Crossing Swords

"Oh? That's a good suggestion, senpai. But I should warn you, I'm really strong."

"Let's just call it a little exercise after dinner. A simple spar, so I can see the gap between a genius and me."

Kaien scratched his head.

"I'm not a genius... But I do know a good place. It's a bit far, though. Want to check it out?"

"Sure."

Kaien went back inside and came out with two wooden swords.

"Senpai, shall we warm up with Shunpo first?"

"Sure."

Wang Xun nodded.

Their eyes met, and as soon as the words were spoken, both vanished from where they stood.

The next moment, they appeared almost simultaneously on opposite sides of the flat mountaintop.

This time, Wang Xun held nothing back.

There was no need to conceal his abilities against a formidable opponent like Kaien.

The more he could push Kaien to use his full strength, the more efficiently he could acquire experience fragments.

Using everything he had, he moved swiftly with Shunpo, keeping close on Kaien's heels.

Kaien looked back. Although he was holding back, he hadn't expected Wang Xun to keep up so easily.

I suppose that makes sense. He's my senior at the Spiritual Arts Academy, after all. How could I pull so far ahead of him so easily?

Kaien's expression grew serious. He was finally taking the match seriously.

His speed suddenly increased, leaving a glowing fragment behind that only Wang Xun could see.

Seeing this, Wang Xun discreetly adjusted his path. The instant the afterimage faded, his fingers brushed almost imperceptibly through the air.

[Shunpo insight acquired, Shunpo experience +25]

Kaien Shiba's insights from training in Shunpo instantly merged into Wang Xun's body.

The two figures raced on, one chasing the other.

This time, Kaien finally gained the advantage.

Kaien's brows rose slightly. Although Wang Xun was a little slower than him, he stayed close on his heels, and pulling away would be no easy task.

Strangely, he felt that Wang Xun's Shunpo style seemed to have changed in some subtle way.

Although it was still primarily the Spiritual Arts Academy style he knew, certain details in his turns and bursts of speed faintly resembled Kaien's own training.

Was it my imagination...?

After an unknown length of time, the two finally stopped, only a dozen or so meters apart.

As Wang Xun caught his breath, surprise flashed in Kaien's eyes.

"Your Shunpo is fast, senpai."

"This is Mount Koibushi. There are no homes nearby, and it's where I usually train. It's a good place to spar."

Mount Koibushi had gentle slopes and sparse trees, with a broad, flat expanse at its summit. The moonlight shone white and bright; it was indeed a good place to spar.

Kaien took the two wooden swords from his back and tossed one to Wang Xun.

Wang Xun caught the wooden sword and hefted it. Its weight was just right.

He slowly assumed the most basic middle stance of Kendō.

Kaien grew serious as well. He gripped his sword in both hands and took his opening stance, naturally exuding a steady, sharp presence.

"Watch out, senpai."

Without a signal, both moved at once.

Their wooden swords clashed with a crisp, ringing sound that carried far across the silent mountaintop.

In the next instant, the wooden swords clashed incessantly as the two figures darted and crossed beneath the moonlight.

The longer Kaien fought, the more alarmed he became.

Under Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko's tutelage, he had become skilled enough in Kendō to overpower most of his peers.

No matter how fiercely his attacks surged like waves, Wang Xun always met them steadily and found openings to counterattack.

Was senpai Wang Xun really this strong?

[Kendō insight acquired, Kendō experience +40]

[Kendō insight acquired, Kendō experience +30]

Watching the fragments constantly drop, Wang Xun felt utterly exhilarated. Kaien was practically a walking treasure trove of experience.

As he dealt with Kaien's attacks, he greedily absorbed those high-quality combat fragments.

Wang Xun rapidly assimilated and absorbed Kaien's Kendō experience.

Subtle changes began to appear in his sword techniques.

As the fight went on, Kaien grew increasingly alarmed.

He discovered that Wang Xun had begun, consciously or otherwise, to imitate some of his favored combinations and methods of applying force, incorporating them into his defense and counterattacks.

Such an ability to learn and adapt was simply inconceivable.

"Good!"

Kaien shouted and stopped holding back. His Reiatsu erupted, and a faint glow even appeared on his wooden sword as he brought it down in a powerful diagonal slash!

Wang Xun's gaze sharpened. Rather than meet the blow head-on, he used Shunpo and slid to the side, his wooden sword scraping upward along Kaien's blade toward his wrist!

Kaien hurriedly changed his move to block.

"Crack!" With a sharp snap, the two wooden swords, infused with Reiatsu, proved unable to withstand the collision of such force and broke in half at the same time!

Amid the flying splinters, the two discarded their swords almost simultaneously, fists and palms colliding!

The fight turned to Hakuda!

Kaien's Hakuda was just as outstanding, fierce and powerful. Combined with the methods of applying force he had developed through years of training, every punch carried power that could not be underestimated.

Wang Xun's punches and kicks looked less forceful than Kaien's, but his moves were unpredictable, and he always had a response.

Under the moonlight, the two figures traded a flurry of punches and kicks, dull impacts sounding ceaselessly.

Dust rose, forming a hazy halo in the moonlight.

The longer Kaien fought, the more alarmed he became.

Now he was finally certain.

Wang Xun was like a sponge, constantly absorbing his combat experience and turning it into his own at an astonishing speed.

He had never heard of anyone learning from an opponent in battle and applying what they learned so quickly.

As the fierce battle raged, Wang Xun keenly caught a fleeting opening as Kaien switched moves during an exchange at close quarters.

This was thanks to the predictions formed from the large number of his opponent's fighting habits contained in the fragments he had absorbed.

An opening.

Kaien's fighting instincts were extraordinarily sharp, and a sense of danger rose within him, but by the time Wang Xun's heavy punch came at him, it was too late to dodge.

"Bang!"

After a loud impact, duller than the ones before, both retreated several steps, leaving shallow pits in the ground beneath their feet.

Kaien touched his waist. At the final moment of impact, Wang Xun had pulled his blow.

"Amazing..."

The two caught their breath for a moment. When they looked at each other again, the fighting spirit in their eyes burned even brighter.

This was what it felt like to meet an equal.

Although Kaien's overall strength was a cut above Wang Xun's, Wang Xun was clearly more experienced. His experience was somewhat varied, but practical.

Where did senpai Wang Xun pick up so much fighting experience during his years at the Spiritual Arts Academy?

"Again!"

Kaien shouted, and the two fought once more.

Watching the fragments fill the air, Wang Xun saw his experience bar shoot up.

This continued until he felt that his Reiatsu was nearly depleted and his body was growing exceedingly weary.

Then Wang Xun suddenly froze.

Perhaps it was the intense strain that the high-intensity battle had placed on his mind and Reiatsu, or perhaps the fierce confrontation itself had stimulated it.

Deep in Wang Xun's soul, that wisp of dark red Reiatsu unique to Hollows, which had lain dormant all this time, suddenly stirred restlessly.

A strange sensation, cold and violent and filled with a desire to devour, suddenly shot through Wang Xun's heart like a venomous snake.