Practicing Swordsmanship, Seeking Recommendations and Collections

Aside from Zoro, the disciples of Isshin Dojo were all a sorry bunch. Not a single one could fight. One might have thought Koshiro had retired into seclusion and that the dojo was utterly second-rate.

In truth, that was not the case.

First, every disciple in the dojo had a dedicated uniform, and its etiquette and rules were all highly formal. That was not something a small dojo could manage.

Second, the dojo employed several instructors. If there were not enough disciples, there would have been no need to hire so many instructors.

Third, Koshiro had always deeply regretted that Kuina was a girl. The fundamental reason was that he had no successor—no one to inherit his dojo.

Clearly, Koshiro cared about this dojo immensely.

Only after truly settling into the dojo did Mu Yu gain a clearer understanding of its strength.

The dojo did not just have a training hall; it also owned farmland. There were quite a few Kitchen Helpers alone.

Kuina could cook as well, but she basically only prepared meals for Koshiro.

Learning cooking was more symbolic of filial piety than practically useful!

"What a conservative patriarch!"

Mu Yu shook his head without commenting. In any case, he definitely would not be staying here for long.

He checked the number of Energy Droplets in the system and was once again greatly surprised. The total had actually reached a staggering 94,320.

It was only his first day of practicing swordsmanship!

Should he use the Energy Droplets to water the Swordsmanship Seed?

If he poured more than ninety thousand Energy Droplets into the Swordsmanship Seed, it would definitely sprout. It might even grow into a sapling.

At that point, his swordsmanship would surely improve by leaps and bounds!

After thinking it over, Mu Yu ultimately chose to give up.

His "persona" was that of a swordsmanship newbie. If his swordsmanship suddenly skyrocketed overnight, that would be seriously out of character.

He could be talented enough to earn his master's appreciation, but he absolutely could not perform so well that his master became suspicious.

The Energy Droplets would remain there and would not disappear for no reason. Whenever he wanted to water something, he could raise a skill's level at any time.

When it was time to lie low, he should keep lying low!

"System, help me water the Physique Tree with all the Energy Droplets."

Yes, Master.

Very quickly, all ninety thousand-plus Energy Droplets were poured into the Physique Tree, which grew at a visible rate.

In just a few seconds, it grew from a tender sprout into a sapling as tall as a pair of chopsticks.

The feeling of becoming stronger was incredibly obvious. Mu Yu could clearly feel as if he had endless strength.

Most importantly, all the exhaustion from his training and labor that day was swept away.

His body and mind felt indescribably refreshed, as though he had soaked in a hot spring.

Physique LV2. Tier: Frail. (Frail, Ordinary, Transcendental, Steel, Divine, Indestructible)

His physique had improved so much, yet it had only leveled up to LV2? He clearly felt so much stronger!

What was worse, the evaluation was still Frail?

The feeling of "endless strength" was caused by a transformation occurring over a very short period. The actual increase was not as exaggerated as Master imagined.

The evaluation of "Frail" is not excessive. At Master's current level, if you were slashed once, it would take at least a month to recover.

Fine!

He really was... Frail!

The road ahead was long and arduous. His path to becoming stronger had only just begun!

Sleep, sleep!

Just as Mu Yu was about to go to sleep, the skill [Complete Concentration] activated. In about a minute, Mu Yu had completely fallen asleep.

What Mu Yu did not know was that at this moment, his Tree Planting System would nearly every quarter-hour display a string of numbers.

Sharpening the Axe, you entered sleep mode in time. Reward: 100 Energy.

Sharpening the Axe, you entered sleep mode in time. Reward: 100 Energy.

When Mu Yu woke early the next morning, it was as though he had hibernated through an entire winter. His mental state was unbelievably good.

Morning was when the dojo disciples trained their bodies, mainly through running.

It was only through running that Mu Yu realized in astonishment that his physique really was Frail.

Those utterly unremarkable little brats in the dojo all ran absurdly fast.

Even with his LV2 physique, he could barely keep up with their pace.

Anyone who had read the Original Work knew that these nameless little brats basically existed to highlight what a freak Zoro was.

Thinking of how Zoro could run faster than all those little brats even while carrying someone on his back, Mu Yu suddenly gained an intuitive sense of the gap between himself and those freaks.

What Mu Yu did not know was that while he marveled at the astonishing stamina of those little brats, his own performance had thoroughly shocked them as well.

After all, they had not joined the dojo recently. They had trained for who knew how long, while Mu Yu had only joined the dojo the day before.

After breakfast, it was time for Kuina to give Mu Yu one-on-one instruction.

Kuina said, "Do five hundred Suburi first and let me see!"

"Yes."

Mu Yu did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately began practicing Suburi.

Kuina could not help but think more highly of Mu Yu.

Anyone who had done intense exercise knew that afterward, the body produced large amounts of lactic acid, making one's legs and arms extremely sore.

Under such circumstances, continuing the first day's Suburi practice would be much more difficult.

Of course, the greater difficulty was psychological.

Not only did Mu Yu obediently comply, but he also did not make a sound. He did not cut corners on any of his Suburi movements either.

What was going on here?

What surprised Kuina even more was that Mu Yu seemed to be doing five hundred Suburi quite easily today!

Easily?

How could that be possible?

Improving one's stamina was a gradual process. It was not something that could simply improve whenever one wanted.

Could this be the power of the heart Father had spoken of?

He craved strength so intensely.

Could Junior Brother Mu Yu be carrying a blood feud?

At that thought, Kuina's gaze toward Mu Yu softened considerably.

"Not bad. Your Suburi is very standard, but that does not mean you have completely mastered it and will not need to practice Suburi anymore. Suburi is something you must continue for your entire life. It is not enough for your mind to remember it; your body must remember it too!"

"Yes."

Mu Yu nodded. He wanted to laugh a little, but forcefully held it back.

Kuina was obviously so young, yet she acted like a little adult. It was oddly adorable.

Still, Mu Yu understood that Kuina's instruction was correct.

After learning Suburi, he began to understand why Zoro trained aboard the ship.

However, unlike ordinary people, Zoro practiced Suburi by directly using a barbell rod as a sword hilt and stringing several dumbbells onto it.

Aboard the Going Merry, that was everyday routine!

Meanwhile, Sanji cooked, Nami and Robin leisurely read newspapers, while Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper played all sorts of games.

In a sense, Zoro's talent might not have matched Luffy's.

Zoro was a hard-working genius, while Luffy was a genius of wild imagination!

"Tomorrow, increase your Suburi practice to one thousand repetitions."

"Yes."

Kuina frowned slightly. There was not even the slightest objection.

As expected, he craved strength intensely!

Kuina said, "Then today, I'll begin teaching you some of the basic 'guards' of Isshin-ryu swordsmanship!"

Upon hearing Kuina's words, Mu Yu's eyes immediately lit up.

"Guards" was a term in Japanese kendo, also called "forms." In the terminology of traditional Chinese martial arts, they were "stances."

Mu Yu had not expected that on only his second day after joining the dojo, he would begin learning stances.

This really was an unexpected delight!

You have gained Kuina's approval and begun learning swordsmanship guards. Reward: 20,000 Energy.