"This is not a good thought!"
Shiki put away the sword and sighed deeply. The original Shiki-nee had a desire to kill due to two different personalities, but what was causing hers?
The Ley Lines? Or that aperture containing all of creation?
"Fortunately, there are monsters like the Hilichurl. That should help divert it somewhat. I should avoid cutting people if possible, and try to restrain myself..."
"Restrain what?" Uncle Tejima leaned out and asked.
Shiki panicked slightly upon hearing this, quickly turned around, and pretended to be calm, saying, "Nothing, girls always need to have some secrets, don't they?"
"That's true!" Tejima scratched his head. Since she didn't ask what he was doing, he certainly didn't need to ask her.
"But speaking of which, have you really never practiced swordsmanship? This doesn't look like a beginner's Iai draw!"
Tejima glanced at the fence lying on the ground. From the neat cut and the uchigatana in her hand, he knew what had happened here.
But wasn't this a bit outrageous? He remembered it took him at least half a year to practice to the point where he could cut four fence posts with one strike.
"Of course I haven't practiced! According to the common understanding here, I'm actually a rich Young Miss who only practiced Sheathing for a period, but that was purely for aesthetics."
Shiki stated that she was telling the truth. On Earth, she never received systematic instruction; it was purely a hobby—the kind where you fish for three days and dry nets for two.
She'd practice for a while when she remembered, and if she didn't, it would just sit in the corner collecting dust.
"Really?" Tejima was suspicious. Although all signs pointed to it being true, this was too discouraging.
"Really!" Shiki nodded forcefully.
"Alright, it seems I've taken a genius as an apprentice. If I teach you for a few more years, maybe I won't even be able to beat you." Tejima looked troubled.
Should he introduce her to a better teacher? Although his own strength was decent, he was only a civilian practitioner.
There were many people stronger than him, such as the Grandmaster of the Kamisato Clan's Muji-no-Kenkai style in Inazuma City, the Young Miss of the Kamisato Clan, and the General of the Tenryou Commission.
Especially the latter, the one from the Tenryou Commission. She possesses the bloodline of the Tengu, giving her a natural advantage that makes her speed far exceed that of ordinary people.
Don't let her usual weapon being a bow fool you; as a General, her swordsmanship is excellent.
As for the deity who holds sway over Inazuma in Tenshukaku... let's not mention her for now. The people mentioned before are relatively normal, but this one is directly at the Teyvat ceiling level.
The schools of swordsmanship in Inazuma all derived from the source stream of the Raiden Shogun. Whether it was the naginata, tachi, uchigatana, or metallurgy, they were all taught to the people of Inazuma by Raiden Ei.
From this point, one can infer how profound the Raiden Shogun's martial arts skills truly are, otherwise Inazuma would not have developed so many different schools.
'Sigh, I'll talk about these things later.'
Tejima knew that a girl with such high Talents wouldn't stay in a small place like Konda Village forever. He was merely her initiator on the path of martial arts.
Without unexpected events, Shiki would eventually forge her own path, which meant creating her own style.
All he could do was build a solid foundation for the girl.
To put it nicely, it's called the Muxin Style; to put it bluntly, it only has basics, no secret techniques.
Tejima's swordsmanship was very common; it contained no profound techniques, and anyone could learn it.
Shiki returned to the room and asked Tejima about the "self-forgetfulness" state.
"...Are you sure what you're saying is true?" Tejima asked, shocked.
"That is something all swordsmen must experience. If one wants to become a first-rate sword master, they must discard all distractions and concentrate all their essence, energy, and spirit into a single point, thereby maximizing their full strength in battle."
"We call this the Selfless State. A person who reaches this state can fight a hundred enemies without relying on a Vision, and the monsters rampaging in the wilderness cannot pose any threat to them."
"It took me a full twenty years to enter the Selfless State, finally achieving it during a life-or-death battle."
Tejima spoke, a hint of recollection appearing on his face: "It was a night of heavy thunder and rain. This kind of weather is extremely unfriendly to those of us who possess Pyro Visions."
"Not only is the flame we condense weaker than usual, but it also can't be maintained for long!"
"I had just finished clearing out a group of Kairagi who could enchant their weapons, and I was physically and mentally exhausted. Just as I was about to sit down on the beach for a good rest, a giant silhouette enveloped me."
"Was it the Thunder Armor Hilichurl?" Shiki asked.
"That's right. As everyone knows, this is an extremely dangerous creature. Normally, I wouldn't fear it."
"But I had just finished a battle, and both my mental and physical energy were greatly depleted. Furthermore, it was a thunderstorm. No matter how you looked at it, the odds were stacked against me."
"I undoubtedly fell into a bitter struggle, but at the critical moment, I felt the whole world slow down. I observed the Thunder Armor Hilichurl's weakness. Only after defeating it did I realize I had entered the Selfless State."
"So, do you know how shocked I was after hearing your description? I have never seen anyone enter the Selfless State on the very first day of learning."
"In other words, your beginning might be the endpoint that some people can never reach in their lifetime."
Tejima finished speaking, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Shiki had thought her state was special, but she hadn't realized it was this special.
It seemed her Talents had indeed undergone an outrageous enhancement. In that case, the so-called side effect wasn't so hard to accept.
At worst, she would just go clear out more monsters in the wilderness; it could be considered eliminating harm for the people.
A Small Step for Hilichurl, Evil Expansion, High Danger Ascent, Dangerous Transport Phenomenon, Towards the Stars... Thank you... (No).
*Cough, cough.* She accidentally thought of this. As an old player from the game's launch, Catherine's lines were already engraved in Shiki's DNA.
"By the way, can you enter the Selfless State freely?" Tejima broke the silence first.
"I'm not sure, I'll try." Shiki shook her head, then closed her eyes and began recalling the feeling she had during the Iai draw.
The Torch Hilichurl reappeared in her mind, but this time, she didn't have that feeling of concentrated, peak achievement.
'What's going on?' Shiki frowned. She clearly remembered the feeling of cutting the fence, but now it was as if she lacked a crucial key and couldn't enter the state no matter what.