I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The enormous impact traveled along the sword to Qing Deng's palms, causing them to go numb.

The two swords collided in mid-air and became tightly intertwined.

I had only witnessed Shusuke's speed before, but this is the first time that Qing Deng has directly felt Shusuke's power.

Although Zhou Zhu is old, his strength is by no means weak! He fought Qing Deng head-on with his sword and in a grappling match, and was not at a disadvantage at all!

Taking advantage of his height, Qing Deng stared intently down at Zhou Zhu, his gaze fixed on the two swords held together.

Shusuke, who was looking at Qingdeng, grinned and smiled.

Immediately afterwards, Qingdeng felt the force that had been pressing down on him from the front suddenly shift to the side.

Qing Deng gritted his teeth and followed Zhou Zhu's lead, moving the swords horizontally in the same direction. The two of them, with their swords still together, started running around the dojo, heading straight for the edge of the dojo. They ran until they were almost hitting the wall before they both stopped.

The two, now back in a stalemate, planted their feet firmly on the ground and exerted their strength in their waists as they wrestled against each other. For every bit of force the other exerted, the other would counter with a bit of force.

Qing Deng saw that Zhou Zhu's arm muscles bulged, stretching his clothes and aged skin, and that the veins on Zhou Zhu's neck and arms were clearly visible.

In terms of endurance, the aging Shusuke was ultimately at a disadvantage.

Qingdeng gradually felt the force pressing down from the front gradually weakening.

With a blank expression, Zhou Zhu glanced at the gradually lowering blade in his hand, took a deep breath, and then suddenly dodged to the left! He flashed to Qing Deng's left side, blade and all, extricating himself from the struggle!

Zhou Zhu's sudden withdrawal caused Qing Deng's body to fall forward due to inertia.

Whoosh—Zhou Zhu swung the bamboo sword in his hand in a crescent shape above his head, creating a strong gust of wind pressure, and slashed down at Qing Deng's back!

In that split second, Qing Deng quickly stabilized his center of gravity and positioned himself in a Kasumi stance using a "cat turn" to launch a powerful attack on Zhou Zhu, who was lifting high into the air.

Snapped!

The two bamboo swords collided heavily once again, and then the two swords swung backward simultaneously due to the reaction force.

Once again, Qing Deng used the power of the "cat turn" to stabilize his body. He stomped his right foot on the ground, and his body was like a spring that was compressed and then suddenly released. The blade that shot out came from the upper right lane to close in on Zhou Zhu!

As if deliberately opposing Qing Deng, Zhou Zhu opened his squinty eyes slightly, glanced behind him, and then made the same move as Qing Deng, stomping his left foot backward! He pushed off the ground with his left foot, the force traveling up his calf to his waist, and then from his waist to his arms. Using the power of the sword, he thrust the tip of his sword straight into Qing Deng's arms!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang... The old man and the young man's knives clashed again and again in mid-air. If they were using real knives, sparks would have already started flying everywhere by now.

After another round of intense fighting, Zhou Zhu suddenly took the initiative to retreat, widening the distance between himself and Qing Deng.

Qing Deng did not pursue. After the intense series of attacks and defenses, Qing Deng felt that his breathing rhythm had become extremely disordered. Taking advantage of Zhou Zhu's initiative to jump back, Qing Deng quickly adjusted his breathing.

Across from him, Shusuke's breathing was also very rapid.

After panting heavily for a few moments, Zhou Zhuchaoqing revealed a faint smile.

"Tachibana-kun, your progress is truly astonishing... I remember back then, you struggled to even parry my attacks. But now, you've managed to unleash several attacks that I find incredibly threatening."

Qing Deng smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment."

This was the second time he had competed with his master, Shusuke, since he became a disciple of Shieikan.

In his first encounter with Shusuke, he was overwhelmed by Shusuke's fierce attacks and couldn't even parry them, let alone fight back.

Now, he is able to engage in a battle with Zhou Zhu with considerable skill... This tremendous progress has left Qing Deng himself with many feelings of感慨 (gǎnkǎi - mixed feelings of emotion and reflection).

Just then... Shusuke, who had been smiling, suddenly stopped smiling.

"It's been a long time since I've had such an intense battle with someone... Hehe, my body is starting to get hot."

As Zhou Zhu drew the crescent moon, he slowly raised the bamboo sword in his hand above his head, lifting it to its highest point.

As the sword was raised inch by inch, Zhou Zhu slowly opened his eyes, which were usually squinted.

What pierced through the open eyelids was a gaze as sharp and captivating as a drawn blade.

In the next instant, an incredible scene unfolded in the dojo. After Shusuke opened his eyes, his aura suddenly changed dramatically!

A fierce and oppressive aura emanated from Zhou Zhu! This overwhelming aura pressed down on Qing Deng head-on!

The sudden change in his aura caused a shift in the atmosphere of the entire dojo!

Qing Deng's pupils contracted uncontrollably as he stared in astonishment at Zhou Zhu, who suddenly seemed like a completely different person.

The henpecked husband and the comedian from the gynecology department has disappeared.

At this moment, all Qingdeng saw before him was a swordsman as fierce as a tiger!

Zhou Zhu let out a long breath: "Here it comes."

Before the sound even faded, the person had already arrived!

Zhou Zhu took a step forward, the tip of his sword pointing towards Qing Deng's chest.

The power and speed of his sword strike hadn't changed significantly compared to before, but Qing Deng felt that Zhou Zhu's attack was incredibly powerful! None of the moves Zhou Zhu had used before could compare to this sword strike!

Qing Deng raised his sword to parry, narrowly avoiding Zhou Zhu's slash, and then took a half-step to the left.

In the blink of an eye, at the same moment that Qing Deng dodged to the left, Zhou Zhu stepped forward and slashed at Qing Deng's shoulder again.

Qingdeng gritted his teeth and leaped away again to a greater distance. As he leaped away, he lashed the tip of his sword at Zhou Zhu's shoulder like a whip.

Zhou Zhu easily dodged Qing Deng's counterattack by shifting his body to the side, and then stepped towards Qing Deng again, pressing him closer and closer.

This time, Zhou Zhu unleashed his power with the force of a katana, slashing in from a tricky angle. The power emanating from the sword was astonishing, leaving no room for complacency. In the blink of an eye, his sword was in front of Qing Deng again. Qing Deng barely managed to raise his sword and parry the opponent's sword, but this time he blocked it with great difficulty, and his center of gravity was almost disrupted.

Just as Zhou Zhu's sword was deflected, Zhou Zhu returned to his original position and prepared to attack again.

Qing Deng clearly sensed that Zhou Zhu's offensive had become far more fearless and decisive than before.

She relentlessly pursued him, unleashing a barrage of attacks upon him like a storm!

It was only then that Qing Deng realized that his palms were covered in cold sweat, which had soaked the hilt of his bamboo sword.

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Chapter 140 [The Clash of "Power"] A New Realm! [7300]

No, it wasn't just my palms... My forehead and back were also covered in cold sweat.

Thump, thump, thump, thump... My heart rate increased further...

Qingdeng sensed that the increased heart rate was not due to the further deepening of the "lone wolf" effect, but rather because he was feeling immense psychological pressure, which caused his body to exhibit abnormal symptoms such as an increased heart rate and cold sweats.

After Zhou Zhu opened his eyes and exuded an aura like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, Qing Deng felt as if a huge stone was pressing on his heart.

This feeling... is really like being stared at by a tiger, or confronting a tiger.

This was the first time Qing Deng had seen such a sharp and powerful side of Shusuke, and it was also the first time he had faced a swordsman with such a strong aura.

He found it hard to equate the swordsman before him, with his tense expression and sharp aura, with the old comedian from the Shieikan that he was familiar with.

The current head of Shieikan and the third head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu main family—at this moment, for some reason, because Shusuke's usual behavior was so humorous, this string of titles that Aoto always unconsciously forgot flashed through Aoto's mind.

—Ha, I subconsciously forgot... How could the head of a sword-fighting school be just a simple henpecked husband?

Qing Deng, whose lips were slightly upturned, tightened his hands, which were covered in cold sweat, took a deep breath, and looked solemn.

His eyes burned with fighting spirit.

At this moment, Qing Deng himself did not realize that facing the fierce tiger opposite him, he did not feel the slightest fear or trepidation. Instead, he felt even more fighting spirit.

--bring it on!

His eyes were fixed intently on Zhou Zhu opposite him, wary of any next move.

Just as Qing Deng was on high alert, seriously considering how Zhou Zhu would attack next, Zhou Zhu, who had been in an attacking stance, suddenly let out a long breath and then slowly lowered the bamboo sword that was held in front of him.

As he put down his sword, Shusuke slowly lowered his eyelids.

His eyes returned to their usual squinty shape, and a gentle, friendly smile returned to his lips.

As Shusuke closed his eyes again, the fierce aura that had been emanating from him vanished, and he reverted to the old comedian from the Shieikan that Aoto knew.

"Alright, let's stop here for now..." Shusuke reached out and rubbed his left shoulder. "Tachibana-kun, come here."

"Huh?" Qing Deng, his face full of confusion, blinked hard at Zhou Zhu.

Suddenly, without saying a word, he attacked him, and then suddenly announced, "Let's stop here for now"... Qing Deng felt that he was a little unable to keep up with Zhou Zhu's overly decisive pace.

Since Zhou Zhu had already put down his sword, indicating that he would "stop fighting," Qing Deng could only obediently follow Zhou Zhu and put down his sword as well, then quickly walked to Zhou Zhu's side.

"Mr. Tachibana, please sit down."

Zhou Zhu casually pointed to the floor in front of him, and then sat cross-legged on the ground in a very casual manner.

"Tachibana-kun, what are your thoughts on our contest just now?" Zhou Zhu paused, then added, "Just say whatever comes to mind. Tell us everything you thought about during the contest."

"Thoughts..." Qing Deng sat cross-legged on the ground like Zhou Zhu, and after a moment of thought, said unhurriedly:

"At the beginning of the sparring session, although you were very strong, you did not give me the feeling that 'you are scary'."

"But just now, after you opened your eyes wide... your aura suddenly changed."

"It's like transforming from a cat into a tiger."

"With the sudden change in your aura, I, who could have fought you to a standstill, was instantly suppressed by you."

"Hmm..." After listening quietly to Qing Deng finish explaining his thoughts, he grinned, "From a cat to a tiger... Haha, that's a pretty accurate assessment."

Zhou Zhu raised his hand and touched his smooth chin again.

"Tachibana-kun, you should know my grandfather... who is also the founder of our Tennen Rishin-ryu: Kondo Naozōsuke, right?"

“Of course I know,” Qing Deng replied without hesitation. “When I first joined Shieikan, Kondo and Okita told me about the deeds of our master.”

Their founder of the Natural Rishin-ryu school, Kondo Naizōsuke, was originally a swordsman of the Katori Shinto-ryu school.

After mastering the Katori Shinto-ryu style, he added his own understanding to it and created the Tennen Rishin-ryu style 70 years ago during the Kansei era.

When Kondo Naizaki founded the Tennen Rishin-ryu school, he was still a young man who was not even 30 years old. This shows that Aoto's grandmaster was no ordinary person with ordinary talent and strength.

"Hmm." Zhou Zhu nodded. "Have you heard the story of our grandmaster and his master from Yu and Souji?"

“Uh…” Qingdeng was taken aback. “I really don’t know…”

The story of his grandmaster Kondo Naizaki and his master... This is the first time Qing Deng has ever heard of it.