Silence!
A deathly silence!
Ryosuke was both annoyed and amused.
What he probably wanted to express was: Your swordsmanship is so exquisite that it surpasses my understanding, I couldn't break it, very impressive!
Although it sounded like this guy was roasting him.
"Hahahahahaha—!!!"
Sabito clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he leaned back and forth: "Gi... Giyu... you'd better stop thinking next time."
Giyu had a small head full of big doubts.
Everyone is laughing...
That means what I said this time should be correct.
I probably wasn't disliked.
Giyu silently gave himself a thumbs up in his heart.
"Giyu!"
Makomo stomped her foot, deliberately putting on a stern face, and pointed at Giyu's nose.
"You are the most—annoying!"
Giyu froze suddenly, his brain seeming to be pierced by a white line.
He turned his head sharply, his expression still serious.
"No!"
Giyu's tone was decisive, as if stating an established law.
"I won't be disliked."
"..."
This overly serious rebuttal paired with his airhead face left Makomo with no temper at all.
Ryosuke and Moriyama Akira saw clearly from the side; the two exchanged a knowing look, their shoulders starting to shake violently again, desperately holding back laughter, enduring painfully.
Makomo took a helpless deep breath, deciding to temporarily let this one-track-minded senior brother off, and turned to Ryosuke.
A bright smile immediately bloomed on the girl's face as she bowed generously:
"Hello Mr. Yasui! I am Makomo! Teacher Urokodaki's disciple!"
Ryosuke also restrained his smile, nodding gently in return: "Hello Makomo, I am Yasui Ryosuke."
Makomo then remembered the main business and turned to Sabito and Giyu.
"Teacher is waiting for you in the room."
Sabito and Giyu immediately straightened their expressions.
Ryosuke exchanged a glance with Moriyama Akira and followed tacitly.
The wooden house on Mt. Sagiri was simple and clean, carrying a faint fragrance of wood and herbs.
Pushing open the sliding door, Urokodaki Sakonji was kneeling by the low table, focused on pouring tea.
He wore his signature red Tengu mask, his expression unseen.
Hearing footsteps, Urokodaki raised his head, his gaze passing over his disciples and landing directly on Ryosuke.
"You..."
A deep and gentle voice rang out: "Are Yasui Ryosuke from Momoyama?"
Ryosuke bowed slightly: "Yes, Mr. Urokodaki. I am Yasui Ryosuke under Mr. Kuwajima Jigoro."
"Grandpa has always been concerned about you, saying the moist air of Mt. Sagiri is good for people, and hopes you take care of your health."
He paused and added: "This mission passed through the vicinity, and Moriyama invited me warmly, so I took the liberty to come and disturb you."
Hearing this, the tea-pouring movement in Urokodaki Sakonji's hand paused slightly.
He chuckled softly, teasing gently.
"Mr. Jigoro is concerned?"
He gently put down the teapot and pushed a cup of clear tea soup in front of Ryosuke.
"That doesn't sound like something that hot-tempered old fellow would say; it sounds more like polite words you thought up for him."
Ryosuke smiled frankly, not denying it.
"I can't hide it from you, sir. This is my understanding of my teacher's feelings. Although he doesn't say it explicitly, he remembers the friendship of mutual assistance between Mt. Sagiri and Momoyama in his heart."
"Mhm."
Urokodaki responded, then turned to look at Sabito and Giyu standing respectfully.
"How was the circulation of strength in swinging at the boulder today? Have you found that balance point between the resilience of the water flow and the sharpness of the slash?"
Sabito immediately bowed and reported in detail his insights during training and the obstacles he encountered.
Giyu was concise, occasionally adding one or two key sentences.
Urokodaki listened attentively, giving pointers from time to time.
Ryosuke listened quietly from the side, observing Urokodaki's teaching method.
Compared to Jigoro's thunder-fire-like emphasis on instantaneous explosion and pushing to the limit.
Urokodaki focused more on the length of breath, the continuous flow of force, and the perception and borrowing of environmental power.
Like a mountain stream, seemingly gentle, but actually containing surging, endless power.
The guidance came to an end, and Sabito and Giyu bowed and withdrew to continue completing the homework assigned by Urokodaki.
The tea fragrance in the room seemed even more tranquil.
Ryosuke put down his tea cup and spoke deliberately:
"Mr. Urokodaki, the quiet atmosphere of Mt. Sagiri is completely different from Momoyama. I would like to stay here for a while to sharpen my Breathing Style."
Urokodaki raised his eyes, his voice gentle as ever: "The mountain dwelling is simple. if you don't mind, feel free to stay."
"Thank you very much, sir!"
Ryosuke thanked him solemnly.
In the following days, Ryosuke quickly integrated into the rigorous and unique training rhythm of Mt. Sagiri.
He didn't drop the foundation of Thunder Breathing, still training his explosive power on the mist-covered cliffs.
After all, a man couldn't just be fierce; he also had to have endurance!
Only by being fierce and enduring could he penetrate through!
The rest of the time, Ryosuke practiced Total Concentration · Constant.
Without the burden of illness, Ryosuke practiced with twice the result for half the effort.
At night, he sat cross-legged in front of the wooden house, trying to continue the state of Total Concentration Breathing into sleep.
This was the hardest hurdle of Total Concentration · Constant.
Making the body instinctively maintain the rhythm of Total Concentration Breathing even in an unconscious state.
At first, this was an almost impossible task.
If his mind relaxed slightly or his body fell into deep sleep, that exquisite breathing rhythm would immediately be interrupted.
Several times in his dreams, Ryosuke woke up startled because his breath suddenly changed.
"Still can't do it..."
Late one night, Ryosuke woke up startled from failure again, scratching his hair irritably.
Moonlight cast spots of light on the floor through the window lattice.
The door was gently pulled open, and Urokodaki Sakonji walked in silently, sitting cross-legged on the cushion opposite him.
"Impulsive and restless?"
Urokodaki's voice was calm and waveless.
Ryosuke exhaled a breath of turbid air, somewhat frustrated.
"I made you laugh, sir. After falling asleep, my body is uncontrolled. Forcing it to maintain causes palpitations and unease instead, like my body is instinctively resisting."
"Instinctively resisting?"
Urokodaki repeated softly, shaking his head: "You got the direction wrong, Ryosuke."
Ryosuke looked up at him in confusion.
"Breathing Style is not a technique you force onto your body."
Urokodaki added softly, pointing out the key: "It is your body's instinct, like a heartbeat, like blood flowing."
"What Constant seeks is not how hard you try to maintain it when you are awake, but to let it completely become a part of your life, as natural as normal breathing."
"What you need to do is make Total Concentration Breathing your state of existence."
"Awake, it is your feeler for perceiving the world; asleep, it is the riverbed where your life flows. It is not you controlling the breath, but the breath is you."