Otaku Witch

The foundation of a lofty tower is built from the ground up; only if the foundation is strong can one progress further on the path of Sword Dao.

While the enhancement from Basic Swordsmanship might not boost immediate combat power as much as certain special moves like Thunder Blade or Fire Blade, in the long run, it is an eternal Divine Skill that can accompany a swordsman throughout their life, becoming even more valuable in later stages.

For someone like Dorothy, a Quick-tempered Sword God with unstable foundations, this is an especially invaluable skill; she did not need to wait until later stages to benefit but found it beneficial from the start.

During the recent battle, noticing that it was difficult to defeat the surrounding enemies with mere mortal sword skills, she decisively borrowed the power of Red Shadow.

She did not fully unleash the Abyssal Evil Ghost power of Red Shadow, only partially releasing it to enter the state of Unity of Man and Sword, thus obtaining the Nine Blades Thirteen Styles honed over a century by Red Shadow.

Although this is the most basic of Supernatural Swordsmanship, it was already sufficient for Dorothy; at least it was much stronger than mortal swordsmanship, akin to turning a bicycle into a motorcycle.

As a result, she easily defeated all the enemies.

Although after the battle, once the Unity of Man and Sword state was lifted, the effect of Red Shadow's support faded, making Dorothy's foundation unstable again, it wasn't a big issue as the effect of Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Skill had already been activated.

This experience is sure to prove useful next time.

Not only did Dorothy absorb the sword techniques of those minor samurai but also a portion of the foundational sword experience from Red Shadow, making her Sword Dao foundation more solid than before.

Although the experience gained wasn't much, there was progress, and besides, there are many more experiential opponents to come.

Dorothy briefly reviewed the gains from the previous battle.

First, there were the basic experiences from Red Shadow.

Nine Blades Thirteen Styles is the foundation of all Japanese swordsmanship, consisting of nine main blade types.

The Type One: Single Strike Technique has four moves.

Type Two: Continuous Strike Technique has two moves.

Type Three: Sweeping Strike Technique has one move.

Type Four: Retreating Strike Technique has one move.

Type Five: Drawing Strike Technique has one move.

Type Six: Glancing Strike Technique has one move.

Seventh Form: Initial Strike Technique has one move.

Type Eight: Return Technique has one move.

Type Nine: Downward Strike Technique has one move.

Nine blade types, thirteen sword moves, each move has its own purpose, and collectively they're enough to handle various situations in real combat. The combinations of different sword moves can generate remarkable effects, leading to the flourishing of numerous sword schools in Japan today.

"So that's how it is? I understand now."

Dorothy nodded, processing the experiences of the Warrior Witches she had just defeated.

She noticed that although the sword styles of these Warrior Witches were different, the main blade types and sword moves were all derived from the Nine Blades Thirteen Styles; each sword school seemed to slightly modify the Nine Blades Thirteen Styles.

"Hmm, they seem similar, yet different; what exactly is the difference? Footwork? Sword paths? Force application? Mana circuits?"

The Homebody Witch pondered the differences between each sword technique, and then a light bulb went off in her mind.

"Oh, I get it now, it's about breathing! Using breathing to provoke the circulation of mana circuits, thus coordinating the body's strength, brilliant! But I'm also good at breathing."

Dorothy's face lit up with understanding and a smile appeared on her face.

Witches, being a supernatural race, do not actually need to breathe; mortals breathe to absorb oxygen for strength, but witches do not require oxygen. Instead, they absorb Magic Power through their breathing.

However, this method of absorbing Magic Power through breathing is inefficient, far slower than meditation, magic potions, or consuming high-grade ingredients.

But there is a supernatural race that evolved this breathing technique to the extreme, which is the Dragon Clan among the Four Great Cataclysmic Races.

The Great Dragons' power comes from breathing; as long as they continue to breathe, they will continue to grow.

Dragon Witches, modeled after dragons, are also skilled in this art.

The Homebody Witch naturally inherited the Dragon's Breath (SSR) from her mother; although she misunderstood it and neglected this talent for over a decade, she remained very sensitive to breathing, which is why she noticed the subtle differences in breathing in the sword techniques of those Warrior Witches.

"Adapting one's breathing rhythm to the changes in sword moves, ultimately using breathing rhythm to drive sword moves' operation, that's an intriguing concept. Speaking of it, the Dragon King Battle Technique uses the same principle, right? Was the Dragon King inspired by some Japanese swordsmanship when creating the Dragon King Battle Technique? Or is this just the martial arts' late stages converging through different paths?"

Dorothy speculated with interest.

However, this realization made Japanese swordsmanship seem harder to master.

The Nine Blades Thirteen Styles is foundational because its breathing relies on human breathing, suitable for all witches and even mortals.

But the secret sword techniques of other schools have their own unique breathing techniques, and those breathing techniques are truly the secret teachings of each sword school. Without the cooperation of breathing techniques, no matter how accurately you've learned the sword moves, they're just posturing.

Sword moves are easy to learn, but breathing techniques are hard to find.

The Homebody Witch initially thought she could casually learn Japanese swordsmanship while clearing out trash, but now breathing techniques became a barrier.