If I could win a Swordmaster's favor, wouldn't that mean...
He gradually began imagining his meteoric rise. When that day came, everyone would call him "Brother Xiu." Haha!
At that thought, he coughed lightly a few times, then began clearing up the esteemed Swordmaster's confusion.
"Oh, so you don't know how samurai ranks work?" he asked respectfully.
"Then how about I explain them to you?"
Yui nodded. Indeed, she really didn't know how samurai ranks worked, so this seemed like a good chance to learn.
"Ahem..." The samurai guarding the gate cleared his throat and straightened up before explaining solemnly, "Samurai ranks are more or less the same as ninja ranks..."
"You know about ninja, don't you, my lady?
"From lowest to highest, they are:
"Apprentice, which corresponds to Genin among ninja.
"Elite, which corresponds to Chunin among ninja.
"Then come Swordmaster and Sword Saint, corresponding to Jonin and Kage Level ninja respectively..."
Yui nodded thoughtfully. Going by that ranking system, and recalling the samurai's startled cry earlier...
That would put me at Swordmaster level? How could that be? I've never undergone any systematic training in swordsmanship.
Puzzled by that thought, Yui asked, "By the way, how did you tell whether I was a Swordmaster earlier?"
The gate guard's expression turned a little odd. A samurai who didn't even know that?
Still, he didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he patiently answered, "That's simple. It's because you have blade energy, of course. A blade imbued with energy when swung is the mark of a Swordmaster."
At the mention of Swordmasters, the gate guard's expression briefly fell.
Then he sighed helplessly.
"Ah, let me tell you!
"There are only twelve Swordmasters like you in all of Iron City...
"As for Sword Saints, there's only the general."
Yui's face remained expressionless, but her