Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 64 Detailed Explanation of Yin Yi
You said you can do everything, right?

Yujian subconsciously recalled a similar joke, and then saw Yurika smiling at him.

In order to preserve the last bit of reputation and prestige left of the Kendo Club president, the group moved their conversation to the meditation room.

Along the way, Mitsurugi saw Yamauchi Daisuke nodding vigorously at him, looking very grateful.

Clearly, during this period when Amane Suzune was under immense pressure, he, as the vice president, was the biggest victim.

In this light, the public display of weakness wasn't entirely a bad thing. At least the dissatisfaction among the club members will be greatly reduced. The beautiful club president was made to cry, so what more do they want from her?

Ah, human nature is truly pathetic.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the meditation room.

It must be said that Shinkiin High School spares no expense in investing in its excellent clubs. This modern kendo dojo not only has complete training facilities, but even a Japanese-style room for meditation.

Incidentally, this place also serves as a tea room.

Yujian disliked the awkward kneeling posture, and unlike the locals, his home didn't have a Japanese-style room. Instead, he had an antique-style daybed in his room.

Although it's called a bed, it actually functions more like a sofa. The entire body presents a very grand and understated deep amber color, and the jade-like wood texture looks very old. The undulating and flowing patterns on it resemble a landscape painting, carrying a unique artistic conception of ink painting.

Although he was young, he felt very comfortable looking at that old object, which was said to have been brought from his great-grandfather's hometown in the upper country many years ago.

With one leg bent, he sat casually on the tatami in a sword-wielding posture.

Across from her, Tianyu Lingyin had returned to her original serious demeanor and was now maintaining the most standard sitting posture, but she looked awkward and hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"So, has Suzune-chan run into any trouble lately?" Yurika asked gently.

"No." Tianyu Lingyin shook her head vigorously.

"It's been a long time since we've had a proper chat like this since we graduated from junior high, hasn't it? Why are you avoiding me now that we're in the same high school?"

"Or are you finally going to put on airs as a senior? You're only a year older than me." Yurika gently shook her folding fan, revealing a very sad expression.

"No way!" the kendo girl immediately denied, while her gaze couldn't help but fall on Yurika's bandaged hand, her eyes revealing undisguised worry.

With a straight face, Yujian suppressed the urge to smirk. Of course, he knew that Yurika was using this as an excuse to make a fuss, but judging from Ame-no-Suzune's reaction, this girl was being gently manipulated by the great bodhisattva Aizen.

With her head down, hands pressed against her knees, cheeks sunken in, she bit her cheeks and finally repeated the sentence in a muffled voice.

"No."

"Sigh~" Lily closed her folding fan and pressed it against her forehead, her face full of helplessness.

"In that case, I'll have no choice but to hand you over to Miken-kun."

Hmm? Is there anything else I need to do?

Yujian stared blankly at Yurika, her expression still blank, but her eyes revealed a question.

Yurika squinted at him and smiled, then got up and left the Japanese-style room without offering any further explanation.

Inside the room, only Mikami Akira and Amayu Rinne remained, having fought each other on their very first meeting.

Suddenly, Yurika opened the sliding door of the Japanese-style room a crack and peered through the gap at Amane Suzune.

"Just now, someone said they could do anything, right?"

"Gurgle!" Tenyu Rinne let out a mournful cry, but Yurika ignored it and simply closed the door and left.

"Senior Tianyu, is it alright to address you like that?" In the silent Japanese-style room, Yujian tried to speak.

"!" Tianyu Lingyin leaned back to create distance, while casting a wary glance at her.

“I won’t make any unreasonable demands,” Yu Jian continued. “If possible, please tell me about your knowledge of ‘Yin Yi’.”

Upon hearing this, Tenyu Rinne carefully examined the sword for a moment, and then said something that surprised him.

"So you have indeed come into contact with the underworld."

"Why do you say that?"

"Hmm? Didn't your aura just now borrow some of the power of imagery? Although I don't know exactly what kind of imagery it was, ordinary people can't do that."

"..." Yu Jian looked bewildered.

What does it mean to borrow a portion of the power of imagery? Do I possess that? I don't even know what imagery is.

"Did I say something wrong?" Tianyu Lingyin frowned.

"No, but what is the imagery?"

"what?"

"Ah."

Cross-server communication finally broke down, and Tianyu Lingyin pressed her temples.

"Don't you really know anything?"

"In fact, before entering high school, I knew absolutely nothing about the Netherworld or cultivators," Yu Jian said frankly.

"How is that possible? Wait, did you get caught up in the spiritual disaster?" Tianyu Lingyin almost jumped up. She originally planned to go find Baihexiang immediately, but when she thought that the two of them had appeared in front of her safely, she naturally assumed that they were unharmed.

"Yes, that's more like it."

After thinking for a moment, Yu Jian realized that information related to the world in the painting needed to be kept secret, but the incident with the Supernatural Society could be considered a supernatural disaster for the time being.

Hmm, no, it seems they also promised Nogizaka not to spread the news outside for the time being.

This is so frustrating...

“You guys are lucky.” Tianyu Lingyin let out a long sigh, not pressing for details and showing a good sense of boundaries. “To be honest, I don’t know much about cultivators either, only some information from my adoptive father. He was a retired exorcist swordsman, so he knows some things about the Netherworld and cultivation.”

"Unfortunately, I don't have much talent for cultivation, so my adoptive father was unwilling to go into details."

"The imagery seems to be a combination of the spirit and will of living beings with spiritual power, that is, the power of the underworld, thus forming a symbolic image with special power."

"It may represent a natural phenomenon, or it may represent a story. In short, it's quite complicated. It's also said to be related to visualization techniques, but that's the part I don't know."

Yu Jian noticed that when Tian Yu Lingyin's expression darkened when she mentioned that she could not cultivate, and when she mentioned her adoptive father, she drooped like a flower bud being beaten by a storm.

He didn't interrupt the other person, but quietly made a mental note of it, intending to act as a messenger and relay the information to the Bodhisattva Aizen later.

Let Lily, who isn't afraid of trouble, handle this kind of troublesome matter.

As for myself, well, I can't pretend I didn't see it now that I've already seen it.

Amane Rin quickly composed herself and said seriously, "As for 'Yin Yi,' if you want to know, I can explain it in detail."

Yu Jian raised his hand and gestured for him to proceed.

"The so-called 'Yin Yi' is actually a special secret technique developed by swordsmen in the Warring States period to fight against the existence of the Netherworld, which is the legendary various demons and monsters."

"Although the Netherworld during the Warring States period was in decline, the number of spiritual beings was far less than it is now. The previous high tide left behind various secret realms in the mortal world. In addition, the chaotic situation allowed many demons and monsters to walk openly in the mortal world, treating humans as servants or even food."

When this history is mentioned, even though she didn't experience that era, Suzune Amane unconsciously lowers her voice.

"Because most creatures of the Netherworld are essentially spirits, although they gain physical form after entering the mortal world through the taking of flesh, ordinary swords and blades are unlikely to cause fatal damage to them, and they are often large in size and possess special powers."

“Those high-ranking samurai or daimyo at least have the protection of their family guardian spirits, but ordinary lower-ranking samurai and even lower-ranking commoners can only rely on the swords in their hands.”

"Thus, the meaning of yin came into being."

"What is a Guardian Spirit?" Yu Jian asked curiously.
"It seems to be a spirit from the underworld that accepts offerings and signs a contract, but it's not quite the same as something completely natural. It's said that it can be passed down through generations in the family bloodline through a special ceremony called 'inheriting the name and passing on the armor,' but I don't know the specifics."

"Let's get back to Yin Yi." Tian Yu Lingyin waved her hand, revealing that she had limited understanding of guardian spirits.

"In essence, Yin Yi is a poor imitation of visualization. By resonating with the powerful predecessors who created Yin Yi, one can integrate one's own will into the technique and gain power that can threaten demons."

"What is visualization?" Yu Jian couldn't help but interrupt again, because the word 'visualization' reminded him of many things.

"Don't interrupt. All I know is that it's an important part of cultivation methods, and it seems to grant people extremely powerful abilities." Tianyu Lingyin frowned.

"Then why don't swordsmen directly practice visualization techniques?" Yu Jian had a vague guess in his mind as soon as he finished speaking.

Do you think there are many people with high levels of inspiration?

Amane Suzune's eyes were strange, but she didn't say anything too harsh out of politeness.

"To be honest, swordsmen who study martial arts are not considered practitioners. Their potential for development in martial arts alone is limited. But those with high spirituality, as you said, can directly practice visualization techniques."

"Furthermore, visualization techniques are not like cheap vegetables sold in supermarkets. Even within cultivation sects, they are the most important foundation. How could they be taught to just anyone?" As if remembering something, Tianyu Lingyin couldn't help but sigh heavily.

"The same applies in modern times. Visualization techniques are the most important trump card of all forces. They are never taught to outsiders except for disciples trained from childhood. If a capable person is willing to offer loyalty and serve hard for decades, or if they become a son-in-law or adopted son, there might be a slight chance of being taught some low-level visualization techniques."

"..." Yu Jian remained silent.

The inner world of the Japanese island sounds like a feudal society. It's almost the millennium and they're still using that concept of personal dependence. That's really bad news.

But could "Birds and Beasts in Play" be a form of visualization?

If so, how exactly should one cultivate it?

You wouldn't actually learn something by baring your teeth at animals, would you?
That said, is this cultivation technique high-level? I felt it wasn't very advanced before; it just grants cultivators animal powers... that's all?

Furthermore, if Yin Yi is merely a special technique performed with a sword, how could the veiled swordsman in the dream summon the phantom of Idaten? Or is the other party actually a practitioner who has mastered the visualization method?
This point is worth considering...

Various thoughts flashed through Yu Jian's mind, but he knew that he would most likely not be able to obtain other visualization methods in the short term.

So let's focus our attention on Kendo for now.

"Aside from Yin Yi, do swordsmen have any other methods to fight against creatures from the Netherworld?" Yu Jian asked calmly.
"Yes." Tianyu Lingyin nodded.

"A swordsman with a will as firm as iron and a spirit burning like fire, who possesses the power to cut through iron even without mastering spiritual power, is usually called a sword master."

"The iron-cutting power you mentioned, is it used to cut through steel?" Yu Jian's tone became strange.

"Of course, this is only the very first application of the power to cut through iron." As she spoke, Tenyu Rinne revealed an excited expression.

"In fact, almost all the Yin Yi (a type of martial art) comes from the hands of sword masters. They can infuse their own will into their swords and create profound mysteries that far surpass ordinary swordsmanship."

"By learning the techniques left behind by the great swordsmen, ordinary swordsmen can indirectly exert similar power by comprehending the spirit behind their sword strikes. This is the essence of 'yin yi' (hidden meaning)."

"The Warring States period was an era in which many sword masters emerged. However, their numbers declined sharply after the period of peace. Even swordsmanship was no longer needed to fight against demons and was mainly used to deal with humans, which led to a decrease in the number of sword schools with the Yin Yi lineage year by year."

Amane Suzune sighed regretfully, but quickly regained her longing expression.

"I also want to become that kind of strong person, so that I can..."

Tianyu Lingyin interrupted, cleared her throat, and continued:
"Well, in short, that's an extraordinary level. It usually requires decades of arduous training and the most outstanding swordsmanship talent to even have a slight chance of reaching it."

"I see." Yu Jian nodded with a subtle expression.

Is there a higher realm than Sword Master?

Tenyu Rinne remained silent for a moment.

"Have."

"Sword masters are still limited by the sword itself, but more powerful swordsmen can transcend the boundaries of the sword and let the world hear their voice directly."

"That is the Sword Saint."

(End of this chapter)