I teach judo in Tokyo.

Speaking of which, Sosuke specifically checked the groups of several key opponents.

Among them, Yagyu Tsukumo was the representative of the contestants and was in "Group 1", Okita Souji was in "Group 5", and Tsukahara Souichirou was in "Group 11".

Their school, Hefeng High School, was in the "Thirteenth Group".

The groups are designated as Group A (groups 1-8) and Group B (groups 9-16).

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yagyu will compete against Okita for the title of Group A winner, while he will compete against Tsukahara for the title of Group B winner.

The final showdown between Group A and Group B determined the champion of Yulongqi.

Now, the three players ahead of him have all easily won their first matches. They are still in the lead, in excellent form after a full night's rest, and won with ease.

Sosuke's match was the last one in the round of 16. He calmly stepped onto the stage and then held his bamboo sword with both hands in a proper manner to face his enemy.

A few minutes later, he calmly walked off the field.

One against five, winning is easy.

Because his current "Nen-ryu" swordsmanship level is the highest, he mainly uses Nen-ryu techniques in battle.

Among the three major schools of Japanese Kendo—Nen-ryu, Shinto-ryu, and Kage-ryu—each school has a slightly different focus.

The Shinto school of swordsmanship leans towards battlefield swordsmanship. Among its most famous branches are Shinto-ryu, Jigen-ryu, and Tennen Rishin-ryu. Most of these schools emphasize physical training, rigorous practice of basic swordsmanship skills, and even the mastery of a particular technique in order to achieve a decisive victory in battle.

For example, the swordsman Tsukahara Bokuden, who founded the Kashima Shinto-ryu school, is said to have mastered the technique "Ichi no Tachi" by practicing a single slash six thousand times a day after mastering his own skills. In battle, he would unleash this slash, instantly killing his opponent.

For example, the Jigenryu school simplifies swordsmanship even further. They only practice one move, a large diagonal slash, also known as "Kesa-zan." They almost completely disregard follow-up variations and defenses. When a battle begins, they simply let out a terrifying roar, followed by a heavy Kesa-zan. Whether the opponent is attacking or defending, if they are not strong enough or determined enough, they will be cut in two with a single slash.

Another one is the Tennen Rishin-ryu. During the Edo period, almost everyone in the fearsome Shinsengumi practiced Tennen Rishin-ryu. The reason they were so powerful was because they valued practical combat skills. Almost everyone in the group knew a powerful thrusting attack, such as Saito Hajime's "Gya-tsuru". Even Okita Souji, the most skilled swordsman in the group, was good at the "Sandan-tsuru", which was a three-pronged thrust.

That's right. If one stab isn't enough to kill, then I'll practice until I can stab three times in the time it takes to stab once. It's that straightforward.

Compared to the Shinto-ryu system, the Yin-ryu swordsmanship system is more inclined to use various varied sword techniques to deal with different situations.

If Shinto-ryu is the "Yang Sword," then Yin-ryu is the "Yin Sword."

When fighting against a Shinto-style swordsman, if one's strength and willpower are inferior to the opponent's, it is easy to suffer a crushing defeat under the opponent's relentless onslaught.

Conversely, when fighting against a swordsman of the Yin-ryu school, if one's strength cannot surpass that of the opponent by much, leading to a stalemate, one will be overwhelmed by the opponent's endless array of techniques, and may even feel that the sword in one's hand is getting heavier and heavier with each blow, ultimately resulting in a crushing defeat.

In particular, the "New Kage-ryu," which originated from the Kage-ryu school and was created by the swordsman Kazumi Nobutsuna by integrating various sword styles, and then developed into the "Yagyu Shinkage-ryu" after being taught to the Yagyu family, further developed this characteristic to its peak.

To put it bluntly, in order to deal with all sorts of situations, the Yagyu Shinkage school alone has more than twenty kinds of "secret techniques of the katana".

That's right, there are more than twenty moves called "secret techniques", which is enough to show their style.

As for the "Nenryu" swordsmanship that Sousuke currently mainly uses.

Strictly speaking, this school can even be considered the ancestral school of true Japanese Kendo.

***

Chapter 186 Yagyu VS Okita

The kendo style "Nenryu" originates from the "sword monk" Nenami Ci'en.

This "sword monk" is a prodigy. Although he doesn't have the title of "sword saint," he probably has the substance of one.

His father was killed when he was young, and he survived and was sent to a temple to become a monk.

However, Japanese monks are different from Chinese monks. They don't pay much attention to precepts. So even after becoming a monk, this "sword monk" was still focused on avenging his father and was dedicated to learning swordsmanship. In fact, he learned many secret sword techniques while traveling and practicing in various temples.

Then he traveled the world, visiting famous masters as a wandering monk to improve his swordsmanship. Finally, he returned to his hometown and beheaded his father's killer with a single stroke.

After taking his revenge, he rejoined the Buddhist order, changed his name to Ci'en, and then combined all the sword skills he had learned in his life to create the sword style "Nianliu".

The Yin-ryu Ancestor and the One-Sword Style Ancestor were even disciples of this sword monk.

The core concept of this school of thought differs slightly from the other two major schools—it emphasizes "surpassing others by starting later."

Before either side makes a move, they have already planned how to respond to the opponent's various moves, and then strike immediately the moment the opponent makes a move, killing the opponent by striking first.

(Doesn't it have a bit of the feel of "Dugu Nine Swords"?)

For example, the core technique of the largest branch of Nen-ryu, "Ichisho-ryu," is "Slash," which is simply a simplified expression of the Nen-ryu philosophy—waiting for the opponent to attack, and then using a center-line slash at the moment the opponent attacks, and in the instant the opponent's weapon is knocked away, the opponent is killed.

Itō Ittōsai's ultimate technique, "Musōken," is essentially just a super-upgraded and enhanced version of "Shīrō."

This school of thought emphasizes a stream of consciousness.

The moves and techniques of this style don't actually have many set patterns. What it truly cultivates is the ability to see through the opponent's movements and then use one's rich experience to exploit the opponent's weaknesses.

To put it bluntly, it's a sword technique used by the strong to bully the weak.

After all, you're so skilled that you can see through your opponent's moves and even strike first after being the one to react.

Then it doesn't really matter what moves you use.

Therefore, when faced with an enemy stronger than themselves, Nen-ryu swordsmen are defeated faster than those of other schools.

If you can't see clearly, can't keep up with the movements, and don't have any special skills to practice diligently, then you're doomed.

Coincidentally, Sosuke is very strong, which makes him a perfect fit for this style.

Therefore, after he easily defeated five rather strong young swordsmen in the quarterfinals,

Everyone finally realized that, besides Yagyu, Tsukahara, and Okita, there was another unassuming swordsman who had quietly led the team from the top 16 to the top 4 with a record of winning ten games in a row.

Many media reporters suddenly realized what was happening and immediately began to look up information about Atobe Sousuke.

Then they discovered that this guy was none other than the flag snatcher who had accomplished the feat of crossing fifty flags in one go just a few days ago.

Actually, it wasn't that we just discovered it. On the day the men's competition started, quite a few media outlets noticed this situation. However, Sousuke didn't play at all after the competition started. It was all Tenkoji who played in the C rounds. Even when Sousuke came out and won ten games in the last two rounds yesterday, no one was able to react.

The other three genius swordsmen were so dazzling and generated so much buzz that these fickle media outlets completely forgot about Sousuke.

At this point, the organizers have targeted another of the five large screens above Fukuoka Dome.

Atobe Sousuke's handsome face, with his eyes lowered and a faint smile on his face, appeared on the big screen, attracting the attention of countless girls who loved kendo.

Then look at the title that the organizers specifically gave him in the lower right corner of his image.

"Golden Vulture Flag - Top 50 Fighters Award - Winner"

"The Noble Prince of Judo——Atobe Sosuke"

Everyone then realized that the last swordsman who led the team into the final four was actually a hidden master.

The audience went wild.

This is destined to be an unprecedented and the strongest Jade Dragon Flag Competition ever.

......

The rounds of the competition were getting faster and faster. After Sousuke secured the last spot in the semifinals, the first match of the semifinals started immediately after only a few minutes.

Kyoto Naru High School, where Yagyu Tsukumo is located, will face off against Kyoto Izumi Shin High School, where Okita Souji is located.

The two handsome young swordsmen remained on the stage amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the audience.

Yagyu Tsukumo's high ponytail and the weasel-like samurai hairstyle are very elegant, while Okita Souji's short tail at the back of his head is dashing and carefree.

His striking good looks caused the girls in the audience to scream.

Yagyu Tsukumo's squatting posture was textbook perfect, while Okita Souji's squatting posture opposite him looked rather awkward.

“Okita, I watched your matches. You defeated your opponents with ease every time. It’s clear that you have a very high level of swordsmanship.”

Yagyu spoke calmly and steadily to Okita Souji across from him.

“However, it’s clear from your squatting posture that you lack respect for swordsmanship, and consequently, you lack respect for me as well. But I still need to remind you—” Yagyu Tsukumo said softly, “If you don’t take this seriously, don’t blame yourself if you mess things up later.”

"Oh dear, I don't think I'll lose..." Okita Souji on the other side reached out and touched his cheek, but ended up touching the mask instead.

The referee didn't give the two much of a chance to talk. He quickly stepped forward and signaled for the training session to begin.

“Forget it, there’s no point in talking to someone who doesn’t respect the way of kendo…” Yagyu Tsukumo slowly stood up and assumed a stance somewhat similar to the middle stance in modern kendo.

His heels were firmly planted on the ground, maximizing his stability.

The way to hold the sword is called "Dragon's Mouth," which involves using the lower muscles of the forearm while keeping the upper muscles of the forearm relaxed and soft.

This configuration, called "Seigan Configuration," is the most commonly used ancient kendo configuration in the Yagyu Shinkage style.

In fact, the style of the ancient schools is very similar to that of the modern unified style.

The Qingan stance is similar to the middle stance in modern Kendo, but it is not as straight and upright; instead, it has a slightly tilted posture.

As soon as he assumed his stance, Yagyu Tsukumo's aura calmed down, and a subtle sharpness emerged from within.

Okita Souji also stood up, and after standing up, he said in a sarcastic tone, "Speaking of which, this crouching position is really meaningless. As long as you can use it to defeat your opponent, that's enough. Too many formalities are one of the main reasons why I find it annoying."

He wanted to say something more, but suddenly stopped speaking.

Because, with his keen swordsmanship instincts, he sensed that Yagyu Tsukumo's aura had changed drastically after hearing what he said.

Okita Souji's expression beneath his mask turned serious.

In his eyes, the image of a swordsman wearing a long-nosed mask seemed to emerge behind Yagyu.

"What an unreasonable person who wastes his talent!"

"The sword in your hand must be ashamed to be wielded by you..."

Yagyu Tsukumo's voice contained a hint of anger.

"Then let me bestow upon you a thoroughly satisfying defeat!"

"The Yagyu clan - Yagyu ninety-nine!"

"I see you!"

He charged out like an arrow.

***

Chapter 187 The Fifth Stage of Ignorance!

From below the stage, Sosuke watched with a slight smile as the two people on stage made contact with each other.

"Okita might lose," he said softly.

"Really?" Motoko Itako, who was standing right next to him, looked puzzled. "I've been following their match. Judging from their performance, I think Okita's swordsmanship is a bit better than Yagyu's."

Sousuke smiled, glanced at Motoko Itaka, gently patted her shoulder, and pointed to the stage, saying, "Look again carefully, not with your eyes, but with your 'heart'..."

Motoko Goto didn't quite understand what Sousuke was saying, but she still obediently turned her head and looked at the competition stage seriously again.

After observing intently for a few seconds, her eyes trembled slightly, and she turned to Sosuke with a look of surprise: "That Yagyu... his aura seems..."

“That’s right.” Sousuke smiled slightly, a smile that seemed to hold a deeper meaning. “In sword duels, besides comparing swordsmanship skills, a swordsman’s ‘spirit and willpower’ are also a very important indicator…”

In his eyes, the two people's panels were crystal clear.

Okita Souji's "Nenten Rishin-ryu - Modified 20" is indeed a very impressive high-level swordsmanship.

However, after "Yagyu Shinkage-ryu 17" in Yagyu Tsukumo's work, there is a "++" mark!

The genius swordsman of the Yagyu family currently has the phrase "Tengu Art" burning with a fiery effect above his head!

Although Okita's head also bears the inscription "Heavenly Sword," it appears to be obscured by dust, the writing faint and not particularly striking.

The two swordsmen on the stage engaged in an extremely fierce battle.

The two bamboo swords clashed at high speed. Under Yagyu Tsukumo's fierce attack, Okita Souji, who was at a disadvantage from the very first encounter, retreated step by step and was struggling to defend himself.

They were about to retreat to the sideline of the playing area!

In a moment of urgency, Okita Souji quickly adopted a stance that looked somewhat familiar to Sosuke.

"Too late!" Yagyu Tsukumo roared, his bamboo sword mysteriously "attaching" to Okita Souji's bamboo sword, restricting its movement.

Immediately afterwards, he took a step back, and after twisting his bamboo sword around Okita Souji's bamboo sword twice, he slashed at Souji's chest armor with his sword!

Secret Sword - Yin!!!

"Card!"

With a soft shout, Yagyu Tsukumo struck with his sword, then immediately took a half-step back, maintaining a stable stance to block the reacting attack from Souji, thus completing his Zanshin.

The referee immediately announced the score.

Yagyu has taken the first city!