Breaking Through So Casually?

"Please forgive me, Elder Kizaru. From here on, I'll use all my strength!"

Ghost also knew that if he wanted to break through, he had to focus with all his might. Elder Kizaru's earlier strike had already left him somewhat distracted.

"Eighth Soul Skill, Ghostly Specters!"

Countless ghostly shadows crisscrossed as they rushed toward Rota, while Ghost flickered continuously among them, making his movements extremely difficult to predict.

Unfortunately, Ghost had encountered Rota. When it came to speed, if Rota dared call himself second, no one would dare claim first. No matter how exquisitely Ghost hid himself or how swiftly he flickered, he could not escape Rota's senses.

To put it simply, if one reached the speed of light, time would seem to slow down relatively. It was roughly that sort of principle. In Rota's eyes, Ghost's speed was like slow motion.

"You finally look a little serious now!"

If Ghost had been somewhat unsettled before, he was now attacking with his full concentration.

"But~"

Rota casually grabbed Ghost's arm and said with a smile, "Can you go any faster? This speed is still far too slow~"

Ghost was not surprised. Wasn't it only natural for Elder Kizaru, who could subdue a Radiant Sword Fang Tiger in a single move, to possess such strength?

Rota casually threw Ghost away. Ghost quickly adjusted his posture in midair, and his reaction speed was fairly commendable.

"You reacted immediately. Not bad at all~ But now, this old man will play with you a little too!"

After all, he would be going to Ghost's place to mooch some drinks later. If he did not help him out a little, Rota himself would feel embarrassed.

"Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!"

Countless flashes of light gathered in Rota's hand, forming the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. Holding it, Rota casually slashed at Ghost.

A sharp sword aura swept forth. Ghost hurriedly dodged. If his reactions had been any slower, he might have been struck by that swift sword aura.

Even from far away, Ghost could sense the power contained within the sword aura. He had no intention of testing it with his own body.

"It's not over yet, Ghost~"

Before Ghost could react, Rota had already arrived before him and slashed several times. A cage formed from sword aura sealed off every possible path of retreat.

"If you want to grow stronger, this old man will give you some advice: face your fear head-on!"

Ghost looked at the sword aura surrounding him from all sides without the slightest hint of retreat in his eyes. His gaze was incomparably resolute. Just as Elder Kizaru had said, only by undergoing trials of life and death could one continue to improve.

Unexpectedly, the sword aura swept directly past Ghost's body without striking him. It seemed Elder Kizaru had measured his strength well.

"Ghost, do you know swordsmanship?"

Suddenly, an interesting idea surfaced in Rota's mind. It might even increase his imitation progress!

"Swordsmanship? I'm sorry, Elder Kizaru, but I don't know swordsmanship!"

It seemed there was no chance to try out a set of health-preserving sword techniques. He should find Sword Douluo for a spar sometime!

"If you don't know swordsmanship, then be careful~"

Rota appeared behind Ghost and kicked out. Ghost did his best to block it, but it was futile.

As Ghost flew backward, he hurriedly adjusted his posture. He had no idea when Rota would launch his next attack.

"Right here~"

Rota suddenly appeared above Ghost and swung the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi sideways, sending Ghost crashing straight into the ground.

Ghost was completely unable to fight back against Rota. He had been beaten down the entire time.

"Huff, huff..." Ghost was already panting heavily, and there was even blood at the corner of his mouth.

He had to admit that, in terms of speed, Ghost had been completely suppressed by Rota.

"Damn it, this feeling of powerlessness... Am I really this pathetic?"

How could Ghost not be angered? The speed he had always been so proud of was actually so vulnerable before Elder Kizaru.

No, I have to surpass this!

Rota's sword did not stop swinging. Just as it was about to strike Ghost, Ghost's figure vanished.

For the first time, Rota's attack missed. Or rather, Ghost had evaded it through his own strength.

"Amazing, not bad at all~"

After dodging Rota's sword, Ghost was delighted to discover that his Soul Power had also broken through to rank 86!

"This... is simply unbelievable!"

An indescribable joy filled Ghost's heart. He hurriedly ran before Rota, bowed, and said gratefully, "Elder Kizaru, thank you for putting me through this trial, and thank you for showing mercy!"

After all, Ghost and Rota had merely been having a friendly spar. When Rota condensed the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, he had not made it too sharp, so the slashes had become strikes instead.

"There's no need to thank this old man. This is your own talent. This old man merely gave you a little push from the side."

"No, if it weren't for you, I might not even know when I would have been able to break through. I will forever remember this kindness."

Although they had not known each other for long, Ghost's respect for Rota had unconsciously surpassed even that for Qian Xunjie.

"If you really want to thank this old man, then once we return, let me quickly taste the fine tea you've been keeping!"

"No problem, of course. I have quite a lot of tea stored away!"

Rota had not expected Ghost to enjoy tea as well, and his interest was immediately piqued.

"Ghost, do you like tea too?"

"Only occasionally. Those teas were all gifts from others, and I don't drink them much. Rather than letting them spoil at home, I might as well treat Elder Kizaru to them!"

Rota had not expected Ghost to have such a personality. He was rather different from the impression Rota had previously had of him. Sure enough, actually getting along with someone was different!

"Elder Kizaru, why are you so strong? And whenever you attack, I've never seen you summon your martial soul!" Ghost had always been curious about this.

"That? Everyone walks a different path. This old man simply doesn't like all that flashy nonsense, so I generally don't summon it when fighting~"

"I see. Then I was being disrespectful!"

Rota and Ghost chatted quite well together. Rota even told Ghost some altered stories from One Piece.

"So, Elder Kizaru, you used to catch pirates! Then why did you decide to come to Spirit Hall?"

"Well, when you get older, you want to see the outside world. This old man also wanted to wander around a bit~"

"An old monster like you has truly taught us what it means that there is always someone stronger!"

Before meeting Rota, Ghost had always felt that he and the others were quite strong, so they had grown rather lax in their cultivation. This Soul Hunting Operation had awakened Yue Guan, while sparring with Rota had awakened Ghost.

The two of them would surely cultivate even more diligently from now on, though talent was still very important.

"Work hard, then. Break through to Titled Douluo as soon as possible. Who knows, you might even surpass your Pope!" Rota joked.

"That must be a joke. How could people like us possibly compare to His Holiness the Pope in talent?"

Rota did not mind. He had only said it casually anyway.

Just as Rota was planning to read the newspaper, the steward suddenly ran over in a panic.

"My lords, this is bad! There's a group of vicious criminals causing trouble in Nuoding City!"

"They're probably just petty thieves. Can't you just clean them up?" Rota replied casually without paying much attention.

"It's different this time. The other side is not weak. The Nuoding City Enforcement Team simply can't handle them."

"Oh my~ It looks like something rather serious has happened!"