"You mean to say that to practice the Way of the Sword, one must constantly maintain a heart of devotion?" Bellamy still found it somewhat difficult to understand. "I just want to learn some superficial sword techniques. Is all this really necessary?" He didn't even use a sword; he merely wanted to understand the swordsmanship of this world. If he truly had to maintain constant devotion to the Way of the Sword, wouldn't he have to switch careers and become a swordsman?
"Of course, it's necessary." Koushirou's tone was exceptionally firm. "No matter who comes here to learn the sword from me, my first lesson is always to teach them how to serve the Way of the Sword." Koushirou looked towards the disciples in the courtyard. "Isshin Dojo has its own rules."
"If Your Excellency is merely approaching this with the attitude of learning for fun, then please feel free to leave." When it came to the Way of the Sword, Koushirou's attitude became extremely unyielding. This was something he would absolutely not compromise on.
Hearing this, Bellamy, far from feeling displeased, actually became even more delighted. "Originally, I did just want to learn casually. But since you insist…" Devotion, does that mean pouring one's entire body and soul into it? Bellamy had experienced such a feeling a few times before. Each time he fought to the point of frenzy, his mental world would become completely empty, his mind devoid of anything but the battle itself. This should be what Koushirou called devotion. It was merely swapping fists for a blade; it shouldn't be difficult for him.
Bellamy once again picked up a katana, gripping it tightly. "Then, who will be my opponent?" Without a strong enemy, his fighting spirit couldn't boil. Since Koushirou had initiated this, then he should be the one to receive this sword strike.
"Mr. Koushirou, be careful." Bellamy suddenly smiled at him. Subsequently, a bloody, immense killing intent erupted from his body, soaring into the sky. Bellamy knew no sword techniques at all; he was simply following Koushirou's words, pouring his entire body and mind into this single strike. Silently, his eyes turned blood-red.
"Kill!" He regarded the swordsman before him as a mortal enemy who must be slain.
A monstrous killing intent instantly swept through the entire dojo. The apprentices, who were diligently practicing their swords in the front courtyard, felt as if the void had suddenly transformed into a sea of blood, with countless crimson eyes greedily watching them from the shadows. A fear originating from the depths of their hearts surged uncontrollably. Clatter, clatter… The swords in the hands of several apprentices all fell to the ground. In an instant, their spirits were completely crushed.
"Stop!" Koushirou could finally sit still no longer.
Just then, the momentum Bellamy had been accumulating reached its peak. "Take my sword!"
"One-Sword Style: Spring Shot Slash!"
The moment he drew his sword, the void seemed to stagnate for a fraction of a second. A phantom-like streak, like a flash of lightning, zipped through the reception room.
"So fast!" Koushirou only saw an afterimage speed past his side. His sword instinctively moved to protect his front. "Too late!" As a swordsman, being struck by someone unskilled in the art would be far too humiliating. The reputation of the Shimotsuki family could not be tarnished in his hands.
Koushirou's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Isshin Style: Tiger Hunt!" A phantom tiger leaped out from the void. Two streams of sword qi instantly collided. BOOM! With a tremendous roar, the entire Isshin Dojo building was blown into the sky.
Seeing this, Bellamy instantly sobered up. He pressed down hard, forcibly repelling the opponent's sword technique. Retracting his half-swung blade, Bellamy's expression was slightly awkward. "Seems I've wrecked your house."
Koushirou watched the dojo slowly fall from the sky, his entire face blackening. "The dojo, passed down in the Shimotsuki family for over fifty years, actually destroyed at my hands."
Bellamy, for a moment, didn't know how to respond. "Maybe it can still be used if we piece it back together?"
That half of the dojo descended from the sky with a great whistling sound. Bellamy leaped lightly into the air and caught "it" in his hands. "Where should I put this?" The break on this half of the dojo had been severed by an extremely sharp sword qi, looking incredibly smooth. Putting "it" back together seemed impossible. Bellamy could only pretend nothing had happened and placed this section of the dojo on the open ground outside.
This scene made Koushirou's eyelids twitch violently. "This barbarian!" Their dojo was a mixed stone and wood structure, three stories high, covering a very large area. This half alone weighed at least several hundred tons, yet in Bellamy's hands, it seemed as light as a feather, handled effortlessly. Koushirou forcibly suppressed the bellyful of fire he was feeling. "I can't fight him here." Once a battle started, Shimotsuki Village would be finished.
Just then, Drake, who had been sitting aside watching the show, suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Koushirou, there's no need to be angry. A mere dojo, how can it compare to achievements in the Way of the Sword? After an exchange with our captain, you will surely gain some insight into swordsmanship."
"Nonsense!" When it came to the Way of the Sword, Koushirou couldn't hold back. "This barbarian isn't using swordsmanship at all! He's relying entirely on brute force, just swinging the sword forcefully!"
Bellamy returned to the now wide-open reception room, slowly sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea. "Mr. Koushirou, can you tell me, since I possess such brute strength, why shouldn't I use it?"
"Whether it's swordsmanship or fist fighting, or anything else."
"As long as it's useful, as long as it works well, then use it." Naked pragmatism – this was also the most important reason Bellamy had come here to learn swordsmanship.
"Forgive me, but I cannot agree."
"Only by being singularly focused and specialized can one walk a path to its very end." The Isshin Style of the Shimotsuki family was the representative of this principle. To serve the Way of the Sword with one's entire life's blood; the Way of the Sword was above all else.
"Singular focus and specialization is indeed the correct path, but since a person lives in this world, it's impossible to care for nothing but the Way of the Sword." Either you remain a hermit forever, or you will inevitably encounter all sorts of troubles. Swordsmanship might be able to kill people, but it cannot solve everything.
"As long as you live, you must eat, drink, wear clothes, sleep, and walk."
"The Way of the Sword is merely one part of your life."
Bellamy's words indeed held some truth, but the Isshin Style, having been passed down for so many years and having produced a Great Swordsman, naturally had its own self-contained theories. Koushirou hesitated for a moment but still couldn't resist arguing with Bellamy.
"How can the Way of the Sword be such a shallow thing? With sincerity and a righteous mind, sitting, lying, walking – all can be the Way of the Sword."
"Don't be ridiculous." Bellamy couldn't help but sneer upon hearing this. "Does eating and farting count as the Way of the Sword? You first have to be a person before you can practice the sword." The Isshin Style's Way of the Sword had some elements worth learning from. But learning from it was enough; Bellamy truly couldn't learn this kind of swordsmanship.