REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!Chapter 31: Stance
The next day, zanjutsu class.
Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting interlaced patterns of light and shadow on the ground.
The wooden floorboards, worn smooth and aged by countless footsteps, bore traces scattered deep and shallow from students' training.
Inside the spacious, bright dojo, students had already formed two rows early, awaiting the instructor's arrival.
"So you're this year's elite class freshmen. Not bad."
A resonant, slightly hoarse male voice rang out. From the dojo's side entrance came a man wearing a black teaching robe, his clothing somewhat loose and not fastened as strictly as homeroom teacher Kaminoki's.
A wooden sword with a dark cloth-wrapped handle hung at his waist. The man's left hand rested casually on the sword's hilt, swaying slightly with his steps.
A head of gray-white hair matched his weathered cheeks. His rough exterior conveyed an attitude of unrestrained confidence.
Four upperclassmen followed behind him. He paced to a stop before the new students, his gaze like a head wolf scrutinizing subordinates—sharp as if it could pierce through hearts.
Though his words sounded like praise, when his gaze swept across the lined-up students, that examining look brought invisible pressure that made many unconsciously straighten their backs, their breathing unconsciously lightening.
"I'm Saitou Yuuichi. From now on, I'll be teaching you zanjutsu."
"My teaching rules are simple: I teach, you practice."
"I'll teach everything that should be taught. What level you achieve depends on how much effort you put in."
Saitou Yuuichi spoke. His words weren't as wild as his appearance, carrying the steadiness belonging to a teacher.
"Those with kendo foundations, stand to the left. Those who've barely even held a sword, follow Shikano and the others to practice basic footwork and striking from fundamentals."
He turned his head slightly, gesturing toward the four upperclassmen behind him.
Concise and to the point, without unnecessary pleasantries or nonsense.
Shinoreijutsuin courses were basically all like this. New students' spiritual power ratings might not differ greatly, but the gaps in technique were often quite substantial.
Students who hadn't even entered the door were typically led in practice by upperclassmen.
Only when their level reached a certain standard would the teacher personally conduct instruction.
The new students began moving. The crowd naturally divided into two groups.
Elite class students mostly had some recognition of their own foundations. Everyone quickly took their positions on left and right.
"You, you, you two stand on the right."
"Can't even walk steadily, yet want to practice with swords."
Coming before the left-side students, Saitou Yuuichi didn't say much. His finger casually yet precisely pointed out two new students.
To someone experienced like him, merely the floating center of gravity and momentary delay while walking had already exposed the fact that their lower bodies were insubstantial and their foundations unstable.
"Y-yes...!"
The pointed-out students' bodies stiffened. Shock and embarrassment instantly flooded their faces as they responded in low voices.
Not daring to even raise their heads, they shamefully drilled back into the right-side queue.
Standing on the left side, Suoh clearly felt the gaze from his slant-banged classmate beside him.
The look carried deliberate provocation, like fine needles pricking his neck.
Suoh only looked straight ahead, as if not noticing that gaze at all.
He knew the other party was definitely waiting for the free practice sparring session, wanting to make him lose face before everyone.
But to him, what mattered most right now was listening to the lesson content.
As for that so-called "sparring match"—it was merely an insignificant farce.
Soon, the students on the other side began practicing under upperclassmen's guidance.
Saitou Yuuichi focused his attention on the advanced group students before him. The unrestrained expression on his face subsided considerably, replaced by focus and seriousness.
"The most basic and also most difficult aspect of zanjutsu is—stance."
He drew the wooden sword from his waist. His feet separated naturally, settling his center of gravity. His movements were crisp and decisive.
The wooden sword was held before him in the common middle-level seigan stance, blade facing diagonally upward, the hilt close to his abdomen.
The moment sword met hand, his entire aura completely changed—like a steady, weighty mountain peak, fusing with the floorboards beneath his feet and the sword in his hands into one.
"This isn't merely a stance, but the foundation for all your future battles."
"Center of gravity, breathing, line of sight, distance from your opponent—everything in zanjutsu begins with stance."
Between his words, he slowly shifted his footwork. The sword tip in his hands changed angles with his steps.
He demonstrated in detail several variations of the middle-level guard. The center of gravity transfer between each movement contained changes for subsequent attacks and responses.
"Remember, stance isn't dead but alive."
"Not an empty posture you strike, but something that can truly explode at any moment, change at any moment."
"Attack, defense, counterattack rhythm—you decide and control them yourself."
"Alright, theory and demonstration end here. Now all of you pick up your swords and assume your most familiar stance."
Saitou Yuuichi withdrew his stance. His wooden sword pointed toward everyone as he gave instructions.
Though different schools' stances differed, ten thousand variations still shared the same root. The basic principles remained the same.
Upon hearing this, the students immediately complied. Suoh also steadily raised his sword and assumed a stance.
After everyone had taken their stances, Saitou Yuuichi paced among the students, occasionally using his wooden sword to lightly tap students' wrists, elbows, or the backs of their knees, correcting errors in their stances.
"Too stiff!"
"Center of gravity is floating!"
"Breathing is chaotic!"
When he walked before Suoh, his gaze fixed there.
Suoh's stance differed from the middle-level stances of others in the area.
His wooden sword was raised high above his head, the blade nearly parallel to the ground with the tip pointing slightly downward. His left hand gripped the very end of the hilt while his right hand gripped the top near the guard.
His entire body's center of gravity leaned slightly forward. The stance was like a fully drawn bowstring, filled with explosiveness and aggression.
An extremely standard high-level kasumi stance.
"Upper-level guard? The stance is quite well done."
Compared to the lower-level guard's defensive nature and middle-level guard's ability to attack or defend, the upper-level guard often pursued absolute victory.
Of course, pursuing victory wasn't bad for Shinigami at all. As long as the style suited the sword bearer themselves, that was fine.
The corners of Saitou Yuuichi's mouth pulled into a barely perceptible arc. Without any warning, the wooden sword in his hands brought forth a sound of cutting air as it cleaved straight down.
The target was precisely Suoh's side shoulder, exposed from raising his wooden sword high.
Whoosh—
The next instant, the sound of cutting wind rang out again—not a block, but a counterattack with even faster speed.
Almost the moment Saitou Yuuichi struck, Suoh's wrist sharply turned. The originally downward-pointing blade tip swept up in a small half-arc, meeting the descending wooden sword.
Bang—
Two wooden swords collided violently in the air, releasing a dull sound.
"Excellent!"
"Withdraw."
Feeling the rebounding force transmitted through the blade, Suoh's counterattack had demonstrated precise control over timing, angle, and strength.
Calm, stable, with an extremely solid foundation.
Withdrawing his sword and stepping back, Saitou Yuuichi looked at Suoh before him, his eyes carrying undisguised appreciation as he praised.
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