Swordsmanship? I've Never Learned It

Boom—

Amid a violent crash, Lu Li was sent flying backward. He adjusted his posture in midair, then took several retreating steps after landing to bleed off the force, sliding across the floor for some distance before finally coming to a stop.

He glanced at the bamboo sword broken into two pieces in his hand, tossed it onto the ground, and rolled his arm, which ached from the impact. Grinning, he said, "Teacher, that wasn't Reiwei Level 17, was it?"

Teacher Fujimoto looked somewhat embarrassed. In that instant just now, he had instinctively protected his vital points and used his Reiatsu to defend himself, which was how he had sent Lu Li flying.

Only then did he realize that his back was already soaked with sweat. That brief exchange had felt like a walk along the line between life and death.

Clearly, his opponent's true strength was weak, yet in that instant, Teacher Fujimoto had felt an overwhelming pressure. That madness that threatened to crush him had shattered his nerves and triggered his body's self-defense mechanisms.

"Lu-kun, you're exceptional. Have you received any swordsmanship training before?"

Having adjusted his mindset, Teacher Fujimoto asked curiously. He was, after all, a teacher at the True Spirit Arts Academy. He would not become resentful and embarrassed over such a matter. On the contrary, he greatly appreciated Lu Li's outstanding swordsmanship.

"Swordsmanship? Never learned it."

Lu Li shook his head. He was telling the truth. He had never studied this world's "swordsmanship," though he did know a thing or two about blade techniques.

Oh, according to the End Space menu's evaluation of Specializations, he had Master-level Swordsmanship Specialization. It seemed fairly decent.

In his original world, there were already very few people who practiced martial arts.

Though he was unwilling to admit it, the sad truth was that the people he had killed had, in a sense, represented the pinnacle of martial arts in that era.

Even Wang Luo, known as the Blade King and enhanced by an exoskeleton that improved his physical abilities, had lasted only ten moves against him.

Wang Luo had wielded an Aryan Steel Blade customized by his company, while Lu Li had used nothing more than an ordinary butcher's knife to kill him.

So after killing that group of so-called martial arts grandmasters, he had felt somewhat despairing toward that world.

At that moment, quiet discussions filled the dojo. Everyone had clearly been stunned by the outcome of the spar.

Among the crowd, a certain light flickered in Aizen's eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses. His roommate seemed rather interesting. It looked like his years at the True Spirit Arts Academy would not be boring after all.

"You mean... you've never learned swordsmanship?"

Teacher Fujimoto was astonished by Lu Li's answer. But on second thought, Lu Li was merely a refugee, so he truly had no proper means of learning swordsmanship.

But didn't that make Lu Li's talent even more apparent?

Without ever receiving formal instruction, he had defeated him, a swordsmanship teacher, head-on while at the same Reiwei level. The child Captain Unohana had brought back might be a super genius unseen in a hundred years!

When Lu Li nodded expressionlessly, Teacher Fujimoto grew even more excited, only to become somewhat disappointed afterward.

He was excited because he had discovered a super genius. He was disappointed because he realized that he seemed... unable to teach Lu Li.

Yes, he had to admit that even if he had not underestimated Lu Li just now, if they had sparred at the same Reiatsu level, he would likely still have lost in the end.

What had truly amazed him was not Lu Li's first strike, but his second. That second strike had used the rebound force to draw back the blade and dissipate the force, then, in the process of dissipating it, guided the force back around like redirecting a stream of water before finally striking again from a tricky angle.

Such control over power and such exquisite skill were simply beyond him. Rather, no school of swordsmanship would teach such techniques. The theory might exist, but those capable of putting it into practice were geniuses one in ten thousand.

Was this why Captain Unohana valued him so highly...?

"Lu-kun, take your seat first. We'll cover some theory today before moving on to sparring."

Teacher Fujimoto calmed his complicated emotions. Class still had to continue.

Under the astonished, curious, and admiring gazes of the others, Lu Li walked into the crowd and sat beside Aizen.

"Lu-kun is truly strong. I've never seen anyone defeat Teacher Fujimoto in a swordsmanship class before."

Aizen said it with a sigh.

Lu Li smiled and asked, "Can't Sōsuke do it either?"

Aizen's expression remained natural. "What are you talking about, Lu-kun? My swordsmanship grades are fairly good, but I'm still far from being able to exchange blows with Teacher Fujimoto. I'll have to ask for your guidance in the future."

Lu Li felt a little disgusted inside. He could not really understand the pleasure Aizen took in playing the pig to eat the tiger, nor did he know why Aizen was hiding his strength now. Could it be that he had already begun plotting to ascend the throne at this point?

Perhaps because he wanted to accommodate Lu Li, who had said he had never learned swordsmanship, Teacher Fujimoto spent the following time explaining only the fundamentals of swordsmanship.

Lu Li did not zone out. Instead, he listened carefully, and discovered that this so-called swordsmanship did have merits. Teacher Fujimoto was weak, not swordsmanship itself.

He could not help wondering how strong the swordsmanship of Retsu Unohana, who was said to have mastered every school in the Soul Society, might be. The mere thought made him somewhat excited.

Of course, he would not court death by challenging Captain Unohana. The difference between her Reiatsu level and his was like heaven and earth. In terms of the Space panel, their attributes might differ by dozens, perhaps even hundreds of points.

What he needed to do now was become stronger. Only then could he challenge those masters and enjoy the thrill of battle.

The first stage of his Main Quest had now been completed, and the second stage had been issued.

Main Quest, Stage Two: Clear the True Spirit Arts Academy at Speed

Quest Details: The Explorer must complete all courses at the True Spirit Arts Academy within three natural months, skip grades and graduate, achieving the fastest accomplishment never before achieved in the history of the True Spirit Arts Academy.

Quest Difficulty: Hard–Nightmare

Quest Reward: 3,000 Doomsday Coins, Asauchi, qualification to return

Failure Penalty: Erasure

The upper limit of this quest's difficulty was rather high. Lu Li had played games before, and the word "Nightmare" looked highly challenging.

Objectively speaking, it seemed he would not encounter any danger at the True Spirit Arts Academy. But if he wanted to graduate early, he would most likely have to take an unconventional path.

The Soul Society was such a vast place. Had there really been few geniuses since the True Spirit Arts Academy was founded? Since the quest description said this was an accomplishment no one had ever achieved, it probably would not be easy to graduate early at "extreme speed."

Ordinary Gotei 13 soldiers indeed only had around Reiwei Level 20, but that did not mean that reaching Reiwei Level 20 or above would allow someone to graduate directly from the True Spirit Arts Academy.

If someone was exceptionally talented, the True Spirit Arts Academy would be even more inclined to cultivate them carefully rather than rush their growth. Thus, even if a student possessed excellent talent, they would be kept in the academy for training until they became stronger before joining the Gotei 13.

Lu Li watched his classmates, who had already begun sparring, and fell into deep thought. He was considering what the greatest obstacle to completing this quest would be.

And there was also...