I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Their bodies took a step back in an unordered manner to offset the impact.

In the very next instant after regrouping, the two bamboo swords once again danced across the universe!

Qing Deng bent his upper body, his sword aimed straight for Chiba Sadakichi's chest—

Chiba Sadakichi neither dodged nor evaded, but stepped forward and charged forward with his sword—

The sword is swift and deadly.

At this moment, the dim afterglow of dusk cast long shadows of them.

The two people who passed each other maintained their remnant stances, standing with their backs to each other.

"..."

"..."

A deathly silence reigned over the entire temple.

Sanako and the others involuntarily held their breath.

The two attacked so fast that it exceeded their visual limits.

Whose attack hit? Who won? — These were the questions on their minds as they stared intently at the two figures in the dojo.

Of all the people present, only Chiba Michizaburo reacted in a completely different way. He first raised an eyebrow in surprise, and then revealed a complex and bitter smile filled with mixed feelings.

Finally... after everyone's anxious wait, the old and young couple finally responded.

"……Well!"

Chiba Sadakichi groaned, his legs went weak, and he used his sword to support himself on the ground, as if he were completely exhausted, greedily and gulping in the air.

Qingdeng slowly turned around, his expression solemn.

"Mr. Chiba, you flatter me."

"Hahaha... So you finally defeated me..."

“Mr. Chiba, if you were ten years younger, it would be truly unpredictable who would win or lose.”

Chiba Sadakichi laughed a few more times after hearing this.

"Age is not an excuse for defeat."

"I'm too old, my body is failing, I had insomnia last night, I'm not feeling well today... Ultimately, these are just excuses to cover up my true feelings."

"There is only one reason for defeat—insufficient cultivation and inadequate strength."

"Even in their seventies or eighties, they can still hold up the sea and the sky; even if their bodies are decaying, they can still have a high fighting spirit. This is the goal that we martial artists should pursue."

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile.

Just as he opened his mouth, about to say something—

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: "Top-quality stallion +7"]

[Talent Introduction: Excellent genes are easily passed on to offspring]

The sudden system notification and the resulting shock caused Qingdeng to swallow the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

Following the question of "Why Saito Yakuro was able to resolutely abandon swordsmanship for artillery at nearly 60 years old and develop this new career so successfully," Qing Deng figured out another thing through the system—why Chiba Sadakichi's wife was so fertile, not only giving birth to the tall, handsome, and talented Chiba Jutaro, but also to the stunningly beautiful and even more talented Sanako.

Having been in this world for so long, Qing Deng was already used to all sorts of strange talents.

But Chiba Sadakichi's talent of "top-quality stallion +7" still greatly surprised him.

Every human being with a sound mind would want their children to succeed.

Even if you can't become a dragon or a phoenix, at least don't end up in a terrible state.

If someone who is mediocre in both appearance and talent possesses this talent, then it's nothing more than a fan in winter and a stove in summer.

But if someone who is already very talented receives this talent...

Upon realizing this, Qingdeng felt his heart pound and couldn't help but think to himself:

—Leaving aside the wonderful qualities I possess, such as devotion and deep affection, what if the talents listed in the system could be inherited…

It's worth noting that Qingdeng currently possesses nearly a hundred talents.

Moreover, the number of talents he possesses will continue to increase in the future.

If all his talents could be passed on to his offspring... wouldn't that mean we could mass-produce superhumans?

If you add Kinoshita Mai's talent "milk" to that, wouldn't you be invincible?

The special effect of "breast milk" is that it produces more milk with higher nutritional quality, which means that it can raise healthier children.

With "the best quality stallion +7" paired with Kinoshita Mai's "milk"... is there any need to recruit subordinates and retainers in the future with such a combination?

They could probably assemble the strongest team in history just by relying on their own children, right?

Not only are they talented and capable, but because they are family, their loyalty is even more guaranteed.

It's embarrassing to admit—at this moment, Qing Deng felt an incredibly strong urge to quickly have a child with the women... especially with Kinoshita Mai.

He was eager to know just how exceptionally talented his child would be!

"...Tachibana-kun, what are you thinking about?"

At that moment, a cold, emotionless female voice brought him back to his senses.

Qing Deng blinked and looked closely—Sanako, who had somehow appeared in front of him, was looking up at him with a blank expression.

"I have a feeling you're thinking something very rude."

A sharp gaze, seemingly trying to peer into the depths of Qingdeng's body, roamed through the air.

Sanako is always extremely sensitive in this regard... especially when it comes to matters involving Kinoshita Mai.

Qingdeng has experienced many such scenes.

Therefore, having experienced countless battles, he instinctively activated his talents "Emperor's Arts" and "Trickster +1".

"nothing."

He spoke slowly and sincerely, with a natural expression.

"I was just reliving the intense battle we just had. Mr. Chiba is really strong."

Ever since his relationships with the women became ambiguous, he has been using his two talents, "Emperor's Arts" and "Trickster +1," much more frequently.

"..."

However, Qing Deng's weak explanation did not dispel Sanako's doubts.

She narrowed her beautiful eyes, her suspicion only increasing.

To be fair, Qingdeng really didn't want to lie to the women.

Whenever the women cast suspicious glances at him, or looked at him with innocent eyes that believed his lies, he felt immense psychological pressure, and even when he activated his "Emperor's Technique," he could hardly maintain his composure.

Fortunately, a timely, aged male voice pulled him back from the brink:

"Tachibana-kun, how was it? Did you gain anything from your battle with me?"

With Chiba Jutaro's support, Chiba Sadakichi slowly walked towards Aoto.

Qing Deng immediately turned to face Chiba Sadakichi and stood up straight, saying in a clear voice:

"Mr. Chiba, I have benefited greatly from the battle just now!"

His words were not just empty politeness.

Putting aside the fact that he copied the "top-quality stallion +7" that absolutely deserves the title of "god-level talent," Chiba Sadakichi's already unparalleled Hokushin Itto-ryu swordsmanship opened his eyes wide.

Saito Yakuro and Chiba Sadakichi represent two major sword styles.

The former is the "powerful brick flying" route.

The latter is the "light as the wind" approach.

Physical strength capable of uprooting mountains and lifting tripods is indeed formidable.

However, their consummate skill and exquisite craftsmanship should not be underestimated.

Chiba Sadakichi demonstrated to Aoto by example just how troublesome and threatening a swordsman who has honed his skills to the extreme can be.

"Congratulations, Tachibana-kun."

At that moment, Chiba Michizaburo, accompanied by Chiba Tamonshiro, walked towards Aoto.

"Having passed your uncle's test, you have now conquered Edo's 'Three Great Dojos'... no, all of Edo's martial arts dojos!"

At this point, Chiba Michizaburo paused, then adopted a tone filled with emotion.

"Conquering all the martial arts dojos in Edo... This is an unprecedented and perhaps never-to-be-repeated achievement."

When he said the phrase "there may be no one to follow in his footsteps," a look of melancholy flashed in Chiba Dozaburo's eyes, and his gaze unconsciously swept to the sword at his waist.

Qingdeng smiled slightly and accepted the compliment without hesitation.

However, after smiling, he said quietly:

"Although I have fought in every dojo in Edo, there is still one place waiting for me to challenge."

As he spoke, Qingdeng raised his head and looked eastward.

"That's... the real challenge!"

A straight line of sight pierces through layers of rosy light, shooting into the distance.

Upon hearing this, everyone present wore expressions of complex emotions that were difficult to describe.

A place even more challenging than any martial arts dojo in Edo... Any Edo resident with a modicum of common sense would know what "there" Seito was referring to.

"...Tachibana-kun, the martial arts academy is not like an ordinary martial arts school."

Chiba Sadakichi's expression became more solemn.

"Although in essence, the martial arts school is just a large martial arts hall, it is not a place where you can come and go as you please because of the existence of 'Sword Saint' Seiichiro Otani and the many sword masters who come to join him because they admire his name."

Qingdeng listened quietly until the end.

"The Military Academy is not a place where I can simply come and go as I please... Mr. Chiba, that's precisely why I must challenge it!"