I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1136 Stat Explosion! The Stat Monster After Harvesting All the Martial Artists in the World [5700]

May 2, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Kanto, Hachioji, the training camp's headquarters—

"shot!"

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The dense gunfire was deafening.

The slowly rising milky-white smoke obscured the view.

On the vast training ground, the soldiers of the training team diligently practiced musketry.

The roar of cannons echoed from afar, rising and falling in waves.

The French instructors stood with their hands behind their backs, meticulously inspecting the training results, with translators from the Tibetan Scripture Institute following closely behind.

[Note: The Institute for Translating Western Books was an academic institution responsible for translating Western works.]

"Those people over there are too slow! Make sure to keep the ranks straight when marching!" (French)

"Hurry up! Get running!" (French)

"The core of line warfare tactics is courage!" (French)

Whenever the instructors give new instructions, the translators translate them accurately.

At this very moment, in a corner of the southwest of the training ground, Toshizo Hijikata, dressed in a long black overcoat and with his hair slicked back, was watching the training session with great interest.

After cutting his hair, Hijikata Toshizo wore kimonos less and less, and often appeared in a tall and imposing manner with a "long black trench coat, black jacket, and black boots".

He was not alone at the moment; Brune was waiting beside him—and of course, a translator was also indispensable to relay their words.

A few days ago, Toshizo Hijikata was ordered to come and inspect the training of the training team.

After arriving at the training camp's location, he would come here almost every day to watch the training and study with great interest how the French officers assigned training tasks.

Hijikata Toshizo's diligence and eagerness to learn aroused Brune's curiosity.

Now that they were alone together, he took the opportunity to ask:

"Mr. Hijikata, are you very interested in military affairs?"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled slightly and replied, half-jokingly:
"Well, I guess I'd say I'm interested. I think I have quite a talent for this. If I study hard, I might become an invincible general."

Brune chuckled, taking Hijikata Toshizo's words as a joke.

From the moment Brune saw Hijikata Toshizo, he fell in love with him at first sight, finding the man's temperament very much to his liking.

Unlike Aoto's deep gaze, Hijikata Toshizo's eyes always carried an "aggressive" quality, like a tiger or wolf, as if he were ready to pounce at any moment and tear his enemy to pieces.

In Brunet's view, this is the look a soldier should have.

Out of appreciation for the other party, Brunelle chuckled a few times and then spoke again:

“Mr. Hijikata, if you are interested, please come to my room later. I can share with you my years of military experience in managing troops.”

Hijikata Toshizo's eyes lit up:
"Oh? In that case, I shall respectfully accept your offer!"

……

……

May 2, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Kita-Omi, the garrison of the Aizu army—

"Horses have poor stamina; charging ahead prematurely will only exhaust their strength! When attacking, let the horse trot first, and only start sprinting when the distance is closed!" (French)

Upon hearing this, Sagawa Kanbei (the chief retainer of Aizu and the fiercest warrior of Aizu) turned to the Aizu cavalry behind him and shouted:
"Did you all hear that? Let's do it again! This time, you must control the horse's speed perfectly!"

Because Japan lacked fine horses and because its mountainous terrain lacked suitable terrain for large-scale cavalry deployment, its cavalry combat techniques remained in a state of confusion and uncertainty.

When the French instructors arrived at the Aizu army's camp, they immediately discovered that the Aizu army's use of cavalry could only be described as "crude," relying entirely on brute force without any skill whatsoever.

Therefore, they immediately offered to teach the most advanced cavalry tactics available at the time.

This naturally made the officers and soldiers of the Aizu army feel very unhappy.

They have always been proud of the "Aizu Iron Cavalry" and considered themselves the "number one cavalry in the world".

Even if they were to face the 7th or 10th Divisions of the Shinsengumi, they would be confident of victory.

A bunch of pretentious Western barbarians actually want to teach them how to operate cavalry? What a joke.

Although they were reluctant to accept the French instructors' instruction, Matsudaira Katamori had given a strict order beforehand: everyone must unconditionally obey the French instructors' instructions! No airs, and no tantrums!

Therefore, despite their displeasure, the Aizu soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and obediently accept the French instructors as their teachers.

What happened afterward proved that the "law of true fragrance" transcends geographical boundaries and time.

After receiving actual instruction from French instructors, even the most stubborn person had to admit that Westerners' mounted combat techniques did have some merit!

The techniques employed, such as speed control during charges and stamina management of horses, greatly impressed the officers and soldiers of the Aizu Army.

Even the usually arrogant Kanbei Sagawa had to lower his proud head.

Today, there are fewer and fewer doubts about the French instructors in the Aizu army, and everyone obediently follows orders and receives training.

Unfortunately, the native Japanese horses are too short and too weak, far inferior to the "large Western horses" that have undergone generations of improvement.

For this reason, many tactics and techniques could not be implemented because the horses were too poor.

……

……

May 3, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Hatazu Domain, the headquarters of the Shinsengumi—

The Shinsengumi, now commanding 10,000 troops, is so impressive that the sheer scale of their daily drills is enough to be described as "shocking"!

On the vast, flat plain that stretched as far as the eye could see, soldiers dressed in light blue haori ran back and forth.

They were practicing weapons, marching formations, or tactics... a dazzling array of sights.

The sounds of bamboo swords clashing, muskets firing, and cannons firing... all sorts of noises made one's head spin.

On the east side of the training ground, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, and Harada Sanosuke gathered together.

Harada Sanosuke crossed his arms and sighed deeply.
"The Shinsengumi are getting stronger and stronger..."

Nagakura Shinpachi's lips curled into a smile:

"This is everyone's achievement. The trainers worked very hard, and the trainees worked very hard too."

The threat of war from the "Southern Court" always weighed heavily on the minds of the Shinsengumi soldiers.

To boost morale, Qingdeng repeatedly made propaganda to the entire army, such as "If we lose to the 'Southern Dynasty,' we will become slaves" and "Once we lose, we are finished."

In fact, Qing Deng did not lie.

If the Southern Dynasty were to win, who knows what methods these ruthless and unscrupulous people would use to retaliate against the Northern Dynasty?

In short, influenced by this propaganda, and given the undeniable brutality of the "Southern Court"—the Choshu's attempt to destroy Kyoto (the Ikedaya Incident and the Kyoto Summer Siege) had only occurred two years prior—the Shinsengumi soldiers felt a sense of urgency.

The instructors put in their best effort to train the troops.

The soldiers undergoing training—especially the new recruits—also trained with all their might.

After a pause, Nagakura Shinpachi's face was filled with deep emotion, and he continued:

"Back then, the Shinsengumi was just a small force of about a hundred people, and was ridiculed by many."

"Even when suppressing the rebels, we had to borrow troops from Aizu."

"In just a few years, what was once a small team of a hundred people has now grown into an army of tens of thousands."

"Looking back now, it really feels like a dream."

Harada Sanosuke nodded:

“Yes, I feel the same way. If it were five years ago, I would never have imagined that I would one day command hundreds of cavalrymen.”

Just then, out of the blue, Saito, who had been silent until now, suddenly squinted and looked up at the warm sun overhead:

"...The weather is getting warmer."

Upon hearing this, Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke were initially taken aback, then their faces both darkened, revealing serious expressions. Since the day before yesterday, the temperature had begun to rise noticeably.

It's still quite cool in the mornings and evenings, but by midday you'll feel a pleasant warmth, and a haori (a type of traditional Japanese garment) is all you need.

Saito Hajime, who is sparing with words, would naturally not discuss the weather for no reason.

Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke immediately understood his unspoken meaning—the weather was warming up, which meant that spring was getting closer! It also meant that the day of the decisive battle of the "Nanboku-chō" was getting closer!
It is now a consensus that the Southern Dynasty will launch a general offensive after the spring.

The decisive battle is drawing near... Even the steel-willed Shinpachi and his companions can't help but feel nervous.

"...We've done everything we could."

Nagakura Shinpachi spoke in a calm yet firm tone.

"All we can do now is try our best and leave the rest to fate."

Harada Sanosuke nodded slightly in agreement.

Then, he suddenly brought up a new topic:

"Speaking of which, is Mr. Tachibana's 'Nioh Martial Arts Tournament' about to be canceled?"

Saito nodded slightly:
"Yes, that's true. There have been fewer and fewer challengers coming to our door lately."

Nagakura Shinpachi chuckled a few times:

"More than two months have passed, and all the challengers who could come from north to south and from east to west have arrived. If this continues, in a few days, there won't be a single challenger left who has the chance to participate in the 'Nioh Martial Arts Tournament'."

No sooner had Nagakura Shinpachi finished speaking than his expression turned strange, as if he had remembered something. After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice:

"Speaking of Mr. Tachibana... have you seen him recently?"

Saito Hajime responded:
“I just saw him three days ago.”

Nagakura Shinpachi took a deep breath:

“I met with him yesterday.”

"How should I put it... Although I had this thought when I first met him, I still want to ask: Is he really human?"

"I feel that his strength has increased a lot compared to two months ago!"

"It's not just a slight or minor improvement, but a complete and transformative transformation!"

"Can one really achieve such a leap in progress simply by sparring with various masters?"

Harada Sanosuke chimed in:
"Now that you mention it, I feel the same way."

"Although it was a month ago when I last saw Mr. Tachibana, he was already very different from before."

"How should I put it... he has become more imposing and authoritative."

Nagakura Shinpachi clicked his tongue in amazement:

"What exactly did he do to become so much stronger in just over two months? Is there really a martial artist in this world who can rival him?"

Saito Hajime twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile:
"Mr. Ju's current strength has probably reached a level that we can't even imagine."

……

……

May 4, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Jianshi Hall——

*Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!*
The two bamboo swords clashed rapidly, leaving afterimages in mid-air.

Qingdeng repelled every single attack the opponent desperately launched.

Vertical slashes, horizontal cuts, forward thrusts... no matter how the opponent attacks, Qingdeng's defense remains unbreakable.

In an instant, Qingdeng vanished from the opponent's sword.

With a quick and powerful stomp, Qingdeng slipped under his opponent's left armpit and swung out the bamboo sword held horizontally at his waist.

With a sharp crack, it struck the opponent squarely in the side, knocking him to the ground.

The moment the opponent fell to the ground, the system voice in Qing Deng's mind immediately sounded:
[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Yuan Yang"]

[Talent Introduction: Kidneys are less prone to disease. Kidney energy is far more abundant and healthier than average.]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[“Yuan Yang +19” Ability Upgrade – “Yuan Yang +20”]

[“Yuan Yang +20” Talent Introduction: The talent effect is enhanced on top of the original. Under the blessing of the eternal talent “Chosen One”, there is no upper limit to the talent level.]

Qing Deng ignored the system notifications—he'd heard them so many times in the past two months he was practically numb to them—and pulled up his collar, wiping the sweat from his hands as he waited for the next challenger to appear.

However, after waiting for quite a while, the name of the singer never came.

He turned his head and cast a questioning glance at the person in charge of announcing the names not far away.

"What's wrong? I didn't call a stop. Who's next on stage?"

The official swallowed hard, closed the roster in front of him, and stammered:

"Um... that's all. Shibasaki Shuntaro, who just took the stage, is the last challenger of the day."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and murmured:

"I see... There are no more challengers today...?"

After saying that, he subconsciously brandished his sword, flicking away bloodstains that weren't actually on the blade.

boom!
Just a casual swing of the bamboo sword in the air could produce such an explosive sound of wind breaking, to the point that the bamboo sword creaked and groaned under the strain... It's not hard to imagine how terrifying Qing Deng's muscle strength is!
Upon seeing this, everyone present swallowed hard, feigning shock.

As luck would have it, Ah Wu, who happened to be free today, came here to watch the match.

Looking at Qing Deng, who exuded an astonishing aura of violence with every move, she, like everyone else present, subconsciously revealed an expression of disbelief. Her delicate face turned slightly pale, and her already large, beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

As Qingdeng's bedmate, she knew better than anyone how terrifying Qingdeng's progress had been in the past two months!
Since the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" began, he seems... no, not "seems," but "indeed"—he's getting stronger every day!

From physical strength to muscle strength, and then to endurance and recovery ability, everything is being rapidly enhanced!
Is there some kind of magic to this "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" that allows Qing Deng to improve at such a rapid pace?
Ah Wu racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution. In the end, she could only explain it by saying that she was "exceptionally gifted" or "born with superhuman strength," which is often mentioned in vernacular novels.

With this thought in mind, she subconsciously touched her lower abdomen... This area had been under too much pressure recently.

……

……

The number of challengers is decreasing day by day... Today, before noon, there wasn't a single challenger left.

Qingdeng felt regretful, but there was nothing he could do.

The "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" is almost over. He thought to himself.

After more than two months of intense competition, he had lost count of how many martial artists he had fought.

Six hundred? Eight hundred?
Although he couldn't remember the exact number of people, the system list faithfully recorded the detailed changes in each talent.

Because the challengers who come to our door are all martial arts masters from all over the world who have undergone rigorous selection, the "success rate" is extremely high!
Anyone who can stand before Qingdeng is either a genius with extraordinary talent or a hero renowned in one's region; it would be strange if they did not possess any talent.

As of today, Qingdeng's various talents have changed as follows—

Sleep God → Sleep God +3
Lone Wolf +3 → Lone Wolf +17
Hawkeye +7 → Hawkeye +35
Left-handed +2 → Left-handed +3
Physical Fitness +6 → Physical Fitness → +42
Skillful hands +6 → Skillful hands +23
Healthy Tongue +4 → Healthy Tongue +6
Iron Waist +6 → Iron Waist +29
Steel Bones +7 → Steel Bones +38
Muscle Strength +6 → Muscle Strength +20
Cat Turn +4 → Cat Turn +18
Photographic memory → Photographic memory +2
Ghost Heart +5 → Ghost Heart +19
Leading the Way +4 → Leading the Way +22
Insight +4 → Insight +7
Hair +3 → Hair +5
Fraudster +2 → Fraudster +3
Wind Perceiver +4 → Wind Perceiver +18
Focus → Focus +2
Bear Waist +6 → Bear Waist +25
Enhanced Essence +8 → Enhanced Essence +20
Golden Voice +1 → Golden Voice +3
Stomach Strengthening +4 → Stomach Strengthening +6
Improved eyesight +1 → Improved eyesight +2
Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stone +4 → Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stone +7
Iron Lung +7 → Iron Lung +20
Ambidextrous Fighting → Ambidextrous Fighting +1
Water Body +5 → Water Body +7
Tiger Arm +6 → Tiger Arm +20
Berserker +5 → Berserker +13
Yuan Yang +14 → Yuan Yang +20
Still vigorous despite old age → Still vigorous despite old age +2
Taotie +2 → Taotie +3
Speed ​​+7 → Speed ​​+23
Snake Body +4 → Snake Body +6
Delicate +3 → Delicate +7
Flexibility +2 → Flexibility +5
Elephant Core +9 → Elephant Core +26
Optimus Prime → Optimus Prime +3
Drunkard +3 → Drunkard +4
Brainpower +9 → Brainpower +11
Nine Bulls and Two Tigers +4 → Nine Bulls and Two Tigers +15
Fiery Eyes +7 → Fiery Eyes +20
Lock HP +7 → Lock HP +9
Whitening → Whitening +2
Muscle Strength +7 → Muscle Strength +18
Failed art student +5 → Failed art student +6
Dog's Nose→Canine's Nose+3
Powerful Skin +4 → Powerful Skin +5
Be prepared +3 → Be prepared +8
Beef liver +1 → Beef liver +4
Hippopotamus's Chin → Hippopotamus's Chin +2
Lionheart +6 → Lionheart +8
Late bloomer +7 → Late bloomer +10
Top-quality stallion +13 → Top-quality stallion +17
Born to Fight +9 → Born to Fight +11
Enduring pain +8 → Enduring pain +12
Foresight +9 → Foresight +26
Standing Tall and Firm +5 → Standing Tall and Firm +8
Great Navigator → Great Navigator +2
Sword Saint (279 times the swordsmanship talent of an ordinary person) → Sword Saint (402 times the swordsmanship talent of an ordinary person)
Exceptional Bow Talent (83 times the archery talent of ordinary people) → Saint of Bow (128 times the archery talent of ordinary people)
Gun Master (62 times the talent of an average person) → Gun Saint (105 times the talent of an average person)
A master of hand-to-hand combat (85 times the talent of an average person) → A master of hand-to-hand combat (117 times the talent of an average person)
Ninja Prodigy (50 times the ninjutsu talent of an ordinary person) → Ninja Prodigy (72 times the ninjutsu talent of an ordinary person)
Equestrian Master (36 times the riding talent of an average person) → Equestrian Prodigy (66 times the riding talent of an average person)
Music prodigy (musical talent 25 times that of the average person) → Music prodigy (musical talent 42 times that of the average person)
Math prodigy (20 times the mathematical talent of the average person) → Math prodigy (33 times the mathematical talent of the average person)
Artistic genius (11 times the artistic talent of an average person) → Artistic genius (20 times the artistic talent of an average person)
In addition, Qingdeng has gained three new talents—

[Musketeer Master]: A musket-wielding talent 16 times greater than that of ordinary people.

[Language Prodigy]: A language talent 12 times greater than the average person
[Excretion and Renewal +4]: Excellent metabolic ability
Thanks to the blessing of the eternal talent "Chosen One", he is now a true "numerical monster"!
Having exploited martial artists across Japan, over 80% of their talents were upgraded, with some reaching terrifying levels of +20, +30, and +40. Many talents became products of "numerical explosion."

This harvest is far greater than any previous one!
This is the largest "talent-harvesting event" he has been able to organize so far.

Unless he is fortunate enough to host a "World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament" in the future, inviting martial artists from all over the world to challenge him, he will never have the chance to hold a "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament 2.0".

His talent has been exhausted... In other words, unless there is some kind of opportunity or fortuitous encounter, this is the strongest state that Qing Deng can achieve at present!
*******
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P.S.: This is the last major update to Qingdeng's talent list... The end is getting closer and closer, and Leopard is getting more and more melancholy... (Leopard Melancholy.jpg)