I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

clang!

The deafening clang of metal striking metal transformed into waves of sound that shook the surrounding atmosphere.

A numbing sensation traveled along the blade, through the palm and arm, and throughout Qing Deng's entire body.

The broom handle, which had taken a heavy blow from Qing Deng, remained completely undamaged... because the broom handle was made of iron!

Qing Deng's eyes were instantly filled with astonishment.

Because the broom handle was coated with a layer of wood color, and because Tian Cangxiao's movements in wielding the broom were so effortless, no one would guess that the broom handle was actually made of solid cast iron.

An iron broom? Has this old guy been sweeping the floor here with an iron broom the whole time?

The broom handles of this length and thickness are all made of solid iron... and they weigh at least ten or twenty pounds.

Just as Qing Deng was deeply shocked by Tian Cangxiao's incredible wrist and arm strength in wielding such a heavy "iron broom" as if it were a wick, Tian Cangxiao suddenly exerted force with both arms to deflect the blade of Ding Guishen.

Immediately afterwards, the broom swung horizontally, striking Qing Deng's side.

Seeing this, Qing Deng snorted coldly, instantly regaining his composure and suppressing his shock, focusing his mind and body back on the battle before him.

Qing Deng's tall body suddenly sank down, and the Ding Guishen in his hand drew an arc, crossed the air, and struck the broom handle, neutralizing Tian Cangxiao's sweeping attack.

The next instant, Qingdeng retracted his front foot and pretended to kneel down.

Aoto's knees were almost on the ground—this was what the spectators, such as Sae and Yae, saw.

But in fact?

The truth is, Qing Deng bent his body with the action of kneeling down... like compressing a spring, instantly gathering tremendous force in his legs and waist.

The spring bursts forth—Qing Deng leaps into the air, his Ding Guishen sword, held horizontally to his right side, slicing through the air with a thin, sharp sound, and the two-finger-wide blade is drawn out in a needle-like streak of light.

The blade pointed... no, it should be said the back of the blade pointed: Tian Cangxiao's arms holding the broom.

As he leaped into the air, Qingdeng flipped his wrist, turning the Ding Guishen sword halfway around, and then facing the enemy with the back of the blade.

Although Tian Cangxiao attacked him without warning and without explanation, and each attack was heavy and vicious, Qing Deng decided after much consideration to hold back and not kill Tian Cangxiao.

There are so many things that are baffling and require someone to help clarify them.

In this environment where everything is "unknown," it's better to leave Tian Cangxiao alive—after all, if Tian Cangxiao is killed, there won't be anyone left to question.

Facing the blade whistling towards his arm, Tian Cangxiao calmly twisted his body slightly to the left. At the same time, he stepped forward and swung his broom to strike Qing Deng's waist and abdomen, who was still "flying" in the air.

With his powerful core strength, Qing Deng leaned back in mid-air.

Both of their attacks missed their target, hitting only air.

Whether it's the arm strength that swings the iron broom, which weighs ten or twenty pounds, as fast as lightning, or the agile reaction speed and precise control of the aircraft... they all point to the same fact—this old man is by no means an ordinary person who is easy to deal with!

This old guy... might be a "hidden master in plain sight" like Mr. Kiryu...!

Thinking of this, Qingdeng put away the last trace of disdain he had for the old man in front of him.

—Fine! Let's just treat it as a fight against a gunslinger wielding a short gun!

Aoto glanced at the Sae and Yae sisters not far away out of the corner of his eye—after being ambushed by Amagura Owl, it was hard for Aoto not to look at anyone in this shrine with a strange gaze.

I hope these twins won't suddenly attack me too.

With this in mind, Qing Deng scanned around Sage and Yae—one of the women had her hands folded in front of her in a quiet manner, while the other had her arms on her hips and her slender legs spread apart in a very smug manner.

Neither of the sisters intended to attack Qingdeng.

Seeing this, Qing Deng secretly breathed a sigh of relief... If he could, he wouldn't want to fight with this kind of kid. Whether he won or lost, there was nothing to be happy about.

Of course, Qingdeng remained cautious and kept a close eye on the sisters' every move.

After a brief "mental mobilization," Qingdeng's mind and body were both adjusted to a tense state of "fighting a powerful enemy."

The instant he returned to the ground from the air, Qing Deng switched his sword stance to the lower right side, holding Ding Guishen by his side, and then pounced forward like a predator, close to Tian Cangxiao's side.

The Ding Gui Shen, placed at the bottom, surged upwards like a surging torrent towards the sky, aiming for Tian Cang Xiao's chest.

Tian Cangxiao's white eyebrows twitched slightly—hidden beneath them were a pair of narrow eyes that glanced at Qing Deng's sword path. With a flick of his broom, he deflected Ding Guishen's blade.

In the blink of an eye, Tian Cangxiao suddenly pulled the broom to his chest. Seeing an opportunity, Qing Deng spread his legs wide with lightning speed, gathered all his strength, raised Ding Guishen above his head, and then chopped it down.

Although Qing Deng's attack was powerful and full of momentum, it was unfortunately blocked by Tian Cangxiao.

Not only did it deflect the attack, but it also prepared for a counterattack while defending—the instant after parrying the blade of the Ghost God, the incredibly hard broom handle slashed diagonally toward Qing Deng's right shoulder.

clang!

Qing Deng swung his sword to deflect the attack.

Tian Cangxiao relentlessly adjusted the direction of the broom handle, delivering a new blow to Qingdeng.

He was then knocked away by Qing Deng's sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...

A steel sword and an iron rod... the two objects turned into ethereal afterimages, colliding and separating in the air, colliding again and separating again... and so on.

In an instant, the flashing of swords and the flickering of spears danced between the two.

After exchanging seven blows, both men kicked up dust as they passed each other.

The two had fought so fiercely just now that the power contained in both the blade of the sword that could ward off evil spirits and the handle of the broom was not to be underestimated.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that both the old man and the young man were completely unharmed!

Neither of them managed to leave a single wound on the other... The fierce exchange of swords had ended in a draw.

Qingdeng, who brushed past Tian Cangxiao, did not run far.

After rushing forward one step, Qingdeng raised his right foot and kicked forward with brute force, forcing himself to stop.

The innate "cat turn" technique played a crucial role at this moment.

The balance granted by the "cat turn" allowed Qing Deng, who had forced himself to stop by brute force, to stabilize his body in an instant and turn to face Tian Cangxiao.

Tian Cangxiao also stopped and turned to face him almost simultaneously.

Intense clashes resume.

The two, now facing each other again, resumed their stances and launched their second round of attacks.

The tip of the sword that could ward off evil spirits whipped up a whirlwind—Qing Deng seized the initiative.

The blade flashed like a white rainbow piercing the sun, advancing towards Tian Cangxiao's body.

Without hesitation or doubt, Tian Cangxiao swung his broom to meet him.

The sword and the staff intertwined in the air once more.

The figures of Qing Deng and Tian Cang Xiao, along with the weapons in their hands, flashed across the open space in front of the palace at a dizzying speed.

A true flicker...like stars in the night sky. Sometimes ethereal as smoke, sometimes coalescing into a concrete entity.

After the sword and staff clashed two or three times, producing a series of clear sounds as they struck each other, Tian Cangxiao suddenly changed his move.

Tian Cangxiao's figure changed. He suddenly slipped and took a step back... But only for a moment, the old man changed his posture and chopped the broom down from above Qing Deng's head.

The old man's retreat just now concealed an extremely subtle and profound technique that no one outside the martial arts world could possibly see.

Taking a step back and shifting his weight and posture—these two actions were completed almost simultaneously. Furthermore, Tian Cangxiao was already preparing the momentum for his next attack as he retreated.

This set of moves sounds simple, but in practice... especially in such a fierce battle where the slightest carelessness can determine the outcome, it is extremely difficult.

The old man's strike from the top road used the strength of his legs, waist, and almost his entire body. The force and potential energy wrapped around the pole made Qing Deng dare not be careless in the slightest.

To be on the safe side, Qingdeng did not take Tian Cangxiao's attack head-on. Instead, he tilted his body to the side, flung the dust kicked up by the broom to his side, and slipped into Tian Cangxiao's blind spot.

Never let the enemy out of your sight—this is a martial arts principle that even laymen understand.

Tian Cangxiao quickly scanned his surroundings, his gaze swift and sharp as he followed Qing Deng's figure.

In just a moment, Tian Cangxiao brought Qing Deng's figure back into view... but along with it, a knife suddenly rushed towards him!

Qing Deng dragged Ding Guishen to his right side and unleashed a reverse kasaya slash from the lower right to the upper left.

The timing of this attack was undeniably ruthless—it struck precisely when Tian Cangxiao had moved into his blind spot and when Tian Cangxiao needed time to re-lock onto him!

Upon seeing this, Tian Cangxiao's slender eyes widened suddenly, and his pupils contracted slightly.

For the first time, Qingdeng saw clearly the old man's narrow eyes, which had always been hidden beneath his thick, long white eyebrows—bright, spirited, full of strength and a kind of...sharpness! There was not a trace of the cloudiness or loss of color often seen in the elderly!

Faced with Qing Deng's fierce sword that seemed to pierce the sky, Tian Cangxiao did not back down. He swung his broom and met Qing Deng head-on!

The blade, capable of slaying ghosts and gods, is raised from the lower section.

The handle of the iron broom fell down from above.

At first glance, the two weapons seemed to be of similar speed, but Qingdeng's sword, which had a slight advantage in the first move, was a little faster.

Faster speed... means accelerating the weapon earlier!

clang!

The first to accelerate to its maximum speed, Ding Guishen, swung away the broom handle and then, with its remaining momentum, struck straight at Tian Cangxiao's left shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, Tian Cangxiao let out a cold snort and his body flipped to the side like folded paper.

Although he barely managed to avoid being hit head-on by Ding Guishen, the tip of Ding Guishen's blade still grazed Tian Cangxiao's flesh.

The sensation of the knife tip touching flesh was clearly transmitted to Qing Deng's palm.

Since Tian Cangxiao launched his surprise attack, the battle, which had been at a stalemate, has finally changed – in the previous round of attack and defense, Qing Deng undoubtedly gained the upper hand.

But Tenkura Osamu, who was old but vigorous and whose skills were so sharp that he didn't look old at all, was no ordinary person.

He immediately retaliated against Qingdeng.

With a stern face, Tian Cangxiao gripped the broom handle tightly with both hands, holding it in front of him with a stance reminiscent of a mid-level kendo practitioner.

The old man's not-so-tall figure was hidden in the shadow of the pole.

In the next instant, the old man pushed off the ground with all his might from his back foot, moving forward rapidly with his feet almost touching the ground. Using the momentum of his forward charge, he swung the broom he was holding straight at him straight forward!

Tian Cangxiao's attack was truly remarkable!

With his body assisting his feet, his feet pulling his waist, his waist leading his arms, and his arms moving his wrists, Tian Cangxiao guided the power from the earth to his hands holding the broom with extremely beautiful movements!

The broom handle, like a slippery venomous snake, lunged at Qingdeng's chest... The speed of this "venomous snake's" attack was so fast that even Qingdeng, with his "eagle eyes," almost couldn't keep up with its movements.

Qingdeng had no time to dodge and could only raise the Ghost-Stabilizing Divine Staff in front of him—