Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Saten Yoko roared, raised her clenched left hand and stepped forward. The cat demon gritted her teeth, preparing to receive the punch, but suddenly felt a pain in her toe, followed by excruciating pain!

In her confusion, she noticed that Saten Yoko's left hand had reopened halfway through and was now gripping the hilt of her katana.

Then she suddenly realized.

That bastard! He actually stepped on my toes!!

Anger and excruciating pain rose simultaneously, and the cat couldn't help but loosen her grip on her right hand, which was already being cut by the blade—and then she realized something was wrong.

But it was too late.

Saten Yoko gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and pulled with all her might, her breathing rapid!

Below, the fine leather boots pressed hard against the delicate toes beneath the surface, while above, a sharp blade sliced ​​open the glistening palm. The intense pain, along with the saliva spat out by Saten Yoko, landed on the cat demon's head.

As the cat demon felt the pain, a warm liquid slid down its face, and it was momentarily distracted, trying to figure out what it was.

Then, she flew into a rage.

"I want to kill—"

The cat demon, having wasted time again on empty threats, didn't even finish speaking before...

Chapter 258

More and faster blades came slashing in from all directions than before.

Thunder Breathing + Flying Sword Style: Ultimate Technique - Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!

In a daze, it seemed as if a divine dragon truly appeared behind Saten Yoko, soaring through the air as she wielded her blade, and finally pouncing on the cat demon.

Can't stop!

The cat demon, with its rich combat experience, immediately made a judgment.

The previous attack had broken through her defenses, and she wouldn't dare to take this clearly stronger attack head-on. Even if it couldn't kill her, having her limbs severed by a mortal would be a great disgrace. Especially since this was her first time serving Lady Yakumo Kurenai, if she returned in such a miserable state, her value in Lady Yakumo Kurenai's eyes would definitely drop significantly.

So the cat demon stopped what it was doing and took a deep breath.

The dragon lunged at her heart.

The cat demon opened its mouth.

"Meow!!!!!"

A sharp, piercing cry, even more irritating than that of a female cat in heat who has been castrated without anesthesia, suddenly rang out at several times the volume, piercing Saten Yoko's eardrums.

Her movements suddenly stopped, and a dazzling array of colors shone on her body before shattering and disappearing.

Her body was not obeying her commands? Saten Yoko tried her best to urge her body forward, but her usually obedient body did not respond at all. She couldn't even do a simple downward slash, let alone the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash... no, she couldn't even move her wrist.

"Hoo~" Gently brushing aside the blade that had stopped in front of him, the cat demon exhaled a long breath. "You can be proud now, mortal. You actually managed to force me to use my innate magic."

Saten Yoko struggled to turn her eyes, the only part of her body that could still move, trying to find a way to break the spell, but the cat demon waved her hand: "It's no use. The magic artifact on your body is indeed quite good, it can actually keep your soul from breaking, but that's all."

“We have plenty of time now… Oh, right. You were so focused on dealing with me that you didn’t notice your good companions didn’t even have time to escape, did you?”

Saten Yoko's eyes widened. From her current position, she couldn't see Minamoto Yuki Sakura and Fujiwara Kaguya behind her, but now, upon closer examination, she realized that she didn't seem to have heard them leave at all.

They had clearly prepared for encountering monsters beforehand! They don't seem like the type to be scared out of their wits!

The cat demon, enjoying the anxious look on its prey's face, added, "Besides, they don't have as many magical artifacts as you; their souls have already been shattered by my spell."

Saten Yoko's eyes flashed with anger, but that was all; she was still unable to move.

The cat demon licked her lips, raised her still-bleeding right hand, and glossy black cat fur sprouted out in a rush, transforming her right hand into a cat's forelimb.

"Don't look at me like that. If you want to see them that much, I'll send you down right now... although their souls are shattered, so they can't even go to the underworld—meow haha!"

The cat demon, revealing its demonic form, unleashed a simple yet powerful strike strong enough to pierce through the magical artifact's defenses—surely this woman couldn't possibly have any more magical artifacts on her? What kind of family is this, so wealthy?

The cat demon's right forepaw moved swiftly, carrying with it her desire, jealousy, and anger, reaching Saten Yoko's chest. A dim yellow light flashed briefly, but then dissipated and vanished.

Saten Yoko's eyes also dimmed.

Sorry, teacher training college...

Sure enough, I...

Shine——

A sword's cry suddenly rang in the girl's ears.

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Author's note: Please vote!

Chapter 237: Mind is a Mission Master

The one who drew his sword was, of course, Minamoto Yukisakura.

The moment the sword slid from its sheath, her cool yet always faintly smiling face suddenly seemed distant, as if she had vanished into the heavens in an instant. Her black and white kendo uniform now appeared as a seamless celestial garment, adorning her ethereal and otherworldly beauty, making her resemble a snow-covered cherry blossom, a sword immortal.

Without hesitation, she walked up to the cat demon, and the blade in her hand sliced ​​across the cat demon's neck, severing her head as easily as cutting tofu. At that moment, the cold blade felt like flowing water, a gentle breeze, or even the warmth of starlight on warm mud—soft and comforting.

But no one felt that this was out of place.

It's as if it would be abnormal and unnatural if the knife didn't sever the cat demon's head.

Indeed, even the cat demon itself felt that it was perfectly normal for its head to be chopped off with this one blow.

Even as her head flew through the air, she was still gazing longingly at Yuan Xueying, the otherworldly immortal who had swung that sword.

This is the mindset of the genius, beautiful young swordswoman who obtained the Tennen Rishin-ryu no Manoku at the age of 16—the unity of heaven and man.

The core philosophy of the Natural Rishin-ryu school is that everything can be a sword: a knife is a sword, a fist is a sword, and even a club or a firearm can be a sword. For Minamoto Yuki, this is something she doesn't need to learn at all, because to her, it's something she takes for granted.

When she wants to draw her sword, everything is her sword.

Or rather, her sword is everything.

The headless cat demon's corpse fell to the ground with a dull thud, splattering blood onto the tables and chairs. The magic dissipated.

Covering her ears, Fujiwara Kaguya shook her head, trying to shake off the lingering stinging sensation in her brain, but this only intensified the pain. So, she could only grimace and clutch her face, clumsily rubbing and kneading it to slowly alleviate the pain.

"Are you alright?" Minamoto Yukisakura sheathed her bloodless sword and looked at Saten Yoko with concern. The latter had recovered from her immobilized state and bowed gratefully to Minamoto Yukisakura: "Thank you, Miss Minamoto."

“Just keep calling me Sakura, we’re the same age.” Yuan Xueying smiled, transforming from a detached immortal from the heavens back into her original aloof swordsman. “Speaking of which, your battle just now was truly spectacular. No wonder you’re the Natural Harushin-ryu, capable of slaying a demonic dragon.”

"Hmm..." Saten Yoko responded somewhat listlessly. Although she was trying to hide it, she wasn't good at it, so Minamoto Yukisakura easily noticed her dejected mood.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Xueying roughly understood. She was probably discouraged by Saten Yoko's earlier performance, after all, she and Saten Yoko were the same age. However, given the urgency of the situation, it was actually a good thing.

She considered for a moment, then asked softly, "Miss Saten, what was the purpose of your sword strike?"

This question had become a daily task for the disciples of Aozorakan after Harunobu mastered mind control, so Saten Yoko answered without hesitation, "For..."

"Shh!" Yuan Xueying suddenly raised her index finger to her lips. "Let me ask you another way: why were you fighting so desperately just now? If you had so many magical artifacts, you could have taken us with you and run away, right?"

"Eh?"

Saten Yoko was taken aback.

Just now, just now she was...

Yuan Xueying smiled and waved her hand: "Alright, you don't need to answer this question right away. You can just know it yourself."

"What we call intention is this kind of thing. It's meaningless to just emphasize it verbally. You have to take action to put your true intention into practice before you can discover it."

"No matter how much you deceive yourself, the things that make your heart beat will never change."

Saten Yoko kept her head down and responded with a soft "Mm".

Yuan Xueying breathed a sigh of relief. Despite her eloquent explanations and the claim of mastery over swordsmanship, this was the first time she had actually taught someone swordsmanship and its principles. However, judging from Saten Yoko's tone, it seemed to have some effect.

So, shall we keep up the good work?

Gen Yuki Sakura cleared her throat slightly and said naturally, "Miss Saten, do you know? Our Tennen Rishin-ryu has so many..."

Chapter 259

In short—'Only a warrior who follows the flow of his heart can be called strong.'

"In other words, more important than combat power is whether a samurai can realize his or her own ideas and find the reason and meaning to wield his sword."

"Although this might not be widely accepted by the world, I think it makes a lot of sense." Minamoto Yukisakura exhaled, easing the tension of her lecture. "Just like you, Saten-san, your swordsmanship is already quite proficient, and your courage and body are complete. But your heart is still confused, as if you're lost, and therefore you can't unleash your true strength."

"What I mean is, you don't need to compare yourself with people who are on other paths. Just do what you want to do and become who you want to be."

Without realizing it, Saten Yoko raised her head. Looking at Minamoto Yuki, who was blushing slightly as she spoke, she suddenly laughed: "I understand, so it just means being a self-centered and willful person, right?"

"No, that's a little..." Minamoto Yuki tilted her head, somewhat troubled, unable to figure out where she had gone wrong, causing Saten Yoko to misunderstand like this. While it's true that everyone who studies swordsmanship eventually becomes a bit obsessive and unreasonable, but...

Woo.

Feeling as if she had misled the younger generation, Yuan Xueying let out a mournful cry like a small animal.

"Haha." Saten Yoko laughed. "I was just kidding. I would never cause Harunobu Teacher any trouble."

The second half of her sentence was spoken in a low voice, but Yuan Xueying noticed it but didn't pay it any mind. She let out a sigh and said with some complaint, "This kind of joke is a bit too much. I thought I was going to apologize to Master Ping."

"Hey...can I say now that I'm not joking?"

"Da me—"

The two female swordsmen chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere became very harmonious. Amidst this harmony, Saten Yoko gently pressed her hand to her chest.

The strong, steady heartbeat seemed to respond to her thoughts, bringing an even deeper smile to her face.

Yes, why is she confused?

There was clearly no need for that.

That pervert from the teachers' college is unlikely to let her go, which means she doesn't have to worry about the teachers' college abandoning her no matter what happens to her.

All she had to do was fulfill her duties at the teacher training school and follow his instructions!

Just now, because the mission of the teacher training college was to kill the murderer, she subconsciously ruled out the safer and more secure retreat plan.

Well, there are other reasons, like wanting to attract the teacher's attention, gain their favor, and make them happy. But there are better ways, ways that would put the teacher's mind at ease. But ultimately, she still wants to work hard for the teacher's college!

When did this begin? She initially only wanted to fulfill her dream of learning swordsmanship.

It's not about what I'll do after learning swordsmanship; it's simply that I want to learn swordsmanship.

But at some point, that simple idea changed.

Did it start with the teacher easily defeating those arrogant guys at the Hosho Dojo? Or with the establishment of the Bracer Guild? I already had a good impression of him a long time ago, after all, he's handsome and very strong.

She already knew exactly what she was thinking and had decided what to do next, so there was nothing left to be confused about.

As long as everything is done according to the teacher training requirements—wait, thinking about it this way, Nana probably already figured it out a long time ago!?

Seriously! I'm definitely going to teach that guy a lesson he won't forget! He didn't even tell me!

Amidst her swirling thoughts, Saten Yoko's lips curled into a smile, and her eyes sparkled. Minamoto Yuki, who had been watching closely, sensed this subtle change in her, her surprised mouth slightly agape.

So, you've understood your own thoughts?

What were you thinking just now? Or do you mean that I not only have a high talent for learning swordsmanship, but also a strong talent for teaching it?

Yuan Xueying suppressed her curiosity and didn't actually ask any questions. The specific information in one's thoughts is a very private secret, and some suspicious samurai wouldn't even tell their family and close friends.

Moreover, Aozorakan is not an evil organization. As a disciple of Aozorakan, Saten Yoko should have a relatively positive mindset, right?

Under the watchful eye of Minamoto Yuki, Saten Yoko raised the knife in her hand and walked towards the cat demon's corpse.

The teacher once said that when dealing with enemies, especially monsters, you must learn to finish them off—a strange term—but the meaning is easy to understand.

It's like whipping a corpse.

The blade pierced down.

The author says:

Author's Note: Congratulations to Ms. Yezi for becoming the fourth Mind Master and Madwoman of Qingkong Pavilion! However, even after rewriting the romance several times, it still feels a bit lacking. Sigh. On another note, I never expected Saint Seiya to have such a blunder! Oh my god, a traditional Japanese kneeling gesture! Is kneeling acceptable for everything? It really made me laugh. Also, I originally wrote these two chapters last night hoping to earn some "Little Lonely" (a popular online figure) votes, but I thought I shouldn't delay the update until tomorrow. I'll work harder to accumulate more chapters before trying to win over "Little Lonely"~

Chapter 238: The Nine-Lives Cat

The cat demon lay on the floor, feeling the despair of blood slowly trickling from her neck, but not despair. After all, this wasn't the first time, and she was sure she could escape again this time using her true innate magic, "Nine Lives," just like before.

Being beheaded is one thing, but if I bleed like this, it'll probably happen again.

That leaves seven times.