I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"The Xuanwu Hall and the Chiba Sword Hall where I am currently studying do indeed frequently exchange sword techniques with the Shiwei Hall."

"About six days ago, the people from Shieikan just came to Kochiba Sword Hall. We had a great time sparring with the Shieikan students."

"I was thus fortunate enough to witness the heroic figures of the disciples of Shieikan several times."

"The person who introduced you to the Shiwei Hall was right."

"From my observation, the Natural Rishin-ryu is indeed a school of martial arts with real skill, not just a showy school. Its swordsmanship is fierce and every strike draws blood."

"In terms of practicality, I personally believe that the Natural Rishin-ryu is no worse than the Hokushin Itto-ryu."

"Moreover, the teaching level of that testing hall is also very good, and many of the apprentices there have quite good skills."

"Especially a boy named Okita Souji, who at such a young age possesses formidable strength and talent that even his master praises."

“Qingdeng, if your goal in learning swordsmanship is to better subdue petty thieves, then this training hall is indeed a good place.”

Qingdeng knew Shannan's personality very well.

He is honest and upright, and it is impossible for him to lie to Qingdeng. He has no reason to lie to Qingdeng.

Shannan's status as a "swordsmanship master" makes his praise of the Tennen Rishin-ryu school of martial arts seem particularly credible.

As far as Qingdeng knew, this Shannan had quite a good command of swordsmanship.

Qing Deng, who was not skilled in swordsmanship, did not know exactly how strong Shan Nan was, but he knew that Shan Nan had always been well-known for his strength in the Chiba Sword Hall, where strong people were everywhere.

Even Shannan, a master swordsman and a reliable person, praised the practicality of the Natural Rishin-ryu school, and Qingdeng's last doubts about the Natural Rishin-ryu school and Shiei-kan dissipated.

"Qingdeng, I never thought that someone like you, who has never been interested in swordsmanship, would one day want to go to a sword school to learn swordsmanship." Shannan said with a joking tone, then said seriously, "The choice of a sword school must not be taken lightly."

"I also know of some other fencing clubs that are quite good."

"If you are interested, I can introduce you to all these sword-fighting schools."

"You know quite a few sword schools with a high level of skill? Among these sword schools you know, are there any that offer opportunities to compete and spar with many, many people? Like Shiwei School, where students can compete with the students of the two major sword schools, Xuanwu School and Xiaoqianye School?" Qing Deng asked.

"Hmm? It seems... no. Among the good sword schools I know, the largest number of students is only a hundred or so. Unless it's a sword school where the students have a very good relationship with each other, there is very little frequent interaction between sword schools."

“Never mind then.” Qing Deng raised his eyebrows and smiled at Shan Nan. “I’ve made up my mind—I’m going to the Shiwei Hall.”

"You've made up your mind?" Shan Nan exclaimed softly. "Are you sure? Isn't this too hasty? Won't you take a little more time to choose?"

"No need. In all of Edo, there is probably no sword school more suitable for me than Shieikan. I will go to Shieikan to become an apprentice right now."

Having said that, Qingdeng raised his hands and patted Shannan's shoulders forcefully:

"Shannan, thank you! You've been a huge help. I'll treat you to drinks sometime!"

Qingdeng said goodbye to Shannan and then hurriedly left from Shannan's door.

Watching Qingdeng appear unexpectedly and then leave in a hurry, Shannan smiled helplessly: "It's rare that he actually offered to treat me to drinks..."

……

……

As Qing Deng sped down the street, he pulled out the piece of paper with the address of Shieikan written on it that Kiryu had just given him, and hurried forward following the address written on the paper.

Now that the doubts about Tennen Rishin-ryu and Shieikan have been dispelled, there is no need to hesitate any longer in choosing a kendo school.

A sword hall that allows one to spar with people from three sword halls in one go—just as Aoto just said to Yamanami: in all of Edo, there should be no sword hall more suitable for Aoto, who has a "copying talent system" in his body, than this Shieikan.

—Hopefully, after joining the Shieikan, I can quickly replicate some amazing talents…

After silently praying in his heart, Qingdeng quickened his pace.

*******

*******

New book launch! Seeking all kinds of support!

[Japanese History Mini-Lesson Begins!]

Although samurai could indeed use the privilege of "insulting" to kill commoners who disrespected them during the Edo period, this privilege was not omnipotent.

After a samurai kills a commoner using the "rude attack" method, he must have sufficient evidence to prove that the commoner he killed had insulted him.

If evidence can be produced, then things will be easy, and the samurai will be fine.

If no evidence can be produced, the samurai will also be arrested for murder.

Therefore, many samurai would abandon the use of "rudeness challenge" because they found it troublesome.

Chapter 11 Kondo Isami

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town——

—This…is the Shieikan?

Qingdeng looked at a rather plain-looking house in the distance with a suspicious gaze.

Outside a house of moderate size, there is a plaque with the Chinese characters "Tianran Lixin Liu Shiwei Guan" (自然理心流试卫馆).

Why can't we hear any sword practice?

Inside the Shiwei Hall, all was quiet...

There was no sound of bamboo swords clashing together, and it felt as if no one was in the entire test hall...

With this question in mind, Qing Deng slowly walked towards the Examination Hall.

Just a few steps forward, Qingdeng suddenly saw a tall and muscular young man carrying a bucket and a rag walking out of the building.

The young man walked over to the plaque that read "Natural Mind-Body-Soothing Practice Hall"—he probably wanted to wipe the plaque clean.

Just then, the young man spotted Qing Deng walking towards their sword-fighting hall.

Qingdeng and the young man looked at each other, their gazes colliding in mid-air.

Then—

thump.

The sound of a bucket and a rag falling to the ground rang out.

The young man steadily threw the bucket and rag in his hand to the ground, and then appeared in front of Qingdeng with lightning speed.

Good morning! May I ask if you are here to learn swordsmanship at my training hall?

The young man who suddenly appeared in front of him startled Qing Deng, who subconsciously took two steps back.

Seeing Qingdeng retreating quickly, the young man was first stunned, then his face showed shame.

"I'm so sorry, I was in a rush. I'm really sorry for scaring you."

After saying that, the young man cleared his throat and then gave Qingdeng a somewhat naive smile:

"I am Kondo Isami! I am the instructor of this Shieikan! May I ask who you are?"

[Note: "Acting instructor" can be understood as a substitute instructor, responsible for assisting the sword-fighting master in carrying out teaching tasks.]

After Kondo Isamu finished introducing himself, Aoto quickly and politely introduced himself and briefly explained the purpose of his visit:

"My name is Ju Qingdeng. I have heard that your esteemed institution is a sword school with excellent martial ethics, and therefore I wish to join your school to learn swordsmanship."

As he introduced himself, Aoyama looked Kondo Isami up and down.

Kondo Isami's first impression on Aoto was that he was very energetic.

He has thick eyebrows and big, bright eyes. He is tall and strong, about 1.8 meters tall, and looks quite energetic.

Of all his features, the one that left the deepest impression on Qingdeng was his mouth.

His mouth is very big.

That mouth is so big, it feels like it could swallow a fist whole without any problem.

However, although this person has a large mouth, it does not have a significant negative effect on his appearance. Looking at his face as a whole, he still looks quite handsome, the kind of masculine handsome guy.

The only downside is... he has a half-moon hairstyle.

This incredibly ugly hairstyle reduced Kondo's good looks by half.

The chonmage hairstyle was the most popular hairstyle in Edo-period Japan, bar none. About nine out of ten men sported this style.

Its approximate appearance... can be understood as a variant of the "Mediterranean".

The hair on the top of the head is shaved off completely, leaving only the hair on the back of the head and the temples. The hair on the back of the head and the temples is then braided into a bun and placed on top of the shaved head—this is called the chonmage.

This hairstyle became popular among the samurai class because it was cool and convenient for wearing a helmet, and there was no need to worry about the hair obstructing vision when fighting. It then inspired the common people to adopt this hairstyle as well.

Looking at Kondo's chonmage, Aoto twitched his lips and couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his own hair—he was very glad that his hairstyle was a full head of hair, not a chonmage.

The so-called "full hair" means keeping the hair on the top of the head and only braiding it into a bun.

Although Qing Deng also thought the hairstyle was ugly, it was still a million times better than the chonmage hairstyle.

"Oh! You really want to learn swordsmanship!"

Kondo's smile instantly became much warmer.

However, in the next instant, Kondo's smile suddenly froze, and then his smile turned into an awkward expression.

"Ah... I almost forgot... Our master isn't at the sword-fighting hall today... If you want to become his disciple, the earliest you can wait is tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow?" Qingdeng's eyes widened.

Japan is also a country that highly values ​​the concept of "respecting teachers and valuing their teachings".

To learn swordsmanship at a sword academy, one usually has to perform a formal apprenticeship ceremony to the master, followed by a bunch of other miscellaneous rituals, before one can be considered to have entered the academy and can officially begin learning swordsmanship.

Therefore, if the sword master happens to be away, the school generally will not accept new apprentices during that period.

"I'm sorry..." Kondo's face was full of apology, "but my master is indeed not here today... If you want to join the sect, please choose another day."

The sword of Damocles, the “radical anti-foreign faction,” hangs over Qingdeng’s head at all times. In the current situation, Qingdeng doesn’t want to waste a single day. He just wants to learn swordsmanship as soon as possible and replicate his talent. He naturally won’t come back another day.

"I don't have time tomorrow! Do I really have to wait for your master to return before I can start learning swordsmanship?"

After today's holiday, Qingdeng will have to go back to work at the magistrate's office starting tomorrow, and he won't have another holiday for at least two more days.

"This..." Kondo looked troubled.

Seeing Kondo's troubled expression, Aoto suddenly remembered the "new customer benefit" that Kiryu had just given him.