I teach judo in Tokyo.

Wu Fang Suzi's expression was calm, as if she didn't care what number she had drawn.

She answered softly, "Teacher's College, I was assigned to Group 7."

Then, she gently shook her head: "It doesn't matter what group I'm in. My goal this year is to finish the entire competition by myself."

“I’m not worried about your swordsmanship skills, but…” Sousuke looked at Motoko curiously, “Can you keep up with the stamina?”

Motoko Gofuku nodded: "If it were before I learned the 'Musouken', my stamina might not have been enough, but after learning the Musouken, I have come to understand some of the principles of swordsmanship from this move... Now I can allocate my stamina more precisely and defeat my opponents more efficiently."

Oo?

Sosuke's expression was starting to betray him.

Is this the "Heavenly Sword"?

Why couldn't I glean anything from this Wuxiang Sword?

System, there's someone cheating here, aren't you going to do anything about it?

It's no wonder it's an SSR character; its comprehension is truly extraordinary.

Wu Fang Suzi said earnestly, "I feel that my understanding of swordsmanship is about to be enlightened, and I urgently need a special environment and intense battle like the Jade Dragon Banner to fully stimulate it."

As she spoke, she glanced at Sosuke and said, "Master, if it weren't for the fact that you need to rest fully before and after participating in the Golden Eagle Banner competition, I would have challenged you to a match every day for the past few days."

Okay? You mean you could have broken through a few days earlier?

You should have told me sooner! Your breakthrough would have benefited me!

Atobe Sousuke immediately said, "I'm at full strength now, and you've finished drawing lots. Shall we go for some special training later?"

Wu Fang Suzi shook her head: "I have a match this afternoon. In order to fulfill my wish of playing the whole match, I can't waste my energy recklessly."

That's a very meticulous way of thinking.

Sosuke nodded: "Alright, Motoko is very thoughtful. So, how can I help you? Just tell me."

Wu Fang Suzi thought for a moment and then shook her head again: "Originally, I wanted to ask the instructor to let me observe the three-stage thrust a few more times, but now that the competition is about to begin, I don't want to be bothered by new sword techniques anymore, so I'll pass."

My disciple is incredibly disciplined; he's practically a perfect swordsman...

Sosuke scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up: "How about I cheer you on? I'll make you a big flag with your name on it, and when you go on stage, I'll lead the way in waving it for you from the audience, how about that?"

“Oh my! That’s a great idea! I’ll join too!” Mifune Yumi immediately jumped out from the side.

“I…I can…cheering for Motoko too!” Yotsuba Saki shyly agreed from the side.

(￣へ￣?)

Motoko was stunned for a moment, and then she couldn't help but imagine Atobe Sousuke wearing a headscarf, with Yumi and Saki following behind him, the three of them cheering for her from below the stage.

His name was also on the flag...

Her face flushed red.

She stammered, shaking her head, "Teacher...teacher's college...no...no need, right? It's too embarrassing..."

"Haha, Motoko, you're so cute. I was just kidding. I'd be more embarrassed than you if I did that~"

Seeing the kendo girl's shy demeanor, which he had never seen before, Sousuke couldn't help but laugh.

"That's...that's good! Please don't do that..."

Wufang Suzi breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, she felt that something was wrong.

I was actually a little disappointed.

"Huh? You were just kidding?" Mifune Yumi next to her looked disappointed; clearly, she really wanted to do it.

On the contrary, the introverted and shy Yotsuba Saki visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After the draw was completed, everyone began to leave temporarily.

The official competition will not begin until the afternoon.

Like the Golden Eagle Flag competition, the Jade Dragon Flag competition also starts with the women's group.

The group went out together to have lunch and rest.

......

Soon it was afternoon, and the students from Hefeng High School arrived at the stadium by bus.

The Yulongqi competition venue is different from the Jinjiuqi venue. As a better-developed project with more abundant funding, the Yulongqi competition venue is Fukuoka Dome.

As one of Japan's "Five Great Domes", this baseball stadium, whose design is inspired by the ancient "Colosseum", is much more high-end than any marine exhibition center.

Unfortunately, the stadium with its retractable roof did not open to the public during this period.

I heard that it takes half an hour to open the roof and it costs a lot of money, so it won't be opened unless absolutely necessary.

Today, the central field of this stadium, which is normally used as a baseball field, has been temporarily set up with sixteen kendo competition platforms, each measuring about one hundred square meters.

Similar to the Golden Eagle Flag, the next step will be to divide the competition into groups based on the various platforms, and use a knockout tournament to determine the sixteen group winners as the top sixteen. Then, the top sixteen will compete in further matches on the second day to ultimately select the flag-capturing champion.

There are significantly more kendo teams participating in the Jade Dragon Flag than in the Golden Eagle Flag. There are nearly 600 teams in the women's group alone, and an even more exaggerated number of over 800 teams in the men's group.

However, the first round of the competition did not keep Hefeng waiting for long.

Soon, they received a notification from the organizers instructing the Hefeng High School girls' team to get to their positions at stage number seven as soon as possible.

The rules for the Jade Dragon Flag competition seem to be a bit stricter than those for the Golden Eagle Flag competition. Mifune Yumi and Yotsuba Saki, because they are not kendo participants, were not allowed to stay with the competitors and were instead placed in the "family area." Although they were much closer to the audience than the people in the stands, they still couldn't come over to help out.

Sosuke, a fellow high school kendo competitor, is now able to follow along to the competition area as a support staff member.

He was now circling around Suko, checking whether her protective gear was on properly.

Motoko stood quietly, looking at Sousuke's serious expression through the mask, and couldn't help but whisper, "Don't worry, Akari and Masae put the protective gear on me together. They are both very careful people, there won't be any problems."

Sousuke stroked his chin and turned around again. Hearing Motoko's words, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Motoko, of course I trust your teammate's attentiveness. Actually, checking you was just a side thing. As for me..."

He said with a joking expression, "Actually, I was admiring how heroic Suko looked in her protective gear. She looked like a general from ancient times!"

What...?

Wu Fang Suzi paused, realizing that this frivolous master had actually tried to flirt with her before the competition.

He and Saki were already so intimate in the hot spring, and it seems like he also has an ambiguous relationship with that Kuno girl from his dojo.

Even Yumi seems to...

Are they not even going to let her go now?

For some reason, Motoko Itsuka thought of the scene she saw Sosuke and Saki embracing and kissing passionately in the steamy hot spring that night.

I feel like I've become a little strange.

Just then, Sousuke reached out and gently touched her faceplate with his finger, and smiled, "Motoko, if you can really achieve the feat of winning the entire match, in addition to the three-stage thrust, I will teach you other sword techniques that are no weaker than this move as a reward."

"Keep up the good work!"

Chapter 170 Iron Feather, Suzi's Opponent

A new sword technique, no weaker than the three-stage thrust!?

Motoko Itsuka stared intently at Sosuke's smile, her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

Atobe Sousuke's promise hit her right in the right spot.

For a swordsman who is passionate about the sword, there is no more enticing reward than learning powerful sword techniques.

She earnestly asked Sosuke again, "Teacher, are you telling the truth?"

“Of course it’s true.” Sosuke smiled slightly. “I’m a man of my word.”

"If you really do this feat, I will not only immediately teach you the Three-Stage Thrust, but I will also teach you an additional technique that is no less powerful than the Three-Stage Thrust."

Sosuke boldly made empty promises.

Although he currently only possesses three sword techniques—the Sword of No Thought, the Triple Thrust, and the Tiger Crouching Blade Technique—he has already decided to teach the Sword of No Thought and the Triple Thrust to Wufang Suzi. The remaining Tiger Crouching Blade Technique is an SSR-level skill, and to teach it to Wufang Suzi, she must meet the system's requirements.

However, he should acquire other SR-level skills in the near future, and if he chooses a weapon-related skill, it will most likely be related to kendo.

It shouldn't be to the point that he goes back on his word.

Upon hearing Sousuke's confirmation, Motoko Itsuka immediately nodded, and a spark quietly ignited in her eyes beneath her mask.

This battle must be won!

She bid farewell to Sosuke, and amidst everyone's blessings, she turned and led the women's team onto the stage.

Both teams diligently completed all the required rituals under the guidance of the referees.

The opposing team is an unknown high school; frankly, they're a pushover.

After the ceremony, all the contestants except for Vanguard lined up and left the stage, leaving only Vanguard, who had put on protective gear in advance, on the stage.

Sosuke watched from below the stage as Motoko slowly squatted down in a standard mid-section stance.

This is the ritual performed before practicing Kendo – the crouching position.

It is considered by many practitioners of Kendo to be an outdated and outdated pre-match stance.

It's neither aesthetically pleasing, because the squat is too low, nor is it very practical; it seems to serve no purpose other than causing thigh pain.

It is said that this etiquette requirement has been abolished in kendo in places such as South Korea.

However, Wufang Suzi's posture was upright and her demeanor was calm. Her movements were full of unique charm, and the squatting posture she made was unexpectedly beautiful.

To a seasoned kendo practitioner, it's immediately clear from Motoko Gofuku's crouching posture that she is undoubtedly a master in the field of kendo.

Suko's opponent was clearly not as skilled as her. She was petite and appeared shaky when she squatted down, giving off the feeling of a novice in kendo.

They must be first-year students who came here to practice and broaden their horizons.

At the referee's signal, the two slowly stood up while maintaining their mid-stance.

After the referee confirmed that there were no problems, he raised his hand and announced the start.

The next second, Wufang Suzi's figure blurred, and she took a big step forward, like an arrow shot out at lightning speed.

Her bamboo sword slashed out swiftly, striking her faceplate before she could even react.

"noodle!"

"Snapped!"

The sounds of breath mingling and striking rang out simultaneously. After completing her attack, Motoko Gofuku quickly retreated, assuming the perfect Zanshin stance.

An impeccable attack!

The referee immediately raised his flag to confirm the score.

In kendo competitions, the referees who are responsible for judging have strange, unwritten rules.

That means determining the score as quickly as possible the instant the players finish their exchange, and raising the flag representing the player who scored.

It's as if the faster the flag is raised, the more it proves the referee's skill level.

In reality, this method of judgment often leads to misjudgments. In such cases, due to the intimidation of the referee, the players who suffer losses often dare not protest, fearing that they will be targeted by the referee in the following matches.

Japan is a country that values ​​face quite a bit. Even if the players protest against a referee's wrong call, the referee will often stick to the wrong decision and refuse to change it in order to maintain his authority. The result can only be changed if the two assistant referees also disagree with the referee's decision.

Besides misjudgments, this kind of ruling has also given rise to many biased refereeing practices.

However, all of this had nothing to do with Motoko's score. Her score was impeccable, and even if a referee wanted to make biased calls, they couldn't have made such a clear and obvious decision.

Motoko took the first point, and both sides returned to their positions.

With the referee's signal, the second round of the match began.

"Little hands!"

"Snapped!"

Suko calmly stepped back, leaving her opponent standing there dumbfounded, unable to even react.

It still sold out instantly!

Kendo competitions use a two-round system, meaning that the first player to score two points in a three-round match wins.

Motoko's opponent left the stage in disappointment.

A few gasps of amazement rose from the audience due to Wu Fang Suzi's extraordinary performance.

The Jade Dragon Flag was much more popular than the Golden Eagle Flag. Although the Fukuoka Dome can accommodate more than 40,000 spectators, it was almost half full at the moment.