I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 268: About to Touch the Master's Spirit Control Technique, a Shocking Change Happens to the Hanafuda Shop Archives! [The Imagawa Family's Memory Orb]!
Within the dazzling crimson light, almost dripping with spiritual energy surged around Uesugi Tetsuya.

An unprecedentedly rich and pure spiritual energy, under the skillful manipulation of the Spirit Control Technique, expertly constructed the basic structure of the Flame Seed.

The condensation of the inflammatory seed here proceeded almost without any delay or obstruction.

Because the concentration of spiritual energy is simply too high.

On the contrary, if the condensation of the Flame Seed were not used as a channel for the release of spiritual energy, then Uesugi Tetsuya's body would have been burst apart first.

Blah, blah!
The translucent liquid spiritual energy turned fiery red, transforming into tiny inscriptions that landed on the surface and inside of the Flame Seed, before being stained black by the aura of the Guhuoniao.

Even if we condense two Flame Seeds at once this time, the speed is much faster than yesterday.

Just an hour later, feeling as if he had swum for the same amount of time, Uesugi Tetsuya snapped his fingers through the liquefied spiritual energy in front of him and took a deep breath.

"Even if the spiritual energy is drawn to me, the concentration in the outer area is still dozens of times higher."

Uesugi Tetsuya, choked by the smoke, exhaled and looked at the notification that had popped up just after the third Flame Seed had been formed—

[Because you have condensed three Flame Seeds, the Yin-Yang Technique: Flame Armor has been upgraded to "Minor Success"!]

[Your Flame Armor has been upgraded to minor perfection, your Physique +1!]

His physical strength increased by half a point due to the inflammation seed implanted in his heart, which was already quite significant compared to his current body, which was comparable to steel.

If placed in the initial stage where one is completely powerless, then it would at least be at the level of [Physique +8].

With a single Flame Seed implanted into the heart, one can tear apart foxes, dogs, and raccoons.

"Moreover, the intensity of the Qi circulation is also slowly increasing."

Because the three Flame Seeds have taken their positions, they have formed an unusually stable triangular shape as Uesugi Tetsu had predicted, creating another stable source of power output.

Therefore, following the cyclical flow of Qi, the Qi input into the circulation also has an added fiery sensation.

At the same time, my proficiency in spirit control techniques has also improved significantly!

[Because you cultivated in an environment with extremely high spiritual energy concentration, your skill, Spirit Control Technique - Qi Proficiency +300!]

[Note: Do not expose yourself to extremely high spiritual energy concentrations for extended periods or repeatedly. Excessive differences in spiritual energy concentration between the inside and outside may lead to unforeseen consequences!]

He gained a full 300 points of proficiency in one go, even though Uesugi Tetsuya had focused most of his energy on condensing the Flame Seed.

Uesugi Tetsuya's gaze fell on the Spirit Control Technique panel.

【Spirit Control Technique - Qi (Expert 3678/4000)】.

With just over 300 more points of proficiency, the Spirit Control Technique can break through the expert level barrier and reach the unknown [Master level] realm!
This is on par with Ririko's swordsmanship, a level of skill that is rare in the world and truly divine.

Taking swordsmanship as a reference, it is a realm that only a master swordsman can reach.

Ordinary people may never see someone with master-level skills in their entire lives.

If I focus on practicing the Spirit Control Technique this time, I can easily get four or five hundred proficiency points, and might even become a master directly...

However, as mentioned in the [Note], it is still best not to stay in such an environment with an abnormally high concentration of spiritual energy for too long.

—In just one short hour, even with the physical strength of Uesugi Tetsuya, he experienced a subtle feeling of difficulty breathing.

Now that the Flame Seed has been fully condensed, can we still use the Spirit Control Technique to absorb spiritual energy...?

Of course not!
The reason why he stopped cultivating immediately after the two flame seeds were condensed was not because Uesugi Tetsu felt that it was time to stop there.

Rather, it is because Uesugi Tetsu has been gritting his teeth and persevering until now.

—If he doesn't stop soon, he's starting to suspect that his body will burst from the sheer volume of undigested spiritual energy.

After circulating his spiritual energy to the corner of the room, Uesugi Tetsuya was finally able to catch his breath and scan all the prompts in front of him again.

Apart from that, there was no unnecessary or redundant information in the prompt.

The specific effects of Yan Jia are best understood and applied through personal experience.

With a slight thought, three flame seeds—one black and two red—slowly appeared from between his eyebrows, on his left chest, and on his right chest.

The crimson flame seed was also imbued with the power of the Guhuoniao during the cyclical process, but it was difficult to detect with the naked eye.

Uesugi Tetsu had no reason to stop such a good thing.

"come out."

A faint light suddenly bloomed from the depths of the Flame Seed, and flowing fire enveloped Uesugi Tetsuya's entire upper body, finally sticking together tightly.

Except for his legs, forearms, and palms, his entire body was covered in flame armor!

Furthermore, the strength of the Flame Armor has also been significantly improved.

This can be achieved simply by concentrating all the flowing fire onto a single armor plate as usual, and then observing it with the Eye of Interpretation—it has been forcibly increased to almost double its intensity.

Now, relying solely on the Flame Seed's automatic spirit absorption, it should be able to withstand Kaga Kiyomitsu's ordinary slashes and thrusts.

If an unlimited supply of spiritual energy were provided, the strength could be multiplied many times over.

Not to mention directly resisting Minamoto no Shizumizu's slash, it should be about the same as dealing with the Yin-Yang technique of "Takizawa Kai," who was from the same district as Saito Ryuichi, whom he had met before.

Uesugi Tetsu clenched his fist again, transforming the Flame Armor into a completely opaque "glass bead" the size of a fingernail.

A captivating surge of spiritual energy emanated from it, only to be forcefully compressed back by Uesugi Tetsuya using a spirit control technique.

Tsk tsk, if this thing were thrown out...

"However, turning it into a ball doesn't seem very practical."

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the glass bead, pondered for a long time, and then slowly stretched it out, stretched it out.

Finally, he transformed this glass bead into a thin thread about twenty meters long, so thin that even Uesugi Tetsu wouldn't be able to perceive it without careful attention!

Uesugi Tetsu commented,

"As long as any point of the fine thread touches the enemy's wound or penetrates their body, the power of the entire Flame Armor will explode directly inside the enemy's body."

To achieve this, one only needs to concentrate the spiritual energy compressed to the extreme within the long, thin thread into that single point of "touching" in an instant.

This kind of thing might be a bit difficult for expert-level spirit control techniques.

However, master-level spirit control techniques would likely be second nature to them, requiring no effort whatsoever.

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had developed a new way to play with the Flame Armor, smiled, but quickly shook his head in disappointment: "However, this method is really hard to control. Once it explodes, it will be difficult to save."

After all, how can you save it if it's been blown into charred fragments?
Therefore, the "Flame Silk" gameplay can only be applied to demon and monster tales, and it is probably not very effective in seed battles.

Uesugi Tetsuya manipulated the new Flame Armor with his mind for a while before finally returning this Yin-Yang technique, which could be used as a trump card, to his body with satisfaction.

All of these methods will definitely be greatly enhanced after he has condensed all five Flame Seeds!

—Because he absorbed the memory orb, Uesugi Tetsuya only needs spiritual power to quickly condense the Flame Seed.

Without that memory orb given by the nameless Onmyoji, even if Uesugi Tetsu had learned the Onmyoji technique of Flame Armor, the time it would have taken to become a Daimyo would have been dozens of times longer than it is now.

According to the normal procedure, Uesugi Tetsuya would need to first understand the thousands of astronomical characters and cryptic texts in the Flame Armor Method.

Then figure out how to use spiritual power to inscribe these ciphers onto the semi-finished Flame Seed.

This process must be done with extreme care, otherwise the flame will explode due to uneven stress.

But now Uesugi Tetsu doesn't need to worry about anything; he just needs to focus on absorbing spiritual energy.

Therefore, the memory orb is a really good thing.

With some difficulty breathing, Uesugi Tetsuya pushed open the door to the secret room and breathed in the fresh air outside with a sigh of relief.

Then, several Onmyoji in the waiting area turned around in shock at the same time.

—With such a high concentration of spiritual energy, how did he not suffocate?!

"Hmm? My body..."

Before his doubts could settle, Uesugi Tetsu realized that these Onmyoji were looking over because of a tiny bit of spiritual energy emanating from the barrier.

Of course, this "tiny bit" is relative.

"It's okay, it's okay, everyone don't need to worry about me."

After slamming the door to the secret room shut, Uesugi Tetsu smiled, waved to the Onmyoji, and walked out of the hall on the first floor.

After seeing Nanjo Ai's pre-sent "working" message on Line, Uesugi Tetsu didn't bother her.

After spending a considerable amount of time calming down all the excess energy fluctuations in his body, Uesugi Tetsuya left the Special Affairs Department building.

Next, it's a choice between watching Ririko's match and going home to train and play cards.

Although there's not much to worry about in terms of the competition itself...

Uesugi Tetsu tapped Tamamo and breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a reply that "everything is normal".

That's true. That old man from the Tokugawa family just met Nanjo-nee today, so there's no way he could directly approach Ririko on the field.

If I'm not mistaken, the old man probably wants to test Nanjo-nee's attitude towards Ririko before making any formal contact.

Out of caution...

If that's the case, then Tokugawa Motoyasu must have met quite a few people before approaching Ririko.

Uesugi Tetsu had already made up his mind.

Just to be on the safe side, he still described the characteristics of Tokugawa Motoyasu and Tokugawa Ryuji and sent it to Tamamo, telling her to take Ririko with her when she saw the two of them after the competition.

Tamamo didn't ask any more questions.

[Tamamo (on vacation): Okay!]

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Uesugi Tetsu walked towards home.

……

"Ririko Tokugawa, victory!"

"Ririko Tokugawa from Arakawa Ward still hasn't drawn her bamboo sword, but relying solely on her fists and legs, she is like an unstoppable raging tide, directly entering the winners' bracket with a terrifying record of twelve consecutive wins in a single day!"

We still don't know how powerful she will be when she draws her sword and wields the real blade!

On the arena stage in Arakawa Ward, with a few strands of hair streaming down her forehead, Ririko, flexing her long, slender fingers, shifted her gaze from her opponent, who lay unconscious on the ground.

"This is much more satisfying than hitting a sandbag..."

Ririko spat out a long, solid white ribbon, and only turned and left after seeing the professional medical team below quickly come up on stage and carry her opponent away.

"The group stage was a decent day of warm-up activities."

She muttered to herself, ignoring the commentator who had been awkwardly ignored after trying to invite her to say a few words, and the reporters who swarmed around her.

Lili waved her hand, and her protective aura pushed everyone away.

—Today I encountered a total of twelve opponents: four three-star, six two-and-a-half-star, and two two-star. Ririko had initially prepared for a tough battle after seeing the word "three-star."

But when she met them face to face, she realized that even within the same three-star range, the difference in strength between different people could be described as worlds apart.

Even if these opponents all rushed at once, they probably wouldn't be able to deal with the temporary resident, Yagyu-kun, let alone Uesugi-kun.

Moreover, most of the opponents couldn't even treat their weapons as an extension of their bodies... With such poor basic skills, what's the point of competing? Is it just a waste of time?

Somewhat puzzled, Ririko looked up and smiled at Tamamo in the front row of the spectator area and Chisa, who had arrived not long ago.

Speechless, Tamamo gave her a thumbs up, then stared thoughtfully at her fist, which was about the same size as Ririko's.

—You, who are the same size as them, how come you don't even have a tenth of their strength!

—Fists, speak for me!

"hiss--"

Tamamo punched the wall twice, and immediately gasped in pain.

Also, didn't she hear that Ririko was a swordsman? How come she has no opponent just by punching and kicking?

With such performance, how come he's not one of the seeds in the Arakawa region?

Knowing that Akechi Yuya was at the bottom of the list, Tamamo rested her chin on her reddened right hand, suspecting that an unseen force was exerting its power behind the scenes.

Chisa, sitting next to her, had been watching intently ever since she sat down, constantly whispering her approval.

—I never imagined that Tokugawa-neechan, who looks so thin and frail, not much different from Chisa, would actually be so amazing!

Moreover, he would smile and encourage his opponent halfway through the fight, which showed he was very polite.

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
After watching several matches, Chisa's eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.

But at the same time, she did not forget the message that the older brother had asked her to deliver to Tokugawa-neechan.

Chisa silently recited Tokugawa Ryuji's words in her mind, word for word.

The girl patiently waited until Ririko was out of sight of everyone and reached a quieter area at the back before jogging over to her, which caught Ririko's attention.

"Is something the matter, Chisa?"

"Um, Tokugawa-neechan." Chisa looked up, meeting the gaze that instantly shifted from fiery to peaceful, and said, "An older brother asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Ok?"

Ririko was somewhat puzzled: "Go ahead and tell me."

Chisa said,
"—It would be best if she gave up the seeding battle and left Tokyo quietly."

In that instant, Chisa could clearly see that Ririko's expression was no longer calm.

That was a performance she had never shown in several battles.

Silence, came suddenly.

Ririko lowered her eyes and waited until the girl was about to run out of breath before asking, "What's that big brother's name?"

"Tokugawa, Tokugawa Ryuji."

Chisa answered softly but with unusual clarity.

Ririko sighed silently.

"I understand." She patted the girl's head and said earnestly, "Thank you for relaying this, Chisa."

Chisa immediately shook her head: "You're welcome, Tokugawa-nee!"

Maintaining her unchanged expression, Ririko raised her hand and pointed at Tamamo, who had been doing something a moment ago and had only just arrived.

"Chisa, your sister is here."

The girl responded and ran towards Tamamo.

At that moment, Ririko lowered her head slightly and closed her eyes.

These are the words the eldest brother said to Chisa.

This means that the eldest brother has come to Tokyo.

Why would my brother come to Tokyo? He wouldn't come to Tokyo alone for no reason... Let alone abandoning so many things to come find me, that's absolutely impossible.

In a short time, the only answer had emerged in Ririko's mind.

"Miss Ririko, let's go!"

"it is good."

Ririko responded to Tamamo's invitation nonchalantly, and reopened her sharp, bright eyes, which possessed an unwavering will like the blazing sun.

That certainly sounds like something an older brother would say.

From a young age, my older brother has always been like this, giving what he thinks is the optimal solution, which is usually the actual solution.

This was a kind gesture from Tokugawa Ryuji.

But Ririko did not intend to accept it.

Now that the past has caught up with us, it's time to face it.

She told herself this, and her clear, mirror-like sword heart told herself the same thing.

……

He returned home in less than two minutes. In good spirits, Uesugi Tetsuya wasted no time and even practiced his calligraphy before sunset.

【Linzi Jue (9.78%)】

This one-time increase in mastery by 0.5% means I'm just one step away from crossing the 10% threshold.

But having comprehended this much, my spirit has almost reached its limit.

This was because Uesugi Tetsuya had exceptionally high energy levels after condensing the Flame Seed.

Normally, a 0.2% increase in mastery from using the ash of the Soul-Soothing Incense would be considered a lot.

He turned and looked out the window.

It will probably be quite a while before Ririko returns.

Then let's go inside the Hanafuda shop and play cards.

Coincidentally, the number of times he could be resurrected in both previous lives has also been restored.

The deep sea swept past like floating clouds, and without any pressure, Sugichi once again stood before the desolate Karuta III Factory.

As with previous events, the formulaic incarnation of the six-tailed fox spirit, touching the blacksmith's corpse, and watching the white orb CG sequence unfolds.

But this time, they didn't hear the familiar greeting from the fox-faced woman.

Instead, we see the carefree figure of the nameless Onmyoji.

"Farewell, Lord Six-Tailed Fox... Remember this, next time you won't have it so easy to beat me!"

Along with these words came the chaotic and noisy sounds of the Hanafuda shop.

Uesugi Tetsu sat there stunned, blinking several times before he came to his senses.

Has the node for entering the Hanafuda shop been updated?
He looked up at the fox-faced woman standing to the side and understood the situation in just a few seconds.

In other words, the Song Liuduo World's Number One Tournament is indeed the so-called "main quest," and it's likely that every time you win a round, the save point you enter will be updated to that moment.

Uesugi Tetsuya felt a pang of regret.

In this way, he can no longer repeatedly farm rewards from opponents he has already defeated.

The key is not to farm rewards excessively from the nameless Onmyoji or the next opponent—most of the random people's memory orbs are just ordinary white and green ones, which are not very interesting.

Looking at too many memory orbs is also not good. Too many or too long views of other people's real memories can blur one's own memories, thus causing a series of problems.

Although consuming dozens of memory orbs was no problem for Uesugi Tetsuya, he didn't want to waste his energy and time watching trash.

"pity."

Uesugi Tetsu sighed.

"Is there anything you're not satisfied with, sir?"

The fox-faced woman immediately asked softly, her tone and attitude seemingly improving considerably after passing the first round.

"It's nothing." Uesugi Tetsu stood up. "Take me to see my opponent in the next round."

"Then please follow me, sir."

—The opponent in the second round of the tournament only had blue and green chips, and there was nothing particularly attractive to Uesugi Tetsuya's memory orbs.

So he made a request to choose any three memory orbs, and the other party agreed.

Uesugi Tetsu's wager, of course, was still the memory of Tokugawa Yugoro, which he could not possibly give up.

"The duel begins!"

Fifteen minutes after the fox-masked woman announced the start, Uesugi Tetsuya rightfully won.

His opponent, also an Onmyoji, wasn't particularly strong; he was able to defeat most of them on their first meeting.

Not to mention mastering your opponent's skills, card-drawing logic, and having complete information overlay in the second playthrough.

Uesugi Tetsu, who won by a large margin, raised his chin: "Bring out all the memory orbs, let me see them."

The Onmyoji on the other side wasn't very skilled, but they didn't say they wanted to renege on their debt.

He showed a pained expression and lined up a dozen or so blue-green memory orbs, presenting them to Uesugi Tetsuya.

Judging from the labels, most of these memory orbs are useless and unimportant memories.

Only the Onmyoji specifically took out a blue orb containing the Yin-Yang magic of the metal element, which was barely acceptable.

Otherwise, Uesugi Tetsu wouldn't have agreed to exchange a mere three blue-green orbs for this orb in his hand, which could have dealt a heavy blow to the Tokugawa clan.

"Hmm... how about I just pick one at random?"

Just as Uesugi Tetsuya's gaze swept over the scene and he was thinking about it, a light blue memory orb placed in the corner caught his eye.

A label popped up from above the sphere of light—

[The Memory Orb of Ii Naomori (Imagawa Clan)]!
Ii...Naomori?
Isn't this the same younger brother I met during the Okehazama Trial, the same one Imagawa Yoshimoto initially disguised as a man?

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　　I wasn't paying attention today, and I spent too much time writing the outline, which left less time for the main text.

　　I'll update more words tomorrow, and I'll pay in installments, lol.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)