Chapter 47: He Possesses Great Courage

Eyesight is an extremely important part of martial arts training. The eyes themselves are a weakness of the human body, yet they determine how we "touch" the world—how we reach out with our vision.

Because they are inherently vulnerable, it is difficult to strengthen them through conventional means. In this world, eyesight usually improves gradually alongside one’s growing strength and experience, reaching levels ordinary people cannot hope to attain. But few can deliberately train their vision; for most, it is a matter of innate talent.

Some people are simply born with keen eyesight and sharp perception, and their abilities are attributed to natural gifts.

But in my previous life, things were different. Human physical prowess was lower, and our limits fell far short of what people here can achieve. Yet that world paid greater attention to the development of subtle abilities.

After more than ten days of vision training, Kuina’s eyes had grown much brighter, as if a candle had been lit within her pupils.

Zoro’s techniques, in her eyes, were painfully slow and full of flaws. Such sluggish and crude moves could not escape her notice.

Compared to a month ago, it was far easier for Kuina to see her own constant progress.

The training of these small details alone was enough to continuously change her strength. Even though she hadn’t been practicing swordsmanship directly, her abilities were improving. Her respect for Tang Shen gradually transformed into genuine reverence.

Zoro’s attacks were fierce and wild, like a beast—seeming disorderly, yet already showing the beginnings of structure.

But… still too weak!

Such feeble momentum could only intimidate those even weaker.

Zoro was indeed evolving, but so was she—faster and stronger than he.

She stood motionless until Zoro rushed before her.

Only then did Kuina move, to the gasps of the students in the dojo.

Crack!

Just like a month earlier, her bamboo sword struck Zoro squarely on the forehead, leaving a clear mark.

But this time, it was different. Both of Zoro’s bamboo swords were pinned tightly to his chest by Kuina’s own, leaving him utterly powerless. He gritted his teeth and resisted with all his might, desperate to lift his swords, but Kuina’s felt as immovable as a mountain—not budging an inch.

Kuina could feel her own transformation. It wasn’t just that her strength had grown, or that she’d become overwhelmingly stronger than Zoro.

It was that her stance was steadier.

Like the horse stance and pillar training she did every day, her body now reacted instinctively in combat.

Now, her seemingly thin frame was as steady as a hill.

It felt as if an immense, invisible force anchored her feet to the ground, holding her in place.

Steady!

And from her feet, through her legs, waist, and up, power flowed ceaselessly.

Effortless control!

She was so much stronger than a month before, and this change was crystal clear to her now.

Every bit of training, she realized, had meaning for her swordsmanship. She might not have understood it before, but now she started to grasp the purpose behind those so-called foundational drills.

She needed little force to pin Zoro down, making it impossible for him to resist.

In the past, to make Zoro yield, she had to strike again and again.

But now, a single downward press was enough. Even if Zoro’s strength equaled or surpassed hers, she had no doubt he would still be unable to resist.

With a thud, Zoro was forced to his knees by her light yet unyielding pressure, his face flushing crimson from the effort. He was using all his strength, but it was useless.

It was only a bamboo sword, yet it felt unbearably heavy to him.

Tang Shen smiled faintly, thinking: Only through hard work does progress reveal itself, and even greater results are yet to come—he could feel it clearly.

All the students stared in stunned silence, mouths agape.

Perhaps it was their imagination, but they all felt Kuina’s victory over Zoro was even more effortless than a month prior.

Zoro was making remarkable progress, training as hard as anyone could imagine.

So why?

Koshiro too was watching closely. The outcome was expected, but the process left him deeply shocked.

His eyesight far surpassed the students’—he saw more, and so he was even more astonished. The seemingly chaotic, nonsensical training had truly transformed Kuina. At her stage, a girl’s growth should have been slowing, her developing body holding her back.

There was a quiet heaviness in his heart. The training he’d observed was not as simple as it appeared; its effects exceeded anything he had ever achieved.

It was astonishingly effective at building a foundation.

“You’ve lost,” Kuina said softly, withdrawing her bamboo sword and returning to Tang Shen’s side.

She had fulfilled Tang Shen’s instructions perfectly.

If she was to deliver a blow to the face, then so be it.

Zoro slumped to the ground, panting like an ox, clearly dejected.

He felt that the gap between them hadn’t shrunk—it had grown.

He was not wrong. The gap had indeed widened.

“As expected, Zoro lost!”

“Kuina is a swordsmanship prodigy. Even if Zoro trains for ten more years, he’ll never beat her.”

“The gap’s just too big. She can even defeat the master of the dojo—how could Zoro ever win? He’ll never have a chance!”

“Defeating Kuina is impossible. There’s no point in even thinking about it!”

Some students sneered, some scorned Zoro’s efforts, and soon everyone scattered for their morning exercises.

Only Zoro slowly climbed to his feet. He acted as if he hadn’t heard the others’ jeers. Raising his bamboo sword, he pointed it at Kuina and shouted, “Kuina, next time I’ll definitely beat you!”

Kuina was momentarily startled. She glanced at Tang Shen, then rolled her eyes. “Idiot, I’ll never lose to you.”

But Zoro paid her no mind.

He had already turned away, hurrying off to train.

His voice could still be heard in the distance: “Damn it, I lost again. Next time I have to win.”

But instead of joining the morning exercises, he went to practice his swordsmanship at the targets, feeling he needed to narrow the gap with Kuina.

“What do you think?” Tang Shen suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Kuina turned to Tang Shen with a dazed look. “What do I think?”

Tang Shen could only sigh at her cluelessness, and explained, “What do you think of Zoro’s challenge?”

“He’s an idiot. He’s so weak, yet still challenges me—what a waste of time. And he’s so full of himself,” Kuina said, pouting. She’d held back before, but now that she was alone with Tang Shen, she spoke her mind.

But Tang Shen said, “I think he has real courage.”

Kuina looked up at him, eyes filled with confusion. “Courage?”

Courage? Was it courage to challenge someone stronger while being so weak? Wasn’t that just a waste of time? Did boasting count as courage?

In the outside world, behavior like that would get you beaten in an instant.