At the start of the match, Kana Azashiro assumed an unusual stance. She lunged forward, raised her sword, pressed her left hand on the back of the blade, and aimed the tip directly at Sōjun Kuchiki.
Sōjun's eyebrows rose slightly. He had seen this stance during his first-round match, but he had easily blocked the attack then and had even used the opportunity to counter and eliminate his opponent. His evaluation of the move was—unimpressive. Has she run out of tricks? Sōjun felt a wave of disappointment. He had thought that an opponent who could make it to the finals might bring him some surprise.
Kana stared intently at her opponent, infusing her blade with Spiritual Pressure. The next moment, all the muscles in her body moved. She shot forward, thrusting her wooden sword at the same time.
Katori Style: Shungeki!
Sōjun raised his own wooden sword to block the incoming blade.
THUD—
The gentle smile on Sōjun's face froze. A flicker of astonishment flashed in his eyes—such explosive power! The force Kana displayed at this moment far surpassed that of the opponent he had faced in the first round. He didn't dare to be arrogant, using his other hand to support his blade. Even so, the immense impact pushed him back several steps before he could fully dissipate the force of the blow.
"Is this the true power of that sword technique? What is it called?" Sōjun spoke for the first time in the tournament.
However, when he looked at Kana's face, he saw her staring at his feet, her expression a mix of regret and annoyance. Sōjun was slightly taken aback and looked down. He found that he had been pushed to the very edge of the stage; the heel of his right foot was almost on the boundary line. Just one more step, and he would have been disqualified for leaving the stage!
"So that was your plan..." Sōjun chuckled. He finally understood why she had opened with such a move. Its attack was too direct and obvious, easy for him to block. Kana had anticipated that. She had intended to use the technique's massive impact to push him off the stage.
"So close... just a little more!" Kana felt a deep sense of regret. Such a strategy could only be used once. "If my Spiritual Pressure were just a little stronger, it would have worked."
"This move is our Katori Style's 'Shungeki,' but you're gravely mistaken if you think this is its true power!" Kana said, pulling back her sword and continuing to slash. "Professor Katori's 'Shungeki' is much more powerful than mine!"
"Katori Style, is it..." Sōjun glanced at Katori Sora below the stage. He raised his own sword, parried Kana's slash, and then swiftly counterattacked, scoring a point directly. The gap in their Spiritual Pressure was too large. Once he began his attack, Kana couldn't hold out, and she was struck again shortly after, losing the match.
Sōjun Kuchiki had won first place in the exam. No one was surprised by this result; his strength was simply in a different league among the first-years. However, the power Kana had displayed was a huge surprise. This student, originally overlooked and assigned to Class 1-2, had fought her way to the finals. Her future was bright!
"Professor Katori has a keen eye for talent. To have discovered their abilities so soon after the school year began," Head Ashido remarked with some feeling.
"I almost thought Sōjun was going to be eliminated. What a shame, it was so close!" Kensei looked even more disappointed than Kana. He didn't want the person who had eliminated him in the first round to take first place.
"It can't be helped. In the end, my Spiritual Pressure just wasn't strong enough. I ran out of steam right at the end," Kana said, having been mentally prepared to lose, so she wasn't too downcast.
"I am very satisfied with all of your performances. Once Shinji wakes up, we'll all go buy groceries. I'll make you all a great meal!" Sora said with a smile.
Hearing this, Kana threw all her regrets to the wind and ran over to the stretcher to see if Shinji was awake. "Professor Kobayashi, why isn't he awake yet!"
"He should be soon..."
"So noisy, you woke me up!"
"Sorry~"
"What's the situation?"
"I lost too!"
At that moment, Sora noticed that the exam settlement rewards were available to be claimed.
[Swordsmanship Exam ended. Disciple Shinji Hirako entered the semifinals. Reward settlement.]
[Obtained 5000 general experience points for basic abilities.]
[Random skill proficiency level +1.]
[Swordsmanship Exam ended. Disciple Kana Azashiro entered the finals. Reward settlement.]
[Obtained 10,000 general experience points for basic abilities.]
[Random skill proficiency level +2.]
New training memories flooded Sora's mind. In total, he had received 15,000 general experience points. He invested 14,000 of them into Spiritual Pressure, raising it from level 58 to 62. A 9th-grade Spiritual Power! The experience required increased every 5 levels; it now took 4,000 points to level up. He used the remaining 1,000 points to raise his Shunpo to level 27. He checked his new basic panel:
Basic Abilities:
Spiritual Pressure LV 62
Zanjutsu LV 55
Kidō LV 20
Hakuda LV 11
Shunpo LV 27
The two skills that were upgraded were both sword techniques: "Shungeki" and "Ryūkō." "Ryūkō" was upgraded to Mastered, while "Shungeki" reached the Grandmaster level!
After school, before taking his three disciples to buy groceries, Sora had one more thing to do. He went to the office. Uemon Tsubakiri was already there, waiting for him. Sora had told him to come to the office after the exam. Although Uemon's talent was only B+ rank, his hard work and passion for the way of the sword made Sora willing to give him a disciple slot.
"Tsubakiri-kun, I have seen your efforts," Sora said with a smile. "And your talent for swordsmanship is quite good. Your growth has already surpassed the academy's teaching pace. If you wish to continue specializing, there is another path."
Uemon's eyes widened. He quickly understood and prostrated himself in a dogeza. "Professor Katori, I want to learn the way of the sword from you! Please take me as your disciple!"
[Uemon Tsubakiri has requested to become your disciple. Do you wish to accept him as a direct disciple?]
The prompt appeared. Sora immediately confirmed. "Good. From now on, you are my disciple. You must be loyal to the school and cultivate diligently, and I will teach you the way of the sword," Sora said.
Successfully accepted Uemon Tsubakiri as a direct disciple.
Uemon Tsubakiri's affinity level has increased. Current affinity level is Friendly.
First time having a B-rank talent disciple. Obtained extra reward...
---
Special Announcement: Tomorrow, a free file with chapters 141 to 300 of Naruto: Saving the Uchiha will be uploaded, along with another file for I Have Caught a Pokémon from chapter 300 to 450!
-------------------------------------
Featured projects:
Bleach Getting Stronger, Starting from Teaching 300 chapters
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha 300 chapters
The Crime Value System 120 chapters
I Have Caught a Pokémon — 350 chapters
Goddess Training Manual — 800 chapters
Second Generation Villain (Revised Version) — 90 chapters
Detective Conan Fanfic — 380 chapters
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem — 1050 chapters
I Am the Villain's Father — 400 chapters
----------------------------------------------------------------
👉 Join and support these projects at: patreon.com/LEYI396
— Don't miss a single chapter or any manga translation done on demand!