Chapter 2

Liu Tianyin slowly opened his eyes, the clear blue sky reflecting in them. Around him was a dense jungle, devoid of any human presence. In short, he was in a mountainous area with no signs of civilization.

"Contractor, your current location is in the outskirts of Kyoto. Japan is currently under the rule of the Shogunate, and the law and order are extremely chaotic. Bandits, human traffickers, and thieves are rampant. Please be cautious. Although you have exchanged for the Qi Swordsmanship Flow and obtained master-level swordsmanship, and your physical abilities are five times that of an ordinary person, you lack combat experience. If you encounter a large group of armed bandits, you might very well die on the spot," the Infinite Heart slowly explained to Liu Tianyin after he woke up.

"By the way, does the Infinite Heart have a place to enhance my abilities?" Thinking about being chopped into pieces by a group of bandits, Liu Tianyin couldn't help but feel a chill down his back.

"Of course, the contractor can enter the Infinite Heart's training ground during rest periods. In the training ground, the contractor can choose to train with characters from the worlds you have experienced. However, note that although you won't die during training, pain still exists. The training ground also has a database for the contractor to reference, providing most of the information about the current world for your consideration."

"Then, are there swordsmanship techniques like the Flying Heaven Swordsmanship Flow?" Liu Tianyin asked hurriedly.

"Of course," the Infinite Heart replied.

"… So, wasn't the 20 Heart Coins I spent on the Qi Swordsmanship Flow a waste…?" Liu Tianyin felt his whole body turn gray when he realized he had spent a lot of Heart Coins on a swordsmanship technique that could be learned for free in the database.

"Contractor, you should know that the knowledge you exchanged for is directly integrated into your understanding, without the need for you to spend time learning it. Otherwise, it would take you years to master a single swordsmanship technique."

"… Can the Infinite Heart provide me with some clothes? My current attire is likely to attract attention. In this chaotic era, once you attract the attention of bandits or radicals, you will likely face countless troubles." Looking at his short-sleeved shirt and jeans, Liu Tianyin thought about the potential dangers and asked the Infinite Heart again.

"Yes, contractor. Most materials in the Infinite Heart can be provided for free, but since this is the first world you are experiencing, the Infinite Heart will limit most exchanges to avoid disrupting the current world."

About ten seconds later, Liu Tianyin's attire had completely changed. He was now wearing a top similar to that of Hijikata Toshizo, a pair of cloth pants, and a pair of hard-soled leather shoes. After some thought, Liu Tianyin also asked the Infinite Heart for a light blue overcoat that reached his calves, which, like Hijikata's cloak, had springs to restrict muscle movement. Liu Tianyin planned to use this to continue training his body, as his current physical potential far exceeded his previous body. In Rurouni Kenshin, physical ability is the most crucial aspect of ensuring survival. Hijikata Toshizo survived the chaotic era with minimal injuries, partly due to the subtlety of the Flying Heaven Swordsmanship Flow and partly due to his formidable physical abilities. During training with Kenshin, Hijikata could easily knock Kenshin down with a single strike, and his overwhelming physical advantage allowed him to dominate in the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash. There was an unbelievable rumor that Hijikata accidentally killed his master while learning the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash. Although this is highly unlikely, it does highlight Hijikata's incredible physical strength. Liu Tianyin did not want to regret not having a strong body when faced with real danger, so he decided to start strengthening his body now.

However, Liu Tianyin needed to find a place to settle down. Although the Infinite Heart could provide materials and food, Liu Tianyin was not accustomed to sleeping outdoors. The surrounding area was filled with shrubs and grass, unsuitable for building a house. So, Liu Tianyin left his current position and searched for a flat area to build a wooden house. Fortunately, he soon found a suitable place. The Infinite Heart could provide a large amount of wood and other building materials, and with Liu Tianyin's physical abilities, which were five times that of an ordinary person, building a small wooden house was feasible. Liu Tianyin also built a storage room. However, building just two rooms was not enough, so he added various furniture, such as a fireplace, bed, and cabinets, to the small wooden house, making it even more cramped.

"Well, in this chaotic era, it's fortunate to have a place to live like this." After comforting himself, Liu Tianyin returned to the storage room to add various supplies. He knew he couldn't casually reveal the Infinite Heart's existence, and having some supplies in the storage room could avoid such troubles. Liu Tianyin was not naive enough to think that no one would pass by his location; being exposed and attacked would be a significant loss.

However, this was not enough. Liu Tianyin needed to find a profession. After checking the database in the Infinite Heart, he chose to be a painter. Although he initially considered becoming a potter like Hijikata, he would need to build a kiln, so he temporarily abandoned this idea. By the time it was evening, Liu Tianyin, who had been working hard all day, felt slightly fatigued despite his excellent physical condition. After eating some food, he returned to bed.

"Infinite Heart, I want to enter the system now."

"Sure."

Liu Tianyin's spirit seemed to be pulled into the place where he first saw the Infinite Heart.

"Contractor, you are now in a spiritual state. The time ratio here to reality is 1:5. You can choose to train, learn, and engage in various activities here. Please refer to the system itself for more details."

Naturally, Liu Tianyin chose a simulated battle, with his opponent being the strongest character from Rurouni Kenshin, Hijikata Toshizo. In his own words, he wanted to see the gap between himself and the strongest.

During training, the characters created by the Infinite Heart possess the full strength of their real counterparts but will not engage in verbal sparring. The moment Liu Tianyin started training, Hijikata moved towards him at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye, even with Liu Tianyin's enhanced physical abilities. Seeing Hijikata's speed, Liu Tianyin was naturally surprised and drew his sword, releasing a Qi Blade Slash towards Hijikata. The pale white Qi Blade cut through the training ground floor and aimed at Hijikata. However, Hijikata's strength far exceeded Liu Tianyin's expectations. He dodged the Qi Blade Slash and countered with a Tornado Flash. The blades of Sakegiku Sen Tozumaru and Sakegiku Sangetsu clashed, and the force almost knocked Liu Tianyin's sword out of his hand. Liu Tianyin deflected the force and the two figures crossed paths. Liu Tianyin turned and flipped his sword, pushing it upward with his left hand towards Hijikata.

"Qi Swordsmanship Flow: Qi Soaring Sky." A sword Qi followed by a sword strike. Even Hijikata Toshizo couldn't block the high-speed sword Qi, which cut his right cheek. However, that was all he could do, as Hijikata blocked the Qi Soaring Sky with one hand. As Liu Tianyin marveled at Hijikata's strength, Hijikata suddenly exerted force, pushing Liu Tianyin back. Hijikata then sheathed his sword, kicked the wall of the training ground with his right foot, and, holding his sword in his right hand and the sheath in his left, launched a Double Dragon Flash towards Liu Tianyin. After landing, Liu Tianyin used the Qi Swordsmanship Flow's second draw technique—Double Qi Flash—to counter Hijikata.

According to Liu Tianyin's plan, the Double Qi Flash consisted of four strikes, and the two sword Qi should have caused significant damage to Hijikata. However, Liu Tianyin's experience was still lacking, and he underestimated Hijikata's strength. The Double Dragon Flash against the Double Qi Flash, the first strike of Hijikata's sword directly broke through the sword Qi and knocked Liu Tianyin's sword out of his hand. Liu Tianyin, without time to be surprised, swung his left hand's sword sheath to clash with Hijikata's. Naturally, with the help of the sword Qi, Liu Tianyin broke Hijikata's sword sheath, but the force still knocked Liu Tianyin's remaining sword sheath away. Before Liu Tianyin could react, Hijikata had already sheathed his sword and launched the next attack, and nine sword lights appeared before Liu Tianyin. "Flying Heaven Swordsmanship Flow: Nine-Headed Dragon Flash, truly terrifying." This was Liu Tianyin's last thought before he was torn apart...

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