I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kiryu smiled slightly, a meaningful curve appearing at the corners of his mouth.

“I have an acquaintance in Kyoto who is both very capable and very free. He is the most reliable bodyguard in the world.”

"Wherever his blade points, the enemy crumbles and falls."

"Anyway, he's quite idle now, always lounging around in the sun on the streets of Kyoto. I'll write you a letter; if you ask, he should be willing to protect you."

*******

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I've been having terrible insomnia lately... I can't fall asleep when I should, and I can't get up when I should. I had a really bad night's sleep last night, so I'm not feeling well today... Even though I tried my best to write, it's still a bit short (crying leopard head.jpg)

Should Leopard take some time to see a doctor and treat his insomnia...?

Chapter 535 [Sword Saint] Joins the Battle! Niou VS Sword Saint!

Edo, Military Academy—

After a good meal and plenty of rest... the battle begins again!

With the support of these talents, Qingdeng's recovery ability has always been astonishing. These talents include "Blood Lock +7" which enhances blood vitality and activates bodily functions; "Strengthening Essence" which improves the recovery speed of energy and physical strength through multiple upgrades; and "Primordial Yang" which enhances kidney qi and leads to a leap in physical fitness through multiple upgrades.

After a hearty lunch and a short rest, he was back to his best!

Upon returning to the main dojo of the martial arts institute, he eagerly took a bamboo sword from the sword rack—only to be met with a shake of the head and a wry smile from Kubota Kiyone.

"Your Majesty, I am 72 years old this year."

As he spoke, he showed Qingdeng his withered right hand, which looked like rotten wood.

"It's a pity that I can no longer wield a sword."

Qingdeng blinked, his expression momentarily stunned.

“Niou, I, Kuboda Kiyone, will be your opponent for now!”—Kuboda Kiyone said this after lunch.

He just said he wanted to be my opponent, but now he says he can't wield a bamboo sword anymore. What's going on here?

Before Aoto could ask a question, Kubota Kiyone continued speaking on her own:

"So... let's change the way we fight."

After speaking, he magically produced two apples from his pocket...

……

Military Academy, Shooting Range No. 1 —

As a comprehensive military academy that introduced Western military science, the Military Academy naturally had no shortage of places to practice gunnery skills—the No. 1 Shooting Range was one of them.

This is a large earthen field that can accommodate several hundred people running around.

Looking around, the wind and dust are exposed to the winter sun.

Oya Seiichiro led Oishi Susumu and the others, standing in unison on the east side of the shooting range.

In front of them—right in the center of the shooting range—Aoto and Kubota Kiyone each took their positions.

They were about 10 paces apart, both facing the target in front of them, each holding a bow.

The target was about 70 meters away from them, and there were two bright red apples on the target.

Kuboda Kiyone plucked the string a few times, and after confirming the state of the bow in his hand, he raised his head with a smile and said loudly to Aoto beside him:

"Your Majesty, I have long heard that you are a master archer whose arrows never miss their mark!"

"As a direct descendant of the Ogasawara-ryu and Hioki-ryu archery styles, I have quite a bit of experience in archery!"

"Although I am no longer able to wield a sword, I can still draw a bowstring a few times!"

"This time, let's settle this with archery!"

"The conditions for winning are very simple—we take turns shooting arrows, and whoever shoots through the apple on the target first wins!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but smile, muttering to himself:

"Archery..."

Competing with others in archery... If Qing Deng remembers correctly, the last time he did something like this was more than two years ago, when he had just joined the Fire Thief class.

Does this kind of competition meet the system's requirements for copying talents? Qing Deng has never tried it before, so why not give it a shot!

"it is good!"

Qingdeng nodded vigorously.

"Please allow me to witness the magnificent prowess of the direct descendants of the Ogasawara-ryu and Hioki-ryu archery styles!"

Kuboda Kiyone grinned and laughed heartily:

Who wants to go first?

Qing Deng replied without hesitation:

"Please go ahead, sir."

Kuboda Kiyone didn't stand on ceremony either. After hearing what Aoto said, he immediately raised his head and said:

"Then... I'll go!"

Having said that, he spread his legs wide with an imposing air, his body upright and his posture steady and composed, his expression calm and collected, his eyes not on the bow, but only on the apple in front of him.

Anyone who has ever played with a bow and arrow knows that although the numbers of 30-meter, 50-meter, and 70-meter targets seem small, when you actually face these targets directly, you will find that although these targets are only a few dozen meters away from you, the distance between them is like an insurmountable gap!

When the target is only 10 meters away from you, you don't even realize how far away it is.

But once the target is moved more than 25 meters away, you'll start to wonder, "Is this target too far away? Can I really hit it?"

As for targets at even greater distances, such as 30-meter, 40-meter, and 50-meter targets, it goes without saying.

A target 70 meters away that is only 40 centimeters wide... to a person's eyes, it is not much bigger than a child's little finger!

At such a distance, let alone shooting through the apple on the target, just recognizing the apple's position is enough to make one's heart tremble.

To people with poor eyesight, they can't see the apple at all; they can only make out a faint red pixel.

The martial arts institute has no shortage of swordsmen, but there are very few archery masters who are proficient in archery.

Therefore, when Oishi Susumu and the others saw that Aoto and Kubota Kiyone were about to shoot at such a tiny target, they all gasped in shock.

Kuboda Kiyone began to draw her bow.

He shoots from a slanted angle, raising the bow and arrow in a left-front trajectory with his left and right hands respectively, high above his head. Then, he supports the bow with his left hand and pulls the string with his right, simultaneously pulling the bow and arrow down—a very standard Japanese shooting technique.

The arrowheads are pointing towards the apple in the distance.

After aiming for a few seconds, the taut force bounced off his arms.

With a twang of the bowstring, the arrow shot out swiftly, tearing through the air, and the apple above the target fell to the ground!

No superfluous movements... impeccable skill.

When the apple pierced by the arrow fell to the ground, enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from the "audience seats" nearby.

Kuboda Kiyone has already hit the apple. If Aoto fails to hit the apple in his turn, he will miss out on the crown of victory.

Kuboda Kiyone casually dismounted from the shooting position, turned to look at Aoto—"It's your turn," he said with his eyes.

Qingdeng smiled slightly, then raised his gaze, looked straight ahead, and took a deep breath—the sound of the bowstring being pulled taut immediately rang out!

He raised his bow and nocked an arrow with fluid, effortless movements.

The shooting method used by Aoto is slightly different from that of Kubota Kiyone.

The latter refers to shooting an arrow on an angled surface or drawing a bow on an angled surface.

The former involves nocking the arrow from the front and drawing the bow from the front.

Admittedly, for the average person, simply pinpointing the location of a target 70 meters away is already quite difficult.

But for Qingdeng, who has "eagle eyes +5", an apple 70 meters away and an apple 7 centimeters away are no different – ​​their patterns are equally clear to Qingdeng!

Use "Sharp Eyes +5" to lock onto the target.

Use "Insight +4" to create a sense of distance.

Use the "bow's exceptional talent" to tighten the bowstring.

The moment the bow was fully drawn, Qingdeng released the taut string without hesitation.

The arrow flew out instantly—and then the sound of an apple falling to the ground could be heard in the distance.

Such a scene caused Daishi Jin and the others to look at each other with surprise.

The condition for winning between Aoto and Kubota Kiyone is that whoever hits the apple first wins.

Now, both of them have hit the apple.

In terms of the result, the two sides tied.

"Looks like we'll have to have another round..."

Nobuo Imai murmured softly.

However, at that moment, someone suddenly burst out laughing.

"...Hmph."

Ootani Seiichiro raised the corners of his mouth, chuckled a few times, and then said in a teasing tone to Kubota Kiyone, who was not far away:

"Kubota, what are you doing? Don't try to cheat or refuse to admit defeat!"

His teasing remark immediately drew a helpless look from Kubota Kiyone.

"Otoko, I know I've lost! I don't need you to remind me!"

After saying this, he sighed softly, then put away his bow and arrow, turned to face Qingdeng, bowed slightly, and gave a slight salute.

"I am no match for your skills, and I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."

[Ding! Talent detected]

Successfully copied the talent: "Heart of the Demon +4"

[Talent Introduction: Possesses an exceptionally high level of comprehension in both academic and martial arts fields]