I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After uttering this murmur that seemed to be a compliment, Chiba Eijiro's body and sword once again became afterimages that clung tightly to Aoto.

The sound of bamboo swords clashing against protective gear echoed continuously throughout the dojo.

—It's slow again...

—We need to go even faster…

—Faster…!

Qingdeng took several deep breaths, trying his best to keep his mind calm.

He imagined himself standing on a lake with a surface as smooth as a mirror.

I tried hard to hear the ripples around the lake.

Suddenly! Qingdeng felt a series of ripples surging in his upper left corner!

Before his brain could even process anything, his body acted before his brain could!

Qingdeng swiftly swung his sword at the "ripples" in the upper left corner, and then followed the direction in which the "ripples" appeared to deliver a second strike.

Okita and the others who were watching witnessed a scene that greatly surprised them—

Having been on the defensive, Qing Deng suddenly unleashed an extremely fierce strike, deflecting Chiba Eijiro's descending sword mid-air. Then, Qing Deng pressed forward, parrying Chiba Eijiro's chest with his bamboo sword!

Qing Deng's defensive counterattack was perfect in terms of both timing and angle... causing Chiba Eijiro's pupils to shrink slightly!

Chiba Eijiro suddenly stopped in his tracks and leaned back.

Snapped……

A faint, muffled sound was heard.

It was the sound of a bamboo knife hitting protective gear.

Chiba Eijiro's quick retreat meant that only the tip of Aoto's bamboo sword grazed Chiba Eijiro's chest armor.

Although it was just a glancing blow... Qing Deng's bamboo sword did indeed strike Chiba Eijiro for the first time!

At the edge of the dojo, Okita and the others all showed surprised expressions.

Chiba Eijiro also looked at the part of himself that had just been grazed with a surprised gaze.

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!" Qing Deng slowly opened his eyes.

Ironically, Qing Deng's eyes also flashed with astonishment—he hadn't expected that his attack would actually hit Chiba Eijiro.

After glancing at the bamboo knife in his hand with a surprised look, Qingdeng quickly regained his composure and rested the bamboo knife in front of him again.

Chiba Eijiro raised his gaze, shifting his focus from the chest where he had just been hit to Aoto opposite him.

Then... he slowly put down the bamboo knife in his hand.

"...Let's stop here for today." Chiba Eijiro smiled. "You don't have the strength to swing your sword anymore, do you? There's no point in continuing."

As Chiba Eijiro's words fell to the ground—

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Focus"]

[Talent Introduction: Able to concentrate and maintain a high level of focus for extended periods, far exceeding that of the average person.]

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Although this chapter isn't 10,000 words, its quality is exceptionally high! The intense fighting continues from beginning to end. For the sake of this chapter's high quality, please vote for this book with monthly tickets and recommendation votes! (Leopard crying.jpg)

PS: The statement in this chapter that "cutting off the hand is a classic tactic of the Hokushin Itto-ryu style" is not made up. It is a historical fact. Cutting off the hand is indeed a signature tactic of the Hokushin Itto-ryu style.

Chapter 163 The Swordsman Who Cut Down the Ironclad Ship: Kuro Mamiya [6400]

When Chiba Eijiro voluntarily put down his sword, the "momentum" that had been pressing towards Aoto from all directions like a monstrous wave immediately dissipated.

Although he really wanted to have a few more rounds with Chiba Eijiro, Aoto had to admit that Chiba Eijiro was right; he really didn't have the strength to wield his sword anymore.

Every part of my body was sweating profusely; my body, hidden under the protective gear, was drenched in sweat, and I looked as if I had just been pulled out of the water.

His arms and legs ached terribly, and it was extremely difficult to even lift the bamboo sword. The sore muscles made it hard for Qing Deng to hold the bamboo sword steady, and the blade trembled slightly... Anyone who didn't know better would think that Qing Deng was practicing the Hokushin Itto-ryu sword style.

Qingdeng possesses the "strong muscle" talent of "muscles that don't easily tire".

Despite having such talent, he still couldn't even hold his sword steady... One can only imagine how intense the fight between Chiba Eijiro and Chiyonoto must have been, and how much stamina he had expended.

After Chiba Eijiro said, "Let's stop here for now" and put down his bamboo sword, the tension in Aoto's mind suddenly eased.

Losing the support of his willpower, Qingdeng's steps suddenly became unsteady. He staggered a few times on the spot and then sat down on the ground in a very unseemly manner.

Okita and the others, who were on the edge of the dojo, rushed up with water and towels they had prepared earlier.

Okita came to Aoto's side and helped him remove his armor, while Kondo went to help Chiba Eijiro remove his armor.

As soon as the mask on his head was removed, wisps of heat immediately rose and steamed out from the top of Qingdeng's head, as if a seal had been broken.

Qingdeng's face was covered in sweat, and his cheeks were a dark red from the heat and fatigue, making him look like a freshly cooked crayfish.

On the other hand, looking at Chiba Eijiro... his current state also indirectly shows the huge gap in strength between him and Aoto.

Chiba Eijiro had only a little bit of sweat on his face, his cheeks were only slightly red, and his breathing was a little rapid but not disordered.

"Have some water." Chiba Eijiro took the water Kondo handed him and smiled half-jokingly at Aoto. "The weather is getting hotter and hotter. If you don't drink water in time, you'll get heatstroke."

Getting heatstroke is the same as getting heatstroke.

Summer seems to have arrived exceptionally early this year. It's only just past May, and Qingdeng is already starting to miss the electric fans and air conditioners of his past life.

Aoto took the bamboo water bottle handed to him by Okita and drank it down in large gulps while relaxing his muscles.

Although his body was very tired... the system voice that had just flashed through his mind reduced Qingdeng's fatigue by half due to his emotional excitement.

Before the match against Chiba Eijiro began, Aoto had a greedy fantasy: could he copy the "Eternal Talent" from Chiba Eijiro?

For a genius like Chiba Eijiro, who is destined to be a genius among geniuses... it's not impossible for him to possess "eternal talent".

However, unfortunately—judging from the system voice that just rang in his mind, Qing Deng's fantasy was dashed.

However, Qing Deng did not feel too much regret.

After all, the "eternal talent" is something that cannot be repeated and can only be possessed by a very few people. Its rarity makes it impossible to encounter a holder of the "eternal talent" without being able to seek it out. It is something that can only be done by chance.

Qingdeng had prepared himself mentally beforehand.

Moreover, in terms of effectiveness, the "Gathering of Spirits" copied from Chiba Eijiro... might even be more powerful than some of the "Eternal Talents" in this world. This greatly lessened Aoto's slight disappointment at the failure of his fantasy of "obtaining a second 'Eternal Talent'".

He is far more likely to strike a mental high and maintain focus than the average person, and can maintain a state of "extremely high concentration" for a long time... Qing Deng finally understands why Chiba Eijiro was able to achieve so many dazzling accomplishments at such a young age.

Regardless of Chiba Eijiro's talent in swordsmanship, with such talent alone, it would be difficult for him not to become a great talent!

Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows what it means to be able to concentrate better and maintain a high level of mental focus for extended periods.

Therefore, in his previous life, Qingdeng had seen countless unscrupulous merchants who used the gimmick of "helping children improve their concentration" to sell all sorts of messy so-called training courses and practice methods.

Qingdeng, feeling smug about his newfound powerful talent, had a faint look of joy on his face.

Now that he has obtained "Gathering Spirit", there is no doubt that Qing Deng will have a faster learning efficiency in both literature and martial arts, and will be able to unleash stronger combat power when fighting others!

And, coincidentally...

Qing Deng had just obtained the eternal talent "Wandering Eight Banners" a few days ago, which is linked to the activation conditions and concentration of the mind. Today, he obtained "Gathering Spirit" which can improve concentration.

The coincidence and good fortune were so great that Qingdeng couldn't help but pinch his cheek to see if he was dreaming.

The system's introduction clearly states that one of the conditions for activating "Muwang Hachiman" is to achieve perfect unity of mind and spirit.

Mind and body in oneness... isn't that just another synonym for "concentrating one's mind"?

Talents can complement each other and work together to achieve a synergistic effect.

For example, "muscle strengthening" complements "leading the way," giving Qingdeng the ability to run at high speeds for extended periods.

Therefore, Qing Deng believes that "Gathering God" can also complement his "Muwang no Hachiman"!

The more Qingdeng thought about it, the more he realized what an incredible new talent he had acquired, and the smile on his lips and between his brows grew even stronger.

Just then, Chiba Eijiro suddenly called out:

“Tachibana-kun, that last-minute strike you landed on me was… excellent.” Chiba Eijiro wiped the sweat from his face with the handkerchief Kondo handed him and turned his gentle gaze back to Aoto. “Both the angle and timing of your strike were perfect.”

Chiba Eijiro pointed to his ear.

"If I'm not mistaken... you determined the direction of my attack just by sound, didn't you?"

“…Hmm.” Qing Deng didn’t hide anything and nodded almost without thinking.

Seeing that Qingdeng nodded, Okita and the others around him all showed expressions of "I knew it."

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​abandoning your eyes and relying solely on your ears to deal with my slashes?" Chiba Eijiro put the bamboo sword in his hand on the ground and cast a curious look at Aoto.

Okita and the others, along with Chiba Eijiro, focused their attention on Aoto.

Facing the gazes of everyone focused on him, Qingdeng took a deep breath and then explained calmly:

"Chiba-kun, you're too fast."

"My eyes can still barely keep up with your speed, but my body can't."

"At first, I kept thinking about how to see your movements more clearly and how to make my body keep up with my eyes."

"It was only just now that I suddenly realized that a large part of the reason why my body has not been able to keep up with your speed is probably because I insisted on using my eyes to see and capture your movements."

"The eyes are the most important organ for humans to perceive the outside world."

"While helping people see the world clearly... the eyes can also easily lead to too many 'distractions' because people see too much, slowing down the brain's thinking speed and the body's reaction speed."

"So I thought: since my eyes are useless anyway, I might as well not use them at all."

"Close your eyes, actively shut down your vision, abandon all the distractions that your eyes bring, and focus your whole mind and body on your ears, using only your hearing to feel the wind that your bamboo sword is blowing."

"In this way, my body's reaction speed might actually be able to keep up with your movement speed."

Qing Deng paused, then gave a bitter smile:

"However, as it turns out, it's easier said than done."

"After taking more than a dozen stabs from you, I only managed to defend against and counterattack your attack once."