I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

On the vast, flat plain that stretched as far as the eye could see, soldiers dressed in light blue haori ran back and forth.

They were practicing weapons, marching formations, or tactics... a dazzling array of sights.

The sounds of bamboo swords clashing, muskets firing, and cannons firing... all sorts of noises made one's head spin.

On the east side of the training ground, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, and Harada Sanosuke gathered together.

Harada Sanosuke crossed his arms and sighed deeply.

"The Shinsengumi are getting stronger and stronger..."

Nagakura Shinpachi's lips curled into a smile:

"This is everyone's achievement. The trainers worked very hard, and the trainees worked very hard too."

The threat of war from the "Southern Court" always weighed heavily on the minds of the Shinsengumi soldiers.

To boost morale, Qingdeng repeatedly made propaganda to the entire army, such as "If we lose to the 'Southern Dynasty,' we will become slaves" and "Once we lose, we are finished."

In fact, Qing Deng did not lie.

If the Southern Dynasty were to win, who knows what methods these ruthless and unscrupulous people would use to retaliate against the Northern Dynasty?

In short, influenced by this propaganda, and given the undeniable brutality of the "Southern Court"—the Choshu's attempt to destroy Kyoto (the Ikedaya Incident and the Kyoto Summer Siege) had only occurred two years prior—the Shinsengumi soldiers felt a sense of urgency.

The instructors put in their best effort to train the troops.

The soldiers undergoing training—especially the new recruits—also trained with all their might.

After a pause, Nagakura Shinpachi's face was filled with deep emotion, and he continued:

"Back then, the Shinsengumi was just a small force of about a hundred people, and was ridiculed by many."

"Even when suppressing the rebels, we had to borrow troops from Aizu."

"In just a few years, what was once a small team of a hundred people has now grown into an army of tens of thousands."

"Looking back now, it really feels like a dream."

Harada Sanosuke nodded:

“Yes, I feel the same way. If it were five years ago, I would never have imagined that I would one day command hundreds of cavalrymen.”

Just then, out of the blue, Saito, who had been silent until now, suddenly squinted and looked up at the warm sun overhead:

"...The weather is getting warmer."

Upon hearing this, Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke were taken aback at first, then both of them lowered their heads and showed solemn expressions.

Starting the day before yesterday, temperatures began to rise significantly.

It's still quite cool in the mornings and evenings, but by midday you'll feel a pleasant warmth, and a haori (a type of traditional Japanese garment) is all you need.

Saito Hajime, who is sparing with words, would naturally not discuss the weather for no reason.

Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke immediately understood his unspoken meaning—the weather was warming up, which meant that spring was getting closer! It also meant that the day of the decisive battle of the "Nanboku-chō" was getting closer!

It is now a consensus that the Southern Dynasty will launch a general offensive after the spring.

The decisive battle is drawing near... Even the steel-willed Shinpachi and his companions can't help but feel nervous.

"...We've done everything we could."

Nagakura Shinpachi spoke in a calm yet firm tone.

"All we can do now is try our best and leave the rest to fate."

Harada Sanosuke nodded slightly in agreement.

Then, he suddenly brought up a new topic:

"Speaking of which, is Mr. Tachibana's 'Nioh Martial Arts Tournament' about to be canceled?"

Saito nodded slightly:

"Yes, that's true. There have been fewer and fewer challengers coming to our door lately."

Nagakura Shinpachi chuckled a few times:

"More than two months have passed, and all the challengers who could come from north to south and from east to west have arrived. If this continues, in a few days, there won't be a single challenger left who has the chance to participate in the 'Nioh Martial Arts Tournament'."

No sooner had Nagakura Shinpachi finished speaking than his expression turned strange, as if he had remembered something. After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice:

"Speaking of Mr. Tachibana... have you seen him recently?"

Saito Hajime responded:

“I just saw him three days ago.”

Nagakura Shinpachi took a deep breath:

“I met with him yesterday.”

"How should I put it... Although I had this thought when I first met him, I still want to ask: Is he really human?"

"I feel that his strength has increased a lot compared to two months ago!"

"It's not just a slight or minor improvement, but a complete and transformative transformation!"

"Can one really achieve such a leap in progress simply by sparring with various masters?"

Harada Sanosuke chimed in:

"Now that you mention it, I feel the same way."

"Although it was a month ago when I last saw Mr. Tachibana, he was already very different from before."

"How should I put it... he has become more imposing and authoritative."

Nagakura Shinpachi clicked his tongue in amazement:

"What exactly did he do to become so much stronger in just over two months? Is there really a martial artist in this world who can rival him?"

Saito Hajime twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile:

"Mr. Ju's current strength has probably reached a level that we can't even imagine."

……

……

May 4, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Jianshi Hall——

*Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!*

The two bamboo swords clashed rapidly, leaving afterimages in mid-air.

Qingdeng repelled every single attack the opponent desperately launched.

Vertical slashes, horizontal cuts, forward thrusts... no matter how the opponent attacks, Qingdeng's defense remains unbreakable.

In an instant, Qingdeng vanished from the opponent's sword.

With a quick and powerful stomp, Qingdeng slipped under his opponent's left armpit and swung out the bamboo sword held horizontally at his waist.

With a sharp crack, it struck the opponent squarely in the side, knocking him to the ground.

The moment the opponent fell to the ground, the system voice in Qing Deng's mind immediately sounded:

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Yuan Yang"]

[Talent Introduction: Kidneys are less prone to disease. Kidney energy is far more abundant and healthier than average.]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[“Yuan Yang +19” Ability Upgrade – “Yuan Yang +20”]

[“Yuan Yang +20” Talent Introduction: The talent effect is enhanced on top of the original. Under the blessing of the eternal talent “Chosen One”, there is no upper limit to the talent level.]

Qing Deng ignored the system notifications—he'd heard them so many times in the past two months he was practically numb to them—and pulled up his collar, wiping the sweat from his hands as he waited for the next challenger to appear.

However, after waiting for quite a while, the name of the singer never came.

He turned his head and cast a questioning glance at the person in charge of announcing the names not far away.

"What's wrong? I didn't call a stop. Who's next on stage?"

The official swallowed hard, closed the roster in front of him, and stammered:

"Um... that's all. Shibasaki Shuntaro, who just took the stage, is the last challenger of the day."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and murmured:

"I see... There are no more challengers today...?"

After saying that, he subconsciously brandished his sword, flicking away bloodstains that weren't actually on the blade.

boom!

Just a casual swing of the bamboo sword in the air could produce such an explosive sound of wind breaking, to the point that the bamboo sword creaked and groaned under the strain... It's not hard to imagine how terrifying Qing Deng's muscle strength is!

Upon seeing this, everyone present swallowed hard, feigning shock.

As luck would have it, Ah Wu, who happened to be free today, came here to watch the match.

Looking at Qing Deng, who exuded an astonishing aura of violence with every move, she, like everyone else present, subconsciously revealed an expression of disbelief. Her delicate face turned slightly pale, and her already large, beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

As Qingdeng's bedmate, she knew better than anyone how terrifying Qingdeng's progress had been in the past two months!

Since the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" began, he seems... no, not "seems," but "indeed"—he's getting stronger every day!

From physical strength to muscle strength, and then to endurance and recovery ability, everything is being rapidly enhanced!

Is there some kind of magic to this "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" that allows Qing Deng to improve at such a rapid pace?

Ah Wu racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution. In the end, she could only explain it by saying that she was "exceptionally gifted" or "born with superhuman strength," which is often mentioned in vernacular novels.

With this thought in mind, she subconsciously touched her lower abdomen... This area had been under too much pressure recently.

……

……