Miss Hebe is Fighting Her Way Out of the Lostbelt!

The weak need to be reasoned with, while the strong don't have to listen. But if the strong choose to reason with the weak, the latter had best pay close attention.

Tengu rarely experienced such emotions, as most of the time, they were perceived as the absolute strong by the world.

This feeling was incredibly bitter, incredibly helpless.

"I always mocked humans and other Tengu, thinking they needed to train properly to overcome their inner prideful ignorance," Kishibō Hōgen said. "But now it seems my inner prideful ignorance is no less than that of ordinary people."

Prideful ignorance is a Buddhist term meaning to believe one has attained an excellent dharma, thus considering oneself superior to others and developing arrogance.

The Tengu spoke and bowed respectfully to Hebe.

"I have realized it—from today onward, I will diligently train my martial arts. I will repeatedly practice the strategies recorded in military texts. I will rigorously cultivate my innate talent for manipulating wind and thunder. Until I can seamlessly integrate these three skills, I will absolutely not venture to Heian-kyō."

Hebe wanted to speak but stopped, feeling that this Tengu was likely overthinking things.

This era was just like this; both humans and yokai had similar flaws.

But since the other party had put on such a show of enlightenment, she didn't want to expose them.

Hebe simply changed the subject, pointing to the people on the ground still immersed in the illusion, sleeping sprawled everywhere.

"I used illusions to weave a false memory for these people. Since, as you said, they were deceived by Ashiya Dōman's disciples, please don't take your anger out on them and let them go down the mountain freely."

The Tengu frowned.

"It's not that I'm targeting these ordinary people. It's that they are too ignorant. Dōman's disciples could manipulate them with just a few words, making them willingly believe I am a yokai who enjoys blood sacrifice... Do you believe it? If someone else came along, they would still willingly do the same thing.

I'm not saying this to take my anger out on them, I just find it sad. If only there was a way to solve this problem once and for all."

After speaking, the Tengu looked at Hebe with hopeful eyes, clearly having heard of Hebe's deeds in Hyuga Province.

"That's impossible. In any era, there will always be such people. The most crucial thing is that they still believe they are walking the correct path," Hebe waved her hand. "Don't treat me like a wish-granting machine that can solve all problems. There's very little I can do. Moreover, you hold the Six Paths and Three Strategies military texts from Zhendan, which is the key that can truly promote change."

"Military texts?" The Tengu felt a bit of self-doubt, but more so, vigilance. "How is that possible..."

"How is it impossible?" Hebe smiled faintly. "Must every single word in these military texts be kept secret?"

Of course not. If that were the case, the Eastern Tengu wouldn't have become the guardian of Zhendan's military texts.

While it did contain some Secret Teachings that could be used in warfare, the rest of the text was not something to be hidden.

Of course, doing so would carry great risk—but the one taking the risk was the Tengu Kishibō Hōgen, not the Nine-Tailed Fox Tamamo-no-Mae, nor Hebe Stanton.

"Then why don't you pass on the military texts?" Hebe coaxed. "Using humans to change human society is simpler than having yokai change human society."

After Hebe tried to change Miss A-Long's faction, she was now attempting to have the Tengu establish an academy and become a teacher.

The impact of the latter on changing "Power Struggle" would be far greater than the former.

"But I... I'm afraid it would be against the rules," the Tengu said, wanting to speak but stopping.

"Haha!" Hebe laughed heartily. "Knowledge is like water—'How can the clear stream be so pure? Only because it has a living source!' If you don't let it flow, it will eventually become stagnant water.

Moreover, you are a yokai, why should you abide by human rules? Go ahead and do it boldly. Perhaps in a few decades or a century, you will gain a very excellent disciple."

The Tengu had an inspiration. She wasn't foolish. She heard some hidden meaning in Hebe's words.

"No, I don't have any deep meaning," Hebe said, clasping her hands within her sleeves and smiling faintly. "But if you believe in prophecy, I did have a dream."

"In the dream, you met a very, very good disciple. She was eager to learn, and you couldn't wait to pass on all your lifelong knowledge to her. She absorbed all the knowledge like a dry sponge. Soon, you had nothing left to teach, except the Six Paths and Three Strategies military texts.

Then, she secretly read the military texts while you were away. You felt betrayed, chased after her in a rage, but ultimately couldn't kill her.

Your disciple grew up and participated in a war, winning it with Tengu techniques, becoming famous throughout the East."

Hebe drew a downward curve with her finger.

"After that, she suffered betrayal, fell out with her brother, was pushed to the brink, and finally committed suicide.

When poor, change; when change, flow; when flow, endure. You have studied military texts, you should understand what I'm talking about."

The Tengu frowned, thinking for a long, long time.

"You also said it was just a dream. Let alone whether I will meet this person in the future, I cannot empathize with what she will go through at all.

But if things can become better, then I am willing to try, starting with changing myself."

The Tengu made up her mind.

[Current Lostbelt Progress: 15%]

67 Heavenly Fox's Teachings: Founding a Sect (Third Update)

Having resolved the Tengu's matter and incidentally laid a piece for the future, Hebe felt her mood greatly improve.

She had intended to set off that very night, but Kishibō Hōgen adamantly refused, saying she wanted to host her properly and at least let her stay the night before leaving.

The night before dawn, in the depths of this mountain, was exceptionally clean. In the depths of the forest, frogs croaked by the pond—Miss A-Long loved this environment.

The former reminded her of her hometown on Mount Takachiho, while the latter meant she could eat her fill.

Kishibō Hōgen was a bit drunk. She drew the sword at her waist and, fueled by the alcohol, wanted to spar with Hebe.

There was indeed such a custom among yokai, and it was one of the ironclad rules set by Cruel Wolf.

It was said that in Mount Ōe, where the Oni Host gathered, this phenomenon was even more frequent, with a significant portion of the Oni Host's casualties resulting from frequent duels at banquets.

Hebe gazed at Kishibō Hōgen, and after confirming that the Tengu did not intend to take this opportunity for revenge, she rose from her seat.

"Lady Tamamo, why aren't you bringing a weapon?"

The tengu asked, slightly tipsy.

"I don't have a suitable sword," Hebe replied in a deep voice.

This was a problem that greatly troubled Hebe right now – she had no usable weapons.

Even the most renowned swords in the world would be rendered useless the moment she wielded them, turning into Hebe's swordplay memories.

"Gagagagaga—You're drunk! How can a martial artist not carry a weapon?" The tengu burst into laughter, tossing her own katana to Hebe. "Here, use mine!"

She then turned back and took out a greatsword.

Hebe examined the tachi in her hand, its red lacquered scabbard feeling heavy.

The golden tassels on the scabbard clinked, making a crisp sound.

"Greetings, Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, I am Kishibō Hōgen."

"Greetings, Mr. Kishibō Hōgen, I am Tamamo-no-Mae."

They bowed to each other, swords in hand—this was a necessary prelude before the secret masters under the Scarred Father began their sparring. During the Power Struggle, this ritual greeting was then copied verbatim by the monsters under the Cruel Wolf.

Over time, this step became indispensable, whether for internal sparring within the forces of the two rulers or for the formal confrontation between armies before a Power Struggle.

As the words fell, the tengu flapped her wings, sword aimed at Hebe's eyes, and lunged.

She was as fast as lightning. As the blade neared Hebe's face, the angle didn't change even slightly.

A collective gasp rose from the banquet seats, the bake-danuki shouting the loudest.

Tanutarō thought that if it were him, he'd be pierced by the tengu's sword ten times over.

Lady Tamamo neither retreated nor dodged. Was she frozen in fear, or was she planning to surrender directly?

The next moment, they knew the answer.

Hebe raised her hand and swung the tachi, scabbard and all, in front of her.

Clang!

The sword in the tengu's hand bent and broke under an immense force, sending her stumbling to the side.

'So heavy!' The tengu couldn't resist and felt her head go numb from Hebe's counter-strike.

Clatter...

Hebe raised her hand, beckoning to the tengu who had just gotten up from the pile of rocks: "Again."

She held the tachi, adorned with gold, jewels, and a red lacquered scabbard, not like she was wielding a sword, but like a mountain hunter carrying a club, searching for pheasants in the woods.

The tengu was that foolish pheasant.

Silence fell over the surroundings.

The tengu's arm trembled, a mix of anger and disbelief. She shook her head, clearing the remaining drunkenness.

"Rise!"

This time, she pushed off the ground, ascending between the branches. During this ascent, clouds gathered on her blade, and a sharp, biting sensation assailed them.

The tengu swung her sword in the clouds, her speed now twice as fast as before.

The greatsword carved an arc through the mountains and forests, like a swallow skimming water. It was about to lightly kiss Hebe before disappearing back into the clouds, before the ripples of blood could spread.

Hebe's long, slender eyebrows twitched slightly: 'Is this a skill?'

No, it wasn't a skill, but it definitely carried the flavor of multiple combined Marks... thinner than a skill, and more aggressive.

Hebe still swung her arm as before, striking precisely three inches from the edge of the tengu's greatsword.

However, before that, a semi-illusory blade suddenly extended from the tip of the greatsword, striking Hebe's wrist from behind.

The blade sliced across the girl's slender, pale wrist.

The tengu's body shifted from extreme motion to stillness, her face filled with confusion and disbelief.

"How could this be? How could this be? How could this be!"

Hebe flipped her wrist. Her delicate, pale skin bore no scratches, nor did it look like it had been struck by a blade.

Seeing Hebe unharmed, the tengu felt an overwhelming sense of injustice: "I swung twice just now. The first sword didn't have the Secret Sword's divine power, but it had the Secret Sword's form. This sword is unbeatable against ordinary yokai and mages... The second sword was the complete Secret Sword: Tengu's Copy—"

"The key to Tengu's Copy lies in 'speed,' 'speed,' 'speed'!" The tengu shook her head. "When I unleash the true Tengu's Copy, I can summon clouds and strong winds, further increasing my divine speed. At the same time, my sword will split into illusory blade attacks, and my speed will always be faster than the opponent's movements."

"But I never expected that this strike wouldn't even be able to scratch your skin, Tamamo..."

Hebe was speechless.

She finally understood what the Eastern lands' so-called Secret Swords were.

They were mechanics.

Children who often play games know that bosses and some elite monsters often have strange mechanics—for example, when they unleash a powerful move, the higher their HP, the higher the damage; or when their own HP drops below a certain level, their damage turns into magical damage.

Secret Swords were the same.

To explain Tengu's Copy in gaming terms, it greatly increased movement speed and had a chance to unleash a shadow blade attack on the target during an attack. This damage was only one-third of the true sword's damage.

If all the events in the Eastern Lostbelt were quantifiable, Kishibō Hōgen would surely see a large sign hovering above Hebe's head: "Your attack failed to penetrate enemy armor."

It didn't even chip away a symbolic bit of health...

With Hebe's current physical capabilities, even if she stood still and took a sword strike from Kishibō Hōgen, her outer skin wouldn't be broken.

The reason Hebe could comprehend the Secret Sword: Tengu's Copy was because, after those two swings, the sword Kishibō Hōgen had lent her was shattered into pieces.

It wasn't those two collisions that broke it, but the terrifying power Hebe unleashed, along with the effect of "Sobek's Training."

Kishibō Hōgen's swordsmanship, that of the Great Tengu, had now completely become Hebe's memory. Although she hadn't learned the Secret Sword: Tengu's Copy, Hebe clearly understood its principles.

If the swordsmen of the East played with mechanics, then Hebe was the opposite—she didn't have mechanics like Secret Swords, but she had stats!

'The Tengu's physical capabilities are actually much stronger than those of the swordsmen. Even she couldn't break through my defense... then ordinary human swordsmen—' Hebe twitched her lips.

On the other side, the Tengu squatted on the ground, looking dejected.

She wasn't heartbroken about her beloved sword being destroyed; in her opinion, that was the normal outcome of confronting a Secret Sword.

Hebe walked over. "Is this the only Secret Sword you've mastered?"

"What else could there be?" the Tengu retorted instinctively. "A Secret Sword is the integration of essence, energy, and spirit. Naturally, one person can only have one Secret Sword."

"So, are you a Swordsman or a regular Swordsman now?"

"What do you mean, Swordsman or Swordsman?" the Tengu frowned. "Three years ago, I comprehended the Secret Sword from the military treatise Six Paths and Three Strategies."

Hebe was stunned. Could it be that during the Heian period, there wasn't yet a system of Swordsman, Swordsman, and Sword Saint, nor had the mechanics of Secret Swords been standardized and incorporated into a system?

'Yes, because this system was only widely accepted by the world after the end of the Heian period, which was already in the Shogunate era!' Hebe suddenly realized.

She then relayed the knowledge about Swordsmen that Mordred had told her to the Tengu again.

The Tengu squatting on the ground widened her eyes. "So that's how it is! Swordsman, Swordsman, Sword Saint—I understand! So I was just a mere Swordsman, not even having entered the hall yet!"

The next moment, Hebe saw the blades of grass on the ground sway, their patterns twisting to form words that only she could see.