I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

The sword that Chejun wielded not only gathered up all the potential reactionary forces from that group of old fogies, but also injected a strong boost into the Three Kingdoms Alliance, which was already on the verge of collapse due to the teacher's critical illness.

In addition, the reputation of the Trial Slaying Ground was thoroughly established through this event.

From now on, the trial-cutting ground will continuously bring a considerable amount of revenue to the Imagawa family.

And most importantly, there is a persistent shortage of talent.

There is only one downside.

That is, the other daimyo and nations will therefore regard them as an even greater thorn in their side.

She might even come into the sights of the "Miyoshi Triumvirate" in the Kinki region, further increasing the difficulty of her journey to Kyoto.

and also……

Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned slightly, puzzled, wondering why that name had popped into his head.

—Oda Nobunaga.

Why is it that when considering threats, the first person I think of is this big fool from the Oda clan?

Compared to Takeda Shingen, and even the deceased "Viper of Mino" Saito Dosan... this fool is nothing compared to him.

Based on that big idiot's ancient city?

Imagawa Yoshimoto thought for a while, rejected the idea, and then found the answer.

Perhaps it was because Chejun had mentioned it to her seriously before.

She silently observed Uesugi Tetsuya, who seemed distracted and showed absolutely no respect for her, and asked with amusement,

"Che-jun, is there any tea?"

"There are some."

Uesugi Tetsu opened his storage backpack and began carefully selecting items from the contents.

Imagawa Yoshimoto continued to ponder.

—But even if the other daimyo value you, so what?

The so-called "people of the world" are those who go to Luoyang under the watchful eyes of everyone and sit on the highest throne.

If one doesn't even have that kind of spirit, then how can one be worthy of these three words?

"The tea is ready, Lord Yiyuan, please enjoy."

Imagawa Yoshimoto took the porcelain bowl containing lukewarm, clear black tea from the coffee table, but when she turned her head, she couldn't see any tea leaves.

I could only see this large jar of tea inside a transparent container.

The girl asked with some surprise, "What kind of tea is this?"

Without hesitation, Uesugi Tetsu lied: "Ming Dynasty black tea. I rescued a caravan when I came down the mountain, and they gave it to me as a token of their gratitude."

—It's actually a cheap black tea sold at 711-Eleven for 400 yen a large bottle.

Imagawa Yoshimoto opened his eyes wide and immediately lifted the porcelain bowl with both hands to take a sip of tea.

Suddenly, the sweetness from modern industry exploded in the girl's mouth.

She pursed her lips several times because of the sweetness, but after putting down the teacup, she found it inexplicably delicious.

Unsure, let me take another sip.

After repeating this process, Imagawa Yoshimoto quickly finished his tea.

Seeing this, Uesugi Tetsu raised the large jar, which was taller than her head, and asked, "Lord Yoshimoto, would you like more?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto had just lifted his teacup when he pressed it down again with his other hand.

"Ahem! No need!"

She put on a stern face and tapped the table with her knuckles: "Let's put what happened this afternoon behind us and get down to business."

Imagawa Yoshimoto said earnestly,

"I came to see you tonight, Che-jun, because I wanted to ask you if you have any thoughts on the expedition in a few days."

After all, this time their opponent was a 'great demon' they had never fought or encountered before.

She spoke first, briefly explaining the general plan: "My plan is to split into two groups before we arrive."

"One route is led by Yuanxin as the main force, just like before, while the other route, with fewer people, goes ahead to Mikawa Province to obtain current intelligence and information before the main force arrives."

After gaining a firm grasp of the overall situation, the suppression will be carried out with maximum efficiency.

Imagawa Yoshimoto asked, "Tetsu-kun, which way do you want to go?"

Uesugi Tetsuya downed the sugary black tea in one gulp, feeling slightly refreshed: "Shouldn't this be a decision for our lord?"

"—That's why I already said I have no experience dealing with powerful demons."

Imagawa Yoshimoto crossed his arms, inevitably causing his already loose robes to bulge out: "Shouldn't it be the most basic thing to refrain from criticizing masters in areas where one is not proficient?"

Uesugi Tetsu smiled.

—If he were now under Oda Nobunaga's command, the other party would probably start assigning him tasks and responsibilities.

He asked, "Where is Hanzo going?"

"The latter is of course the better."

Uesugi Tetsuya pondered for a moment, then replied, "Then let the three of us—Hanzo, Yoshimoto-kun, and myself—form the vanguard to infiltrate Mikawa Province."

"I?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto was somewhat surprised to hear his own name mentioned.

She tilted her head, pointing at herself with a puzzled look: "I don't know how to stealth or any of those fancy skills, so why are you including me in the investigation?"

The purpose, of course, was to increase the fame of "Imagawa Yoshimoto".

But you can't just say that carelessly, or it will be hard to explain if she keeps pressing you for an answer.

So Uesugi Tetsu slowly revealed the answer he had already prepared.

"The role of Yi Yuan Gong was not to help, but to symbolize."

He proclaimed to the people, the powerful clans, and even the great demon lurking in the shadows of the Three Rivers Kingdom—the Lord Yuan, the ruler of the Three Rivers Kingdom, is coming.

He clapped his hands and said in a catchy tone, "With Lord Yiyuan here, life will be better! With Lord Yiyuan here, the rebellion will be quelled! With Lord Yiyuan here, the great demon will be exorcised!"

The girl's eyes crinkled with a smile upon hearing this.

So... are you treating me like a mascot?

“It’s not impossible.” Imagawa Yoshimoto straightened his back and twitched his slightly numb toes. “Tetsu-kun, I’ll grant your request and give it a try this time.”

Uesugi Tetsuya, who hadn't expected to get past her so easily, paused for a moment, swallowed back his subsequent advice and words, and instead made a request.

"Moreover, if I enter the Three Rivers Kingdom first, I can take this opportunity to seek out the Heavenly Craftsmanship."

Imagawa Yoshimoto: "The Heavenly Craftsman? Must we seek it at this crucial moment?"

"It's not that I chose this time."

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head and patted the crimson katana beside him: "It's because we're about to face a great demon that we need to seek out the Heavenly Craftsmanship to help Xiao Jia reach a higher level."

"—Because even I am not sure I can deal with a great demon that is still completely unknown. Every bit of strength I can increase my chances of winning."

Imagawa Yoshimoto scoffed: "Even if you, Che-kun, cannot fight against it, do you think my army is just eating for free? Even if that great demon is ten times more ferocious than that red demon before, it certainly cannot withstand the attack of thousands of people."

If facing a demon like the Red Oni, which is more physical, a thousand-strong army composed of foot soldiers, samurai, archers, and arquebusiers would naturally be able to easily defeat it.

The problem is... that great demon could be the Hundred-Eyed Demon, or any other great demon skilled in group bewitching and illusion.

For example, his four-tailed fox's [Mirage] talent can bewitch hundreds of people at the same time. Those great demons who are three stars or above and specialize in this skill can only do it better.

If, when facing such a powerful demon, an unsuspecting army were to be bewitched, that would be a truly spectacular sight.

Uesugi Tetsu explained in detail to Imagawa Yoshimoto the possible demons and their abilities, causing the latter to frown deeply.

"Such bizarre and monstrous demons exist in this world? I've never heard of them before."

After listening, she asked with a slightly worried expression,

"If it's just the three of us, isn't that a bit too few?"

Uesugi Tetsu: "No, if there are fewer people, I can always stand by your side, Yoshimoto-kun, but with more people, there are more variables, and the risk of being a target and being exposed will also increase significantly."

This statement makes sense.

Yoshimoto Imagawa, who had entered the room with a smile not long ago, felt that in just a few tens of minutes, he had a lot more troubles and problems.

Because of the existence of this "great demon," the originally simple and easy-to-understand suppression has become extremely difficult.

Demons and monsters are truly deserving of everyone's wrath!

She lay on the table, gently blowing small bubbles in her mouth, quickly clarifying everything in the present moment.

A few minutes later, Imagawa Yoshimoto sat up again, stood up, and said to Uesugi Tetsuya,

"I understand. I will invite you, Che-kun, if everything is ready."

The girl opened the sliding door again and saw the two-foot-tall man sitting at the door, chatting with Shiraishi while guarding the gate.

She put on her wooden clogs, then, under the watchful eyes of the two little ones, turned her head and whispered into the room.

"Goodnight, Che-jun."

The man watched her graceful departure, narrowed his eyes, and scoffed inwardly.

……

During the Warring States period, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

This period was particularly peaceful, whether it was inside the Imagawa Castle, outside Sunpu Castle, or even the intermittent intelligence coming from Mikawa Province.

It's like the undercurrents surging before a towering wave.

For the past two weeks, every time Uesugi Tetsu saw Shiraishi, he would see him flipping through that ninja manual with a serious and eager expression.

—In contrast, Shiraishi's strength has also increased significantly, as if he had reached the first star level by rocket without any bottlenecks.

The force of that punch reached a full four hundred strings of cash!

While it's still not enough for most ninjas, it's a double improvement for Shiraishi two weeks ago!

Now he has learned quite a few ninjutsu techniques and can be considered a decent little ninja.

The place where the sword was tested in Sunpu Castle became famous because of Uesugi Tetsu's sword strike. Countless people came to visit or try their hand at the sword every day, and the heads alone filled several nearby streets.

Everyone hopes that they too can make that black sword-wielding pill announce the number "30,000 kan"!

Unfortunately, after Uesugi Tetsuya, let alone 30,000 kan, even samurai who could kill for 10,000 kan were extremely rare.

—As for Uesugi Tetsuya himself, there was still about a month and a half left before the deadline for completing the task of suppressing the riots in Mikawa Province, so he was not in a hurry.

His daily routine consisted of cultivating himself, giving pointers to Erchi Daren and Baishi, sleeping, and then continuing his cultivation.

Because of Imagawa Yoshimoto's presence, even though Uesugi Tetsu didn't need to worry about interpersonal relationships, his needs could be met almost perfectly.

"Therefore, this cultivation of unyielding bones can finally be considered complete!"

Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly stood up from the medicine, which was clearer than water. The cracking of bones beneath his skin and muscles brought him a final, excruciating pain.

His eyebrows twitched incessantly; even after enduring half a month of torment, he still couldn't adapt with a blank expression.

The excruciating pain of bone forging is far greater than that of skin tempering because the Qi must penetrate deep into the body before it begins to refine and forge the bones.

Not to mention strengthening bones in a medicinal bath.

Only by enduring pain that ordinary people cannot bear can one gain an edge in the climb!

Crack, crackle!

In the final moments, the creaking of bones gradually subsided.

Uesugi Tetsu slowly opened his arms to greet the golden shards of sunlight streaming in from the window. His body was crystalline and full, like a master sculpture from ancient Greece.

[Your skill, Coronal Breathing proficiency +26! ]

[Your skill, Five Thunder Method: Qi Combination Proficiency +7!]

—Hard bone, done!

[You have completed the Flesh Palace Training - Hard Bone Stage!]