"Are you for real?" Old man Jiang Dou fumingly asked.
He felt that Lu Ran was messing with him on purpose. Teaching swordsmanship to a husky was even more ridiculous than teaching it to an eagle. No, both ideas were equally as ridiculous.
One was obsessed with a TV series and raised an eagle. The other one was just abnormal.
“Yes, I'm serious. If you don't believe me, see for yourself." Lu Ran said as took out the contract card.
The contract card flashed in his hand, and a summoning diagram appeared on the dojo floor. Inside it, Captain Doofus sluggishly appeared.
After being summoned, Captain Doofus looked around in confusion. His gaze shifted from the elegant old man to the bewildered Senior Brother He beside him. As soon as Lu Ran put the Wind Slashing into Captain Doofus’ mouth, it immediately knew what Captain Lu wanted.
Show off some of your sword skills!
Captain Doofus’ eyes flashed with understanding and excitement. Lu Ran taught it a lot of flashy techniques, and Captain Doofus felt swordplay made it look super cool.
Its reasoning was very simple: A sword significantly enhanced its power, and the pursuit of power was an instinct of all living things!
Captain Doofus bit down on the Wind Slashing Sword and used its best move, Gale Sword Style!
It charged forward at a high speed before suddenly disappearing from the eyes of the spectators.
Before anyone could react, a sword light flashed before Captain Doofus, like a blade swiftly unsheathed from the shadows.
Leaping into the air, Captain Doofus’ figure froze momentarily, and a sharp sword light slashed through the air with a resonant hum!
Captain Doofus calmly landed with the grace of a master and glanced at the gawking Jiang Dou and Senior Brother He.
Senior Brother He was stunned.
This husky can really use a sword? That move was quite advanced! More importantly, this is a transcendent beast? It's so fast that I couldn’t see it clearly.
I might not be able to beat this dog!
"Flashy but without substance. You want to master the sword with just that?"
Old man Jiang was obviously more discerning.
He saw through the gaps and immaturity of Captain Doofus’ sword technique with a glance.
"Haha... It's indeed not perfect at the moment, but it hasn't acquired any traits yet." Lu Ran awkwardly laughed.
Captain Doofus actually made rapid progress because of two reasons. One, its amazing comprehension, and two, Lu Ran's Reverse Super Beast Mimicry, which was self-invented to successfully transmit his sword skills to Captain Doofus.
"Once it acquires a trait, its potential will not lose out to anyone’s!" Lu Ran proclaimed.
Old man Jiang Dou still refused to admit that a husky could learn the sword, but Captain Doofus couldn’t take that lying down. It held the sword in its mouth and looked at Jiang Dou with dissatisfaction.
Why don’t you think I can comprehend the power of the sword? This grudge...I will remember this! Just you wait and see.
As it thought this, it exuded a terrifying aura as sharp as a howling northern wind, which made Master Jiang Dou and Senior Brother He shiver. Their expressions quickly stiffened.
Captain Doofus growled.
Jiang Dou, Senior Brother He, and Lu Ran were astonished.
"Wh–?" Old man Jiang Dou was quickly bewildered.
The feeling he got from Lu Ran's beast sword momentum reappeared. Looking at Captain Doofus, for just an instant, Jiang Dou hallucinated that he was being pelted by a northern wind while confronting a wolf king. The biting cold gale actually clouded his mind for a moment.
"Impossible," Jiang Dou subconsciously muttered.
Lu Ran also looked at Captain Doofus in shock.
Has my precious baby comprehended a new skill again? No, this isn’t a skill. This is just its aura! I have been using Reverse Super Beast Mimicry to teach Captain Doofus sword momentum, and it’s finally bearing fruit!
"Hahaha! Master, look, isn’t that sword momentum? Now who can say that huskies can't learn swordsmanship?"
Lu Ran was elated and felt that Captain Doofus could always live up to expectations.
In ancient times, parents hoped that their children could become dragons amongst men. Now, there was someone who hoped that their husky could become a sword saint.
In all of Xia, there were no more than ten people who mastered sword momentum. Now, even a dog could do it. Who could still say that it wasn’t suitable for learning swordsmanship? Captain Doofus should be a better match for the demon cat now. After all, sword force was equivalent to a minor control skill. Maybe it could stun the demon cat for a short time.
"I give up!" Jiang Dou's worldview was completely shattered.
He had been learning the sword since childhood, and his father praised him as a natural talent. Even so, he only comprehended sword momentum after training hard for over twenty years. This rate of speed was considered top-notch, even during ancient times when there was a strong culture for martial arts.
But, in the end, what did he just witness? A husky actually demonstrated sword momentum! He couldn't accept this!
This was even more incomprehensible to him than the two kids, Lu Ran and Jiang Man, taking a shortcut to comprehend sword momentum using transcendent power.
Captain Doofus was extremely domineering. Its gaze appeared to say, “Old man, times have changed!”
Senior Brother He didn't dare look directly at Captain Doofus as the phrase ”worse than a dog" echoed in his mind, haunting him.
"How could this be? How could this be?"
Old Man Jiang Dou seemed to be reconstructing his entire belief system.
"Is this the true power of a beastmaster? The true power of a transcendent creature? It's beyond reason. How can a dog comprehend sword momentum?
"Lu boy, how did you do it? What on earth were you thinking, teaching a dog swordsmanship?"
The problem was that he succeeded! He helped a dog reach a realm that countless swordsmen dreamed of.
"Uhhh... I just so happen to think of the mythical Yazi holding a sword in its mouth."
"But Yazi is a jackal..." Senior Brother He interjected.
"Also, I know how to dual wield and had a husky. I got bored and wanted to cosplay it as Yazi, so I gave it a wooden sword. It turns out that it had great comprehension, but it was originally just for fun. I only decided to teach it swordsmanship after becoming a beastmaster."
"Yazi?" Jiang Dou exclaimed. It seems that there is indeed such a being, but that is just make-believe! Forget it. Now that a super ancient civilization has appeared, those legends of mythical beasts from history may really be traces left by them."
After hearing Lu Ran's explanation, the old man finally understood. His expression kept shifting as if he were undergoing mental turmoil.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and looked at Captain Doofus.
"Not bad. I’ll give you that. I approve of you."
Captain Doofus cocked its head.
Old Man Jiang Dou then said, "Do you want to become my disciple? Do you understand what I am saying?"
Senior Brother He and Lu Ran were completely caught off guard while Captain Doofus had a wise expression.
Huh? What do you mean? I liked you more when you were defiant.
"Master, stop! You can't teach it!" Lu Ran hurried to stop the old man. "You are old, and I am afraid that your body won’t be able to handle it. If you have any special skills, why don’t you teach them to me, and I will pass them on? It will essentially be the same.
"I read in senior brother's diary that Master already mastered sword momentum, and there is even some mention of sword intent?" Lu Ran inquired.
Captain Doofus really wasn’t something that ordinary people could teach. It could be considered that it was tightly bound to him.
"Is that so? What a pity!"
Jiang Dou saw that Captain Doofus was indeed not very smart and couldn’t understand what he said, so he shook his head in regret.
Then, he proceeded to answer Lu Ran's question.
"Of course. I, your master, have naturally comprehended sword momentum long ago, but it differs from your sword momentum.
"Your sword momentum and this husky’s amplifies aura to create a sense of oppression on the enemy, thus hindering them. Just like in the wild, an apex predator only needs to reveal its scent to cause other animals to scatter in fear.
"As for my sword momentum... I’m not sure if you have heard of the phrase ‘sword momentum with the majesty of a rainbow.’ Think about the name of our dojo, Rainbow Dojo. The swordsmanship of our dojo is based on speed. It’s extremely fast, just like a rainbow shining through the sky. My sword momentum amplifies the speed of sword techniques, dazzling the enemy before overwhelming and oppressing them without giving them a chance to react.
"You were still young when you trained in the dojo and I only laid the foundations for you, so you didn't come into contact with this. However, it's not a big problem. You two should just study the sword momentum you have already mastered, and there is no need to force anything. As you mentioned, pursuing a higher level of sword momentum will take you into the realm of sword intent!"
Old Man Jiang Dou looked at Lu Ran in excitement.
"I have never stepped into this legendary realm, nor did your senior brother Jiang Man.
"However, after becoming a beastmaster, he kept in touch with me. Sword momentum is when a swordsman reaches a certain realm and possesses a strong will along with superb skills.
"This skill actually exists in various fields. Many highly ranked masters who accomplished extraordinary achievements in a certain field have momentum far beyond ordinary people.
"Sword momentum is integrating this momentum into a blade and applying it on the opponent more effectively. It is said that a sword's momentum can still be traced, but a sword's intention is illusory. Just like in legends, ancient swordsmen believed that comprehending sword intent could not only inflict physical injury but also spiritual damage!
"It converts one's spiritual will into the embodiment of the sword. Before the sword is even unsheathed, a glance cuts down the enemy's confidence. Isn't it very illusory and fantasy-like?"
Lu Ran didn’t quite buy it. If it was really that awesome, the old man wouldn’t have been so depressed when he was asked which was better, a gun or a sword.
Although sword momentum sounded powerful, it was still the same. He couldn’t beat a bullet. Sword intent just sounded unrealistic. A gun would agree too.
"It was originally a very mysterious realm, the stuff of legends. But it's different now. You also read it in your senior brother’s diary. He seemed to have grasped the path to sword intent, but unfortunately... he couldn't make it.
"At that time, there was still much-unexplored territory regarding beastmasters. Three years later, there are probably some well-tested theories. Maybe you both will be able to achieve it!"
Grandpa Jiang Dou looked at Lu Ran and Captain Doofus with great optimism, his eyes full of expectation.
However, when he looked at the eager husky in front of him, he felt a little conflicted. Would a dog be the first to achieve the sword intent realm that eluded countless talented swordsmen? What kind of BS would that be?