The setting sun gradually sank, and the crescent moon hung in the night sky.
For Miki, the hellish training continued.
She was constantly knocked to the ground, then charged back up.
Occasionally, old Shihu would mercifully let Miki catch her breath, using the break to correct her technical mistakes.
Mistakes that all newcomers make.
In a fight to the death, these would be fatal.
"Make your steps lighter!"
"You have no advantage in strength, so you can only be fast, faster, extremely fast!"
Speed is also related to strength, you bastard!
"Since you've completed your Water Walking and Tree Climbing training, you can definitely do this today!"
"Get up quickly, there's no time for you to dawdle."
Old Shihu started talking more.
Miki reluctantly rolled over and got up from the ground.
Then she was knocked down again.
She went up again and was knocked down again.
It repeated endlessly.
"I've taught you how many times, why can't you learn it!?"
Three times!
"I'm not some genius."
Miki said grumpily.
This guy's teaching method was like this, then this, then this, and 'feel it with your heart'.
Too much of a stream of consciousness...
Who the hell could learn that!
"No! You are!" Old Shihu insisted.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Miki replied, rising onto her tiptoes.
This move was called Wind Step.
Theoretically, it was a simple technique of jetting Chakra from the soles of the feet, using the reactive force to lighten one's steps.
It was very different from Water Walking and Tree Climbing.
"Water Walking uses Chakra evenly spread on the soles of your feet on the water's surface," old Shihu said.
I know, Miki nodded.
It roughly increased the contact area, allowing a person to stay on the water's surface.
Tree Climbing, on the other hand, was about adhesion.
There were various ways to achieve it.
Miki didn't know how others did it, but she herself formed hook-like villi on her soles to penetrate the contact surface, creating grip.
In terms of ability, it was similar to Spider-Man.
The main difficulty in Tree Climbing was core strength.
Under the pull of gravity, how to stand upright horizontally was a big problem.
When Miki first practiced, she suffered greatly in terms of physical strength.
"And this move is a burst! Burst! Burst! The key is the burst!!!"
Ah, that's the feeling.
Teaching a child to do homework.
"I know it's a burst," Miki whispered.
Her feet: I can't do it!!!
"Don't keep yelling at me! You're making me unable to do it!!"
Saying that, Miki yelled back indignantly.
Old Shihu was stumped.
Watching Miki try to calm down, he said, "Alright, Insect Hime, take your time, no rush."
What rush, it's you who's in a rush.
Miki pouted.
It was simply a matter of practice volume, forming instinctive muscle reactions; once enough experience accumulated, it would naturally come.
And this old man had increased the difficulty, making her practice and flexibly apply it in actual combat.
This wasn't just skipping grades.
He truly treated Miki as a prodigy.
"Again!"
Saying that, Miki charged forward, then flew back.
The petty old man was angry.
Before, she could exchange a couple of blows, but now she was directly sent flying.
"Is there any meaning to your practice like this?" Miki fumed, "I don't even understand how I got knocked down!"
"Then come here!" Old Shihu snorted.
"Hmph!" Miki snorted unhappily.
She got up and charged again.
The two of them clashed with loud thuds.
Mainly, old Shihu was hitting, and Miki was getting hit.
He specifically aimed for the fleshy parts of Miki's body.
If he broke her, old Shihu would feel bad himself.
As time passed, Miki gradually grasped some tricks.
This Wind Step was not Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) was a Jutsu, requiring hand seals.
Although it had the same operating principle, Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) required an instantaneous burst of speed and was difficult to control.
Few Shinobi could master Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
Mostly because their own reflexes couldn't control the speed and distance.
So, jokes about flashing into walls were common.
Miki had done it before.
And it was extremely difficult to change direction under the enormous thrust.
Wind Step, however, was a continuous, stable acceleration, emphasizing flexibility and complete control over speed.
It could be said to be both a simplified and optimized version of Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
Old Shihu really had good ideas.
As expected of a secret technique.
A moment later, Miki was sent flying out again.
"That's looking a bit better this time, Insect Hime."
Miki got up and wiped away sweat.
Exhausted!
Can't take it anymore!
She plopped down on the ground, not wanting to get up.
"No Chakra left, not a single drop!"
Seeing this, Shihu looked at the sky and said, "That's enough for today."
Miki scrambled up and turned to leave.
She didn't look like she had no Chakra.
Insect Sister, who was counting ants nearby, moved to follow.
"Wait, Insect Hime." At this moment, old Shihō came over, carrying a large bundle of swords.
"These are the weapons I found according to your request; pick one you like."
Miki stepped forward, took them, and then pulled them out one by one to examine.
After a while, she chose a sword.
A straight blade, double-edged, nearly a meter long Katana; Miki held it like she was holding a Tachi.
Miki herself was only about 1.2 meters tall.
The style was exquisite.
The weight was very light.
But it was still not something Miki could use effortlessly at her current stage.
"In actual combat, the lighter the sword, the better, if you don't want to be exhausted after swinging it hundreds of times continuously," Shihu asked, "Why not choose a Ninjato? It's more practical for a Shinobi."
"I think it's prettier," Miki said.
Miki swung it a few times, feeling it was still a bit heavy.
"With your physical fitness, continuously swinging a sword at full strength 300 times is your limit."
This data was much stronger than that of an adult man on Earth.
This was normal; a Shinobi's body, not to mention Chakra, even their human cells, a Shinobi has 130 trillion, while an ordinary person has 40 to 60 trillion.
In the world of combat, weight equals destructive power.
A Shinobi's body density is two to three times that of an ordinary person, and heavier, only making them stronger.
"If you switched to a Ninjato, you could get about 200 more swings."
"Because it's long," Miki said.
"Why?"
"With my strength, slashing isn't suitable for me. A direct thrust, the shortest distance between two points, is the sword style suited for me."
Miki said seriously.
"It seems you've thought about it seriously," old Shihu said thoughtfully.
At this moment, Miki reached out and lightly pressed on the sword's edge, tracing it inch by inch. As her finger stroked, a vivid and dangerous purple layer visibly coated the sword.
Secret Technique: Poison Coating
"Secret Technique: Poison Coating," Miki said, showing off.
Then she made to thrust a sword.
"Just a graze and it's over," old Shihō praised, "Insect Hime's mind is sharper than yours was back then."
Shihu didn't speak.
If I had known a technique like Poison Coating back then, would I have needed you to teach me?
It was only as I gradually grew up that I would apply it this way, but my fighting style and habits were already formed.
There was no need to use swordsmanship.
So, how am I going to teach her swordsmanship?
"Insect Hime, tell me your specific ideas."
Miki sheathed her sword; it was a bit difficult due to her height.
"Ideas, well, just a little bit."
Tilting her head, Miki said, "Just Ora Ora Ora and it's done."
Shihō and Shihu were full of question marks.
"Say something we can understand!"
"Oh~"