If I don't have money to go to college, I can only go to slay the dragon.

Lin Nian still remembers that he once encountered the most troublesome challenger in the kendo hall of the Children's Palace. He was an old man, seventy years old, who came all the way from the other side of the continent with a bamboo sword for his own use. The coastal city where Lin Nian was located just wanted to see the demeanor of the young swordsman who was widely known in the circle.

That competition was very solemn, with no audience or judges' seats. In the empty gym, Lin Nian faced off against the old man. Lin Nian felt exactly the same as the current scene.

The bamboo sword is no longer a sword of trial. What you hold in your hand is a knife, a knife that has been tempered for thousands of times and has a sharp edge. In the dark room, your eyes can be dazzled by the bright light of the knife, and you can smell the leakage from the blade while breathing. The strong smell of blood.

Afterwards, when Lin Nian had a heart-to-heart chat with the old man, the old man was a little surprised when he heard him mention this matter. He only said that when he was young and ignorant, he did participate in many competitions where he signed "life and death certificates" that were not in compliance with the law. Many people, I can't remember exactly how many, when they closed their eyes at night, all they saw were the bloody faces of dead people, so they put aside their lifelong achievements and spent half their lives in confusion.

But one day he couldn't help but pick up the knife. When he looked around, he realized that society was already in the era of rule of law. Teaching martial arts, qigong, and killing people in actual combat had become a thing of the past. What he learned was useless. Wandering in parks and streets all day long, imagining that he is holding a knife in his hand, and that there are powerful enemies hidden in the crowd around him who will take his life at any time, but in the end it is still empty.

Lin Nian knew at that time that the feeling he felt in the old man was not false. It was a desire to fight. Hidden under the kendo robes and leather suits was the restless heart of a liger, wanting to go To challenge, to cut, to defeat something, all the lifelong aspirations are in tit-for-tat duels again and again. This kind of person is a born warrior, but he is born in this world.

In the gym, when Ange held the bamboo sword in his hand and his breath sank, Lin Nian's whole body suddenly became tense. He couldn't help but tilt his head back slightly, and his pupils dilated.

Lin Nian saw the bloody blade on the old master himself, but now he saw countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood on Angers body! The old man with blood all over his body stood at the top of the mountain, unyielding.

Is the principal of Cassel College such a war-hungry person? What is he looking for? Can you place your lifelong prayers on fighting? reputation? wealth? that power?

"It's dragon slaying." Ange replied softly, as if he had read Lin Nian's heart.

Lin Nian smiled. His smile was pure. He met his opponent in chess, and he finally realized that the 130-year-old man in front of him was the most powerful enemy he had ever encountered in his life!

This time, he might lose.

Under the gaze of the students, Lin Nian moved, but it was not to attack but to slowly change the way he held the sword. He stooped down and put the bamboo sword around his waist, and finally sat on the ground.

"It's Iai." When many students looked confused, the principal revealed the swordsmanship Lin Nian was going to use.

"The art of drawing swords? Then why do you have to sit down?" Caesar knew a little about Japanese swordsmanship, and he knew the famous name of drawing swords, but he had never seen the art of drawing swords that required the sword holder to sit upright.

"You misunderstood a little." Angers glanced at Caesar: "Iai and sword-drawing skills are two things. The former is a sitting skill, and the latter is a combat skill. The purpose of Iai during the Warring States and Jianghu era was to In order to counter an unexpected sneak attack, at a banquet or during a meeting, the assassin would draw his sword in an instant, so the Iaoi can react more quickly and draw his sword to fight back."

"He wanted me to attack first." Ange looked at Lin Nian with a smile: "I studied kendo in Japan, and studied the pros and cons of drawing swords and Iai with my friends, and the unanimous opinion was that the latter violated the principles of Japanese kendo. The principle of "Zanxin" is to remain vigilant at all times. What the Iai way trains is to be able to turn into an offensive at the moment of crisis in the continuous relaxation and laziness. If I don't take action, then he will be here Stay seated until I leave or until the class is over."

"What about your response, principal?" Caesar became even more interested in this duel.

"If I answer the question of staying the same in response to all changes, then all of you students will probably have to sit there until the end of get out of class today." Angers smiled: "So I choose to challenge."

Having said that, Ange changed the action of holding the knife in his middle part to sheathing the knife and resting it on his waist.

The art of drawing swords.

Lin Nian, who was sitting on the ground, stared at Ange without moving.

"The sword-drawing technique requires a lot of speed and strength. I am already old. Of course, the quality of the sword-drawing will be much worse than before, but how much worse it is, I still need to practice to get the answer." Angers said.

"It's an honor to be the principal's whetstone." Lin Nian said.

The principal smiled slightly and said nothing.

You also need qualifications if you want to be Angers' whetstone.

After laughing, Ange drew his sword.

He disappeared under the gaze of everyone in the room. Only a few people had time to see a dark shadow in front of Lin Nian.

Caesar's sight couldn't follow the principal's drawing of the sword. He could only hear a terrifying roar in the wind, and imagined that everything in front of the scream would be torn apart.

Angers and Lin Nian passed each other in a tenth of a second, a split second.

At this time, everyone noticed that Lin Nian's hands had been placed on his chest at some point. His right hand was holding the hilt of the bamboo sword, and his left hand was on the sword.

"It's so fast." Lin Nian said.

He lowered his head and glanced at the school uniform on his chest. The chest area was sunken, as if a heavy weight was pressing on it, and the hilt of the bamboo sword he pulled out was just one centimeter away from reaching that position.

Behind Lin Nian, Ange waved his bamboo sword and made a blood-stirring motion to draw the sword. Only then was his sword-drawing technique complete.

Lin Nian was beheaded.

This sword was a horizontal cut. If the principal was holding a real sword, his torso and arms would have been broken.

This sword was enough to be called the King of Assassination in ancient times. No one would dare to be in the same room with this old man, because stepping into the room is equivalent to sitting on his blade. When will the sword strike? The mood of the old man was reduced to just toasting and drinking. The way to life and death lay in the sharp blade in his sheath.

"I lost." Lin Nian simply put down the bamboo sword in his hand, stood up, turned around and bowed: "I have learned a lesson."

Until now, few people have understood what happened in that moment. If they could barely see the duel between Lin Nian and Miyamoto Isshin, this time it would be difficult for them to see the whole picture even with their rounded eyes.

"You are worthy of being the most outstanding student in terms of blood in recent years. You were just a little short of blocking this sword." Ange looked at Lin Nian with undisguised admiration in his eyes: "And you But you can draw the sword with your backhand, you are already great if you can do this!"

"Almost means a lot worse." Lin Nian shook his head: "The distance at this point is like an insurmountable chasm."

"It's a very good moral character, which will help you go further on the road of Iai." Angers said: "You are very fast, but you can still be faster."

"No, it's the principal who's too fast, and it can be faster. It was already my limit just now." Lin Nian looked at the centenarian with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

"You are still young." Ange patted Lin Nian on the shoulder: "The new era belongs to you young people after all. If you work harder, maybe I can sit in the spectator seats and rest peacefully."

Finally, someone applauded, and it was Caesar. His applause started, and the whole classroom burst into a wave of applause, dedicated to this undoubted but extremely exciting showdown that no one could see clearly!

Amidst the applause, Lin Nian scratched his head at a loss, but he was not flattered. Caesar came over and patted him on the back to express his praise and appreciation.

But in the crowd, Ange silently watched Lin Nian thinking about something more profound. He also taught a student in Japan who was good at drawing swords. The student's swords were very fast because he had Something must be cut open, so he swings the sword thousands of times and sheaths it thousands of times until he cuts off his lifelong wish.

What about you, Lin Nian? Why do you practice Iaido? Be prepared for danger in times of peace, are there any unspeakable fears in your heart that compel you?

No one answered him. Amidst the applause and crowds, Lin Nian just smiled with clear eyes, as if he was the winner.

ps: One chapter for now