I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

clang!!

This time, Ōtakemaru's silver blade was replaced by a plucked reed.

Ōtakemaru, clutching the sword that had been thrown back, stumbled backward several steps with a series of thuds.

In a split second, Qing Deng exhaled all the stale air from his lungs, quickly changed his breathing, and in the instant he finished charging up his power, he stuck to the target like a shadow and unleashed a new offensive.

He raised his sword overhead, assuming a high-level stance.

call out! !

The black blade sliced ​​a fleeting gap in the atmosphere, heading straight for Ōtakemaru's skull.

Ōtakemaru moved with lightning speed, effortlessly dodging to the side.

While dodging, he switched stances, the blade in his hand drawing a breathtaking arc in mid-air, slashing down at Qing Deng, whose old strength was exhausted, new strength had not yet emerged, and whose moves were outdated.

The blade, once cleaved with all its might, cannot be stopped at will.

A blade falling straight down will most likely slam heavily into the ground. If you're unlucky, it might even break the tip.

However, Qingdeng managed to keep the tip of Vairocana's knife steadily half an inch off the ground thanks to his extraordinary physical resilience and muscle strength.

To reduce the lightning-fast slash to zero speed in an instant... Under heaven, there are probably no more than a handful of swordsmen who can do this.

The instant he stopped wielding the sword in his palm, Qing Deng nimbly flipped his arms, turning the downward-pointing blade upward, and then sprang upward like a snake emerging from its hole! He slashed towards Ōtakemaru's face.

This incredibly smooth set of moves is so fluid that even describing it as "flowing like clouds and water" would be an understatement!

At first glance, the two seem to be equally fast in terms of cutting speed.

However, in that instant, Ōtakemaru's expression changed slightly. As the one directly facing the black blade, he saw it very clearly—the black blade was slightly faster than the silver blade!

Ōtakemaru immediately changed his attack to a dodge, narrowly avoiding the effective slashing range of the black sword at the last moment.

call out!

The black blade shattered the illusion left behind by Ōtakemaru.

Although the blade failed to kill Ōtakemaru, it grazed his left arm, leaving a short and shallow cut.

Ōtakemaru retreated more than ten steps in one breath, until he had created a considerable distance before slowly coming to a stop.

"..."

He looked down at the wound on his left arm where blood was seeping out, his eyes flashing with surprise.

Was it because he was born deaf, which reduced his contact with the world? Even Qing Deng had to admit that Ōtakemaru's eyes were very beautiful, shining like those of an innocent child, full of indescribable purity.

The contrast between the fact that someone with such eyes could wield such sharp swordsmanship, striking at vital points without hesitation, is truly difficult to describe in detail.

call out!call out!call out!call out!

Suddenly, Ōtakemaru swung his sword at the void in front of him, as if he were experimenting with something.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng was taken aback—because he could tell at a glance that Ootengu was learning and imitating his previous moves!

Ōtakemaru's "on-site learning" started suddenly and ended quickly.

"..."

He raised his gaze and cast an eager look at Qingdeng.

Bang!

With a loud thud, Ōtakemaru rushed forward like lightning to Aoto's side.

call out!

He raised the silver blade high above his head and slashed down... He immediately put the moves he had just learned into practice!

Acting as the enemy desires is a very foolish thing to do.

But... Qing Deng had a strange urge—he really wanted to see if the other party had really learned his moves!

So Qingdeng deliberately moved to the side, ready to strike.

What happened next was like a replay of what had just happened!

Before Qingdeng could swing his sword to retaliate, the silver blade stopped steadily a few inches off the ground, then sprang up swiftly, turning the downward-pointing blade upward, aiming straight for Qingdeng's life!

Because he was prepared, Qingdeng quickly and skillfully held the knife diagonally in front of his chest, deflected the silver blade without any danger, and then leaped backward to move slightly away from his opponent.

"They actually learned my moves..."

Qingdeng murmured unconsciously.

Under the influence of the "state of selflessness," his emotional fluctuations were reduced to a minimum, and changes in his facial expressions disappeared.

Even so, upon seeing Ōtakemaru successfully replicate his technique, he couldn't help but reveal a strange smile.

In the blink of an eye, the battle resumes!

Ōtakemaru lowered his gaze, focusing intently on Aoto's lower body.

Judging from his expression, he was estimating the distance between himself and Qingdeng, probably planning to unleash a sharp move.

Sure enough—just a moment ago he was standing calmly, but the next second he was wielding his sword and slashing, moving with lightning speed.

The two men were about the same height and had similar arm spans, and their swords were also similar in length, so their slashing ranges roughly overlapped.

When Qingdeng entered the range of Ootakemaru's slash, the latter also entered the range of Qingdeng's slash.

At that moment, they stared intently at each other, who were inches apart... and then simultaneously raised their knives to slash at each other!

A far more intense "blade storm" than before unfolded outwards from the two of them!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of the two blades was more than just a matter of "sparks flying everywhere"; it even occasionally burst into bluish-white flames.

Now that the battle has progressed this far, Qing Deng has come to a clear understanding: Ōtakemaru's swordsmanship is unorthodox and unaffiliated with any particular school or sect, commonly known as "wild school".

Qing Deng had seen many martial artists who came from unorthodox backgrounds, and without exception, they were all very weak.

Either there are too many unnecessary movements, or it's just a pretty but useless facade.

But Ōtakemaru is different.

Although his swordsmanship showed no trace of formal training, it was completely free of the common flaws of "self-taught" swordsmen!

Precise, efficient, full of skill, and not just relying on brute force... the current mutual hacking is the best proof of this.

On the surface, each of his strikes seemed unremarkable, but when combined, they possessed a wondrous magic!

Simply put, the angle, force, speed, and rhythm of each of his strikes were all just right, and the combination of them put considerable pressure on Qing Deng!

It's not that there's no way to defend against it, but rather that it's too difficult for the eyes to keep up with Ōtakemaru's sword!

Suddenly, Qing Deng noticed that Ootengu's sword had "disappeared".

Immediately afterward, he realized the truth, his pupils contracting slightly—it wasn't that Ōtakemaru's sword had disappeared, but rather that his sword was attacking from his blind spot!

Despite his extreme caution, he still lost track of Ōtakemaru's sword!

A silver blade, swung from a blind spot, accompanied by a whistling wind, slashed diagonally toward Qing Deng's right abdomen.

If this strike lands squarely, then this duel will come to an end.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Qingdeng's fighting instinct of "seeking advantage and avoiding harm" was activated in time. He leaned back nimbly and lightly, narrowly dodging the direct strike of the silver blade.

The silver blade did not slice through his vulnerable abdomen, but only cut open the skin of his right leg.

Logically speaking, this attack should have caused a deeper wound.

However, with the blessing of the talents "Strong Muscles +18" and "Flexibility +5", Qing Deng's body is literally thick-skinned and has extremely high defense. If it were a dull knife, it probably wouldn't even be able to cut through his skin.

[Note: Mighty Muscles +18: Muscles are exceptionally strong and resilient]

[Note: Body suppleness +5: Skin is exceptionally resilient and elastic.]

"..."

Qing Deng glanced at the wound on his right leg where blood was seeping out... The strange smile that had just disappeared reappeared.

Ōtakemaru is an unparalleled martial arts genius—as is Aoto!

Qingdeng's swordsmanship talent is 402 times that of an ordinary person! Not to mention he also has "Heart of the Demon +19"!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just like Ootengu earlier, Qingdeng swung his sword at the void in front of him, learning and imitating the opponent's moves!

Ōtakemaru did not come forward to disturb him, but stood obediently in place, looking Aoto up and down with great interest, and waited silently.

"I see... Swinging it like that keeps the opponent's eyes busy, making it very easy for them to lose track of your blade..."

The next moment after the murmur ended—

Bang!

Qing Deng pushed off the ground with his hind feet, turning stillness into motion, and glided straight towards Ōtakemaru, who couldn't wait to raise his sword to meet him.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

It was another fierce "blade storm," but this time, Qing Deng replicated Ōtakemaru's technique!

Upon seeing this, Ōtakemaru grinned, making no attempt to hide his delight.

Since they are using the same tactics, neither side can break through the other's moves; they are simply wasting their energy.

So, in a very short time, they tacitly sheathed their swords and separated.

The dust and smoke rising from their rapid retreat filled the air among them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Qing Deng swung his sword again in the void in front of him.

Coincidentally, the same applies to Ōtakemaru.

Although the exchange just now was short, both sides learned new moves and improved their skills in this round of slashing!

A moment later, Qingdeng stopped wielding his sword, raised his head, and cast a slightly amused glance at Ōtakemaru.

"We've all become stronger."

"..."