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"Ooh—the Dragon King is calling us, let’s hurry inside!" Jade Swann stuck out her cute little tongue and whispered, then waved her hand, leading Shawn Young and Mai Kanda into the tent.
As soon as they entered the tent, the trio saw several people gathered around a table, the atmosphere tense. A screen lay across the table, with a projector set up beside it. Shawn Young glanced over; aside from one or two unfamiliar faces, most were old friends—Lean Tiger and Fat Dragon sat up straight, looking serious, while Sherry Shawn was hooking up her laptop to the projector. But the most striking figure was an elderly man with an air of natural authority, white robes fluttering, and silver hair—none other than the legendary leader of the Military Paranormal Unit, the Dragon King himself!
"Uh—hello, Dragon King!" Shawn Young greeted nervously as soon as he saw the Dragon King. He knew that with the Dragon King showing up in this military restricted area late at night, something big was definitely about to go down.
"Well, Shawn Young, you finally made it. Had fun along the way?" The Dragon King smiled at Shawn Young, then glanced at Jade Swann and Mai Kanda.
"Pfft—heehee—" Sherry Shawn covered her mouth and giggled at the Dragon King's words. Lean Tiger and Fat Dragon's eyes lit up, shooting Shawn Young a teasing, envious look.
"Uh—well, it was... okay—haha—" Shawn Young was mortified. Apparently, everyone knew about his flirty escapades with Jade Swann and Mai Kanda.
Jade Swann’s pretty face turned bright red, and she shot Sherry Shawn a fierce glare. Sherry just stuck out her tongue and grinned mischievously—clearly, this whole thing had her fingerprints all over it.
"Alright, alright, cut it out, you guys! Time to get down to business! Sherry, why don’t you fill everyone in on what we know so far?" The Dragon King waved his hand to signal them to focus.
"Okay, here we go—" Sherry Shawn put on a serious face and opened her laptop. Soon, the screen lit up with an image—a stern-looking old man in full samurai armor, sitting on a tatami mat. He wore an eyepatch over one eye, and his remaining eye was as sharp as a hawk’s. His white eyebrow arched upward, radiating an intense, domineering aura. Next to him was a rack holding a long sword, its handle wrapped in black sharkskin.
"Whoa, who’s that Japanese geezer? He looks seriously badass!" Jade Swann couldn’t help but ask.
"That’s—the Sword Demon Lord, Martin Oniin! Guardian of Ise Grand Shrine!" Mai Kanda gasped, her face pale with shock.
"Yep, the young lady’s right. That guy is the famous Japanese sword master—Martin Oniin! He’s the grandmaster of Shinto Munen-ryu. In Japan’s martial world, he’s called the ‘Number One Sword Saint.’ Because his sword style is so fierce and brutal, they also call him the Sword Demon Lord! He and I go way back," the Dragon King explained casually.
"Wait—old friends? How come we’ve never heard of this guy?" Jade Swann asked in surprise, echoing everyone else’s confusion.
The Dragon King sighed, gazing upward as he began a tale from the past: "That was back when I was young, during the toughest years of the war against Japan. Martin Oniin had just mastered his sword style and was unstoppable. To prove the true power of Shinto Munen-ryu, he joined a Japanese special ops squad invading China, looking to challenge the best martial artists from every sect. And he was ruthless—he faced ninety-six Chinese masters and every single one was defeated by his blade!" (Note: Japanese kendo uses swords, but it’s really just a form of swordsmanship, not what we’d call fencing.)
"Whoa—he was that strong? So what happened next?" Jade Swann couldn’t help but ask, curiosity written all over her face.
"Back then, Martin Oniin’s reputation was as fierce as the Japanese army itself. Whenever he fought, he never left anyone alive—he was a nightmare for China’s martial arts world. He wanted to challenge the legendary northern master, Li Haiwen, but Li had already joined the resistance, forming a broadsword squad to fight on the front lines. Martin Oniin tried to find him, but Li Haiwen died heroically in the Battle of Shanghai. Frustrated, Martin Oniin went to Shandong and killed some of Li’s disciples. I happened to be passing through, hoping to visit the sect, when I saw him murdering people. Without hesitation, I jumped in and fought him!" The Dragon King paused, his white brows furrowing as his mind drifted back to those war-torn days.
"So, how’d your fight turn out?" Jade Swann asked, still curious.
"Uh—it wasn’t really a sparring match, it was a life-or-death battle. Martin Oniin’s Shinto Munen-ryu is all about murderous intent—his sword moves are brutal and deadly. We exchanged just two blows, and both of us got hurt!" the Dragon King said, shaking his head.
"Whoa—only two moves? That fast?" Jade Swann blurted out in shock.
"Haha—when experts fight, life and death are decided in an instant. It’s not about how many moves you trade," the Dragon King explained with a smile.
"Got it! Dragon King, you’re a living legend—did Martin Oniin lose to you?" Jade Swann pressed on, still curious.
"Uh—sort of. I barely won. Martin Oniin lost an eye to my sword, but I got hit by his fierce sword energy and nearly lost all my powers. Luckily, after he retreated in defeat, I met Master Liuyun from Wudang. He spent three days and nights with the Wudang masters, using the ‘Primordial Spirit Gathering Array’ to heal my injuries. That battle with Martin Oniin was the most dangerous fight of my life!" The Dragon King spoke lightly, but everyone could feel the gravity behind his words.