I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Qihe originates from Dantian.

The sound of bamboo swords striking each other.

The two's extraordinary attack speed and incredible frequency of swinging swords make the viewer's sense of time distorted.

I thought they had been fighting for more than ten minutes.

But in fact, less than 3 minutes have passed.

As a warrior who has experienced hundreds of battles, Momoi Haruzang naturally knew that if the fight continued like this, he would definitely lose if he did not have the upper hand in physical fitness.

So, he found another way and began to use various tricky and difficult swordsmanship techniques.

The sword's edge, which seemed to be striking head-on, suddenly stabbed out like a snake emerging from its hole.

The figure that seemed to be retreating suddenly jumped up like a cracking string.

After changing the tactics, it was immediately effective.

For a time, Qingdeng was forced into danger by the unpredictable and wonderful moves.

However... Momoi Haruzang's advantage only lasted for a moment.

In a moment, with the blessing of his heaven-defying swordsmanship talent, his "ghost heart" understanding, and his extremely rich combat experience, Aomori quickly adapted to Momoi Haruzo's routine and took the initiative again.

Judging from the situation, Momoi Haruzo has fallen behind.

However, even so, he remained calm and composed.

Not only is his demeanor still graceful, but even the clothes on his body and the expression on his face are intact.

At this point, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for the opponent in front of him.

He finally understood why everyone who had contact with Momoi Haruzang praised his taste and style.

The ability to still show off even when you are at a disadvantage... is indeed admirable.

At this time, a strange competitive spirit suddenly arose in Qingdeng's chest.

In an instant, he used his bamboo sword to open the tip of Momoi Haruzo's sword, then lowered his waist and gathered strength.

Then, he slashed hard with his sword from the upper right to the lower left.

This cassock chop was completed in one go.

Momoi Haruzo, who didn't dare to challenge him head-on, jumped back.

Qingdeng also stepped back to keep the distance between them.

While retreating, he turned his right wrist to hold the sword in a flower, changing the fronthand grip to the underhand grip. Then he imitated the action of sheathing the sword and put the bamboo sword into the "sheath" - pinned to the left waist and held in a ring. In the left palm of the hand.

Steady your legs and feet, lower your lower body, and place your right hand lightly on the hilt of the sword in a naturally relaxed position - the standard Iai stance.

Seeing this, Momoi Haruzang raised his eyebrows involuntarily, with a look of surprise on his face.

"Your Majesty Nioh, the sword-drawing technique is a martial art that uses the curvature of the scabbard to produce a moment of explosive power. You don't have a scabbard and only hold the sword with your left palm. Can you really exert its due power?"

Qingdeng smiled meaningfully.

"If you think I'm bluffing, you can attack me! You're welcome!"

Momoi Haruzang smiled.

In the next breath, he took a long breath, exhaled all the turbid air in his lungs, then raised his bamboo sword and adopted the Blue Eyes pose.

At this moment, the air between the two was filled with a strong and sad smell.

"..."

"..."

Time seems to freeze at this moment.

"Pop" - a sound.In this moment, time and air flow rapidly!
Two deafening explosions, one after another, dominated the eardrums of everyone present.

The first loud noise was the sound of Momoi Haruzo's footsteps.

He jumped towards Qingdeng with force that seemed to break the floor.

Along with the momentum of the sprint, Qingyan's bamboo sword slashed down diagonally.

The second loud noise... was the sound of Aomori breaking Momoi Haruzou's bamboo sword.

At the same moment when Momoi Haruzo's bamboo sword fell, Aomori drew his sword with his backhand.

He drew his sword at a very tricky angle, and the blade swiped across the side of Momoi Haruzou's sword from bottom to top, and countless dust and bamboo shavings burst out.

While removing most of Momoi Haruzou's strength, it also destroyed its center of gravity.

Under the tug of the sword blade, Qingto dodged to the side of Momoi Haruzang.

However, Momoi Haruzang's body leaned half a step forward due to inertia.

The side of Momoi Haruzo's body and the side of the bamboo sword were completely exposed to Aomori's sword!
Momoi Haruzo, who knew something was wrong, quickly adjusted his posture.

However...it was too late.

At the same time that the two figures overlapped, Qingden's drawn sword happened to be raised to the highest point in the air.

Soon enough, he stretched out his left hand, grasped the bottom of the hilt of the sword with his left palm, turned his wrists, and the sword turned half a circle, and the tip of the sword that was originally facing down became facing up - a reverse grip. The bamboo sword becomes an upright grip!

hum!
The sword edge slashed down with the force of a hanging river!Impartially hitting the side of Momoi Haruzou's bamboo sword.

Bamboo swords are different from knives.

Both the blade and the back of the knife can withstand a lot of force vertically, but they are much more vulnerable to the force coming from the side to the blade.

On the other hand, the bamboo sword has no distinction between the blade and the back.

It is a cylinder.

It can be said that the entire sword is a blade, and it is also a sword surface or a sword back.

However, if a very bad posture and position are used to withstand huge pressure, the bamboo sword will also be at risk of breaking.

And Momoi Haruzou's bamboo sword... is currently in a very bad position.

Judging from the sound of breaking wind, Qingdeng's attack really used strength.

Bang!
The two bamboo swords collided heavily.

The next moment, there was only a "snap" sound, and Momoi Haruzang's bamboo sword broke into two pieces.

The cutting blade flew high into the air, then drew a weak parabola and landed on the ground not far away.

Qingdeng's attack was exactly Rakshasa's move.

At the beginning, Rakshasa used this move to cut off Aonto's Echizen Tsutami Mori Kaneshige.

With his "ghost heart" and swordsmanship talent a hundred times that of ordinary people, Qingdeng secretly learned this move from Rakshasa.

Although he was still a little unskilled, fortunately, he did not lose his skill in this battle, and he successfully broke Momoi Haruzang's bamboo sword.

Momoi Haruzo blinked and looked at the only half-cut blade in his hand in surprise.

The reality of defeat did not cast any gloom on his expression.

"……pretty!"

Momoi Haruzang straightened up, showed a bright smile, and announced loudly with a magnanimous expression:
"I lost!"

As his words fell, a cold mechanical sound without any emotion came into Qingdeng's mind as expected:

【Ding!Scan to talent]

[Successfully copied talent: "Heirloom hair and childlike appearance +5"]

[Introduction to talent: not easy to look old]

——Auxiliary talent...

Qingdeng divided talents into two categories.

One is the "combat-type talents" that are helpful in combat, such as "Nine Bulls and Two Tigers" and "Speed ​​+5".

The second is the "auxiliary talents" that are beneficial to life. Typical representatives are "Yingwei", "Drunkard +2", and the newly acquired "Hero-haired and childlike +5".

Of course, this classification is rough.

After all, there are many talents that can be regarded as both "combat talents" and "auxiliary talents."For example, "gathering the gods" and "fighting each other".

Although Qingdeng felt a little regretful that he could not copy the talent that he wanted most at the moment, which is to enhance physical functions, but this talent that indirectly enhanced his appearance was not bad at all.

Who would think that his appearance is low?Especially for a beauty like Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji who aspires to be like Aito.

From the beginning of the battle between the two to the defeat of Momoi Haruzang, only a little over 5 minutes had passed...

In just 5 minutes, the world-famous "Momoi of the Sea" was defeated...

Faced with this fact before their eyes, the apprentices in the Shixueguan had different expressions.

Some are surprised, some are emotional, or some are hesitant.

But what's more, is the increasingly surging fighting spirit.

I saw quite a few people, as if they had fleas, sometimes shrugging, sometimes moving their feet, as if they were ready to jump up at any time.

When Qingdeng saw this, he couldn't help but feel funny:
——Obviously it is a swordsmanship school known for its elegance, but they are all like apprentices of the current class, each one more warlike than the other...

After feeling angry, Qing Deng leaned his sword on the ground and looked around at the people around him. "Don't you want to fight me? Now, go ahead!"

——I want to have a good time.

Qingdeng silently added the second half in his mind.

As soon as this remark came out, the audience suddenly boiled.

"Your Majesty Niou, please enlighten me!"

"I am the second seat of the Shigakuen, Haruyo Yoshikawa!"

"His Majesty Niou! Please give me your advice!"

The apprentices stood up aggressively, like bamboo shoots springing up after the rain.

Such a scene brought a faint smile to Qingdeng's lips.

He flipped his right wrist and switched the bamboo sword that was originally leaning on the ground back to the front grip.

"bring it on!"

Give a majestic attack to your opponent who is full of momentum.

……

……

Edo, one of the "Three Great Fields" training hall——

"His Majesty Niou, long time no see."

An old, kind smile unfolded in Qingdeng's field of vision.

A bitter smile appeared on Qingdeng's cheeks.

"Mr. Saito, if others call me 'Nioh-dono', that's fine. You, the old man, also call me 'Nioh-dono'... Doesn't that mean you are trying to offend me?"

Saito Yakuro's words "Long time no see"...are really right.

The last time the two met, it goes back to the red and white battle between the Trial Guard Hall and the Xuanwu Temple 2 years ago... That is, Qingdeng and Souji cooperated with each other and used their respective ultimate moves-"Liu Guang" and "Liu Guang". "Ping Qingyan Sandan Su", the difficult victory over Chiba Michizaburo.

Taking advantage of the "Swordsmanship Competition" held by the Lord of the Aizu Domain, Saito Yakuro first met Aoto.

Developing "power" at the age of only 18... Aoto's feat aroused the strong interest of Yakuro Saito.

Therefore, when he heard that the Imperial Guard Hall and the Xuanwu Temple were about to start a red-white battle, and that Qingden would also participate, he rushed to watch the battle with great interest.

At that time, he also brought with him the head of the dojo school under his command, a vassal scholar of the Choshu domain named "Katsura Kogoro".

Time has passed and Katsura Kogoro has left Edo and returned to his hometown, and there has been no news since.

On the other hand, Saito Yakuro remains the same, especially his eyes, which are still full of energy and have no signs of aging.

Qingto finally discovered that old people like Boss Kiryu, Old Man Makimura, and Saito Yakuro, who are old-hearted and strangely energetic, all have one thing in common - their eyes are bright, as if they have The eternal candle flame resides in the depths of their eyes.

The vast majority of the elderly...especially in an era when diet is not perfect, medical care is underdeveloped, hygiene concepts are lacking, and people can call themselves "old men" at the age of 40, when people get older, there will always be an extra glimmer in their eyes. At best, it sounds like "being happy and knowing one's fate", but at worst, it sounds like "losing momentum".

To be honest, Aoto respects and at the same time envies Saito Yakuro's attitude towards life.

He hopes that when he gets old, he can be as brave as Saito Yakuro.

In terms of age, Yakuro Saito, who is 65 years old this year, is one of the oldest great swordsmen still alive in Edo.

Among the three top names of the "Three Great Halls" - "Chiba of Technique" Eijiro Chiba, "Saito of Power" Yakuro Saito, and "Momoi of Position" Haruzo Momoi - The old man is the most legendary.

In the tenth year of Kansei (1798), Yakuro Saito was born into a poor country scholar's family in Yuezhong.

When he was 13 years old, he worked in an oil workshop.

When I was 15 years old, I don't know which nerve in my brain was twitching. I suddenly wanted to be a great scholar, so I ran away from home resolutely, helping people carry luggage to earn food. After a long journey, I finally reached Edo.

He went to serve as a servant at the home of the minister Noshi Yuzhicheng, working during the day and studying at night.

Nose Yunosei was moved by Saito Yakuro's diligence and helped him learn swordsmanship.

In this way, Saito Yakuro's life has undergone earth-shaking changes.

I only learned swordplay when I was nearly 20 years old, and I had never been exposed to martial arts before... Anyone with a little common sense knows that it is too late to start practicing martial arts at this age.

However... it only took him a few years to become the famous dojo of Shinto Mu-Nen-ryu: the master of the fencing hall.

In the ninth year of the Civil Affairs Period (1826), he opened his own dojo, the military training hall.

There are many swordsmen who are only capable of ruling the roost with swordsmanship, but their other abilities are mediocre and indifferent.

Yakuro is completely different. He is hard-working and hard-working, and he is also very smart in business.

Starting from scratch, he relied on his outstanding business skills to make the training hall bigger and stronger at a rapid pace, making it one of the three strongest dojos in Edo.

After the "Black Ship Incident" broke out, he deeply realized: "In today's world, what is needed is no longer swords, but cannons!"

Therefore, he resolutely handed over the training hall to his eldest son, Saito Shintaro.

He bought another 3000 tsubo (9918 square meters) of land in Yoyogi, practiced building forts with his disciples, and enthusiastically opened up new businesses. At this time, he was almost 60 years old.

The older people are, the more likely they are to have inertia in their thinking and the more difficult it is for them to accept new things.

At that time, the vast majority of people - including today's liberals - felt that Westerners were uncivilized barbarians and that battleships and cannons were incompetent. As long as the soul of the warrior was implemented, there was no enemy that could not be defeated.

Living in such an environment, as an old man whose neck is almost covered with dirt, Saito Yakuro can keenly see that the sword style has become obsolete, and he does not hesitate to give up the martial arts and career for which he has devoted most of his life. , changing a new track that I have never set foot on before... I am deeply impressed by my open-mindedness and broad-mindedness.

What is even more admirable is that after learning unfamiliar science and engineering knowledge and modern military science at such an advanced age, he can actually develop this new career successfully!
In Yoyogi, you can hear Saito Yakuro leading his disciples to learn, drill and use cannon every day, and they are very effective.

It is reported that the shogunate will next prepare to build a fort for the defense of Edo Bay at Shinagawa Odaiba, and will appoint Saito Yakuro to be responsible for the task of measurement and supervision.

From swordsmanship to artillery, from sword hall to artillery field... He is more like an industrialist with broad vision and energy than a samurai.

When preparing to establish an artillery force in the future, the training hall will be a good "talent market"... Qingdeng thought to himself.

The Shinsengumi's current starting capital is only a mere 3000 taels of gold.

Japan currently does not have the industrial capabilities to produce advanced firearms, nor does it have the educational capabilities to train modern military personnel.

If you want to buy guns and train soldiers, you can only turn to Westerners.

In this case, being exploited and ripped off is a sure thing.

Unless there are at least two zeros after 3000 taels of gold, establishing a modern military force is simply a fantasy.

Although it is a pity, the establishment of a modern army can only be slowly prepared when money is available in the future.

Under the leadership of Saito Yakuro, many apprentices in the training hall are valuable talents who are versatile... It would be a pity not to make more use of such a "talent market".

Although the friendship between Aoto and Saito Yakuro is not very deep, fortunately, the two of them have a good impression of each other, which can be regarded as laying a good foundation for future cooperation.

In terms of status, Saito Yakuro is already a retired person who "has no ears to hear what is going on outside the window and only wants to run away."

However, after hearing that Qingteng would visit the training hall today, he showed up at the dojo for the first time in a long time.

His son, Shintaro Saito, who is also the current owner of the training hall, respectfully accompanies him.

"Your Excellency Nioh."

Saito Yakuro asked with a kind face:

"I am a retired foolish old man, and I shouldn't get involved in the complex affairs of the dojo, but... I still give you a chance - do you want to challenge me first, or the dog first?"

Qingdeng replied without hesitation:

"If possible... I want to challenge the famous 'Saito of Power' first!"

Saito Yakuro nodded calmly.

"Okay, then let's... get started!"

After saying that, Saito Yakuro picked up the bamboo sword beside his leg and stood up slowly.

"Grateful."

Qingdeng jumped back and opened the door.

There were no formalities such as announcing names, performing squatting ceremonies, etc. The battle started suddenly.

The moment he grasped the bamboo sword and assumed a fighting stance, Saito Yakuro's face showed a strong and sad look.

The charitable face disappeared.

The kind expression disappeared.

Only a pair of sharp eyes that have been tempered for thousands of years are left!

He shouted and ran over, his feet scraping against the floor as if gliding.

The bamboo sword in the middle rose diagonally upward, then fell heavily, drawing a thrilling arc in the air, heading straight for Qingden's face!
Qingden stepped firmly on his back foot, exerted force on his waist, used his feet to bring his waist, and his waist to his arms, he faced Saito Yakuro's bamboo sword and slashed back hard.

Snapped! !

Click, click.

The two bamboo swords burst out with conspicuous cracks at the same time!

*******
*******
I felt a little uncomfortable last night, so I went to bed early.After sleeping for most of the day, although I felt better, I still felt heavy.

Although the situation is not good, I still work hard to update and publish before daytime again... Isn't it too much to ask for monthly votes? (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Ask for a monthly pass!Ask for a recommendation ticket! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)