I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Immediately afterwards, a hoarse, emotionless male voice came from beside him:

"Hmm... I've had enough sleep."

call!

The sudden, sharp sound of wind breaking made the hairs on the back of Qing Deng's neck stand on end!

Immediately following was an arcing slash that flew straight toward him!

The sudden disappearance of Ogiwara no Tsurugi, the unexpected rush of the bamboo sword... all these elements caused a look of astonishment to appear on Aoto's face.

However, despite his surprise, he was not seriously injured by such a powerful strike.

He stomped his foot abruptly, turned around swiftly, and used the momentum of his turn to slash at the approaching chilling aura.

Snapped!

Just as the two bamboo swords were about to collide, Ogiwara Tsuru used a rather ingenious technique to deflect most of Aoto's force—but even so, the remaining power was enough to give the old man a good thrashing.

The old man's body was thrown backward as if he had been bounced back.

Instead of giving chase, Qing Deng stood still and cast an intrigued glance at Ogiwara Tsukasa, who had already regained his footing.

The other person met his gaze without flinching, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. His feet were firmly planted on the ground, and his hands gripping the sword were strong and powerful. There was no trace of the listless, dizzy look he had just had.

Ogiwara's sudden change not only surprised the White Army soldiers led by Aoto, but also left Hijikata, Yamanami, and others in awe.

The hot-tempered Hijikata gritted his teeth and said:

"Damn it, old man, are you kidding me? If you're so capable, why didn't you say so sooner?"

……

On the high platform outside the arena, Kondo Shusuke stroked his chin and let out a satisfied laugh.

"Hehehe~~ Brother Ogiwara is as imposing as ever."

Kondo Isami, who was also one of those who had been taken aback by Ogiwara Tsukasa's hidden talent, asked quickly, unable to hide his astonishment:

"Father, was Ogiwara-senpai really that amazing?"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you guys before the competition started? Brother Ogiwara is a senior who's even more experienced than me!"

……

Ogiwara Tsuru approached Aoto little by little with his feet firmly planted on the ground, then stopped at a certain distance... The timing was perfectly controlled, not an inch more or less.

"...Let me make this clear from the start."

The old man said calmly.

"Don't underestimate this old man. Although my body is decaying, my hands, my muscles, and my bones still clearly remember how to wield a sword."

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"You don't need to worry about that. I never discriminate against the elderly. I've seen far too many elderly people who are as formidable as monsters!"

At this point, the faces of Mr. Kiryu and Mr. Makimura flashed through his mind.

"Perfect! The Natural Rishin-ryu, Ogiwara no Tsutsumi, let's go!"

Please enlighten me!

As he finished speaking, Qingdeng's chest rose and fell again in a peculiar rhythm.

Immediately afterwards, that familiar "phantom pain" spread throughout his body...

Ever since Kiryu announced that "practice is the best way to learn 'Soul Breathing'", Aoto has been living a "punching bag" life that he still finds hard to look back on...

In conclusion, Kiryu's boss did not lie to him.

The Breathing of the Source is an extremely complex and delicate technique that allows no room for error.

The timing of exhalation, the rhythm of breathing, the strength of inhalation... if these elements are slightly incorrect, the effect will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, if you want to learn this type of skill, it is easier to get started than to use your eyes to see, your ears to hear, or your body to feel it little by little.

Although Qing Deng understood all these grand principles... he still felt that Kiryu-sensei was definitely abusing his power for personal gain! Under the guise of "teaching the Breath of the Source," he was actually "teaching a benevolent man a lesson"!

During that period, Aoto was beaten to a pulp by Kiryu almost every day.

Because of his talents such as "steel bones +2", "delicate body", and "flexible body", Qing Deng's body is much more robust than that of ordinary people.

A severe attack that would cause a normal person to suffer fractures or faint might only cause his skin to turn red.

Upon discovering that Aoto was quite resilient, Kiryu became even more unrestrained in wielding his sword and committing violence...

Thanks to Qing Deng's talents such as "Body Strengthening +4", "Yang Essence +1", and "Blood Lock +7" which enhance physical fitness and improve injury recovery speed, after a good night's sleep, the injuries left by Kiryu would be mostly healed.

Otherwise, how could an ordinary person withstand such intense physical torture?

He was beaten up, waited for his injuries to heal, and then was beaten up again... and so the cycle repeated itself.

During that time, Qing Deng would even dream of Kiryu Boss wielding a bamboo sword and whipping him like a cow or a donkey.

It was precisely because the psychological trauma left by Kiryu that Aoto now involuntarily feels pain all over his body every time he uses "Breath of the Source".

However, he did not suffer these hardships in vain.

After more than two months of living as a "sandbag," Qingdeng gained two things.

His first gain was that his relationship with Mai Kinoshita improved significantly.

Kinoshita Mai was naturally heartbroken to see her lover beaten so badly.

She appealed to the Kiryu boss more than once, begging for leniency.

However, her appeals seemed to sink without a trace.

Left with no other choice, she had to settle for second best—doing her best to comfort Qingdeng and soothe his pain.

During that time, the two of them did a lot of embarrassing things.

Including but not limited to ** and **.

In addition to these, there are ** and **.

Kinoshita Mai is a very conservative girl.

She has always adhered to the belief that "the passionate acts that would make her pregnant must be reserved for after marriage."

For this reason, they have not yet crossed that line.

Of course, to put it another way—they've done and played with everything else except this "line".

As for the second gain... which is also the greatest gain, it is of course the successful mastery of the Source Breathing technique!

With the boost from the "Demon Heart" that enhances brain comprehension, and aided by the combat experience accumulated through countless battles, Qing Deng gradually figured out the ins and outs of the Source Breathing technique after enduring more than a week of brutal beatings.

A month later, he was able to imitate Kiryu's breathing method perfectly.

Two months later... although there was still considerable room for improvement, even the meticulous Kiryu-sensei couldn't help but sigh with mixed feelings:

"The Breathing of the Source is a secret technique with extremely high barriers to entry, only those with extraordinary talent have the chance to even glimpse its essence, but... Tachibana-kun, you are indeed an extraordinary person. Congratulations, you have already begun to master this ultimate technique that countless people seek but cannot obtain!"

After learning the Breath of the Source, Qing Deng directly felt that it was indeed a very powerful technique!

When he used the Breath of the Source, he could clearly feel that his concentration had increased significantly, and his reaction speed and thinking speed had also improved considerably.

No wonder Kiryu is able to freely enter the "state of no-self".

Such a significant improvement can be achieved simply by mastering the basics of Source Breathing.

If one were to cultivate it to its pinnacle... it would not be unimaginable to freely enter the "state of no self" at will!

However, on the other hand, the Breathing of the Source is not a perfect technique without any side effects.

It demands a great deal of physical strength, especially lung capacity.

If it's only used for a short while, then it doesn't matter.

However, prolonged use can cause symptoms such as dizziness, headache, shortness of breath, and nausea.

Qing Deng now understood why Kiryu had previously ordered him to train his lung capacity every day—it was all to lay the foundation for Genji Breathing.

However, even though Qing Deng has been consistently training his lung capacity and has the added advantage of the "Iron Lung +3" talent, he can only maintain the Source Breathing for 20 minutes at present.

If Qing Deng gained anything after being a "punching bag" for more than two months, it should be that he witnessed the power of Kiryu-sensei and the power of the "selflessness state"!

Even when Kiryu's boss beat him up, Aoto did not give up.

He also fought back.

He also tried to retaliate against Kiryu's boss.

However... no matter how he swung his sword or how hard he racked his brains to devise an attack strategy, he couldn't harm Mr. Kiryu in the slightest!

To be honest, this gave Qing Deng an extremely strong sense of unreality—just a short while ago, he had defeated Shimizu Eiichi and Rasetsu, but just over a month later, he couldn't even touch the hem of an old man's clothes.

When facing Kiryu, who had entered the "state of no self," he couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness as a mortal fighting against a god—this was the first time he had experienced this feeling since he had transmigrated to this world.

However, while feeling powerless, a sense of longing also sprouted in his heart!

He also wanted to be like Kiryu, able to enter a state of "selflessness" as if possessed by a god with just a thought!

According to Kiryu, mastering the "Breath of the Source" to its ultimate level is no easy feat. He only reached that level when he was over seventy years old.

In order to catch up with Kiryu as soon as possible, Aoto forced himself to use the Breathing of the Source every time he fought, so that his body would get used to this unique breathing rhythm and integrate it into his flesh and blood and his fighting style.

Over time, this became his habit.

"Haaaaaaah!"

In an instant, Ogiwara Tsuru, while emitting a loud shout, swung his sword and slashed down.

His voice was so loud that he didn't sound like an old man at all.

Seeing the old man rushing towards him like a mountain pressing down, Qing Deng first used a Kasaya Slash to deflect the old man's bamboo sword, and then used a Reverse Kasaya Slash to sweep towards the porcelain bowl on the old man's forehead.

Just as his bamboo sword was about to hit its target, the old man leaped backward with light steps.

Qing Deng's slash only hit the air in vain.

So that's how it is... Qing Deng thought to himself.

He understood the principle behind how Ogiwara was able to dodge his attacks.

It wasn't because he had some amazing physical abilities, but because he understood Natural Rishin-ryu so well.