The moment had come. Hiroshi and Satoru gathered in Ren's room. They brought a small table from the dining room along with some tea, and the three of them sat down to enjoy the beverage and the morning light pouring inside through the open window, alongside a nice, refreshing breeze.

"How are you feeling? Is the training going well?" Hiroshi started the conversation after taking a sip from his small bowl.

"I feel good. There is no discomfort or anything like that. As for the training, it's going mostly well... The sword is hard to handle. I feel as if it has too much power."

"That's a good thing, son," Satoru pointed out.

"Maybe," Hiroshi nodded in agreement. "Depending on how you look at it, but because your technique is not that good, the excess power actually works in your favor. But let's speak about what I came here for... The tournament. It starts tomorrow and probably will last for a few days. Usually, the participants stay in a special area in the stadium complex so they can be watched to assure there will be no cheating, so you might need to pack a few things with you," he informed.

"That's not important," the old man shook his head. "Tell us what you know."

The doctor sighed. "I know a few participants who will be attending. Some of them are quite famous."

Ren wondered if he should tell them about the encounter with the stranger the previous night. 'Should I tell them about what happened yesterday?' he thought as the two spoke among themselves. He still listened, but only with one ear. 'No. They might freak out, and it's not even that I believe in the words of that stranger.'

"First of all, you should be aware of Ryoma Tachibana. He is a genius, and an excellent swordsman, often compared to Akira Tachibana. But besides his skill, he might, like the other participants from the Tachibana clan, try to get their revenge. You humiliated them in a way by cheating during their trial of strength," the doctor continued.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ren assured.

"I don't know much about him, only that his control of shinryoku is excellent, and that his technique is flawless. He uses a sword style called Dance of Shadows, but I don't know much about that," he informed.

"That's a very fluid style. Sometimes they mock it as a dance because of how it looks. It's a perfect combination of defense and offense. The counterattacks in this style are deadly," Satoru explained.

Ren nodded, listening carefully and making mental notes.

"Then you should also be aware of Sakura Kamishima. I don't know much about her, only that she uses a divine beast. Rumor has it that she even defeated this Ryoma Tachibana, so she is definitely a threat," Hiroshi said.

"A divine beast? Something like the blue-haired mountain apes?" Ren asked.

"No," the doctor shook his head. "The divine beasts have the same ability as we humans have. They can use shinryoku. Actually, they might be even better at this than humans. You need a group of seasoned warriors to fend off a full-grown divine beast, but fortunately, she only possesses a young one, so it might not be a completely impossible task to defeat her," he deemed in the end.

"I thought the Maken would make it easy to win," Ren pointed out, looking at Satoru as if he was seeking answers.

"This year it seems that the competition will be tough," the old man responded. "Your blade is powerful, but the problem is that you lack skills. Despite that, you should be on par with those geniuses with your sword... If it cooperates, that is."

The comment prompted Ren to smile awkwardly, as the blade had been acting strangely during training. Not only because of the razor wire but also because of the power it produced. Sometimes a single swing would be so devastating that it could probably tear a limb from even such a powerful beast as the blue-haired mountain ape, but otherwise, it would be much lighter. Still pretty much deadly against a normal human being, but not as deadly as it could be. This made it unpredictable and caused him enough difficulty during practice that even Satoru noticed.

"It possesses a powerful spirit, and it hasn't been that long since you got it," the doctor pointed out, showing his understanding. "Unfortunately, there is no more time to put into your training, so we should now focus on what we can do, and that is information. The other two participants you should be aware of are Takashi Kōri and Masato Hayashi. The first one is a fierce warrior, an expert in shinryoku body techniques. If anybody can withstand your blade, it would probably be him. His strikes will be deadly as well. Then Masato... I know most about him since he is from my clan. I never worked with him, but I know of him from my colleagues who had the pleasure. He is a true genius. He knows everything about the human body, and thus, even if he touches you with the techniques of the Hayashi clan, it could very much be the end of the fight."

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"With only a touch?" Ren was visibly surprised.

"Yes. We use this technique utilizing pressure points. It will block the flow of shinryoku in your body and can paralyze you quite easily. If he hits your leg, it might go limp. If he hits your heart, it might stop. In my opinion, he is the deadliest fighter in this tournament," stated the doctor.

"Won't my body be able to withstand it? Didn't you say it was perfect?" Ren asked.

"Maybe... I'm not sure. Your body is amazing, but you have to remember that it needs training to be adapted properly, and that is something you lack the most," Hiroshi pointed out. "With time. Even in a single year, you would become a formidable warrior, but you don't have time for this if you want to participate this year."

Ren nodded, showing his understanding. "I want to participate this year," he said. 'My wife depends on it,' he thought to himself.

"Fortunately, those four are the only warriors you probably have to be aware of, and five people will pass this year, so with a little bit of luck, you will avoid them all and get the fifth spot," Hiroshi added.

"Anybody else you knew anything about? Even if they aren't the strongest, it is wise to know your enemy," Satoru stated.

"Well... I heard Kaito will be participating," the doctor's glance shifted from Ren to the old man.

Satoru was surprised by the revelation, clearly indicating that he knew that name.

"Who is this Kaito?" Ren asked.

"He is the reason we met," the doctor revealed, which was confirmed by a nod from the old man.

"When I was an active sword instructor, Hinata wasn’t the only person I taught. I had several disciples, and among them was Kaito Noroi. A first-born son of a wealthy branch within the clan. His parents gathered several great doctors from the Hayashi clan, and paid them handsomely to alter their son’s body," Satoru revealed.

"I was in charge of the project," said Hiroshi. "It not only allowed me to meet Satoru but also inspired me to create an artificial human being, you, Ren."

"So he is like me? This Kaito?" Ren asked.

"Partially. You could call his body a less advanced version. A prototype," the doctor explained.

"And he possesses a Jujin," Satoru added. "His family bought it for him. The blade might not possess the power of your Maken, but it will be enough to block your attacks. So if you sum up everything, his body, his sword, and the fact that he trained for a long time, he might be a dark horse in this run."

"Yes. You should be careful of him, Ren," said Hiroshi. "Definitely don't underestimate him."

The young warrior nodded. "I will keep that in mind."

"You shouldn't underestimate any of the participants," Satoru added. "Some of them are definitely stronger than the others, and you are not weak either, but that doesn’t mean they can’t pull one on you."

"Any advice? They must have some weak points," Ren pointed out.

"For Ryoma, Takashi, and Masato, you will be at a disadvantage in close combat. Fortunately, your sword exerts so much power that you can actually strike them without entering into their reach. You should take advantage of that," the doctor said. "I bet this Sakura Kamishima defeated the Tachibana guy because she kept him at bay. If the rumor is true, that is. It means she might be deadly at a distance, so you should definitely close the distance when facing her. We will observe every match with Satoru, so we will give you pointers as we go."

"Yes," the old man confirmed. "You focus on your mental state. Don't let the nerves get the better of you. You are a strong warrior, and you are prepared for this. Maybe not for the longest time, but you have the basics."

"And you pulled off much more difficult stunts," Hiroshi smiled.

Ren silently acknowledged that with a nod, but he couldn't help but worry. 'I was always prepared before. Knew what I was facing. I could fight on my terms... Usually. I poisoned the ape, and I had help with the Hearteater...' He glanced at the weapon by his belt. 'I guess he is now my help... If only we could cooperate properly,' he ended up sighing heavily.

Satoru clearly read it as a sign of worry, and he reacted immediately by placing his hand on Ren's shoulder. "You will be fine," he even smiled.

"Yes," the doctor agreed. "Now you should focus on getting some rest. Tomorrow we go, and there will be the inauguration ceremony. You will have one fight, but there is a very small chance you will encounter an opponent who will be able to face you. The first duels are usually preliminary."

"Everybody can sign in, but they will only select the twenty that are the most promising. The second and third matches are what is important," Satoru explained.

"So... I could even lose the first fight and have a chance to continue?" Ren asked, a bit surprised. "Am I understanding that right?"

"Yes, in theory. But people always look down on the losers, so it's better that you win all three fights," Satoru replied.

"If you fight against somebody who will be able to match you, then there is a chance both of you could pass, as long as you show some incredible skills. Otherwise, it's usually the winner. In rare cases, nobody is allowed to pass if the level of warriors is too low, but you don't have to worry about that. Your blade makes you more than strong enough, and on top of that, your body is strong, and you have some basic swordsmanship skills," Hiroshi explained.

This information eased Ren's nerves. "I'm going to go on a walk. I need to think about what you just told me and put it in order in my head..." he told them as he stood up from the table.

The two looked at each other but didn't say anything.

Outside, the young warrior took a deep breath of the fresh air, which further eased his anxiety.

‘All I want is my wife. I'll fight for her to the best of my ability...’ he promised himself. But then different thoughts entered his head. ‘There is always Reiko if I fail... But would she want me if I did? She likes silver. As a candidate, I would have it, but as a loser, I would be poor throughout the whole year, and I would have to see my wife marry another man. No! I'm not letting that happen!’ He mustered his resolve only a few steps into his walk.

He continued the stroll for several more hours until he decided to return for lunch. The doctor was already gone. Both Ayako and Satoru were oddly quiet during the meal, but Ren soon figured that they wanted to give him some space. If he were to initiate the conversation, they would probably continue it. He chose silence, as he worried that any change could make him lose the resolve he had built.