Chapter 40: Kiai, Master Level!

Uesugi澈 never expected that there would actually be items capable of directly increasing skill proficiency.

This was simply wonderful.

Although a single Technique-Exposition Scroll could only increase proficiency by a meager 100 points, it happened to match the "Qi Coordination Technique" he was about to upgrade.

Without a moment of hesitation, Uesugi澈 directly used the scroll, targeting the skill "Incomplete Qi Coordination Technique."

He was going to attempt to subdue the legendary Hachishaku-sama shortly, so naturally, he needed to increase his combat prowess by every single fraction he could right now.

After all, subduing a target was far more difficult than slaying it.

[You have used: Technique-Exposition Scroll (Incomplete).]
[Your skill, Incomplete Qi Coordination Technique proficiency +100!]
[Your skill, Incomplete Qi Coordination Technique has been upgraded to the Proficient tier!]

Because this time proficiency was gained through an item rather than personal breakthrough, it gave Uesugi澈 a much more novel experience.

It felt as though a pair of large hands had suddenly appeared within his body, correctly and flawlessly guiding all of his inner qi, and then rehearsing it countless times within an unimaginably brief moment.

Thus, the breakthrough was completed in a single flash.

[Incomplete Qi Coordination Technique (Proficient 1/600)]
[Effect: Qi circulates through meridians, steps flow like a swimming dragon, voice roars like a lion.]
[The quantity of inner qi within your body has decreased, while its quality has massively increased!]
[Due to your mastery of the Incomplete Qi Coordination Technique, Physique +2!]

After the Qi Coordination Technique advanced to the Proficient tier, aside from the basic physique bonuses and changes to the effect description, Uesugi澈 also sensed a strange alteration in his inner qi.

He raised his hand and attempted to guide a portion of his qi toward his fingertips.

The next moment, a strip of glowing white gas roughly half an inch long suddenly emerged from his fingertip.

The sudden change made Uesugi澈's pupils contract. Maintaining the current operation of his Qi Coordination Technique, he brought his fingertips close to his eyes.

Could this be... inner qi now capable of projecting outside the body?

Uesugi澈 blinked, suddenly recalling a term from the novels of his past life: "Qi-罡 (External Qi Armor)."

So-called external qi armor, as the name implied, formed a layer of iron-hard defensive energy both inside and on the surface of the body, granting immense advantages in both offense and defense.

Although Uesugi澈 was still far from being able to project qi to completely cover his body's surface, and his current qi could not yet match the hardness of iron,

he could manage to project his inner qi about half an inch away from his body—essentially a youthful version of external qi armor.

Uesugi澈 tried it again and found that he could indeed wrap his qi armor around the blade of Kaga Kiyomitsu.

However, doing so not only consumed a massive amount of energy, but the sharpness of the qi armor was far inferior to the blade itself; it was practically a hindrance.

After a round of experimentation, Uesugi澈 discovered that while the Proficient-tier Qi Coordination Technique had many uses, none of the new functions seemed particularly practical.

He sighed, "I still need to continue raising the level of the Qi Coordination Technique."

For now, however, the Proficient-tier Qi Coordination Technique had boosted his already explosively growing strength by yet another margin.

It was time to go look for Hachishaku-sama.

Although he hadn't found Hachishaku-sama's traces during his scouting trip last time, Uesugi澈 had already figured out the exact location.

—Right inside a dilapidated temple in the southern part of the village, where the Jizo statue enshrined in the center had long since toppled over and shattered.

As for why Hachishaku-sama hadn't shown herself, he guessed that his disguise as the Smiling Hannya last time hadn't possessed a high enough charm.

This time, Uesugi澈 decided to use fishing law enforcement.

Instead of transforming into the Smiling Hannya right away, he would enter the temple in his true form, pretending to be an ignorant and innocent intruder. Once Hachishaku-sama was lured out by his charm stat of up to 9 points, he would capture her in one fell swoop.

Simple as this plan was, it should still prove remarkably effective against face-conscious urban legends like Hachishaku-sama.

Along the way, Uesugi澈 noticed that not a single farmer or worker was to be seen—a rare and abnormal phenomenon that heightened his vigilance.

Perhaps aside from Hachishaku-sama, there were other dangers lurking; he must not become careless simply because his strength had grown.

After reminding himself a few times in his heart, Uesugi澈 arrived before the ruined temple. He looked left and right, then spoke aloud to himself in a slightly elevated voice:

"There's actually a temple in a place like this! Heaven must see that my cultivation hasn't been easy! I finally have a place to rest for the night."

With that, Uesugi澈 swaggered into the temple, picked up a tattered prayer mat to sit on, and closed his eyes to cultivate.

To all appearances, he looked entirely like a young swordsman traveling far from home.

Furthermore, he was a young swordsman with a charm stat as high as 9!

Thus, just as Uesugi澈 had spent a dozen minutes with his eyes closed, the snowy white brim of a hat quietly appeared at the edge of the dilapidated temple's courtyard wall.

—Uesugi澈 raised an eyebrow. When he had disguised himself as the Smiling Hannya and waited here for half an hour earlier, there hadn't been the slightest movement.

The countryside in this Meiji era truly was going to the dogs!

A pair of dark eyes peered through the gaps in the wall, beginning to appraise this careless and handsome swordsman.

In this remote Arakawa Village... how long had it been since such a handsome youth had appeared?

The tall woman's gaze burned with passion. She paced back and forth impatiently outside the wall, wishing she could rush in right now, pin the swordsman to the ground, and thoroughly and meticulously engage in a deep exchange with him.

Even so, she managed to restrain this premature impulse.

Her rich experience told her that anyone capable of traveling alone outside was rarely weak.

Though this young swordsman looked tender-skinned and full of vitality, she would wait until he fell asleep before sneaking over.

After all—

The tall woman looked down at her own translucent hands.

For so many years, few in Arakawa Village still remembered her, and ever since that factory was established, there were hardly any living people left in the village, let alone energetic young men.

As the earthbound spirit of Arakawa Village, the tall woman was trapped in this place, growing weaker day by day.

So it was better to wait until this youth fell asleep; that would be best for everyone.

The tall woman waited patiently.

—Uesugi澈 was running out of patience.

He wondered what Hachishaku-sama was waiting for. She had already peeked at him secretly dozens or hundreds of times yet was still squatting outside the wall. She wasn't going to pass up meat delivered right to her doorstep, was she?

Strange, strange... Could this Hachishaku-sama be an urban legend with her own intelligence, much like the previous foreman?

Let's test it out.

Uesugi澈 immediately stood up, drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, and roared in the opposite direction of the tall woman, "Audacious monster! Let's see where you can run!"

Swish, swish, swish—

He swung at the air dozens of times in a row, then sheathed his sword with a look of satisfaction, loudly talking to himself: "Whenever I encounter demons on the road from now on, I'll just do this."

Afterward, Uesugi澈 sat back down on the prayer mat, but this time he didn't cultivate the Qi Coordination Technique; instead, he simply lay down on the ground and began to feign sleep.

Because just moments ago, Uesugi澈 could clearly sense the changes in the tall woman's gaze—first disappearing, then secretly appearing again, and finally continuing to scan wantonly after confirming that he hadn't noticed her.

A few minutes later, Uesugi澈 began breathing steadily as he leisurely waited.

—The bait has been set, now we wait for the big fish to bite.

Sure enough.

A dozen minutes after Uesugi澈 had "fallen asleep," the brim of the hat by the wall poked out once more. After confirming several times that Uesugi澈 was truly fast asleep, she tiptoed over to his side.

Gazing down at the handsome youth enveloped in her tall shadow, the tall woman finally couldn't help but let out her signature sound: "popopo."

She slowly leaned down, right as she intended to do something, when she suddenly saw the youth roll over and turn his face toward her.

Uesugi澈 met her gaze, and the tall woman was momentarily mesmerized by that handsome face.

The very next moment, the Smiling Hannya split its lips wide, letting out a thunderous roar synchronized with the Qi Coordination Technique pushed to its absolute limit:

"Audacious monster! Let's see where you can run!"