I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Without even a moment to reflect on having acquired another strange and bizarre talent, Qing Deng turned around with lightning speed, facing his two remaining adversaries—Zuo Yilang and Wu Sanlang.

The 3-on-1 situation was reduced to 2-on-1, which greatly reduced the pressure on Qingdeng.

At that moment, both Zuo Yilang and Wu Zabu glanced sideways at Masajiro's corpse, and a clear look of hesitation appeared on their faces.

At that moment, Itakura Hirahiko's furious shout rang out from behind them:

"What are you all standing there for! Get up here! I'm paying you 20 taels of gold a month to come here and stare at each other!"

Itakura Hirahiko's anxious shouts aroused the contractual consciousness of Saichiro and Takezaburo.

A fierce glint flashed in their eyes.

The next moment, the two rushed out at the same time, leaning down to slash at Qing Deng.

Qingdeng nimbly leaped to the side, creating some distance.

At the same time, assume a low right stance and slash diagonally from the low right to the high left with the knife.

Target: Wu Sanlang's face!

Wu Sanlang instinctively prepared to raise his sword in defense, but at that moment, Qing Deng's "momentum" took effect.

Let alone fighting against Qing Deng, who was now shrouded in immense power, just looking into his eyes was already incredibly stressful.

To give a vivid example... if Qingdeng before the war was a harmless kitten, then Qingdeng now is a fierce tiger with bared teeth and claws!

Fighting a tiger... the psychological pressure that creates is no joke.

Wu Sanlang was stunned by Qing Deng's astonishing aura, his mind went blank involuntarily, and his reaction was a beat slow.

At this moment, Wu Sanlang was like a sleepwalker, feeling as if there was an indescribable and terrifying "monster" pressing down on him with the force of a falling mountain.

Just as he finally came to his senses and his consciousness caught up with the situation, it was already too late—the light of the blade, pale blue under the warm winter sun, filled his field of vision.

Wu Sanlang had no idea what happened next.

After all, he now has a large, bleeding hole in his head.

Asking someone with a wildly imaginative mind to think about problems is asking too much of them.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: "Minor Proficiency in Swordsmanship"]

[Talent Introduction: Swordsmanship talent is amplified 8 times the average level]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! A "Minor Master of Swordsmanship" cannot fuse with a "Saint of Swordsmanship"]

[Talent Fusion Failed]

……

The final opponent, Zuo Yilang, did not lose his will to fight despite the deaths of his comrades.

Such strong mental fortitude made Qing Deng secretly raise his eyebrows.

Zuo Yilang moved inch by inch toward Qing Deng, nervously estimating the distance between himself and Qing Deng.

Qing Deng stood there expressionless, waiting for Zuo Yilang to come closer on his own.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two was only 4 steps.

Zuo Yilang continued to approach Qing Deng, while Qing Deng remained standing still.

The instant Zuo Yilang stopped, two beams of white light pierced the air!

Both swords, each wielded from the middle section, slashed at each other simultaneously!

clang!

The steel knife struck through the air.

Zuo Yilang is the most skilled among Itakura Heihiko's group of bodyguards.

After missing his first strike, he swiftly regained his stance and unleashed a second slash.

Qing Deng, showing no weakness, swung his sword to meet the attack, his speed matching that of Zuo Yilang.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...

The repeated collisions of blades against blades disrupted the atmosphere.

Compared to Zuo Yilang, who was determined to die, Qing Deng's movements were so effortless—it was clear that this was no longer going to be a suspenseful battle...

In an instant, Qing Deng slowly raised the tip of his knife, assuming the stance of the Xia Duan.

Zuo Yilang seized the opening created when Qing Deng changed his stance, stepped forward, and with a furious shout, swung his sword at Qing Deng's face.

However, Qing Deng disappeared before his blade could reach him.

When Qing Deng reappeared, he was already more than three meters away to the right front of Zuo Yilang.

"Drink up! Ahh ...

Zuo Yilang became furious. He roared and charged forward, giving chase.

Snap, snap!

He took only two steps, and the distance of more than three meters was instantly closed by him.

At the same instant that Zuo Yilang got close, Qing Deng calmly adjusted the direction of his blade, the tip of the blade drawing a silver arc in the air, aiming precisely at Zuo Yilang's brow.

"Drink up! Ahh ...

Zuo Yilang then released another powerful burst of energy.

In a flash, with a shout that shook the heavens and the earth, he leaped from the ground and flew towards Qingdeng, knife and all!

"what……!"

Qingdeng exhaled the remaining air from his lungs.

In an instant, as if the "stop recording" button had been pressed, Qing Deng's knife tip suddenly froze.

Then, in the next instant, the Kasumi Sword swept horizontally across Zuo Yilang like a thunderclap!

The two passed each other.

Zuo Yilang's sword... remains as clean as new.

And Qingdeng's knife—painted a blood-red rainbow!

The vibrant rainbow was fleeting, disappearing into the dust at Qingdeng's feet the moment it appeared.

Zuo Yilang stood three steps behind Qing Deng.

A clear, horizontal crack appeared on the top of his head, first revealing a line of blood, which then turned into a stream of blood gushing out.

Just a second ago, Zuo Yilang was full of energy, but now his head and hands drooped limply. His legs supported his lifeless body, and he staggered forward two or three steps with inertia... before collapsing to the ground like a lump of mud.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated talent: "Tiger's Arm"]

[Talent Introduction: Extraordinary explosive power in the arms]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Please wait, host... Please wait, host...]

[Ding! Talent fusion successful]

[Tiger's Arm Ability Upgrade - Tiger's Arm +1]

[“Tiger's Arm +1” Talent Description: The talent effect is enhanced on top of its original effect. “+9” is the highest level.]

……

In fact, to be precise, Zuo Yilang's desperate attack just now was not without results.

Although he did not slander Qingdeng, he did damage Qingdeng's straw hat.

"Ok?"

Suddenly feeling the light in front of him become unusually bright, Qing Deng raised his eyebrows in confusion and looked up—it turned out that the edge of the straw hat on his forehead had been slashed by Zuo Yilang's sword. A gaping wound nearly two inches wide stretched across it.

The bright sunshine illuminated Qingdeng's face.

********

********

I'm extremely sorry! Due to some reasons, I won't be able to post another 8000+ words today! (Laughing and crying.jpg)

Leopard will definitely make up for the 8000+ words I owe tomorrow!

Chapter 346 Rebellious Son! How dare you be so disrespectful to His Highness Prince Ren! [8400]

None of Itakura Hirahiko's four bodyguards survived; they were all now dead on the ground.

An eerie silence enveloped the entire area, while rapid breathing dominated the street, which was neither long nor short.

About five seconds later, the surprise gradually turned into sound.

"They actually won?"

"This samurai wearing a straw hat is truly a master!"

"Hirata-kun, did you see the samurai in the straw hat make his move? His attack was so decisive and ruthless... This man is definitely a top-notch master who has been through countless battles!"

……

If we were to say which side's expressions were the most comical and interesting at this moment... it would undoubtedly be Itakura Hirahiko and the group of scholars.

They all look like they've seen a ghost.

"He...he won...?" A scholar swallowed hard.

For the Confucian scholars, if Qing Deng had merely defeated them, they wouldn't have been so astonished.