I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 856: Confrontation at the Central Gate! Kiryu Boss is defeated! [5500]

Boss Kiryu's chest rose and fell in a weird rhythm.

Clearly he had only changed his breathing rhythm, but in that instant, he seemed like a different person, emitting a powerful and inviolable aura!
At the same time, his eyes and expression became extremely strange.

At first glance, there seems to be nothing special about him, just his eyes are calm and his expression is composed.

But in fact, it is really inappropriate to describe it with ordinary words such as "calm", "tranquil", "neither sad nor happy", etc.

To be more precise, the look and expression he carved gave people a feeling of... "emptiness".

It seemed as if he was not looking at anything, but it also seemed as if he was looking at everything within his sight and the world that was even more distant.

Seeing Boss Kiryu finally showing his true skills, Prajna grinned with excitement.

"'A breathing method that allows you to freely enter a state of no self'... No matter how many times I read it, it's still so incredible!"

As he spoke, he spread his legs, held his knife in front of him, and prepared for battle.

"Master! Attack me now before your strength is exhausted!"

Boss Kiryu said nothing, but silently raised the tip of his knife and switched to the more offensive eight-pair stance.

In fact, what Prajna just said was absolutely correct.

Boss Kiryu was indeed concerned about his own physical strength, which was why he did not enter the "selfless state" at the beginning.

He originally wanted to try Prajna's trick first, and then enter the "selfless state" when the time was right and defeat Prajna in one go.

However...regardless of Prajna's strength, the series of side effects brought about by physical aging alone make him feel helpless.

The moves that could be easily blocked seven years ago are now extremely difficult to defend against.

The attacks that he could have easily avoided seven years ago now had to be dodged rather awkwardly.

Young and strong fighters are better at fighting... This sentence still applies in the field of kendo.

As one side gained strength while the other lost, he was defeated in just a few rounds.

Although it is much earlier than expected...but we can only reveal our cards!
According to his own estimation, after entering the "selfless state", he can only fight at full strength for about 3 minutes.

In other words - the next 3 minutes will determine the outcome of this battle!
The two men stood in their respective positions again, looking each other in the eye from a distance of about 10 meters.

The scene fell into an eerie silence, with only the gentle breeze blowing.

It seemed like a long time had passed, but in fact it was just a blink of an eye.

Bang!
The sound of pushing the ground hard - Boss Kiryu disappeared from where he was, and a small hole made by his feet appeared where he had originally stood!

Prajna only felt that there was a huge monster in front of her, pressing down on her like a tidal wave!

Following closely behind was a silver-white knife light that covered the entire field of vision!
Boss Kiryu aimed at Prajna's eyes and chopped them down swiftly!

Although the attack was fierce, Prajna was ready to deal with it.

"Drink!"

He waved the Naga Sone Kotetsu in his hand, and instantly drew a bright light in the air, blocking Boss Kiryu's slashing attack.

Chosone Kotetsu is indeed the best sword in the world. It blocked such a powerful blow without leaving even a scratch.

"Drink ah ah ah!"

With another shout, accompanied by a "clang" sound, he knocked away Boss Kiryu's knife, then swung the blade and swept it diagonally towards the opponent's chest.

Unexpectedly, Boss Kiryu was even faster.

After the knife was knocked away, Boss Kiryu pulled the knife back to his hand at incredible speed, re-positioned himself for attack, and then chopped it off at Prajna's head with great force!
As a last resort, Prajna could only change from attack to dodge, and awkwardly moved to the side.

The blade swept across his ear, leaving a faint scar and blood oozing out.

"The state of no self" - as the name suggests, after entering this state, the mind will become nothing, emptiness is nothing, it is a legendary martial arts state, and is considered to be the ultimate of martial arts and Zen.

Mr. Kiryu, who has now entered the "selfless state", is so focused that it is terrifying! It is far beyond the description of ordinary words such as "concentrated" and "dedicated".

His strength, speed, and the sophistication of his moves have all improved significantly!

With his arms dancing like sword flowers quickly, his figure as light as a butterfly, and his footsteps as nimble as a swimming fish, you wouldn't feel at all that he is an old man who is nearly a hundred years old!

The two people's positions suddenly reversed.

Just now, Boss Kiryu was suppressed.

And now, the one who is oppressed becomes Prajna.

In order to win the battle quickly, Boss Kiryu went all out and launched a fierce attack without stopping.

One strike after another, each one was fatal.

Under Boss Kiryu's fierce attack, Prajna's defense became more and more, and her counterattacks became less and less.

Although the battle situation was obviously unfavorable, Prajna was not discouraged or afraid.

He was like a child who received a desired gift, and his cheeks were filled with joy.

Boss Kiryu's biggest weakness is his physical strength which has declined due to old age.

Therefore, for Prajna, the most advantageous countermeasure is to adopt a tortoise-shell defensive posture and fight a war of attrition with Boss Kiryu until his physical strength is exhausted.

However, Prajna did not do so.

He did not use this tricky method, but instead launched a radical offensive, attacking with attack!
Prajna, who was always talkative and fond of chattering, didn't bother to speak at this moment. She held her breath and concentrated all her energy on the fierce attack and defense in front of her.

The flashing of swords and the shadows of sabers were dazzling under the bright sun, and the sound of continuous fierce clashes directly covered the sound of the wind. It was a pity that no one heard it.

Boss Kiryu swung his knife sideways, cutting through Prajna's collar.

Prajna rushed forward quickly, gliding silently to the front of Boss Kiryu, and made a swift attack on his side. Although the latter dodged swiftly, half of the hem of his feather robe was cut off.

The next moment, Prajna continued to stick to Boss Kiryu unyieldingly and launched a second attack.

Boss Kiryu took another step back to avoid Nagazone Kotetsu's blade, and at the same time, he twisted his body to evade and threw off the torn haori on his body with a whoosh.

Before Prajna could launch her third move, Boss Kiryu secretly exerted his ruthless strength, concentrated his power on his toes, and rushed into Prajna's arms like a gust of wind, interrupting her attack and regaining the initiative in the battle.

This round of fierce fighting lasted for quite a long time.

This side is a straight stab.

That's a horizontal cut.

This is dodge.

That's the pursuit.

There is a constant attack here.

Over there, the water is covered with soil.

This side is not showing any weakness.

Every move over there will be returned.

Dodge and move, real and fake.

The two people's body movements and steps are dazzling.

If someone has poor eyesight, they may not be able to see the movements of the master and disciple at all. They can only see two afterimages flashing, moving and colliding repeatedly!
With the blessing of the "state of no self", Boss Kiryu seems to have transformed into an emotionless sword-wielding machine.

He is extremely calm, so calm that it's scary!
Not to mention negative emotions such as anxiety and impatience, there is not even a trace of emotional fluctuation from him, just like the mirror-like surface of a lake.

And this is one of the greatest characteristics of the "state of no self" - there is absolutely no distracting thoughts in the mind, all emotions and desires disappear, eliminating the possibility of emotions misleading things.

But even though he had entered such a powerful state as if assisted by God, Boss Kiryu could only have a slight advantage.

But this advantage is far from enough to turn into victory!

Boss Kiryu showed his true ability—Hannya!
He opened his eyes wide, without even blinking, staring at Boss Kiryu's every move.

In just a few breaths, he adapted to the opponent's attack frequency and adjusted his own movement rhythm to a level that could compete with the opponent.

On the one hand, he was able to flex his arms and legs freely, making all of Kiryu's deadly attacks in vain, and his methods were flexible and varied.

On the other hand, he took every opportunity to launch a counterattack, remaining calm and composed.

A stormy attack and defense...the turning point suddenly comes!

Suddenly, Prajna put the knife in front of her chest, stepped back and temporarily avoided the attack - this was the appearance, but what about the reality?
The truth was, he pretended to retreat in order to lure Boss Kiryu into attacking.

How could Boss Kiryu, who has been through hundreds of battles and has fought from a young age to over ninety years old, not understand the little thoughts of his apprentice?
He saw through Prajna's intention at a single glance.

However, he had no intention of retreating. Instead, he chose to take advantage of the situation and attacked without hesitation!

Then he saw his body rushing forward like a beast hunting for prey! His momentum was so fierce that Prajna felt like a hurricane was blowing in her face, and her hair was messed up!
In an instant, the "silver lightning" rolled up the light dust and fallen leaves on the ground and hit Prajna's chest and abdomen.

When time jumped to the next moment, Prajna used all her strength to jump up like an onion on dry land.

The flash of Kiryu-sama's sword and Prajna's silhouette - two afterimages, one bright and one dark, crossed each other, separated only by a hair's width.

Although Prajna escaped the disaster, the big tree behind him suffered misfortune.

The terrifying knife light swept through the empty air and hit the trunk of the tree.

This tree is quite old and it takes at least two adults to hug its trunk.

Even the most skilled "Wooden Axe General" would need to swing the axe more than a dozen times to chop it down.

But with just one strike, Boss Kiryu broke the tree into two pieces, with the cut surfaces being extremely neat.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

As the towering trees collapsed, a huge noise was heard, and countless fallen leaves drifted down, like a rain of leaves.

In an instant, the surrounding space was filled with rustling sounds, seriously interfering with Boss Kiryu's hearing.

Boss Kiryu pricked up his ears and quickly scanned the area, searching for Prajna.

In the blink of an eye, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and immediately turned his head to look - in the rain of leaves, Prajna spread her legs and lowered her waist. Chosone Kotetsu had put his sword back into the sheath. He held the sheath with his left hand and pressed the handle with his right hand.

A familiar posture...For Boss Kiryu, it's a posture that couldn't be more familiar!

Upon seeing this, Mr. Kiryu couldn't help but narrow his eyes, and a needle-like cold light flashed from behind his lenses.

"Master, come on!"

Prajna said excitedly.

"If I don't use this trick to fight you, I will really regret it!"

Boss Kiryu said nothing.

He just silently stepped back half a step, put his left foot behind, then lowered his waist, turned his right wrist, and the blade drew a graceful arc in the air, changing from a normal grip to an inverted grip, and then was sheathed inch by inch... He showed exactly the same sword-drawing posture as Prajna!

"Master, this move is the product of your life's work, so... I want you to see how far I have studied this move no matter what!"

Kiryu's boss responded calmly:

"Stop talking nonsense and just attack."

Prajna curled up the corners of his mouth - at this moment, his aura suddenly changed! His originally awe-inspiring aura gradually withered inward, and the whole person became surprisingly... quiet.

Fallen leaves were still flying between the two of them, cutting their vision into countless small dots. They could only observe each other's situation through this "broken space".

"..."

"..."

Click.

I don't know whose knife it was, but it made the first sound, causing the air to vibrate slightly.

In an instant, this slight vibration turned into a terrifying sound like a landslide or tsunami!
The old man and the young man rushed out at the same time like cannonballs, rushing towards each other! The air was stirred up, and a hurricane-like airflow was created, which then rolled and scattered.

The fallen leaves on the ground were swept into the air again by the airflow, making rustling sounds.

Amid the heavy rain of leaves, the two approached each other at the same time, both entering each other's optimal attack range!
Sword drawing technique: Flowing light!
Naga Sone Kotetsu's blade popped out of the sheath, cutting through the air and fallen leaves along the way, creating a fleeting gap, and sweeping straight towards Boss Kiryu's chest.

Boss Kiryu also drew his sword at the same moment.

however……

Just as the knife was unsheathed, his facial expression suddenly changed - his right leg went limp due to being unable to bear the weight.

Although this was not a serious mistake, in a confrontation of this level, any tiny mistake could lead to irreversible consequences!

Because his hind legs suddenly went limp, Kiryu-sama was unable to smoothly draw strength from the ground, causing his sword to move a bit slower, and he was unable to reach the highest speed when the two swords collided.

clang! ! !
A deafening roar.

The two swords, thrown with the same move, collided heavily in the air.

The impact force generated by the collision shook like an explosion, blowing away countless fallen leaves in the surroundings and forming a vacuum zone centered on the master and disciple.

There are still falling leaves outside, but there is not even a single leaf here... the contrast is obvious.

Because the sound of the collision was so loud, one could not help but think that at least one person's knife was broken - and in fact, it was true.

The moment after the two knives collided, a flash of light shot up into the sky and then landed not far away - looking closely, it was half a broken blade.

Who the Broken Blade is... is self-evident.

Both the Prajna and the sword were there, but in Boss Kiryu's hand, only the handle and a small half of the blade were left.

The outcome of the "Central Gate Confrontation" just now was already clear.

Of course, the swords were not of good quality, but the main reason was the mistake made by Kiryu-sama just now...

Although the knife in his hand was broken, he did not lose his will to fight.

He quickly adjusted his posture, ready to continue fighting against Prajna with this broken sword.

But at this moment, his eyes suddenly bulged out, and then he collapsed to the ground while covering his chest tightly.

"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!"

Rapid coughing, violent heaving of shoulders... "Original Breathing" is unsustainable.

The strange light in his eyes then dissipated.

Prajna lowered her head and looked at Boss Kiryu:

"You're running out of energy... faster than I expected."

As he spoke, he relaxed his fighting stance, naturally put the knife back to his side, and then glanced at Boss Kiryu's right leg which was cramping wildly.

"Master, even if you are as powerful as you are, you cannot escape the ravages of time."

"If you had swung the sword more firmly just now, regardless of whether you could have won, you would definitely not have ended up with a broken sword."

"Tsk... Even though I won, beating an old man doesn't give me a satisfying feeling... It's really depressing..."

"If I had the chance, I would really like to compete with you in your prime when you were young!"

At this point, Hannya put on an excited expression as if to take credit, and asked Kiryu-sensei with great interest:

"Master, how is it?"

"Compared to before, my strength has greatly increased. I am almost a completely different person, right?"

"After experiencing my strength firsthand, can you still open your eyes and say you are blind and criticize me for not improving my strength?"

Prajna became more and more excited as she spoke, and she seemed about to jump up and down on the spot.

Boss Kiryu has gradually recovered.

However, due to exhaustion, he now felt his limbs were so heavy that he couldn't even stand up and could only hold up his upper body with difficulty.

Looking at the self-satisfied Hannya, Boss Kiryu chuckled a few times:
"Prajna, I'm afraid my answer will disappoint you."

"Through the duel just now, I am even more convinced that your strength has not improved and is still standing still."

When these words were spoken, Prajna was stunned for a moment, and then his facial expression was dominated by strong resentment.

"Hey, Master, this is really boring... At this point, are you still going to be stubborn?"

Boss Kiryu shook his head slightly:
"No, I'm not being tough. I'm telling the truth: your strength has not improved."

"Prajna, you misunderstood one thing."

"The strength I'm talking about doesn't mean how strong you become, how fast you become, or how sophisticated your moves become."

"What I mean is your realm!"

Prajna frowned:

"realm?"

Boss Kiryu nodded slightly:

"Although your physical fitness and skills have improved significantly, your realm remains stagnant."

"The reason is, as I just said, your eyes can only focus on yourself and ignore the world outside."

“Human beings are part of the world. If you only see yourself and not the world, you are on the wrong path. If you don’t deeply understand this, you will not reach a higher level.”

After hearing this, Prajna sneered:
"'Higher realm'? Master, do you mean 'the realm of no self'?"

"You don't have to worry about this!"

"I have recently reached the threshold of the 'selflessness realm'!"

"I think it won't be long before I can reach this legendary realm without relying on your breathing method..."

Before Hannya could finish her words, Kiryu Boss interrupted her with a teasing laugh:
"'State of no self'? What is this?"

As he spoke, he stretched out his right index finger and pointed to the sky.

"I mean a higher realm!"

Prajna stared at Boss Kiryu, her face turning pale and blue.

After a while, he spoke quietly:

"enough……"

"I've heard enough of your nonsense."

"Master, are you so unwilling to admit that I am powerful? Are you so unwilling to admit that I am capable of inheriting your legacy?"

As he spoke, he slowly raised the Naga Sone Kotetsu, with the blade pointing directly at Boss Kiryu's left shoulder.

"Even though I am strong enough to abuse you, you are unwilling to look me in the face?"

Kiryu Boss looked at him fearlessly, his expression calm:

"If you try to use violence to overpower me, it will be of no avail. Your blade is not terrible, it is only the claws of a wild beast."

Upon hearing this, Prajna slowly lowered her head, and the shadow cleverly obscured her face.

"Beast... All right! After the beast bites off one of your hands, I'll see if you can still talk nonsense!"

The moment she finished shouting, Prajna swung the knife in her palm and chopped it towards Boss Kiryu's left shoulder.

His intention was clear - he wanted to chop off one of Boss Kiryu's arms!
The blade hung in the wind, leaving no doubt: in a moment, a severed arm would appear on the ground.

At this moment, Prajna's expression became ferocious, and the lines on his face were horribly distorted.

During this moment, Boss Kiryu calmly closed his eyes and waited for his fate.

At the same moment... a gust of "strong wind" suddenly hit!
When this "strong wind" rushed between Boss Kiryu and Prajna, accompanied by a loud "clang" sound, Prajna's sword was steadily held in the air.

After a moment, this "violent wind" took shape - a young samurai wearing a light green haori.

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