Ever since Yagyu Munenori had set off for the Central Plains full of ambition, only to suffer a crushing defeat, he hadn’t returned to the Yagyu family headquarters or to Hokkaido, where he’d previously been in seclusion. Instead, he’d stayed in Tokyo.
So, when Liu Yunduo declared her intention to challenge him, there was no need to travel far—Mount Fuji was the destination.
After returning to his home country, Yagyu Munenori had first spent half a month in the hospital, recovering from his various injuries until he was well enough to be discharged. Since then, he’d been staying at the foot of Mount Fuji, though it was unclear whether he was training or doing something else.
As for the news of his defeat in the Central Plains, the Iaijutsu school and the Yagyu family had done their best to suppress it, preventing any leaks that might damage his prestige. But walls have ears, and rumors had inevitably spread.
Of course, even with the rumors circulating, a large number of people refused to believe them. They couldn’t accept that their sole current Sword Saint had lost in a sword debate in the Central Plains, dismissing the news as false.
Yagyu Munenori himself, however, wasn’t particularly concerned. He couldn’t be bothered to explain himself or make any effort to quash the rumors—that was all left to his subordinates. For now, having seen through everything, he was simply enjoying the remaining days of his life, with a tiny, lingering sliver of stubbornness—still searching for a “path to transcendence.”
Back then, at the sword debate on Mount Emei’s Golden Summit, Yagyu Munenori had been thoroughly defeated. He was completely convinced by Jiang Fei’s swordsmanship and knew, with absolute certainty, that he could never beat him. He had no idea why Jiang Fei hadn’t finished him off on the spot. But Jiang Fei had let him live, setting a rematch for six months later, and Yagyu had no choice but to accept.
After all, any extra time was a gift. Six months gave him a chance to put his affairs in order.
But once he was back in his homeland, had recovered, and settled the Iaijutsu school’s affairs, he vaguely sensed a slight improvement in his cultivation. He began to have some new insights into the sword!
Even the inner strength within his dantian had grown a little after recovering from his severe injuries.
This feeling wasn’t quite a phoenix-like rebirth, and the increase in strength wasn’t substantial, but the signs were promising.
Given that reaching their level of power made any further progress incredibly difficult—each step was a bottleneck and a constraint—a sudden burst of inspiration could make things flow freely again and pave the way forward.
Seeing this, Yagyu Munenori couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope—could heaven be giving him a chance to overturn the outcome of their rematch in six months?
To maximize this opportunity, Yagyu decided on a course of action.
This decision was the reason he hadn’t returned to his secluded training spot after recovering, choosing instead to stay at Mount Fuji. It was also the matter that weighed heaviest on his mind, the one thing he couldn’t let go of.
Had he not lost to Jiang Fei and accepted the six-month deadline, he might never have acted on this matter—or perhaps wouldn’t have dared to.
Now, feeling his time was running short, he knew that if he didn’t act, he’d lose his chance forever.
Rather than letting it slip away, he decided to take a gamble, to confirm his suspicions and uncover the truth. Even if he ended up disappointed, at least he wouldn’t leave with regrets.
And regardless of the outcome—whether it was disappointment or unexpected joy—he was certain he could resolve a decades-old knot in his heart. Perhaps his strength would even improve further!
If that happened, he might truly have a chance to rewrite the ending of his next duel with Jiang Fei.
“Creeeak…”
The wooden door of the main room in a small cottage surrounded by cherry blossoms slid open. Out stepped Yagyu Munenori, wearing wooden clogs and a white robe left open to reveal his chest hair.
The sunlight was perfect that day, the temperature just right, and visibility stretched far into the distance. Looking out, he could see the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji, its summit wrapped in clouds, a magnificent and stunning sight.
Gazing at the distant mountain, Yagyu narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of complexity within them. But soon, his expression grew resolute. He strode out of the courtyard.
“Uncle, are you going out?”
Just as he was leaving, a young, vibrant woman in a black kimono approached him from the opposite direction. She had a slender figure, delicate makeup, and bright red lips. She looked surprised as she asked.
This was Yagyu Chika, who had once studied at Jinghua University in the Central Plains and had even been hailed as a campus beauty!
Yagyu Chika had cut short her studies abroad and returned home shortly after her uncle’s ‘unexpected’ defeat at the hands of Jiang Fei.
Yagyu Munenori had never married and had no children of his own.
Among the younger generation of the Yagyu family, Chika was his favorite. He treated her almost like a daughter, and their bond was close, as deep as that between father and daughter.
It was also under Yagyu Munenori’s influence that Chika had become so interested in the Central Plains, eventually choosing to study there.
But what Chika had never expected was that Jiang Fei—the first Jianghu expert from the Central Plains she’d met during her years abroad and grown fond of—would somehow become entangled with her uncle, leading to this duel.
When she’d first learned that Yagyu Munenori intended to challenge Jiang Fei, Chika had actually been worried for him, hoping he wouldn’t die at her uncle’s hands.
But the final outcome was far harder to bear than she’d ever imagined.
That graceful, charismatic teacher Jiang Fei, who had given such a vivid, engaging lecture in their university classroom and even played a soulful erhu piece, radiating such charm—he had ultimately soundly defeated her uncle, the man she admired most in her life!
If Jiang Fei hadn’t spared her uncle’s life for reasons unknown, Yagyu Munenori would surely have perished on Mount Emei’s Golden Summit.
“Mhm.”
Yagyu Munenori nodded. “Once I’ve taken care of things today, we can leave Mount Fuji and head back to Hokkaido.”
Hearing this, Yagyu Chika’s expression changed. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Uncle, you’ve decided to brave the barrier?”
“Yes! The barrier!” Yagyu Munenori chuckled heartily at the word.
Chika had once asked why he’d chosen to stay at the foot of Mount Fuji instead of returning to Hokkaido. He’d told her it was because he needed to meet someone there. But he’d been afraid, or rather, unable to muster the resolve. Meeting that person felt like braving a barrier—overcoming a hurdle within his own heart.
Over the past days, he’d taken Chika to that place several times, but each time, he’d failed to find the courage to stride forward.
This time, he was finally ready to brave it.
“Then I’ll come with you,” Chika said hurriedly.
She didn’t know who this mysterious person at the mysterious place was, or why her uncle couldn’t let go of him. But she had a hunch that meeting him wouldn’t be a bad thing, especially under the current circumstances.
Otherwise, her uncle wouldn’t be planning to leave Mount Fuji afterward.
“Little girl, stay out of this,” Yagyu said, his gaze fixed on the distance, somewhat dazed. “This is a knot in my heart that’s been there for years. Only I can undo it. Wait here for me to return.”
After saying this, he waved his hand, said no more, and walked away. Though Chika felt a pang of disappointment, she could only obey.
Amidst the cherry blossom trees stretching across the mountainside, this secluded part of Mount Fuji—where even avid climbers would struggle to reach—was covered in a vast expanse of maple trees.
This was practically a cliff face, well beyond the normal tourist areas. And because it wasn’t the main route or particularly treacherous in a way that interested modern climbers with their full gear, no one bothered coming here.
It wasn’t a snowy peak, after all, so it held no climbing value.
Besides, for some reason, the tourism authority had explicitly forbidden entry to this area.
Two men, however, moved through this cliffside forest as if it were flat ground, leaping and darting through the trees like monkeys, advancing at a speed that would be hard for an ordinary person to match even on a level path.
One of them had long hair and wore a robe, looking rugged and wild. The other was unmistakably Western, dressed in clerical garb.
These were, of course, the Lion King and Ovelia.
“Stop, this should be about right. We don’t need to go any further. If we push on, we risk being spotted by Tsukahara Bokuden before Brahma even catches up,” the Lion King said, raising his left hand in a halting gesture. The two immediately stopped their rapid advance.
Standing still, they looked ahead. About a few hundred yards away was a massive, protruding rock formation. Around it stood several sturdy ancient trees, and in the open space they encircled was a three-story wooden pavilion.
The structure was in an ancient Japanese style. Below the rock, wisps of clouds drifted faintly in and out of view. Set against this sheer, remote cliff face, the scene looked like something out of a legend.
“This is where Tsukahara Bokuden lives?” Ovelia stared at the breathtaking vista before him, typical of the East, and said in astonishment.
Though he was Western and his aesthetic sensibilities differed from those of the East, even he was awestruck by the view. There was a certain ethereal beauty that anyone could appreciate.
Gazing at this unrealistically beautiful place, Ovelia began to believe that Tsukahara Bokuden truly was still alive.
After all, where else would an ordinary person live? Only a Demigod-level existence could possibly have a home like this.
“But you still haven’t told me what grudge Brahma and Tsukahara Bokuden have,” Ovelia asked.
The Lion King’s eyes grew complex. He said flatly, “You don’t need to know that. We’ll just wait here and see if Brahma dares to intrude upon this place. That’ll be enough.”
