The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 114 Unparalleled Under Heaven

Yamazaki Shigemasa wanted to see the power of Chokei.

He was waiting. Waiting for the moment when Changqing would make his move, waiting for that so-called "First Sword".

Changqing took half a step forward.

In the stands, nine out of ten people only felt a blur before their eyes, and the ground seemed to shrink beneath their feet the instant they took that half-step.

Nobutsuna witnessed this outburst once again, yet his eyes remained calm.

But Shigemasa's attention was entirely focused on the sword, just like Nobutsuna's back then.

Changqing's sword seemed to vanish in an instant.

Shigemasa only saw a blurry arc of light coming from the left, and he instinctively raised his knife to block.

"clang!"

So heavy————

Chongzheng felt his whole body trembling.

But it's blocked!

The immense force of the wooden swords colliding made Chongzheng's hand go numb, and his sword was deflected half a foot away.

But to his surprise, the second strike came from the opposite direction and was even faster than the first.

However, Changqing's sword was aimed at the sword itself.

"Bang!"

He could no longer hold the knife; Shigemasa's hand had split open.

He gripped his hand, and as he looked up, the third cut was already upon him.

They were actually aiming for the knife that had already been thrown.

Could it be that the other party initially mistook the knife for themselves?

Chongzheng stared wide-eyed as Changqing cleaved the flying wooden sword in two with a single stroke.

The three strikes became increasingly rapid, almost defying common sense.

Chōkyō sheathed his sword and looked at the dumbfounded Shigemasa: "This move is not the 'Ichi no Tachi,' but rather my newly created 'Swallow Return.'"

"Swallow Return—" Shigemasa murmured repeatedly, his mind still replaying the trajectory of those three consecutive strikes.

"Swallows can withstand the wind and dodge blades, regardless of whether the wind is fast or slow. No matter what kind of blade it is, it cannot be swung without vibrating the air. They sense that vibration and change their flight direction accordingly—"

"Therefore, no matter what kind of attack it was, it could not kill the swallow—"

"Then, all we need to do is block its retreat. Attack the swallow with one strike, and block its retreat as it tries to dodge with the wind. To succeed, the two strikes must be executed almost simultaneously in an instant. If two strikes aren't enough, then there's a third strike to block its retreat—"

"Want to learn? I'll teach you!"

Chongzheng immediately nodded, performed the master-disciple ceremony with Changqing, and then knelt down again to perform the subject's ceremony.

"Brilliant! Lord Mori—" Kamiizumi Nobutsuna clapped from the sidelines. "I thought I'd see the tachi again," but instead I witnessed the two-sword style's "Swallow Return"—a truly amazing technique.

Changqing nodded slightly to Xingang, but he never expected that this man would utter such a surprising statement.

"The Ashina School is a school of thought that is unparalleled throughout history."

The entire audience was in an uproar. The contemporary sword saint had actually admitted that a school of martial arts was "unparalleled in the world".

"Teacher's College!" Zongyan looked at his teacher excitedly.

In the stands, the swordsmen who had been discussing the match fell silent.

Kagemasa Tomita was the first to bow in respect.

"The Ashina school truly deserves this praise."

Immediately afterwards, swordsmen from other schools rose to their feet.

"Kasumi-ryu, I approve."

"Zhong Juanliu, approved."

"Touma style, approved."

The reputation of the school and its achievements in several battles complemented each other, leaving no one in awe.

Changqing walked up to Xin Gang and bowed slightly. "I never expected that after so many years, Lord Shangquan would once again bestow my reputation upon me."

"I am merely stating the facts, Junior Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice need not be so polite to me."

Just then, a commotion arose behind the curtain.

The nobles escorted an elderly man, well past seventy, as he emerged.

This person wore a crown with standing tassels and a yellow-dyed imperial robe.

This color is a forbidden color reserved for the Emperor, so this old man is clearly Emperor Ogimachi.

Everyone present bowed slightly, but Changqing pretended not to notice and straightened his back.

If Nobunaga hadn't repaired the palace, this emperor would probably still be living in poverty somewhere!

"I saw everything from behind the curtain."

He spoke slowly.

"I am also familiar with the way of swordsmanship. I hereby bestow upon Nagayoshi, Junior Advisor of Mori Harubu, the title of 'Peerless Under Heaven' for his Ashina style, and also acknowledge his title of 'Sword Saint.'"

The crowd erupted in uproar. What an honor it was for the Emperor to personally bestow a title upon someone!

Beside the imperial curtain, the nobles had already begun whispering amongst themselves, discussing how to record this momentous event. Some were already considering whether they should invite this newly crowned swordsman to teach their own disciples swordsmanship.

Seeing that Changqing did not react, Yamashina Tomotsugu, as the official representative, immediately gave a reminder.

"Lord Jibu, why aren't you thanking us!"

Changqing raised his head and looked at the Emperor and the nobles under the imperial curtain.

"I can't accept it."

He doesn't even use honorifics.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

The smiles on the faces of the nobles froze. The swordsmen exchanged bewildered glances, unable to believe their ears.

Cannot answer?

He said he couldn't accept the title of "Sword Saint" bestowed upon him by the Emperor himself.

Why?

"Because I don't consider myself to be unparalleled in the world." He raised his eyes and looked directly at the Emperor, startling the Emperor into taking a step back.

"I'll ask His Majesty for it when I've truly become unparalleled in the world!"

The Emperor's brow furrowed. He wanted to get angry, but he had to consider the consequences of his anger.

"Your Majesty—forget it!" Yamashina Tokuji whispered in his ear, "These bumpkins from Owari don't know any manners."

What he said was true; he personally taught Nobunaga the proper etiquette for meeting the Emperor.

Changqing looked at Shangquan Nobutsuna, but used a respectful title.

"Lord Kamiizumi has devoted over forty years to the study of swordsmanship before being revered as a Sword Saint. I merely won a few matches today by chance. If I were to claim the title of Sword Saint based on this, wouldn't I become a laughingstock among swordsmen worldwide?"

These words were so well-spoken that the swordsmen present couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Tsukahara Bokuden and Kamiizumi Nobutsuna are revered as sword saints because they were undefeated throughout their lives, founded schools, and trained countless disciples, not because they were bestowed titles by the Emperor.

Today, all the sword masters acknowledge him as a Sword Saint, and the Emperor's bestowal of this honor is a fitting tribute. If the Emperor had simply bestowed the title of Sword Saint upon someone arbitrarily, they would still be deeply resentful!

"Insolence!" An older nobleman stepped forward. "His Majesty's personal gift is an immense favor; how dare you refuse?"

Another high-ranking official chimed in, "His Majesty bestows the title; you should simply kneel to receive it. Why all the fuss?"

Kneel down and accept it, you son of a bitch.

Seeing that Changqing remained unmoved, the nobleman trembled with anger. He was about to say something more when the Emperor raised his hand to stop him.

Nearly a thousand years ago, the Emperor had already lost his real power.

Emperor Ogimachi had spent half his life wandering, relying almost entirely on begging from Yamashina Tokutsugu. Now that he had finally returned to Kyoto, he did not want to cause any more trouble.

"The title of Sword Saint, I will not bestow upon you—"

Swordsmanship competitions should have been a grand event for the Oda clan.

However, news of Nagayoshi's public refusal of the title bestowed by the Emperor quickly reached Oda Nobunaga's ears.

"What? He refused?"

Nobunaga snapped his folding fan shut, his eyes suddenly turning fierce.

"That bastard—"

Mitsuhide Akechi, who was in charge of Kyoto affairs, immediately pleaded for leniency.

"My lord, perhaps the Junior Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice is simply ignorant of etiquette!"

Nobunaga kicked Mitsuhide in the shoulder. "Are you saying the people of Owari have no manners? Confiscate the territories of Mori Nagayoshi, Toki, and Akechi, leaving only 10,000 koku near Iwamura and Ōkage, and 50,000 koku at Sawayama Castle. Take back all the rest of the territories!"

Hosokawa Fujitaka, who had already served Nobunaga, quickly advised, "My lord, please reconsider! Lord Mori needs more than 60,000 koku of land to defend against Uesugi and Takeda."

"Isn't there still Xinzhong? Tell Changqing that this is a lesson for him. Let him think carefully about what he should and shouldn't do. If he makes the same mistake again, next time it won't be as simple as just reducing his fief."

Hosokawa Fujitaka accepted the order and left, but sighed deeply in his heart.

Nobunaga is now generous with his retainers, but he also beats and scolds them whenever he is unhappy, and no one can stop him.