I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"...I understand, I accept your challenge."

Qingdeng, carrying a bamboo sword, slowly walked to the riverbank, pulled up the legs of her skirt and trousers, and gently jumped into the river with a "plop".

Water droplets splashed, and the sunlight hitting the waves danced lightly along with them.

Splash... splash... splash...

Qingdeng kicked at the water beneath his feet and quickly walked towards the center of the river, towards the opposite side of Sanako.

The bamboo sword he held in his hand, hanging naturally at his side, cut through the water with each step, leaving a white trail in the clear river.

The closer you are to the center of the river, the lower the riverbed and the deeper the water.

Before long, when Qingdeng stopped to rest as he reached his destination, the babbling water had already reached his ankles and touched his calves.

A man and a woman stood facing each other across the middle of the river, separated by a distance of 3 meters.

Sanako, standing sideways, only allowed Aoto to see the right half of her body.

The blade, submerged in the river, appeared like a wisp of drifting smoke under the reflection of the water.

Sanako's feet were truly lotus feet; by modern foot sizes, they would be at most a size 36.

Such tiny feet, yet they were able to support her body and stand firm in such a swift current that could easily sweep away a mouse... This shows how profound Sanako's basic martial arts skills were and how powerful her "cat turn talent" was.

The martial arts technique was inspired by "birds hunting their prey"... Qing Deng had never encountered a similar move before.

A strong sense of the unknown enveloped Qingdeng.

After much deliberation, Qingdeng held the bamboo sword firmly in front of him in a mid-stance.

He decided to respond with the middle section, which is the least likely to go wrong.

……

Splash splash splash splash...

……

叽叽喳喳……叽叽喳喳……

……

Cicadas! Cicadas!

……

From the moment the two of them got into position, there were no more sounds in this world except for the sounds of flowing water, birdsong, and cicada chirping.

It seems like a long time has passed.

It was actually quite short-lived.

It was just another bird catching a river fish from the nearby water in a fleeting moment.

"Drink up!"

A sharp cry shattered the tranquility of the riverbank, startling countless forest birds.

That was the sound Sanako made.

Almost at the same time, Qingdeng's body also made a sound.

Because she happened to be standing upstream and was going downstream, Sanako rushed across the 3-meter gap with the speed of thunder. Her naginata blade emerged from the river as if trying to cleave the sky, drawing a straight line of water from bottom to top, heading straight for Qing Deng's shoulder!

This straight line of water, soaring out from the river with a magnificent momentum, is like a water dragon taking off and soaring into the sky!

Qingdeng's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pupils.

Sanako's strike... was incredibly powerful!

The powerful explosive force and speed caused goosebumps to erupt all over Qing Deng's body.

Qing Deng recognized it at a glance: Sanako's "Water Reversal" and Souji's "Hirakame Sanda-to" were both unique skills that ordinary people could not even learn!

In that split second, Qingdeng's "Gathering Spirit," "Eagle Eye," and "Insight" were instantly activated!

The most troublesome part of Sanako's attack was the ripples of water caused by her upward-sweeping naginata!

Under the sunlight, the water droplets, reflecting a crystalline light, were dazzling, making it difficult to discern the location and direction of the attack.

At this moment, Qingdeng has made the most of "focus" to enhance attention, "eagle eye" to enhance dynamic vision, and "seeing through" to enhance spatial awareness.

With the help of these three talents, Qing Deng, who was fully focused on "observation", managed to see the path of the naginata with an unstoppable momentum amidst the flying waves at the critical moment!

Suddenly, Qingdeng crouched down, lowering his center of gravity and leaning his upper body forward. Then, a gust of wind rose from the bamboo sword in his hand!

Under the clear sky, the wind and water are intertwined!

This fierce struggle did not last long—

Snapped--!

A huge, muffled thud drowned out all other sounds in the space.

Sanako's naginata was knocked away.

The naginata crashed heavily to the ground, leaving Sanako's entire upper body wide open!

Sanako knew she was in an extremely dangerous situation... but there was nothing she could do!

In that instant, as Qing Deng used brute force to deflect Sanako's "Water Reversal," he quickly changed the position of his blade.

The sword tip was aimed at Sanako's fair neck... and then shot out into the air!

Sanako instinctively closed her eyes tightly... but the pain did not come immediately.

This is to be expected, since it was just a friendly spar; Qing Deng would never go all out.

The tip of the bamboo sword came to a steady stop just an inch from Sanako's throat.

"Miss Sanako, you flatter me."

After speaking, Qingdeng sheathed the bamboo sword, slowly straightened his slightly hunched body, and gradually relaxed his muscles and nerves.

Qing Deng originally thought that, according to the agreement he had made earlier, he would win the contest after successfully taking down Sanako's "Water Reversal".

But unexpectedly, a strange change occurred.

Sanako, with her beautiful eyes wide open, stared straight at Aoto with a gaze that seemed unfocused.

This gaze, seemingly without a specific focus, appeared to be looking at Qingdeng, yet also as if it were looking at something much more distant.

Surprise, bewilderment, resentment... these emotions surged onto Sanako's pretty face.

When Aoto noticed Sanako's unusual behavior, Sanako lowered her eyes and head—

"Tachibana-kun...please have another match with me!"

The voice sounded like it was being forced out of the throat, and was slightly hoarse.

After he finished speaking, the whistling naginata once again filled Aoto's field of vision.

"Hmm? Miss Sanako, wait..."

There was no time to finish speaking—because if he didn't quickly begin to defend himself, Sanako's naginata would strike Aoto's body.

Left with no other choice, Qingdeng had to pick up his bamboo sword again.

Downward slashes, upward thrusts, horizontal cuts... Sanako kicked and pounded the river, unleashing a torrent of fierce attacks on Aoto, seemingly unwilling to give either her opponent or herself a chance to breathe.

In this unexpected second match, Qing Deng did not launch a counterattack, but only focused on defense and dodging.

The reason for this is not because Qingdeng is tired or can't play anymore.

It's not that this so-called "second sparring match" was a real fight... it was just Sanako venting her emotions one-sidedly!

Sanako's attacks looked fierce, but even a layman who knew nothing about martial arts could clearly feel that Sanako's sword technique... no, every single movement was chaotic and disorderly!

If in the previous sparring match, Sanako's every move, whether offensive or defensive, was like a series of neatly arranged "parallel lines"... then all of Sanako's actions now are like winding "curves".

Sanako launched a relentless and frantic attack... These chaotic "curves" together formed a tangled "ball of yarn".

These chaotic movements can hardly be called "martial arts".

There's absolutely no need to continue this kind of competition.

"Miss Sanako!"

During a lull in his defense against Sanako's "frenzied onslaught," Qing Deng shouted loudly to Sanako.

"Calm down! The way you're acting, this isn't a martial arts competition anymore!"

Despite Qing Deng's earnest and persuasive words, Sanako remained deaf to his pleas.

If a third party were to witness this contest, they would see a bizarre sight: a man and a woman engaged in a cat-and-mouse chase on the river, the man dodging and the woman pursuing, neither caring that their clothes were getting soaked by the river.

Aoto gradually realized that simple words alone were no longer enough to calm Sanako down.

If they continue to let Sanako act recklessly like this, putting aside his own safety, Aoto is mainly worried that Sanako will hurt him.

—First, try to remove the naginata from Sanako's hand!

Having made up his mind, Qingdeng took a deep breath, and his body and mind instantly switched back to "battle mode".

He stepped half a step to the side, avoiding direct confrontation with Sanako, and positioned himself diagonally in front of her.

call!

Sanako thrust her naginata at Aoto like a spear.

This chaotic and disorganized movement... there's absolutely no reason why it can't be blocked!

Snapped!

Qing Deng pushed the bamboo sword forward, the blade drawing a semi-circle in the air and striking the side of the naginata, forcefully knocking it away.

Sanako is currently in a very strange state; she has lost her usual agility and nimbleness.

In the brief moment that she sluggishly brought the naginata back to her front, Qing Deng seized the opportunity to stride forward!

As he flashed in front of Sanako, he loosened his right hand, threw away the bamboo sword in his palm, and then stretched out both palms, using his left hand to restrain Sanako's right wrist and his right hand to grab Sanako's left shoulder.

"Miss Sanako! Please calm down!"

Qing Deng originally intended to use grappling techniques to disarm Sanako.

But to everyone's surprise, Sanako unleashed a tremendous force that seemed to come from nowhere.