I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

One of the reasons why Qing Deng dared to rely solely on his hearing to deal with Chiba Eijiro's slashes was that he had recently acquired a talent that enhanced his hearing: "The Sensitive of the Wind".

Without this talent, Qing Deng might not have dared to use such a bold tactic in the battle just now.

After hearing Qingdeng's explanation, the people around him showed completely different expressions.

Kondo, Nagakura, Saito, and Harada all looked surprised and thoughtful.

Only Chiba Eijiro, Shusuke, and Okita remained calm... It was as if the three of them had already anticipated why Aoto had made the bold move of closing his eyes during the previous contest.

Chiba Eijiro nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips: "Although you only managed to block and counterattack one of my attacks, you still managed to succeed."

Chiba Eijiro lowered his gaze and looked at the spot where he had just been stabbed.

“Willing to give up one’s eyes… While that might be a bit too bold, depending on the circumstances, in certain situations it might actually be a surprising and effective way to defeat the enemy.”

"Tachibana-kun, you are much more outstanding than I expected."

"Being able to boldly formulate and change tactics based on different situations during battle."

"This is a very rare talent."

Chiba Eijiro's sudden and direct praise startled Aoto.

Unaccustomed to hearing such direct praise, Qingdeng felt flattered and humbly replied, "Thank you for the compliment" and "I don't deserve it."

"It's a bit of a pity." Chiba Eijiro twisted his right wrist, raised the bamboo sword that was resting on the floor, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He grabbed his hair with his left hand and a hint of shock flashed in his eyes. "Until the very end, I didn't see your 'momentum'."

"Never mind though."

Chiba Eijiro paused, then lowered his gaze, smiling as he looked at Aoto opposite him. His lips moved, and he murmured in a voice only he could hear:

"Although we didn't see any 'momentum,' we still gained a lot..."

"Mr. Chiba!"

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed in the air above the temple.

It was Yongcang's voice.

Nagakura's towering, strong body swayed for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, he stood quickly in front of Chiba Eijiro.

Before Chiba Eijiro could ask why, Nagakura said in a respectful, deep voice:

"Mr. Chiba, I... ah, no, may I humbly request your guidance?"

"Oh?" Chiba Eijiro raised an eyebrow. "You want to have a match with me?"

Nagakura's eyes were burning with a fiery light—just like Aoto's had been just now.

"I had already heard of your great name before I even left my hometown, and I have long admired your strength!"

"I really want to experience firsthand just how far I am from being a true master!"

"All you need is a match with me!"

"I hope you will grant my request!"

After saying that, Nagakura bent his broad back and bowed respectfully at a 90-degree angle to Chiba Eijiro.

Yongcang's sudden invitation to spar caught Qingdeng and the others off guard.

He is straightforward, speaks his mind, and acts decisively... very much like the headstrong and impulsive character of Nagakura.

Perhaps it was the fierce battle between Aoto and Chiba Eijiro that ignited his warrior spirit, for Nagakura's face clearly showed that he wanted to have a match with Chiba Eijiro as well.

Chiba Eijiro raised his gaze, glanced at Nagakura Shinpachi, who was a head taller than him, a few times, and then smiled slightly:

"Nice eyes."

Chiba Eijiro put down the bamboo sword he had been carrying on his shoulder.

"Alright, then let's have a match."

A look of utter ecstasy spread across Nagakura's cheeks: "I am so grateful!"

At that moment, a baritone voice, seemingly devoid of any emotion, suddenly rang out.

The baritone voice seemed to possess some kind of magic, causing Qing Deng and the others to slightly change their expressions.

"...Mr. Chiba, would you mind having a match with me?"

The owner of that baritone voice... Saito, stared intently at Chiba Eijiro.

"I also really want to experience firsthand how much I still lack compared to the strongest swordsman in Edo."

"Please grant my request, Mr. Chiba."

Saito remained expressionless as always.

But in his eyes, a fighting spirit like flames could be faintly seen.

Aoto and the others... were all staring at Saito in astonishment.

Their actions were not due to Saito, following in the footsteps of Nagakura, also pleading with Chiba Eijiro for guidance, nor were they because Saito's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.

"Saito." Harada stared blankly at Saito, his eyes wide and mouth agape, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable. "You can actually say so much in one breath?"

Of all those present, Aoto was the one with the longest-standing relationship with Saito—and he was also shocked by how much Saito had said in one breath.

When was the last time Saito spoke so much in one go?

Rather, did Saito ever say that many words in one breath before?

Faced with Harada's questioning, Saito glanced at him indifferently: "I have a tongue, of course I can say so much in one breath."

It was a short but convincing answer... Harada, whose mind wasn't working well, gave a "Ah, that's true" look.

Saito said in a serious tone, "I have a tongue myself"... For some reason, this gave Aoto and the others a strange sense of absurdity.

Chiba Eijiro, who was unfamiliar with Saito's taciturn nature and did not quite understand why Aoto and the others reacted so strongly to Saito's opening remarks, generously shared his gentle smile with Saito as well.

"You want to have a match with me too... Alright then."

"Then let's line up and take our time, one at a time."

After saying that, Chiba Eijiro put the mask he had just taken off back on his head.

……

……

The positions have been reversed.

Aoto, who had just been on the stage sparring with Chiba Eijiro, was now sitting on the edge of the dojo watching the match.

Nagakura and the others, who had been sitting on the edge of the dojo watching the battle, stepped onto the dojo floor to fight Chiba Eijiro.

Nagakura, who was the first to take the stage, launched a fierce attack on Chiba Eijiro right at the start of the match.

With an extremely robust physique, Nagakura uses the Shinto Munen-ryu style, which emphasizes overwhelming the opponent's momentum and power. Due to his personality, he also prefers head-on attacks. He is currently the person with the highest attack power in the entire Shieikan.

Qingdeng always felt that weapons like axes and clubs might be more suitable for "power-type swordsmen" like Yongcang, whose attack power is maxed out and whose fighting style is quite violent.

However, no matter how strong you are, it's all for nothing if you can't hit your opponent.

No matter how hard Nagakura swung his sword, until he was exhausted and surrendered, his bamboo sword never touched Chiba Eijiro.

The second to enter the arena was Saito, who was the opposite of Nagakura but the same type of "speed and skill-based swordsman" as Chiba Eijiro.

Because he studied the Mugae-ryu school, which focuses on how to kill efficiently, Saito's fighting style is "to slash the enemy's vitals in the fastest and most effortless way."

Thus, the contest between Saito and Chiba Eijiro presented Aoto and the others with a clash of speed.

The two figures left afterimages on the training ground as they exchanged blows, their sword shadows flashing rapidly.

However... despite the seemingly intense fight with Chiba Eijiro, the result was almost identical to that of Aoto and Nagakura—he was thoroughly suppressed, and until the end of the contest, his sword did not even touch Chiba Eijiro once.

Following Saito, Harada, who was itching to watch the battle, picked up a wooden spear and expressed his desire to ask Chiba Eijiro for guidance. Chiba Eijiro, whether in a good mood or for some other reason, generously agreed.

Even when facing the spear, the king of weapons whose attack range is several times that of swords, Chiba Eijiro still displayed kingly strength.

Harada's attack and defense range was practically nonexistent for Chiba Eijiro.

Chiba Eijiro could easily rush to Harada's side, and Harada's spear could not stop Chiba Eijiro no matter what he did.

And so, Harada followed in Nagakura's footsteps, failing to even touch Chiba Eijiro.

After Harada was defeated, everyone except Shusuke, Kondo, and Okita had stepped forward to fight Chiba Eijiro. Judging from the final result... Aoto had the best results - at least Aoto managed to hit Chiba Eijiro once by "listening to the sound", while Nagakura and the others couldn't even touch Chiba Eijiro...

After a series of fierce battles against Aoto, Nagakura, Saito, and Harada, Chiba Eijiro finally showed obvious signs of fatigue.

He took off his mask, revealing a face covered in sweat, and his breathing was no longer steady.

"Alright, I'm out of energy to fight anymore. Let's end the match here."

Chiba Eijiro turned his head and half-jokingly said to Shusuke, Kondo, and Okita, who hadn't yet competed against him:

"Don't you dare tell me you want to compete with me."

Kondo shrugged and let out a soft laugh tinged with helplessness: "We won't fight you."

"After all, we already knew how big the gap was between us and you a long time ago."

Nagakura and the others, who had just suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Chiba Eijiro, were now looking at Chiba Eijiro with an almost awe-inspiring gaze.

He took turns fighting them and completely suppressed them, leaving them with no chance to fight back... Such strength is truly admirable!

At this moment, Qing Deng couldn't help but look at Chiba Eijiro with admiration.

Different perspectives lead to different views of the world.

Sitting on the edge of the dojo, watching the battle between Chiba Eijiro and Nagakura, Aoto's perspective shifted from "participant" to "observer." He then noticed many things he hadn't noticed during his own match with Chiba Eijiro.

For example, after switching the perspective to that of an "observer," Aoto realized just how masterful Chiba Eijiro's grasp of distance truly was.

Whether on offense or defense, Chiba Eijiro's distance control was always just right.

When attacking, one should step precisely into a position where one's bamboo sword can effectively strike the opponent.

When dodging, you can precisely dodge the opponent's attack with exactly the right amount of displacement, neither too much nor too little.

Just this ability to gauge the distance between oneself and one's opponent is enough for Qing Deng and his team to ponder and learn for a long time...

Qingdeng silently thought to himself:

—The strongest swordsman in Edo… that title is truly well-deserved…

"Hiss... What a complete defeat."