I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Wow~"

Despite receiving a stern warning from Aoto, Shimazaki showed no displeasure whatsoever.

He chuckled softly... I don't know what he was laughing about.

Shigeru Tokuyama, who was standing to the side, chuckled and smiled.

Just then—

"Time is up."

The voice of the young man who had led Qing Deng here came from outside the room.

"The martial arts demonstration is about to begin. Mr. Tachibana, please follow me."

……

……

Edo, Edo Castle, Hakushoin—

Qingdeng, fully equipped with protective gear, stood in a corner of Baishu Academy, holding a bamboo sword.

On the north side of the White Book Institute, a thick curtain had appeared—Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, and some of the attendants were all seated behind this curtain.

Those outside the curtain could not see what was happening inside.

Conversely, the person inside the curtain probably wouldn't be able to see the view outside clearly either.

Seeing this, Qing Deng felt very strange—how could Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, sitting behind such a curtain, still see the duel clearly?

Just as Qing Deng was beginning to have doubts about this, his first opponent took the stage.

Shimazaki Hajime, Tokuyama Shigeru, and the others are all sitting on the east side of the White Academy, ready to face off against Aoto at any time.

The referee was an elderly man named Honda Yutaka.

The impromptu martial arts demonstration proceeded quickly, without any superfluous opening remarks. After the old referee appeared, he simply mentioned the rules and the conditions for victory or defeat, and then loudly shouted, "Please both sides bow."

Qingdeng and his number one opponent both gripped their bamboo swords and performed a squatting salute.

"The competition begins!"

call!

As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, opponent number 1 suddenly swung his knife at Qing Deng's face.

Although the speed was fast... it was not as fast as Qingdeng's reaction!

Qingdeng deflected his sword with lightning speed.

Seeing that his attack had missed, the man quickly retreated two steps, widening the distance between himself and Qingdeng.

*******

*******

Suddenly I realized:

Please vote for me! Please recommend me! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Chapter 251 Copying the Talents [Emperor's Art] and [Many Children, Many Blessings]! [6000]

Light arms, agile footwork, steady stance...

—Your skills are alright…

While silently giving his opponent a brief assessment, Qing Deng slowly gathered the bamboo sword in his hand in front of him, assuming a mid-section stance.

To onlookers, the difference in strength between the two sides became immediately apparent the moment Qingdeng set up his bamboo sword.

If the No. 1 opponent's stance is like a "stone", then Qingdeng's stance is like a "mountain"!

Even those watching from the sidelines could clearly feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from Qing Deng, let alone Qing Deng's opponent.

The opponent's mentality is acceptable.

Even though he realized that his opponent was extremely difficult to deal with and that his chances of winning this battle were slim, he did not show the slightest panic.

He was extremely cautious in every movement he made.

The tip of the sword twitched slightly up and down.

He shifted his feet back and forth repeatedly.

His eyes were fixed on Qingdeng's every move without blinking.

Qing Deng's actions were equally cautious.

But unlike his opponent, he didn't keep flicking the sword tip or shifting his feet; instead, he remained firmly planted on the ground as if his feet were rooted to the ground.

Despite his obvious superior strength compared to his opponent, Aoto still adopted such a cautious fighting style. This action of Aoto's earned unanimous praise from the spectators, including Shimazaki Hajime and Tokuyama Shigeru. They thought Aoto was the kind of person who would "use all his strength even when hunting a rabbit."

"Truly a swordsman who can survive mountains of corpses and seas of blood." Shimazaki nodded, murmuring with a smile, "No matter who the opponent is, never underestimate them..."

Unaware that he had once again established a persona of "composed fighting style" in front of others, what was Qing Deng thinking right now?

—It's been about 10 seconds, hasn't it...?

He was silently counting down the 10 seconds it would take to replicate the talent...

In the blink of an eye, this tense standoff, where the two were locked in a staring contest, came to an end as the opponent's actions suddenly changed.

The opponent, as if unable to contain himself, charged forward rapidly. With his feet never leaving the ground, he glided silently and swiftly approached Qingdeng, then slashed fiercely at Qingdeng's left shoulder.

With a crisp sound of bamboo swords clashing, the opponent's attack was blocked.

This time, Qingdeng did not let his opponent escape.

The instant he deflected the attack, Qingdeng switched from defense to offense with lightning speed, slashing horizontally with his sword and striking his opponent's body.

On the last day of the fireworks festival... three days ago, Aoto copied a new talent from that madman named Tada Kōemon: Tiger Arm, which has the effect of "extraordinary arm explosive power".

With his extraordinary leg explosiveness, "leading the way," and his extraordinary waist explosiveness, "bear waist," plus the newly acquired "tiger arms," ​​Qing Deng's weakness of "insufficient arm strength" has been completely overcome.

Now, Qingdeng has become a veritable "spring man" - from his lower limbs to his waist and arms, every muscle is like it has springs in it, with explosive power!

Just like Souji. Although he is not particularly muscular, he possesses a formidable strength that is disproportionate to his physique.

Thanks to the "Tiger's Arm," Qingdeng's martial arts skills have increased significantly.

The increased explosive power of his arms has made his slashes more powerful and faster than before.

Because he had only recently acquired this new talent, Qingdeng was not yet used to this "new body"... and accidentally used a little too much force.

The opponent was knocked away and flew four steps to the side before landing.

There was complete silence in my mind... no system notification, no copying of my talent.

He looked like he'd been badly beaten, but because he was wearing protective gear, he was mostly unharmed. His opponent quickly got up from the tatami mat.

Completely defeated by Qing Deng's sword... yet this person showed not a trace of resentment or unwillingness at being defeated.

After saying "Thank you for your guidance" to Qingdeng in a calm tone, he picked up his bamboo sword and left the arena...

……

The next opponent is on the field.

As soon as the second opponent entered the fray, his bamboo sword became tightly entangled with Qing Deng's bamboo sword.

This man's fighting style was extremely fierce. He clung to Qingdeng like a piece of chewing gum, relentlessly pursuing and attacking him like a mad dog.

Faced with the opponent's fierce attack, Qingdeng adopted a strategy of complete defense, waiting for 10 seconds to pass while wearing down the opponent's strength and momentum.

Before long, the opponent's offensive gradually slowed down due to exhaustion and lack of arm strength.

Qingdeng seized the opportunity and decisively flicked his bamboo sword upwards, creating a whirlwind that deflected his opponent's sword, instantly opening his opponent's defenses wide open.

The next instant, the opponent fell to the ground in a disheveled state, stabbed in the chest.

The system notification still didn't sound in my mind...

……

Compared to the first two, the third opponent's playing style was much more stable.

Instead of launching a quick attack on Qingdeng, he first steadied his blade and carefully observed Qingdeng's movements and posture.

However, Qing Deng's stance with his knife remained perfectly still and flawless. No matter how much he scrutinized every part of Qing Deng's body, he could not find the slightest opportunity to attack.

Left with no other choice, he could only resort to various tricks to lure Qingdeng into making a move, in order to find out Qingdeng's weakness.

He suddenly took a large step forward, but then retreated back to his original position, as if he wanted to go forward but then stopped.

Qingdeng didn't have that much patience to let this person dawdle here.

After counting to 10, Qingdeng rushed towards his opponent like a whirlwind, slashing his hand with his sword and knocking his bamboo sword away.

Still no system notification...

……

When the fourth opponent first entered the fray, he adopted a "low stance".

Perhaps realizing that the "lower stance" alone would not be enough to launch a threatening attack on Qing Deng, he thought for a moment and then raised his sword, preparing to unleash a powerful "upper stance".

In the instant he raised his bamboo sword, Qing Deng suddenly took a big step forward, closing the distance between them in one breath, and slashed at his mask with his sword.

System sound... None.

……

……

A new opponent enters the arena, only to be sent off by Qing Deng Ru Tang Wo Xue Di (a type of hot spring bath), then another new opponent enters, only to be sent off by Qing Deng Ru Tang Wo Xue Di (another type of hot spring bath)... This "Imperial Martial Arts Competition" proceeds steadily in this rhythm.

After effortlessly defeating the 8th person, Qing Deng finally couldn't contain his emotions and frowned.

—These guys… their skills are all pretty average…

So far, they have not only failed to encounter a single formidable opponent, but have also failed to replicate any of their talents.

This left Aoto, who had always thought he could broaden his horizons, that the renowned "Third Division" members possessed impressive skills, and that he could learn some new talents from them, utterly astonished.

Are all the real masters of the "Third Division" not here? Or are these people already considered top-tier fighters in the "Third Division"?