!

The pale white soft sunlight shines on the roofs of every house, and the dry and cold wind whistles on the red soil road.

It was obviously still early, but outside the martial arts training center there was already a crowd of people who had crossed the mountains and seas.

"Hey, are you really sure? Will Niou really challenge the martial arts school today?"

"Sure! Look, there are so many people here, all coming to see Nioh! Can there be any falsehood?"

"Hey! People behind you, don't squeeze in! I don't have a seat here anymore!"

"Barley tea! Barley tea! Two cents a bowl!"

"Grilled squid! Come and smell it! How fragrant the grilled squid is!"

…

There was endless chatting, throat-breaking shouting, hard-working hawking... all kinds of noises made the martial arts center surrounded by an unprecedented hustle and bustle.

Tachibana Aoden will challenge the martial arts school today - I don't know where this news leaked.

As news about the "Edo Conquest" becomes more and more popular, what other news could be more eye-catching than "Nioh's challenge to the military academy"?

Although in terms of popularity, reputation and historical heritage, Kobusuo cannot be compared with the major martial arts schools in Edo, including the "Three Great Halls", but in terms of overall combat effectiveness, no one will deny that Kobusuo completely surpasses them.

Above every martial arts school in Edo!

Not to mention anything else, just being 2.1 meters tall, Oishi Susumu, who had defeated all the invincible opponents in Edo and only lost to the male Tan Seiichiro, was enough to scare many martial artists and consciously give up the idea of ​​"challenging the martial arts school"

idea.

Ever since, such a joke has been widely circulated among the people of Edo: The most heavily defended place in Edo is not the Edo Castle built by the Tokugawa family with great pains, but the place where Seiichiro Otani and Oishi

Enter the martial arts training center where you are in charge!

Since the establishment of the Military Academy, no one has ever dared to step through its doors as a "challenger".

And now...the first person to create history has appeared.

"Nioh" Tachibana Aoden vs. "Sword Master" Seiichiro Tanani, "Seven-foot-Unparalleled" Oishi Susumu, "Kage of the Straight Heart" Noburo Imai, "Sword Master's Disciple" Sakakibara Kanyoshi, "Almighty Sword" Hideaki Itami

...Just the juxtaposition of these names is enough to make people sit up and take notice!

Some businessmen with business acumen anticipated that the area around the martial arts center would be very lively today, so they set up a stall nearby from early in the morning, preparing to take advantage of this rare opportunity to make a lot of money.

Pen.

For a moment, there was a sharp contrast between the excitement outside the martial arts center and the tranquility inside.

…

…

Martial Arts Institute, Main Dojo——

The Military Academy was a military academy that incorporated modern military science and was built by the Edo shogunate at a great expense to cope with the invasion of Westerners.

In other words, the Kōbusuo was the shogunate’s hope against the Western powers.

Therefore, infrastructure such as research laboratories and training venues are being used to the best of their ability.

There are several dojos with an area of ​​more than 100 square meters.

The area of ​​the main dojo is an astonishing 150 square meters (9 square meters).

The main ashram, which is seldom used on weekdays, is packed with guests.

The martial arts teachers, led by swordsmanship instructor Oishi Susumu, and the academic teachers, led by gunnery instructor Takashima Akiho, sat face to face on the left and right sides of the main dojo.

The teachers from the Martial Arts School gathered together... This scene has really been a long time coming.

In addition, some apprentices from the martial arts school were also present, sitting behind the teachers with formal expressions.

On the main seat, two old men sat side by side.

One of them was Seiichiro Tanani, the "Sword Master" who had met Aoto at the "Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet" not long ago.

As for the other old man... although he is not called a "holy" like the male Tan Seiichiro, in terms of reputation, he does not lose to him at all.

He is none other than Qingyin Qingtian, who is known as the “powerhouse in the martial arts world”!

Born in the third year of Kansei (1791), he is now 72 years old, seven years older than the male Taniseiichiro who was born in the tenth year of Kansei (1798).

In February of the second year of Ansei (1855), he was appointed by the shogunate to serve as the head of the martial arts institute together with the male Tan Seiichiro.

Compared with Seiichiro Tanani, who is famous for his "unparalleled strength", Kiyone Eda's identity card is "unparalleled erudition and talent".

He was born in a Hatamoto family, his grandfather was Yu Tian Shenghu, and his father was Yu Tian Shengying, who was engaged in cavalry and archery.

In resource-scarce Japan, horses are a very scarce resource.

The number of horses is already scarce. On this basis, because the horses in Japan are very short, most of them can only be used to carry goods, so they are suitable for riding. Horses for combat are even more scarce.

.

In the Edo period, the only families who were qualified to ride horses and could afford to keep war horses were the upper-class samurai who were well-paid.

Not only can the Yutian family ride horses for generations, but they can also practice riding and shooting for generations... One can imagine how strong Yutian Qingyin's family background and martial arts atmosphere are.

A good family environment, a diligent character who works day and night, and his own amazing talent...all the above made him an encyclopedic martial arts master.

Since he was young, he has been practicing martial arts eagerly and happily.

Swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, equestrianism, artillery... he would accept anyone who came.

According to statistics, the martial arts that Kiyone Eda is proficient in include, but are not limited to: Tamiya-ryu style swordsmanship, Sekiguchi-style jujutsu, Koshu-ryu style Shikden martial arts, Hohoin-ryu spear art, Mugen Yumeki-ryu spear art, and Ogasawara-ryu archery.

Jutsu, Hioki-ryu archery, Otsubo-ryu Ueda style equestrianism, Geki-ryu artillery, Noshima-ryu water army, etc.

Any one of these is a profound martial art that would take ordinary people more than ten years, or even half a lifetime, to master.

A master of martial arts, he truly deserves his reputation.

It's a pity that he is old and currently lives a reclusive life. He only appears in public on very rare special occasions after a long absence.

"Is everyone here?"

The voice of Otani Seiichiro, neither sad nor happy, echoed inside and outside the dojo.

His beloved disciple sitting not far away—Kenkichi Sakakihara, known as the “Sword Master’s Disciple”—immediately replied:

"Master, everyone is here."

"Now that everyone is here, please come and explain to me what is going on with the formation outside?"

Male Tan Seiichiro turned his eyes and glanced around from left to right.

As the instigator, Noburo Imai had no intention of hiding anything.

When Otani Seiichiro's eyes fell on him, he smiled slightly, and then said lightly:

"Mr. Otani, we just want to give Nioh a little surprise."

"Surprise? It's obvious to me that it's all nonsense!"

The male Tan Seiichiro frowned, showing displeasure.

"Hurry up and call those people outside!"

Before he finished speaking, rapid footsteps suddenly came from the direction of the corridor.

A young man who looked like an apprentice walked into the dojo in a hurry.

"Lord Otani! Lord Soda! He, he, he is coming! He is coming!"

…

…

When the tall figure wearing a snow-proof hat, a burgundy feather fabric, and two knives on his waist appeared... the crowd's reaction was unexpectedly quiet.

Qingdeng's height was far above the average for men of this era, so it was impossible for him to hide his figure in the crowd.

The first people who spotted him noticed the conspicuous tall man and cast their eyes over him casually.

After seeing who the visitor was, their expressions were quickly dominated by various emotions such as surprise, excitement, and excitement.

Wow.

Just like the ripples caused by the wind blowing across the lake, the low uproar spread to the surroundings without much fanfare.

Under the influence of this sudden commotion, more and more people turned their heads one after another, and then their expressions became colorful.

Strangely enough, even though Qingdeng's traces have been exposed, the whole place has always maintained a certain silence.

No one yelled.

No one made any inappropriate noise.

Just like they had made an appointment in advance, maybe it was because they were "awed by Ayoto's aura", or maybe it was just because they respected Niou. In short, everyone restrained their emotions to the greatest extent possible.

Anyone who happens to stand in front of Qingdeng consciously and quietly separates to the left and right, leaving a wide avenue for two adults to pass side by side.

In this way, Qingdeng walked straight towards the gate of the martial arts training center, stepping on the avenue given by the masses.
To be continued...