Chapter 582 - Present (1/2)

After the friendly match with Okita Soki, Zhang Heng’s Lv.3 swordsmans.h.i.+p had finally broken through to Lv.4. To him, this was like stepping into a new realm. The promotion to each major level was a qualitative leap, not to mention LV4, which was in itself a very rare achievement for anyone. After the upgrade, he could feel that his five senses had been considerably enhanced. Coupled with previous insight and combat experience acc.u.mulated by challenging various dojos, and the foundation built in Black Sail, Zhang Heng finally came up with his sect.

To commemorate this battle with Okita Soki, Zhang Heng decided to name the new sect Tendou-ryu. He also gained a new skill called Mind’s Eye, allowing him to keep fighting even when his vision was impaired.

With the newfound talents, perhaps he could even fill in if there was a job opening for the Daredevil in the future. He pondered about it as he rubbed his chin. He could also feel that his Mind’s Eye had room for further improvement. Perhaps its ultimate goal in the future was to remain completely unaffected even with all five senses blocked.

If that was the case, his sixth sense would probably need to be improved to an incredible level.

This might sound supernatural; a master, the likes of him, could usually sense impending threats. It was instrumental in preventing sneak attacks. However, if Zhang Heng were to rely on his sixth sense to fight, he might have to spend a lot longer honing that skill. He was in no hurry, though. His time in this dungeon was coming to an end, his swordsmans.h.i.+p had been upgraded as he wished, and he had found two legendary katana as well—even if he wanted a higher quality sword, he would not know where to look for it.

So what about the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, one of the three Divine Weapons?

Well, the sword was extraordinarily reputable but was mostly used as a ritual tool. Besides, it was ancient, and questionable materials had been used in its forging. This meant it might be unsuitable for actual combat. Instead of being stored in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, it was currently in Atsuta Jungu, and there was no way Zhang Heng could get his hands on it even if he wanted to.

It was fair to say that the Divine Five Swords were the best swords a player could get their hands on in this dungeon, and although Scarlet previously speculated that there were better weapons here, she had no idea how to find them. Zhang Heng had no intention to force it either. He had already done everything he could. It was simply fated that he could not find them.

Next, he had to solve a dilemma. According to the rules of the dungeon, he could only bring one weapon out. He could either choose to grab the Juzurmaru or the Kiku-ichimonji.

Undoubtedly, it was a tough choice to make.

Zhang Heng speculated that these two katana had to be Grade-C weapons. As for their respective specialties, they could only be identified after an appraisal. As of now, he knew that the Juzumaru had extremely high durability, and the rosary entangled around its hilt was likely used to ward off evil spirits.

The Kiku-ichimonji, meanwhile, was Okita Soki’s favorite katana. It was lighter but sharper than the Juzumaru and could easily cut a falling leaf into two. Soki’s excellent skills allowed him to fully utilize the katana. With Zhang Heng’s current swordsmans.h.i.+p, this katana would increase his attack speed by 30%.

These two swords had their own specialties, and it was making him a little hard to decide. Just as he was hesitating, the quest came to its end.

After that, the Battle of Toba Fus.h.i.+mi broke out as recorded in history. When the nation’s political situation became more and more unfavorable, Okubo Tos.h.i.+michi and Saigo Takamori decided to embark on a journey to destroy Tobaku. In January that year, the shogunate was defeated several times, ushering in a new era.

Those people immersed in joy today had no idea what fate awaited them in the future. Per the agreement with Okita Soki, Zhang Heng used the connections he built in Tobaku Sect to meet Kido Takayos.h.i.+. The latter promised that if Kondo Isami was willing to surrender and stopped making the new government his enemy, he would spare his life. However, Isami had to publicly declare that he was dead, and he had to go back to his hometown and live his life out as a peasant.