"Hmph, hmph, hmph."
The old man was trembling with anger, unable to speak.
Mahito casually held a bamboo sword, maintaining the "Natural Stance."
This was a stage every beginner in kendo had to go through.
Having always taken the wild path, he had finally encountered a true academic, allowing him to truly enter the gate of swordsmanship.
Kenjaku watched from the side, greatly amused.
He smiled and advised: "Old friend, don't mind it."
"You can't expect a child less than half a year old to possess real swordsmanship."
"Isn't he sincerely asking for your guidance?"
Ashiya Magon had just calmed down when he couldn't help but yell out:
"It's been over three hundred years since I personally taught swordsmanship from scratch!"
"The worst students who came to me had at least some basic swordsmanship."
"Most were undoubtedly swordsmanship geniuses, the kind that had already 'blossomed'!"
"You scoundrel, you're making me relive the days of being a novice instructor!"
"Damn it!"
A national grandmaster thought he was welcoming a talented genius, and his job was to guide the genius through advanced techniques, looking forward to the birth of a new master under his tutelage.
Instead, what he got was a novice who couldn't even figure out one plus one.
Anyone in that situation would lose their mind!
Ashiya was so angry he laughed.
He roared at Kenjaku: "I almost bestowed the title of Zenin-giri upon this scoundrel!"
"Does he deserve it!?"
"I swear, the sword in his hand is just a slightly more useful tool."
"His trump cards have nothing to do with swordsmanship!"
"Damn it, let me guess, you guys once told me that the sword in his hand is a Tsukumogami?"
"Then the reason he can cut such beautiful arcs is probably because of a Cursed Technique similar to Cursed Spirit Manipulation, right!?"
Bullseye!
Mahito maintained his Natural Stance, secretly admiring the man.
As expected of the founder of the New Shadow Style, he was indeed talented in swordsmanship, and both bold and meticulous.
Most Innate Techniques are unique to an individual.
The ability of the Lord of Curses had spread like wildfire in the Jujutsu world—the ability to "make people evolve."
No matter how you looked at it, it had nothing to do with swordsmanship.
Especially since there were too many mixed Cursed Energy remnants from that chaotic battle.
Mahito had unceremoniously activated Simple Domain: Descent at the end, turning the entire Zenin estate into ruins.
Even Satoru Gojo couldn't make anything out; otherwise, Satoru Gojo wouldn't have gone outside the Zenin estate to observe the final battlefield.
It wasn't that he didn't go to the original site, but that there was nothing to see at the original site.
Therefore, upon seeing the battlefield and associating it with the confirmed ability of the King of Curses, no one would even consider the possibility that the King of Curses had a second ability.
The information that spread would most likely assume that the King of Curses definitely possessed excellent swordsmanship.
Who would have thought that Mahito didn't know swordsmanship at all, and his swordplay was entirely brought out by Tool Spirit Manipulation?
The more conventional a Jujutsu Sorcerer was, the less likely they would guess the truth!
Originally, Ashiya Magon had suggested a bamboo sword sparring match to gauge Mahito's abilities.
However, the moment Mahito gripped the bamboo sword, the old man's face suddenly flushed.
His blood pressure visibly shot up, and he roared loudly, immediately recognizing that Mahito was definitely cheating.
Without a shred of doubt.
Mahito immediately laughed: "You didn't name me Zenin-giri; you named my Kirigiri 'Zenin-giri'."
"You got it wrong, Instructor."
"You damn—"
The old man was about to yell again, then suddenly froze.
Mahito continued to maintain the beginner's Natural Stance without moving.
The old man's sharp, eagle-like eyes began to circle Mahito, no longer making a sound.
Kenjaku stood beside him, smiling as he watched the solemn Ashiya Magon, showing no surprise.
After a while, Ashiya Magon was shocked: "You... your comprehension ability... are you a monster?"
Why do all kendo apprentices have to go through the most basic Natural Stance training?
Because it is the posture best suited to correct movements when gripping and using a sword, and it is also the best posture for exerting force.
No matter what swordsmanship is used in the future, learning the Natural Stance has only benefits and no drawbacks.
The Natural Stance in kendo is like the Horse Stance in kung fu; it's the most fundamental of fundamentals.
You have to go through this stage for any kendo you learn.
This is the most time-consuming aspect!
The Horse Stance will only become more stable with practice, and the same goes for the Natural Stance.
This stance doesn't even have an ultimate standard, because everyone's height, weight, bone structure, muscles, and even heart rate will have microsecond differences.
These things, during long-term basic training, will inevitably be slowly adjusted to be most suitable for oneself.
This is a unique, personal ultimate standard.
Others can only grasp a general idea, but they can never replicate it one-to-one.
Ashiya Magon's reason for saying "ten years of tempering the Way of the Sword" was also for this.
According to martial arts classics, when Tsukahara Bokuden was young, he swung his sword six thousand times a day against a large tree, day after day for several years.
This training not only strengthened his body and sword skills but also honed his extraordinary concentration and explosive power.
He could even defeat opponents with a wooden sword on the battlefield, demonstrating ultimate mastery of the Way of the Sword.
But.
Ashiya Magon couldn't help but ask:
"How did you do it?"
"Your sword-holding posture, body posture, and even your concentration and spirit are all rapidly improving, at a visible speed!"
"You were clearly an ignorant apprentice when you first held a sword, but now, in just a quarter of an hour, when I see you again, I actually feel like you've been holding a sword for over five years."
Mahito was startled: "Can you even accurately estimate how long others have held a sword?"
"Holding a sword itself is not an innate human biological instinct; it's an acquired behavior."
"Therefore, the way someone holds a sword for the first time and someone who has held it for many years will be completely different, even if they both know the basic structure of holding a sword."
"Five years versus ten years, ten years versus twenty years, those who held a sword before and have now given up, and even hands that have held a sword for over a hundred years—to me, it's like observing patterns in my palm," Ashiya Magon said indifferently.
Alright, that was a good boast; I'll admit it.
Mahito showed an indescribable expression, turning to admiration.
Ashiya Magon saw Mahito's admiration but didn't show a look of triumph; instead, he pressed on:
"You might think this ability of mine is impressive now, but in reality, it's simpler than you imagine."
"Any swordsman who can be granted a Master's License can do this."
"On the other hand, how did you do it?"
"To catch up with five years of a normal person's time in just a quarter of an hour?"
"Please observe again," Mahito continued to maintain the Natural Stance.
Ashiya Magon indeed stopped questioning and instead seriously observed Mahito's posture.
He gradually showed a look of realization, then said in shock:
"You didn't 'accelerate' time; instead, you directly transformed your body into one suitable for wielding a sword."
So that's it; is this the so-called evolution?
"If someone had told me before that swordsmanship could be mastered quickly, I would have certainly cut them down with my sword."
"But now I have to admit one thing: human imagination indeed has its limits, even for me."
Uraume smiled: "Old friend, have you never considered what kind of ability it is that can 'make people evolve'?"
Ashiya Magon frowned, pondering: "I started paying attention when the rumors of the King of Curses appeared in the Cursed World."
At that time, there weren't even rumors that Mahito could grant immortality.
"But my thought at the time was some kind of ability to 'correct the physical body'."
"There is indeed such a thing as physical aptitude for humans."
"If Michael Jordan wasn't nearly two meters tall, no matter how incredible his comprehension ability, he wouldn't be able to achieve his current reputation in the basketball world."
"The same goes for Sorcerers."
"Rather, the Jujutsu world is even more brutal than the basketball world."
"Basketball still has short players who are masters, but in the Jujutsu world, if you don't have talent, you're out!"
"The circulation of Cursed Energy, the efficiency of Cursed Technique output, the volume of Cursed Energy, the explosive power of Cursed Energy, and so on, all indeed have physical influences and are not simply matters that can be overcome by willpower alone."
"As long as one can see through this point and possess the ability to modify the physical body, it's very easy to make a Jujutsu Sorcerer's abilities take a leap."
"The same goes for making ordinary people into Jujutsu Sorcerers."
"The physical structure of a Jujutsu Sorcerer is indeed physiologically different from that of an ordinary person."
"But conversely, as long as these differences are compensated for, it's easy to turn an ordinary person into a Jujutsu Sorcerer."
Mahito was secretly amazed.
As expected of a living fossil from the same era as Kenjaku, his insight was different.
This guy actually guessed most of Mahito's Idle Transfiguration just from rumors.
One should know that Kinji Hakari, who came from a specialized background, truly believed Mahito's ability was to grant evolution when he encountered it.
Let alone Kinji Hakari, even the Cursed Spirits around him thought so.
Kenjaku initially suspected it, but precisely because Kenjaku had more exposure, he stopped suspecting it.
Besides the physical improvements, Mahito's Idle Transfiguration could also control will, and the Mental Brand, which he had never spoken of publicly, was a prime example.
They all knew he could distort minds, but such distortions would leave obvious Cursed Energy residues that any excellent Jujutsu Sorcerer could easily spot.
Therefore, even though they all knew Mahito could distort minds, they were confident they wouldn't fall victim.
Mahito had never told anyone the secret of the Mental Brand, not even the Husks around him.
This led to every being transformed by Idle Transfiguration having their mental state changed to some extent.
This wasn't something bestowed by physical modification, so even the cunning Kenjaku was fooled.
On the contrary, this old man, completely unaffected by such influences, could see the truth of Mahito's Idle Transfiguration more clearly.
Mahito secretly became vigilant again.
This mere cannon fodder who was casually killed at the end of the original story was already so terrifying; he must not underestimate anyone again.
Hmm, the first time Mahito had this thought was during the Zenin clan battle.
Now he had encountered another instance.
It can only be said that in the original story, high-end combat power was too concentrated; even famous existences in the Jujutsu world were mere nobodies in the original battle.
Mahito has now deeply entered the Jujutsu world, so he naturally needs to adjust his mindset.
Uraume couldn't help but applaud: "As expected of you, old friend."
Ashiya Magon, however, showed no pride; instead, he was even more puzzled:
"But anyone who knows their stuff understands that no matter how excellent the physical body is, it can only guarantee a person's lower limit."
"There are so many tall people, but there's only one Jordan."
"A person's physical body can determine the lower limit, but to continue moving upward, one must touch the upper limit, which is the so-called comprehension ability."
"Ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration—that is the composition of a genius."
"Ninety-nine percent is easy to obtain, but that one percent inspiration is as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"Not just swordsmanship, this kind of thing happens all the time in this world."
"Some people can achieve results that others can never create in their lifetime, using the same conditions."
Ashiya Magon sighed with doubt:
"Especially materials science."
"If Japan's past craftsmanship hadn't been so substandard, and they couldn't steal the hundred-refined steel technology from the great Western nations, they wouldn't have been able to figure out the 'drawing the dragon's eye' technique that makes sword blades bend..."
"Damn it, if ancient Japan had modern Japanese materials, screw the bending!"
"With one slash, I could cut through man and armor. The curved arc is even a defect!"
"I once personally saw the legendary Odachi."
"Its blade was straight like an ancient pine, and when touched, one could clearly feel the sword's weight, like heavy rock."
"Only then could it earn the reputation of 'shattering both man and horse'."
"Give me an Odachi, and I'll chop off all eight heads of the Yamata no Orochi!"
"Ryomen Sukuna only deserves to give me the finger!"