I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 258 Internal Conflicts within the Tokugawa Clan, Dramatic Changes in Qi Sea, Merging of Thunder Qi! The Symbol of a Swordsman, Astonishing All!
After a distinctive beeping sound, the call was quickly connected on the other end, located within the Tokugawa clan compound.

After a subtle pause, the servant's familiar voice came through.

Tokugawa Haruhiko spoke calmly: "Surely the middle and lower ranks of the clan's ninja squads are still free right now?"

After receiving an affirmative answer from the attendant, Tokugawa Haruhiko smiled.
"Yes, send them to Tokyo within three days."

Logically speaking, Tokugawa Haruhiko should have called the head of the Tokugawa family, his "great-grandfather."

However, Tokugawa Haruhiko wanted to bring Tokugawa Ririko back to the clan without disturbing his great-grandfather.

In that case, it would be a merit for him.

Therefore, Tokugawa Haruhiko, who was able to mobilize some of the clan's forces, called his attendants and guards, not wanting anyone else to know about it.

Ok?
Tokugawa Haruhiko put down his phone and stared at the still-moving call duration—generally, once he finished giving his instructions, the servant would hang up the phone on his own.

Why not this time...?

His doubts were answered in the next instant.

"Haruhiko?"

A calm, gentle yet incredibly powerful male voice flowed from the speaker, causing Tokugawa Haruhiko's relaxed expression to stiffen again.

The male voice asked slowly.

"Big brother is very curious. It's clearly the seeding match for the Eastern Region now, why do you need so many ninjas?"

After a pause, the male voice asked again,

"I remember, isn't your younger sister in Tokyo too?"

That voice undoubtedly belonged to his elder brother, Tokugawa Ryuji.

—The youngest demon god in the Tokugawa family in nearly a hundred years, who has never been defeated since he took up the sword, the next head of the Tokugawa family, and the only one among the three major families who can be compared with the eldest daughter of the Minamoto family.

The elder brother's words clearly showed his bias towards Tokugawa Ririko, and were also a warning to him not to be too clever for his own good and do anything underhanded.

Tokugawa Haruhiko remained silent, not daring to answer.

His hand holding the phone was trembling slightly.

At the same time, I am also very puzzled.

Why was Tokugawa Ryuji standing right next to his servant?

Could it be a coincidence... Damn it, how come Ririko's luck is always so good?

The last time he wanted to do something was when his third sister knocked on his door at night.

This time it was the eldest brother.

Tokugawa Haruhiko clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and made up a reason to get away with it.

However, he knew that with Tokugawa Ryuji in the know, it would be absolutely impossible to use the power within the family to punish Tokugawa Ririko.

"whispering sound."

Left with no other choice, Tokugawa Haruhiko dialed his great-grandfather's number and stopped thinking about the credit.

The call was answered quickly.

After saying a few words to the attendant who was answering the phone, Tokugawa Haruhiko had the phone handed over to his great-grandfather.

An aged, leisurely voice came from within: "Haruhiko, is there something you need?"

Haruhiko Tokugawa stated clearly, "Fifth Sister has already signed up for the Eastern Region Seed Battle, and she's doing so under the name of the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office."

"Haruhiko was thinking that if things continued like this, Fifth Sister might really integrate into that Special Affairs Bureau and forget her Tokugawa bloodline and identity, and would no longer listen to Great-Grandpa."

These two sentences demonstrate both Tokugawa Haruhiko's emphasis on his family and clan, and his care for his brothers and sisters.

The old man on the other end of the phone laughed out loud.

"Haruhiko, I remember you also participated in that seeding tournament, right?"

"Yes, great-grandfather."

“In that case,” the old man said unhurriedly, “why not let things take their course for now? You can also compete with Ririko and see who can go further in this competition.”

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Haruhiko's expression changed once again.

Before this, her great-grandfather's attitude was always to let Tokugawa Ririko return to the family... If it weren't for the constant overt and covert obstruction from her eldest brother and third sister, she probably would have been forcibly taken back long ago.

But now, Grandpa's meaning has actually changed to "wait a while"?
What are they waiting for?
Tokugawa Haruhiko didn't even need to think about it—this was using him as a benchmark to see just how much potential Ririko had realized.

But the old man's words made Tokugawa Haruhiko's expression relax.

"After the competition, I will personally come to Tokyo to see her."

He sighed and said, "That is Fifth Sister's honor."

—Since her great-grandfather has come in person, Tokugawa Ririko has no way to escape and will eventually be brought home to comply with the general trend.

Now, let her jump around a couple more times.

As for what he said before, Tokugawa Haruhiko couldn't quite understand its meaning.

But that's normal.

My great-grandfather lived too long; many of his thoughts were completely beyond my comprehension.

After respectfully hanging up the phone, Tokugawa Haruhiko's rollercoaster-like expression finally calmed down.

Compare with Ririko...

Tokugawa Haruhiko rubbed the hilt of his sword with his fingertips and chuckled to himself.

—If I can't beat Uesugi Tetsu, surely I can beat you, who only has a mindset!
……

They paid no attention to the young man who fled in a disheveled state, and ignored the stares directed at them from all around.

Ririko naturally accepted everyone's gaze.

She yawned lazily, and her imposing manner, far from diminishing under the many gazes, seemed to grow stronger.

The imposing aura and gaze emanating from her made many of the contestants ahead of her unable to bear it any longer, and they all broke away from the line and moved behind her.

Some even walked out of the venue and changed audition venues.

Even before she actually made a move, Ririko had already caused quite a stir among the surrounding contestants and spectators.

So flamboyant... No wonder she said on the street before that she didn't want to bother others.

But perhaps, this is Ririko's true, unmasked self.

Hidden in the corner, Uesugi Tetsu didn't say much, but instead began his silent training.

Ririko's lesson last night, and the morning exercise I witnessed this morning, both gave Uesugi Tetsuya some insights.

Perfect timing, I'll take advantage of my free time to put it into practice.

Boom... boom...

The faint, clear thunder rumbled from within Uesugi Tetsuya's bones, only to be completely absorbed by the circulating qi, preventing it from reaching the ears of others.

He was using the "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound" technique to vibrate his bones, producing a sound indistinguishable from real thunder.

This was originally impossible; only a prodigy like Uesugi Tetsu, who transformed his entire skeleton into a vessel of lightning, could accomplish it.

As the thunderous roar of the tiger and leopard was emitted, Uesugi Tetsu immediately felt his bones and muscles rapidly heat up, being enveloped and tempered by this sound that ordinary people could not even hear.

He immediately activated his breathing technique and entered a state of "flesh refining".

The meat palace stage of the breathing technique, especially the meat refining part, usually requires the most grinding time, which can be seen from the fact that a small stage requires 2500 proficiency points.

But now, every two or three minutes, Uesugi Tetsu would see a notification pop up saying "Proficiency +1".

Fast, too fast!

This cultivation speed is more than twice as fast as before!
Not to mention, this was done standing up and starting the practice without using medicinal baths or calming incense ash as an aid.

"Perhaps... 2500 proficiency points aren't that many."

Uesugi Tetsu grinned slightly, stopping his breathing technique before his muscles, which were burning hot to the extreme, began to "liquidize" in his senses.

If you try to push your limits in a single training session outside, you might not be able to walk anymore later. [Your skill, Corona Breathing Technique proficiency +16!]

In less than half an hour, I gained 16 points of proficiency.

Uesugi Tetsuya took steady breaths and quickly circulated his internal energy for one cycle. After feeling the soreness in his muscles gradually subside, he turned his gaze inward towards his dantian.

During his cultivation just now, he suddenly sensed that something fundamental had happened in his dantian.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the wisps of thunderclouds floating in the sky were descending and beginning to merge with the relatively vast sea of ​​qi.

Thunder and energy mingled.

It seems that it's also because Ririko taught me two moves last night.

Although the end of this change is still unclear, Uesugi Tetsu's intuition tells him that it is probably a good thing.

Because from then on, the Five Thunder Technique and the罡气 (罡气 is a type of internal energy) will truly be indistinguishable.

This is a good thing, as it means that the efficiency of energy output is increased, and the output at the same time will also become greater.

In layman's terms, it means the burst damage is stronger.

Without interfering with the natural changes in the Qi Sea, Uesugi Tetsu raised his gaze and found that it was Ririko's turn to go on stage.

At this moment, Uesugi Tetsu realized that Ririko did not have a sword on her person, not even a bamboo sword for practice.

Are we supposed to chop the puppet with a hand chop?
Looking at the girl's slender frame on the field, Uesugi Tetsu expressed his concern.

pat, pat.

With two light steps, the once bustling venue fell silent.

The sharp and imposing aura emanating from that ramrod-straight-standing girl permeated everyone's hearts.

Uesugi Tetsuya stared intently at the sword that was appearing and disappearing in his field of vision, and understood Ririko's thoughts.

But this method, which could be used as a trump card, was actually used during the preliminary selection, showing no fear of others studying it.

As expected of her.

"Roar……"

The moment the puppet's eyes lit up with a red light, its head slid neatly off its neck and crashed to the ground.

No sign.

Ririko withdrew her gaze.

Under the deathly silence and shocked gazes, the girl walked off the stage without changing her expression.

Then, from different angles, Ririko's eyes appeared in the footage of every camera.

This scene was captured on film and immediately edited by many people, then posted online with exaggerated covers and headlines.

The vast majority of ordinary people, even those with limited superhuman abilities, and Onmyoji who only focused on studying magic, did not understand what Ririko had done.

However, sword experts who stumbled upon this video were all shocked and gaped in astonishment.

—Sword Domain.

It is the most obvious symbol of a swordsman entering the realm of "sword master".

Generally speaking, sword masters are at least at the level of demons and gods, but the latter title is more impressive, so it's not too amazing.

But this time is different.

This video was taken from the preliminary rounds of the Eastern Region Seed Station, which is open only to young talents.

Similarly, it was the first sword domain and the first sword master to appear in the entire seed battle.

The short video, only a few dozen seconds long, went viral, leaving many self-assured and incredibly young swordsmanship prodigies in awe.

The heroes of this world are truly as numerous as carp crossing a river.

……

Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

In the quiet room amidst the hustle and bustle, incense, enough to calm even ghosts and spirits, burns slowly.

A girl dressed in plain white with a sword on her lap, a young man tapping the table with his finger, and a boy dressed in very rustic clothes sat around the round table.

Words occasionally escaped from the three of them, and after each sentence, they would fall silent for a while.

It was none other than Minamoto no Shizumizu, Saito Ryuichi, and Takizawa Kai discussing Yin-Yang techniques and swordsmanship!
However, most of the time it was Minamoto Shizumi and Saito Ryuichi who were talking, while Takizawa Kai was listening.

The primary and secondary positions are immediately apparent.

"That Kitada Kei is a master of the Katori Shinto-ryu school. I wonder what Miss Gen thinks of him..."

Before Saito Ryuichi could finish his question, the door to the quiet room was opened.

He frowned and glanced at the doorway.

She is a servant of Yuan Jingshui.

The servant stood outside the door, both to guard the door and to keep a close eye on news related to the seeding battle preliminary rounds, as instructed by Yuan Jingshui.

If something big happens or a master appears, it's fine to just push the door open and walk in.

The maid, holding a tablet, summarized, "In the preliminary rounds of Arakawa Ward, someone emerged who could..."

Interrupted from his thoughts, Takizawa Kai, who was in a bad mood, interrupted and asked in confusion.
"What's so interesting about this kind of open audition for the general public? And why did you have to interrupt us? Couldn't we have talked about it later?"

“Kui,” Saito Ryuichi coughed lightly, “Miss Gen has her reasons for giving instructions.”

After saying that, he gave Yuan Jingshui an apologetic smile.

The latter didn't seem to mind, and simply said calmly, "It's alright, please continue."

The servant continued, "A contestant who can use the Sword Domain."

Before they could finish speaking, Minamoto Shizumi and Saito Ryuichi looked up at the same time, their eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Saito Ryuichi immediately narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening.

Only Takizawa Kai looked puzzled, having never heard of this term before.

After a moment of silence, Yuan Jingshui asked, "Is this person... named Tokugawa Ririko?"

The maid paused, then nodded.
"Yes."

After the question and answer, Saito Ryuichi's expression softened a bit, but he still frowned in confusion.

Fortunately, this level of ultimate perversion didn't sprout up like leeks.

—Why isn't Tokugawa Ririko, who might use the Sword Domain, a seed from the Arakawa Ward? Is her strength inferior to Akechi Yuya, who ranks last among the forty-nine?

What exactly happened in between?
“Then it’s not surprising.” A fighting spirit appeared in Minamoto Shizumi’s eyes. “It’s normal for members of the Tokugawa family to become sword masters.”

"Moreover, I heard that she has wielded her sword more than ten million times in her life, more than ten ordinary masters combined."

"Ten million times?!"

Takizawa Kai exclaimed in surprise.

He doesn't understand sword domains or sword masters, but as an active high school student, he knows numbers all too well.

Saito Ryuichi rubbed his forehead: "I didn't expect the rumors to be true. Tokugawa Ririko is a genuine swordswoman."

He sighed.

"It's troublesome."

"This should be a good thing."

Yuan Jingshui revealed a faint smile, his face filled with an unusually strong expectation: "I recently completed the Hundred Refinements and stepped into the Unity Realm, but I am troubled by the lack of a way forward."

Coincidentally, I personally defeated this newly crowned swordsman in this seeding battle, using her pure sword heart as the strongest and sharpest whetstone, which propelled me to the realm of sword heart enlightenment!

In this way, I finally have a chance to catch up with my sister!
“Saito, this is a golden opportunity.”

Minamoto Shizumi met the gaze of the current head of the Saito family, his eyes filled with a serene and profound confidence.

(End of this chapter)