I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

His thick, muscular arms, with prominent veins and joints that looked like withered wood, were particularly eye-catching.

As Qing Deng carefully examined the old man, the old man glanced at Qing Deng with a curious look, then turned his head and whispered to Sheng Lin Taro beside him:

"Sheng, who is this?"

Katsura Rintaro quickly replied:

"Lord Otani, this is Tachibana Aoto!"

"Oh?"

The old man raised his gaze, staring directly at Qing Deng, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Oh? So you are the famous 'Niou'? Hahaha, I have long admired your name. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Otani Seiichiro."

"Not at all, Lord Otani, I am the one who has long admired your name. My name is Tachibana Aoto, please take care of me."

After saying this, Qingdeng bowed slightly and took the initiative to greet the other party.

In terms of seniority and ability, this white-haired old man deserves the highest level of respect from Qingdeng.

Male, Tani Seiichiro, was born in the tenth year of Kansei (1798) and is now 64 years old.

Regarding his life and achievements... in short: he is undoubtedly a "living legend"! He is the fourth man recognized by the world as a "sword saint" after Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Tsukahara Bokuden in the Sengoku period, and Ogata Hayanari 70 years ago!

Looking at his life, he realized the two great ideals of Japanese martial arts practitioners: to be remembered in history as an invincible master and to use his martial arts talent to secure a good life for his wife and children.

From a young age, he displayed exceptional talent in both martial arts and academics.

He studied the Hōzōin school of spear fighting, the Yoshida school of bow fighting, and the Mahosai school of sword fighting, mastering their essence.

When he was still an unknown nobody, the atmosphere in the Japanese martial arts world was very conservative, and various dojos strictly prohibited other styles of competition.

He, however, held a different view, believing that martial artists should spar with other schools of thought to learn from their strengths and make up for their own weaknesses.

So, when he traveled to Edo to improve himself and broaden his horizons, he sought out all the famous swordsmen and sparred with them one by one—and none of them could defeat him!

This includes a host of renowned swordsmen such as Chiba Shusaku, Chiba Sadakichi, Kato Heihachiro, and Oishi Susumu.

Thanks to Otani's personal example, his style of playing games began to become popular in Edo.

In addition, he improved the length of the bamboo sword.

When Oishi Susumu—2.1 meters tall and wielding a bamboo sword over 1.5 feet long—wielded a formidable force in Edo, defeating all the swordsmen of Edo, the notion that long swords were advantageous gained popularity, and bamboo swords over four feet long began to become fashionable in Edo.

It wasn't until Otani defeated Oishi Susumu that Otani adopted a compromise between ancient methods and modern trends, and established the standard length as three feet eight inches.

From then on, all sword-making schools throughout Japan adopted the standard length of three feet eight inches.

In other words, the bamboo swords currently used by Qing Deng and others are all based on a standardized system established by Otani Seiichiro.

The reason why people respectfully call Otani the Sword Saint is not only because of his extraordinary strength, but also because of his indelible contributions to Japanese Kendo.

Legend has it that in his youth, he was a dominant figure in the martial arts world, second only to one person and above ten thousand others—the only person above him was the "Eternal Sword Saint" Ogata Itsei.

Throughout history, cricket fighting has always been one of the most popular activities among the general public.

Between Ogata Itsei and Otani Seiichiro, both hailed as "Sword Saints," who is stronger?

This question has troubled many people, and it has also attracted many people.

Unfortunately... the two are nearly 30 years apart in age.

When Ogata Hayashi was making a name for himself, Otani Seiichiro had not yet been born.

While the latter was gaining fame and dominating the competition, the former had already retired from public life and was no longer in the public eye.

Not being able to witness a direct duel between the two sword saints... this is the biggest regret in the Japanese martial arts world in recent decades.

Furthermore, Otani Seiichiro was not a recluse who only knew how to practice martial arts and was detached from worldly affairs.

In 1855, he wrote to the shogunate, suggesting the establishment of a school specializing in the study of traditional martial arts and Western military tactics.

The shogunate adopted his suggestion and established the now renowned Jōbūsho (Military Academy).

Under the orders of the shogunate, Otani served as the swordsmanship instructor at the Kobu-do (military academy), and together with another great swordsman, Kubota Seine, he served as the headmaster of the Kobu-do, that is, the principal of the Kobu-do.

As a result, Otani became a formally employed shogunate official.

He was very concerned about the construction of the military academy and spared no effort in recruiting talents—his high reputation played a crucial role in this.

Countless martial artists, admiring him, flocked to the martial arts academy, either to study or to serve as instructors.

Under Otoko's leadership, the faculty of the Military Academy became so impressive that it was astonishing.

Nobuo Imai, Susumu Oishi, Kenkichi Sakakibara, Hideaki Iba, Tadamichi Toda... More than half of Edo's swordsmen and great swordsmen were at the Kōbō-shō.

Without exaggeration, if we were to discuss the most terrifying and most dangerous place in all of Edo, it would undoubtedly be the Genbukan, Renbukan, and Shigakukan, which are collectively known as the "Three Great Dojos," or the heavily fortified Edo Castle. Rather, it would be the Kōbūsho, a place teeming with monsters under the command of Otani Seiichirō!

The guests at today's "Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet" are all political heavyweights whose sneezing could potentially influence national affairs.

As merely a "military academy principal," Oya Seiichiro certainly seemed out of place in this setting.

However, the title of "Sword Saint" was so prestigious that he had an unparalleled influence in the martial arts world of Japan at that time. Even Tokugawa Iemochi and Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu had to show him some respect.

Therefore, it is quite reasonable that he was invited here.

Ootani's first impression of Aoto was...very "quiet," like a still lake.

With gentle eyes, dignified demeanor, and unhurried speech, he evokes images of gently falling leaves and slowly flowing water.

Qingdeng had long wanted to meet this renowned "Sword Saint".

If he wanted to get to know Otani, it would actually be very easy.

Katsura Rintaro once served as an artillery professor at the Military Academy, and his father, Katsura Kokichi, was the cousin and personal disciple of Otani Seiichiro.

In other words, Katsura Rintaro and Otani Seiichiro were not only old colleagues, but also close relatives with a not-too-distant relationship.

If Aoto asks Katsura Rintaro for an introduction, he can easily meet Otani Seiichiro.

However... due to various reasons such as lack of time and Otani himself being very busy, he was unable to witness the "Sword Saint's" prowess for a long time.

Only now has his wish finally been fulfilled.

Qingdeng took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and smiled humbly as he began to chat with Nan Gu.

"Tachibana-kun, although it may seem a little late to say this now, please allow me to solemnly say 'congratulations' - congratulations on the successful succession of the Tennen Rishin-ryu main family, Kondo Shusuke can finally retire."

"I am extremely grateful. I will convey your congratulations to my master and our new leader as truthfully as possible."

At this point, Otani Seiichiro curled the corners of his mouth and adopted a half-joking tone.

"Mr. Ju, my martial arts training center has been severely understaffed for years. Would you be interested in helping out? You don't need to come every day, just come and give our students a few pointers when you have free time."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Thank you for your invitation. Unfortunately... I am currently very busy and have no time for anything else."

Qing Deng wasn't just making excuses—he genuinely couldn't spare any more time right now.

Bearing the title of "side servant and imperial attendant," he actually does the work of "side servant, imperial attendant, and playmate of Tenshōin."

Qing's state when she goes to work is like a manifestation of phrases such as "managing a myriad of affairs daily" and "being overwhelmed with work".

Even when it's time to get off work or on holiday, Qingdeng is never free.

He also has a young apprentice who needs to travel regularly to the Western settlement to teach Elodie swordsmanship.

Even outside of work, martial arts training cannot be neglected.

In addition, he also made sure to visit the Chiba Sword Hall and the Senjiya whenever he had a spare moment—for Aoto, this was the most important thing!

He would rather shorten his meal and sleep time than reduce the time he spends with his girlfriends.

He has to manage his main job and side hustle well, while also maintaining his relationships with Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji... Aoto has used, utilized, and squeezed his time to the extreme.

If his schedule were listed, it would put all time management masters throughout history to shame.

Fortunately, he possesses talents such as "Sleep God", "Primordial Yang +1", "Strong Essence +2", and "Divine Brain +9", giving him excellent physical strength. He can go three days and three nights without sleeping, and even if he feels tired, he only needs to sleep for 3 or 4 hours to restore his energy.

Otherwise, an average physique wouldn't be able to withstand this intense pace of life.

Aoto's reluctance to move out of Shieikan stemmed not only from his fondness for the lively atmosphere, but also from another crucial reason: moving out would mean having to find a new place to travel to in order to meet, date, and have sex with Souji...

If that's the case, he'll really work himself to death.

……

Although Qingdeng is not the kind of social butterfly who can "quickly become familiar with anyone", he is not the kind of person who is bad at socializing and doesn't know how to deal with strangers.

Otani Seiichiro was surprisingly talkative.

With Katsura Rintarou acting as a go-between, the three of them chatted casually, one after another.

While chatting with Katsura Rintaro and Otani Seiichiro, Aoto diverted some of his attention to observe the banquet scene.

As time went by, more and more important figures arrived one after another.

Suddenly, Qingdeng sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere around him—a middle-aged man dressed in court attire walked silently and expressionlessly into their field of vision.

In an instant, a barrage of gazes, filled with hatred, respect, and wariness, fell upon the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man seemed to have long been accustomed to the different treatment he received from others; his pace, demeanor, and actions remained unchanged.

Qingdeng glanced sideways, scrutinizing the man as he softly uttered his name.

"Iwakura Tomomi..."

This seemingly arrogant middle-aged man, Iwakura Tomomi, was the one who, with his silver tongue, facilitated the marriage of Princess Kazu, accompanied her to Edo, and acted as a liaison between the shogunate and the imperial court.

He was very thin, and his withered skin looked as if it were glued to his bones.

A square face, a broad and full forehead, a high nose bridge rarely seen among Japanese people... the only thing worth mentioning about this face is its eyes.

Iwakura Tomomi had a pair of sharp eyes, and what shot out from his eyes seemed not to be a gaze, but a sharp sword.

This is the look in the eyes of someone with unwavering will, who keeps their eyes fixed on their goal and is determined to achieve it.

Overall, he's the kind of guy whose appearance alone gives you the immediate feeling that "this person is not to be trifled with."

A year ago, during the debate over whether to marry Princess Kazumi to the shogunate, Iwakura Tomomi used her excellent eloquence and diplomatic skills to secure many benefits for the Kyoto court, causing the shogunate cabinet ministers responsible for the handover of this matter a lot of trouble.

For this reason, most of the retainers of the shogunate and the daimyo of the domains who were close to the shogunate did not have a very good impression of Iwakura Tomomi.

On the other hand, many people in the imperial court also disliked him.

Firstly, many court nobles did not support the "union of court and military," believing that noble royal women should not marry lowly Eastern barbarians, and that Iwakura Tomomi, who facilitated this, was utterly wicked.