I teach judo in Tokyo.

Her goal was, of course, to capture the flag!

And the number one opponent in the flag-capturing battle is the tall and aloof Wu Fang Su Zi right in front of you.

However, Tie Zhuyu was very confident about this.

While the level of the girl in front of him, Wufang Suzi, was indeed quite good, Tie Zhuyu had studied her performance in several national competitions such as the Jade Dragon Flag competition last year, and it was very clear that Wufang Suzi's kendo level was not as good as his own.

So she very decisively came over and declared war.

Motoko looked calmly at the girl who had declared war, recalling what Sousuke had just told her—that the other girl's swordsmanship was superior to her own.

Although he hadn't spoken yet, his sharp aura was gradually rising.

Sosuke stared at the "Heavenly Sword" entry above her head, which suddenly appeared without any battle taking place.

It even had a slight flame effect.

As the power of the Five Elements surged forth.

The two men behind Tie Zhuyu seemed to sense something and looked at Wu Fangsuzi with some surprise.

In particular, Okita Souji felt a strange sense of "kindness" from Motoko Itako, and couldn't help but look at her curiously several times.

Then, he turned to look at Tie Zhuyu, his gaze shifting from surprise to worry.

Zhu Yu... could she be unable to defeat this person named Wu Fang Su Zi?

Wu Fang Su Zi was full of vigor, but her voice remained cold. She looked directly at Tie Zhu Yu, who was full of fighting spirit, and said bluntly, "I seized the Jade Dragon Flag last year, and this year's Jade Dragon Flag is naturally mine as well. No one has the possibility of taking it from my hands."

Seeing this, Tie Zhuyu smiled confidently as well: "I'm just here to 'inform' you, not to ask for your 'approval'. Next, I will fight the entire match as the vanguard and set a new record for the highest fighting spirit in the Jade Dragon Flag women's competition. If you're not fit enough, you'd better obediently return to your general's position, haha~"

Wu Fang Suzi remained calm as she looked at her: "You don't need to use reverse psychology. I won't take advantage of you to save energy. See you in the finals."

Seeing Wu Fang Su Zi's expression, Tie Zhu Yu knew she wasn't exaggerating and couldn't help but smile.

In fact, she was indeed worried that this Wufang Suzi was hiding at the back of the group, giving up the Daring to Fight reward in order to conserve her strength.

If I play for half a day and then my condition drops, and then I face this not-so-weak opponent, and I really lose, then I'll be incredibly embarrassed.

"Alright, let's have a competition to see who can get more Fighting Rewards!" Tie Zhuyu immediately finalized the competition details.

As she spoke, she prepared to turn and leave, and Okita Souji and Tetsuken behind her also prepared to turn around.

"Wait a minute." Sousuke, who was standing to the side, interrupted the group with a smile.

"What? Is something wrong?" Tie Zhuyu stopped and turned around, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Sosuke chuckled lightly, not answering Tetsuyu's question, but instead looking at the man beside her.

"Hey, you're also participating in the Jade Dragon Flag event, right? I'm Atobe Sousuke, may I ask your name?"

He addressed Okita Souji.

Although that Iron Sword is powerful, he is already twenty years old and cannot participate in this Jade Dragon Flag competition. He will not become his opponent in the short term.

However, Okita Souji is the right age and seems to have a close relationship with Tetsuya, making him highly likely to participate in the competition.

The possibility of becoming his opponent is naturally very high, so it's good to meet him in advance.

Okita Souji turned to look at Sousuke, a puzzled look on his face, but still nodded politely: "Well... although it wasn't my choice, I did participate in this year's competition."

As he spoke, he scratched his head listlessly: "Actually, I don't think these kinds of kids' competitions are very fun..."

Tie Zhuyu, who was standing next to him, immediately slapped him on the back of the head: "What? Are you mocking me?"

Okita Souji quickly shook his head in denial, looking a little flustered: "No...no! I misspoke. This competition is very important for high school students, and it's absolutely necessary to participate!"

Tie Zhuyu nodded in satisfaction.

Sosuke smiled slightly: "So, you actually don't think much of us 'amateur players,' do you? By the way, you still haven't told me your name."

Okita Souji looked at the smiling Atobe Sousuke in front of him, but couldn't sense any aura of a strong person from him at all, and scratched his head slightly.

However, he still satisfied the other person's curiosity without caring.

He said lazily, "Okita Souji, I am Okita Souji VIII."

Okita Souji!?

Sousuke smiled but didn't say anything, but the three disciples beside him looked surprised.

"Okita Souji?? Is that 'Okita Souji'?!" Mifune Yumi couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you sure it's not a homophone?"

“It’s not a homonym—” Okita Souji scratched his cheek awkwardly, “That’s why I don’t like introducing my name to others… I always have to face questions like yours.”

He took a deep breath, and then spoke with the practiced speed of a machine gun: "I am a descendant of the legendary 'Okita Souji'. According to our family tradition, the most talented swordsman in each generation will be given the name 'Okita Souji', and I am the eighth generation Okita Souji, also known as Okita Souji VIII!"

Upon hearing Okita Souji's explanation, everyone on Sousuke's side suddenly understood.

Motoko immediately turned to look at Sousuke Atobe.

She thought of Sosuke's "three-stage thrust".

Now, the head of the Okita family is right in front of them, and they have to compete in the same match...

So, could this Okita be the legendary triple thrust?

If he could, then he could use the Okita Souji family's three-stage thrust and Atobe Sosuke's "self-created" three-stage thrust.

Who is more powerful?

Chapter 173 Systematic Skill Evaluation Standards

Whose three-stage thrust is more powerful?

Motoko Gofuku, being straightforward, asked Okita Souji directly, "Okita-kun, may I ask, do you know the triple thrust technique?"

"I knew you guys would ask this."

Okita Souji reacted quickly and shook his head: "Our ancestor's Three-Stage Thrust has actually been lost for a long time. Our Okita family has been trying to restore that divine skill, but no successor has ever dared to say that the 'Three-Stage Thrust' they have restored is the same move as our ancestor's."

Upon hearing this, Motoko Goto showed a regretful expression. She really wanted to see what the legendary Okita Souji's divine skills were like.

Upon hearing Okita Souji's reply, Sousuke smiled without saying a word.

This kid is dishonest.

I'm watching this with the system's eyes, and there's clearly a move called "Unknown - Five-Stage Thrust" in this kid's skill list.

You can't do a three-stage thrust, but you can do a five-stage thrust, right?

However, this is someone else's secret technique, so it's reasonable not to tell them.

Just like Sousuke wouldn't reveal his many trump cards to others.

Finally, the two said their goodbyes.

Motoko Gofuku kept her gaze fixed on Tetsuyu, then she turned to Sosuke and asked, "That Okita Souji seems very powerful. I sensed a kindred spirit in him."

Sousuke smiled faintly, his voice relaxed: "He's strong, stronger than you, just in terms of swordsmanship. He might even be stronger than me. But of those three, the strongest isn't Okita... but that other guy."

"You mean that hedgehog-headed guy?" Wu Fang Suzi's eyes flickered slightly.

"Yes, he is at least one level stronger than Okita Souji."

Sosuke stroked his chin, wondering where this monstrous talent had come from.

Wu Fang Suzi looked surprised.

She has an exceptionally keen sense for swordsmen; even someone as carefree as Okita Souji can be perceived as a master swordsman.

However, the tall boy who had been standing next to Tie Zhuyu, although he also had a wooden sword hanging at his waist, did not show any aura of a sword master.

She actually misjudged him.

“Master Atobe, you should be able to tell that person’s strength, right? Is it like my master, that person’s swordsmanship has reached a level that transcends ordinary people?” Motoko Gofuku recalled that the only swordsmen she had truly misjudged so far were her master, Yae Baixuan, and the one in front of her, Sousuke.

Both masters seemed to be particularly good at acting. Despite their superb swordsmanship, they always acted as if they were no different from ordinary people.

She had even thought that her swordsmanship, after graduating from Master Yae, had gradually reached or even surpassed her master's level. However, after seeing the match between her master and Sousuke, she realized that her guess was completely wrong.

Atobe Sousuke was even more extreme. Every time Atobe sparred with him, Atobe would first use seemingly ordinary swordsmanship to fight him evenly, and then just when Atobe felt he had a chance and wanted to win in one fell swoop, Atobe would suddenly defeat him with swordsmanship that far exceeded his level.

That's really bad!

Seeing Motoko's curious gaze, Sousuke thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Yes, that person's strength should be beyond the level that ordinary people are aware of, but it is still far inferior to your master."

Sosuke described the power of the Iron Sword to Motoko in relatively simple terms.

In fact, after this period of verification, he gradually came to appreciate the system's standards for judging strength.

Reaching a skill level of 10 is roughly the limit that a normal person can achieve.

People at this level perform in combat in a manner consistent with the level of normal people they witnessed in their previous lives.

Then, some talented people can improve their skill level to 10 or higher.

People who reach this stage will make others think, "This person is amazing, is he some kind of kung fu star?" when they fight.

To put it more concretely, the fighting movements of these people become very aesthetically pleasing. When two evenly matched people fight, it gives the onlookers the feeling of watching a realistic action movie.

So-called realistic action movies are those where the audience is well aware that the actions performed by the actors are achievable by humans, but the premise is that the moves are rehearsed and filmed after many takes, and the fight scenes are only for viewing.

Therefore, while a fight between people with a skill level of 10 or higher might surprise the audience, it's not entirely unacceptable.

They might be amazed and think that such a scene is a bit too exaggerated, but upon closer reflection, it does seem to be something that humans can actually do.

The level of skill that a normal person can accept is probably around "20".

Once a fighter or swordsman's skill level exceeds "20," or even if it doesn't need to be that high—perhaps starting from a strong fighter with a skill level of "15"—their performance will begin to seem outrageous to ordinary people.

The scenes of their fights are somewhat like a "low-power martial arts drama" or a "surreal sword fight film".

Of course, it doesn't refer to those without supernatural abilities.

For example, if an ordinary person saw two fighters with a skill level exceeding "20" fighting, he would definitely keep rubbing his eyes and then question whether he was hallucinating.

Of course, this is a rough conclusion drawn by Sousuke based on his experience of killing Yuichi Moriguchi and watching Atsushi Yokoi's death match.

However, it is generally logical.

Of course, a person's actual combat effectiveness, besides fighting skills, is fundamentally determined by their physical condition.

Sosuke also summarized some of his experiences and made a small inference on this matter—

That is, when the skill level is within 20, the fighter's physical attributes do indeed improve accordingly with the improvement of the skill level.

According to Sosuke's understanding, as geniuses refine their fighting skills, they become more aware of and able to use their bodies more effectively, thus maximizing their bodies' true potential more efficiently than ordinary people.

For example, an ordinary person without skills can only deadlift a few dozen kilograms, and even people who train in the gym for a long time cannot lift a weight that is too much beyond their own body weight.

However, in the hands of a master whose skills surpass those of ordinary people, the same body can pull much more weight than an average person.

Their skills have given them greater control over their bodies.

Therefore, a person with a high level of skill can completely overwhelm an ordinary person, both in terms of physical fitness and technique.

Based on this reasoning, the highest level that ordinary people and official institutions can accept in a public figure is very likely "level 20".

......

Closer to home.

There are more teams in the Jade Dragon Flag than in the Golden Eagle Flag, especially in the first round of the competition, where nearly half of the six hundred teams will be eliminated. Even with sixteen arenas competing at the same time, it will take a lot of time.

After a long wait, the second round of the competition has finally arrived.

Wu Fang Su Zi kept her eyes closed and rested during this waiting period, adjusting her own state.

Sosuke, along with the class monitor and her deskmate, quietly stayed by her side without disturbing her further.

Then, Motoko Gomoku put on her protective gear and, encouraged by Sousuke, calmly walked onto the ring.

Although she appeared calm and composed, in Sousuke's eyes...

Above Wu Fang Su Zi's head, the entry for the Heavenly Sword had already been engulfed in flames.

Chapter 174 Motoko's Breakthrough, New Ultimate Move!

Above Wu Fang Su Zi's head, the entry for the Heavenly Sword had already been engulfed in flames.

Clearly, she was provoked by Tie Zhuyu and the other two.

So, in the subsequent rounds where eliminations were completed at increasingly faster pace...