Chapter 171: Illusionless Mind’s Eye

The news told by Demar seemed doubtful to Fang Jing. Fang Jing didn’t fully believe most of the information Demar offered either. Furthermore, Demar himself only treated this piece of info as a rumor within the Corpse Hounds. The sub-faction he belonged to had split off from the “Phantom Jaw” faction and still maintained some intelligence exchanges with them. It was precisely because of this connection that he heard about this “doubtful” piece of information.

The attack location was a research institute called the “Aobanuma Research Institute”. This institute belonged to the Fang Hunter Organization’s “Kagami God Room” and specialized in handling various research and development “projects”.

For the Corpse Hound tribe, this was a “resurrection battle”, a targeted act of revenge.

Forty years ago, the Corpse Hounds were defeated in a great war. They laid low for decades, preparing for this surprise attack, essentially seeking payback for that past defeat.

Additionally, it was also a perfect opportunity to declare the Corpse Hounds’ resurgence and deliver a psychological blow to the Fang Hunter Organization.

“Then, what should I do next?”

Fang Jing couldn’t help but ponder.

He could perhaps inform the Fang Hunter Organization of this intelligence in exchange for their protection.

Maybe he could even obtain a method to remove the “Jawtooth Mark” from them?

(But here’s the problem… would things really go smoothly?)

At the very least, in his view, the Fang Hunter Organization wasn’t some charity group.

He knew very well that the Fang Hunter Organization wasn’t subordinate to the government; in essence, it was an “illegal” civilian association.

Judging by the group’s methods, the Fang Hunter Organization was a special group that used violent means to expel, kill, and exterminate Corpse Hounds. They habitually hid intelligence to prevent public involvement, secretly hunting Corpse Hounds.

“Then, how does this organization raise funds and sustain its operations?”

Killing Corpse Hounds shouldn’t yield much tangible profit. Since Fang Hunter wasn’t a state-organized group, its funding source, structure, and personnel composition were all a complete mystery.

Dealing with such an organization of unknown origins carried considerable risk.

Thinking it over carefully, how was he supposed to “contact” the Fang Hunter Organization and establish mutual trust?

Just explaining why Yamamaru had placed the “Jawtooth Mark” on him would be tricky.

He certainly couldn’t disclose his “secret” of assassinating Susaka.

His ability to kill Corpse Hounds was another point needing explanation, which in turn involved Kuki Muen and the Poisonous Hand Fist. His special abilities, the “Inner Ghost Gate”, “Fate Grade”, the “Yin Energy absorbed from antiques and art pieces”—would he have to reveal all of these?

Fabricating lies to deceive them would be very difficult to pull off convincingly. Moreover, such made-up reasons would inevitably invite their suspicion.

A large organization like the Fang Hunter Organization wouldn’t rashly trust an outsider; disagreements and suspicion were bound to arise between them.

Fang Jing felt that simply revealing some intelligence or showcasing part of his abilities to the Fang Hunter Organization wouldn’t guarantee mutual trust and benefit. Instead, he was more likely to get targeted, captured, and interrogated. The nature of his Fate Grade and the immense potential unlocked by the Inner Ghost Gate couldn’t be explained by ordinary logic.

(The comic-book idea of a “secret agency” discovering a super-powered individual and immediately dragging them off to a lab to be studied like a “specimen” sounded pretty terrifying… but such worries weren’t unfounded. At best, he guessed that confessing his situation to the Fang Hunter Organization would result in long-term surveillance or confinement in a secret facility. A free life likely couldn’t be guaranteed…)

Indeed, cooperating with the Fang Hunter Organization was one option.

However, Fang Jing hadn’t seriously considered it; he had his own pile of problems.

The curse on his Apartment still had a year left.

Within that year, he absolutely had to go to the Island of Ghostly Apparitions.

Personally, he needed this time to grow stronger continuously and maintain his freedom of movement. Therefore, at this stage, he didn’t want much contact with the Fang Hunter Organization.

“This news, though, could be passed on to the Fang Hunter Organization somehow. After all, they are maintaining the norm of human society and protecting ordinary people. On that level, I’m willing to help…”

In short, he would first investigate the information on the Aobanuma Research Institute. If he could verify the news was genuine, he could then inform the Fang Hunter Organization.

“The movements on the Corpse Hound side would be hard to grasp clearly. However, the disappearance of Yamamaru and Demar would stir things up among them. They’d likely investigate the clues, which actually gives me a trail I could follow backwards…”

His thoughts tangled chaotically, clogging his mind, making him very uncomfortable.

“No… thinking about all this messy stuff now is useless. The most important thing for me right now is getting stronger. I’ve absorbed plenty of Yin Energy; next is to constantly learn ordinary skills and strengthen my three basic stats and Stamina Attribute.”

After a moment, he realized this focus on himself was key. He quickly tossed away all these distracting thoughts.

————————

Time flew by. Almost another two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Summer drew nearer, and the school holidays finally arrived.

Without overthinking, Fang Jing realized the problem was actually quite simple. Right now, he needed to intensify his study of martial skills.

Regarding the location of the “Aobanuma Research Institute”, Fang Jing made some inquiries himself but got nowhere. So, he later handed the task over to the Information Broker, “Okamoto”.

After the incident with Granny Liu, the Information Broker owed him a favor, so they agreed to investigate this information for him without charge.

There was still no lead on the “Aobanuma Research Institute” information. Moreover, no one knew the accuracy of the news or if the news itself was even a trap.

Fang Jing could only keep the mindset that “it’s good if they find it, but there’s nothing to be done if they can’t”.

He kept to himself during this period, didn’t go to school, and spent most of his time hiding out in the Chemical Plant.

With the dangerous lure of the “Jawtooth Mark” on his person, he acted with even more caution.

Simultaneously, during this time, he constantly spent money finding martial artists, fighters, and practitioners of various boxing and fighting styles, broadly studying “martial skills”.

Muay Thai, French Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Lethwei, Sambo, Krav Maga, Bökh Wrestling—he managed to find all these styles in a fairly short time and used his Growth Value to accelerate their progression.

On another front, he also began focusing on studying Ancient Sword Styles. And for him now, learning Ancient Sword Styles meant he could find good instructors.

…

Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style.

One of the premier schools in the realm of Ancient Sword Styles today.

For martial traditions, the most important thing is “continuation”. Only sword arts that spread widely had the possibility of enduring over time.

History contained no shortage of famous sword schools or renowned swordsmen, but by the modern era, almost none of those ancient schools survived into this peaceful age.

It could be said that the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style was a school that adapted to the times. After WWII, even Competitive Kendo was almost outlawed. To distance itself from politics, Kendo shifted from being a “killing art” into a sport.

“Still, even then, a few practical Ancient Sword Styles stubbornly survived…”

Instructor Shinonome at the Kendo dojo grinned: “But honestly, if you really want to learn, you could go to Kantō and get direct instruction from Teacher Funatsu?”

“I did think about that,” Fang Jing admitted, picking up the Wooden Sword – learning the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style required a Wooden Sword, not a Bamboo Sword. “But Teacher Funatsu has already returned to Kantō. Traveling back and forth from this city would take too much time. Besides, I am, after all, the current master of the Huanzang Style. Having Teacher Funatsu instruct me from the basics… well, that would be pretty embarrassing no matter how you look at it.”

“I want to practice the basics more solidly. That way, if I ever have the chance to seek his specific guidance in the future, I won’t be completely humiliated.”

He raised the Wooden Sword into a stance using a two-handed grip. The Wooden Sword was heavy, rigid, and lacked the flexibility of the lighter Bamboo Sword. However, its feel was closer to that of a real blade, making it the preferred choice for sparring in the dojo.

The Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style didn’t run a dedicated dojo in the city. But Old Man Funatsu had taught many students. Instructor Shinonome, approaching fifty now, was one such student.

His main job was as a professor at a nearby university; his side job was teaching Kendo to the university club. He was not only a Competitive Kendo expert but also an accomplished practitioner of the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style.

The Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style maintained good relations with the All Japan Kendo Federation and had partnerships with the International Kendo Alliance as well, so it had a huge number of disciples.

Shinonome, active locally, naturally knew some things about the Huanzang Style. When Fang Jing wanted to learn swordsmanship, Shinonome asked no further questions and took on his instruction personally.

He was well aware that his teacher, Funatsu, and Kume Nansho were sworn friends. Given their relationship, teaching swordsmanship was a minor thing.

“Alright! If that’s what you want, I won’t say much more,” Shinonome conceded. “But learning the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style requires significant time on basic training. Our school doesn’t focus on extraneous elements; we don’t have ‘secret swords’ or other high-powered techniques. The pursuit of sword art is ‘阿留边几夜宇合 (Arubejiya Ai)’. Unnecessary things just become obstacles to pure practice.”

– “阿留边几夜宇合 (Arubejiya Ai)” was actually an esoteric Zen phrase. Back then, syllabary was still formative. These phonetic Kanji roughly meant “just as it is”.

This phrase captured the essence of the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style. Foundational sword skills are integrated holistically; understanding their profound depth arises naturally. Adding extras is like neglecting the seeds while watering the leaves.

And in Fang Jing’s view, this swordsmanship truly was like that. Its principle centered around defense and counter-attacks, focusing primarily on the defensive concept of “receiving” (uke). Techniques for proactively attacking were scarce.

Only when reaching the master’s realm, where swordsmanship became extremely refined, could the practitioner kill an opponent instantly upon deflecting an attack.

This sword art wasn’t aggressively strong, but its defense was impregnable. Opponents, becoming frustrated and overly focused on offense, would then expose openings.

Fang Jing essentially spent three days mastering the basics. Then, tapping into his Growth Value for acceleration, he quickly reached an Advanced Level.

Next, he learned the staff techniques (bōjutsu), spear techniques (sōjutsu), and glaive techniques (naginatajutsu) of the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style from Shinonome, quickly cultivating each to a high level.

After learning the entire repertoire of the school, a derivation path opened up within his skill panel.

Through this derivation, he obtained a new skill that pushed the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style to the realm of its “ultimate intent”.

(Illusionless Mind’s Eye, Ultimate Intent, Achieved)

This newly acquired marvelous technique was recorded in the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style’s texts as a realm only reached by master swordsmen.

“Illusionless Mind’s Eye is essentially the ability to ‘pre-read’ an opponent. A swordsman who has practiced the Immovable Wisdom Mysterious Style to a certain level can engage in combat blindfolded…”