Swordsmanship Advancement

After lunch, there was a short rest, and then it was time for classes and cultivation.

Zhou Qi held a wooden sword, habitually exerting force from his waist and abdomen, which then transferred upwards like gears, reaching his shoulders before being swung out by his arms.

"Buzz!" The entire process was so smooth that Zhou Qi didn't even react before he swung past his intended target!

"Huh?" Realizing what had happened, Zhou Qi quickly got into position and tried again.

The same waist and back power was exerted, transferred to the shoulders, and then to the arms.

Buzz!

The long sword was swung out heavily, creating a buzzing sound in the wind.

"Have I really mastered it?" Zhou Qi was instantly overjoyed. The purpose of suburi practice was to gather the strength of the entire body and concentrate it at the tip of the sword, but beginners could only use the strength of their arms. To have one's energy flow through the whole body with uniform force was something that took a lot of practice.

But Zhou Qi hadn't expected that his strength would connect to his shoulders in less than two weeks of training.

Although it was a small improvement, the power of the sword he swung out had increased by over seventy percent!

"At this rate of cultivation, won't it be another two months until it reaches my waist and abdomen, and another two months until my energy flows through my entire body?" Zhou Qi found it somewhat unbelievable. Was he truly a legendary martial arts genius?

As if sensing something, Zhou Qi quickly turned his head and saw Koshiro standing at the doorway. For the first time in a while, his usually calm face showed a rare expression of surprise.

"Teacher?" Zhou Qi quickly sheathed his sword.

"You can see me?" Koshiro asked.

"Uh, I sensed something!" Zhou Qi replied. After all, even ordinary people would feel something if they were being stared at for a long time.

"Is that so?" Koshiro was even more shocked. He had used Observation Haki to control every muscle and minimize his presence, to the point where even other users of Observation Haki might not be able to detect him.

Yet Zhou Qi had actually sensed him.

And...

"Your control over your strength has already reached your shoulders?" Koshiro asked again.

"Uh, yes!" Zhou Qi nodded, then swung his sword again as he had just done.

He had to admit, the sword's power had increased significantly, but the consumption was about the same as before.

The reason was that his shoulders had been exerting force before as well, not slacking off, but that force had been wasted midway and hadn't reached his arms.

Now, with his enhanced control over his strength, the same amount of force could produce 1.7 times the effect.

This was the meaning of training.

Koshiro watched Zhou Qi's movements. He had been teaching disciples for over ten years, and he could tell at a glance whether Zhou Qi's shoulders were channeling power.

It was precisely because he could see it that he found it so unbelievable: "You've never practiced swordsmanship before, have you?"

"No," Zhou Qi nodded. "Is there a problem?"

"No!" Koshiro shook his head. "If that's truly the case, then you are indeed a genius!"

He was a man who spoke the truth and wouldn't deliberately belittle his disciples. Moreover, Zhou Qi was an adult, not a child like Zoro.

He rarely praised his disciples as geniuses, because even geniuses needed long-term effort to succeed.

But Zhou Qi's growth rate was too fast!

It far exceeded the definition of a swordsmanship genius in One Piece, making it impossible for him to ignore.

In fact, starting with Zhou Qi, the definition of genius itself might need to change.

"The shoulders and waist are connected by the spine. Once the power flows through the shoulders, it will naturally extend to the waist. At your current cultivation speed, you might achieve it in a couple more days," Koshiro said.

"That fast?" Zhou Qi asked.

Koshiro nodded. In fact, for an ordinary person, it would take at least three to five years, or even seven to eight years.

He had never seen anyone achieve it in just a week.

"Since your power can now flow through half your body, the next stage of training should also be put on the agenda!" Koshiro said.

"Striking Practice?" Zhou Qi asked.

Striking Practice involved refining muscle control through the force of recoil. At the micro level, one could even control specific areas or even individual muscle fibers to exert force.

A mosquito landing on one's body could be instantly shaken off.

This description was akin to the "internal force" in modern Chinese martial arts.

Or perhaps, it was the same thing, just with different manifestations and descriptions in different worlds.

Zhou Qi had been looking forward to this for a long time. The main reason was that if he could control even a single muscle fiber, could he also achieve precise control over the Space Gate?

"Yes, but not only that!" Koshiro said. "Besides Striking Practice, there's also combat!"

"Combat?" Zhou Qi was taken aback. "I haven't even finished my suburi training yet. Isn't it too soon?"

"No, it's not too soon at all!" Koshiro shook his head. "Many disciples in my dojo started combat training before they even finished their suburi!"

"This is not a peaceful world, after all. There isn't enough time for you to slowly build your foundation!" Koshiro said. "Especially in the future, you'll be hunting pirates with us, so you must have a certain level of combat ability."

"I see!" Zhou Qi nodded. "No problem, let's do it then!"

I'm really looking forward to combat too.

"Then let's start with striking practice!" Koshiro beckoned. "Follow me!"

In the dojo's backyard, many trees grew. Some had ropes wrapped around them in circles, while others had thick paper attached.

"Let's start with the paper!" Koshiro said. "Like this, slash down with all your focus. You must not only use strength but also your mind. Feel the power flow and change within your body, then try to master that change!"

This felt a bit mystical all of a sudden!

Zhou Qi imitated Koshiro, first bringing his wooden sword down heavily on the paper.

The moment the paper was struck, a recoil force traveled through the wooden sword to his arm.

"Huh?" Zhou Qi immediately felt something different.

Before, recoil was just recoil. There was nothing strange about it.

But now, his suburi had reached the introductory stage, and he was no longer a novice in using strength.

It was like the difference between a illiterate person and a primary school student reading a novel. Both couldn't understand it, but at least the primary school student could recognize a few words.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qi swung his sword down heavily again, then continued to ponder and swing his sword.

Koshiro didn't leave this time. He had let Zhou Qi practice on his own before, and in doing so, he had missed the process of a genius's growth.

This time, he saw it all unfold and seemed to understand something.

"So, he's not just training his body, he's using his brain too!" This aligned perfectly with the tenets of Isshin-ryu, which emphasized that while swordsmanship was important, the mind that controlled it was even more so.

He didn't know that the method Zhou Qi was using was the most basic on Earth: combining theory with practice.

He understood what this swordsmanship was about. Apart from the consciousness, which was something modern science hadn't discovered, both muscles and nerves were things explained in modern biology.

Once he knew what he was training, he naturally gravitated towards the correct methods.

Don't underestimate the simple phrase "combining theory with practice." The entire modern scientific civilization was built upon these six words.

Before these six words, Earth had experienced hundreds of thousands of years of feudal ignorance. But with these six words, Earth went from the ground to the moon in less than two hundred years.

An hour later, Koshiro also taught Zhou Qi a massage technique to soothe the vibration pain in his hands.

And then came what Zhou Qi was most looking forward to: actual combat!

"Isshin-ryu swordsmanship has a set of basic footwork, followed by four basic sword forms: cleave, slash, chop, and draw. All subsequent sword techniques and moves develop from these four basic forms. As long as you can master them in terms of quantity, you can then achieve one-sword style, two-sword style, three-sword style, or even create your own sword techniques!"

Koshiro meticulously demonstrated the family's inherited swordsmanship to Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi's memory was already very good now, but just in case, he took out his phone to record it.

After recording, it was time for practice. Zhou Qi practiced, while Koshiro continuously corrected his posture.

Everyone's height, weight, and arm span were different, and the suitable way of exerting force also varied. However, before one could adapt the sword techniques, one had to learn them first.

Moreover, Zhou Qi and Koshiro were similar in height and arm span, so the standard posture Koshiro taught was basically the most comfortable for him.

Two hours later, Zhou Qi, having replenished his energy with two chocolate bars, stood before Koshiro with his wooden sword.

"There's not much to say about combat. The more you fight, the more familiar you'll become with the opponent's moves and how to counter them!" Koshiro said. "Also, if you can strike first, always strike first. At the same level, the one who strikes first always has the advantage."

"Mhm!" Zhou Qi nodded. After all, the world of pirates wasn't Earth.

On Earth, getting hit was like getting a new car. In the world of pirates, getting hit meant death.

"Attack!" Koshiro stood still, his sword not yet drawn, as if he were on a picnic.

"Mhm!" Zhou Qi nodded. He knew that Koshiro wasn't underestimating him. The gap between him and Koshiro was probably as vast as the gap between Zoro when he first set out and Hawk Eyes.

Not worried about hurting Koshiro, he could go all out!

"Steel Slash followed by Rainbow Cut, then an Invincible Slash!" Zhou Qi instantly designed his combo and then unleashed his sword.

He was immediately parried by Koshiro, and the next second, the hilt of Koshiro's sword was at his throat.

"Your intention was too obvious, and what about your footwork? Why didn't you move? Also, the sword in your hand isn't long, so why did you thrust?"

"Uh..." Zhou Qi quickly adjusted. It seemed he couldn't play fancy tricks. "Again."

Mountain Splitting Chop, I just learned it and I'm quite proficient.

But Koshiro dodged it directly. Then, with a twist of the hilt, he struck Zhou Qi's chest.

Zhou Qi clutched his chest and pushed himself away, only to hear Koshiro say, "Your striking practice isn't perfected yet. You can't put your full strength into every strike, otherwise, you're just giving your opponent a chance to kill you!"

"Mhm, mhm!" Zhou Qi quickly adjusted.