After sleeping for more than ten hours, Su Xiao woke up feeling hungry. If it weren't for the uncomfortable burning sensation in his stomach, he would have wanted to sleep a bit longer.
Before stepping out of his empty room, Su Xiao frowned. The place was too basic, with no bed at all. It looked like he would need to spend some Paradise Coins to make it more comfortable. The Reincarnation Paradise only offered the option to expand personal space but didn’t provide furniture, so he had to buy that himself.
"This is such a hassle. I need to sort this out quickly today," he muttered.
He found a restaurant run by workers and managed to have a filling meal for just 3 Paradise Coins. The food tasted good, and the worker who ran the place was quite friendly. From the warm attitude, it was clear that life for workers in the Reincarnation Paradise wasn’t easy either.
After eating, Su Xiao started looking around the stalls on the streets. It wasn’t hard to find the furniture he needed. A worker had invented a type of compressed capsule that shrank furniture down to the size of a finger, making it easy to carry.
After spending 200 Paradise Coins, Su Xiao bought the furniture he needed for daily life. With his eating and living arrangements settled, he headed straight to the central area of the Reincarnation Paradise and arrived at the Trial Ground.
He still had two days left in the Reincarnation Paradise, and during that time, he needed to get used to his suddenly stronger body.
"Welcome, Hunter, to the Trial Ground. Please choose a mode."
"Assisted Mode / Real Combat Mode"
After a moment of thought, Su Xiao chose Assisted Mode.
"Assisted Mode selected. Please choose the level of summoned mirror image."
Three options appeared before him: Low-Level Mirror, Mid-Level Mirror, and High-Level Mirror. Each option had a price listed: the Low-Level Mirror was 100 Paradise Coins per hour, the Mid-Level Mirror was 1,000 Paradise Coins per hour, and the High-Level Mirror was 10,000 Paradise Coins per hour.
After hesitating for a bit, Su Xiao chose the Mid-Level Mirror. He had observed for a long time in the Reincarnation Paradise, and the gear sold by the contractors was mostly low-quality white equipment. The only green-grade weapon he saw was priced at 4,000 Paradise Coins and was highly sought after by many contractors. However, that green weapon’s attributes were not even as good as his own Dragon Slayer Flash.
While there might be good items for sale, they were hard to come by and required some luck. Instead of buying equipment, Su Xiao preferred to enhance his own strength. True power came from within.
After paying 1,000 Paradise Coins, a Mid-Level Mirror image appeared before him in a swirl of milky light. As the light faded, a middle-aged man in a white training outfit holding a sharp blade appeared.
The surroundings changed into a dojo of a sword hall.
"Summoned mirror image: Geng Shirou, from the Pirate World."
Seeing the prompt from the Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao felt a surge of joy. He wasn’t sure how strong Geng Shirou was, but when it came to teaching, he was definitely skilled. Zoro was a living example. Although Geng Shirou hadn’t taught Zoro any specific moves, he had laid the foundation for Zoro to become strong.
"Hello, I am Geng Shirou. We don’t have much time, so let’s get started."
Geng Shirou appeared relaxed. This wasn’t the real Geng Shirou, just a mirror image. He glanced at the Dragon Slayer Flash at Su Xiao's waist and nodded.
"A weapon similar to mine? That makes things simple. Come at me with all your might."
Su Xiao didn’t waste any time. The cost of summoning for an hour at 1,000 Paradise Coins made him feel the pinch, so he swung his blade at Geng Shirou.
With his current attributes, the strike was fast and fierce, aimed directly at Geng Shirou’s head.
To Su Xiao’s surprise, Geng Shirou didn’t even draw his weapon. He simply blocked with the sheath and then adjusted the angle of the sheath. Su Xiao felt his long blade being deflected uncontrollably to the side, and he stumbled a couple of steps due to the force.
The ease with which his attack was neutralized left Su Xiao feeling frustrated, but there was nothing he could do. The reality he lived in and the world Geng Shirou came from were on completely different levels of power. The sword techniques he practiced in the real world were insignificant in Geng Shirou’s eyes.
While the real world might have advanced sword skills, the rapid progress of technology had rendered those skills almost useless, leading to their gradual disappearance.
"That’s enough. Your understanding of swordsmanship is lower than I expected."
What Geng Shirou referred to as swordsmanship was actually the same as Su Xiao’s knife skills; it was just a different name for the same thing.
Su Xiao felt a wave of defeat wash over him. The knife skills he had worked hard on seemed trivial to others, and he had no room to argue; it was indeed true when compared to Geng Shirou.
It wasn’t shameful to be less skilled than others; what mattered was catching up. Being stubborn in the face of inferiority was what truly brought shame.
"What should I do? Practice the basics?"
Su Xiao casually slashed a few times, leaving behind faint white lines in the air.
"No, your foundation is good, much better than most. Very few people are willing to spend years practicing such simple and tiring movements as chopping."
"Answer me this: how do you see the weapon in your hand?"
Geng Shirou, dressed in white, sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling at Su Xiao. With his nose and eyes, he gave off a gentle vibe.
"How do I see the weapon in my hand? Hmm... a tool for killing."
Su Xiao’s answer made Geng Shirou shake his head repeatedly.
"If you continue to hold this view, even if you practice hard for a hundred years, you’ll only be 'swinging a stick' and won’t truly grasp swordsmanship."
Su Xiao glanced at the Dragon Slayer Flash in his hand but didn’t speak.
"Perceive the weapon in your hand. Make it an extension of your body. If you can’t even do that, I can’t teach you anything."
Geng Shirou’s words darkened Su Xiao’s expression. He had spent 1,000 Paradise Coins to summon Geng Shirou, but the other party wanted him to figure things out on his own.
Su Xiao quickly contacted the Reincarnation Paradise, wanting to pause the training until he could better perceive the knife in his hand.
Unfortunately, the Reincarnation Paradise informed him that training couldn’t be paused. He could leave the Trial Ground now, but the Paradise Coins spent would not be refunded, and Geng Shirou would also disappear.
With no other choice, Su Xiao sat down on the ground as well, placing the Dragon Slayer Flash on his lap, and began to feel it.
"Don’t just imagine your weapon in your mind. Feel it. Feel its sharpness, its grip, its unique aura."
Geng Shirou was not summoned for nothing. While Su Xiao was trying to perceive the weapon in his hand, Geng Shirou began to give detailed guidance, sharing insights with Su Xiao.
These insights were something Geng Shirou would only share with promising disciples like Zoro. Now that Geng Shirou was Su Xiao’s summoned mirror image, he imparted this valuable knowledge without holding back.
As time passed, half an hour later, Su Xiao vaguely sensed the Dragon Slayer Flash on his legs.
Instinctively, he picked it up and slashed, producing a sharp sound in the air.
Geng Shirou nodded in satisfaction and continued to guide Su Xiao.
An hour later, Geng Shirou faded away into the air, but Su Xiao remained seated, occasionally slashing with the blade.
He felt as if a door was gradually opening for him. The knife skills he had practiced before were merely swinging a stick; aside from mastering the basic cutting posture, they had little practical use.
With each draw and sheathe of the blade, Su Xiao immersed himself in his own world, completely unaware of Geng Shirou’s disappearance.
To be able to persist in practicing a chopping motion for three years showed Su Xiao’s obsession with knife skills.
As the saying goes, a single thought can connect to the divine. After three years of hard practice, with Geng Shirou’s guidance, Su Xiao began to gradually elevate his skills.
(End of Chapter)