A Feint

Iaijutsu was the culmination of sword-drawing techniques, one of the most renowned forms of samurai swordsmanship passed down from ancient times.

Sword-drawing techniques were the foundation of all blade arts, so such entry-level skills naturally did not have a particularly high threshold.

Yet this most basic of basic training vividly embodied the essence of swordsmanship: easy to learn, difficult to master.

There were many schools of sword-drawing techniques, but the most widely practiced was undoubtedly Iaijutsu.

It was easy to pick up. Any samurai could make a decent show of it with a few swings, and many renowned samurai could look quite intimidating simply by mastering this set of techniques.

Though it was difficult to cultivate it to the transcendent level of Mifune or Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo—even reaching the level Yanliu had recently attained after his great improvement was no easy feat—it was indeed a path leading directly to the Great Way.

For masters of Iaijutsu who emphasized spiritual cultivation, training during ordinary times of peace was paramount. When facing an enemy, they would draw and slash in an instant, spot the enemy's weakness in the flash of lightning and spark, seize the opportunity, and defeat them in a single blow. That was the essence of Iaijutsu.

A master could lead one to the door, but cultivation depended on the individual. To suddenly comprehend its essence also required a certain stroke of fortune.

Yanliu's great leap in strength had come after suffering a setback at Mizuki's hands, then devoting himself wholeheartedly to training until he reached his current level.

As for Mifune, when he was young, he had suffered a crushing defeat in a duel against Hanzo the "Demigod." Hanzo had spared him, allowing him to survive. Only after knowing shame and striving harder had he been able