I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

If it's the former, then so be it.

If it's the latter... then Qing Deng seriously doubts whether the "Third Division" has the fighting strength to fight a tough battle.

If it were merely a matter of poor strength, that would be one thing. Qing Deng wouldn't feel that disappointed.

So far, Qing Deng has fought against eight members of the "Third Division" and has conducted a detailed observation of them. In Qing Deng's eyes, the biggest problem with these people is their "attitude".

These guys... all gave Qingdeng the feeling that they had a very negative mindset.

It's not that they weren't aggressive when they played against Qingdeng.

On the contrary—they all played very hard and aggressively. Qing Deng could feel that everyone was giving it their all, and no one was slacking off.

But after being defeated by Qingdeng, none of them showed any resentment or blame for not being stronger.

They all had a cold, indifferent attitude: "Winning would be great, but losing doesn't matter..."

Not feeling resentment or shame for one's defeat and weakness... to be honest, such a mentality is more terrifying than being weak.

Just as Qing Deng was mentally recounting the terrible performance of the "Third Division", he suddenly heard footsteps approaching in front of him - the 9th opponent was entering the arena.

He looked up and saw Tokuyama Shigeru, the same person he had spoken to earlier at the Chrysanthemum Room.

Aoto glanced at Tokuyama Shigeru before him, then at Shimazaki Hajime, who knelt alone on the east side of the room, waiting to go on stage, and thought to himself:

—That's strange... Why is it that everyone I've fought can't stay in the room for long...?

Everyone who had competed against Qingdeng would leave the room under the guidance of a designated person after the match... for reasons unknown.

Qingdeng noticed the expressions on the faces of those leaving—they all looked bewildered.

They probably didn't understand why they were immediately kicked out of the room as soon as the competition ended.

Currently, 8 out of 10 opponents have left, and the first 8 competitors have all departed. The only remaining ones are Shimazaki Hajime and Tokuyama Shigeru, who have not yet competed against Aoto and had a brief exchange with him before the martial arts competition began.

Shigeru Tokuyama stood seven steps away from Aoto, his steps firm and powerful.

He gracefully set up his bamboo sword, raised his head high, and proclaimed:

"Mr. Ju, please enlighten me!"

The sound was loud and clear, with a powerful and resonant tone.

Qing Deng's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his gaze sharpened.

The spirit and energy revealed in Shigeru Tokuyama's shout... were unlike any of his previous opponents!

—Looks like we've finally found someone decent…

A faint smile unconsciously crept onto Qingdeng's lips as he focused his mind and steadyed his bamboo sword.

"Hey!"

Deshan Mao focused his energy in his dantian, took a step forward, and launched a preemptive attack.

The bamboo sword, swung from the middle, whistled through the air as it fiercely attacked Qing Deng's face—his ambition was considerable, choosing this vital spot as his first target.

Qing Deng nimbly moved backward and knocked away Tokuyama Shigeru's bamboo sword.

As if scalded by boiling water, Tokuyama Shigeru took a quick half-step back with his bamboo sword that was almost knocked away. After swiftly adjusting the direction of his body and the blade, he let out a shout and then slashed down with an extremely sharp blade once again.

Shigeru Tokuyama was 25cm shorter than Aoto and much thinner.

The stark contrast in their physical differences made him, as he was attacking Qingdeng, seem like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

However, Shigeru Tokuyama was not intimidated in the slightest.

He fearlessly engaged in a fierce battle with Qingdeng, launching a relentless and relentless offensive that seemed intent on overwhelming Qingdeng.

Loud shouts emanating from the dantian and the crisp sound of bamboo swords clashing rose and fell in waves.

Adopting a defensive stance, Qing Deng used dazzling sword skills and nimble footwork to counter Tokuyama Shigeru's attacks, while casting admiring glances at his opponent.

In terms of skill, Tokuyama Shigeru was by no means superior. At least six of the opponents Aoto had just faced were stronger than Tokuyama Shigeru.

But Shigeru Tokuyama possessed something that none of the previous eight had—a single-minded determination to win!

Only someone who is single-mindedly eager for victory and to defeat the enemy before them can unleash such a powerful and oppressive strike.

The longer Qingdeng practiced martial arts and the more arduous and bloody battles he experienced, the more he felt that momentum was very important when fighting others!

As long as one possesses an indomitable spirit, unafraid of injury or death, even if one's strength is far inferior to that of the opponent, there is still a chance to create a feat of defeating the strong with the weak.

With this high-spirited momentum, despite his lack of strength, Tokuyama Shigeru exerted a greater sense of pressure and threat on Aoto than any opponent he had just encountered.

Judging from his voice, Shigeru Tokuyama should be quite young.

Although he already possesses the deep, resonant tone characteristic of an adult male, his voice still retains a distinctly childish quality.

She is probably around 13 or 4 years old.

It was a bit too much of an advantage to let an adult male like Qing Deng fight against a young boy like him—but in just a short while, the weakness of Tokuyama Shigeru's young age became apparent.

"Ha...ha...haah..."

Compared to Aoto's effortless defense, Tokuyama's offense gradually showed signs of fatigue.

My breathing became erratic... In order to ensure oxygen supply, I had to open my mouth wide and greedily inhale the air around my lips.

Although the offensive was still maintained, the speed at which the bamboo sword was thrown had obviously slowed down.

Qingdeng, who had been quietly accumulating strength and waiting for the best opportunity to counterattack, was waiting for this moment.

Aoto paused for a step, then pounced forward swiftly and silently like a beast hunting its prey, his bamboo sword striking Tokuyama Shigeru's side with a loud thud.

With a muffled cry, Tokuyama Shigeru, who had been stabbed in the left abdomen, then reflexively struck back, aiming for Aoto's chest, intending to take Aoto down with him.

If the battle between the two were not a bamboo sword sparring match, but a real sword duel, then if Tokuyama Shigeru's counterattack landed, it could seriously injure Aoto, and if he was lucky, it could even take Aoto to the underworld with him.

Having seen through Tokuyama Shigeru's intentions, Qing Deng calmly turned his upper body to the side, dodging the bamboo sword that was heading straight for his chest. He then rushed forward, flashed behind Tokuyama Shigeru, and then turned around, using the centrifugal force generated by his body rotation to deliver a second blow to Tokuyama Shigeru's body.

This time, Qing Deng used significantly more force.

The bamboo sword that struck Tokuyama Shigeru squarely on the back knocked the surprisingly light-weight young man to the ground.

"Thank you for the concession." Qing Deng flicked his wrist and habitually swung his sword, Blood Vibration.

"Hahaha..." Tokuyama Shigeru scrambled to his feet off the tatami mat, giving Aoto a bitter smile: "What a frustrating defeat... I didn't even see your swordplay or movements before I was knocked to the ground..."

Despite saying that, Shigeru Tokuyama frankly admitted his defeat.

He bowed very politely to Aoto and said "Thank you for your guidance," then picked up his bamboo sword and retreated off the field, returning to Shimazaki's side. Strangely enough, Tokuyama Shigeru was not forcibly removed from the room after his match with Aoto, unlike the others before him.

At the very moment Shigeru Tokuyama left the stage—

[Ding! Talent detected]

The system notification, which hadn't been heard in my mind since the start of the imperial martial arts competition, finally arrived.

[Successfully replicated talent: "The Art of the Emperor"]

[Talent Introduction: Exceptional control over facial muscles]

Qingdeng's expression suddenly froze. After shouting "What the hell?" in his mind, he quickly opened the system interface to check his talent list.

At the very end of the list, a new talent with a very imposing name appeared: Emperor's Art!

Facial muscles? Emperor?

Qingdeng, looking dazed, blinked a few times.

Whether powerful or subtle, Qing Deng has seen quite a variety of talents.

But this was the first time he had ever seen such a strangely named talent.

Facial muscle control... Why is a talent that enhances facial muscle control given such a powerful name?

Just as Qing Deng was dumbfounded and pondering—

"Aha! It's finally my turn!"

Shimazaki, dragging his bamboo sword, eagerly stomped along the hem of his kendo uniform, running "pat-pat" towards Aoto.

"It's finally my turn! Shigenryu, Shimazaki Hajime, reporting for duty!"

The duel wasn't over yet... Qing Deng, who had to pull his mind and attention back from his strange new talent, raised an eyebrow at Shimazaki.

"Showstream?"

"What? Is it strange that the swordsmanship I use is the Jigenryu style?"

Qingdeng shook his head: "I rarely see swordsmen who use the Shigenryu style, so I find it rather rare."

"Oh, I see... Then you might be disappointed later." Shimazaki chuckled a few times. "My demonstration style... is still far from perfect. I might not be able to let you truly witness the true splendor and power of the demonstration style."

After speaking, Shimazaki cleared his throat forcefully.

Then--

"Awoooo ...

Shimazaki ran up to Aoto and slashed down hard with the bamboo sword he was holding with his right hand. As soon as he made the strike, Aoto immediately showed a look of great shock!

In a flash, Qing Deng quickly moved sideways, dodging Shimazaki's sword.

"Awoooo ...

Shimazaki shouted again and took half a step forward. As he closed in on Aoto again, the bamboo sword in his hand arced back to the upper right of Aoto's head.

The sword tip paused for a moment, then the blade whistled through the air as it slashed down!

Looking at the bamboo sword that was attacking again, Qing Deng's astonishment deepened.

Qing Deng moved to the side again, dodging Shimazaki's attack.

Then Shimazaki caught up again.

Like a cat chasing a mouse—Aoto dodges, Shimazaki chases after him and attacks, Aoto dodges again, Shimazaki chases after him and attacks again… The two of them keep repeating this rhythm of attack and defense.

Basically, with each swing of Shimazaki's sword, Aoto's expression of astonishment would grow a little more.

One wave of the sword startled him; another wave brought another startling sound.

After dodging Shimazaki's attack once again, Aoto finally couldn't contain his emotions and shouted in his heart:

—That's some seriously bad skill!

When Shimazaki said that his Jigenryu was still far from perfect, Aoto thought he was just being polite and modest... but he didn't expect that he was telling the truth!