Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

"Huh? What do you mean I look down on you?" Miyajiro didn't understand the situation. "You want to eat grilled skewers too? Go buy some yourself."

The referee stood between the two to prevent them from engaging in physical altercations before the match began.

After taking the stage, the contestants have three minutes to warm up and do a final check of their weapons and equipment.

Sitting on a wooden chair on the highest level of the stands, Xiao Yi stared at the relaxed and languid Miyamoto, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Defeating a warrior of Takatsukasa's caliber would be effortless for Miyamoto Jiro, and he could even win while ensuring Takatsukasa's survival. However, in the upcoming round of 16, semi-finals, and finals, Miyamoto might face Kujou and Ichito.

Winning is a certainty.

But facing a tengu female soldier and a young oni clan whose fighting prowess surpasses that of a scoundrel, can Miyajiro still handle the situation with ease? Can he guarantee that his opponents will be unharmed when they leave the stage?

Furthermore, in terms of their unwillingness to admit defeat, Sara and Ichito are very similar. Sara is fighting for the honor of his family, while Ichito may have some kind of "men's pact" with Sangokami. In short, they will most likely fight Miyamoto to the death to seize the championship.

The result of fighting to the death is death!

Xiao Yi might have ignored anyone else, but Araki Ichito was a good person, and Kujo Sara was an important general of the Heavenly Territory. Moreover, they had fought side by side with him, and he would definitely feel uncomfortable if one of them was killed by his elder brother.

We need to find a way to save them.

Xiao Yi looked at the Otsuka clan beside him: "Call Kujo Sara to my side."

The Imperial Guards received the order and went downstairs.

The Kujo family, governed by the Tenryo magistrate; the Kamisato family, governed by the Sha magistrate; and the Hiiragi family, governed by the Kansei magistrate—all three families had their viewing positions on the fourth floor, right below Xiao Yi Lou. As a result, Kujo Sara received the order and arrived very quickly.

This was the first time Xiao Yi and Xiao Yi had met face-to-face since Xiao Yi became the God of Naruto. Sara stood solemnly behind Xiao Yi's chair, in a standing posture like a dignified bodyguard.

As Lu Shuren said: "A sad, thick barrier has already separated us"—the scene was quite awkward, and Xiao Yi wanted to speak but couldn't find an opportunity.

He decided to break down this barrier.

"Don't be so tense, Miss Kujo." Xiao Yi suddenly stood up casually, pressed down on Kujo's shoulder and helped her into a chair. "Relax, sit down."

Kujo Sara tried to resist, but she was no match for Xiao Yi in strength, and besides, she was not supposed to disobey any of Xiao Yi's orders.

After a few symbolic struggles, Kujo Sara obediently took her seat.

Xiao Yi, leaning on the back of his chair, pointed at Miyamoto Jiro: "What do you think of that ronin's skill level?"

"In my humble opinion..." Kujo Sara hesitated for a moment before replying, "Judging from the way he walked onto the stage just now, his hand gestures were weak, his hand retractions were clumsy, his steps were loose, and his reactions were slow. None of his movements were proper. He should just be an ordinary ronin."

"Not to mention... he didn't take it seriously at all, and came up to his opponent with a bamboo skewer in his mouth."

Xiao Yi gave a bitter smile.

As it turns out, the elder brother was very good at disguising himself; even the seasoned veteran Sara was fooled.

The referee loudly announced the competition rules: "Both sides, listen up! You are not allowed to use elemental weapons other than the Eye of God, nor are you allowed to have a third party assist you in the battle. Other methods are not restricted!"

Boom! ! !

The deep, resonant sound of drums echoed throughout the stadium, signaling the official start of the competition. After a few seconds of jubilation, the audience gradually quieted down.

Takatsukasa Maru roared and charged toward Miyamoto Jiro, but the middle-aged ronin remained unmoved, still holding a bamboo skewer in his mouth.

Just as the iron fist was about to hit its target, Miyamoto suddenly disappeared. Takashimaru missed and almost lost his balance. He punched the ground to relieve the inertia and barely managed to stand up.

The audience was completely silent. To them, Miyajiro's graceful movements were almost like magic, and Takashimaru seemed to pass right through his body.

Once he regained his balance, Takatsukasa-maru turned around abruptly, while Miyamoto Jiro slowly turned back, raising the wooden skewer he had been holding in his mouth to show his opponent, with a drop of liquid, like a red bean, hanging from the tip of the skewer.

A drop of blood!

Takashimaru finally noticed that his arm, which wasn't covered by a glove, was bleeding. He didn't think much of it, since it was just a minor injury and wouldn't affect his fight at all.

As he prepared to charge again, he suddenly showed a pained expression and reached out to cover his left chest.

Tens of thousands of audience members present, most of whom could clearly see what was happening on stage, showed surprise or confusion.

What did Fujiwara no Kojiro do?!

As Miyamoto walked toward the edge of the ring, he absentmindedly explained the reason.

"The precision of my Eye of God's operation is extremely refined. The instant I make a cut, I can inject a large amount of air and control the gas to travel through blood vessels to vital organs such as the heart, forming impurities that doctors call blood clots."

"Bald young man, your heart is about to stop beating, do you still want to keep going?" He came to the edge of the ring, "I'll give you a chance because you've been working so hard."

Miyamoto Jiro turned around, his back to the pained Takatsukasa Maru, and faced the audience below the ring.

“You’re about ten steps away from me. I won’t do anything until you fall down. As long as you can hold on until you reach the edge of the ring, you can knock me down, knock me down.”

The audience was in an uproar. They hadn't expected Miyamoto to be so casual. Whether it stemmed from confidence or his cynical personality, his actions were quite reckless, pushing his hard-won victory to the edge of danger in the ring.

"Strike while the iron is hot" is a universal principle for warriors worldwide. Why deliberately give your opponent an opportunity when you can simply defeat them by taking advantage of their weakness?

The audience couldn't understand it.

On the noble platform.

Xiao Yi helplessly rubbed his forehead.

It's one thing to play around normally, but to play around in the ring, you really are worthy of being called the big brother!

Miyajiro's ability is very strange. He can control extremely subtle winds, which can eliminate the sound of footsteps and penetrate the wounds of enemies, but he cannot create strong winds.

What's even stranger is that when Xiao Yi used the system to copy the ability, although it wasn't the complete version, it could still create a much stronger gust of wind than Miyamoto Jiro, to the point that it overshadowed the main force.

Xiao Yi stopped his random thoughts and asked Sara, "So, how strong is this ronin?"

"Judging from the elusive movements he used to dodge the first attack, his raw strength far surpasses mine," the female soldier replied calmly, showing no sign of fear.

"What if he's your opponent next?" Xiao Yi asked tentatively.

"For the glory of the Kujo family, for the revitalization of the Kujo family..." Kujo Sara declared resolutely, "Even if my body is riddled with holes, I will fight to the death!"

Finish the calf!

Xiao Yi's ominous premonition came true.

Chapter 37 So this was all a surprise!

As the blood flow to his brain gradually decreased, Takashimaru began to experience blurred vision, and his legs, which felt weak and trembling as if they didn't belong to him, became extremely difficult to take even one step.

Despite his groggy head, he still heard it—the words of the wandering samurai: he had given up pressing his advantage and was giving him a chance.

Takashimaru didn't have the energy to think about the meaning behind his opponent's actions. Whether it was a different way of mocking him or some other conspiracy, he could win by knocking this guy off the ring!

Just get to that place, just get to that place, to the edge of the ring...

He moved step by step toward Miyamoto Jiro, who was facing away from him, gritting his teeth to stay awake. As the weight of his iron fist hindered his progress, he unfastened the buckle on his gauntlet and threw it to the ground.

Miyamoto kept his promise, remaining motionless and not even turning his head.

Takatsukasa Maru had already completed half of the journey, and white foam began to appear at the corners of his mouth, while his pupils gradually dilated and became unfocused.

Five steps left, only five...

Snapped!

The bald youth fell forward and lost consciousness.

"What a pity, what a pity, just a few steps away," Miyamoto lamented. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to use it."

"The match is over!" the referee announced, then hurriedly shouted, "Doctor! Doctor, come quick!"

Although the main event fighters had all signed death waivers, the match was already over, and they couldn't let anyone die in the ring.

Moreover, the large number of onlookers, including many children who came with their parents to watch the spectacle, meant that the organizers' failure to provide assistance had an immeasurable negative impact on the teenagers.

Before the doctor could climb onto the ring, Miyamoto Jiro walked over to Takatsukasa Maru, turned the lying Takatsukasa Maru over with his foot, and then stomped hard on the bald man's chest.

"What are you doing?!" the referee quickly stopped him. "It's over, chasing is a foul..."

Blood suddenly spurted from the wound on Takatsukasa Maru's arm, which had been pierced by a bamboo skewer. His motionless bald head then began to twitch, as if he had been brought back to life by being stomped on.

"Don't be nervous, I was just helping him expel air from his heart." Miyajiro raised his hands. "Should I still be called for a foul?"

The referee relaxed and changed his tune, saying, "I declare Fujiwara Kojiro the winner and advances!"

Even though the outcome was clear, the audience remained completely silent. After all, what they wanted to see was a tense and exciting clash of swords, and Miyamoto Jiro's methods were too bizarre, lacking both entertainment value and appearing rather sinister.

However, the victor doesn't care about cheers; he only knows that in addition to the official position, he also gets a large cash bonus upon winning, and the closer he gets to the championship, the more Mora he receives.

Let's collect the prize money and then go get something to eat.

With this thought in mind, Miyamoto Jiro left the ring and disappeared into the crowd.

At the same time, Takatsukasa Maru was also carried away.

……

In a small alley far from the arena, Miyamoto Jiro held a hot rice ball and enjoyed a quiet meal without being disturbed, thus replenishing the energy he had just used up in the battle.

Of course, replenishing energy is just one excuse for not eating.

"Brother Miyamoto."

A familiar voice came from the side. Miyamoto Jiro turned his head and saw a familiar person standing at the entrance of the alley.

Xiao Yi walked into the alley and came to Miyamoto's side.

"Big brother, I just saw your performance. Why did you participate in this competition?" Xiao Yi asked, full of doubt. "Do you know what the ultimate prize is after winning the championship?"

Miyajiro shoveled down his rice ball in one gulp, swallowed quickly, and replied with a cheerful expression, "I know, otherwise why would I participate in the competition? The ultimate prize is the Thunder General's Heart Stick, which grants extremely high power and status, isn't it?"

"You're not trying to tell me this is a surprise, are you?" Xiao Yi's face was practically contorted with embarrassment.

"Aha, you guessed it, this is the surprise!" Miyamoto admitted without hesitation. "Isn't it incredible? Isn't it beyond your imagination? You're both surprised and delighted?"

Xiao Yi stood rooted to the spot like a stone statue, and the alley suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

Miyamoto Jiro broke the silence and explained, "I deliberately allowed myself to be arrested by Sangoku-no-miya so that I could participate in this grand competition. After all, my reputation outside is just too bad. If I were recognized during the competition, all my efforts would be in vain."

Xiao Yi was quick-witted and immediately understood his elder brother's purpose in deliberately getting himself imprisoned.

If you don't want your swordsmanship to be recognized during the competition, thus exposing your identity, the method is very simple: just make everyone believe that Miyamoto Jiro has already been arrested.

Miyamoto firmly believed that Sango would conceal the news of his escape from prison due to issues such as reputation, and that he would go to Narukami Island to participate in the competition. While not foolproof, it was almost a certainty.

If he slightly alters his swordsmanship during the match, virtually no one will doubt that he is Miyamoto; they will only think that he is a reclusive swordsman with the Eye of the Wind God who has made a name for himself after many years of seclusion.

When he wins the championship and holds a high position, he will find a way to promote Xiao Yi as well. This is the meaning of the "surprise" he mentioned in his initial letter.

Miyajiro's capricious nature makes him less adept at strategy; for example, this plan, in Xiao Yi's view, is riddled with flaws.