Chapter 40: Kiai Technique, Mastery Level!

Uesugi Toru never expected there to be an item that could directly increase skill proficiency.

This is great.

Although a single Enpo Scroll (Fragment) only increased proficiency by a mere 100 points, it happened to match his Kiai Technique Fragment, which was right about to level up.

Without any hesitation, Uesugi Toru directly used the scroll and selected the skill "Kiai Technique Fragment."

He was about to try subduing the legendary Eight Shaku Figure soon, so naturally he would increase his combat power by every bit he could.

After all, the difficulty of subduing was far greater than killing.

【You used, Enpo Scroll (Fragment).】

【Your skill, Kiai Technique Fragment proficiency +100!】

【Your skill, Kiai Technique Fragment has been raised to Mastery Level!】

Since this time the proficiency was increased by using an item rather than his own breakthrough, it gave Uesugi Toru a rather novel experience.

It was as if a pair of big hands suddenly appeared inside his body, correctly guiding all his internal qi, and then drilling it countless times in an extremely short time.

Thus, the breakthrough was completed in an instant.

【Kiai Technique Fragment (Mastery 1/600)】

【Effect: Qi flows through meridians, steps like a swimming dragon, voice like a lion's roar.】

【The quantity of qi within your body decreased, quality significantly increased!】

【Because your Kiai Technique Fragment reached Mastery, your Physique +2!】

And after the Kiai Technique broke through to Mastery Level, besides the basic physique bonus and changes to the effect description words, Uesugi Toru also felt a strange change occurring in his internal qi.

He raised his hand, attempting to guide some qi to his fingertip.

The next moment, a translucent white wisp of gas about half a cun long suddenly appeared at his fingertip.

The sudden change made Uesugi Toru's pupils contract; he maintained the current operation of his Kiai Technique and brought his fingertip close to his eyes.

This is... internal qi can now be released from the body?

Uesugi Toru blinked, suddenly recalling a term from novels in his previous life: "Gang Jin."

So-called Gang Jin, as the name suggests, is forming a layer of "Qi Coating" hard as iron both inside and outside the body, so whether attacking or defending, one could gain a huge advantage.

And although Uesugi Toru was still far from releasing qi to completely cover his body surface, and the current qi could not be as hard as iron.

But he could roughly make internal qi leave the body by about half a cun, counting as a youth version of Gang Jin.

Uesugi Toru tried again and found he could indeed use Qi Coating to wrap Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword blade.

But doing so not only consumed a huge amount, and the sharpness of the Qi Coating was still far inferior to the former, making it counterproductive.

After some development, Uesugi Toru found that although Mastery Level Kiai Technique had many uses, its new functions did not seem very practical.

He sighed: "I still need to continue raising the level of Kiai Technique."

However, for now, Mastery Level Kiai Technique had already made his originally explosively growing strength rise another notch.

It was time to go find the Eight Shaku Figure.

Although he had not found the Eight Shaku Figure's traces during his last reconnaissance, he already knew the specific location.

—In a ruined temple south of the village, the Jizo Statue enshrined in the center of the temple had long since fallen to the side and shattered.

As for why the Eight Shaku Figure did not appear, he estimated it was because last time he went as the Laughing Prajna, and his charm was not high enough.

This time, Uesugi Toru decided to fish for law enforcement.

First not transforming into the Laughing Prajna, using his true body to pretend to be an ignorant intruder entering the temple, and after the Eight Shaku Figure was lured out by his charm of 9 points, he would take him down in one go.

Although the plan was simple, it should still be very effective for this kind of face-obsessed Mononoke like the Eight Shaku Figure.

Along the way, Uesugi Toru discovered that he surprisingly did not see a single farmer or worker, and this abnormal phenomenon made him vigilant.

Perhaps besides the Eight Shaku Figure, there were other dangers; he absolutely must not be careless just because his strength had increased.

After admonishing himself several times in his heart, Uesugi Toru, who had already arrived before the ruined temple, looked left and right, and spoke to himself in a slightly loud voice:

"This place actually has a temple; it must be Heaven seeing that my cultivation is not easy! Tonight I finally have a place to stay."

Saying this, Uesugi Toru swaggered into the temple, picked up a broken old futon to cushion himself, and began to cultivate with his eyes closed.

Looking like a wandering Sword Saint who had traveled here.

And, a handsome Sword Saint youth with charm reaching 9 points!

Thus, just as Uesugi Toru had his eyes closed for over ten minutes, a snow-white hat brim quietly appeared at the edge of the ruined temple wall.

—Uesugi Toru raised his brow; previously when he transformed into the Laughing Prajna and stayed here for half an hour, there was not a single movement.

The countryside in this Mei Zhi era, truly morals are declining day by day!

A pair of pitch-black eyes, through the seam in the wall, began to size up this careless handsome Sword Saint.

This remote Arakawa Village... how long had it been since such a handsome youth appeared?

The Eight Shaku Figure's eyes burned with passion; outside the wall she paced somewhat impatiently, wishing she could rush in now and press that Sword Saint to the ground, to have a deep and careful exchange with him.

However, she still suppressed this immature idea.

Rich experience told her that those who could travel alone outside mostly would not be weak in strength.

Although this handsome youth Sword Saint looked tender and delicate, watery and spirited, she would still wait until he fell asleep before sneaking over.

After all—

The Eight Shaku Figure lowered her head to look at her own translucent hands.

For so many years, few in Arakawa Village remembered her anymore, and since that factory landed, there were not many living people left in the village, let alone energetic young men.

As an Earth-bound Spirit of Arakawa Village, the Eight Shaku Figure could only be trapped here, growing weaker day by day.

So she would wait until this youth fell asleep; that would be better for everyone.

The Eight Shaku Figure waited patiently.

—Uesugi Toru could hardly wait any longer.

He wondered what this Eight Shaku Adult was waiting for—he'd secretly sized him up dozens, even hundreds of times, yet still crouched outside the wall; wasn't he going to eat the meat delivered to his door?

Strange, strange... Could this Eight Shaku Adult be a Mononoke possessing its own spiritual wisdom, just like that foreman earlier?

Probe him.

Uesugi Toru instantly stood up, drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, and shouted toward the direction opposite the Eight Shaku Woman: "Bold demon! Where do you think you're running!"

Swish swish swish—

He slashed empty air dozens of times in a row, then pretended to be satisfied as he sheathed his blade, loudly muttering to himself: "From now on, when we run into demons on the road, we'll just do this."

Afterward, Uesugi Toru sat back down on the cushion, but this time he didn't cultivate the Kiai Technique; instead he lay directly on the ground and began pretending to sleep.

Because Uesugi Toru could clearly sense the change in the Eight Shaku Woman's gaze—first it vanished, then secretly reappeared, and finally, after confirming he hadn't noticed her, she continued to scan him wantonly.

A few minutes later, Uesugi Toru, breathing evenly, waited leisurely.

—The trap was set; all that remained was for the big fish to bite.

As expected.

After Uesugi Toru had "fallen asleep" for over ten minutes, the brim of a hat appeared again at the edge of the wall; after confirming several times that he was truly fast asleep, she tiptoed to his side.

The Eight Shaku Woman gazed at the handsome youth shrouded in her tall shadow, and finally couldn't help but emit her signature "popopo" sound.

She slowly bent down, just about to do something, when she suddenly saw the youth roll over, turning his face toward her.

Uesugi Toru met her gaze, and the Eight Shaku Woman couldn't help but be captivated by this handsome face for a moment.

And the next moment, the smile-like face split its mouth at the corners, unleashing a thunderous roar in conjunction with the Kiai Technique cultivated to the extreme:

"Bold demon! Where do you think you're running!"

End of Chapter