I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After pursing her lips and remaining silent for a moment, Yae finally spoke again.

"...It's truly remarkable that he could achieve this level of skill on his first attempt at jumping over the stakes."

"When my sister and I first practiced jumping over the stakes, it took a lot of effort just to stand firmly on the stakes."

"Although I am somewhat unwilling... I will still say this honestly: junior, your talent is so high, you are truly a good candidate for cultivating the Cloud Flow technique."

"but--"

As Yae abruptly changed the subject, she put her feet together, straightened her back, and tried her best to look serious and earnest.

"Your movements still have many areas for improvement!"

"To be honest, no matter how well you jump from the stake, it's nothing special! It's just the basic skill of the Cloud Flow Footwork!"

Even if you can move swiftly across this forest of stumps, it only means that you've finally mastered the basics!

"The ultimate goal of the Cloud Flow Footwork is to give practitioners the agility to move flexibly on complex terrains such as rooftops and high walls, not to make you good at jumping on wooden stakes!"

"There's still a lot of training ahead for you! Don't get too cocky just because I praised you!"

Seeing Yae's earnest and persuasive manner, Qing Deng couldn't help but chuckle.

It must be said that Yae's manner of fearing that praising his disciple too much would make the disciple complacent and arrogant, and thus quickly adding a few harsh words, truly reflects the demeanor of a teacher who imparts knowledge and resolves doubts.

Yae's worries were completely unfounded.

Qingdeng was not an arrogant or conceited person.

Moreover, since his transmigration, Qing Deng has encountered far too many martial arts masters.

Despite his advanced age, Kondo Shusuke still commands considerable influence.

I haven't seen him make a move yet, but I imagine he still retains much of the imposing presence he had in his youth.

Chiba Eijiro was the undisputed leader in Edo, whose overwhelming talent and skill surpassed that of his peers and many seniors.

Although not as strong as his second brother, Chiba Dosaburo held an extraordinary position in the Edo swordsmanship world due to his dual-sword style and his talent for "ambidextrous fighting".

Kiryu, whose swordsmanship is unfathomable, and whose true strength remains a mystery even now...

Having witnessed too many martial arts masters whom he could not yet match, Qing Deng had absolutely no... or rather, dared not have any reason to be proud or complacent about his own strength.

Qing Deng smiled slightly at Yae:

"Don't worry, senior. I'm not so proud or arrogant as to be proud of this small achievement."

"Ah."

Yae nodded slightly, put her left hand on her hip, raised her right hand to form a jitte, pointed to the forest of stumps beside her, and adopted a mature and sophisticated tone that was completely incongruous with her loli appearance.

"So good."

"Junior, let me remind you one more time."

"Although Cloud Flow is the 'official ninjutsu' of our new Oniwaban, only the core members who are highly regarded are qualified to learn it."

“Generally speaking, newcomers like you who have only recently joined us are not qualified to have contact with Yunliu.”

"As a result, Lord Yu Du, contrary to his usual behavior, specifically told us at noon today: 'You must be taught the Cloud Flow technique as quickly as possible.'"

"This shows how highly Lord Yudu regards you."

"So you must cultivate diligently and not let down Lord Yu Du's painstaking efforts and... my sister and I's expectations for you!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng's eyes twitched slightly.

Tenshōin actually said such things to Sae and the others... This surprised Aōdō somewhat.

"Alright! Follow me!"

With a loud shout, Ba Chong strode confidently into the depths of the stump forest.

"Let me correct the parts you didn't do well, one by one!"

……

……

The footwork training lasted for about half an hour.

"Iron Lungs" and "Strong Muscles +1" transformed Qingdeng into a physical monster who possessed both excellent cardiopulmonary function and muscular endurance.

Even someone as physically fit as Qingdeng couldn't help but feel short of breath and his legs ached after half an hour of intense training.

My lower back is fine, even though it's the part that's used most often in footwork training. Apart from some fatigue, there's nothing else wrong with it—it must be the "iron waist" that's working.

"Junior, you have good stamina."

Yae held the bear in his arms, still clutching the jitte that he used as a baton.

"Not only did he persevere through the entire training process, but he also never complained."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Qing Deng, who was half-squatting on the ground massaging his leg muscles, smiled at Yae and then bowed slightly to the grumpy little girl, "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Qingdeng's words of thanks came from the bottom of his heart.

Yazao's teaching level and attitude... especially the latter, are impeccable.

Despite Yae always putting on a fierce look, if Qing Deng didn't do something right, she would immediately scold him harshly and often raise her ten hands high as if to hit him, but she was just putting on an act.

Because of her petite stature, cute appearance, and soft voice, Yae's scolding has no power at all; it's not scary or frightening at all.

And the ten hands in her hand never landed on Qing Deng.

Thanks to Yae's meticulous instruction, Qing Deng benefited greatly from the practice during the half hour.

If Qingdeng and his younger self from half an hour ago were to have a "street parkour" competition right now... Qingdeng, who has already begun to understand the Cloud Flow Footwork, is confident of winning!

"Mr. Tachibana."

Carrying a jug of cool water, Sae walked leisurely to Yae's side and suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"Thank you for your hard work. Please have some water. We'll continue training later, so please take a short rest now."

Qing Deng was taken aback.

"Will we continue with footwork training later?"

Sae shook her head, picked up the scroll in her hand, and unfolded it to take a look.

"Today is your first training session, Mr. Ju, so it is not advisable to train too much."

"Today's footwork training is now complete. Next, we'll move on to the next training exercise: indoor combat techniques for suppressing the enemy in confined spaces."

"Oh?" Qing Deng raised an eyebrow forcefully.

According to Sae's previous introduction, the Cloud Flow's ninjutsu mainly includes the following three categories:

1. Footwork that facilitates movement on complex terrains such as rooftops and walls.

2. Unique skills such as lock picking, makeup, disguise, and drug manufacturing are beneficial for intelligence gathering and infiltration.

3. Indoor combat tactics to suppress the enemy in a narrow space.

Of these three types of ninjutsu, the "indoor combat technique" is the one that interests Qing Deng the most.

"Were you two the ones who taught me indoor combat techniques?"

Sae shook her head:

"Neither Sae nor I are skilled in combat. The person responsible for teaching you indoor fighting techniques is Tenya."

The image of Tian Cangxiao's striking thick white eyebrows came to mind.

"Mr. Tachibana, I will take you to the training ground for indoor combat techniques in two incense sticks' time. If you are hungry, want to change into some new, dry clothes, or have any other needs or requirements, please feel free to tell me and Yae now."

No sooner had Sashige finished speaking than Yae chimed in from the side:

"Junior, let me remind you, Master Tian is very strict! Compared to Master Tian, ​​the teaching we, Sae, are as gentle as a wet nurse feeding you. Indoor combat training will definitely be much more arduous than footwork training, so you should be mentally prepared!"

The teacher was strict... but Qing Deng wasn't too intimidated by it.

Compared to strictness, Qingdeng was more worried about his teachers' poor character and teaching level.

However, out of gratitude for Yae's kind reminder, Qing Deng nodded solemnly to Yae:

"Okay, I understand. Thanks for reminding me, senior."

As soon as Qing Deng said, "Thank you for reminding me, senior," Yae immediately showed a very pleased and delighted expression.

……

……

About 30 minutes later—

Edo, Sora-cho, Tsukimiya Shrine, somewhere in the temple—

"Mr. Ju, good day."

With his back hunched over, Tian Cangxiao bowed respectfully to Qingdeng with his hands placed on his front legs in a humble gesture.

Tian Cangxiao was still dressed as a very proper male clergyman.

He wore a tall black gauze hat, a dark green hunting robe on his upper body, a light blue hakama (traditional Korean jacket) on his lower body, and gray sandals on his feet.

The clothing of the male priests at the shrine is derived from the attire of court nobles during the Heian period (794-1192), and the attire of court nobles during the Heian period retains a strong Tang Dynasty style, especially the black gauze hat, which is full of Tang Dynasty style.

Therefore, the male priests at the shrine all look like a group of court officials who are about to go to court to meet the emperor.

This morning, when Tiancangxiao introduced himself to Qingdeng, he said that he was the priest of this Moon Palace Shrine.

The chief priest is the highest-ranking official in a shrine, the head of the shrine.

Considering Amagura Osamu's age, and to conceal Tenshōin's identity and existence, and to avoid letting Tenshōin appear in public too often, it is reasonable to designate "the priest of the Moon Palace Shrine" as Amagura Osamu's disguised identity.

Those unaware of the inside story would never guess that the true leader of this shrine is not this white-haired old man, but the "high-ranking shrine maiden" with stunning beauty, dressed in purple hakama.

As the saying goes, "If someone respects me by an inch, I will respect them by a mile," so as soon as Tian Cangxiao bowed, Qing Deng quickly returned the bow.

"Greetings, Mr. Tiancang."

Although it was unclear what specific position the old man held in the new Imperial Household, Qing Deng could vaguely sense from the attitudes of Tenshōin and the "Nijō" sisters towards Amagura Owl that the old man's position in the new Imperial Household must be of great importance.

"Mr. Tachibana, before we officially begin today's training... please allow me to apologize to you."