Kenmei looked at him. "Use it now. Let me see."
Shira hesitated. Activating the active state for sparring meant he would go all out, while Teacher Kenmei only had one arm.
Isn't this too disrespectful? Or, is it going to be too much for the teacher to handle?
Kenmei seemed to sense his hesitation; the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly—it was hardly a smile, more like a slight mockery of his disciple's overthinking. "Use."
It was just one word, yet it carried an undeniable meaning.
Haha, I underestimated Teacher Kenmei.
Shira no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly focused, and the rhythm of the Seven Heavens Breathing Method within his body abruptly changed!
Deeper, heavier, and faster!
First Activation, activate!
"Call--!"
As if an invisible shackle had been broken, a warm and surging power burst forth from the depths of the body, sweeping through every limb and bone!
My heart pounded like a drum, and the rushing blood made a faint rumble.
The skin felt slightly hot, and breathing became hot and forceful, the exhaled breath condensing into a brief white streak in the cool air.
The surrounding air seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, emitting a low hum, trembling and distorting slightly.
The gravel ground beneath his feet could not withstand the sudden change in the force and the shift in his center of gravity, and it made a slight "crack" sound, leaving two clear shallow pits, with small pebbles rolling down the edges of the pits.
A powerful, solid, and vibrant aura, stronger than usual, spread out from the center of Shira.
The sword in his hand seemed to have become heavier and hungrier, yearning to cut through something.
Teacher Kenmei's usually calm and unwavering eyes contracted almost imperceptibly the moment Shira activated her powers.
He clearly felt the oppressive, vibrant "momentum" rushing towards him, saw the unusual flow of air, and heard the soft cracking of gravel beneath his feet.
This is not an explosion of Chakra; it is a physical phenomenon and life pressure that naturally arises from the forced elevation of physical functions to another level.
The almost imperceptible curve of his lips seemed to become slightly more pronounced. His right hand, gripping the sword, tightened its knuckles slightly.
"Come." He uttered a single word again, raising his longsword with his one arm, assuming a starting stance that was slightly different from before, more composed, and even carrying a hint of "welcoming".
Shira felt that her senses were amplified in her active state. This included not only anticipating every subtle movement of Teacher Kenmei, but also perceiving the surrounding environment—especially the wind.
He "heard" the subtle differences in tone as the wind brushed against the different edges of the rocks, "saw" the faint, disordered trails of the sand and dust swept up by the wind, and even more clearly "felt" the interaction between his every breath, every heartbeat, and every muscle contraction and the surrounding airflow.
He felt as if he were in an invisible net woven from countless flowing wisps of air, and his body and sword were the source of the disturbance in this net.
Without hesitation, he moved!
With the boost from the First Activation, his speed increased dramatically!
His figure moved like lightning, his forward momentum several times stronger than before, shattering the gravel beneath his feet!
The longsword tore through the air, no longer with a simple "whoosh," but with a deep, continuous "ripping" sound, like cloth being rapidly torn.
Wherever the sword's edge passed, the air was violently compressed and displaced, forming a clearly visible, slightly distorted, transparent shockwave that clung tightly to the sword's blade!
This sword strike was fast, heavy, and carried an unprecedented "cutting" intent!
Teacher Kenmei's eyes narrowed, and with his one arm wielding his sword, he neither dodged nor evaded, but instead met Shira's ferocious sword strike with unparalleled precision!
He no longer used clever techniques to deflect force, but instead channeled all his strength into the sword to meet force head-on!
"Clang--!!!"
A deafening and prolonged clang of metal shattered the silence, sending sparks flying like rain!
A visible ring of air emanated from the point where the two swords clashed, suddenly spreading outwards and stirring up the sand and dust on the ground, creating a small circle of dust!
Teacher Kenmei's body jolted, and he stumbled back three steps, each step leaving deep footprints on the hard gravel. The sleeve of his right arm was torn open by the sudden burst of force and air currents. But his hand holding the sword remained steady, and his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
Shira was also pushed back a step by the recoil, but he felt incredibly refreshed! In his active state, his perception and utilization of "wind" and "airflow" seemed to come naturally!
Just now, he could clearly "feel" how he used the blade to "cleave" the air in front of him, how he used the wind pressure generated by his body to assist his forward momentum, and even how he used the subtle disturbances caused by the friction between the blade and the air to interfere with Master Kenmei's judgment of distance and angle when he was blocking!
"That's really interesting!"
Master Kenmei steadied himself and, surprisingly, uttered four words. He glanced at his torn sleeve, then looked at Shira, his eyes no longer displaying simple calm, but rather a gleam of swordsman's eagerness, like the gleam of a hunter eyeing his prey.
"Again! Don't hold back!"
"Good!"
Shira's spirits lifted, and with a low shout, she charged forward again!
This time, his swordplay was no longer confined to fixed routines, but combined speed, power, and the perception and utilization of airflow.
Thrust, slice, chop, smear...
Each sword strike carries the immense power of an active state and subtle disturbances to the air.
The sword wind howled, seemingly resonating with and opposing the ceaseless natural winds of heaven and earth, stirring up small, chaotic vortices and dust on the gravel slope.
Master Kenmei, with only one arm, brought his decades of cultivation to its peak. His swordsmanship remained simple, precise, and efficient, intercepting Shira's attacks at the last second or dodging the sharpest sword winds with subtle footwork.
He was adapting, observing, and analyzing this new form of Shira, which initially combined physical explosiveness with "qi control."
This was a sword fight unlike any other before.
There were no dazzling Ninjutsu, no bizarre illusions, only the most primal clash of metal, the confrontation of power, and the ever-present wind and sand, stirred up more and more wildly by the two swords and figures.