Infinite Realm

(AN : Some fighting stances and moves here would require the reader to look them up for better imagination.)

"So, which are you good at? Armed or unarmed combat?" Noguchi Juro faced Wu Shiyi right after they stepped into the private dojo.

Wu Shiyi sighed internally as he realized that this old man was way too eccentric for him. 

He didn't reply immediately but set his sights on the dojo.

The interior of the dojo was about 4 metres in height with an area of 40 square metres. While it sounds big, considering the other professional facilities available in town, Old Juro's dojo would be graded as one of the smaller ones. 

At one side of the dojo was the equipment area. There was a 4 tier sword holder standing on one side and a sword rack beside it. Both held different styled swords made with different materials. Some were made with bamboo, white oak, and maple. There were also a few others that were made with polycarbonate and acrylic. As for metallic swords, there were only 2 and there were placed above the rest, hanging off a sword mount that was placed on the wall. In total, there were about 13 or so swords.

Apart from the swords, there was also a small collection of other weapons, ranging from spears, staffs, daggers, nunchaku, and sai. However, while they numbered much more than the swords, individually they were smaller. Each weapon only had 2 types and at most 3. Similar to the swords, they were all made with non-metallic materials.

Wu Shiyi walked over to the swords and felt a couple of them but wasn't satisfied with what was before him.

"Let's go unarmed." Wu Shiyi finally replied.

"Hmm? You didn't find anything to your liking?" Old Juro raised an eyebrow. 

It had to be known that his specialty was swords. That was why there were so many different kinds of swords. So Juro was surprised that Wu Shiyi couldn't find anything suitable for him. While it was true that weapon users had special requirements for their weapons, ranging from weight to length, with so many assortments of swords, chances were that one would surely find one barely usable for them but Wu Shiyi didn't. This left Old Juro feeling kind of down and disappointed. He was hoping to show off his collection to this kid yet the young man didn't feel anything about it and actually refused to use a weapon from it.

Seeming as if he could sense Old Juro's feelings, Wu Shiyi hurriedly replied.

"It's not that your weapons aren't good enough but they aren't the type that I use. I'm more of a fan of zanbatō[1] and horse-slaying sabers. While katana and tang swords are okay, I am not so good at them, or rather, I can't bring out their full prowess." Wu Shiyi explained.

"Oh? You're one of those brute force guys huh? I never thought of that. Actually, I never expected there would still be a zanbatō user in this era." Old Juro stroked his chin in amusement.

"Alright. It's fine."

The two then walked towards the centre of the dojo and took their positions. Wu Shiyi transitioned from a horse stance to a tiger stance as he kept his face placid in front of Old Juro. As for the old man, he simply took a basic Tai Chi empty stance.

There was only a space of 3 metres between them both but at their level, this distance was next to negligible.

Wu Shiyi's face became serious as he suspected that the man in front of him was a peak master or maybe even a grandmaster. This was simply because the presence Old Juro gave off at this moment was next to nothing. No matter the person, everyone had an aura and this was especially true for martial arts practitioners. The only way a person would seem to not have one was if they withheld it back but to do so, one would have to be an above-average practitioner of martial arts; at the very least, a master. 

Even if it was just a spar, Wu Shiyi had to take it seriously lest he loses face as his master's student.

Old Juro smiled as he saw Wu Shiyi's face. It was as if he could see what was going on in his mind.

"I'm coming." Old Juro announced. By giving his opponent a heads up before he made his move, Old Juro was displaying how confident he was in his skills.

Before Wu Shiyi could make any mental comment on that, Old Juro's figure appeared just a few inches away from him, a fist heading towards his face.

'Fast!' Was all Wu Shiyi could think as his eyes widened in fear. He wanted to dodge but had the feeling that he couldn't.

Old Juro's fist gave off the feeling that it occupied every possible escape route of Wu Shiyi's. It was as if he wasn't facing the fist of a human but the fist of a 100 metres tall beast. It was the only thing his senses could spot in that instant, the only thing his eyes could focus on. Left or right, it felt like the fist was locked on to him.

In that instant, as he realized that he couldn't dodge the hit, Wu Shiyi sent a punch of his own towards Old Juro, while raising his left arm to block the fist. 

In a fight between two high-level martial artists, ending the fight as quickly as possible was the best strategy. Old Juro had done the exact same thing by attacking so quickly with that fist of his while Wu Shiyi wanted to do the same by blocking the attack and counter-attacking at the same time. 

If another martial artist was in Old Juro's position, this move of Wu Shiyi's would be able to bring the fight to an end quickly. Even if the hit didn't connect, the opponent would be forced to the defensive side of the fight and with time, Wu Shiyi would be able to end the fight.

Sadly, his opponent was Old Juro, a descendant of the Noguchi clan.

Seeing Wu Shiyi's actions, a smile crept up on Old Juro's face as he pushed his fist towards Wu Shiyi's left arm. As for the incoming punch that was headed his way, Old Juro effortlessly moved his head to the side and dodged it.

*Bang*

At the same time, Old Juro's fist collided with Wu Shiyi's arm with an almost explosive force. At that moment, Wu Shiyi didn't doubt that if a bit more force was added to that fist, his left arm would have ended up broken. The strength behind the punch was beyond Wu Shiyi's calculations that it sent him back 5 steps.

'How?' Wu Shiyi was shocked at the amount of force Old Juro could mobilize in one punch. 

It should be known that he was a martial arts practitioner and a professional at that. Wu Shiyi often battled other fighters in cage fights or organized matches so his body's strength and toughness were beyond that of ordinary people. Even among fellow martial artists, it could still be ranked close to the top. It was because of this that he dared to block Old Juro's fist and also counter-attack at the same time. Yet, just one punch had almost sent him to the hospital.

Even after landing a hit, Old Juro wasn't satisfied with that as he dashed in on Wu Shiyi. While he didn't feel threatened by Wu Shiyi, he clearly wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible.

'Damn.'

At this moment, Wu Shiyi had his balance displaced by that punch and was almost like a sitting duck. Old Juro didn't give him any breathing space so he couldn't regain his composure in time. Without any time to pull himself together, there was a high chance that Old Juro's next attack would be a clear hit.

'No!'

As Wu Shiyi had taken the 5th step backward and managed to keep his cool, Old Juro appeared in front of him once more and sent a fist his way. Just like with the last one, this fist gave off a boundless feeling that seemed to occupy everywhere, giving Wu Shiyi the feeling that he couldn't dodge it.

While he still didn't manage to pull himself together completely, Wu Shiyi was prepared for it. 

A kick was sent Old Juro's way just as he came within close distance of Wu Shiyi. 

This kick was the last ditch effort by Wu Shiyi. Because of this, he was open and if Old Juro found a way to dodge it and attack him, Wu Shiyi would surely get hit and the fight would be over. However, if Old Juro couldn't launch an attack during this interval, Wu Shiyi would be able to regain his balance and the battle would continue. 

This was because compared to his arms, Wu Shiyi's legs were a lot stronger. Even if Old Juro punched at his leg, Wu Shiyi believed he could withstand it. This was because they were simply sparring and not engaged in a life-or-death battle. The amount of force they could each utilize was limited otherwise, Wu Shiyi would have lost his arm back then.

'A last resort attack? Futile.' Old Juro thought in that instant.

He didn't even bother to dodge the kick and just moved his other hand towards it while he slowed down the descent of his fist.

"This is the end." 

Old Juro's hand suddenly sped up and clamped down on Wu Shiyi's leg, holding him in place.

Just as Wu Shiyi was about to react to this development, he only saw a shadow cover his view before he was sent flying.

"It's over."