I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng frowned slightly and muttered to himself.

—Is it just my imagination...?

Aoto felt that Ugaki Goro's strength... seemed to have become a little stronger than before.

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Although I didn't reach the goal of 6000+... I did reach 5000+! That's still a small improvement! (Arrogant Leopard.jpg)

Leopard has been building up to the Military Academy for so long... I really want to get to the part where Niou faces off against the heroes of the Military Academy! (Leopard excited.jpg)

I already have this image in my mind—Qing Deng pushes open the door of the martial arts school, and on the left and right sides behind the door stand strangely shaped great swordsmen; directly opposite the door sits the old and frail Otani Seiichiro.

"Natural flow of soothing the mind, orange green on the sunny day, please enlighten me!"

By the way, all the swordsmen mentioned in this chapter, such as Otani Seiichiro and Oishi Susumu, are historical figures, not made up by the author.

In order to fight against the Western powers, passionate young people eagerly learned martial arts, and as a result, swordsmanship, which had been dormant for a long time, experienced a long-awaited period of development during the late Edo period, producing many highly skilled swordsmen and great swordsmen—however, this was the last swan song of Japanese swordsmanship.

Chapter 423 Qingdeng: Hurry! Hit me harder! Hit me even harder!

After a long exchange of blows, Qing Deng carefully moved his body to the right, intending to break Ugaki Goro's defense from the side.

However, Goro Ugaki saw through Aoto's intentions.

He played along, deliberately taking a half-step to the side, revealing his side profile and creating an opening.

When Qing Deng launched his attack, Ugaki Goro, who was already prepared, deflected Qing Deng's slash with his sword, and then swung his sword backhand, aiming for Qing Deng's face.

As Qing Deng was still in shock, Ugaki Goro's bamboo sword flew straight at him.

Fortunately, the effectiveness of "Speed ​​+4" has never disappointed Qingdeng.

Sheathing the sword and going into defense—the movements were executed in one fluid motion.

However, although he parried Ugaki Goro's bamboo sword, his hasty defense caused Aoto's body posture to become noticeably disordered.

Ugaki Goro did not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the course of the battle, and he seized the opportunity to deliver a second blow.

Ugaki Goro's second strike was also swift, the dark yellow blade heading straight for Aoto's waist.

As Qingdeng dodged, he countered with a swift strike to the opponent's shoulder—but the attack missed.

Their sleeves brushed together as they passed each other.

When Qingdeng turned around, his field of vision was filled with flowers flying high.

Ugaki Goro charged forward. His bamboo sword followed him.

Seeing this, Qing Deng did not hesitate to use two upward slashing moves in succession.

The first move saw the two bamboo swords clash with a resounding clang. Ugaki Goro's strike was deflected to the side by Aoto.

The second move was a fierce attack on Ugaki Goro's side, which was wide open because the bamboo sword had been parried.

Qing Deng felt there was no need to specifically check on Ugaki Goro's injuries, as he still felt the solid sensation of the bamboo sword striking his opponent's body.

Ugaki Goro's body crashed heavily into Aoto, and he fell headfirst onto the tatami behind Aoto.

However, just as his body was about to make "intimate contact" with the tatami, he suddenly exerted his strength in his waist, nimbly adjusted his body orientation in mid-air, completed a beautiful fall, and landed steadily back on the ground like a cat.

Including the previous "body slash", Goro Ugaki has been hit twice by Aoto.

Although both sides used bamboo swords, which are made of relatively soft material, they are still swords no matter how soft they are.

As long as you don't hit vital areas like the back of the head or throat, you won't die—but even so, being hit by a bamboo sword will still hurt a lot.

With just a little force, no matter which part of the body it hits, it can cause the person to contort their face in pain and look grotesque.

As a result, despite being struck by two swords, Ugaki Goro remained energetic and acted as if nothing had happened.

Let alone "showing pain," the corners of his mouth, which were turned up high, never relaxed.

Looking at Ugaki Goro, who seemed capable of fighting for another three hundred rounds, Aoto couldn't help but sigh softly:

"You're really tough..."

"Hehe! 'Strong bones and muscles' is one of my proudest strengths!"

Just then, Ugaki Goro pounced on Aoto again like a gust of wind.

This time, Ugaki Goro did not adopt that strange stance that was neither high nor middle stance. Instead, he raised his sword overhead, with the tip of the bamboo sword pointing directly at the ceiling—it was a high stance, and a very standard one at that.

Aoto assumed the Kasumi stance to meet the attack. At the same time, he secretly praised in his heart: Ugaki Goro's footwork and waist movements concealed astonishing elasticity and explosive power.

Such imposing presence is comparable to that of the swordsmen of the Satsuma Jigen-ryu school!

"Haaaaaaah!"

Goro Ugaki roared.

At the very moment he released his breath, power surged through his body.

If someone possessed the ability to "see through the flow of power," then he would be able to see very clearly that the power flowed from his two calves into Goro Ugaki's waist, and then was transmitted to his arms and the palms holding the sword.

Ugaki Goro unleashed this power, along with the bamboo sword enveloped by it, and slashed it directly at Aoto!

That was a terrifying blow that seemed to cleave Aoto and the tatami mat beneath his feet in two.

With the support of talents such as "Bear Waist +1" and "Elephant Core +1", Qingdeng is never afraid to fight against others.

Qing Deng took a deep breath, focused his energy in his dantian, and struck with lightning speed, parrying Ugaki Goro's attack.

The two passed each other, and the floorboards thumped.

—Strange…his strength and speed seem to have increased again…

In the blink of an eye, during the brief exchange, Ugaki Goro, who had rushed to within four steps of Qing Deng, suddenly leaped into the air, his sword whistling as it hurtled towards Qing Deng's body.

Qingdeng had no time to think it through; he could only suppress his thoughts for the time being and concentrate on the fierce battle in front of him.

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

The two exchanged four moves in a row.

Seizing the opportunity, Qing Deng rushed towards Yu Qianwu Lang with fluid and graceful movements.

He slashed the bamboo sword diagonally upwards, aiming for Ugaki Goro's wrist—it was a move from the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style!

Qing Deng was very confident in his attack.

Unexpectedly, Ugaki Goro seemed to have seen through Aoto's intentions, and swiftly took a step back, widening the distance between himself and Aoto, and swung his sword to break through Aoto's attack.

The two switched positions again—during the exchange, their swords clashed several times.

In the spacious bedroom, the sounds of bamboo swords clashing echoed, but only the two swordsmen engaged in battle, along with Sanako and Souji who were watching from the sidelines, could hear them.

Aoto raised his gaze and involuntarily cast a questioning look at Ugaki Goro in front of him.

The "shopping spree" just now didn't work... This really surprised Qingdeng.

Although Aoto had not systematically studied the sword techniques of Hokushin Itto-ryu, due to the domineering effect of his "Sword Saint" talent, coupled with his frequent visits to the Chiba Sword Hall and his interactions with Sanako and Chiba Jutaro, he had many opportunities to "learn by stealing" techniques. Therefore, Aoto's mastery of Hokushin Itto-ryu was by no means weak.

He felt... no, he was certain—if it were Ugaki Goro at the start of the war, he would absolutely not have been able to dodge his "hand-chopping" move!

—It's not my imagination... Ugaki Goro's strength is indeed constantly increasing!

Thinking of this, a stern look appeared on Qingdeng's face.

A person who gets stronger the more they fight... This kind of character, who seems to only exist in novels and anime, was something he had never heard of or seen before.

At this thought, Qing Deng suddenly remembered—no… no… he seemed to have actually encountered someone who got stronger the more he fought… before.

The long face of the Choshu Domain swordsman who called himself Takasugi Shinsaku flashed through Aoto's mind.

However, to be precise, Takasugi Shinsaku did not get stronger the more he fought, but rather he got stronger the more he was beaten.

"Wa ...

With a loud shout, Ugaki Goro's right elbow, which was holding the sword, snapped open like a broken bowstring. With a "whoosh," the wind pressure generated by swinging the bamboo sword ruffled Aoto's sideburns.

Instead of retreating, Qing Deng stepped forward and passed under Ugaki Goro's sword.

As the battle progressed, Qing Deng gradually figured out Ugaki Goro's swordsmanship style.

In short, Ugaki Goro's swordsmanship is a fairly typical "social school" style, that is, a so-called unorthodox style.

Although the moves of this kind of swordsmanship, which are outside of a system and formal training, are often rather crude, their power should not be underestimated.

After all, this is a sword technique that was gradually developed through countless life-or-death battles and bloody fights.

Ugaki Goro, whose strength had increased considerably compared to before, exuded an imposing and awe-inspiring aura.

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

……

One powerful shout after another shook the surrounding air.

The two figures passed each other repeatedly at a breakneck speed.

The clear, resounding sound of bamboo swords striking each other rang out continuously.

Ugaki Goro's offensive intensified, unleashing wave after wave of fierce strikes like a torrential rain upon Aoto.

At first glance, Qingdeng appeared to be under pressure, only able to parry and unable to retaliate—of course, this was only "at first glance."

In fact, this was all done intentionally by Qing Deng.

"One should press on with one's might, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third"—this is a proverb familiar to anyone who has read even a little bit of Chinese literature.