Chapter 368

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Chapter 368: The Disappeared Sword

Miyamoto Musashi’s full name is Shinmen Musashi-no-kami Fujiwara Genshin.

So from his name, we can tell that he is a very traditional samurai.

Akamatsu refers to a prominent family name, Edo Shimotsuke-no-kami refers to an official rank, and Ishida Kiyoshimasa is a name.

It is indeed rare to see elderly people dressed like this in modern society, but judging by his age, he may be a remnant of the previous shogunate.

He was only responsible to the shogun, he would listen to orders and proclamations.

His unsheathed sword now seems to prove certain things.

Bai Wei still didn’t think that his threat was significant enough to grab the attention of the shogun. It could only be interpreted as an influence within the shogunate.

Being targeted in such a manner, the magnitude of the gesture is quite significant. Is it a gift from the Lord of Yellow Spring or from a cult of evil gods?

Never mind.

Bai Wei calmly raised his fist and said, "Pigua Sect, Bai Wei… Today determines both victory and defeat, and also life and death?"

"If you resist with all your might, I can’t guarantee that I won’t kill you," Ishida Kiyoshimasa said coldly. "If you beg for mercy…"

In response, a sword chant sounded, and Bai Wei flicked his sleeve, piercing the ground with the Crouching Tiger Sword.

"I’m running out of time, come on."

"…sure!"

Ishida Kiyoshimasa wasted no words. He pushed the blade with his thumb and tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, instantly bursting into a rapid strike.

Swift strike, with utmost determination!

The incredibly fast sword light was so swift that one couldn’t even see its chilling sharpness. But soon, it became so fast that the blade itself became invisible. It was as if swinging the sword was like water flowing into water, making it difficult to capture any trace. The already curved samurai sword cut through the air, and when the elegant sword light descended like a startled swan, it finally revealed the last remnants of its glow.

This slash was so fast that most swordsmen couldn’t keep up, they dropped their swords and shouted in surprise.

But this slash was still blocked.

Clang! The Crouching Tiger Sword intercepted the weakest part of the samurai sword accurately, blocking the blade and resolving the deadly strike.

The old samurai’s face was as calm as water. He stopped his footsteps and a slash slowly spread over the distance of more than twenty meters. The slash quickly extended on the wall, cutting it silently into two, along with bricks, trash cans, steel bars, cement, and billboards.

Bai Wei kicked the old man’s chin, but the old samurai twisted his right hand and pressed down on his raised leg. At the same time, the blade swiftly moved upward, aiming for Bai Wei’s neck. This slash wasn’t fast, but it emitted a bright aura.

Bai Wei raised his face, and the blade grazed his forehead, shattering a few strands of his hair.

Bai Wei switched the blade in his left and right hands. He locked the old man’s arm with his right hand, attempting to overpower him with his muscular strength. As long as he controlled the opponent’s blade, he could defeat him with his superior melee combat skills. Without a sword, the samurai’s threat level suddenly decreased.

Generally speaking, this was correct.

With a hiss, a spray of blood suddenly appeared on Bai Wei’s arm. The newly bought shirt he was wearing had its sleeve torn in half. He immediately let go and retreated, while also kicking the old samurai. The old samurai curled his arm to block and was kicked five meters away. Being sixty years old and barely weighing a hundred pounds, he had to lower his body and bend his knees, rubbing three meters on the ground before stopping.

Bai Wei adjusted his movements during this time and also wiped a wound on his left arm, which was caused by a sword.

The old warrior only had one sword in his hand, so where did the powerful aura of the sword come from?

Has he reached the level where he has no sword in his hand, but a sword in his heart, allowing him to unleash sword energy freely?

This seems unlikely. If that’s the case, he wouldn’t need to approach intentionally, especially when he knows he is not physically superior.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew, carrying a piece of white cloth stained with blood that caught Bai Wei’s attention. He grabbed the object that flew past him.

It was a piece of paper.

So that’s what it was.

Bai Wei said, "Indeed, paper can be very sharp."

Ishida Kiyoshimasa shook his sleeve, opened his palm, retracted his thumb, and pressed a plain white paper in his palm. However, in his hands, it was as sharp as a razor. Compared to carrying more knives, the weight and thinness of paper were more suitable for carrying it around. It was very convenient. With just a wave of his sleeve, he could kill someone. It could be said that his entire body was a deadly weapon.

Bai Wei said, "It’s more like being an executioner than a samurai, everything is for killing more efficiently and conveniently."

Ishida Kiyoshimasa coldly said, "We are just a blade of the shogunate, and a blade is meant for killing."

Bai Wei chuckled lightly and said, "Can even tools possess strong self-management skills?"

The old samurai suddenly stepped closer, perhaps overly confident in his swordsmanship or lacking long-range methods. Worried that Bai Wei might escape, he continued to choose slashing attacks with his sword.

Even the fastest and most powerful strike was detected and intercepted. The old samurai chose close combat, gripping his samurai sword with both hands. Every strike was deadly, as if a street had been sliced open like tofu, leaving countless wounds.

Bai Wei fought back with his opponent, but he could only retreat along the way, feeling constantly suppressed.

From the old samurai’s movements, it was clear that his swordsmanship had reached an unreachable height for ordinary people, with extremely precise movements.

His swordsmanship level at the top of his head was an astonishing level 49.

What does level 49 even mean?

This means that the person’s skill has reached its peak, and if they break through level fifty, their skill itself will rise to a mysterious realm.

Maybe they can swing a sword that overlaps dimensions, or maybe they can break through the sound barrier and make the sword ten times faster, or maybe they can simply thrust and release a beam of light. All of this is possible.

Swordsmanship at level forty-nine is the ultimate level that mortal beings can achieve through physical training.

In contrast, Bai Wei’s swordsmanship level has just reached thirty-nine, and he hasn’t even touched the threshold of level forty yet.

In terms of swordsmanship itself, the level suppression is already clearly evident. The reason Bai Wei is not instantly killed is naturally because he cheated a bit by using his soul perception power to build a protective barrier. During the fight, he constantly simplifies his attack sequence, optimizes his defense and counterattacks, and preemptively predicts and sees through… In other words, he is learning quickly.

If he were to use Golden Power, this battle would be overwhelmingly one-sided. Anything mysterious can be understood as ‘equipment’ outside of levels, and even equipment has levels. The complete version of Golden Power is level one hundred. Even if a child possesses it, they can dominate the world without defeat, so it is very unreasonable.

Bai Wei deliberately suppresses the use of Golden Power, partly because he doesn’t want to expose it and partly because he doesn’t think he needs to use it.

He is gradually becoming familiar with his opponent’s sword techniques, predicting their next move. Although the seasoned warrior would immediately change their sword technique to counter this prediction, their reserves also have limits. But when this calculation is repeated more than three times, what the old warrior can rely on the most is muscle memory, while Bai Wei is different. Abundant soul power and a young body that can respond at any time allow him to anticipate more than a dozen different derivations after seeing where the opponent’s strike will fall.

Bai Wei precisely intercepted the old warrior’s sword for the tenth time.

He kindly reminded, "I’m going to fight back now."

Bai Wei stepped back nearly a hundred meters, stood still, crushing the gravel on the ground. Crouching Tiger Sword continued to make noise, and the gleaming blade came crashing down.

Ishida Kiyoshimasa raised his defences, holding the samurai sword with both hands. A terrifying force attacked, causing him to feel his old bones loosen in an instant.

If he had to endure this force a few more times, he would surely fall apart.

Ishida Kiyoshimasa kept stepping back, feeling some discomfort under his feet. The old warrior was still wearing cloth shoes instead of athletic shoes, so it was uncomfortable to step on the gravel. The pain made him raise his heel slightly, then with a flick of his wrist, the blade of light slashed. Unexpectedly, it was intercepted. But he shook his sleeve, and the white paper flew out like a hidden throwing weapon, sharp paper pieces aimed at Bai Wei.

It hit.

The old warrior’s eyes widened in surprise because instead of spilling blood, the paper just hit the body and softened, quickly dissolving in the chaotic airflow, with some pieces tearing due to the pressure.

Bai Wei charged forward with the white paper, as if wearing layers of armor, completely ignoring the damage of any hidden weapons. It was like a rampaging bull, raising the sword and smashing down, not utilizing any swordsmanship, but literally smashing, as if holding a club.

Crouching Tiger Sword was also excited and howling non-stop. It is a type of straight sword from the Han Dynasty, not a samurai sword, so it could be used more effectively as a stick, displaying its powerful and heavy momentum.

The precious samurai sword was struck for the second time. It didn’t break, but the metal was tired and worn to its limit.

The old samurai couldn’t support his old leg anymore. As the ground cracked, he heard the sound of his Achilles tendon tearing. The pain was intense, but he gritted his teeth. Influenced by the true way of the samurai, he couldn’t bear the shame of defeat and immediately shouted, "To have honor in death, rather than shame in life!"

He no longer chose to defend himself. Swiftly drawing his sword, he prepared for another strike.

At such a close distance, it was more like a gamble for both sides rather than a sword fight. There was a possibility of both being seriously injured.

In the blink of an eye, there was a blinding flash of light. An ear-piercing white noise filled the air and spread half a kilometer away. It shattered many fragile ceramic or glass items. The sword, in its state of readiness, cracked during the collision, and the broken half flew hundreds of meters, shattering the glass windows of an office building. However, the two people in the center of the road were unharmed.

Ishida Kiyoshimasa looked at Bai Wei in astonishment. Only a faster sword than the state of readiness could cut it off. "You just…"

Bai Wei didn’t answer. He retracted his Crouching Tiger Sword and delivered a powerful punch to the side of the old samurai’s face, causing him to lose consciousness. He dusted off his hands.

"I’ve discovered some secrets to wielding a fast sword…" he said happily.

[Swordsmanship level: 39 -> 40]