I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Just as the laughter subsided, and he was about to say something to Chiba Tamon Shiro—

"Mr. Tachibana!"

A loud, energetic shout attracted the attention of Chiba Jutaro, Sanako, and others, as well as half of the dojo's students.

Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound.

“Wada.” Chiba Jutaro raised an eyebrow, looking at the unassuming man who had suddenly shouted “Mr. Tachibana,” and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Do you need to see Mr. Tachibana?”

Wada did not respond to Chiba Jutaro's question.

He stared intently at Qingdeng with piercing eyes.

"Mr. Tachibana."

He spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I have long heard of Tachibana Seito, who has performed extraordinary feats in the Magistrate's Office in recent months. He is a genius swordsman with exceptional skills."

"I have long admired your swordsmanship, and I would like to ask you for some guidance. I hope you will enlighten me!"

Hotan has a very loud voice.

Everyone in the entire No. 2 field heard his shout clearly.

In an instant, the once noisy temple became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were on Wada and Aoto, who had been asked to spar.

The gazes directed at Asahi and Wada can be mainly divided into two types.

One type is simple surprise.

For example, Yamanami Keisuke is currently looking back and forth with a surprised expression at Wada, who suddenly expressed his desire to spar with Aoto.

Another perspective... is one of schadenfreude.

Those who hold this view are all members of the "Zanako suitors' army".

“Wada.” After a brief moment of surprise, Chiba Jutaro frowned and said, “You…”

"Okay."

Chiba Jutaro had barely managed to say "you" to Wada when he was interrupted by a calm voice devoid of any emotion.

"I dare not presume to offer my guidance; let's consider this a discussion and exchange of swordsmanship."

"Huh?" The surprise that had just faded returned to Chiba Jutaro's face.

"Tachibana-kun...?" Sanako exclaimed softly in unison.

At this moment, everyone in the dojo focused their attention on the owner of the calm voice from before, namely Qing Deng.

Wada and the rest of the "Zanako suitors' group" were all stunned—none of them had expected Aoto to agree so readily.

"Tachibana-kun," Chiba Jutaro blinked a few times, "Are you really going to spar with Wada?"

Chiba Jutaro wasn't surprised that Aoto would accept Wada's challenge.

He was surprised that Qing Deng agreed so readily... with almost no hesitation.

Qing Deng smiled slightly, then, while shifting his gaze to scan the face of each apprentice in front of him, he said unhurriedly:

"Just now, I stood at the edge of the dojo watching everyone practice."

"Everyone practiced very hard, and everyone was focused on practicing their swordsmanship."

"The sight of everyone in the dojo making the most of their time makes me so eager to join in your practice, I wish I could grab a bamboo sword and join you all."

“Right now, someone wants to exchange sword techniques with me… which suits me just fine.”

After saying that, Qingdeng walked straight to the sword barrel not far away and casually picked up a bamboo sword from it...

……

……

—These people arrived really quickly…

Wearing a mask and full protective gear, Qing Deng raised his eyes and stared expressionlessly at He Tian opposite him.

The fact that Sanako's suitors launched their offensive against him so quickly... this did indeed surprise Aoto a little.

He had just returned from the restroom when these people, impatient to act on their plan, launched a relentless attack on him.

The one leading the charge, Hetian, was one of the five people Qingdeng had just eavesdropped on—that ugly guy with very thinning hair.

Oh well.

Qingdeng half-closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

Whether they arrive quickly or slowly... the things that need to be done will not change.

Qing Deng suddenly opened his eyes.

A burning light flashed in his eyes.

In fact, when he first visited the Chiba Sword Hall, Qing Deng had already vaguely realized that some people in the Chiba Sword Hall were not very friendly to him.

At first, Qing Deng thought that it was because he was an outsider and not a member of the Chiba Sword Hall that so many people had such a negative attitude towards him.

It wasn't until later that Qing Deng belatedly realized that the reason he was treated coldly by so many people at the Chiba Sword Hall was probably because of Sanako...

He realized that his relationship with Sanako was becoming too close, which had upset many of her admirers.

Aoto had long been mentally prepared for Sanako's popularity. It's no wonder that a beauty of Sanako's caliber would be secretly admired by many.

As for Sanako's secret admirers and suitors, Aoto adopted a "completely indifferent" attitude.

He allowed these people to continue to treat him with indifference.

Although he couldn't explain why, Aoto just didn't want to change his current way of getting along with Sanako because "Sanako's suitors didn't like him".

Those people don't like him... let them be unhappy!

As long as they don't cause trouble, Qingdeng won't bother with them.

Qingdeng only wanted to carry out his "keeping to themselves" strategy peacefully to the end.

However, he underestimated the malice and mobilization of the "Zanako suitors' army" towards him.

Until just now.

It wasn't until he overheard Wada and the others talking by chance that Aoto realized that Sanako's suitors were far more hostile towards him than he had anticipated!

In order to vent their anger over "Zanako being robbed", they did not hesitate to unite and vowed to use violence to make things difficult for Aoto.

These guys, blinded by jealousy, a sense of superiority, and excessive self-confidence, are coming on strong.

Now that things have come to this, Qingdeng is not particularly panicked.

He simply chose to grip the bamboo sword tightly in his hand.

Since they want to cause trouble for him... then let them come!

If he chooses to keep avoiding her, these people will only intensify their efforts to make things difficult for Qingdeng.

In that case, why not confront them head-on?

If all these people are defeated, they will likely not dare to act arrogantly in front of Qingdeng for some time to come.

Therefore, from another perspective, this is also an opportunity.

This is an opportunity to ensure that these guys will never dare to cause him trouble again.

When Qingdeng accepted Wada's challenge, he had already made up his mind to take this opportunity to completely suppress the arrogance of these people!

"Everyone's wearing protective gear, right? Then—come on in!"

Chiba Jutaro, acting as the referee, stood in the center of the dojo, raising his right arm to signal Aoto and Wada to prepare for the match.

Standing at the east and west ends of the dojo respectively, Qingdeng and Wada, each carrying a bamboo sword, slowly entered the dojo and stood in the center.

Sanako, Chiba Tamonshiro, and the other students, including Yamanami, have now stood at the edge of the dojo, making room for the fight and watching the sparring that is about to begin.

Chiba Jutaro: "Bowing!"

Qing Deng tucked the bamboo sword into his left waist, and slowly squatted down to perform a squatting salute to He Tian opposite him.

As a member of the "Zanako suitors' legion," and even a key member of it, Wada, despite being quite unhappy about "bowing to Aoto," dared not act presumptuously in front of Chiba Jutaro.

Therefore, he could only suppress his displeasure and respectfully squat down to bow to Qingdeng.

After both sides finished their greetings, slowly rose and drew their bamboo swords from their left hips. Chiba Jutaro took a deep breath and slammed his raised hand down: "Begin!"

"Waaaaaaahh ...

As soon as Chiba Jutaro finished speaking, Wada let out a powerful and impressive shout.

Wada began his stance from the middle, the tip of his sword swaying slightly in a style very characteristic of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school.

As expected of a swordsman who trained at the renowned Chiba Sword Hall and was able to practice in an "advanced" arena like Arena B.

The only word to describe the state of Hotan is "perfect".

The body is steady, and the feet are firmly planted on the ground while also exhibiting a degree of "flexibility".

This "steady yet flexible" stance allows him to maintain a stable posture while quickly switching footwork, dodging and weaving, and maintaining high mobility.

The center of gravity, the strength of the grip on the sword, the direction of the limbs... everything was impeccable.

Sanako, Chiba Tamonshiro, Yamanami, and the others who were watching from the edge of the dojo were completely unmoved by Wada's perfect stance, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

His sword-wielding stance was flawless... This kind of thing is nothing unusual at the Chiba Sword Hall.

Posing an impeccable, perfect stance is simply one of the essential skills required of all apprentices qualified to practice swordsmanship in Arena B.

Compared to Wada, who made a lot of noise and shouted loudly from the very beginning of the match, Qing Deng maintained his usual fighting style—he didn't like to make a sound and just silently held the bamboo sword steady in his hand at mid-section.

Qingdeng stood motionless in place.

Seeing that Qingdeng did not move, Wada thought of taking the initiative to launch an attack.

However... no matter how he changed his position, no matter how he used feints to deceive Qing Deng and find a suitable opportunity to attack Qing Deng.

Therefore, unable to find a good opportunity to attack Qingdeng, Wada could only stand still with a frustrated expression.

Qingdeng remained motionless, and Hotan could find no opportunity to move... The two sides stood facing each other steadily, separated by a distance of several steps.