I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering the area on the second floor and above.

On the second floor and above, many Yakuza of the Shimizu clan can be seen moving back and forth in the corridors.

A smoking room is provided.

There is a large pool in the bathroom, which is a huge bathroom with a soaking function.

A dojo that can be used to hone martial arts skills.

The rooms have all kinds of functions and are very complete.

Aoto and the others, who had arrived at the dojo earlier, waited silently for Kitahara Kōnosuke to arrive.

Ootsuki Minoru sat respectfully side by side with Sanako at the edge of the dojo, a look of relief on his face as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart.

She thought to herself: It's safe! I'm sure Tachibana-kun will win this swordsmanship trial!

Although her understanding of Qing Deng's swordsmanship came entirely from rumors she heard from the common people, this did not prevent her from having great confidence in Niou, who was famous for his swordsmanship.

With Tachibana's strength, no matter who Kitahara Kōnosuke sends, Tachibana will definitely be able to defeat them quickly and easily—Ōtsuki Minoru thought to himself with great optimism.

In fact, despite the differences, Aoto now holds similar ideas to Otsuki Minoru.

Qingdeng was never the kind of arrogant person who looked down on everyone. He was not so conceited as to think that he was unparalleled in the world and had no rivals in the world.

However, he was still somewhat confident in his swordsmanship, at least far more so than in his archery.

Now that the archery trial, which was the most likely source of trouble, has been passed, I can't help but feel relaxed as I face this field that I'm most proficient in.

Qingdeng and the others did not wait long in the dojo.

About 20 minutes later, footsteps came from the corridor outside the venue, one after the other.

With a clatter, Kitahara Konosuke, who had just parted ways, appeared before Aoto and the others with a young man they had never seen before.

After glancing at Kitahara Kōnosuke, Aoto quickly turned his gaze to the young man walking behind Kitahara Kōnosuke.

Around twenty years old; his dark complexion indicates he spends a lot of time in the sun; his face is a dark gray that doesn't look very healthy or cheerful; although his features are regular, they lack any striking features, making him the kind of person you'd forget after seeing him, the kind you'd never find in a crowd.

He is of average height, around 1.6 meters, which is considered "tall" in this era, but not tall enough to cause a stir.

He was neither fat nor thin, but his limbs were unusually thick.

Qingdeng's eyelids drooped slightly.

Not far away, Sanako also squinted her beautiful eyes.

The two of them noticed the young man's arms at the same time.

As the young man swung his arms, they created a powerful gust of wind, and the sound of the air being whipped around could be faintly heard.

Even a natural arm swing can produce such a powerful gust of wind... This gives a glimpse into the immense power contained within the arm.

"I apologize, Lord Niou, for keeping you waiting."

Kitahara Konosuke walked up to Aoto, said some polite words, then stepped to the side, revealing the young man behind him.

"Please allow me to introduce you. This is Oishi Kuwajiro of the Seikatsu Alliance."

"Your Majesty, I have long admired you."

The young man... that is, Oishi Kuwajiro, bowed to Aoto and gave a cold greeting without any emotion.

—Qingxia Alliance…

Aoto glanced at Oishi Kujiro a few more times.

This person is a member of the Qingxia Alliance... which is both unexpected and reasonable.

The Qingxia Alliance is the "combat force" of the Qingshui clan, gathering a large number of fierce and daring individuals. Among them are many outstanding martial artists who have obtained all the required licenses.

It is quite reasonable to send members of the Qingxia Alliance, who possess both excellent martial arts skills and ample combat experience, to compete against him.

"Greetings, nice to meet you. My name is Ju Qingdeng."

While nodding to Oishi Kuwajiro, Aoto also introduced himself.

Oishi Kuwajiro nodded to acknowledge that he had received Aoto's self-introduction.

"Lord Niou."

Kitahara Konosuke said.

“Oishi Kuwajiro will be your opponent in the second trial. If you can defeat him, I will immediately grant Tsukiji Tsukiji his freedom without hesitation; otherwise, you may return home.”

Qingdeng nodded.

"Please enlighten me."

Kitahara Konosuke's lips curled into a cryptic smile.

"If you're ready and there are no objections... let's begin!"

……

After putting on his protective gear, including his mask, gauntlets, and torso, Aoto walked into the center of the dojo with his bamboo sword—Oishi Kuwajiro, who was slightly faster at putting on his armor, was already waiting there.

"No outflow, Oishi Kujiro."

Oishi Kuwajiro introduced himself in a very traditional manner, while squatting down with his bamboo sword in hand, performing the traditional squatting salute.

I have no deep-seated hatred for Oishi Kuwajiro, so there's no need to embarrass him or make him feel awkward.

Therefore, Qingdeng also introduced his family.

"Natural flow of soothing the mind, the green of oranges rises."

Qingdeng squatted down, performing the squatting salute.

Aoto and Oishi Kuwajiro bowed to each other; Otsuki Minoru wore a relaxed smile; Sanako remained expressionless; Kitahara Konosuke, though a meaningful smile played on his lips, still had a hint of unease in his eyes—

All of these things vanished in the next instant.

call!

A dull, piercing sound tore through the air, shattering the tranquility of the temple.

Half a second ago, Oishi Kuwajiro was performing a standard squatting salute to Aoto, but half a second later, he suddenly changed his stance!

He suddenly swung his sword and attacked Qing Deng's face.

Even someone who knows nothing about swordsmanship, like Minoru Otsuki, could see just how incredible the power and speed of Oishi Kuwajiro's strike was.

If Oishi Kuwajiro had used a real sword, and hadn't blocked that attack, he would have definitely lost his head and had his brains splattered out.

Qingdeng's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes in an instant.

The combat instincts and experience honed through long battles, along with the "divine speed" that "improves reaction speed," propelled Qing Deng's body into motion.

With lightning speed, Qingdeng raised the bamboo sword in his hand horizontally above his head, while supporting the blade with his left hand.

Snapped!

The fierce clash of bamboo swords shook the air within the dojo.

Feeling the force transmitted from the sword to his arm, Qing Deng's expression turned solemn.

"Haa!"

With a sudden shout, Qing Deng parried Oishi Kuwajiro's bamboo sword, then swung his sword in a counterattack. The bamboo sword, now a blurry afterimage, swept across Oishi Kuwajiro's body like a whirlwind.

Even if the sword lands at the correct point, it may not necessarily hit the enemy.

Just as Qing Deng unleashed his counterattack with his sword, Oishi Kuwajiro vanished in the blink of an eye.

With his powerful leaping ability, he stepped into the air and easily dodged Qing Deng's bamboo sword. The moment he landed, he slashed down at the bamboo sword that was held at his side in an eight-pair stance.

Seeing this, Qing Deng crouched down, gathering strength in his waist in less than a second, and stepped forward. His right bamboo sword drew an arc in the air and struck Oishi Kuwajiro's sword, deflecting Oishi Kuwajiro's slash.

The next instant, Oishi Kuwajiro's not particularly muscular body suddenly sank, his knees bent, his center of gravity lowered, and it looked as if he was about to kneel on the ground...

moment.

In the next instant, he launched a second attack.

The sword tip, slashing upwards, grazed the floor. If it were a finely forged steel blade instead of a bamboo sword, it should have produced sparks by now.

Almost at the same time, Qing Deng also unleashed his sword.

*Thud!* Aoto stomped his left foot hard in the direction of Oishi Kuwajiro, his sole hitting the floor with a loud thud.

As if he were determined to fight against Oishi Kuwajiro, Qing Deng switched his stance to the upper right while stepping forward, and then turned his body around the left leg that he stepped out.

With his body turning half a circle, Qingdeng used a special technique to transfer the centrifugal force generated by the turn to his right arm and the bamboo sword in his palm—combined with his own strength—and slashed out with force!

The bamboo sword struck through the air.

A deafening bang that made your eardrums ache burst out.

Next, as if they had planned it from the beginning, Aoto and Oishi Kuwajiro made the same move—stepping forward together.

The two passed each other with their bodies almost touching.

Qingdeng could even feel the warm breath coming from the other person's mask.

Thump, thump, thump—footsteps slid, the ground creaked. The two of them quickly pulled three steps apart.

They swiftly turned around, drew their knives, and regained their stance—both of them did this.

Just now, it was Oishi Kuwajiro who launched a very strong offensive, but now it's Aoto's turn to take the initiative.

"Uwaa ...

As Qing Deng used the monkey cry from the Shigenryu style, which he had recently become particularly fond of because it was very effective, he leaned forward and slashed at Daishi Kuwajiro.

Faced with Qing Deng's terrifying roar... the other party remained completely unmoved, not even raising an eyebrow.

Oishi Kuwajiro moved very fast.

But even faster than his movement was the three-foot sword in his hand!

Two thin, dark yellow shadows flickered between Aoto and Oishi Kuwajiro.

The speed was so fast that it was dazzling.

Neither of them ran away; they both stood still, exchanging fierce blows in attack and defense.

One slash, two slashes, three slashes—Ōishi Kuwajirō unleashed three slashes at different angles, but all at the same high speed.