Chapter 6: Kuina's Apprenticeship

Tang Shen added calmly, “And one more thing: realm.”

“Realm?” Kuina’s eyes were filled with confusion; at this point in her life, she hadn’t yet encountered such a level of swordsmanship.

“Yes, that’s right, realm. Otherwise, why do you think powerful swordsmen wielding swords forged from ordinary iron can cut through iron, slice steel, or even cleave a hill or split an island in two? Do you know the greatest swordmasters can slice the sea with a single stroke, or sever the clouds in the sky?” Tang Shen spoke with utmost seriousness.

Kuina’s eyes widened, her mouth agape in disbelief as she looked at Tang Shen, clearly shaken by his words.

At the moment, even using all her strength, she could at best cut through stone—and that was mostly thanks to the sharpness of her blade.

“That… is that really something a person can do?” Kuina stammered.

Cutting through iron and steel was already hard to imagine, but a mountain, an island, the sea, the clouds… how could such things be possible?

Yet in the next instant, Kuina’s gaze burned with unprecedented fervor. She yearned for such feats, awestruck by the vastness of the world—far greater than anything she had ever imagined.

“What… what exactly is a realm?” At that moment, Kuina was like a sponge, desperate to soak up more, thirsting for knowledge.

Tang Shen turned to look straight at Kuina, smiled gently, and said, “In truth, realm is a mysterious thing. You have to feel it for yourself—find your own way of the sword, and then comprehend it. Once you do, you’ll understand.”

Kuina’s expression was tangled and bewildered; she couldn’t grasp what Tang Shen meant. It was all too abstract, completely out of reach.

“Then what should I do?” In that instant, as if she had discovered a new world, Kuina was once again lost.

“It’s very simple!” Tang Shen replied with an amused smile.

“Simple?” Kuina gazed absentmindedly at Tang Shen, who seemed so at ease—almost as if all her troubles were nothing worth mentioning in his eyes.

Was this, perhaps, the difference in their realms?

If only she could have someone like him as her teacher, she wouldn’t have been so lost for so long.

Tang Shen nodded and continued, “You said it yourself: the strength of swordsmanship lies in power, speed, technique, form, and experience. Setting aside the idea of realm for now, which aspect do you focus on most?”

“Shouldn’t swordsmanship be developed evenly?” Kuina couldn’t help but ask.

“Then why have you been so fixated on strength?” Tang Shen rolled his eyes at her.

“I…” Kuina faltered. Why was she so obsessed with power? Because her father told her it was the most important fundamental, the very foundation of strength. She had never questioned why a swordsman must possess great power.

It was as if everyone around her believed the same, so she took it for granted.

“Then why not pursue speed? Or technique? Or forms? Or experience?” Tang Shen pressed on.

Kuina was at a loss for words. She seemed to understand, and yet, she didn’t understand at all.

With an exasperated sigh, Tang Shen reached out to ruffle her hair. “Let me sum it up: your father’s teachings have unconsciously instilled in you the concept that strength comes first, with speed, technique, forms, and experience as secondary. He’s even told you more than once that girls will never match boys in strength, and that a girl can never become a great swordmaster. That’s given you a fierce obsession—you want to surpass men in terms of strength, but that’s a dead end. Why not focus on speed? Or technique, or form, or experience?”

Kuina stared at Tang Shen, completely stunned.

It wasn’t that he was wrong—he was precisely right.

Sometimes, those caught up in the situation are blind to its truths, while outsiders see clearly. That was exactly the case here.

Wasn’t this the doctrine Koushirou had been instilling in his disciples all along? In the Isshin Dojo, apart from Kuina, all the students were boys. There wasn’t a single girl. Didn’t that reveal Koushirou’s philosophy on swordsmanship?

“In truth, your father’s teachings are not wrong—they’re just not right for you.” Tang Shen had no intention of turning Kuina against her father, so he offered this explanation.

[Kuina’s favor for you +10, now at +80: Intimate stage.]
[Kuina’s respect for you +50.]
[Player Monkey D. Roger’s reputation in Shimotsuki Village +20.]

Suddenly, Kuina stood up, knelt before Tang Shen, pressed her forehead to the ground, and earnestly declared, “Please guide me in my training. I beg of you!”

Tang Shen: “…”

He was momentarily dumbfounded. To be honest, he was still distracted by the system prompts—he hadn’t expected Kuina’s affection for him to be so high, let alone her respect, or even his rising reputation in Shimotsuki Village.

And he certainly hadn’t expected this turn of events.

For a moment, Tang Shen had no idea what to do. He had never anticipated this. His intention was simply to help Kuina out of her confusion, and yet, now she wanted to become his apprentice.

Damn it, all he had was theory—not a shred of real power. How embarrassing!

At Kuina’s current level, she could probably defeat him ten times over with one hand—maybe more. He felt deeply ashamed and awkward.

[Ding~ NPC Kuina has proactively requested to become your disciple. Do you accept? PS: The higher the NPC’s talent value, the more bonus talents the player receives. You may actively acquire one ability from your disciple.]

Hearing this prompt, Tang Shen’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected such an opportunity.

This game had so many unexpected elements—it was nothing like a traditional online RPG.

Initially, he’d only wanted to prevent Kuina from dying so young. From the anime, her talent was at least on par with Roronoa Zoro’s, perhaps even greater—she’d dominated Zoro since childhood, which was no small feat for a girl.

Even so, he wasn’t going to accept solely for his own benefit. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Kuina, to be honest, I’m just an ordinary person right now. Of course, I’ll work hard to become stronger—becoming the world’s greatest is my goal. But for now, do you still wish to have me as your teacher?”

Kuina was taken aback; a trace of hesitation flickered across her fair face. Then she gritted her teeth and replied firmly, “I do.”

No matter what, Tang Shen had given her clear direction in life. Before, she had always been lost, struggling in despair, her mind never as clear as it was now.

From the moment she could walk, she had trained in the way of the sword. Swordsmanship had become an inseparable part of her life. Yet her father Koushirou’s path diverged sharply from her own, leaving her lost, unable to find her way forward.

And it was at this moment that Tang Shen appeared.