoy food.

But some people... or rather, some swordsmen don't think that way.

Just as Uesugi Tetsuya finished eating and was about to slam his fist on the table and order a second bowl, his heartstrings were already trembling uncontrollably.

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't hold on any longer and had to let the energetic Kaga Kiyomitsu out for some fresh air.

"Ok?"

Just as Kaga Kiyomitsu appeared at his waist, Ririko, who was slurping noodles, subconsciously cast her gaze over.

Because of a strange sword principle that suddenly appeared in the sword domain.

The unfamiliar principles of swordsmanship were more captivating to Ririko than a lighthouse in the darkness.

"Kaga Kiyomitsu?"

Upon seeing the person emanating the power of swordsmanship, Ririko stood there, stunned, letting the noodles dangle in mid-air.

Buzz?

Kaga Kiyomitsu, who had already extended most of his body in an instant, trembled and abruptly pulled back.

"I'm scared... Little Jia is scared!"

Hearing that sound, Uesugi Tetsu looked up and saw a girl standing up with her hands on the table and a lot of noodles hanging from her mouth.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

He chuckled and pulled Kaga Kiyomitsu, who had been feigning death, from his scabbard and placed him on the table.

—Finally, someone can properly discipline this brat, so he has to give him a good push from behind.

But feigning death won't fool Ririko.

Within the sword domain's perception, Kaga Kiyomitsu was radiant, shining brightly.

She slurped up a mouthful of noodles, chewing as she mumbled, "Your Kaga Kiyomitsu... has developed its own spirituality?"

Uesugi Tetsu nodded: "Yeah, I met a kind craftsman who forged it and it's done."

Upon hearing this, Ririko's gaze swept over Kaga Kiyomitsu from head to toe, detail by detail.

Finally, the girl sat back down with some regret, shaking her head: "To be honest, if it weren't yours, Uesugi-kun, I would have snatched it from you."

Kaga Kiyomitsu trembled.

But after sensing Ririko's gaze, she immediately stopped moving again.