I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

……

April 15, 1860 (the first year of the Wanyan era), afternoon—

Edo, Okemachi, the Little Chiba Sword Hall, Chiba Sadakichi's bedroom—

In this simply furnished bedroom, two people were sitting facing each other.

One of them was Chiba Sadakichi, the current head of the Chiba Sword Hall and the father of Chiba Jutaro and Sanako.

The other person... was a very young man, not yet thirty, with a rather handsome appearance.

The young man knelt respectfully on the cushion, sitting opposite Chiba Sadakichi.

Compared to this young man, Chiba Sadakichi's sitting posture was much more casual.

Chiba Sadakichi didn't sit on a cushion; he just sat cross-legged on the tatami mat in a very casual manner.

He picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip of hot tea, and smiled at the young man sitting in front of him:

“Eijiro, it has been quite a while since you joined the Mito Domain. Have you improved your skills after being away from home for so long?”

"...Uncle Dingji, this time away from home for training has been very rewarding." The young man smiled and said slowly, "I have...for the first time touched upon the legendary martial arts realm: the realm of selflessness!"

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Thank you so much to the patron [家有小棉袄] for the generous donation! This is the second time this reader has donated to this book, thank you so much! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

There are more and more alliance leaders lately, so yesterday the author gritted his teeth and made up his mind not to let the number of missed updates continue to increase. After a period of intense writing, he successfully wrote a long-awaited 10,000-word chapter.

Today's long chapter of 2 words is a bonus update to repay the debt owed to the second Alliance Master: [My Beloved Home, Actually 12].

Finally, I've paid off with a bonus chapter! The author still owes... well, 6 more bonus chapters...

Let's keep paying it back slowly... (Leopard crying.jpg)

I recommend a really interesting book!

"Why Did My Husband Run Away?" is a new book written by a female mainstream author.

Novel Synopsis:

My name is Lin Bei.

Because the fortune teller said that I have a pure yang body and excellent spiritual roots, but I am destined to suffer a calamity, easily becoming the target of female cultivators, and dying a violent death.

So I disguised myself for eighteen years, and everyone thought I was a beauty.

But in the year I turned eighteen, the leader of the Demonic Cult forced me to join the cult and marry him!

Rumor has it that the leader of the Demonic Cult is a ruthless and bloodthirsty demon.

That day, I stumbled upon the true identity of the Demonic Cult Leader's daughter!

She was actually a female demon! Nobody knew!

"If you look again, my husband, I'll gouge your eyes out!" the woman said with a radiant smile.

Chapter 137 The Three Heroes of Edo's Three Great Sword Schools [6000]

Author's Note: Chiba Eijiro appeared in the previous chapters as a narrator, but some readers may have forgotten who Chiba Eijiro is or what his relationship is with Chiba Sadakichi. So here's a quick recap for everyone.

Chiba Eijiro is the second son of the late Chiba Shusaku (founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school and older brother of Chiba Sadakichi). Therefore, Chiba Eijiro is the second nephew of Chiba Sadakichi, the second older brother of Chiba Tamon Shiro, and the cousin of Chiba Jutaro and Sanako.

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"Oh?" Chiba Sadakichi raised an eyebrow, his eyes lit up, and his tone was excited: "Eijiro, you... have reached this legendary realm?"

Chiba Eijiro nodded, then said softly, as if he were talking about something trivial:

"Just over two weeks ago... on the eve of my decision to return to Edo after a long absence, I went hunting alone in the mountains and unfortunately encountered a black bear."

"A black bear?" Chiba Sadakichi raised an eyebrow again, the "excitement" that had just appeared in his eyes turning into "surprise".

"Yes, a black bear that is about twice my size."

With a gentle smile still on his lips, Chiba Eijiro opened his arms and gestured to the size of the black bear he had encountered.

"Perhaps I accidentally entered that black bear's territory, which is why that black bear was exceptionally fierce."

"Upon seeing me, they immediately attacked me without saying a word."

"Bears, which can kill even wild boars with a single slap, are indeed quite terrifying."

"It suddenly jumped out of the bushes and pounced on me. If I had reacted even a little slower, my head would definitely have been smashed."

"However—although I successfully dodged the black bear's first attack, the bow in my hand accidentally fell into a deep ditch that I couldn't reach."

"With no other choice, I had to draw the sword at my waist to fight."

"This is the toughest battle I have ever fought in my life."

At this point, Chiba Eijiro smiled nonchalantly.

"This is the first time I've encountered an enemy with such terrifying strength, speed, and stamina."

"With a casual swing of its paw, the black bear smashed a tree trunk as thick as a bowl, creating a large gash."

"No matter how carefully you stare at it, your eyes can hardly keep up with the speed of the bear's paw swinging; you can only see afterimages."

"To avoid having my head smashed by a bear paw bigger than my head, I didn't dare blink. Every time I had to blink, I was on tenterhooks."

At this moment, a hint of reminiscence appeared between Chiba Eijiro's brows.

The way he looked...it was as if he was reminiscing about some beautiful memory...

"It's been so long... this feeling of all-out effort, like it's either win or die."

"At the beginning, I had a lot of trouble playing."

"Not only was it difficult to get close to the black bear and inflict effective damage, but it also nearly died several times."

"But... suddenly, I entered a rather 'mysterious' state."

Chiba Eijiro suddenly paused, as if he was considering his words.

After a moment, he continued:

"I don't actually remember very clearly what happened at that time."

"I only remember that I held my breath and focused intently on defeating that black bear, and there was no other thought in my mind except 'defeat it'."

"Just... in a certain instant, my mood suddenly became very calm."

"It felt like I was standing on a very still pool of water."

"My mind was completely blank, with almost no distracting thoughts."

"His eyes were only on the knife in his hand and the big black bear in front of him."

"Because my mind was free of distractions, my reaction speed became much faster in the face of every attack launched by the black bear."

"The sword in my hand thus became exceptionally swift and sharp."

"After I entered this mysterious state, the battle situation instantly turned around."

"The movements of that big black bear were no longer so fast in my eyes that I could only follow its afterimage."

"My footwork became so fast that I could easily slip within the range where my sword could strike the big black bear."

Chiba Eijiro raised his right hand, made a chopping motion with it, and then made a cutting motion on his nose.

"I spotted an opening in the big black bear's defenses, got close to its blind spot, and slashed off its big nose with one stroke, successfully driving it away."

"My mood became exceptionally calm, and there were no superfluous thoughts in my mind. My strength increased dramatically because I was single-minded... These changes are exactly the same as what Father and Uncle Dingji said about the state one will have after entering the 'selfless state'."

"So I guessed that the mysterious state I entered in order to defeat that big black bear... must be the legendary 'state of no self'."

Since Chiba Eijiro began recounting the story of his entry into the "state of no-self," Chiba Sadakichi, who had been quietly listening, stared intently at Chiba Eijiro with a complex gaze, primarily one of astonishment.

After a moment, Chiba Sadakichi managed a wry smile:

"He defeated a bear single-handedly and escaped unscathed... Ah, if word gets out, the legend of 'Chiba of Technique' will be added to the list."

“I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Chiba Eijiro smiled slightly. “Didn’t that legendary ‘hero’ Majima Goro also try to hunt down a bear with just himself and a sword? And the bear he hunted was a large brown bear from Ezo.”

“That’s just a rumor.” Chiba Sadakichi waved his hand. “Whether ‘The Hero’ Majima Goro ever fought Kuma in a one-on-one fight is still a matter of much debate.”

Chiba Sadakichi was not particularly concerned about Chiba Eijiro's feat of defeating the black bear with just a sword.

After briefly mentioning the matter, Chiba Sadakichi put down the teacup he had been holding and let out a long sigh of relief.

"From your description... Eijiro, you really did enter the 'state of no-self' at that time!"

"Both your father and I have entered this state of 'emptiness of all things'."

"Eijiro, did you try to replicate the 'state of no self' afterward?"

Chiba Eijiro nodded:

“After the battle with that big black bear, I tried to enter the ‘selfless state’ again.”

"But unfortunately... no matter how I tried, I always failed, and I could never get back to that state where my mind was completely free of distractions."

“Yes, that’s normal.” Chiba Sadakichi nodded. “‘The state of selflessness’ is the ultimate in martial arts, and it is something that can only be encountered by chance.”

"Eijiro, take your time, don't be impatient."

Chiba Sadakichi grinned and gave Chiba Eijiro an encouraging smile.

"You have already entered the 'state of no self' at this age... That is an extremely remarkable achievement."

"Your father and I were both in our thirties when we first touched upon the supreme realm that countless martial artists spend their entire lives without ever witnessing its splendor... Ugh! Hiss!"

Before Chiba Sadakichi could finish speaking, he suddenly let out a low cry of pain.

"Uncle Sadakichi?" Chiba Eijiro exclaimed in surprise, quickly getting up and stepping forward to support Chiba Sadakichi. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing." Chiba Sadakichi waved his hand with a wry smile, "It's just that my back is hurting again..."

"Last night, my old back pain suddenly flared up, and no matter how much I rested, it didn't get better... Sigh..."