Takanashi Rokuno came down the woodland path. He shook his head at the Corps members, who were half-dead with exhaustion.
"Tengen, your methods really are brutal," Rokuya said, his arms folded across his chest.
Tengen grinned.
"Rokuya. These guys have terrible foundations. If we don't put their stamina through the wringer, they'll just be going to their deaths on the battlefield. This is the most flamboyant rule of survival."
Rokuya nodded.
"You're right. Without stamina, they can't even maintain their Breathing Styles. Let them keep running."
Rokuya left the first stage's training grounds and headed toward the Back Mountain. He could hear the endless screams from far away.
This was the second stage's training grounds. Mitsuri Kanroji and Kanae Kocho were in charge of flexibility and reaction training.
Mitsuri was pressing down on a Corps member's shoulders. She forced his legs apart into a split.
"Aaah! My legs are going to break! They really are!" The Corps member's face turned bright red as he screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
Mitsuri encouraged him with a beaming smile.
"Just hold on a little longer. Once your joints become more flexible, you'll be able to absorb impacts better in battle. That way, you won't get hurt as easily."
Mitsuri's strength was astonishing. The Corps member couldn't resist at all and could only endure the hellish stretch as he screamed.
On the other side of the grounds was Kanae Kocho's training area.
Kanae stood in a grove of deciduous trees. The autumn wind blew, sending fallen leaves dancing through the air.
A dozen or so Corps members stood among the trees, holding wooden swords.
Kanae smiled and drew her Nichirin Blade.
"Listen carefully, everyone. The next exercise will train your dynamic vision and obstacle avoidance. I'll use Flower Breathing to move these fallen