Chapter 558 - Menjo Kaiden (2/2)

Zhang Heng had developed a lot of interest in that man. If the man was who he thought it was, it would be a more than worthy opponent to fight with. So Zhang Heng said to Akane, “If he comes here again next time and I happen to be away, can you help me to set an appointment with him?”

“Huh?” Akane misunderstood Zhang Heng’s intention. She hesitated and said, “I think he… should be harmless. He just wanted to meet

you.”

“You have misunderstood me. I’m more interested in Tennen Ris.h.i.+n-ryū,” explained Zhang Heng as he splashed his face with well water.

The two had dinner under the maple tree of the dojo. When that was done, Akane cleaned up the dishes and leftovers and went back to the house to take out two wooden katana. Although she preferred to meditate than to wave her weapons around, it would be inappropriate for her not to know anything about the sword as the leader of a sect. After Zhang Heng joined the dojo and listened to Akane’s explanation, he learned that he would need a certificate to practice the sword.

There were three tiers when the leader of a dojo a.s.sessed their disciples.

– Kirigami, Mokuroku, Menjo, or Mokuroku, Menjo, Kaiden.

Kirigami was the most basic pa.s.s for anyone wis.h.i.+ng to join a dojo. When a person first enrolled, they could not tell others about their sect’s name when they fought with others. After all, reputation was something fundamental to a sect. If others were always picking on the sect members, it was inevitable that their reputation would be affected. As such, for disciples who were still at the kirigami stage, the sect required them not to get into trouble as best as they could. If they somehow did, they were forbidden from mentioning the sect that they were in. At least, when they were defeated or wounded, no one would know who their sensei were. This could avoid bringing shame to the dojo that they were in.

As for the Mokuroku tier, the sect would give out the paper scrolls so their disciples could jot down the moves that they learned. Once they reached Menjo tier, the samurai would earn the right to tell anyone about the sect they were in before a battle’s commencement. Like Akane and Yamada, the two of them were at Menjo tier.

And the last one, Kaiden, meant that the disciple had learned everything their sensei could have taught them. Those who had reached this tier could be considered as real masters of the sect. Just like the guy who came to see Akane this afternoon, if he was really the person that Zhang Heng familiar with, then he had achieved the Kaiden tier.

Back to Zhang Heng, he initially thought he could fight with anyone he liked after joining Akane’s dojo. However, it appeared that he needed to get to the Menju tier first before he could fight anyone freely. This wasn’t a difficult task for Zhang Heng, though, who had an Lv.3 in swordsmans.h.i.+p. Putting aside his state of mind, he could master a technique in about two to three days. After all, his power, speed, and reflexes were top notch. Now, he just needed to acquire a license before he could kill someone.

Akane had to admit that Zhang Heng was better than her. When she was a child, she practiced really hard to master her swordsmans.h.i.+p. There were times that she shed tears for the tough training that she had to go through. To her surprise, Zhang Heng managed to learn and master it without needing to put too much effort into it. She often required to correct his form a few times, and Zhang Heng would perfect the moves.

Now the two were having a sparring session. Both were using Koyama Myos.h.i.+n-Ryū. Akane could no longer defeat Zhang Heng. It made her wonder if she was a dummy.