Kazuto first carefully set his stance, ensuring his position was stable.
Then, with a swift motion, he attacked Elder Bambang, slashing the wooden sword towards him.
Although to Kazuto his attack felt very fast, from Elder Bambang's perspective, the movement seemed as slow as a snail.
Effortlessly, Elder Bambang blocked the slash with just two fingers and casually tapped Kazuto's head with his wooden sword.
"Ouch," said Kazuto while rubbing his head that had just received a light attack from Elder Bambang.
'His reflexes are extremely high, coupled with his incredible speed. It's very difficult to even touch him if this continues,' Kazuto said to himself.
Kazuto, with his high IQ, began analyzing the situation while slowly backing away, maintaining distance from Elder Bambang.
He tried to find the best solution to face his opponent, thinking of strategies that could help him cover the gap in their speed and reflexes.
Kazuto glanced at his feet and noticed dust rising due to his quick backward movement.
A simple but potentially effective idea occurred to him.
By utilizing the dust, he thought he could divert Elder Bambang's attention, giving himself an opportunity to attack.
Kazuto focused qi into his legs. Although still not entirely stable, it was enough to increase his speed.
With increased speed, Kazuto launched attacks from all directions—right, left, front, back, even from above.
However, all these attacks were easily blocked by Elder Bambang, as if he could read every movement of Kazuto without difficulty.
But Kazuto's tactic began to work well. The dust from the ground grew thicker, forming a fog-like cloud surrounding the area around them.
Elder Bambang furrowed his brow, realizing that his vision was starting to be obstructed by the dust cloud blurring his surroundings.
"Golden opportunity!" Kazuto shouted in his heart.
At full speed, Kazuto darted towards Elder Bambang, taking advantage of the dust cloud covering his opponent's vision.
He swung his sword with all his might, hoping this attack would succeed.
"How naive to think such a cheap trick would work," said Elder Bambang while easily avoiding Kazuto's attack.
In one quick motion, he countered by slashing towards Kazuto's back.
"Akh!!" Kazuto cried out, feeling the pain from the wooden sword used by Elder Bambang.
A stinging sensation spread across his back area.
"Although you have very quick thinking, I didn't sense any Sword Intent from you when you attacked me, Kazuto," said Elder Bambang in a stern tone.
"I don't know how to use Sword Intent. The intent to cut something... how do I do it? I'm confused," said Kazuto with frustration, feeling puzzled about how to understand the concept.
"That's normal. When you want to run, what's the first intent that comes to your mind?" asked Elder Bambang.
Kazuto sat cross-legged, thinking seriously about the question. After a moment, he got his answer, "To be faster!" he replied.
"Good," said Elder Bambang with a slight smile. "Next question, when you study, what's your intent?" he asked.
"Of course, to become smarter and gain knowledge," Kazuto answered confidently.
"Good. Now, what's your intent when you use a sword?" asked Elder Bambang.
"To cut the target as desired?" said Kazuto with a bit of uncertainty, still trying to fully understand what was meant by Sword Intent.
"Bingo! That's Sword Intent," said Elder Bambang. "Theoretically, you've mastered it. Practically, it's indeed more difficult, but with your talent, it might not take long."
Kazuto nodded his head after hearing Elder Bambang's words.
"To master Sword Intent, the first step is you must be truly obsessed with the sword, Kazuto," said Elder Bambang seriously. "Only with deep obsession will you understand its essence."
"I don't quite understand, Elder Bambang. How can we be obsessed with an object? Isn't that difficult?" said Kazuto, confused by the concept.
Elder Bambang just smiled when he heard Kazuto's words, as if he had anticipated the question.
"Indeed, it's difficult to be obsessed with a sword, but if you succeed, you'll feel the effect," said Elder Bambang. "The easiest way, in my opinion, is to consider the sword as your own life."
Kazuto fell silent for a moment, thinking about and digesting what was meant by "considering the sword as your own life."
Slowly, he began to understand the concept a little, realizing how deep the relationship between the user and their weapon is.
"I understand now, Elder Bambang," said Kazuto while slowly emitting a faint Sword Intent aura from his body.
Although still weak, the aura showed that Kazuto was beginning to understand the concept being taught.
Elder Bambang couldn't hold back his smile when he saw the faint Sword Intent aura emerging from Kazuto's body.
Elder Bambang remembered how it took him two full days to achieve it, while Kazuto only needed a few dozen minutes.
"The word 'genius' isn't suitable for him," Elder Bambang said in his heart, smiling in admiration. "A more fitting word for him is 'Monster'."
Elder Bambang took out a Recovery Pill from his Storage Ring, preparing Kazuto to continue further training after his body's recovery process.
"Kazuto, I'm giving you a Recovery Pill. Restore your stamina by eating this while absorbing qi, because there are two benefits you'll get: increased cultivation and stamina recovery," said Elder Bambang.
Kazuto accepted the Recovery Pill from Elder Bambang with thanks.
He then swallowed the pill, sat in a lotus position, and began to focus on absorbing qi, feeling the energy slowly flow into his body.
Gradually, Kazuto's stamina that had been drained due to the fight and training began to recover, reaching about 50%.
His muscles, which previously felt tired, now began to relax, and his energy returned, although not completely.
Ten minutes passed quickly. Kazuto had finished absorbing all the benefits of the Recovery Pill and felt his body much fresher.
The fatigue that had previously burdened his body was now almost completely gone, allowing him to continue training without difficulty.
"Recovered, Kazuto?" asked Elder Bambang.
He observed the changes in his body, ensuring that Kazuto was truly ready to continue training.
"Yes! Although not fully recovered, but mostly recovered," said Kazuto to Elder Bambang.
"The second step to mastering Sword Intent is more difficult than the first," said Elder Bambang in a stern tone.
"You must understand your own sword. Every sword has its character, weight, balance, and even the feeling it gives when you swing it."
"You must become one with your sword, learn every detail as if it's an extension of your body. If you can't feel the sword in your hand as part of yourself, your Sword Intent will never be perfect." said Elder Bambang.
Kazuto began to digest what Elder Bambang said into his brain, understanding bit by bit that to master Sword Intent, he must truly become one with the sword, feel every detail until it becomes an extension of himself, not just a tool held in his hand.
To be continued...