I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 171 Skin forms the outline, bones form the pillars, the flow of time changes, and even the frail Onmyoji Che can attempt to slay.
In the private courtyard of Imagawa-kan, Uesugi Tetsuya.

After seeing the servant who was preparing the medicinal bath come out of the room, Uesugi Tetsu stood up.

Only one last medicinal bath training session is needed to complete the first major stage of the Flesh Palace training: Skin Tempering.

The term "Palace of Flesh" is actually used in two places.

The first is the mastery level of all breathing techniques, a level of proficiency that has been collectively referred to by predecessors as the "Palace of Flesh".

As for the reason, Uesugi Tetsu thought it was probably because, among the vast majority of breathing techniques, this stage required the highest level of proficiency in "flesh tempering".

Secondly, there is the "Palace of Flesh," one of the four ultimate forms that I recently unlocked after reading the nine books on breathing techniques.

The Palace of Flesh here is the ultimate form of "flesh" among skin, bone, flesh, and tendons.

Although both are called the Palace of Flesh, there is a significant difference between them.

"Bai Shi, don't you want to take a break? You need to balance work and rest to go faster and more steadily."

Before entering the room, Uesugi Tetsu spoke to Shiraishi, who had been squatting under the shade of a tree studying the manual all day.

Since Shiraishi experienced the strong positive feedback four days ago, he has spent almost all his time studying and practicing the ninja manual in his hands, except for eating and sleeping.

In four days, he had already skimmed through the manual.

Thanks to this, Shiroishi should now have a strength level of about half a star.

—But given Shiraishi's personality, such a strong drive to learn is clearly abnormal.

It's like a three-minute fad.

If he doesn't restrain himself now, he might greatly dampen his interest in cultivation when he encounters setbacks later.

Bai Shi, engrossed in watching, didn't hear this until Er Chi, who was sitting on a tree branch chirping and singing with the sparrows, jumped down and patted him on the shoulder, at which point Bai Shi looked up.

The two-foot-tall man repeated what he had said.

Shiraishi blinked, about to say no, no, no need to rest at all, when he saw Uesugi Tetsu stand up, probably preparing to begin his daily "terrifying training".

He called it a terrifying training because every day after Uesugi Tetsu entered the house, a series of crackling and whooshing eerie noises would come from inside.

This time usually lasts about an hour.

If it's an hour, it's only just past noon.

After his eyes darted around, Shiroshi tentatively suggested, "Boss, that 'slashing power test' in the east of the city seems to be quite popular lately."

It's said that after you strike it, the big black ball that was hit will accurately report the force of your strike in a strange tone—it's truly amazing!

The two-foot-tall man standing beside him had a strange expression.

Isn't this... that black, shiny Zanzemaru that Lord Che took out a couple of days ago?

—Because at home, her father beat up the samurai Zanzemaru every day, so she was used to it and didn't find it particularly amazing.

She thought Lord Che must think the same way.

So Shiraishi will probably be disappointed.

Shiraishi looked on expectantly: "How about we try it this afternoon?"

To Erchi's surprise, Uesugi Tetsuya, who was not far away, nodded after a moment's thought: "Alright. I'll take you all with me after I finish my training today."

Shiraishi immediately exclaimed, "Yay!"

The two-foot-tall man scratched his head, not quite understanding what Uesugi Tetsu was thinking.

—Of course, Uesugi Tetsu had his own considerations.

Three days ago, after he publicly displayed the Samurai Satsumaru, it immediately attracted samurai and ronin from all over the world in Sunpu Castle.

Many people followed suit and went to the Imagawa Museum as well, which has resulted in the museum being surprisingly quiet at the moment.

The area where Samurai Slayer stayed, known as "Senzanji" (Test Slayer Ground), has been incredibly popular and crowded for the past three days.

Although it requires having "some connection with the Imagawa family," nothing else is required.

More importantly, Imagawa Yoshimoto made the crucial decision that "the first three attempts can be free."

This is the real reason why the Trial Slash Ground has remained incredibly popular to this day.

Because it's free to try your hand at slashing, many eager samurai come with the thought, "Why not give it a try?"

Then, after the samurai had slain it once, they were amazed and it became a self-spreading tap water.

Therefore.

After completing the skin tempering, Uesugi Tetsu wanted to test his skills and show off his strength without holding back.

Because Okabe Motonobu had already secretly contacted him yesterday.

It is said that Imagawa Yoshimoto wanted to deal with the elders left in the Imagawa residence after they had all left Sunpu Castle and had alibis, after they had gone to conquer Mikawa Province.

In this way, we won't give others a reason to criticize us.

Even if some people suspect that the deaths of the elders are related to Imagawa Yoshimoto.

However, without evidence, these suspicions will only crumble in the face of the judgment of the world in the future.

—There should only be a few days left before we set off for the Three Rivers Kingdom.

However, if Uesugi Tetsu were to go and demonstrate his strength now, there would be a risk of "revealing his own forces".

However, this move would also allow those elders to gather more powerful guards around them and expose more potential reactionary forces.

Moreover, this intimidating power emanating from the Onmyoji Che will make the elders even more wary and hesitant to act rashly.

Based on Imagawa Yoshimoto's past practices, this is likely just a warning, and he will never actually take action.

Contrary to the aforementioned situation of summoning guards, the elders may even feel a strange sense of security because of it.

In addition, the purge after demonstrating overwhelming strength can also make any remaining unscrupulous individuals think twice before taking action.

The name of Onmyoji Che will spread even more widely, thereby increasing his prestige during the Warring States period.

—This thing may not seem very useful, but it can actually increase the completion rate of the main quest.

Therefore, this move of openly testing the waters, apart from revealing part of his own strength, has countless advantages!
It has only one drawback besides a hundred benefits!
But this harm is far too minor.

because……

"Even if they know my strength, what can they do?"

Uesugi Tetsu calmly clenched his fist, pure white qi and tiny sparks of lightning dancing between his fingers.

So-called conspiracies and tricks can be shattered with a single punch.

He walked into the room without a word, took a deep breath after closing the door, and immediately felt his thoughts become lighter.

Refreshing!

In the very center of the room, an unlit requiem candle stood quietly, continuously emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Beside the incense and candles for soothing the soul, a crystal-clear Five Thunder Pearl was placed on a piece of red silk cloth.

Uesugi Tetsuya then took out the "star" from his pocket, which he had tied with silk thread to make into a necklace, and hung it around his neck.

He took off his thin clothes, jumped into the black liquid in the wooden tub, and then, as usual, swallowed the ash from the calming incense.

With these five buffs, it would be difficult for cultivation speed not to be fast!

Uesugi Tetsu glanced one last time at the two skills whose proficiency would be improved.

【Corona Breathing Technique (Skin Tempering 336/360)】.

【Five Thunder Techniques - Qi Harmony (Proficiency 579/1400)】

The skin tempering was just one more step away, and in the past few days, my proficiency with the Five Thunder Technique had also increased considerably.

However, the Natural Mind-Body Flow has been somewhat neglected these past few days, only swinging the sword to maintain its feel, since the breathing technique is about to reach an important stage of advancement.

As for spirit control techniques, Uesugi Tetsuya tried to practice them in his spare time, but he gave up after only gaining 1 point of proficiency each time.

It can only be said that the Yin-Yang arts of the Warring States period were truly inhuman.

Even someone whose spiritual energy absorption speed is hundreds of times faster than that of an ordinary person is like this, let alone ordinary cultivators...

Uesugi Tetsu closed his eyes, banishing these distracting thoughts from his mind, and instead embraced the burning pain.

—This time, I absolutely must complete the skin tempering!

……

Outside the room, Erchi was sitting in the corridor protecting Uesugi Tetsuya, idly swinging her legs and teasing the little sparrows that flew onto the back of her hand and the white hat on her head.

With the aura of friendliness, the relationship between the two-foot-tall adult and these small animals in nature progressed incredibly quickly.

Shiraishi pressed his ear against the wooden board and heard the sounds coming from inside the room with perfect clarity.

Just listening to it from outside made his face twitch and his legs feel weak.

Bai Shi asked in a low voice.

"Little Boss, will he die in here...?"

The two-foot-tall man gave a faint, cold snort.
"What are these? Lord Che's willpower is so strong that it's beyond the imagination of a little kid like you."

She didn't actually like Shiraishi very much.

Because Erchi always felt that Baishi was glib and never did anything productive. He not only didn't help Shangche, but often dragged him down.

Unlike me, who always thinks of Lord Che, even if there are things I can't help with, I will go back to the Ksitigarbha statue and try not to cause trouble.

Two hours flew by.

This amount of time was nothing to the two-foot-tall man who had been alone for over a hundred years; it passed in the blink of an eye.

Instead, Shiraishi couldn't resist taking out his ninja manual and starting to practice.

Wow.

Some of the heavy sliding doors were pulled open in an instant, and a large amount of white, hot steam rushed out of the room, startling away the small animals beside the two-foot-tall man.

But the girl didn't mind; she immediately turned her head in surprise.

"Master Che!"

Hearing the commotion, Shiraishi looked curiously into the billowing steam.

The autumn wind blows.

The steam slowly dissipated.

Then, both of them were stunned.

As the steam dissipated, a handsome man with jade-like skin was revealed to them.

The shirtless man slightly twisted his neck, allowing the afternoon sunlight to fall on his smooth, white skin, giving it a luster like that of marble, revealing the pure beauty of his flesh.

"call--"

Uesugi Tetsuya exhaled the intense heat that had been absorbed by the air, and stretched with great ease after feeling the coolness of late autumn.

Feeling the gentle breeze on his face, Uesugi Tetsu lowered his eyes to look at the large number of prompts that suddenly appeared in front of him—

[Your skill, Coronal Breathing proficiency +26! ]

[Your skill, Five Thunder Method: Qi Combination Proficiency +6!]

[You have completed the Flesh Palace Training - Skin Tempering Stage!]

Your skin strength has increased moderately!

[Your physique +3! ]

[Because you have completed the "Skin Tempering Stage," your efficiency in utilizing Qi has slightly increased!]

Although the path of cultivation is painful and slow, the skin tempering stage has finally been completed!
Originally, this skin tempering required a full 1500 points of proficiency to complete, which is almost equivalent to half the proficiency required to advance the Corona Breathing Technique from the proficient level to the master level.

But with the help of a variety of factors, it was actually completed in just a few days during the Warring States period.

When this amount of time is converted into reality... Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts paused slightly. He then realized that he had been so engrossed in his cultivation these past few days that he had forgotten to check the flow of time on both sides.

Okay, let's finalize this before we leave the Imagawa House.

Thinking about it, Uesugi Tetsu casually brought up his attribute panel—he hadn't really looked at this thing properly in a long time.

【Uesugi Tetsu (Four-tailed Fox Incarnation)】

【Physique: 51】

[Will: 31]

【Charm: 12 (21)】

[Spiritual Skills: 79]

Oops.

I haven't checked in a long time, and I was surprised to find that my physical attributes had already exceeded 50 without wearing the Prajna Mask. If I were to wear the mask again, I could easily break through the 70 mark.

"This is really unexpected."

Uesugi Tetsuya exclaimed inwardly.

If he continues to progress at this rate, it might not be long before he can go back to Edo Castle and spar with the wax figure that once killed him in one blow.

For the other party, it probably hasn't been many days.

Just thinking about the possible expression on the wax figure's face made Uesugi Tetsuya's lips curl into a slight smile.

Finally, there's the newly popped-up proficiency panel for the next stage, "Bone Forging."

Ririko is currently in the bone-forging stage, but it's unclear exactly how far she's progressed.

But no matter what, I'm sure I can surprise her when we meet again.

[Coronavirus Breathing Technique (Hard Bone 2/600)]

[Effect: Upon reaching perfection, bones become as hard as wood.]

—Skin forms the outline, bones form the support.

"Even with a 10% reduction, it's still 600 proficiency points, which is slightly more than skin tempering."

Uesugi Tetsu thought it might be an effect of completing the Nine Breathing Techniques earlier.

After closing the last panel prompt, Uesugi Tetsu turned his head and saw the two little ones sitting and lying on the corridor, staring blankly at him.

Completely oblivious to his immense charm, Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow: "Is there something dirty on me?"

Seeing that the two little ones were still in a daze, and that the adult was even drooling, Uesugi Tetsu realized that his current attire seemed rather "revealing".
"I'll take you out later, but you need another half hour to consolidate your newly broken-through realm."

After saying that, he turned and went into the room, closing the door behind him.

After quickly tidying up the buff items in the room, Uesugi Tetsu took out the [Key of History - Shrine], closed his eyes, and returned to the present world.

Then, after glancing at the time on his phone, he was transported back to the Warring States period.

The two-foot-tall man outside sensed the sudden change in his heartstrings, blinked, and then understood what Uesugi Tetsu was doing.

So she turned her attention to Shiraishi beside her, ready to stop him from entering the room at any moment.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Uesugi Tetsu, who once again traveled back and forth between the Warring States period and the present world, confirmed one thing.

That is, the flow of time in the Warring States period has changed compared to the present day.

It's no longer 30 to 1.

Instead, it was reduced by half, becoming fifteen to one!

"Fifteen to one..."

Uesugi Che frowned slightly.

After a long while, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the time flow rate was halved, it didn't actually have a significant impact on most of his plans.

If the flow of time were to drop to less than five to one, he probably wouldn't be able to maintain his current leisurely pace during the Warring States period.

"However, we really don't have enough Soul Ash."

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the amount of Requiem Incense Ash that had once again run out and the remaining 567 points of Soul Ash.

This amount of Soul Ash is not enough for a ten-pull, nor enough to summon Sheng Hai or open the next special card pool, and it's even a bit difficult to maintain the daily training expenses.

—Compared to the powerful demons causing trouble in the Three Rivers Kingdom, who are not even close to him yet, it is more realistic to find a well-known supernatural location in the mortal world and obtain soul ashes from there.

As for Edo Castle... Uesugi Tetsu didn't really want to enter it until he had at least the strength to kill a three-and-a-half-star demon samurai like Hakubura.

Ever since he entered Edo Castle, Uesugi Tetsu had always felt a ghostly gaze watching him.

This is not a good sign.

Furthermore, the advancement of the two incarnations, White Prajna and the Four-Tailed Fox, will likely not be completed until after the Mikawa Kingdom incident.

Therefore, Uesugi Tetsu wanted to improve his strength as much as possible before encountering the unknown great demon.

Even if a map from the Warring States period is only three stars high, those who might be called "great demons" are invariably either powerful individuals or have outstanding talents in a particular area.

Therefore, it's always good to have a backup plan; having more Soul Ash on hand gives you more options.

but now……

Uesugi Tetsu opened the sliding door, looked down at the two children whispering to each other, their relationship seemingly having suddenly improved, and said...

"Let's go out and try cutting the earth."

Bai Shi and Er Chi exchanged a glance, cheered, gave each other a high five, stood up, and followed behind him.

Uesugi Tetsuya took out Kaga Kiyomitsu and wore it at his waist beforehand.

This time, he didn't plan to let Erchi continue carrying the sword. The child had finally gone out for a stroll, so he wanted to make things easier for her.

Not far from the entrance of the Imagawa-kan.

Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned, slowly tapping the stiff-bristled brush in his hand, formulating a general strategy for suppressing Mikawa Province based on the details narrated by Hanzo beside him.

Since returning to the Imagawa Mansion, Okabe Motonobu, who was inseparable from the head of the household, glanced at Uesugi Tetsuya, who happened to be passing by at the edge of his field of vision, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh!"
"Huh? It seems Mr. Che has broken through again in just a couple of days?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto's thoughts were pulled from the table. She looked up, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Yuanxin, didn't you say that body tempering after the Qi circulation is very difficult and slow?"

"of course."

Motonobu Okabe nodded, then raised his fingers and made a cross shape in front of his chest: "But this is for ordinary people."

She smiled and asked in return, "Mr. Ke Che... is there anything about him that makes him seem like an ordinary person?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto caught a glimpse of that tall, somewhat "sharp" back in the last moment, and remembering everything about him, he nodded in agreement.

“That may be true, but my lord,” Okabe Motonobu clicked his tongue, “he looks like he’s about to go out and cause trouble. Shouldn’t we stop him?”

"No need to interfere, let him be."

Imagawa Yoshimoto rejected her suggestion, pointing to the strategy book that was only partially completed: "Mr. Tetsu is a man of his word; we should focus more on what we have at hand."

"My lord is right."

Okabe Motonobu, who had sat there for half an afternoon without offering any useful advice, chuckled.

A moment later, after seeing that Yoshimoto Imagawa had begun to ponder again, Motonobu Okabe turned his head slightly and looked at the man standing behind her.

'Hanzo.'

Motonobu Okabe opened his eyes coldly and silently mouthed the words.

'Stay away from our lord.'

……

After leaving the Imagawa building, it only took a few minutes to enter the bustling downtown area.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't pay attention to the two little ones, letting them wander around and play on their own.

Anyway, since Erchi Daren and I are connected by a heartstring, as long as Baishi stays within her sight, nothing will happen to him.

—Uesugi Tetsuya only realized halfway there that he was actually looking forward to this trial slash.

Previously, when he was a master of slashing, he used the Four-Tailed Fox's trump card talent "Rage" and used all his strength to unleash a force of 38,888 guan.

I wonder how much power he can unleash this time without using "rage" and maintaining his state as a four-tailed fox wearing the Hannya mask?

Uesugi Tetsu touched the trembling hilt of Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword, recalling the first time he broke through to the proficient level of Kijutsu at school.

It's been a long time since I've felt this way, and I'm actually looking forward to it.

Uesugi Tetsu's purpose in going to test the kill was to further spread the reputation of the Onmyoji Tetsu, as well as to deter villains and get the elders to take action.

So he wore a very conspicuous palace official's robe, with a vermilion katana at his waist, and swaggered down the streets of Junfu City.

This made him recognized by many well-informed samurai and merchants on the street, who whispered among themselves or exclaimed in surprise.

"This outfit... is that Onmyoji Che, who is said to be able to control heavenly lightning?"

"It seems so, he came out in the direction of Imagawa-kan."

"If he can't even be bothered to put on a disguise, where is he going? And what is he going to do?"

"Controlling heavenly lightning? An Onmyoji?"

A sword-wielding ronin who had recently wandered from Saikaido to this place scoffed disdainfully: "Does anyone still believe in such supernatural tales these days?"

But after waiting for a while, the ronin did not receive the same echoes as in other regions.

Instead, everyone around him was contradicting him, or showing a pathetic and disdainful expression, as if he were some ignorant country bumpkin.

"Wait a minute."

A burly samurai who had already tried his hand at the sword twice suddenly spoke up, tentatively asking, "Was the direction that Onmyoji Che heading towards the place where he tested his skills?"

Upon hearing this, the once bustling street immediately fell silent.

The next moment, a discussion that was far louder than ever before erupted.

"That's it! That direction is the direction of the Trial Slash Ground. I went there yesterday!"

"There are so many people over there, you have to wait in line for hours!"

"I saw that the Onmyoji Che was wearing a sword at his waist..."

Finally, someone concluded,
"Could it be that this person is also going to test their slashing power?!"

These words, once spoken, were like a boulder dropped into an already turbulent lake, creating towering waves.

Immediately, some busybodies shouted,
"Let's go! If we miss this Onmyoji's trial slash, we might never see him again in this lifetime!"

Immediately, many people put down what they were doing and echoed,
"go!"

"Let's go together!"

"I absolutely have to join in this fun!"

The crowd surged away in a great commotion.

The ronin looked around at the suddenly empty surroundings and stood there stunned for a long time.

He turned his head and looked in the direction where the crowd had surged away and disappeared, recalling their discussion just now.

The ronin swallowed hard, an irrepressible curiosity rising within him.

Why don't you go take a look yourself?
Just one glance.

Seriously, just one glance.

　6.3 k
　　Asking for a monthly ticket!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)