Book 1: Chapter 19: Spirit Power

Inside a dark room which was lit up by an oil lamp.

Lily was lying on her stomach atop the bed. The yukata wrapping around her body enhanced the allure of her tight back, slender waist, and round b.u.t.t.

“Ngh…” Lily wanted to maintain her aloofness and dignity as the master, but with the round parasol wandering between her back, arms, neck, waist, and even her b.u.t.t, she really couldn’t help letting out a moan.

However, it felt unbelievably good. After receiving this ma.s.sage, not only did she feel her fatigue completely washed away, her nerves became looser and her body was filled with energy.

“Master, if I help you ma.s.sage every night, then no matter how hard master trained, you will recover very quickly. This is very beneficial for master’s strengthening progress.”

“Uhn… ah, there, right there… Ngh… it feels so good…” Lily’s ears were a little red as she closed her eyes and comfortably enjoyed the ma.s.sage.

She naturally wanted to receive this kind of ma.s.sage every day, but…

“Sakura, don’t you need to enter hibernation mode frequently?”

“Yes, that’s why I thought it is about time for master to start training spirit power.”

“Spirit power?”

“That’s right, there is a limit to how much you can temper your body. As a matter of fact, master’s female body is not really fit for muscle training. Even if you did work out, the result will be very limited.”

“No wonder… my horse riding and archery have improved rapidly these past two weeks, even my sword techniques have developed greatly. It’s just that my penetration force seemed to have come to a standstill.” Lily raised her concern with a pout.

“Right, training with brute force is mainly for building a good foundation. Master’s body is beautiful and flexible, nimble yet containing explosive strength. It is the most ideal foundation for a female body. And now is the best time to start training in spirit power!”

“Okay… so what is this spirit power you are speaking of?”

“Spirit power is one type of energy that exists in all material things of this world. Everything has a spirit in this universe, even a grain of sand also has spiritual nature. It’s just that they are too weak and is unable to form an awareness. Why do rainwater fall to the ground and steam rise to the sky? Why does soil turn into rock under certain level of pressure? Why does lightning exist? All of these is because of the existence of spirit and power! The spirit decides the law, such as why the polarities repel each other, opposites attract, and blood dissolves in water. These are possible because spirits exist, and power is the energy generated by these laws.” Sakura explained as she ma.s.saged Lily’s thigh.

“I see… so this spirit power is the law of the world.” Lily had a thought; Isn’t this the same as the gravitational law of the modern world? The root of these energies which caused the molecules to bond and become very solid under a certain level of density is the gravitational force.1 The modern world uses gravitational force to measure energy, and this other world seemed to be using spirit power as an energy indicator.

Indeed, she would have a limitless supply of power source if she could a.s.similate these spirit power. It would be as if she could make use of the gravity that existed everywhere in the world. Didn’t that mean she wouldn’t have to worry about exhausting her energy anymore?

However, Lily was unable to fully comprehend the principle of this profound mystery. She could only make a simple a.n.a.logy. The real law of behavior must be a lot more complicated than that!

“Then how do I train my spirit power?” asked Lily.

“Spirit power training is one of the advanced secrets of samurais and onmyojis! If one does not train their spirit power, then it will be very hard for the samurais and onmyojis to go further after reaching certain heights. Master, among the hundred demons you encountered at Kamakura City that night, let alone the Demon King Michizane, even the Blue Demon that brushed past you briefly is a very powerful demon. If n.o.body trained their spirit power, then I’m afraid only those legendary heroes that appeared in stories can fight against them. An ordinary samurai is definitely not a worthy opponent for those powerful demons!” said Sakura.

“Sakura, I once saw a silver-haired female samurai cut a five meters tall Blue Demon in half, does that mean she also trained in spirit power?”

“That is without a doubt! And she is quite well-known among the samurais who utilise spirit power! A five meters tall Blue Demon is already beyond what the ordinary humans can handle. Without a powerful samurai who has surpa.s.sed the limits of human, one giant Blue Demon is capable of destroying an entire nation!”

Lily was appalled!

So the true path to becoming a master was to train in spirit power!

No matter how much she increased her brute strength, just how much future prospects would a girl like her be able to gain!

“Then in respect to the spirit power, is there a difference between male and female?”

“For the men, their basic const.i.tution and vitality are stronger than the women. This is an advantage for them. However, when it comes to spirit power, there is no clear indication that there is any difference between men and women.”

Sakura answered.

“That Matsuda Nagahide never told about this spirit power… and yet he said he will teach me everything without reserve.” Lily was a little disappointed.

“Master, you can’t blame him for this. For a declining samurai clan like the Matsudas, how would they be in possession of a spirit power training manual? Every samurai clan with one of those is a distinguished clan in their respective areas! If Matsuda clan knows how to use spirit power, there’s no way they would spend their time wasting away in these worn-out houses,” said Sakura.

“Then how can I get one of these spirit power training manual?” No matter what was said, the Matsuda clan at least had a house and a land. However, they didn’t have a training manual even with these properties. On the other hand, she was penniless, just how was she supposed to get one?

“That’s right!” Lily suddenly had an idea, “Doesn’t shikigami utilises spirit power as well? Can you teach me?”

“Hehe, stop joking around, master. Shikigami are naturally born from the spiritual world, we can absorb the spirit power since birth. How can master learn this? It’s just like how a fish can swim since birth, how can master use the same method as a fish to swim? Besides, us shikigami can also absorb other shikigami, demons, and even human souls to strengthen ourselves. This is an ability known as Soul Eater. This is an ability that humans do not possess.”

“Tsk, after speaking so much, then is there no way for me to learn?” Lily was getting a little impatient.

“Hehe, don’t rush me, master. Since I am saying it, I naturally have a way,” Sakura continued, “My former master once got her hands on an ancient secret manual. She was afraid that she will lose the manual one day so she memorized it in her heart. In fear that she might forget about the content, she made me memorize it with her. It’s just that… my former master only had the first chapter of this secret manual.”2

“Can you recite it?” Lily jumped up all of a sudden, but she didn’t forget to properly arrange her clothing. She currently didn’t have any foundation so chapter one was already enough for her. After she finished practicing chapter one, her strength might become incomparable to what it was now. It wouldn’t be too late to think about what might happen after that.

This Lily really didn’t know how to mingle her words.

“Of course I can. Although it has already been a long time, I can still remember it clearly due to my former master’s repeated warning. The name of this secret manual is known as 《Lunar Blossom》.”

1. Had a hard time interpreting this sentence, so I took it into my own hand and rewrite the entire sentence.
2. Oh here we go again, I think I know where this is going. ?