Alright, that was a good boast—I'll admit it. Mahito showed an indescribable expression, turning to admiration. Ashiya Magon saw Mahito's admiration but didn't show a look of triumph; instead, he pressed on:
"You might think this ability of mine is impressive now, but in reality, it's simpler than you imagine. Any swordsman who can be granted a menkyo kaiden can do this. On the other hand, how did you do it? To catch up with five years of a normal person's time in just a quarter of an hour?"
"Please observe again," Mahito continued to maintain the shizentai stance.
Ashiya Magon indeed stopped questioning and instead seriously observed Mahito's posture, gradually showing a look of realization, then said in shock:
"You didn't 'accelerate' time; instead, you directly transformed your body into one suitable for wielding a sword. So that's it—is this the so-called evolution?
"If someone had told me before that swordsmanship could be mastered quickly, I would have certainly cut them down with my sword. But now I have to admit one thing: human imagination indeed has its limits, even for me."
Kenjaku smiled. "Old friend, have you never considered what kind of ability it is that can 'make people evolve'?"
Ashiya Magon frowned, pondering. "I started paying attention when the rumors of the King of Curses appeared in the jujutsu world." At that time, there weren't even rumors that Mahito could grant immortality.
"But my thought at the time was some kind of ability to 'correct the physical body.'
"There is indeed such a thing as physical aptitude for humans. If Jordan wasn't nearly two meters tall, no matter how heaven-defying his comprehension ability, he wouldn't be able to achieve his current reputation in the basketball world.
"The same goes for sorcerers. Rather, the jujutsu world is even more brutal than the basketball world. Basketball still has short players who are masters, but in the jujutsu world, if you don't have talent, you're out!
"The circulation of Cursed Energy, the efficiency of Cursed Technique release, the amount of Cursed Energy, the explosive power of Cursed Energy, and so on, all indeed have physical influences and are not simply matters that can be overcome by willpower alone.
"As long as one can see through this point and possess the ability to modify the physical body, it's very easy to make a Jujutsu Sorcerer's abilities take a leap, and the same goes for making ordinary people into Jujutsu Sorcerers.
"The physical structure of a Jujutsu Sorcerer is indeed physiologically different from that of an ordinary person, but conversely, as long as these differences are compensated for, it's easy to turn an ordinary person into a Jujutsu Sorcerer."
Mahito was secretly amazed. As expected of a living fossil from the same era as Kenjaku, his insight was different. This guy actually guessed most of Mahito's Idle Transfiguration just from rumors.
One should know that Kinji Hakari, who came from a specialized background, truly believed Mahito's ability was to grant evolution when he encountered it. Let alone Kinji Hakari—even the Cursed Spirits around him thought so.
Kenjaku initially suspected it, but precisely because Kenjaku had more exposure, he stopped suspecting it. Besides the physical improvements, Mahito's Idle Transfiguration could also control will, and the Ideological Imprint, which he had never spoken of publicly, was a prime example.
They all knew he could distort minds, but such distortions would leave obvious Cursed Energy residues that any excellent Jujutsu Sorcerer could easily spot. Therefore, even though they all knew Mahito could distort minds, they were confident they wouldn't fall victim.
Mahito had never told anyone the secret of the Ideological Imprint, not even the Cursed Spirits around him.
(T/N: It was previously named the Thought Steel Seal but someone on Webnovel said the name was dumb so I'm using this instead.)
This led to every being transformed by Idle Transfiguration having their mental state changed to some extent. This wasn't something bestowed by physical modification, so even the cunning Kenjaku was fooled.
On the contrary, this old man, completely unaffected by such influences, could see the truth of Mahito's Idle Transfiguration more clearly.
Mahito secretly became vigilant again. This mere cannon fodder who was casually killed at the end of the original work was already so terrifying; he must not underestimate anyone again.
Hmm, the first time Mahito had this thought was during the Zen'in Family battle. Now he's encountered another instance. It can only be said that in the original work, high-end combat power was too concentrated; even famous existences in the jujutsu world were mere nobodies in the original battle.
Mahito has now deeply entered the jujutsu world, so he naturally needs to adjust his mindset.
Kenjaku couldn't help but applaud. "As expected of you, old friend."
Ashiya Magon, however, showed no pride; instead, he was even more puzzled:
"But anyone who knows their stuff understands that no matter how excellent the physical body is, it can only guarantee a person's lower limit. There are so many tall people, but there's only one Jordan. A person's physical body can determine the lower limit, but to continue moving upward, one must touch the upper limit, which is the so-called comprehension ability.
"Ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration—that is the composition of a genius. Ninety-nine percent is easy to obtain, but that one percent inspiration is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
"Not just swordsmanship—this kind of thing happens all the time in this world. Some people can achieve results that others can never create in their lifetime, using the same conditions."
Ashiya Magon sighed with doubt:
"Especially materials science. If Japan's past craftsmanship hadn't been so substandard, and they couldn't steal the hundred-refined steel technology from the great Western nations, they wouldn't have been able to figure out the 'drawing the dragon's eye' technique that makes sword blades bend…
"Damn it, if ancient Japan had modern materials, screw the bending! With one slash, I could cut through man and armor. The curved arc is even a defect!
"I once personally saw the legendary Mo Dao. Its blade was straight like an ancient pine, and when touched, one could clearly feel the sword's weight, like heavy rock. Only then could it earn the reputation of 'shattering both man and horse.'
"Give me a Mo Dao, and I'll chop off all eight heads of the Yamata no Orochi! Ryomen Sukuna only deserves to give me his fingers!"
After a sigh, Ashiya Magon brought the conversation back, continuing:
"I've digressed.
"My point is, even if you can use the ability of physical modification to create a physique suitable for swords, the instinct of holding a sword should still rely on time and continuous grinding. Could it be that there really are people in this world who can become master swordsmen immediately just by holding a sword?"
Mahito couldn't maintain his composure. He dropped his shizentai stance, looking at the old man in disbelief. "You dare to look down on Ryomen Sukuna?"
The old man, instead, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Shouldn't he be looked down upon? I thought all swordsmen would despise him from the bottom of their hearts, even if he could kill that swordsman with a single glance."
Mahito suddenly thought of Kusakabe Atsuya—that famous line, "Me fight Ryomen Sukuna? Really?" came from him.
He was a pessimist, someone who would not hesitate to escape if he had the chance. Yet, when he truly faced Ryomen Sukuna, knowing he was no match, he still mustered all his courage and went for it—and actually survived.
He didn't have even a shred of disdain for Sukuna! On the contrary, he was very clear about his own position, showing no arrogance at all when facing Ryomen Sukuna, being cautious everywhere.
"Why?" Mahito genuinely didn't understand.
Ashiya Magon said coldly, "Why ask why?
"We swordsmen endure countless hardships, temper ourselves, abandon everything, just to unleash that one sword strike that transcends time.
"But that bastard Ryomen Sukuna doesn't have to do anything; he just needs to lightly utter the word 'Dismantle,' and he surpasses all of us. If it were you, would you be convinced? Would you look up to him?"
Mahito was dumbfounded.
Isn't this just jealousy?! And you're proud of it?!
Kenjaku quickly smoothed things over. "Please don't say that. If the Prison Realm and Mahito are both helpless against Gojo Satoru, then only by reviving Ryomen Sukuna can Gojo Satoru be dealt with. We might even cooperate with him in the future, so it's better to maintain some decorum."
Unexpectedly, the old man righteously said, "I'm not stupid; how could I say that to Ryomen Sukuna's face? If Ryomen Sukuna really appeared before me, I swear I would be more loyal than Hachiko, making his mood sunny like a summer's high. But he hasn't been revived yet, has he? We're all insiders, so let's speak freely."
Hachiko is the loyal dog Hachiko. Mahito's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Good, good—"we're all insiders, so let's speak freely."
(T/N: You can do a quick google search on the Japanese dog Hachiko, A truly loyal dog it waited years for it's master to return at a train station)
You consider us insiders, but do you think we'll consider you an insider?
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