Chapter 144: Dojo After eating breakfast and drinking the energy drink, Noah headed to the dojo. Musashi’s dojo, where Master Tanaka was still teaching him swordsmanship. Arriving there in his GT-R after a thirty-minute drive, Noah got off and walked in. He spotted Master Tanaka sitting there in a cultivating position, clearly relaxing whilst the other students were practicing. Spotting him, the other students all gave him a nod before continuing their practice. Naturally, Noah was now considered the second-highest position in the dojo despite his short tenure. He’d only been there for a few days, but he was still the second-best after Master Tanaka. Noah was now considered the golden disciple. Tanaka opened his eyes and stood up with a smile to continue their session. "Ready for today’s lesson?" the master asked, his dark eyes studying Noah’s posture with assessment. "Always," Noah replied as he prepared to do his physical warmup. As they began their warm-up exchanges, Tanaka’s eyebrows rose with growing amazement. Noah’s swordsmanship had indeed improved slightly, but his physical prowess was something that approached his own! Whoosh! Noah’s first strike cut through the air with a velocity that made several students pause their own training. The wooden blade moved faster than most eyes could track, creating a sharp whistle as it displaced the atmosphere. Crack! Tanaka’s counter-strike met Noah’s attack with precision, but the master’s expression betrayed surprise at the sheer force behind the blow. The impact reverberated through both practice swords, sending vibrations up their arms. "Your speed..." Tanaka murmured, adjusting his grip as they circled each other. "It’s increased dramatically since yesterday." Swish! Clang! Their blades met in a rapid exchange, Noah’s enhanced agility allowing him to press attacks that would have been impossible just days before. Each strike flowed seamlessly into the next, creating a blur of motion that captivated everyone watching. "Look at him move," whispered one of the intermediate students, his own wooden sword forgotten in his hands. "It’s like he’s dancing." "Dancing with death," corrected a senior practitioner, her eyes wide with admiration. "Master Tanaka’s actually having to try now." Whoosh! Thwack! The master’s counterattack came with decades of refined technique, but Noah’s supernatural reflexes allowed him to not only block but transition into an aggressive combination that pushed Tanaka backwards. "Incredible," breathed another student. "He’s making the master retreat!" Clang! Swish! Crack! The wooden swords collided in rapid succession, each impact producing sharp reports that echoed through the dojo. Noah’s enhanced strength made every strike carry weight that forced Tanaka to adjust his defensive positioning. "Your power output," the master observed between strikes, his voice carrying genuine amazement. "It rivals my own in my prime. How is this possible? You’ve just started your journey, I already knew that you had terrifying physical prowess since we met, but your growth is meant to stagnate, you...you are just getting even better without any sign of stopping." Whoosh! Noah’s diagonal cut sliced through the air with such force that the displaced air created a visible disturbance. Tanaka barely managed to intercept the strike, the impact making his grip strain against the wooden handle. Crack! Clang! "He’s keeping up with Master Tanaka!" exclaimed a young woman near the weapons rack. "I’ve been training here for years, and I’ve never seen anyone match the master’s casual speed, let alone his maximum speed!" The sparring intensified as both fighters found their rhythm. Noah’s supernatural capabilities allowed him to keep pace with decades of refined skill, while Tanaka’s experience provided lessons that challenged every aspect of Noah’s developing technique. Swish! Whoosh! Thwack! Their blades met in a complex sequence that had the watching students holding their breath. Noah’s enhanced agility let him flow between offensive and defensive positions with fluid grace, each movement perfectly timed to complement the last. "Look at his footwork...Every step is perfectly placed. No wasted motion," observed a senior student with fascination. Clang! Swish! Tanaka’s approval was evident in his smile as Noah executed a perfect riposte that nearly broke through the master’s guard. "Excellent, Noah! You’re integrating power with technique beautifully! You are not just using your sheer power to break through my defences, but you are enhancing your technique." Whoosh! Crack! The pace accelerated dramatically as both fighters pushed their capabilities. Noah’s wooden sword moved with a velocity that created sharp whistles, while Tanaka’s decades of experience allowed him to predict and counter attacks that should have been impossible to see coming. "They’re moving so fast I can barely follow," whispered one student, his voice filled with awe at the sight before him. "This is what real mastery looks like...Something that many of us will probably never achieve in our lives," added another, watching the display with rapt attention. Swish! Clang! Thwack! Noah’s combination attack came in three flowing strikes. High, middle, and low strikes, each transition seamless and perfectly timed. The enhanced agility from his energy drink consumption made movements that typically required years to master feel natural and effortless. His agility not only increased his speed, but also his reflexes, his flexibility, his dexterity, everything that required years of training and honing. Crack! Tanaka’s defensive sequence met each strike of Noah’s with a strike of his own. Despite keeping up with Noah, the master’s expression showed genuine strain for the first time in years. Noah’s powerful physical prowess and skill were forcing him to access skills he hadn’t needed since his competitive prime. "Master Tanaka’s actually being challenged!" gasped a student who’d been training at the dojo for over a decade. "I haven’t seen him move like this ever! Noah is really pushing him to his limits!" Whoosh! Swish! Their wooden blades created a rhythm of collision and separation, each exchange flowing into the next. Noah’s reflexes allowed him to respond to Tanaka’s legendary technique, while his improved strength let him match the master’s legendary power. Clang! Crack! "Your development defies explanation," Tanaka admitted between rapid strikes, his breathing showing the first signs of exertion. Thwack! Whoosh! Noah’s response came in the form of a spinning attack that utilised his full agility enhancement, the wooden sword creating a complete circle that forced Tanaka to step back and reassess his defensive strategy.