I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Keep practicing and keep challenging yourself."

"They rejoice at the sight of the strong and despise the sight of the weak."

"He was only focused on becoming stronger, and didn't care about anything else."

Kiryu paused slightly, then turned to look at Aoto beside him.

"King Tachibana, what kind of 'sword' do you think is the most powerful 'sword'?"

The sudden question startled Qing Deng.

After a moment's thought, Qingdeng replied:

"Although I really wanted to answer 'the fastest and most powerful sword is the most powerful sword,' I knew that there would definitely be a philosophical answer to this kind of question."

Mr. Kiryu chuckled a few times, seemingly amused.

After he had finished laughing, he continued the conversation quietly:

"A sword is a weapon, and swordsmanship is the art of killing—if you hold this view, then your answer is not entirely wrong."

"If it's just for killing, then there's no need to worry about anything else; just swing the knife fast and hard."

"But in my opinion, this kind of 'sword' is not the strongest."

"Listen up, Tachibana-kun."

"To slay the enemies you wish to slay, and to protect the things you wish to protect—only by achieving this can one wield the most powerful 'sword'."

"The most powerful 'sword' is also the weakest 'sword'."

"When the thought of killing is born, one can cut iron as easily as mud."

"But when pity arises in one's heart, one cannot even cut a thin piece of paper."

"A sword that destroys everything it touches cannot be called a 'sword'; it is merely the claws of a beast."

"It's funny... I only gradually came to understand this recently."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Qingdeng.

"Thank you so much, Tachibana-kun."

Aoto paused, looking at Kiryu with a puzzled expression.

“‘Thank you’? Mr. Kiryu, why are you thanking me?”

Mr. Kiryu smiled slightly:

“Ju-kun, I have been watching your every move ever since I took you as my disciple.”

"Compared to the ambitious self-discipline that aims to be 'unparalleled for a thousand years,' you are far too detached from worldly desires."

For a long time, I even thought you were somewhat unambitious.

"The only thing you seem to have that you can call 'ambition,' and that you are striving to achieve is to marry the young master, Ms. Chiba, and Ms. Okita, and build a big family."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng looked away and blinked awkwardly.

After criticizing Aoto, Kiryu changed the subject:

"Yet, you, who are so pure and detached from worldly desires, always manage to unleash an astonishingly powerful force."

"We defeated one formidable enemy after another and overcame one difficulty after another."

This makes me wonder: How can you be so strong? How can you be so brave?

"After much thought, I finally came to the answer—you have a heart that is willing to protect others."

“Ju-kun, you are completely different from Keji.”

"Self-discipline only focuses on oneself and is superstitious about one's own strength. One believes that as long as one continues to train one's physique and improve one's swordsmanship, one will definitely become stronger and eventually become 'peerless for a thousand years'."

"And while you are looking at yourself, you are also looking at others."

"You don't have strong ambitions, nor do you aspire to become some kind of 'peerless master for a thousand years,' yet you are willing to become an invincible 'peerless master' in order to protect others."

"I can't say who's stronger between you and Keji right now."

"After all, I haven't seen Keji for a long time, and I really can't make a conclusion about his current strength."

"But I dare say—the future you will be far stronger than just self-discipline!"

"This is not just empty talk, but an undeniable fact."

"We humans are not isolated individuals."

"To be born between heaven and earth, to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, to laugh with people, and to cry with people, is to be a human being."

"Those who are unwilling to pay attention to others and are superstitious about their own strength will eventually only lead to trouble, or even go astray."

"This is what self-discipline is all about."

"Although Keji's strength has been increasing, he has actually been stuck in his ways, and his level has remained at the 'beast' stage."

"His sword is only for 'slaying,' not for 'protecting.'"

"Back then, I didn't have such a deep understanding."

"It's just that you can see that there's a 'demon' living in Katsumi's heart."

"Despite the inner struggle, I have to admit: He is not the one who can inherit my mantle."

"Therefore, I abandoned the idea of ​​entrusting Vairocana to him."

"And that... became the starting point for my break with him."

"Perhaps it was to obtain a good knife that suited him, or perhaps it was simply to prove himself. He had an unusual obsession with Vairocana."

“After I pointed out his shortcomings and told him frankly that I would not give him Vairocana until he corrected himself, his face immediately changed color.”

"To be honest, I was convinced we still had time..."

"Although self-discipline may lead him astray, as long as we teach and correct him slowly, there is still hope that he can turn over a new leaf."

“At that time, it will not be too late for me to entrust Vairocana to him.”

"However... Keji did not give me that chance."

"Not long after, Keji came to me with a real sword, saying he wanted to have a duel with me and prove me wrong with actual combat results. He definitely had the strength to control Vairocana."

"What happened next... need not be elaborated upon."

"He truly deserves to be called an unparalleled genius and my prized student."

“I pulled out Vairocana and entered the ‘state of no-self’. I tried my best, but I could only fight him to a draw.”

"After a series of fierce battles, we barely managed to repel him."

"After this battle, Keji left without leaving a letter or a single word..."

“I remember it very clearly, it was autumn seven years ago… I have never seen Keji since then.”

"When I heard news of him again, I learned that he had joined the Dharma Extermination Party and his name was Prajna."

"My former beloved student has now become part of the opposing forces... Ah, what a cruel twist of fate."

“I don’t know what his mentality was when he joined the Fazhu Party.”

"He was a martial arts fanatic with no interest in politics, and didn't seem like the kind of person who would serve a secret society like the Fazhi Party."

"Maybe it's a rebellious streak... He deliberately joined the opposing forces to spite me."

"In short, this past event is a thorn in my side."

"Father and son turning against each other...this is probably one of the greatest pains in the world."

"For a long time... to be precise, even today, I still feel uneasy about it."

"I don't want to mention this past event, and I don't even want people to know about my self-discipline."

"That's why I've never let you know that you actually have a senior brother."

"Tachibana-kun, I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long."

“Sometimes, I can’t help but think: if I had discovered my shortcomings earlier and corrected them before they ‘would’ have worsened, perhaps my son and I wouldn’t have ended up like this today…”

"Sigh... never mind."

"At this point, it's pointless to talk about 'if' or 'what if'."

"This is the bitter fruit I sowed myself."

"Therefore, it is only right that I end all of this myself."

"For so many years, I have been searching for traces of self-discipline."

"Six months ago, just before your wedding, I received reliable intelligence that Keji was suspected of being in the Gyeonggi region."

"So, I temporarily shut down the Senjiya and returned to Osaka, constantly trying to find out what was going on with it."

"Unexpectedly... before I even found him, he ran into you first."

"It wasn't enough that he joined the Fazhu Party; he even got involved with Changzhou."

“That’s fine. This way, it’s actually easier for me. As long as I keep an eye on Changzhou, I’ll always have a chance to find him.”

"This time... I will definitely settle things with him!"

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Chapter 835 The War Begins! Changzhou's Eastern Expedition to the Capital Region! [4600]

Based on the evidence currently available, Changzhou is most likely involved with the Fazhu Party.

According to Souji and others, Hannya clearly protected Katsura Kogoro during the Battle of Ikedaya.

Although Hannya's tone was clearly unfriendly and impatient when he spoke to Katsura Kogoro, he did step forward to help Katsura Kogoro escape from the Ikedaya when he was in danger.

Whether the current relationship between Changzhou and the Fazhu Party is one of "deep cooperation" or "initial contact" is currently unknown.

However, the fact that "Changzhou colluded with the Fazhu Party" is undeniable.