I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Looking at Aoto, who was currently surrounded by Okita and his group and enveloped in their congratulations, Chiba Jutaro's right lip twitched. He then turned to his sister, Sanako, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and let out a few self-deprecating chuckles.

“Zanako, neither of us siblings has been accurate in our assessment of Tachibana-kun these past two days…”

"I never expected... that Tachibana-kun would actually surpass Brother Rong's record of cultivating 'momentum' in one year."

Upon hearing her brother's remark, Sanako's face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment.

(From the beginning of learning swordsmanship to the first time he released his 'momentum', my second cousin only took a little over a year - regardless of anything else, I think this alone is enough to make Tachibana-kun look up to him.)

Recalling the words she had solemnly sworn to her family the night before... Sanako felt her cheeks uncontrollably burning and turning red with embarrassment and awkwardness.

This aloof and cold beauty, who usually keeps everyone at arm's length, actually had a day when her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and awkwardness... Unfortunately, only Chiba Jutaro, who was standing next to Sanako, noticed this rare and beautiful sight with its striking contrast.

Chiba Jutaro, who noticed his younger sister's change in expression immediately, grinned and teased Sanako:

"Zanako, luckily the only people who heard what you said last night were my father and me. Otherwise, you would have been utterly humiliated."

Chiba Jutaro's teasing remark made Sanako's embarrassment deepen, and the blush on her cheeks became even more vibrant.

After taking two deep breaths to calm herself down, Sanako glanced at Chiba Jutaro with a sharp look, then gave her brother a cold "humph" in an unpleasant tone.

Chiba Jutaro knew that Sanako was always very sensitive, so he had to know when to stop teasing her. If he went too far, he might really make Sanako angry.

So, Chiba Jutaro shrank his neck and shut his mouth at the opportune moment.

After successfully warning her brother with a look and a cold "humph," Sanako turned her gaze away from Chiba Jutaro.

As she looked away... her gaze inevitably swept over Qing Deng, who was still surrounded by the crowd, and the embarrassment she had just suppressed immediately reappeared on Sanako's cheeks.

Just yesterday I said that Tachibana's talent was no better than Chiba Eijiro's, but today Tachibana has achieved something that has shocked Sanako to this day: after only 4 months of sword practice, he has released his "momentum"!

This is almost 8 months faster than Chiba Eijiro's record!

He and his brother have been practicing swordsmanship for so long, but they still haven't even seen a trace of "momentum"...

Sanako now harbors a strange... resentment towards Aoto.

This man made her lose face for two consecutive days because she misjudged his strength and talent!

This made Sanako, who had a high sense of self-esteem and was very thin-skinned, feel a strange sense of shame.

Sanako couldn't help but cast a wistful glance at Aoto.

But, at that very moment!

Just as Sanako looked at Aoto with a resentful gaze, she suddenly froze, her expression turning serious.

For some reason, looking at Qing Deng who was smiling and accepting everyone's congratulations... a memory that had been buried deep in Sanako's mind for a long time suddenly surfaced and flashed before Sanako's eyes.

Three years ago, a man named Sakamoto Ryoma also won the grand swordsmanship tournament by defeating all opponents with his superior skills.

After winning the glorious championship crown, that person, just like Aoto is now, was surrounded by a crowd celebrating his victory... At that time, Sanako was also one of those who excitedly crowded around that person...

Even though Aoto and that person didn't look alike at all, at this moment, the figure of Aoto in front of Sanako's eyes miraculously overlapped with the figure of that person in her memory...

In comparison, Qing Deng's radiance seemed even more dazzling than that person's—after all, that person didn't possess Qing Deng's extraordinary talent.

“It’s so similar…” Sanako murmured involuntarily in a voice only she could hear.

Immediately afterwards, the faint resentment in Sanako's eyes as she looked at Aoto slowly dissipated.

Instead, a complex mix of emotions, difficult to describe, arose.

As her emotions shifted, a hint of melancholy crept onto Sanako's beautiful brows.

……

……

Ever since Aoto returned from the "VIP desk," Chiba Eijiro has been giving him a strange look.

After a long pause, he muttered softly:

"Is Tachibana-kun's 'momentum'... just my imagination...?"

Chiba Eijiro, his face expressionless, pursed his lips, his eyes flashing with a thoughtful light.

……

……

On the other side of the viewing area—

The handsome middle-aged man, Momoi Haruzou, known as "Momoi of the Position," glanced in the direction of Aoto and Shieikan's group, then gave a wry smile filled with mixed emotions:

"It seems that the next Chiba Eijiro... no, perhaps a swordsman who can surpass Chiba Eijiro is about to be born..."

After uttering this thought to himself, Momoi Haruzo put his hands behind his back and led his students from the Shigakukan (a martial arts school) away from the viewing area.

Sword masters of the caliber of "Saito of Power" and "Momoi of Position" naturally sensed the "momentum" that Aoto had just released on the field.

Almost all the swordsmen who sensed the "momentum" that Qing Deng had just released now had a basic consensus: after Chiba Eijiro, Edo has finally produced another peerless genius who is on par with Chiba Eijiro, and may even surpass Chiba Eijiro!

Some people envy this, some are jealous, some are happy, and some are worried.

But regardless of one's feelings towards Aoto, this newly emerging brilliant star, there is no doubt that after this competition, everyone has deeply remembered the name "Aoto Tachibana"!

At the training hall, Saito Yakuro, nicknamed "Saito the Powerful," sat motionless in his seat. His new wife comforted him, saying:

"My dear new wife, cheer up!"

"The path of martial arts is one that requires going through many setbacks and hardships to become strong."

"You did a fantastic job today, far exceeding my expectations."

"Let's go, it's time to go back. Let's learn from this defeat and work even harder to improve ourselves in the future."

After saying that, Saito Yakuro reached out and patted Niizuma Hiroshi on the shoulder.

Just as Saito Yakuro's hand touched Niizuma Hiroshi's shoulder, Saito Yakuro's expression changed instantly.

"Hmm?" Saito Yakuro quickly reached out his other hand to touch Niizuma Hiroshi's forehead—Saito Yakuro felt as if he was touching a red-hot brick, not a person's forehead...

"My dear wife, why do you have such a high fever?"

"Hmm..." The new wife opened her eyes wide with difficulty, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

However, what he uttered were some vague and incoherent fragments.

Seeing that Niizuma Hiroshi was so feverish that he could barely speak, Saito Yakuro quickly called out to the disciples standing around him:

"Quick! Take my new wife to Renyi Hall!"

Jin'i-do – a famous hospital in Edo.

The couple who opened this hospital, Kita Jin and Tachibana Saki, were both renowned doctors with extremely high medical skills.

Under Saito Yakuro's instructions, six apprentices from the training hall hurriedly helped Niizuma Hiroshi up. Saito Yakuro himself led the group, and together with his disciples, they rushed through the crowd with the already dazed Niizuma Hiroshi towards the Jin Medical Hall...

……

……

As the spectators gradually left, the once bustling stadium became deserted and desolate.

In less than 20 minutes, the once packed spectator stands were reduced to just a handful of people remaining in their places.

Rakshasa and the short, ugly middle-aged man were two of these few people.

"Hahaha... What a surprising match!"

The Rakshasa raised its head and let out a satisfied laugh.

"Keep an eye on that new wife for me," Rakshasa said to the short, ugly middle-aged man. "See if he can withstand the side effects of the 'mind-free drug.'"

"If he can't pull through, then so be it."

"If he survives, record the time it takes for him to overcome the side effects; this is also valuable experimental data."

"Yes." The short, ugly middle-aged man nodded vigorously.

“And—” Rakshasa continued, “If Shinzuma Hiroshi really survives the side effects of the ‘No-Thought Medicine,’ remember to notify me immediately.”

Rakshasa shifted her gaze to the arena ahead, where no swordsmen were still fighting.

"Originally, I just wanted to use him as a toy to relieve boredom and for entertainment, and also to help us collect experimental data on the 'Wu Nian Wan' (a type of pill)."

"But I've changed my mind now."

"This new wife, Hiroshi... does have some merit that makes him worthy of being taken under my command."

The short, ugly middle-aged man raised an eyebrow: "Lord Rakshasa, are you trying to recruit that new wife, Kuan?"

“Yes.” Rakshasa chuckled a few times and readily admitted, “Someone who is willing to take pills whose names he doesn’t even know for the sake of victory, and who also has decent swordsmanship talent and strength… if properly trained, might very well become a useful subordinate.”

"As you know, I'm the kind of person who never turns down talented people who are worth recruiting."

"In short, just do as I say. Do you remember all the instructions I just gave you?"

"Yes." The short, ugly middle-aged man nodded vigorously. "I've remembered everything."

Rakshasa nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to the northeast.

Northeast... that's the direction Qingdeng and Shiweiguan's group just left in.

Just now, when Qingdeng released his "power," Luosha was one of the small group of people who were the first to sense it and were surprised by it.

Luocha stared intently into the direction where Qingdeng and the group from the Examination Hall had just left, his deep gaze fixed on them.

After a long pause, he spoke again to the short, unattractive middle-aged man:

"...After we get back, do one more thing for me."

"Go and tell Shimizu Eiichi: Tachibana Takayuki's gambling debt will be wiped clean from now on."

"And from now on, the 'Shimizu Clan' should take the initiative to actively communicate with and show goodwill to Tachibana Aoto."

Shimizu Eiichi—the leader of the Shimizu clan, the most powerful Yakuza group in Edo, to which Aoto's family still owes more than 500 taels of gold in gambling debts.

As soon as Luosha finished speaking, the short, ugly middle-aged man couldn't help but show surprise: "Don't we need to make Ju Qingdeng repay the gambling debt owed by his father, Ju Longzhi? But..."

Before the short, ugly middle-aged man could finish speaking, Rakshasa interrupted him with a smile:

"We can't afford to miss out on someone of Ju Qingdeng's caliber, no matter what."

"I have made up my mind—I must recruit Tachibana Seiden into our ranks!"

"I had Eiichi suspend the debt collection from Aoto before, with the plan to restart the 'debt collection team' after I finished my business in the Mito Domain and returned to Edo. At that time, I could disguise myself and go with the 'debt collection team' to see what Aoto Tachibana looks like."