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There are many schools of thought within the two-sword style.
Unfortunately, among the Zhenxing Eight Extremes, there are double hooks, double swords, and double axes, but conspicuously no double blades.
Even less so this long-and-short sword technique.
Therefore, they had to look elsewhere to learn the two-sword style.
They could actually take a step back and learn the one-sword style. That way, the Zhenxing Blade could be put to use.
But Greninja was unwilling. It had already given up on ninja assassination techniques; was it going to have to give up the two-sword style too?
Moreover, it felt the two-sword style was cooler.
Li Xiang asked it, "What's the use of looking cool? As long as it's effective, isn't that enough? Combat power is what truly matters."
Greninja then shouted with the loudest voice it had ever mustered, translated with the help of Rotom: (The Flying Bird and Peony pair! Looking cool is a lifetime matter!)
(If using it isn't cool enough, then there's no point learning this sword style! Hmph! ╭(╯^╰)╮)
After saying this, like a teenager in a rebellious phase, it slammed the door and left.
Dealing with someone whose chuunibyou phase hasn't ended was really exhausting. Li Xiang had no choice but to go along with its wishes.
Of course, he himself wouldn't learn it... okay, maybe he'd learn a little. After all, when the trainer and Pokémon learn together, the Pokémon masters it faster and understands it more quickly.
Yes, the trainer acts as an experience buff, a learning device, that can promote the Pokémon's growth. Both parties improve together.
Ash Ketchum was always saying things like "Let's get stronger together!"
'It's a world of idealism, after all.'
Li Xiang had long since fully accepted that.
A few days ago, he even witnessed someone shouting "Gust!" and then slicing a Pokémon on his own team in half with one blow.
To be honest, he felt that his own dull aptitude meant that becoming the second person to achieve minor mastery in the Three-Blind Perception Method was largely thanks to Riolu and Incineroar.
At the time, it was indeed after seeing Incineroar's Close Combat that he had his "epiphany."
But learning the two-sword style... that absolutely couldn't be known by others. At the very least, it couldn't be known by Duan Tianxing.
Good grief... Last time he asked if Qingcheng had any martial arts Greninja could learn, the look Duan Tianxing gave him was like he'd skin him alive if he asked another question.
Absolutely terrifying.
If they wanted to learn the two-sword style, besides searching themselves or asking someone to search, the simplest and most direct method was:
—Ask Third Senior Sister.
When it came to martial arts knowledge, if you wanted to know who was the most proficient.
One was Lu Chengfeng, who was dedicated to becoming a martial arts movie star. His knowledge of martial arts was very eclectic, from real-world martial arts down to the martial arts from novels and TV dramas; he knew them inside and out.
The other was Third Senior Sister, Jiang Shangrong.
As a former martial arts school inheritor, her knowledge of real-world martial arts was no less than Lu Chengfeng's, and her perspective was something Lu Chengfeng couldn't compare to.
So asking Jiang Shangrong was the safest bet.
With her temperament, even if he said something wrong, he probably wouldn't get beaten up.
And so, Li Xiang scurried over.
Sure enough, as his guide in martial arts and a trainer herself, Third Senior Sister could understand his thoughts and offered her support.
"Greninja indeed lacks close combat techniques. If the energy blades can last for a long time, learning the two-sword style isn't a bad thing."
Jiang Shangrong said seriously, "But it's the same as before: learn the techniques, not the set routines. Like Slowbro's Aqua Cutter, it's similar in form and intent, but it doesn't copy it completely."
The genuine Aqua Cutter requires raising the blade overhead and leaning the blade fully back, like throwing a shot put.
Slowbro's Aqua Cutter doesn't have that step and that's where the distinction lies.
Li Xiang nodded to show he understood.
Next was martial art recommendations. Jiang Shangrong said, "Among the two-sword style schools, the Niten Ichi-ryū from Sakura Island is the most famous. The manga Greninja has also depicts Niten Ichi-ryū."
This world didn't have Miyamoto Musashi, so Niten Ichi-ryū naturally wasn't the original Niten Ichi-ryū. Although both use a katana and a kodachi combination, their techniques differ quite a bit.
"But considering we're leaving soon, and the Niten Ichi-ryū dojo is on the other end of Sakura Island, it's not very suitable for it. Looking up videos online for reference is possible, though."
Jiang Shangrong considered for a moment, "The most suitable option... I remember Master mentioned that a martial arts school in Mist City has a martial art called the Ten Forms of Ksitigarbha."
"Ten Forms of Ksitigarbha?"
"Yes. Master saw it decades ago at the Hundred Schools Martial Arts Demonstration. It's a rare double-bladed sword technique. He specifically pointed it out to me before."
Jiang Shangrong nodded. Seeing Li Xiang's confused look, she explained, "The Hundred Schools Martial Arts Demonstration was over thirty years ago, hosted by the last Martial Arts Society. After it ended, the Martial Arts Society disbanded."
'The Martial Arts Society again. So that "Eight Great Techniques" thing was probably their doing too?'
Back when the old master was young, the martial arts world in this world was really vibrant. It was just a tear of the times now.
"Senior Sister, you said 'most suitable option' before. Does that mean there's a 'best' option?"
Li Xiang asked again.
"There is. The God-Slaying Sword Art, also one of the Eight Great Techniques. It can be one-sword style, two-sword style, or even three-sword style. It isn't limited by the number of blades."
Jiang Shangrong replied, then shook her head, "But the God-Slaying Sword Art has been lost. Completely vanished without a trace."
'If it's lost, then there's nothing to be done.'
Having decided to let Greninja learn the Ten Forms of Ksitigarbha, Jiang Shangrong was about to go find Duan Tianxing to ask exactly where that martial arts school was.
"Wait, wait, hold on!" Li Xiang blocked Jiang Shangrong's path, his expression awkward, "Senior Sister, could you not tell Master it's my Greninja that wants to learn it?"
Jiang Shangrong was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, then said helplessly, "Junior Brother, why are you being so unclear? Do you think, with Master's discerning eye, he wouldn't be able to tell if Greninja has been training with you?"
'Ah, right! The man's eye for detail is legendary!'
Li Xiang had almost forgotten. The people at the martial arts school had incredibly sharp eyes; they could tell what someone was practicing just by looking.
Mo Ye couldn't tell and was ruthlessly mocked by Duan Tianxing.
'...Well, if it can't be hidden, what's the point?'
Li Xiang had no choice but to go with her to see Duan Tianxing and lay out his plans completely.
And then.... he was glared at by Duan Tianxing for a long time.
But ultimately, Duan Tianxing's thinking had shifted somewhat. After Yan Tianyun's death, the old master gradually let go of his adherence to old-fashioned ideas about exclusive styles.
He also knew that ideas like "learning another school's martial arts is betrayal," which were once common sense, now only existed in traditional wuxia novels—even web novels didn't write like that anymore.
It was already behind the times.
After confirming Li Xiang genuinely wanted to learn, Duan Tianxing told him the clues related to the Ten Forms of Ksitigarbha.
The Ten Forms of Ksitigarbha was a blade technique from the Tang family martial arts. The performers back then were a Tang father and daughter, whose dazzling performance surprised many.
However, there hadn't been much news about them in recent years.
After the Martial Arts Society disbanded, the martial arts world became completely fragmented; only those in the same city maintained some contact.
For others, connections were basically severed.
According to Jiang Shangrong, the disbandment of the Martial Arts Association was related to the Association...
'If the Association did it.... then never mind.'
The two bid farewell to Duan Tianxing.
"Tang Family Martial Arts School... why are the names all so strange?"
Li Xiang opened this world's version of a maps app, set the city to Mist City, and entered the name.
Mainly because he couldn't find it on the search engine. Like the Zhenxing Martial Arts School, it was a "school" without even a search entry.
He had to try his luck with the map.
As it turned out, his luck was good.
The previous "Great Luck" was still in effect. Li Xiang actually found a Tang Family Martial Arts School.
It was just a bit far from where Mist City University was located—over a hundred kilometers away.
'Why is Mist City so big? Tens of thousands of square kilometers... are there even that many people active there?'
Li Xiang couldn't resist the urge to complain.
He bookmarked the location to deal with after going to Mist City.
Using the remaining limited time, Li Xiang gathered some videos and books related to Niten Ichi-ryū for Greninja to look at.
When Greninja encountered something it was interested in, it always became exceptionally focused, just like with its beloved Léon: The Professional.
After superficially studying for a few days, it actually started to practice with some semblance of form.
Of course, it was all just a superficial shell for now.
They'd pick out the useful parts to practice, and whenever he saw this scene, Li Xiang felt very pleased.
He felt it was truly wonderful that he had taught these guys to read. If even one of them were illiterate, communication and learning would become extremely difficult.
"So, you need to learn to read too. Look at your seniors, see how seriously they're doing their problems."
Li Xiang held Honedge, patiently persuading it. The latter had been playing dead since it saw the math test paper and had already skipped several of his classes.
It adopted a stance of "I'm just a sword, I can't talk or move, so this is useless on me."
This sword was utterly immovable.
Li Xiang frowned. 'Learning is the most important thing in the world; how can you give up on learning?'
Look at him.. he still had to study Language, Math, and Pokémon Studies because these three general subjects were required even in higher institutes.
Although the first two were only for the first three years; in the fourth year, only Pokémon Studies was required.
"Playing dead is useless. You might escape for a while, but not forever. You'll thank me later—Write your essay! Stop looking around!"
Li Xiang scolded a certain large raven.
"Caww!"
Corviknight let out a dissatisfied cry, but still used its large claws to type continuously on the special keyboard.
To allow it to type more flexibly, Li Xiang had specially ordered a large-sized keyboard.
'What kind of person even does this?! Exams? Exam my foot!'
'How should I know what the meaning of 'behind one jujube tree on the left and another jujube tree on the right' is!'
'Who wrote this classical Chinese? What is it even saying! Why does the essay have to be six hundred words? Do you know how hard it is for a Pokémon to write six hundred words!'
'Who exactly made this test paper!'
The Pokémon holding the test papers were inwardly furious, but they had no choice but to finish the papers, because Li Xiang wanted to see them, to grade them.
Those who failed would have to carry those who passed during training that evening.
"This is to improve your logical thinking skills, to make your brains more flexible. Huh? What does learning language have to do with logical thinking? Of course it does!"
Li Xiang said to his Pokémon with great seriousness, "The day you can get full marks on reading comprehension, there will be nothing in the world that can stump you."
It was definitely not to torment these guys and get back at them for their atrocious behavior of standing around making noise and laughing at him while he was doing his problems!
If we're going down, we're all going down together!
"How about this: one poem per lesson, one martial arts movie per test paper. How's that?"
Li Xiang made an offer to Honedge.
Honedge remained unmoved.
'Want me to go to school? In your dreams! I didn't even go to school when I was alive!'