I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Its base is firmly planted on the ground, making it very stable.

The upper body holding the bamboo sword concealed a deadly intent.

The sword's edge carried a chilling and oppressive aura.

--sharp!

Qingdeng couldn't help but secretly cheer in his heart.

Ugaki Goro is nearly 1.9 meters tall and has a more robust build than Aoto.

Despite the stark difference in size, Goro Ugaki's aura actually overwhelmed Aoto's.

Although both of them are now imbued with a fierce aura, this level of aura is not enough to be called "power".

Aoto has not yet reached the level of "freely controlling his momentum," and presumably Ugaki Goro is as well.

Looking at Ugaki Goro, who was taller and bigger than him, Aoto couldn't help but sigh to himself: Japanese people are generally short, but it seems that he always encounters opponents who are the same height as him or even taller.

In fact, this can be considered a form of "survivorship bias".

As the saying goes: If you practice martial arts but don't cultivate internal strength, you'll end up with nothing in your old age.

The ancients used concise language to explain the importance of physical fitness in martial arts training.

Whether it's hand-to-hand combat or weapon-based fighting, in all martial arts, those with greater strength and speed have an absolute advantage.

Faced with an overwhelming physical disadvantage, any technique is utter nonsense.

In other words, those who are too short or too weak have no chance of becoming outstanding martial artists.

Over time, most of the martial artists who became famous in their region and even left their mark on history were tall and strong.

A more distant example is Miyamoto Musashi.

Legend has it that Miyamoto Musashi was incredibly strong and powerful, wielding heavy swords with incredible agility. While an ordinary person might struggle to wield a sword with both hands, Miyamoto Musashi could tear tendons and break bones with a single hand!

A more recent example is Oishi Jin, who is known as "the peerless seven-foot man" and is currently working at the Military Academy.

The reason this person earned the prestigious title of "Seven-Foot Unrivaled" is simple—because he was seven feet tall (2.1 meters)! He was terrifyingly strong! Unrivaled in the world!

At the age of four, Daishi Jin began learning swordsmanship from his grandfather. As an adult, he was seven feet tall and possessed superhuman strength, wielding a bamboo sword that was over five feet long (1.5 meters).

Even formidable swordsmen like Chiba Shusaku, the founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school, Okada Jumatsu, the master swordsman of the Shinto Munen-ryu school, and Momoi Haruzou, the master swordsman of the Momoi school, all fell to Oishi Susumu's longsword.

As a result, Daishi Susumu's fame soared, and he gradually became arrogant and considered himself invincible.

[Note: "Pen Head" refers to the first place. Okada Jumatsu is known as "the strongest swordsman of the Shinto Munen-ryu school."]

It wasn't until he was defeated by the "Sword Saint" Seiichiro Otani that Susumu Oishi put away his eccentricity and arrogance.

Before Oishi Susumu was defeated by Otani Seiichiro, the idea that long swords were advantageous became popular, and bamboo swords over four feet (1.2 meters) in length were fashionable in Edo.

Until 1855, when the shogunate established the Imperial Military Academy, the principal of which was Tani Seiichiro. He combined ancient methods with modern trends and set the standard length as 3 shaku 8 sun (1.14 meters).

In other words, it wasn't until five years ago that the length of the bamboo sword had a generally accepted standard, influenced by a group of powerful figures such as Otani Seiichiro and Oishi Susumu.

At this thought, Qing Deng couldn't help but think: Under the management and mobilization of Otani Seiichiro, a large number of martial arts masters who admired the name of "Sword Saint" gathered at the martial arts institute.

The current military academy truly deserves to be called a place where hidden talents and brilliant minds gather!

The first and current principal of the martial arts academy, "Sword Saint" Seiichiro Otani, "Talented Scholar of the Straightforward Shadow Style" Noburo Imai, "Sword Master Zen Master" Tesshu Yamaoka, "Seven-Foot Warrior" Susumu Oishi, "Disciple of the Sword Saint" Kenkichi Sakakibara, "All-Round Swordsman" Hideaki Iba...

They're all big names!

This group of renowned and formidable figures... especially Ogawa Itsuki and Kinoshita Genichi, who earned the title of "Sword Saint," it is not surprising that they possess "eternal talent."

If I could have a match with the heroes of the Military Academy, led by Seiichiro Otani... I'm sure I'd gain a lot, the system beeping nonstop!

However, Qing Deng dislikes the feeling of defeat.

Even if you copy a powerful talent, you'll still feel uneasy if you lose.

Although Qing Deng's martial arts skills were already unmatched among his peers, he was not blinded by the title of "Niou".

Qing Deng did not believe that he could escape unscathed from the swords of the martial arts school's heroes.

Therefore, we still need to work hard! We still need to improve ourselves!

When I finally possess extraordinary skills... I must go to the martial arts academy to learn a thing or two!

Of course, we should leave the future to the future.

Now, let's focus all our attention on the battle in front of us!

Qing Deng took a deep breath and stared intently at Ugaki Goro across from him.

His vision became increasingly narrow until finally, all he could see was the bamboo sword in his hand and his opponent in front of him.

"Gathering Spirit" activated!

Qing Deng's aura suddenly surged, turning from "slightly at a disadvantage" to overwhelming Ugaki Goro in one fell swoop!

Ugaki: "..."

Qingdeng: "..."

A sparrow flew in through the window.

A sparrow perched on the window frame, tilted its head, and gazed intently at the two swordsmen facing off inside the room.

At the very moment the sparrow fluttered away—

With a snap, the sound of air being cut came between Qing Deng and Ugaki Goro.

The sound was extremely rapid.

It's impossible to tell whether the person who first made the sound was Aoto or Ugaki Goro; it's too difficult to discern with the naked ear.

However, who goes first or last is irrelevant—because both are incredibly fast! Even if there's a difference, it's only by a hair's breadth!

In the blink of an eye, their positions had changed.

Ugaki Goro lowered his waist and swung his sword across Qing Deng's waist, but missed.

Aoto retaliated, his sword striking downwards, but although it missed, it grazed Ugaki Goro's sleeve.

Judging from the result, neither of them gained an advantage in this round of fighting.

However, for Sanako and Souji, who were watching from the sidelines... or rather, in the eyes of experienced warriors, this seemingly evenly matched battle actually showed that Aoto had the upper hand.

One side only managed to strike the air, while the other side managed to cut into the opponent's sleeve—it was immediately clear who was stronger.

"Haaaaaaah!"

With a shout, Ugaki Goro shifted his stance, his feet scraping against the tatami mat, and held the bamboo sword in an odd position, neither high nor low, before slashing it heavily downwards.

Qingdeng stood still, without dodging—snap—his bamboo sword drew a graceful arc in the air, deflecting Ugaki Goro's slash.

Ugaki Goro, holding the bamboo sword that had been pushed back, took a half step back.

Taking advantage of this brief opening, Qing Deng concentrated his strength on the balls of his feet, then pushed off the ground and lunged at Ugaki Goro.

As his body lunged forward and "flew at low altitude," Qing Deng lowered his bamboo sword and assumed a lower right stance.

Seeing this, Ugaki Goro quickly steadied himself, raised his sword, and hastily made preparations to fight.

In the instant the two passed each other, Qing Deng's bamboo sword whistled as it hurtled straight toward Ugaki Goro's chest.

The swordplay was so unpredictable and cunning, it was like a supple leather whip.

Although Ugaki Goro raised his sword to defend, he was a beat too slow.

Bang!

Aoto's bamboo sword struck Ugaki Goro's chest heavily.

It feels very solid.

The sensation of striking solid muscles flowed continuously to Qingdeng's palms.

The two men's sleeves intertwined as they shifted positions.

As Qing Deng turned around, just as he habitually struck the pose of Zanshin... a dark shadow loomed over his vision—it was Ugaki Goro's bamboo sword!

The injury to his chest did not seem to diminish Ugaki Goro's fighting ability.

He pivoted on one foot, swiftly turned around, and used the centrifugal force of the turn to swing his sword!

Qing Deng had no time to dodge, so he could only raise his sword overhead and catch Ugaki Goro's bamboo sword in mid-air.

The two swords clashed, sending shockwaves flying in all directions!

Through the bamboo swords stacked together, Aoto saw that the corners of Ugaki Goro's mouth were turned up in an exaggerated way... he looked so excited, so very excited...

Although swordsmanship at that time did not have the detailed and scientific competitive rules of later Kendo, it still had many established conventions.

For example, the side with a sword in its chest will undoubtedly lose.

As for a real sword duel, that goes without saying. Unless one is a monster with extraordinary talent, a person who suffers a chest wound, even if they don't die on the spot, is not far from death.

Therefore, Qing Deng couldn't help but ask:

"Hey! I've slashed your chest, you should have lost by now, right?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I forgot to mention beforehand! Our sparring match will use my self-created 'tumbler' system."

"'Roly-poly toy'? What does that mean?"

"It means that the two sides are like roly-poly toys that will never fall over no matter how you manipulate them, constantly hacking at each other! They keep hacking until one of them can no longer stand up!"

After speaking, Ugaki Goro jumped back, voluntarily withdrawing from his struggle with Aoto.

In the blink of an eye, just as Ugaki Goro's feet landed back on the tatami mat, he suddenly jumped back and reappeared in front of Aoto in the blink of an eye.

It turned out that the outcome wasn't decided in one move, but rather that one of them had to be exhausted and fall down... Qingdeng felt a sense of helplessness, as if he had been tricked.

However, since things had come to this point, Qing Deng had no way to back down.

Facing Ugaki Goro, who was slashing straight at him like a swallow, Aoto roused himself, got into a fighting stance, and engaged in battle with his opponent once again.

The flashing of swords and the movement of blades between the two were dazzling.

Someone was bound to get hurt—who wouldn't think that? After witnessing such intense fighting and hearing such a dense clashing of bamboo swords.

In reality, both of them were perfectly fine; neither of them had been stabbed or injured.

--strangeness……