I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

"Hmm? My body..."

Before his doubts could settle, Uesugi Tetsu realized that these Onmyoji were looking over because of a tiny bit of spiritual energy emanating from the barrier.

Of course, this "tiny bit" is relative.

"It's okay, it's okay, everyone don't need to worry about me."

After slamming the door to the secret room shut, Uesugi Tetsu smiled, waved to the Onmyoji, and walked out of the hall on the first floor.

After seeing Nanjo Ai's pre-sent "working" message on Line, Uesugi Tetsu didn't bother her.

After spending a considerable amount of time calming down all the excess energy fluctuations in his body, Uesugi Tetsuya left the Special Affairs Department building.

Next, it's a choice between watching Ririko's match and going home to train and play cards.

Although there's not much to worry about in terms of the competition itself...

Uesugi Tetsu tapped Tamamo and breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a reply that "everything is normal".

That's true. That old man from the Tokugawa family just met Nanjo-nee today, so there's no way he could directly approach Ririko on the field.

If I'm not mistaken, the old man probably wants to test Nanjo-nee's attitude towards Ririko before making any formal contact.

Out of caution...

If that's the case, then Tokugawa Motoyasu must have met quite a few people before approaching Ririko.

Uesugi Tetsu had already made up his mind.

Just to be on the safe side, he still described the characteristics of Tokugawa Motoyasu and Tokugawa Ryuji and sent it to Tamamo, telling her to take Ririko with her when she saw the two of them after the competition.

Tamamo didn't ask any more questions.

[Tamamo (on vacation): Okay!]

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Uesugi Tetsu walked towards home.

……

"Ririko Tokugawa, victory!"

"Ririko Tokugawa from Arakawa Ward still hasn't drawn her bamboo sword, but relying solely on her fists and legs, she is like an unstoppable raging tide, directly entering the winners' bracket with a terrifying record of twelve consecutive wins in a single day!"

We still don't know how powerful she will be when she draws her sword and wields the real blade!

On the arena stage in Arakawa Ward, with a few strands of hair streaming down her forehead, Ririko, flexing her long, slender fingers, shifted her gaze from her opponent, who lay unconscious on the ground.

"This is much more satisfying than hitting a sandbag..."

Ririko spat out a long, solid white ribbon, and only turned and left after seeing the professional medical team below quickly come up on stage and carry her opponent away.

"The group stage was a decent day of warm-up activities."

She muttered to herself, ignoring the commentator who had been awkwardly ignored after trying to invite her to say a few words, and the reporters who swarmed around her.

Lili waved her hand, and her protective aura pushed everyone away.

Today I encountered a total of twelve opponents: four three-star, six two-and-a-half-star, and two two-star.

Ririko had originally prepared herself for a tough battle after seeing the words "Samsung".

But when she met them face to face, she realized that even within the same three-star range, the difference in strength between different people could be described as worlds apart.

Even if these opponents all rushed at once, they probably wouldn't be able to deal with the temporary resident, Yagyu-kun, let alone Uesugi-kun.

Moreover, most of the opponents couldn't even treat their weapons as an extension of their bodies... With such poor basic skills, what's the point of competing? Is it just a waste of time?

Somewhat puzzled, Ririko looked up and smiled at Tamamo in the front row of the spectator area and Chisa, who had arrived not long ago.

Speechless, Tamamo gave her a thumbs up, then stared thoughtfully at her fist, which was about the same size as Ririko's.

—You, who are the same size as them, how come you don't even have a tenth of their strength!

—Fists, speak for me!

"hiss--"

Tamamo punched the wall twice, and immediately gasped in pain.

Also, didn't she hear that Ririko was a swordsman? How come she has no opponent just by punching and kicking?

With such performance, how come he's not one of the seeds in the Arakawa region?

Knowing that Akechi Yuya was at the bottom of the list, Tamamo rested her chin on her reddened right hand, suspecting that an unseen force was exerting its power behind the scenes.

Chisa, sitting next to her, had been watching intently ever since she sat down, constantly whispering her approval.

—I never imagined that Tokugawa-neechan, who looks so thin and frail, not much different from Chisa, would actually be so amazing!

Moreover, he would smile and encourage his opponent halfway through the fight, which showed he was very polite.

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

After watching several matches, Chisa's eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.

But at the same time, she did not forget the message that the older brother had asked her to deliver to Tokugawa-neechan.

Chisa silently recited Tokugawa Ryuji's words in her mind, word for word.

The girl patiently waited until Ririko was out of sight of everyone and reached a quieter area at the back before jogging over to her, which caught Ririko's attention.

"Is something the matter, Chisa?"

"Um, Tokugawa-neechan." Chisa looked up, meeting the gaze that instantly shifted from fiery to peaceful, and said, "An older brother asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Ok?"

Ririko was somewhat puzzled: "Go ahead and tell me."

Chisa said,

"—It would be best if she gave up the seeding battle and left Tokyo quietly."

In that instant, Chisa could clearly see that Ririko's expression was no longer calm.

That was a performance she had never shown in several battles.

Silence, came suddenly.

Ririko lowered her eyes and waited until the girl was about to run out of breath before asking, "What's that big brother's name?"

"Tokugawa, Tokugawa Ryuji."

Chisa answered softly but with unusual clarity.

Ririko sighed silently.

"I understand." She patted the girl's head and said earnestly, "Thank you for relaying this, Chisa."

Chisa immediately shook her head: "You're welcome, Tokugawa-nee!"

Maintaining her unchanged expression, Ririko raised her hand and pointed at Tamamo, who had been doing something a moment ago and had only just arrived.

"Chisa, your sister is here."

The girl responded and ran towards Tamamo.

At that moment, Ririko lowered her head slightly and closed her eyes.

These are the words the eldest brother said to Chisa.

This means that the eldest brother has come to Tokyo.

Why would my brother come to Tokyo? He wouldn't come to Tokyo alone for no reason... Let alone abandoning so many things to come find me, that's absolutely impossible.

In a short time, the only answer had emerged in Ririko's mind.

"Miss Ririko, let's go!"

"it is good."

Ririko responded to Tamamo's invitation nonchalantly, and reopened her sharp, bright eyes, which possessed an unwavering will like the blazing sun.

That certainly sounds like something an older brother would say.

From a young age, my older brother has always been like this, giving what he thinks is the optimal solution, which is usually the actual solution.

This was a kind gesture from Tokugawa Ryuji.

But Ririko did not intend to accept it.

Now that the past has caught up with us, it's time to face it.

She told herself this, and her clear, mirror-like sword heart told herself the same thing.

……

He returned home in less than two minutes. In good spirits, Uesugi Tetsuya wasted no time and even practiced his calligraphy before sunset.

【Linzi Jue (9.78%)】

This one-time increase in mastery by 0.5% means I'm just one step away from crossing the 10% threshold.

But having comprehended this much, my spirit has almost reached its limit.

This was because Uesugi Tetsuya had exceptionally high energy levels after condensing the Flame Seed.

Normally, a 0.2% increase in mastery from using the ash of the Soul-Soothing Incense would be considered a lot.

He turned and looked out the window.

It will probably be quite a while before Ririko returns.

Then let's go inside the Hanafuda shop and play cards.

Coincidentally, the number of times he could be resurrected in both previous lives has also been restored.

The deep sea swept past like floating clouds, and without any pressure, Sugichi once again stood before the desolate Karuta III Factory.

As with previous events, the formulaic incarnation of the six-tailed fox spirit, touching the blacksmith's corpse, and watching the white orb CG sequence unfolds.

But this time, they didn't hear the familiar greeting from the fox-faced woman.

Instead, we see the carefree figure of the nameless Onmyoji.

"Farewell, Lord Six-Tailed Fox... Remember this, next time you won't have it so easy to beat me!"

Along with these words came the chaotic and noisy sounds of the Hanafuda shop.

Uesugi Tetsu sat there stunned, blinking several times before he came to his senses.

Has the node for entering the Hanafuda shop been updated?

He looked up at the fox-faced woman standing to the side and understood the situation in just a few seconds.

In other words, the Song Liuduo World's Number One Tournament is indeed the so-called "main quest," and it's likely that every time you win a round, the save point you enter will be updated to that moment.

Uesugi Tetsuya felt a pang of regret.

In this way, he can no longer repeatedly farm rewards from opponents he has already defeated.

The key is not to farm rewards excessively from the nameless Onmyoji or the next opponent—most of the random people's memory orbs are just ordinary white and green ones, which are not very interesting.

Looking at too many memory orbs is also not good. Too many or too long views of other people's real memories can blur one's own memories, thus causing a series of problems.

Although consuming dozens of memory orbs was no problem for Uesugi Tetsuya, he didn't want to waste his energy and time watching trash.

"pity."

Uesugi Tetsu sighed.

"Is there anything you're not satisfied with, sir?"

The fox-faced woman immediately asked softly, her tone and attitude seemingly improving considerably after passing the first round.

"It's nothing." Uesugi Tetsu stood up. "Take me to see my opponent in the next round."

"Then please follow me, sir."

—The opponent in the second round of the tournament only had blue and green chips, and there was nothing particularly attractive to Uesugi Tetsuya's memory orbs.

So he made a request to choose any three memory orbs, and the other party agreed.

Uesugi Tetsu's wager, of course, was still the memory of Tokugawa Yugoro, which he could not possibly give up.

"The duel begins!"

Fifteen minutes after the fox-masked woman announced the start, Uesugi Tetsuya rightfully won.