I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"If Tachibana makes a careless move or underestimates his opponent, Adachi might be able to turn the tables and win."

Okita, Sanako, and Chiba Jutaro were separated by only one seat... namely, Aoto's seat, which was now empty.

Because they were so close, Okita heard every word of the brother and sister's conversation.

When he first heard Sanako and the others talking, Okita pursed his lips tightly.

Then... Okita's lips slowly curled up into a strange smile.

……

……

“‘A considerable number of the contestants possess the strength to put you in a tough fight…’” Kondo, sitting directly to Shusuke’s left, smiled wryly and whispered the exact words Shusuke had just said to Aoto in a volume only he and Shusuke could hear.

With his lips slightly parted, he let out a silent sigh, then Kondo tilted his head towards Shusuke, continuing to speak in a volume only he and Shusuke could hear:

"Our lie, which we conspired to tell Tachibana to prevent him from becoming arrogant, is finally going to be exposed today."

As if he hadn't heard Kondo's words, Shusuke scratched the itch on his back with his left hand and stroked his smooth chin with his right, gazing intently at the arena ahead.

A meaningful smile played on his face.

……

……

The referees for the match were two samurai from the Aizu Domain, whose hair was mostly gray.

After putting on his protective gear, Qing Deng carried his bamboo sword, which had been inspected by the referees and was in perfect condition, to the center of the arena, where he stood on the east and west sides of Adachi, respectively.

Before a sword fighting competition like this officially begins, a set of etiquette must be observed: both competitors first tuck their bamboo swords into their left waistbands, half-squat down, bow to each other, and then mimic the action of drawing a sword, slowly pulling out the bamboo swords tucked into their left waistbands and standing up.

After completing this simple set of rituals, the fight can begin.

Taking advantage of the moment when he was exchanging greetings with Adachi across from him, Aoto half-closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

—This Adachi is said to be quite strong... His reputation and strength seem to be second only to that "Three Heroes".

—He might be one of the "players whose skills are comparable to mine" that my mentor has mentioned to me so many times...

—I never imagined that my first match in this competition would be against such a formidable opponent.

During this period, Shusuke, Kondo, and Okita would emphasize to Aoto almost every day: This Aizu-go swordsmanship tournament is a gathering of heroes, with many masters of similar strength to you. Remember not to be careless or underestimate your opponents during the competition.

Qing Deng didn't know much about the skill level of the other sword school's apprentices. Every time he heard Zhou Zhu and the others warn him not to underestimate his opponents, Qing Deng would feel a chill in his heart.

There are indeed many masters in this world... I never expected that in Edo alone, there would be so many young people whose strength is comparable to his!

After last night's sparring session with Shusuke, Qingdeng became even more convinced that this world is indeed full of hidden masters!

Since there are so many experts in this competition... I can't afford to be arrogant or careless.

Qing Deng decided to test the teachings Zhou Zhu had given him the night before—that in every battle, one must be determined to win no matter what.

It must be said that these psychological suggestions are quite useful.

After making up his mind to "win", Qingdeng felt that he had become stronger.

After Qing Deng bowed to Adachi opposite him and stood up with his bamboo sword, a louder cheer and sighs erupted from the surrounding stands—the long-awaited first match was finally about to begin!

"Tachibana-kun, come on!" Adachi raised his Ōgami-dō and shouted menacingly, "I've wanted to fight you, the one known as the 'Little Tengu of the Northern Frontier,' for a long time!"

"Let's have a good competition!"

“恳请赐教！”

—This person… has such high fighting spirit.

Looking at his imposing and awe-inspiring opponent, Qing Deng couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

In short, let's launch a probing attack first to test his strengths and weaknesses.

With this thought in mind, Qingdeng prepared his bamboo sword, and then—

call--!

The bamboo sword cleaved through the wind and air.

Take a step forward!

Draw your sword!

All in one go!

The moment Qing Deng drew his sword, Adachi, who had just been beaming with excitement, froze instantly.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Adachi remembered a familiar saying he often heard from storytellers: "A glint of cold light arrives first, followed by the spear thrusting out like a dragon"—although Aoto was using a bamboo sword, which had no cold light at all.

The tip of the bamboo sword rapidly magnified before his eyes.

The speed and timing were so fast that although his mind reacted, his body didn't have time to react.

Just before Aoto's bamboo sword struck his helmet, an idea flashed through Adachi's mind—

Is this... a strike that a swordsman of our level, who has been practicing swordsmanship for less than 3 years, can deliver?

Snapped!

The sword tip struck Adachi's helmet hard, the force of the impact making Adachi's head spin.

Adachi took several steps back, then leaned back and fell heavily to the ground, landing face-first in the dirt.

……

quiet……

……

The once noisy viewing area has now become much quieter.

After a few breaths of unusual quiet, bursts of exclamations, gasps of surprise, and applause erupted from all directions.

The expressions of the spectators in the stands, who had just been saying things like "Aoto and Adachi will have a fierce battle" and "Aoto will need several moves to defeat Adachi," became quite interesting.

Many people speculated that Aoto would be able to defeat Adachi.

But they didn't expect that Aoto could achieve his first victory so easily! He defeated Adachi with just one strike, and Adachi didn't even have the slightest chance to fight back.

Chiba Jutaro and Chiba Tamon Shiro, who had just said that "Aoto would need several moves to defeat Adachi," widened their eyes and their expressions changed drastically.

Sanako, who confidently told Chiba Jutaro, "Adachi is not weak either, and it will probably take some effort for Aoto to defeat him," had lost her usual aloof demeanor.

Her hands, which were folded and resting on her legs, suddenly clenched tightly. Her alluring red lips parted slightly into a cute "O" shape, her expression became blank, and her beautiful eyes flashed with astonishment.

Those who secretly admire Sanako and always keep an eye on her must be quite surprised to see her like this—it turns out that this aloof beauty, who is indifferent to all men except her family, can also show such an expression.

Chiba Eijiro was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his eyelids slightly and cast a thoughtful look at the arena, tinged with surprise.

Compared to the commoners who did not know swordsmanship, people like Chiba Eijiro, Chiba Jutaro, and Sanako, who had certain skills in swordsmanship, were more able to see the extraordinary nature of Aoto's sword strike just now.

This is completely unlike the kind of strike that a "newcomer who has been learning swordsmanship for less than 3 years" could deliver!

Chiba Jutaro and Sanako were the most shocked—because they had personally witnessed Aoto's strength in the Red and White Battle two months ago.

Qingdeng's current strength is completely different from his strength two months ago... like heaven and earth!

In just two months, his strength has improved so much? This... Chiba Jutaro couldn't help but show the astonishment on his face.

Compared to Sanako and the others, Shusuke and Okita were much calmer.

They watched the entire short match calmly, without even raising an eyebrow—which was to be expected, as they had long anticipated that the "Aoto vs. Adachi" match would end quickly.

"Hehehe..." Zhou Zhu let out a low, cheerful laugh.

Kondo nodded in satisfaction.

Hijikata grinned.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap... Okita, with his hands raised in front of his chest, clapped vigorously like a seal for Aoto's beautiful first victory.

As he clapped, he glanced sideways, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and looked proudly at the Chiba siblings beside him.

Why were the Chiba siblings and others so shocked by the gaze that Aoto was currently displaying, while Okita and the others remained so calm... The reason was quite simple—the information that the Chiba siblings and the others had about Aoto was much behind the times.

The Chiba siblings' impression of Aoto's strength was still based on the Red and White Battle two months ago.

Although the brother and sister had anticipated that the exceptionally talented Qingdeng would make a new breakthrough in his strength within the next two months, they underestimated the speed at which Qingdeng's strength would improve!

In fact, to be more precise, everyone except the group from Shieikan was lagging behind in their understanding of Qingdeng's strength!

People only know that Qingdeng recently made another great contribution, protecting the Foreign Documents Exchange Office and further striking the Expeditionary Group against the Barbarians, but few know that after this great battle, Qingdeng's strength has made a leap forward!

With his two god-level talents, "Sword Prodigy" and "Heart of a Demon," Qing Deng's rate of progress can only be described with sensational and terrifying words.

Real combat with every blade drawing blood is the best way to improve a person's strength. So after the fierce battle to rescue the Fanshu Investigation Bureau, Qingdeng's strength once again experienced an exaggerated leap and breakthrough!

Underestimating Qing Deng's strength and breakthrough speed resulted in everyone staring wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock.

Shusuke and Okita, on the other hand, did not have the problem of "not knowing Aoto's current true strength" - after all, they lived with Aoto and could see with their own eyes how Aoto's strength increased rapidly every day!

They already knew that with Qing Deng's current abnormally rapid rate of improvement and his strength... it was only natural that he could easily defeat Adachi.

Looking across the entire viewing area, there were still many people who were amazed by the strength that Qing Deng had displayed. Among them were quite a few people with names, such as "Saito of Power" Saito Yakuro and "Momoi of Position" Momoi Haruzou.

Of course, only a small number of people understand swordsmanship and were amazed by Qing Deng's sword strike, which far surpassed the level of his peers.

Most of the spectators in the stands were ordinary people who just wanted to watch the excitement and have some fun. Some of them didn't even recognize who was Aoto or who was Adachi.

One of the contestants knocked another down with a single sword strike—they found the scene incredibly satisfying and exhilarating, so they cheered and applauded enthusiastically.

A small commotion arose on the VIP stage.

"Oh my? That Tachibana Aoto is much stronger than I imagined..." The lord of the Utsunomiya Domain blinked in surprise.

"This strength... it doesn't seem like that of a newcomer who has been practicing swordsmanship for less than 3 years at all..." the lord of the Shinobi Domain chimed in.

"...It's a pity that this person has already served in the Northern Frontier Office." The lord of the Matsushiro Domain stroked his beard with regret. "Otherwise, I would have liked to recruit such a promising young man into my household."

The daimyo whispered among themselves, discussing Aoto, who was still on the field, with various emotions and expressions.

Matsudaira Katamori did not participate in their discussion.

However, his usually calm and expressionless eyes began to ripple slightly when he saw Qing Deng display strength far exceeding that of his peers and instantly kill Adachi with a single sword strike.

……

……