I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After riding horses for most of the day, Qingdeng's buttocks and legs were aching terribly, and he planned to go straight to bed after dinner.

But as soon as he returned to his room, he heard a great commotion outside.

Intrigued, Qingdeng put his clothes back on and left the room. After surveying the area, he learned that a group of energetic individuals, who hadn't felt tired after marching for most of the day, had found some open spaces in the camp to practice their martial arts to kill time.

A group of people, armed with bows and arrows, were competing in archery skills against a large tree.

Another group of people, holding bamboo swords they'd somehow acquired, formed a circle and exchanged sword-fighting tips in a physical manner.

Compared to archery, swordsmanship was clearly more of a source of interest for Qing Deng.

Qing Deng tightened his haori and walked toward the area where the sound of bamboo swords clashing was constantly coming from.

At that moment, two people were fighting in a circle formed by onlookers. After recognizing who the two swordsmen were, Qing Deng raised an eyebrow.

"Drink up!"

Kanazawa Tadashi, the captain of the second division and also the vice-captain in this western expedition, raised his sword in an upper stance and stepped forward to slash at his opponent's shoulder.

His opponent's fighting style was extremely fierce. After deflecting the incoming bamboo sword, he leaped forward like a swallow and swung his sword straight at Kanazawa Tadashi's body.

Snapped!Snapped!

The two bamboo swords collided twice in mid-air.

The next instant, the two leaped away, then quickly turned around and clashed with their blades again.

However, this time, Kanazawa Tadatsugu's sword was a notch faster.

The tip of the bamboo sword, with a sharp edge, cuts diagonally to the opponent's right wrist holding the sword—a classic technique of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school of swordsmanship.

The opponent cried out in pain, and the bamboo sword in his hand fell to the ground.

Jinze Zhongfu turned his sword around, placed the tip against his opponent's throat, and calmly said, "You've lost."

As soon as Kanazawa Tadatsugu finished speaking, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Standing to the side, Qing Deng nodded slightly—the move that Kanazawa Tadatsugu had just displayed was truly exquisite. Only someone deeply versed in swordsmanship could do such a thing.

Having successfully secured a brilliant victory, Jin Zezhongfu let out a long breath, then pulled up his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

It was at this moment that he noticed Qingdeng watching from not far away.

"Ah! Tachibana-kun!" Kanazawa Tadatsugu flashed a bright white smile, waved vigorously at Aoto, and greeted him, "What are you doing here?"

Although he had little contact or communication with Kanazawa Tadatsugu, Aoto always liked people with a passionate and outgoing personality, so he always had a good impression of this bold and unrestrained man.

"I heard a lot of noise coming from outside the hotel, so I came out to check it out."

With a smile on his face, Qing Deng slowly walked towards Jin Zezhongfu.

"Kinze-kun, I never expected to run into you here."

Kanazawa Tadashi laughed heartily.

"Since we're just idling around in the inn anyway, we might as well come out and stretch our muscles to prepare for the upcoming battle!"

At this point, Kanazawa Tadatsugu paused, as if he had thought of something. Then, with an expectant look on his face, he said:

"King Tachibana, since you're here, this is a rare opportunity. How about we join you for a match?"

That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!

After secretly thinking this to himself with great excitement, Qingdeng patted his chest with a hearty laugh:

"Alright! Then I'll gladly accept your offer!"

I have long heard of Kanazawa Tadatsugu's formidable reputation as "the dog that brings fire".

This is a golden opportunity to replicate one's talent—how could we possibly miss it?

The pain in my buttocks and the inside of my thighs has subsided.

Upon learning that Qing Deng was going to fight Jin Zezhongfu in the arena, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted in gasps and cheers.

The clash between the Third Division Captain and the Second Division Captain, Niou and the Fire Dog... such a clash of titans is a rare sight!

Qingdeng took off his haori, took the bamboo sword handed to him by someone, and stood on the east side of the battle circle.

Kanazawa Tadashi stretched his right shoulder a few times and stood still on the west side of the battle circle.

Following the rules of Kendo, both sides raised their swords and bowed to each other from a distance.

Kanazawa Tadatsugu, who possesses the Hokushin Itto-ryu Menkyo Kaiden (a title of nobility in Hokushin Itto-ryu), employs a classic stance from the Hokushin Itto-ryu: the sword is held in the middle section in front of the body, with the tip slightly twitching to prevent stiffness in movement.

Qing Deng then adopted the "blue eye" stance, pointing the tip of his sword diagonally at Kanazawa Tadatsumi's right eye.

In the next instant, two afterimages flashed past each other at a breathtaking speed. At the very moment the afterimages crossed paths, the sounds of three bamboo swords clashing together and two short shouts rang out simultaneously.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged three blows!

Immediately afterwards, as if bounced away, the two quickly separated and jumped back to their original positions.

Footsteps slid, making a sound on the ground.

Kanazawa Tadatsugu still adopted the classic Hokushin Ittō-ryū stance with the sword tip twitching slightly.

Qing Deng continued to hold his sword in the blue-eyed posture.

Everything was exactly the same as it had been 5 seconds ago... as if the two of them hadn't moved an inch at all.

A chorus of exclamations filled with admiration erupted from the onlookers who had gathered around.

Qingdeng glanced at his right wrist out of the corner of his eye without leaving a trace—a faint tingling sensation, like being energized, still lingered in his right palm.

The brief exchange just now almost gave Qing Deng the illusion that he was not fighting against a swordsman of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school, but rather against a swordsman of the Shinto Munen-ryu or Jigen-ryu school!

Kanazawa Tadatsugu possessed considerable strength; the sound of his sword cutting through the air wasn't a "whoosh," but a "boom," demonstrating the swiftness of his strikes. This was to be expected, given his physique.

It had been a long time since he had fought against such a "powerful" opponent... A faint smile, like that of a long-lost friend, drifted onto Qing Deng's lips.

At that moment, Qing Deng caught sight of Jin Zezhongfu across from him, and at roughly the same time, he grinned, revealing a set of large, white teeth that were quite conspicuous in the darkness.

Although Qing Deng did not have the ability to read minds, he could miraculously read the thoughts that Kanazawa Tadatsugu had carved in his mind—excitement and anticipation—exactly the same thoughts as Qing Deng's.

Just moments ago, when Jinze Zhongfu took the initiative to invite him to a match, Qingdeng had already realized that this guy was also a warmonger who was eager for a fight!

In the blink of an eye, as if the camera had been suddenly sped up, the two people who were standing still half a second ago became blurry afterimages again half a second later.

"Haa!" Jinze Zhongfu lunged forward, his movements swift and powerful. The aura emanating from his sword and body was enough to make anyone wary. In the blink of an eye, his sword was in front of Qing Deng.

The bamboo sword that suddenly rushed over stirred up a gust of wind that scattered all of Qing Deng's hair.

Qingdeng calmly lowered the tip of his sword, and the sound of the blades clashing together echoed through the night.

This time, Qing Deng's bamboo sword stirred up a gust of wind. He suddenly lowered his waist, combining his bow and horse into one, and used the lower right section of the bamboo sword that was dragging at his side to first stabilize it slightly, and then, like a bowstring that suddenly snapped, he rushed towards Jin Zezhongfu's body.

Kanazawa Katsumi truly lived up to his nickname "Fire-Bearing Dog"—his reaction speed was incredibly fast! Qing Deng's slash, already as swift as lightning, still couldn't harm him in the slightest.

He nimbly stepped back, and Qing Deng's bamboo sword narrowly missed his clothes, only managing to strike the air and the afterimage of Jin Zezhongfu's movement.

Hokushin Itto-ryu is the sword style that Aoto is most familiar with, apart from Tennen Rishin-ryu.

Therefore, Qing Deng was completely familiar with all of Kanazawa Tadatsugu's moves. From the very beginning of the battle, they seized the initiative on the battlefield.

But Kanazawa Tadatsugu was not to be outdone! His swordsmanship was extremely sharp, and his attacks were incredibly fierce. Every move was so crisp and clean, without a single fancy or superfluous gesture... It was clear at a glance that he was a seasoned veteran!

The battle at Qingdeng was in full swing—as was the case with Kanazawa Tadatsugu.

Just as Qingdeng felt his body gradually warming up and was preparing to unleash his true skills—

"Stop hitting! Stop!"

Suddenly, the voice of "Fire Dragon" came from not far behind...

The bamboo swords that Qing Deng and Jin Zezhong had raised in mid-air both froze.

A flicker of hesitation flashed across Kanazawa Tadatsugu's face—finally, he let out a long sigh, then slowly lowered the bamboo sword in his hand and dismounted from his fighting stance.

Just as Kanazawa Tadatsugu voluntarily laid down his sword and withdrew from the sparring match—

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Godspeed"]

[Talent Introduction: Superior reflexes]

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the real battle with the bandits will begin tomorrow. Barring any unforeseen circumstances... (Leopard dead.jpg)

Author's Note: In this chapter, the place where Qing Deng and others settled, Hachioji, is a well-known city that people who frequently watch Japanese anime and movies should have heard of: Hachioji City.

Chapter 295 The War Begins! The Battle of Soma Mountain Commences! [7600]

The author made a small mistake in the previous chapter.

"Fire-handled Tiger" should be Mizushima Ninzaburo, the captain of the Fourth Division; Kanazawa is "Fire-handled Dog".

Furthermore, Kanazawa's full name is "Kanazawa Tadatsugu," not "Kanazawa Katsumi." I confused his name with that of another character (leopard crying.jpg).

The author has revised the previous chapter; please take note.

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"Enhancing reflexes..." Qing Deng nodded slightly, quite satisfied with his new talent.

It perfectly fills the biggest gap in Qingdeng's current capabilities.

"Eagle Eye +1" greatly enhances Qingdeng's eyesight, but this leads to a new problem - sometimes, when facing an enemy's attack, his eyes can keep up, but his body cannot.

Qingdeng has acquired many different talents, but he has yet to replicate the talent that enhances reflexes.

The body's reaction speed did not match its eyesight... During the battle with the black-clad man who was highly suspected to be Ogata Itsuki, Aoto experienced the pain of "clearly seeing how the opponent was attacking, but his body could not cooperate with his eyes to act."

He was lucky and won the grand prize—this should have been a very happy thing, but Qing Deng had no time to savor the joy of gaining a powerful new talent.

He exchanged a glance with Kanazawa Tadatsugu, then turned around at the same time to look at "Fire Dragon," the captain of the First Division, Abiko Tadaro, who was walking slowly toward them with his hands behind his back.

My grandson, who usually wears a faint smile, had a rare serious expression on his face.