Female Swordsman Training Dojo

In the end, it was Harunobu who smoothed things over by talking about the competition rules, which barely managed to calm the two bigwigs who had a lot of grudges in their religious affairs and personal lives.

Naturally, the questions about Kujou Ryugetsu's identity as Negi and the story of the Six Heroes of Aozorakan were thus easily glossed over.

As for the competition rules, there's not much to say. It's just a simple draw for matches, with the winner advancing and the loser retreating. After all, the preparation time is too short, leaving no room for any fancy tricks.

Since there is only one arena, those who draw the later spot must wait for the previous person to finish fighting before they can enter the arena. This waiting is undoubtedly a disadvantage in terms of physical strength and patience. However, in other words, it is also an opportunity to observe the opponent's fighting style and obtain information.

"So, there are only sixty-five people who have signed up so far?" Harunobu looked at Toshogu Shūshō, the undisputed organizer of the Asakusa Ward New Year Festival, who was also in charge this year.

"After all, there are age and identity restrictions. It's already pretty good that there are sixty-five people. And that's with some people from other districts coming to participate." The master craftsman of Toshogu once again had a simple and honest smile on his face. "If there were no restrictions, this kind of arena wouldn't last many times."

Having witnessed the monk's shamelessness, Qingxin was immune to his naivety: "What about the extra one? A bye?"

"That's all we can do, after all, it was all done in a rush. If only Director Hira's great achievement had happened a month earlier," the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, revealing his shameless nature.

Qingxin dropped the pretense and rolled her eyes: "That sounds nice..."

Amidst the pleasantries, time flew by and it was time for the official start of the competition. As the noon cannon boomed throughout Tokyo, the swordsmen who had completed the draw excitedly returned to the crowd, their eyes wide as they watched the two figures step onto the arena.

"Number One! Aozorakan! Tennen Harushin-ryu - Communication University of China! Hirai Sachiko!"

A showdown!

"Number Two! Sanada Dojo! Hokushin Itto-ryu - Ultimate! Higo Kosuke!"

Hiraharunobu, who had already arrived at the high seat at the back of the arena, along with Toshogu Shūshō and Kujō Ryūgetsu, all three judges looked at the host who was calling out the names:

"Now, let's have a true swordsmanship test! The battle begins!"

The author says:

Author's note: I finally found the cat's disgusted expression! All the previous screenshots are gone, what a pity!

Chapter 86: First, Instant Kill

Hirako stepped onto the ring, positioned on the west side. Today, she was still wearing a loose-fitting kendo uniform, completely concealing her mature body. Moreover, her expression was stern. The first thing you would notice about her was not how beautiful she was, but rather a chilling aura that rushed towards you, making you feel breathless.

Her opponent this time was Higo Kosuke.

He had already planned what to say to provoke Hirako, but when they were face to face, the cold aura emanating from her made him miss his chance to trash talk. The host had already started calling out the names, and he could only repeat them bitterly in his heart, as if that would help him regain his lost face—even though no one cared about his appearance and embarrassment.

All eyes were on the rare female swordsman. A surging crowd filled Sumida River Park, with some even climbing onto books and streetlights. These gazes contained both good and bad intentions. If it were an ordinary person facing this kind of pressure for their first formal match, even if they were not afraid, they would inevitably feel a little restrained and unable to let loose.

However, Hirako only glanced at Harunobu, gave him a fleeting, faint smile, and then looked back at her opponent.

He's about 1.6 meters tall, quite strong, and his attacks are intermittent...

Completely ignoring Higo Kosuke's irrelevant aspects of the battle, Hira Yukiko gripped the unsharpened sword used in the competition, lowered her body slightly, and assumed the standard stance for Thunderclap Flash.

The loose-fitting kendo uniform completely concealed the curves of her body. Only Harunobu, who had not only seen it with his own eyes but also touched every part of it, could perceive the allure of this action. Only Harunobu, who was staring intently at his top disciple from the judges' panel, could perceive the allure of this action.

Finally, the host finished calling out the names and quickly stepped back off the stage.

Kosuke Hizen had already drawn his sword and charged forward even before the word "beginning" was still floating in the air. His movements clearly demonstrated the solid foundation he had as a master of the Imperial Academy.

Unfortunately, he was probably too engrossed in swordsmanship and didn't know that the most famous move of the Tennen Seishin-ryu style was now.

Thunder roared.

Higo Kosuke stood frozen in place, slowly twisting his neck in an attempt to look back. However, the sharp pain in his chest prevented him from doing so. As his head turned halfway, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ring.

"..."

four

Chapter 88

There was silence below.

Those who knew the ropes and those who didn't fell silent at that moment.

Kill instantly with one hit.

The Chinese team still easily defeated the Austrian team.

Is the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style... really that weak?

Even knowing that swordsmanship is swordsmanship and people are people, the fact remains that the master of the Hokushin-ichi-ryu was instantly killed by the master of the Tennen Seishin-ryu with a single strike, and there was no possibility of him cheating or acting.

After all, given Hirako's speed, even those in the know wouldn't have thought they could easily withstand it. Being instantly defeated by such a move is not incomprehensible.

So, after a moment of silence, cheers mixed with curses erupted. No matter what the social atmosphere is like, the worship of the strong is always in demand, especially since there are quite a few women in the audience. The loudest cheers now come from a certain brainless person.

Amidst the clamor, the host, who had just run off the stage, rushed back and loudly announced:

"The victory is decided!"

"Asakusa Festival True Sword Match - First Match! Winner! Hira Yukiko!"

Taira Yukiko calmly finished her shin-chan, bowed politely to Higo Kosuke who was lying on the ground, and then returned to Harunobu's side.

There are no matches for her today, so there's no need for her to wait. As for whether this will cause controversy... Hirako had worried about that, but staying by Harunobu's side is definitely more important to her, especially since Harunobu agrees with that.

Seeing the two of them blatantly holding hands in front of all the audience and contestants, Tōshōgū Sōshō felt for the first time that he had lost in terms of shamelessness.

Kujou Ryuzuki, on the other hand, wore a maternal smile as she watched the two young people's awkward flirting.

Poor Higo Kosuke was thus forgotten. In the end, the unlucky host dragged him to the other people at the Sanada Dojo. Well, these Sanada Dojo disciples were also watching "a despicable bad woman and a judge who abuses his power," and even forgot about their senior brothers/juniors.

However, as the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine instructed someone to bring Hirako's seat and the host enthusiastically called out the names, the audience's attention finally shifted to the main topic of the competition.

Following Hirayukiko was a disciple of the Hosho Dojo versus a disciple of the Sanada Dojo. The former was someone Hirayukiko had fought before, the agile 1.4-meter-tall one. Unfortunately, this time he met a tough opponent. After several exchanges, the Sanada Dojo disciple successfully seized his weakness and thrust his sword into his hand, crippling one of his arms. He then pressed his advantage, parrying the Bird King Sword with two strikes and placing the sword against Hirayuki's neck.

Although the two of them combined might not be a match for Hirako, compared to Hirako's unimpressive and swift defeat, this back-and-forth swordplay elicited even louder cheers. The reputation of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school was immediately restored, and Mugai-ryu was relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy of contempt.

It can only be said that cricket fighting and comparing combat strength are indeed human nature's hobbies.

Round after round of competitions went on. Although the main competition was between the two local dojos, Hosho Dojo and Sanada Dojo, there were also quite a few swordsmen from other schools besides Mugai-ryu and Hokushin Itto-ryu.

Satsuma Jigen-ryu, Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Katori Shinto-ryu... various sword techniques were unleashed, including many ingenious moves by masters. Some advanced techniques even demonstrated the uniqueness of "heart," turning the tide of adversity, forming a stark contrast with an advanced technique that was instantly killed by a single strike.

But none of that matters anymore, because it's time for the kitten to take the stage.

"Number 19! Aozorakan! Tennen Seishin-ryu - First Transmission! Taira Koneko!"

"A showdown!"

"Number 20! Hosho Dojo! Mugai-ryu Okuden! Ito Ranzo!"

"Now, let's begin the true sword trial! The battle begins!"

The tall, burly man gripped the katana, raising it high above his head, his muscles bulging as he prepared for a thunderous strike.

As a burly man who had withstood more than a dozen blows from Hiraharu, Ito Ranzo was confident that he could withstand the attacks of a mere novice disciple. With his strength, he could easily knock down the little girl in front of him with just one strike.

Ito Ranzo was right. If she could hit the kitten, the kitten would indeed be immediately disqualified, given its physique, but only if it could hit the target.

The kitten squinted, blocking out the sounds of the audience below. Its petite body stood straight, with only its upper body slightly leaning forward. The katana in its hand was already drawn and held to the side of its face, the blade level with its eyes.

The structure of the Hiraogan, which resembles the natural Rishin-ryu style, was an inspiration that the cat developed while diligently practicing Laurent's Mind's Eye Blade, and it is now her signature move.

The host, having finished announcing the names, stepped off the stage with a sigh of relief. He had thought he would be going back up again right after stepping down.

But why is there still no movement?

The host's sentiments resonated with the audience; no previous duel had lasted this long.

Whether it was hearing the audience's urging voices or not, Ito Ranzo suddenly let out a loud shout and charged towards Neko. His muscular body, which made his kendo uniform bulge, embodied the meaning of a pig charging forward at high speed. Even the audience below the stage was a little breathless, and the noise subsided a lot.

Kujo Ryugetsu and Toshogu Shrine Master also became more serious, each forming hand seals. Although the spells set up on the arena could basically protect the contestants' safety, they still needed to take action to ensure 100% safety.

On the contrary, Harunobu was unusually relaxed. Although he was also staring at the kitten, he did not make any move to attack at any time. He even held Hirako's hand.

And so, Ito Ranzo approached the kitten. His tall stature gave him a longer attack range, and compared to the petite kitten, he was almost invincible, and he swung his sword.

A fierce whooshing sound filled the air as the audience stared wide-eyed at the powerful strike. The kitten leaped forward like a rabbit, meeting the blade head-on. It narrowly missed the blade, but the knife in its hand plunged directly into Ito Ranzo's foot. The intense pain caused Ito Ranzo's sword to veer slightly off course, completely deviating from the kitten's body and even disrupting his own balance.

This shouldn't have happened, but the kitten just happened to catch Ito Ranzo's foot exerting force at that moment.

Grasping the katana embedded in the wooden floor of the arena, the cat's lithe body arched upwards, its booted feet pressing against Ito Ranzo's body, further aggravating his loss of balance. Then, a flash of thunder—

Having successfully maintained Thunder Breath for a moment, the kitten, like a large bow, used the force of stepping on Ito Ranzo to bend its slender waist. It then pulled out the katana that was nailed to the ground.

Like a fully drawn bow, or the turning of the full moon, the cat's katana fell squarely on Ito Ranzo's head from below.

Ito Ranzo was already unsteady on his feet from the kick by the cat, which contained the power of Thunder Breathing. He felt tightness and discomfort in his chest. Now, he was hit hard on the head and immediately fell to the ground, unable to get up again.

Two breakthroughs in one second—that's terrifying.

The kitten, panting heavily, put its hands on its hips and puffed out its chest towards Qingxin.

The author says:

Author's Note: Everyone at Qingkong Pavilion is extraordinary (not really, Xiaoyezi isn't yet).

Please read on, vote, and tip! (It's been a while!)

Chapter 87: The Cat's Amazing Skills

The fight between the cat and Ito Ranzo may seem long, but it wasn't actually longer than the fight with Hirako. In fact, because of the boring standoff in the early stages, that one moment of exchange seemed all the more swift and exquisite.

Not to mention the stark contrast between the 1.9-meter-tall strong man and the 1.3-meter-tall little girl, the impact was like a rabbit kicking a tiger to death. So when the kitten put her hands on her hips and showed off to Qingxin, the audience was completely silent.

Viewers were starting to wonder if they were hallucinating, and some "clever" people even concocted new conspiracy theories, suggesting that Ito Ranzo was acting.

Chapter 89

There are also quite a few swordsmen among them.

But those who truly understood the matter remained silent, pondering the kitten's two moves, which were actually quite simple in theory.

Nahei Kōjin simply seized the moment when Ito Ranzō exerted force with his foot, pierced his foot with his katana, causing him to lose his strength, and then burst out with considerable force in an instant, completely knocking Ito Ranzō off balance. Finally, using the force of the kick, he pulled out the katana and delivered a heavy blow to Ito Ranzō, who was in a state of high blood pressure.

But they are now looking at it from the perspective of an outsider, deducing the process from the result. But how did the kitten analyze Ito Ranzo's movement habits in the process of meeting him and seize that momentary flaw?

Ito Ranzo's charge was actually very solid, fast, and fierce. Anyone who tried to get close to him would only be met with his raised katana. But the little cat timed it perfectly, blocking the moment Ito Ranzo exerted his strength and passing through the exaggerated attack distance brought by his tall body.

Moreover, with the same perfect timing and precision, they found Ito Ranzo's weakness in that instant and successfully defeated him in just two moves.

Once could be considered a coincidence, or good luck for a young novice, but twice or three times, that can only be attributed to skill!

But they just couldn't understand it, they really just couldn't understand it!

How did such a young girl acquire such rich experience and a decisive mindset? Even if she started practicing swordsmanship in the womb, she wouldn't have such superb combat skills!

These were the thoughts of knowledgeable swordsmen, while on the judges' panel, the shameless monk was also looking at Qingxin in surprise, whispering, "Master Ping, does this Miss Ping the Cat know magic? She was able to detect the flaw in my Golden Light Spell?"

The arena for the competition was reinforced with magic to prevent it from falling apart during the fight, as it was hastily set up. However, since it was only for temporary use, only the most basic Golden Light Spell was applied. The principle of this spell is to add a layer of flowing light shield to the target. As long as the flow pattern is found, it is indeed possible to break through directly.

However, the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine was also certain that an ordinary person would never be able to find the flaw in his Golden Light Spell, but Hira no Kōjin did it as smoothly as flowing water, and even pierced through Itō Ranzō's instep first! That is to say, he also made a prediction of his spell.

This must have been done with magic! —Although even the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine could tell that there was no trace of magic on the kitten.

"The kitten doesn't know magic. This is a secret technique of our Natural Sunshine School, which is extremely difficult to learn."

Harunobu wasn't lying. Laurent's Mind's Eye Blade requires even more talent than Thunder Breathing. If it weren't for the Eye of Insight, the cat probably wouldn't have mastered it so quickly. Someone like Hirako hasn't even learned it yet.

While this is partly due to her primary focus on studying Thunder Breathing, she still enjoys the full benefits of the Azure Sky Pavilion. Even so, it's difficult for her to grasp the essence of "seeing through," which shows just how difficult this sword technique is to learn.

Upon hearing what Taira no Harunobu said, the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine could only helplessly suppress his question: "Isn't the secret technique of your Natural Haruno Shinryu too overpowered? That child is only a few years old, yet he is already so strong."

"That child is exceptionally talented and hardworking," Harunobu said modestly. "Of course, he also owes a great deal to my guidance."

Kujo Ryugetsu gave Toshogu Sōshō a mocking and disgruntled look, as if to say, "You shameless bastard, you've corrupted people."

The monk from Toshogu Shrine focused his gaze on his nose and his mind, clasped his hands together, and uttered the phrase "Amitabha."

The kitten had already left the arena and ran all the way to Qingxin's side, jumping directly into Qingxin's arms. Qingxin caught her with disgust: "You're covered in sweat and filth."

The kitten retorted, embarrassed and annoyed, "Isn't Sachiko-nee the same?!"

"Sachiko is only covered in fragrant sweat!" Harunobu declared confidently, tilting his head back. Before the kitten could retaliate, he was instead slapped by the embarrassed Sachiko.

The audience, who had been cheering and excited, suddenly felt full, and the atmosphere quieted down.

The host announced the start of the next competition.

The Sanada Dojo's Ryūshita Rokubei will face off against Sakamoto Sawa from Satsuma, while the Hokushin Ittō-ryū will face off against the Satsuma Jigen-ryū.

The nimble hand-chopping sword technique against the ferocious decapitation sword technique immediately attracted the audience's attention, and the two fighters did not disappoint the audience's enthusiasm.

Ryūshita Rokubei was a master of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Okuden, and his katana skills were superb. He unleashed his attacks, forcing Sakamoto Sawa to retreat repeatedly. Just as he was about to be forced off the stage, Sakamoto Sawa suddenly let out a scream, and a breathy sound like the howl of an old ape emanated from his mouth. He then unleashed a brutal Lion Manifestation attack on Ryūshita Rokubei.