How could he not be terrified by this scene?!
It can be said that General Tian's sweeping victory over Japan almost completely shattered the confidence and dignity of Japanese martial artists. It impacted nearly an entire generation of Japanese Kendo practitioners. He single-handedly set back the entire Japanese Kendo tradition by a decade! Countless renowned masters were defeated by him with just a rattan cane. Such devastating defeats even led some fiercely independent martial artists to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after their loss.
Although General Tian left Japan afterward, the spirit of Japanese Kendo did not recover for a full ten years. It wasn't until the current Kendo master, Takeuchi Bunzan, achieved mastery and revived the reputation of the Kamitsu Itto-ryu school. Everyone acknowledges that Takeuchi Bunzan's Kendo skills have surpassed those of his teacher, Jingu Nao, which has truly elevated the prestige of Japanese Kendo to a new level!
But regardless, that Chinese man carrying a rattan cane remains a nightmare for Japanese Kendo practitioners! The older generation almost never dared to mention that name, never speaking of that shameful event from the past. And with the rise of a new generation, few know anything about what happened back then.
However, old Ito was almost frightened!
Moreover, when Chen Xiao uttered those last words, Old Ito's heart skipped a beat!
This young Chinese man! He knew about General Tian taking the rattan cane!
Not only did old Ito's expression change drastically, but the warrior named Jingu Heihachiro, who was facing Chen Xiaofang, also suddenly changed his expression!
This Jingu Heihachiro is a descendant of Jingu Naoyu, who served under General Tadashi in the past. The Kamishū Ittō-ryū school is not a hereditary clan head system, but rather a system similar to the leadership of a martial arts school in China. Although Jingu Naoyu was the head of the main family in the past, the Jingu lineage gradually declined after his defeat.
By now, in Jingu Heihachiro's generation, although Jingu Naoo was his great-grandfather, he was the head of the school, while Jingu Heihachiro could only start as an ordinary disciple. However, he was exceptionally talented, and by the age of forty, he had already achieved considerable success in swordsmanship. Within the Kamishin Itto-ryu school, he was implicitly considered the second-best swordsman after the current head, Takeuchi Bunzan. Even in all of Japan, he was a renowned master of swordsmanship.
He was well aware of the fact that his great-grandfather, who was also the greatest master in Japan, had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of General Tadashi. This was the greatest humiliation for his lineage.
Upon seeing Chen Xiao standing before him with a rattan cane in his hand, Jingu Heihachiro's expression changed, and his eyes blazed with excitement!
"General Tian? A descendant?"
Jingu Heihachiro's voice trembled slightly! If the other party really was a descendant of General Ta, then as a descendant of Jingu Naoyu, if he could defeat him here, wouldn't he be able to wipe away his great-grandfather's shame?!
“My surname is Chen, not Tian.” Chen Xiao understood something from the other person’s eyes and smiled with relief: “However, you can consider me General Tian’s apprentice.”
"good!"
Jingu Heihachiro took a step back with his left foot, gently knocking off his wooden clogs and standing barefoot on the soft grass. He rubbed his feet back and forth on the ground, his arches sinking deep into the soil. He gripped the blade of the sword in one hand and the hilt in the other, his eyes fixed on Chen Xiao with a sharp, piercing gaze.
He was gathering his strength! After a few deep breaths, Jingu Heihachiro's breathing gradually stabilized, and the fervor in his eyes faded. From this, it can be seen that he was able to calm himself down in a short time, which shows that he was already quite accomplished in mental cultivation.
Suddenly, he let out a sharp shout, his feet, which were deeply embedded in the mud, slammed into the ground, and with that force, he lunged at Chen Xiao!
They came on strong!
Whoosh!
He drew the blade horizontally, and the scabbard in his other hand flew into the air. This flash of light slashed across Chen Xiao's waist!
With this strike, he seemed to have concentrated all the power he had accumulated into this single blow! The blade was extremely fierce! Even before the blade arrived, a chilling and piercing killing intent already rushed towards us!
Seeing a white streak of light slashing horizontally towards him, Chen Xiao twisted his body, and then twisted again!
His body contorted in two strange, rapid movements, as if taking a step to the left and then a step to the right. It appeared as if he were stepping forward to meet the blade head-on, yet his movements were incredibly unpredictable! Despite not being particularly fast, Jingu Heihachiro's astonishingly powerful strike completely missed its mark!
Chen Xiao's body barely grazed the tip of the blade, making a hissing sound. The blade even tore a small hole in Chen Xiao's clothes! However, it didn't harm Chen Xiao in the slightest! With this swift movement, he dodged the opponent's fierce attack, and after his feet shifted, his body had already passed the blade's momentum, almost touching the left side of Jingu Heihachiro's body!
When Ito Daio saw Chen Xiao's actions, his face immediately turned extremely gloomy!
Chen Xiao's movement was just a simple movement, but in the eyes of Ito Daio, who had witnessed General Tian's sweeping conquest of Japan, how could he not recognize it? It was the strange move and movement that General Tian had used in the past!
Jingu Heihachiro's sword missed its mark. Chen Xiao had even managed to close the distance, causing a stir among the onlookers, with some of the younger ones exclaiming in surprise!
However, Jingu Heihachiro remained remarkably calm—he was a direct descendant of Jingu Naoo. His great-grandfather had lost to General Tadashi's "short-range fighting" style years before, and his descendants had naturally studied this style meticulously, racking their brains for a way to counter it. As the most outstanding representative of the Jingu lineage in his time, Jingu Heihachiro naturally possessed a thorough understanding of the many wonders of this "short-range fighting" technique!
Although Chen Xiao managed to get to the left side of his body, his katana was too long, and he didn't have time to turn the sword back to save himself. However, he had practiced this maneuver countless times during his daily training!
Suddenly, his body jerked to a halt, his forward momentum abruptly halted! At the same time, his right wrist, holding the knife, twisted, and although the blade couldn't be reversed, he used the hilt to slam heavily into Chen Xiao's waist!
With the explosive power of his martial arts, even a knife hilt, if it hits someone solidly, can shatter their bones!
Jingu Heihachiro was extremely familiar with this countermeasure, and often pondered it in his spare time. If his great-grandfather had mastered this move long ago, he might not have been forced into such a sorry state by that General Tian…
But the attempt to hit the target still missed!
At that moment, Chen Xiao's body suddenly spun around in place, his footsteps as graceful as a butterfly's. With a turn, he spun like a top, his entire body seemingly coated in oil, making him incredibly slippery! The hilt of the knife struck heavily, barely touching a corner of Chen Xiao's clothing before being easily slid away!
Chen Xiao seized the opportunity and stepped behind Jingu Heihachiro! He raised the rattan cane in his hand and gave Jingu Heihachiro's buttocks a light tap!
*Smack!*
The sound of the cane striking his buttocks was barely audible. Yet, at that moment, it resonated deeply in the hearts of everyone present!
The second-best fighter of the Shangchen Itto-ryu style, was beaten on the backside with a rattan cane by this brat in a single exchange?!
Although the cane didn't hurt at all when it hit his buttocks, Jingu Heihachiro's heart skipped a beat! The breath he had been holding was almost broken!
So...easy?!
After the initial panic, a surge of courage, fueled by humiliation, burst forth!
He let out a roar, took two steps to the side, then suddenly turned around, gripped the knife with both hands, and slashed fiercely at Chen Xiao!
Buzz!!
Several faint bursts of energy immediately swept out! Chen Xiao's eyes lit up instantly!
I had seen that old man, Takeuchi Bunzan, use this move on the ship!
It seems to be called something like... True Nine Dragons Flash?
The power that Jingu Heihachiro unleashed was far less than that of the old man Takeuchi.
However, while on the ship, Chen Xiao used teleportation to dodge. Now, he was impersonating Old Tian's disciple. If he were to openly use his supernatural abilities to defeat these Japanese martial artists, even if he won, it wouldn't be satisfying enough and would only diminish General Tian's prestige.