I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head: "No, I'm not here to watch."

The samurai and registrar standing in line around them were all taken aback when they noticed this, and then they heard him say,

"I've come to test my skills."

Instantly, the entire hall fell silent.

—At this moment, the test cut was made inside the ground.

"Slashing power, 14,826 guan—that's right!"

For the past three days, Samurai Slash Maru, with the largest backward lean in his back, slowly announced the number of slashing forces.

The test cutting area was specially covered with soft river sand.

The man, who claimed that the sword was just a warm-up, slung the katana over his shoulder, yawned, and closed his eyes, ready to enjoy the cheers and applause from those around him.

But the man waited for a long time and still didn't hear the shocking sounds from his surroundings.

Only the recorder standing not far away was slowly recording the five-digit number at the top of his ledger, his pen trembling slightly.

"Huh? Why is it quiet when it's my turn?"

Who stole his thunder?

Shibata Katsuie raised an eyebrow and looked around, only to find that the audience, who should have been cheering for him, were all looking in the same direction.

The noise coming from that direction was incredibly loud, so loud that the ground trembled slightly.

He listened for a moment and then heard the words "Lord Che".

Lord Che?

Who is this again?

Why does that sound so familiar...?

"Shibata-sama, Shibata-sama!"

Before Shibata Katsuie could unleash his remaining two strikes, a short figure emerged from under the wooden fence and quickly pulled him away from Zanzemaru.

Shibata Katsuie, who was forcibly pulled out of the testing area and then sheathed his sword and blended back into the crowd, frowned deeply.

But only after the person pulling him stopped did Shibata Katsuie condense his inner energy into a line and coldly ask the young man, who was a little over 1.4 meters tall and had a face that was somewhat different from ordinary people.

"Monkey! Why did you drag me out like that? If you don't make the cuts now, you might not have another chance!"

The young man, nicknamed "Monkey," turned his head left and right, and after confirming that no one was paying attention to them, he took out a straw hat from his cloth bag and said urgently,

"Lord Shibata, please put this on first."

Shibata Katsuie did not throw a tantrum.

He knew the monkey must have a reason for pulling him out so urgently, so he decided to listen first.

Moreover, before he left this time, Lord Nobunaga specifically instructed him to listen to the monkey's words before doing anything while traveling.

—This guy may not be very strong, but he's quick-witted and full of clever ideas. Although he can't compare to Sister Changxiu, he can still be used as a temporary strategist.

What's more, they are currently in the enemy's headquarters.

So Shibata Katsuie put on his straw hat first, and then continued to ask, "What happened?"

The monkey—who would later be known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but was still called Kinoshita Tokichiro for now—lowered his voice and spoke softly.

“Che”.

"Che?"

"Yes, that Onmyoji, Che, who has recently become famous throughout the Tokaido!"

"Che... okay."

Shibata Katsuie's hand tightened on the hilt of the sword, realizing what that familiar feeling he had just experienced was.

He took a deep breath, feeling a bit scared.

Damn! I completely forgot about something so important!

If the monkey hadn't pulled him back into the crowd and given him the straw hat, he would definitely have been in trouble!

They were just passing through Sunpu Castle with a caravan when Shibata Katsuie heard about a magical place for testing sword skills and decided to come and see for himself.

If you attract too much attention, even if you manage to return unscathed, you'll still inevitably get a severe scolding from Lord Nobunaga.

Not to mention, if the Onmyoji Che had noticed him while he was still testing his skills, it would have been uncertain whether they could have even left Junfu City!

Thinking of this, Shibata Katsuie immediately abandoned his desire to show off and nodded to Kinoshita Tokichiro.

"Thank you for earlier, monkey."

"It's just that you're currently engrossed in testing your skills; I probably won't be needed at other times."

Fujikichiro scratched the back of his head and smiled simply.

"Well then, we can take this opportunity to see for ourselves what kind of person this Onmyoji Toru really is..."

Before queuing up, Uesugi Tetsu walked into the testing area and curiously asked the recorder, who was looking somewhat bewildered by his sudden disappearance, "..."

"May I ask, what was the highest slashing force in the past few days?"

The recorder glanced at Uesugi Tetsuya's clothes and, combined with the ongoing commotion, realized in just a few seconds who it was.

He quickly bowed and said...

"Reporting to Lord Che, it was just a single strike that cost 14,826 guan."

Fourteen thousand strings of cash?

so much?

Uesugi Tetsuya was somewhat surprised when he heard the number.

After a pause, the recorder added, "It is said that this was just a warm-up for that samurai."

Or is it just a warm-up?

Uesugi Tetsu smiled in surprise.

This is really a bit unexpected.

He asked curiously, "Who is it?"

The recorder turned his head, and after not finding anyone, swallowed hard and whispered, "That gentleman was just here... but suddenly he disappeared."

Uesugi Tetsuya was not surprised.

Because those who can unleash tens of thousands of units of force must at least be warriors who have completed the cycle of internal energy, and generally speaking, they should have a considerable reputation.

She just hid, probably because she didn't want to run into him directly.

Moreover, the warm-up cost nearly 15,000 strings of cash.

This is almost as strong as Okabe Motonobu's slashing power—because when she goes all out, it definitely has a force of at least 20,000 kan.

Uesugi Tetsuya let out a soft breath.

—However, I am stronger.

Now, he has completed the tempering stage of the Flesh Palace, refined the Qi circulation again, and reached the proficiency level of the Five Thunder Technique: Qi Harmony. He can also wear the Prajna Mask and wield the epic-level Kaga Kiyomitsu.

With all these factors combined, earning a mere 20,000 strings of cash should be a piece of cake.

The problem is, I don't know where the upper limit is.

He nodded politely to the recorder and asked, "I also wish to try my hand at beheading here. Should I join the last place in line now?"

Onmyoji Che, are you going to test your skills?!

They're still asking him if he wants to wait in line?

The recorder was so shocked that he almost dropped his pen.

He knew that the master had made a great commotion late at night a few days ago, making the Imagawa Pavilion brightly lit in the early hours of the morning, and even knocking on many shops in Sunpu City.

It is said that it was for the Onmyoji Che!

And then there are the stories of the elders and demons from even further back...

This person is now a prominent figure in the Imagawa family!

Before he arrived, the Lord had specifically instructed him to strictly maintain order at the trial execution site—he even had the authority to command the bannermen remaining there.

How should he answer this life-or-death question?!

Uesugi Tetsu blinked, and just as he was about to turn around, he noticed the conflicted recorder, so he spoke up.

"I'll just go to the back of the line."

He patted the recorder on the shoulder,

"I won't make things difficult for you."

The recorder stared at Uesugi Tetsuya, who was smiling, for a moment, then lowered his head and replied.

"Thank you, Lord Che."

However, this time the gratitude was exceptionally sincere.

After saying that, Uesugi Tetsu left the testing area and brazenly joined the last line of the long queue, which once again aroused a chorus of doubts.

The fact that so many people were confused at the same time naturally caused a great commotion, which aroused the dissatisfaction of many of the queuing samurai.

But now, in the main castle of the Imagawa family, I'll have to try my hand at the Imagawa family's "Zanzemaru" for free later.

Therefore, even the most resentful samurai had to give the Imagawa family some face and couldn't take action in the street.

Uesugi Tetsuya also frowned, turned around and spoke calmly, his flat voice reaching everyone's ears precisely and clearly.

"Since you've all come here to watch me, please follow the rules here."

The previously noisy environment suddenly fell silent after hearing those words.

Then, the loud shouts all turned into whispers.

—Because Onmyoji Che can send sound to your ear, it means he can also send lightning to your ear!

This casual display of skill stunned the vast majority of people.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, that's pretty much it."

Letting the two little ones wander around the nearby shops at their leisure, Uesugi Tetsuya began the long queue.

Actually, the longer waiting time was just what he wanted.

During this time, the news of Onmyoji Che's trial of the sword will spread wider and wider, and more and more people will come to watch him try his sword.

In this way, the effect of his test cut will be better.

Whether it's to intimidate others or to gain prestige.

And indeed, it turned out just as Uesugi Tetsu had predicted.

As time went on, not only passersby but also merchants and ronin from the western part of the city, from the Tokaido, Kinki, and Higashisando, gathered around the trial grounds.

Initially, most people were expectant, hoping that Onmyoji Che would achieve some amazing results.

But as more and more people gained a superficial understanding, a sense of alienation emerged—or rather, it became the voice of the masses.

A merchant from a remote mountain village in the Tokaido region scratched his head: "Onmyoji...? You people from the Tokaido region still believe in such an outdated legend?"

A local sighed, "Alas, the classics don't believe in Onmyoji."

"Even if the rumor is true, the legendary Onmyoji who can only use Onmyo magic probably can't even hold a sword properly!"

The burly samurai with two swords at his waist commented rationally: "This Onmyoji Che is quite famous in the Tokaido, so he wouldn't make such a fool of himself by not being able to hold his sword properly, but he'll only manage to cut two or three thousand kan before he's done for."

At this moment, the ronin who had gotten lost in Sunpu Castle halfway through his journey finally managed to squeeze to the front of the crowd thanks to his relatively strong physique.

He happened to see a warrior in the field, whose muscles were even larger than his own, slowly sheathing his sword.

Then, upon hearing the creature, resembling a large black egg, announce its striking power in a strange yet captivating tone,...

"Slashing power, five thousand six hundred and twelve guan—that's right!"

The ronin took a couple of breaths, squinted, and carefully examined the samurai who bowed to Zanseimaru and left. He realized that the samurai was probably stronger than him.