"He's coming…!"
Standing opposite Xia Yu, Koushirou felt that vast and invisible aura once again, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
He and Dragon had sensed this presence before, but compared to the first time, this time the feeling was far more intense.
"Just by holding his sword… he can release such terrifying Sword Intent!"
Watching from the side, Dragon slightly raised his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"This man… is far from simple."
"This is…"
Kuina and Zoro felt the pressure even more strongly. Although they didn't fully understand what was happening, their gazes instinctively locked onto Xia Yu.
At that moment, Koushirou slowly raised the wooden sword in his hand and entered a fully defensive stance, treating Xia Yu as a formidable enemy.
The aura Xia Yu had suddenly unleashed brought him an unprecedented pressure.
If he didn't remain completely alert, he might be defeated by Xia Yu in an instant—perhaps unable to block even a single strike.
It wasn't that Koushirou lacked confidence.
But as a fellow swordsman, he could clearly feel Xia Yu's terrifying strength from the Sword Intent released when Xia Yu gripped his sword.
This man might not be inferior to the current World's Greatest Swordsman—Dracule Mihawk.
Koushirou didn't even dare draw his sword lightly.
Under the invisible yet overwhelming Sword Intent surrounding him, he had the feeling thatno matter how he drew his blade, Xia Yu would see through it instantly…and defeat him with a single strike.
"Mr. Xia Yu is our guest."
Maintaining a stance with both hands gripping the sword hilt and the tip pointing upward, Koushirou spoke cautiously.
"You may make the first move."
"Haha… then I won't hold back."
Since they had agreed to spar, Xia Yu had no intention of wasting time in a stalemate.
After a hearty laugh, he suddenly bent forward, gripping the wooden sword behind his back in a reverse grip.
The next second—
Whoosh!
A faint sound of air tearing apart suddenly rang out.
Like a phantom, Xia Yu vanished—and reappeared in front of Koushirou, his wooden sword sweeping across with lightning speed!
At the same time—
Koushirou moved as well.
He remained standing in place, but the wooden sword in his hand slashed downward in what appeared to be a casual motion.
Yet the moment his sword came down, it intercepted Xia Yu's sweeping strike with perfect precision.
Smack!
After the collision, Xia Yu and Koushirou ended up standing side by side, their shoulders almost brushing as they passed each other.
Their wooden swords, after clashing, didn't separate.
Instead, they remained locked together, as if fused.
"H-Hey… what just happened?"
"Mr. Xia Yu was so fast… but the dojo master's sword was just as quick!"
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly stop moving?"
Just as the spectators were confused—
"Bzzzz…"
A dizzying vibration suddenly rang out.
Immediately afterward, a terrifying wave of sword energy erupted outward in all directions, forcing the onlookers to instinctively step back.
Before anyone could react, Xia Yu and Koushirou suddenly separated.
Then, at astonishing speed, they charged at each other again!
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The sounds of wooden swords colliding echoed continuously like a string of firecrackers.
At first, the two figures moved forward and back in quick exchanges. But gradually, they began circling in place.
Soon, their figures became completely blurred.
All that could be seen were the wooden swords flashing through the air, leaving behind streaks of whistling slashes.
"The dojo master really was hiding his strength!"
"But who exactly is Mr. Xia Yu? That swordsmanship is unbelievable!"
At some point, Ivankov had quietly moved to Dragon's side.
Watching the dazzling battle in the courtyard, Ivankov blinked and spoke softly.
"Dragon, we've already looked into him. Mr. Xia Yu didn't lie. He really did come from Windmill Village."
"He stayed there for half a month and got along well with every villager. Although no one knows where he originally came from, the villagers all like him very much."
"Especially the things he talked about in the village… something called… Confucian thought."
"Confucian thought?"
Dragon paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked at Ivankov.
"It's something about virtuous governance, rule through propriety, and governance through moral influence… Oh right! And something like 'cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.'"
"In short… this Mr. Xia Yu is definitely not an evil person."
Hearing Ivankov's words, a sharp light appeared in Dragon's eyes again.
Especially after hearing the phrase "cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world."
Dragon asked tentatively,
"Ivan… What do you think… about inviting Mr. Xia Yu to become the mentor of our Revolutionary Army?"
"The… mentor of the Revolutionary Army?!"
Ivankov was so shocked that his eyes widened.
"Dragon, you… you mean…"
"Yes."
Dragon nodded firmly.
"There is no one more suitable for this role than him."
"Trust me, Ivan. My intuition has never been wrong. Mr. Xia Yu is not only a master swordsman—he is also a genius when it comes to governance."
"Do you understand what 'cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world' truly means?"
"The village chief explained it like this: first correct the heart, then cultivate the self; once the self is cultivated, the family becomes harmonious; once families are harmonious, the nation can be governed; and once the nation is governed, the world will know peace."
After saying this, Ivankov suddenly widened his eyes.
Although this was the first time he had heard such a concept, he wasn't foolish.
Wasn't this… exactly what the Revolutionary Army had always been striving for?
More importantly, while the Revolutionary Army had the courage to oppose the World Government, they had always lacked someone truly capable of governing a nation.
Dragon was undoubtedly a qualified leader.
But he could never stay permanently at headquarters.
Because of his special status, he had to remain constantly mobile, making it impossible for the World Government's intelligence network to track him.
However, if Xia Yu were to join them—
Then when Dragon was away, Xia Yu could oversee the Revolutionary Army and ensure their rear remained stable.
Most importantly…
Without a true statesman, even if they managed to defeat the corrupt World Government, poor governance afterward might plunge the world back into chaos.
Dragon was an excellent revolutionary leader.
But he was not a true ruler.
Because Dragon could never do what Xia Yu had accomplished—
Planting an entirely new and complete set of ideas into the hearts of the villagers of Windmill Village in just half a month, allowing those ideas to take root… and grow.