Su Chen picked up a wooden sword. Without a word, he began to practice by himself, standing next to Kanao.
As he practiced, he secretly observed Kanao's posture. Su Chen had never held a sword before, so his first few swings were clumsy. But with the powerful boost from his comprehension ability, Su Chen copied Kanao's movements. He made rapid progress, and soon his swordplay started to look much better.
Practicing the sword was the quickest way to get stronger in this world. The Shadowless Hand skill he learned earlier wasn't enough to kill a demon. If he wanted to become stronger and survive, he needed to get a Nichirin Sword as soon as possible.
In the courtyard, a gentle breeze brushed past them. The flowers smelled sweet.
Kanao suddenly stopped moving. She turned around and quietly watched Su Chen.
Su Chen raised his wooden sword and smiled at her. "Can you help me with my swordsmanship?"
Kanao nodded. But when she saw Su Chen's wooden sword, she hesitated.
She took out a coin, tossed it into the air, and caught it on the back of her hand. After seeing the coin, she made up her mind. She went back to her room and returned with a wooden sword of her own.
"You're very gentle, Kanao. I honestly thought you were going to come at me with a real blade!" Su Chen was joking, but Kanao visibly froze. She had actually considered that.
Su Chen's joke lightened the mood. Kanzaki Aoi, Xiao Qing, Xiao Cheng, and Xiao Caihui walked to the side of the courtyard to watch.
The three little girls were touched. "Big Brother Su Chen is really so gentle." "I know! Sister Kanao isn't good with words. He must have known that." "But... can Big Brother Su Chen even use a sword? Sister Kanao is very strong. What if he gets hurt?"
Even though they knew Su Chen was strong, they were still worried.
Kanzaki Aoi also furrowed her brow. "I wish I could be as brave as Su Chen," she whispered.
In the courtyard, the two stood opposite each other, wooden swords ready.
"My name is Su Chen. I'll be staying at the Butterfly Mansion for a while. Please guide me."
With that, Su Chen stepped back half a pace, waiting for Kanao to attack.
Since he didn't know swordsmanship, he had to observe his opponent to learn and counter. He had learned a lot just by watching Kanao practice. But practice and a real fight were two different things. Su Chen had to wait for Kanao to move first so he could react.
He waited, but Kanao didn't move. It seemed she was thinking the same thing.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You can go first," Su Chen said, lowering his sword slightly.
A hint of doubt flashed in Kanao's eyes. She was quiet, but she was very confident in her swordsmanship. Among the Slayers in her group, no one could beat her except for the Hashira. This was a fact.
Did Su Chen not know this? What should she do?
Kanao didn't want to overthink it. After a moment, she said nothing and simply swung her wooden sword, attacking directly.
So fast!
The wooden blade slashed right in front of Su Chen's face. The whoosh sound of the swing only arrived after the blade. Even though it was just a wooden sword, the speed made Su Chen's skin tingle.
But Su Chen's reaction speed was completely different now. He could keep up.
You observed Kanao's body movements, gained insight, and learned Footwork Mastery.You observed Kanao's sword movements, gained insight, and learned Blade Mastery.
At first, Su Chen struggled to block her attacks. But as he analyzed her movements, Kanao's pattern was revealed to him.
First, the left. Su Chen's footwork was quick, and he calmly dodged her slash.
To the right. As Su Chen dodged, Kanao's blade shifted from a vertical cut to a horizontal one, aiming for his waist. The first move was just a feint!
But Su Chen had already seen through it. He had figured out her movements. He had memorized her attack sequence like a formula. He just had to move his body along the path he expected.
He dodged again.
Finally, from above.
Just as he thought it, Kanao leaped high into the air. She brought her sword down from the sky.
Her speed was so fast that Kanzaki Aoi and the three little girls couldn't even follow it.
But Su Chen saw it. He had already shifted a step to the side, as if he knew she would attack from there. The move missed him completely.
Kanzaki Aoi and the little girls all widened their eyes. "This guy's talent is truly terrifying!" Kanzaki Aoi said. "Big Brother Su Chen is so amazing!" "Yeah! Even Sister Kanao can't hit him!" "Go, Sister Kanao! Go, Big Brother Su Chen!"
Kanao stopped. She looked at Su Chen with a puzzled expression.
She saw it clearly: at first, Su Chen's movements were clumsy. But after just a few exchanges, his swordsmanship became better and better. In just a few minutes, he was almost at her level!
Kanao blinked. She took out her coin again and tossed it in the air.
The action seemed sudden, but Su Chen quietly waited. The coin landed on the back of her hand. She glanced at it.
The next moment, she made up her mind. She carefully put the coin in her pocket and gripped the wooden sword tightly with both hands.
A dangerous aura came from Kanao.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes. "A Breathing Technique?"
The next moment, Kanao moved!
Her attack style changed. The speed of her wooden sword doubled! She leaped high into the air.
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
It was a real sword skill from her Breathing Technique!
The three little girls nearby cried out. "Oh no, Sister Kanao is using a sword skill!" "Ah! I'm covering my eyes, it's too scary!" "Sister Aoi, quickly pull Big Brother Su Chen back!"
Kanzaki Aoi held her breath, her eyes filled with anxiety. Why did Kanao use a real skill? This was not what anyone expected. They wanted to rush up and pull Su Chen away, but the skill was too fast. They had no time.
Kanao's figure danced in the air. Her white haori looked like wings. As she moved, nine whooshing sounds rang out. In an instant, Kanao unleashed a nine-hit combo. The path of her blade was as beautiful as a blooming peony.
Su Chen's eyes widened. He didn't dare to miss a single moment. He had to analyze every single one of her movements.
You observed Kanao's sword skill! Deeply shaken, you perfectly replicated the sword technique - Peonies of Futility through mental deduction.
Su Chen suddenly felt a new muscle memory in his body.
The next moment, he moved.
Strange, cloud-like patterns appeared on his neck. He was ready for action, and he had copied the exact same posture Kanao used just moments ago.