I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

When Qing Deng challenged the heroes of the Kochiba Kendo Hall, he used the "Hon-ri" (original standing) format instead of the "ri-kiri" (standing cut).

The difference between the two is shown above.

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*******

Taking a break now and then is definitely the right thing to do.

After taking a day off the day before yesterday, I suddenly had a lot of new inspiration and came up with a lot of good new ideas.

I wish I had two hands! If I could have two hands to help me type, I could present the rest of the story to everyone as quickly as possible. (Laughing and crying.jpg)

Chapter 288 Copying the God-Level Talent Again: [Primordial Yang]! [6400]

Amidst the stunned silence, Aoi Osamu, usually quiet and the least noticeable member of the Third Division's forces, was the first to exclaim in surprise:

"Lord Tachibana, you... are you going to fight us all alone using the 'sharp cut' method? Are you... are you sure?"

"What?" Qing Deng turned his head and smiled calmly at Lan Jingyang. "Don't you believe I have the ability?"

Upon hearing this, Lan Jingyang quickly lowered his head and apologized:

"No, I wouldn't dare..."

Qing Deng withdrew his gaze from Lan Jingyang, scanned the faces of his subordinates, and said seriously:

"As I said yesterday, the reason I suddenly decided to hold a martial arts competition is to use the competition to test your strength."

"As the current captain of the Fire Thieves Division 3, if I don't even know how capable my subordinates are, then I would be seriously derelict in my duty."

"Since this competition is aimed at testing your skills, it would be most appropriate for me to personally step into the arena and be your opponent."

"As for whether I have the ability to compete with so many of you... that's a question you don't need to consider."

"Alright, enough talk! Time is of the essence! Grab your best weapons and get to your positions!"

Qingdeng gestured towards his feet with his lip.

At his feet were piles of bamboo swords, wooden spears, and other training equipment.

As a "quasi-military base," the garrison converted from a thief's camp naturally had no shortage of various equipment related to martial arts training.

"Let's have our duel right here in this training ground. And the weather is perfect today, neither too hot nor too cold."

The members of the Third Division looked at each other.

Although Qing Deng's reasons were quite reasonable, if we were to examine their abilities, there were clearly many simpler and easier methods available. Why did they choose the "standing cut" method and have to personally perform the standing cut themselves, a method that was so torturous?

Although the team members were full of doubts, they dared not say anything more.

They all stepped forward and took their most familiar weapon.

In fact, it's perfectly reasonable for them to feel strange.

As he watched his subordinates come up one by one to take their weapons, Qing Deng's lips curled into a faint smile of "planning in the best of my ability."

—Great! Hopefully, I can copy some useful talents later!

Qing Deng's sudden announcement of the "intra-team competition" was indeed intended to assess the overall strength of the team members—but this was only a secondary reason.

The main reason is that he wants to extract talent from his followers!

When Qing Deng learned that he had been demoted to the right and appointed as the new captain of the Third Division, a fire-themed thief unit, he had been looking forward to this day. The Third Division had a total of 60 people, and with so many people, it was entirely possible to copy one or two talents that could be put to use.

Therefore, it is self-evident why Qingdeng chose "Standing Cut" as the competition format for this tournament and personally took to the stage as a Standing Cutter – what other competition format is more suitable for cultivating talent than "Standing Cut," where everyone comes up one by one to compete against their challengers?

While exploiting their talents, they can also further establish their authority in front of their followers and solidify their "powerful" image in their eyes.

A win-win situation, how wonderful!

……

……

Qingdeng stood in a corner of the training ground, carrying a bamboo sword.

His first opponent—a short man who was just 1.4 meters tall—stood opposite Qingdeng.

The rest of the people stood in a circle with the arena as the center.

Qingdeng nodded to his first opponent, then, holding his bamboo sword in a mid-stance, squatted down in a salute.

At the same time, the opponent also crouched down, seemingly well-versed in the principle of "striking first to gain the upper hand".

The moment the ceremony ended, he suddenly swung his sword straight at Qing Deng's waist. He originally wanted to cut Qing Deng's chest, but because he was nearly 40 centimeters shorter than Qing Deng, the huge height difference made it easier for him to use his sword to cut Qing Deng's waist and below.

Qingdeng straightened his sword to parry the attack, then took three steps back to create distance between himself and his opponent, without taking the initiative to attack.

It's the same old routine—he's waiting for the necessary 10 seconds to pass while he's copying talent from someone else.

Ten seconds later, Qingdeng swiftly swung his sword in a flash, striking his opponent's body.

In order not to cause serious injury, Qing Deng held back a lot of his strength.

Even so, the opponent, whose body was not wearing protective gear, immediately fainted after being hit.

Before this person could fall to the ground, another person rushed forward and pounced straight at Qingdeng.

According to the rules of "Liqie", except for the first and last people, no squatting is allowed in between. Everyone just needs to rush up and fight with the Liqie person continuously. When one person falls, the next person immediately takes their place.

The newly entered opponent, Fang, launched a fierce offensive against Qingdeng as soon as he entered the arena.

He raised his sword high and swung it down.

Whether aggressive or conservative, no matter what strategy the opponent adopts, Qing Deng's tactics... or rather, routines, remain unchanged: stall for 10 seconds first!

Snapped!Snapped!

Qing Deng connected with the opponent's two attacks.

The sound of the bamboo sword striking the air was invigorating—Qing Deng gradually got into the zone.

Just as the opponent raised the knife high again, preparing to swing it for the third time, the 10-second time limit expired.

Qing Deng arrived first, even though he was a fraction of a second slower than his opponent in timing his sword strike.

The person and the bamboo sword flew out together.

Before Qingdeng could exhale the breath of oxygen he had just inhaled, his opponent's bamboo sword came hurtling towards him like a whirlwind.

Defend, wait 10 seconds, then raise your sword in mid-air to intercept your opponent's bamboo sword. All done in one smooth motion.

The instant their bamboo swords became entangled, Qing Deng exerted force with his wrist, knocking his opponent's bamboo sword away and leaving him wide open.

In the next instant, Qingdeng stepped forward, and the two figures merged into one. When the two figures separated, one of them slowly fell to the ground, while the one still standing turned to face the next opponent who was attacking.

—It's even weaker than I expected...

Ever since the night before last, Qing Deng had no expectations for the overall quality of the Third Division... no, to be correct, the entire Fire Thieves Corps.

Even with lowered expectations, the performance of his troops still left Qing Deng feeling disappointed.

So far, none of his opponents have demonstrated martial arts prowess that has impressed Qing Deng.

He had neither any remarkable skills nor any special talents... Even now, Qing Deng's mind remained completely silent, and the system had yet to activate.

In just five minutes, Qingdeng effortlessly knocked all ten men to the ground.

When the 11th opponent entered the fray, the situation finally took a slight turn.

The 11th opponent displayed a spirited momentum unlike any of his predecessors as soon as he took to the field.

He adopted the upper right stance, raising the knife high above his head while opening his mouth wide to reveal a set of perfectly white teeth, and then—

"Wa ...

— Manifestation Flow!

Qing Deng's expression hardened.

Having witnessed firsthand how wild and ferocious the swordsmen of the Jigen-ryu school could be in battle, Qing Deng, after a moment's thought, raised his sword and switched to a steady, mid-stance.

In the blink of an eye, the opponent lunged forward, shouting incessantly.

Qingdeng slowly regulated his breathing, slightly lowered his waist and tightened his shoulders, hiding most of his body in the shadow of the bamboo sword.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of martial arts can see that Qing Deng's posture conceals astonishing explosive power.

Like an arrow already nocked on a bow—ready to be released.

—A swordsman of the Shigenryu style... that's fine too.

As luck would have it, Qing Deng had recently mastered a new move that he hadn't yet had a chance to show to anyone.

Using a swordsman of the Shigenryu style as the first opponent for this new move... is quite appropriate.

Qingdeng took a deep breath, his broad chest puffing up rapidly like a blower, and in the next instant, as his entire upper body "expanded" to its limit—

"Wa ...

A shrill, monkey-like cry burst from Qingdeng's throat.

The "Golden Voice" enhances vocal cord durability, the "Cloud-Piercing and Stone-Splitting" enhances vocal volume, and the "Iron Lungs" enhance cardiopulmonary function—all three work together!

Rings of sound waves swept outwards with the force of a whirlwind!

The sudden, loud, piercing scream startled not only the Jigenryu swordsman who was charging forward with his sword, but also the others waiting nearby, ready to go into battle.

The swordsman's eyes widened in shock and astonishment.

How could he not recognize the roar that Qing Deng was making?

It is the classic move of the Jigenryu style: Monkey Cry!

As one of the most popular sword styles at the time, Qing Deng had lost count of how many swordsmen who practiced the Jigen-ryu style he had fought.

The existence of the "Sword Saint" and the "Heart of the Demon" made Qing Deng very good at learning from others.

For example, Qing Deng secretly learned many techniques of the Hokushin Itto-ryu style while sparring with the apprentices of the Xuanwu Hall and the Xiaoqianye Sword Hall.

The frequency with which Shigenryu appeared before Aoto was second only to Tennen Rishinryu and Hokushin Ittoryu.

Therefore, Qing Deng also secretly learned many techniques from the Shigenryu style—the monkey cry was one of them.

Although Qing Deng's vocal technique is still immature due to the short period of practice, thanks to the three natural talents of "piercing clouds and splitting rocks," "golden voice," and "iron lungs," Qing Deng's shouts are not much weaker than those of veterans who have been cultivating in the Shigenryu style for many years.