I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1048: One is All, All is One [4100]

Meeting Ogata's gaze, Qing Deng was stunned.

"Mr. Ogata, are you trying to train your own rival?"

He said this half-jokingly, and unconsciously raised his left hand and gently placed it on the Vairocana on his left waist.

Ogata laughed, "Hehehe":
"Let me make it clear in advance that I am not a crazy person obsessed with swords."

"I have no special feelings for the sword. I have neither the ambition to live by the sword nor the ambition to die by the sword."

"The reason I held the sword tightly was purely because of the situation."

"I killed the tyrants, wiped out the bandits, and exterminated the evildoers... When I came to my senses, I had become the unrivaled 'Eternal Sword Saint'."

“It’s boring without an equal opponent.”

"Only by living in close proximity with death can one improve the way of martial arts."

"If you don't fully exert your strength, you will stagnate."

"Gradually, I couldn't help but become curious: Is this my limit? Can I go further?"

"When Genichi was still alive, he was amazingly humble."

"When juniors like me start to surpass him, he doesn't feel frustrated, but very happy instead."

"When I was young, I thought it was just his personality."

"And now, I completely understand his state of mind - having a strong opponent is indeed a happy thing to be thankful for."

"Because of my presence, Genichi's martial arts level improved by leaps and bounds in his last few years, and he finally delivered the blow that left me with permanent trauma."

"To me now, an opponent who can threaten my life is my dearest friend."

"Tachibana-kun, you are the swordsman who has the best chance of mastering the 'transparent realm' that I have ever met."

"Even though I'm not interested in you, I can't help but point my finger at you."

"You have a 'talent system', so theoretically, there is no limit to your talents."

"As long as the opportunity comes, mastering the 'transparent state' will be a matter of course."

"Maybe... it's possible to surpass the 'transparent realm' and reach a higher realm."

Qing Deng was stunned when he heard this, and asked quickly:

"Mr. Ogata, is there a realm above the 'transparency realm'?"

Ogata shrugged, his smile becoming more intriguing:

"Well, who knows? There are always people who are better than you."

"This world is so big, and filled with things that we humans cannot comprehend."

"Perhaps in martial arts... no, in every field, there is no such thing as 'limit' or 'peak'. There will always be a realm above the realm, and there will never be an end."

Having said this, Ogata slowly raised his head, squinted his eyes, gazed at the distant horizon, his face revealing a mixture of emotions.

"After living for so long, I have realized a truth: maybe in the next second, or maybe in sixty years, a swordsman who can match me, or even surpass me, will be born in the world."

"From the time I crossed over, I have lived for more than seventy years. I waited for one Ju Qingdeng. If I live another sixty or seventy years, maybe I will wait for someone else."

"Whenever I think of this, I feel that my long life is still quite meaningful."

"So, Ju-kun, please keep working hard and don't let me down."

When Qing Deng heard this, he couldn't help but chuckle:

"You've said something like this, and you still say you're not a 'sword geek'?"

Ogata shrugged noncommittally.

"Okay, we've talked about everything. It's time to go back. If we go down the mountain now, we can still get back to Kyoto before dark."

As Ogata said this, he jumped off the stone and walked towards the foot of the mountain.

However, he had just taken two steps when he was stopped by Qing Deng.

"Mr. Ogata, please wait a moment! Before you go back, I have one more question to ask!"

Ogata stopped, turned around, and gave Qing Deng a look that asked, "What else do you want to ask?"

"Mr. Ogata, you just said that I am only a hair's breadth away from reaching the 'transparent state'. So, what should I do to break through this last hair's breadth?"

"What a sharp question...Tachibana-kun, if someone asks you: 'What should I do to master the state of no self', how would you answer?"

"..."

Qing Deng remained silent.

"No answer, right?"

"This is not like doing a test. You can't reach the 'transparency realm' just by pure effort or grasping a few tricks."

"It is true that you are only a hair's breadth away from the 'transparent realm', but this hair's breadth may be a chasm."

"In short, whether you can break through or not still depends on chance."

"As I just said: once the opportunity comes, mastering the 'transparent realm' will be a matter of course."

"Don't be impatient or upset."

"Let everything take its course. Maybe at some point, you'll stand shoulder to shoulder with me."

After hearing this, Qing Deng pondered secretly and remembered Ogata's teachings silently.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ogata stretched his waist like a cat - only a hint of fatigue appeared on his cheeks.

"Today I have said what I have said in a month... Let's go down the mountain quickly. It's a rare day when the store is closed. I can't wait to talk to Ating..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Qing Deng:

"Mr. Ogata, wait a moment! I have another question!"

"There is still a problem..."

Ogata's body froze, and then he put on a helpless expression. "You have so many questions... Well, go ahead and ask."

After getting Ogata's consent, Qing Deng quickly said:
“I once met another ‘me’ in a weird space!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Ogata, who had just looked tired, suddenly changed his expression.

"...Ju-kun, tell me the whole story in detail."

Qing Deng cleared his throat and told him all the details without missing a single one.

Several years ago, he was framed by a villain and nearly died in the prison of Kodenmacho.

While unconscious, he suddenly found himself in the dojo of Shiweikan, and saw a man who looked exactly like him standing in the center of the dojo, wielding a bamboo sword and practicing Suzhen.

At that time, the words that the other party...that "Ju Qingdeng" said, he still remembers them to this day:
(Tachibana Aoto, you are such an enviable guy.)
(The last person who came here, Kinoshita Genichi and Ogata Issei, all went through untold hardships to improve their martial arts attainments to the extreme, and after experiencing countless life-threatening crises, they finally got the "ticket" to visit this place...)
(And you... well, forget it, this is what is called "natural talent". It's because you and I have a natural affinity.)

(However, it is still too early for you. You are not qualified to touch this realm yet.)
(We'll meet again... in the not too distant future.)
Qing Deng once thought he was dreaming.

However...if I insist on calling it a "dream", then this dream is too realistic!
This extremely bizarre experience has troubled Qing Deng to this day.

Since that "Tachibana Aoto" clearly said that Ogata Issei and Kinoshita Genichi had been to "that place", now is the best time to ask Ogata for advice!
After listening carefully, Ogata frowned slightly and said with a complicated expression:
"You actually saw 'it'..."

Hearing this, Qing Deng immediately perked up - Ogata really knew something!
"Mr. Ogata, can you tell me? What is that 'space'? Who is that 'Tachibana Aoto'? You have also been to that 'space', right?"

The moment after he finished speaking, Qing Deng paused because he suddenly remembered something - he suddenly remembered the meaningless words that "Tachibana Qing Deng" had said, and Ogata's remarks just now.

(Forget it, this is what is called "natural talent". It's because you and I are naturally very compatible.)

(Some people are born with a strong affinity with the 'world' - Ju Jun, you belong to this category)

"...Mr. Ogata, what I am going to say next is just my own guess. Please forgive me if there are any mistakes."

Qing Deng took a deep breath, and then said seriously, word by word:
"That 'space' and the 'Ju Qingdeng' I met are both related to the 'transparent realm'."

"Let's not talk about the former for now, but the latter... could it be something like 'World Will'?"

Even "immortal power", "transparency" and "aura" have emerged. Qing Deng will not be surprised even if there is another extraordinary concept of "world will"!
Ogata pursed his lips, and after a long silence, he shook his head:

"I'm sorry, Tachibana-kun, about this matter... I can't tell you too much."

Qing Deng was stunned:
"why?"

"It's not that I'm hiding something, but rather than telling you everything, it would be more beneficial for you to understand it yourself. However..."

As the topic changed, Ogata's facial lines relaxed again, and that playful look appeared on his cheek again.

"Although I can't tell you too much, I can give you a hint - 'One is all, and all is one'."

"Huh? What?"

Ogata ignored Qing Deng's surprise and continued speaking:
"As long as you understand this motto, you will know who the 'Ju Qingdeng' you met is - that's all I can say."

Qing Deng blinked and repeated the proverb as if muttering to himself, with a look of confusion on his face.

"'One is all, and all is one'..."

……

……

Half a month later——

Qinjin Domain, Otsu——

Otsu is very lively today.

"Is this Otsu..."

"Where does Niou live? It's a rare opportunity for me to come to Otsu, and I want to see what Niou looks like with my own eyes. If I can see Niou, I can brag about it to my fellow villagers when I return home."

"Don't be silly! Can you meet a big shot like Niou whenever you want?"

"Don't crowd! Don't gather in large groups! Don't block the roads!"

"Please go forward! The Shinsengumi's 'recruiting office' is ahead!"

Young people speaking with all kinds of accents - both samurai with swords at their waists and ordinary civilians - filled the streets and alleys of Otsu.

The officials responsible for maintaining order shouted at the top of their lungs, performing their duties laboriously and carefully.

The reason why Otsu is so lively today is for one reason: today is the day of the "Second Great Recruitment" of the Shinsengumi!

In order to replenish the troops lost in the previous war and to further expand the military strength, Qing Deng had already been planning the "second large-scale conscription" as early as the eve of the expedition to Mito.

This time, Qing Deng's goal is to expand the total strength of the Shinsengumi to 1! Greatly increase the proportion of musketeers, artillerymen and cavalry!
Qingdeng originally wanted to expand the army by 3 in one go, but considering the limited financial resources and the limited number of grassroots officers, the number could only be reduced to 1... But, never mind, one must eat one bite at a time and take one step at a time.

Allowing the size of the military to expand excessively in a short period of time may not necessarily be a good thing.

Although there is the variable of Western powers, in general, the "Southern Shogunate" led by Aoto has a significant advantage in the power map of Japan today.

Qing Deng now occupies the Gyeonggi Plain, Nobi Plain, and Kanto Plain - the three largest plains in Japan, all in his hands!
Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka - the three largest cities in Japan are also in his hands!
Judging from the land area, Qingden only occupies half of Japan, but if judged by actual productivity, Qingden occupies at least two-thirds of Japan!
Although Ou, Kai, Nobi and other places are only nominal possessions and cannot be fully transformed into Qingdeng's power, the potential possessed by Qingdeng is still far superior to that of the southwestern feudal domains.

The reason why the current situation of "balance of power between the East and the West" exists is purely because the Satsuma and Hizen domains in the west possess unparalleled industrial capabilities and technological levels, while the shogunate is severely corrupt and has a backward system, and is completely unable to exert its due strength.

However, all of the above has become history.

Nowadays, anyone with lofty ideals can see that as Qing Deng completely grasps the real power of the "Southern Shogunate", the situation of "balance of power between the East and the West" will be broken sooner or later!
Relying on the overwhelming prestige of "Nio", although it is impossible to completely eradicate the stubborn problems such as corruption and backward system, it can more or less alleviate these problems.

When productivity gradually recovers and industrial capacity improves, the comprehensive strength of the "Southern Shogunate" will be enough to crush the western feudal lords!
This situation is just like that of Wei, Shu and Wu during the Three Kingdoms period.

The land areas of Shu and Wu may seem large, but their productivity is not even a fraction of that of Wei.

The underlying logic behind Zhuge Liang's six expeditions to Qishan lies here - it's not that he didn't want to keep a low profile, nor that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't.

The longer the time drags on, the stronger the Wei will be. No matter how Shu Han tries to hide its strength, it cannot defeat Wei. The gap between the two sides will only get bigger and bigger. Therefore, it is necessary to recover the lost territory before the Wei's national strength recovers! Even if the lost territory cannot be recovered, the Wei must be weakened as much as possible!
The same is true in Japan today.

Anyone with a bit of strategic sense can see that time is on Qingdeng’s side.

The longer the time drags on, the greater Qingdeng's advantage will be. The strategic window left for the western vassal states is very short, just a few years.

In summary, if the Western feudal lords really intended to defeat Qing Deng and seize the world, they would definitely go all out to march east in recent years—no more than 2 years at most—to fight Qing Deng!
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