I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 223 The Competition Begins

After a few days,
Koshien-cho, Nishinomiya City
Colorful flags fluttered in the breeze, and a large number of staff members were scattered throughout the area, guiding the throngs of people to enter in an orderly manner.

Numerous drones and hot air balloons circled in the sky, trailing long advertisements and cheering messages, adding to the festive atmosphere.

The newly built giant stadium, capable of holding 200,000 people, was already packed: people had gathered here hours before the opening ceremony, waiting for the athletes to make their appearance.

"Is this Koshien Stadium?"

Walking in the procession personally led by the Governor of Shimane Prefecture,
Looking up at the huge, brand-new building in front of him, Xiao couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Unexpectedly, he actually made it here. Koshien Stadium, the undisputed 'holy ground' in the hearts of Japanese sports-loving high school students.

The Hanshin Koshien Stadium was once the most popular stadium in Japan: three thousand teams representing their respective schools would fight for the honor of their youth, their schools, and their hometowns. The baseball team of Toin High School in Osaka won the Summer Koshien championship seven times, making them a veritable "demon king" in the world of high school baseball in Japan.

In the final battle, the exhausted warrior suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the invincible demon king, and several sword marks from the warrior were added to the demon king's armor.

This is a reflection of the countless challenges that Toin High School baseball team has faced, and it is also the real-life storyline of "Slam Dunk".

"How about it? Aren't you excited?"

Busujima, standing beside him, raised a hand and flicked her long hair. Although she was all smiles, her hand trembled slightly.

"Senior, you get nervous too?"

Upon hearing Xiao's words, the tall senior lowered her eyes.

"nervous?"

No, it's excitement!
The thought of fighting openly, of bloodshed, of screams filled her with an overwhelming excitement that made her tremble.

'Entrapment' tactics alone are increasingly insufficient to satisfy her bloodthirsty urges; for her, becoming a superhuman is not about power or authority, but about the ability to fight without restraint.

Cool!
"I am determined to win the championship."

Xiao shrugged as his senior calmly declared her victory.

"For me, as long as I don't get eliminated in the first round, it's a success."

"Everyone—!!"

As the contestants arrived one by one,
The host's energetic voice began to echo throughout the stadium.

The first "Koshien Martial Arts Tournament" will be held in the newly established "Koshien" stadium.

"Wisdom, courage, fun, and teamwork; a balance of activity and stillness, and a clear division of labor—this was the spirit of Koshien!"

"And so it remains today. Wisdom to discern the opponent's weaknesses, courage to forge ahead, the thrill of skillful combat, and the professionalism of each individual—show your prowess here and seize victory and glory!"

"And extraordinary potions."

A group of high school students in racing attire walked in and, led by their coach, entered the brand-new building.

Compared to the large number of participants in kendo and karate, there are far fewer people in horse racing: how could students from ordinary families, or even so-called middle-class families, have the opportunity to come into contact with horses?
Island nations don't have pastures, so they don't even get a chance to herd horses.

Unless one is exceptionally gifted enough to master riding a horse in just a few days, how can one even ride a horse to fight if one cannot even sit still?
"Now, please welcome the Tokyo Metropolitan Government team to the field!"

"The one leading the way is..."

Amidst the rousing drumbeats, teams representing various prefectures, districts, and counties began to take the stage.

They are all high school 'strong' selected through fierce competition, and they are about to determine the true 'top three in the island nation' here, and then obtain the extraordinary potion to rise to the top in one step!
Sword, bow, fist, and horseback riding are the four events, divided into men's and women's groups, with a total of 24 spots available, so you can imagine how competitive it will be.

High-ranking officials from Osaka gathered at the head table.

The one sitting in the very center was:
"Let me introduce you two,"

"This is Mr. Tokugawa, the head of the Tokugawa family."

The official from Osaka respectfully introduced the other party to Yu: the other party was a little old man, wearing a traditional blue kimono. Although he was bald and wrinkled, his eyes were still sharp and he looked to be in good spirits.

The family crest with three leaves encircled in a circle on the clothes is undoubtedly "that" Tokugawa family.

"Mr. Tokugawa, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Faced with You's outstretched hand, the little old man stood up with a smile.

"There, there."

"I've long wanted to befriend a prodigy like Youjun; however, it would be impolite to come here so abruptly."

Although the Tokugawa family was once the ruling shogunate of the island nation, things are not what they used to be. Moreover, if we're talking about family lineage, this young man who inherited Ashiya Dōman's Yin-Yang techniques can be traced back to the Heian period—back then, the Tokugawa family's ancestor, Seiwa Genji, was also making a living in Heian-kyo.

"You're welcome, sir."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone sat down.

As the strongest, Yu is the subject of much debate in Japan regarding his exact strength, but the strength of his disciple Yura is undeniable.

Ghost level, that's the level of a great demon!
Their power is comparable to that of a nation.

Therefore, it is only natural for Yu to sit in the main seat: after all, the Tokugawa family has been the "rulers of the land" for hundreds of years, and now that the supernatural has returned, the current head of the family, Tokugawa Mitsunari, has drunk the supernatural potion and participated in many actions to resist supernatural disasters. He can be said to be vigorous in his old age, so it is only right that he sits next to Yu.

As for the other side:
"Qiong, what are you looking at?"

After exchanging pleasantries, You turned around and chatted casually with Qiong Mei.

Whether it's Yu or Tokugawa Mitsunari, they're just here to 'hold things in check'; they don't need to worry about the actual match schedule at all.

Yu is easy to understand; he represents military protection to prevent certain reckless forces from causing trouble during the competition. The old man, Tokugawa Mitsunari, represents power protection: the Tokugawa family has controlled the island nation for hundreds of years, and most nobles still give him some face. With him around, those underhanded tricks will be more restrained.

In addition, officials in Osaka were purged by Kafka Riku because of the 'Takahashi Eileen Incident'.

The organizers of this competition certainly didn't want to get into trouble.
Should we release the water?

Blowing the whistle unfairly?
Okay, go and talk to Kafka Lu!

To dare to wield power at this grand event, could it be that you want to personally investigate the secrets of the underworld?
Let's just compete honestly and stop with things like doping, supernatural blessings, and underhanded tactics against participants.

Of course, if someone throws money at their opponent to make them willingly throw the game, there's nothing the organizers can do. But how many people would be willing to fix a match when faced with a super potion that can instantly make them rise to the top?
“I’m watching the news in America,”

Sitting next to Yu, Sora was scrolling through her phone while answering.

The class monitor was originally supposed to come too, but a fused evil spirit appeared near the property in Kyoto: Yura was running around with the Hanakain family, so Nao had to go herself.

"The United States split into two governments in Washington and New York: each side accused the other of being an illegitimate regime and demanded that the armed forces of the states be assembled under their command to eliminate the other side."

America is a federal country with a presidential republican system of government.
It implements a political system that combines the separation of powers with checks and balances, as well as a two-party system.

"This has led to each state having its own biases, government, laws, and armed forces—and now, the whole of America is in complete chaos."

Qiong Mei handed the phone in her hand to You. It was a map of America drawn by the large think tank of the 'Kengankai' conglomerate: it was red and blue, and even the colors representing support for Washington and support for New York were constantly changing.

The governor doesn't have absolute authority; his orders may be resisted by the counties below, which leads to:
The entire United States is in chaos!
“This is too…”

Looking at the map where you are in me and I am in you, Yu couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Although he was the mastermind behind everything, Yu never expected that America could split into hundreds of opposing states and counties in an instant.

What the hell?

It feels like even without his instigation, America could have started fighting on its own.

"In short, both regimes claimed legitimacy while simultaneously amassing power in this civil war."

There's a chance to fight!
The world’s leading armed group split into two factions. In addition to the millions of troops on the mainland, hundreds of thousands of troops stationed overseas also rushed back to ‘serve the king’.

As for which king is the most loyal to, even the armies themselves are probably confused.

Yu's attention is mainly focused on the island nation.
This resulted in America becoming essentially an 'autobiographical' country.

Neither the little octopus Kishira nor the 'veterans' protecting the Grand Master had any intention of charging into battle themselves.
What a joke! They are all noble and extraordinary beings.

If anyone's going to die, it'll be the mortals first!

First, let the mortal troops exert pressure and test the waters.

Wait for the opponent's superhuman to show a weakness, then strike with lightning speed.

In short, both sides in the United States are conserving their strength and not making any rash moves. This is the normal state of war. In most cases, the island nation's actions are due to Yu's covert intervention, which often leaves the ordinary armies unable to react in time, rendering them mere background figures.

"Go ahead and fight, go ahead and fight!"

You waved her hand and looked down at the arena below.

Teams representing their hometowns took to the stage one after another, their young faces displaying either a tense and serious demeanor, a sense of self-assurance, or a surge of fighting spirit.
Most of them are destined to be eliminated, but if they haven't really fought, who would think they are less skilled?
嗯、

His gaze swept over a woman with waist-length hair.
She looks like a high school girl who embodies the traditional beauty ideal.

Is this Poison Island?
good,

A slight fluctuation of chakra had already appeared on his body.
Even without any extraordinary medicine, given another year or two, she could independently step into the ranks of the extraordinary.

"What are you looking at?"

Yu's gaze lingered for a few seconds, and Qiong Mei next to her immediately became alert.

"Look at that high school girl—"

Yu casually pointed to the girl named Busujima.
"She has a very high probability of being the sword champion in this competition."

"Ok?"

"very beautiful"

"Hey, didn't you notice a trace of spiritual energy on her? You still need to work on your spiritual energy perception skills."

She rolled her eyes at Qiongmei and gave her a heartfelt warning.

"Don't let someone use a clone technique to fool you."

As Yu pointed in the direction, the passing group subconsciously straightened their chests and raised their heads.

There are veteran superhumans on the podium! Of course, we need to be on our toes and not embarrass our hometown.

Not only were there 200,000 audience members at the venue, but at the same time, the number of viewers watching on television, computers, and mobile phones reached a staggering several billion!
This was the first ever "Selection of Extraordinary Individuals" competition, attracting far more attention than the recently concluded Olympics, and even surpassing the World Cup: there were plenty of people who didn't play or follow football. However, as the extraordinary disasters escalated, the number of people who didn't pay attention to extraordinary matters actually decreased significantly.

In other words, the extraordinary individuals are reserved, so what if we held an 'Extraordinary Games'?
That's a truly globally watched event.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tokyo,

Edogawa Ward,

In the Jiu Kong family mansion,
"This is television, isn't it interesting?"

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, a man dressed as an Onmyoji from the Heian period watched with great interest the huge screen in front of him, where the images were constantly changing.

"It bears a striking resemblance to my shikigami, 'Ungaikyo,' but—"

He didn't need to finish speaking.
Sitting next to her, Jiu Kong Yao Ai had already guessed it.

"This is the power of technology."

"Although it is not even one ten-thousandth as good as the adult shikigami, it has the advantage of being widely available."

The "Cloud Mirror" mentioned by this great Onmyoji is most likely some kind of shikigami used for surveillance and projection; it may be incredibly mysterious, but in terms of quantity, it certainly cannot compare to the ubiquitous televisions.

"Over a thousand years, humanity has reached the pinnacle of mastery in the art of puppetry and machinery—truly remarkable. What a pity."

The great Onmyoji then changed the subject, becoming quite sentimental:

"Having extraordinary skills and tricks but lacking a foundation of spiritual power is nothing more than a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water."

“These things are naturally not worthy of the adults’ attention.”

In response to Abe no Seimei's sentiments, Kuko Yua could only offer some empty words—she was a little girl filled with hatred, and had no interest whatsoever in the vicissitudes of life.

"They're selecting 'warriors' in such an unconventional way?"

Watching the 'opening ceremony' on TV, the Great Onmyoji gently waved his folding fan.

“Jiukong, I see your brow is furrowed.”

"But what's on your mind?"

"Yes,"

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sir."

The girl was stunned when she was suddenly called out by the great Onmyoji, and then her heart started racing.

"Tell me about it,"

really!

Upon hearing this, the little girl's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Mr. Abe, have you returned from the underworld?"

"nature,"

The great Onmyoji answered without any hesitation.
"Whether you are a god, a human, a ghost, or a demon, after death you will eventually have to go to the Yellow Springs, and I am no exception."

"That"

The little girl gritted her teeth and asked directly about the truth she had been searching for.

"Does the gentleman know who caused the Yellow Springs Rift?"

? !
In an instant, the atmosphere turned icy cold.

All that remained was the voice of the TV presenter, continuously introducing the contestants.

In the corner of the living room, the bodyguard, who stood like a statue, twitched, causing his scars to writhe like centipedes.

"Oh?"

"Why would a little girl like you ask this?"

Faced with the Grand Onmyoji's leisurely questioning, Jiu Kong Yao Ai decided to go all out.

"I want revenge!"

"My parents died at the hands of evil spirits. As their children, I cannot remain indifferent!"

"If the cracks in the Underworld were man-made, then I..."

I will do everything in my power to get revenge!
As for how to get revenge on the little girl, I haven't thought about it yet. At least I need to have a 'target' first, right?

"That's it,"

The folding fan he was gently waving stopped, and the great Onmyoji 'Abe no Seimei' sighed.

"But even if you know the truth, what can you do?"

As he spoke, the Great Onmyoji slightly raised his hand behind him.

“A loyal protector,”

"Please calm down, this Yellow Springs Rift was not created by me."

In the corner, the scarred bodyguard who had reached into his coat paused for a moment, then exhaled, his vest drenched in sweat.

Very good!
What he feared most was this 'Great Yin-Yang Master' saying: "It is indeed I."

In that case, Miss might just...
"Please sir, teach me!"

Get up, kneel down, and kowtow.

Faced with the girl who acted swiftly and without hesitation, the great Onmyoji 'Abe no Seimei' sighed again.

"Get up."