I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

叮铃~~叮铃~~

The melodious sound of bells transformed into faint sound waves that drifted into the distance.

The moment the bell rang, a barking chorus of dogs came from all directions and distances.

Wang!

汪汪~~

Woof! Woof woof woof!

……

The dense barking of dogs merged together, forming a tangled mass that enveloped Qingdeng like a tidal wave, making him feel as if he were at a busy crossroads.

"Mr. Tiancang, what is this?"

Qing Deng Chaotian Cangxiao cast a questioning look at him.

"These are the dogs we keep to protect the shrine and carry out covert missions. This place is very close to where they rest and live."

"Mr. Tachibana, did you hear the dog barking just now?"

"Only when you can clearly hear how many dogs were barking and where they were from can you be considered to have made some progress in your hearing training, and then you can officially begin to practice my Cloud Flow 'Indoor Combat Method'."

Qing Deng was taken aback again.

As if he had anticipated Qing Deng's reaction, Tian Cangxiao calmly and slowly said in a comforting tone:

“Mr. Orange, don’t be surprised. It may seem difficult at first glance, but it’s not that scary.”

"Many things that you think are impossible are actually not that difficult."

"We have a highly effective training method for improving hearing."

"As long as you are willing to work hard and follow my instructions carefully, your listening skills will improve rapidly in as little as 1 month and as long as 3 months."

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's begin our practice. First..."

"There are 33 dogs in total, and then... there are 4 dogs in that direction, and 3 dogs behind us..."

With his eyes closed, Qingdeng tried his best to recall the barking he had just heard, and then accurately reported the location from which each bark came.

Tian Cangxiao's narrow eyes, hidden beneath his white eyebrows, suddenly widened, and he stared blankly at Qing Deng.

A moment later, Qingdeng finished his story.

He opened his eyes and returned Tian Cangxiao's gaze with a silent question.

This gesture, of course, means, "Well? Mr. Tenkura, was everything I just said correct?"

"...Mr. Tachibana, does that mean you've specifically trained your hearing before?"

No. I haven't specifically trained my ears.

Qingdeng shook his head, revealing a smile that exuded a somewhat unfathomable aura.

"I just... have naturally good hearing."

In Qingdeng's talent list, "Wind Perceiver" and "Trickster" silently gleamed with golden light...

"..."

The wrinkles on Tian Cangxiao's face twitched slightly with an almost imperceptible arc, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Hmm...not bad. Since you were born with such good hearing, your future training will be much more efficient."

"In that case, you don't need to do the 'listening training' anymore... Let's move on to the next exercise..."

……

……

Thanks to his "sense of the wind," Qing Deng skipped the hearing training and began practicing the technique that was supposed to be taught to him in 2 or 3 months: how to move silently on the ceiling.

This training was far more difficult than I had imagined.

The ceiling was very narrow, and the tall Qingdeng had to hunch over the whole time to barely squeeze himself inside.

Not long after the training began, even with his "iron waist" which had been strengthened to improve his lower back endurance, Qing Deng couldn't help but feel that his lower back was overwhelmed and aching badly.

In addition, the ceiling is not cleaned often, so there is a lot of dust, which makes Qing Deng's nose and throat very uncomfortable, and he doesn't dare to breathe deeply.

When Qingdeng coughs and sneezes because of the dust that blows into his mouth and nose, Tian Cangxiao's scolding and the hand chop to Qingdeng's back to teach him a lesson will come immediately.

"If there happen to be enemies nearby, your life and the lives of your companions could be lost because of your cough!"

Of course, Tian Cangxiao's treatment of Qingdeng wasn't limited to reprimands.

He also shared some tips on "resisting dust" with Qingdeng.

"If you feel like coughing or sneezing, hold your breath and press your tongue hard against the roof of your mouth!"

Compared to the previous "jumping on wooden stakes", the current "ceiling movement" is undoubtedly much more strenuous.

However, despite the hardships, Qingdeng was also happy despite the difficulties.

Let's consider this a piece of good news: according to the system, Qing Deng's current "ceiling movement training" is also within the scope of ninjutsu!

This means that at this very moment, the combination of "Master of Ninja" and "Heart of the Demon" has been activated once again.

Qingdeng didn't know what others thought, but he personally found the feeling of being able to clearly feel himself making progress extremely enjoyable! It was addictive!

Regardless of the skill, whether it's learning literature or martial arts, it's easiest to improve when you're just starting out, but as your skill level increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to make progress.

Although Qingdeng's swordsmanship talent has been upgraded to a terrifying "106 times that of ordinary people" after multiple talent fusions, and he has never slacked off in his swordsmanship training, the speed of Qingdeng's progress in swordsmanship has inevitably slowed down and is far slower than when he first arrived at the Shiwei Hall.

Qingdeng hadn't experienced this feeling of "rapidly becoming stronger" in a long time.

Enchanted by this feeling, Qingdeng followed Tian Cangxiao's instructions meticulously and without complaint, diligently learning this "ceiling movement method".

Compared to the younger Sae and Yae, the white-haired, worldly-wise Tenkura Owl is clearly more experienced and knowledgeable.

Faced with Qing Deng's extraordinary cultivation speed, Tian Cangxiao did not show the same astonished expression as the "Double" sisters.

Aside from the occasional twitching of the wrinkles on his face, Tian Cangxiao remained relatively calm throughout...

……

……

More than half an hour later—

Qingdeng, who had been squatting on the ceiling practicing "indoor combat techniques" for most of the hour, was so tired that he could barely straighten his back.

Upon hearing Tian Cangxiao say, "That's enough for today's training," and finally able to get down from the ceiling, Qing Deng, who felt like he was about to lose all feeling in his waist, collapsed onto the corridor floor.

"Mr. Ju, are you alright?"

"Ah...it's alright..."

Qing Deng smiled wryly, looked up, and said to Tian Cangxiao standing beside him.

"I'll recover after a short rest."

"That's good."

Tian Cangxiao nodded.

"Then let's rest for the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn. After that, I'll take you to the training area for the next exercise."

"Next training session?"

The moment Tian Cangxiao finished speaking, Qing Deng's expression was dominated by intense surprise.

Overwhelmed with surprise, Qing Deng briefly forgot the soreness in his lower back.

He hurriedly sat up from the floor and said quickly:

What's next to practice?

Tian Cangxiao answered calmly:

"Mr. Tachibana, today's main purpose is to give you a rough experience of the three major techniques of the Cloud Flow: 'Footwork', 'Indoor Combat Techniques', and 'Unique Techniques'. So next, Sae will teach you 'Unique Techniques'."

"Gauze weight?"

That cute little face, usually expressionless and comparable to Saito's in terms of facial paralysis, appeared in Qing Deng's mind.

“Saege is the one in our new Oniwaban who has mastered the most ‘unique skills’.”

"If I remember correctly, the 'special skill' I'm going to teach you today is lock picking."

……

……

About four incense sticks later—

Tsukimiya Shrine, a room within the shrine—

"Mr. Ju, we meet again."

Sage, who was kneeling directly opposite Aoto, bowed to Aoto.

"Yeah, it's been a long time."

Qingdeng made a silly little joke that he himself didn't find funny.

As Qing Deng had expected, Sha Zhong remained unmoved and unresponsive.

Yae, standing next to Sae, was smiling happily.

"Pfft... Pfft!"

The little girl tried to cover her mouth, but laughter still escaped. Finally, as if she couldn't bear it any longer, she chuckled.

"What do you mean 'long time no see'? We've only been apart for a little over an hour, haven't we?"

"..." Qing Deng glanced at Yae silently.

Wasn't it Saeshige who was in charge of teaching me this "miracle technique"? Senior, what are you doing here—Aoto conveyed this message precisely to Yae with his eyes.

Having understood the meaning behind Qing Deng's gaze, Yae stood with her hands on her hips:

"I'm here to help my older sister supervise you! You absolutely mustn't get distracted or slack off during practice!"

Having said that, Yae raised the ten hands in his right palm, revealing a triumphant and arrogant posture.