After a brief period of chaos, peace finally returned to the dojo.

The apprentices - nearly two hundred of them - were sitting on the east and west sides of the dojo, rows of seats, watching Denden.

They leaned forward with their upper bodies stretched out, their eyes wide open, their nostrils dilated, and they breathed heavily repeatedly, not even blinking, staring straight at Qingdeng.

Although they no longer swarm towards Qingdeng like zombies, their fanaticism is still there.

I have seen Nioh with my own eyes and had close contact with him - for many of them, this is something they can brag about in the future!

Aoto and Toshizo Hijikata were sitting in the center of the dojo.

Kondo Shusuke sat opposite them.

Qingden turned his head sideways and looked around at the apprentices present.

Looking at these young faces, Qingdeng couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

He has placed very deep feelings on the imperial examination hall... and his hometown.

Therefore, he was very pleased and excited to see that the imperial examination hall could be as lively as it is today.

After a while, he withdrew his gaze and turned to Kondo Shusuke in front of him.

The old man is still the same.

Although he is nearly eighty years old, he is still full of energy and does not look like an octogenarian at all.

To be honest, Aoto has been feeling lingering regrets towards Shusuke Kondo ever since he joined Luo.

There is no other reason - after the new selection team was formed, he took away all the core elites of the trial guard hall in one go!

Kondo Isamu, Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Souji and Inoue Genzaburo—these four are not only the elders of the Shoeikan, but also the souls of the Shoeikan.

If we want to make a metaphor... Kondo Isamu is the heart, Hijikata Toshizo is the brain, Souji is the hands and feet, and Inoue Genzaburo is the nerve system connecting the heart, brain, hands and feet.

Shannan Keisuke, who joined later, is also a rare superman. He makes up for the shortcoming of "only reckless men and lack of wise men" in the trial defense hall.

Although Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Ichi, Harada Sanosuke and Toudo Heisuke were diners, they also made considerable contributions to the development of the Shoeikan.

In other words, all the famous people in the Imperial Guard Hall were abducted by Qingdeng.

They are all the backbone of the trial defense hall.

Without the presence of the General Secretary and others, even the daily operations of the Trial Guard Hall have become a big problem!

The Imperial Examination Hall is Kondo Shusuke’s life-long effort.

There was no way he could just watch this sword hall close down.

Originally, after passing on the position of head of the Imperial Guard Hall and the Sovereign Family to Kondo Isamu, Kondo Shusuke lived a comfortable life, doing nothing every day and waiting to have his grandchildren.

As a result, because of Qingdeng's "large-scale human trafficking", he was obviously very old, but he still had to drag his old body to hold the bamboo sword again.

In the absence of the assistance of the General Secretary and others, he managed to maintain the large stall of the Trial Guard Hall by himself... It's a shame that he could persevere.

The hardships involved are self-evident.

So, with respect and apology for Kondo Shusuke, Aoto bowed down respectfully and solemnly saluted him.

"Master, I have not sent my greetings for a long time, but I miss you so much that I have no time or slack."

Kondo Shusuke rubbed his smooth chin and let out his iconic "joke" laugh.

"Jiao Jie Jie~~ Mr. Ju, there is no need to be formal! Relax!"

"Oh, you came back at the right time!"

"I happen to be worried about your 'missing whereabouts'."

Qingdeng raised his eyebrows and asked:

"Master, why do you say this?"

Kondo Shusuke tilted his head and pursed his lips at the young apprentices beside the dojo.

"Well, look, they are all newcomers."

"Many of them are rushing to come here because they admire you."

"Lately, they are always annoying me."

"As soon as he saw me, he pestered me and asked: 'Master, will Nioh-sama come back?",'Master, when will Nioh-sama come back?','Master, when Nioh-sama comes back, Can I ask him for advice?"."

As soon as these words came out, many apprentices present lowered their heads and looked at their noses and hearts with embarrassed expressions on their faces.

Kondo Shusuke shrugged and smiled bitterly.

"To be honest, I'm really annoyed by them."

"You are far away in Kyoto, working hard and running around on state affairs every day."

"How would I know when you will return to Edo?"

"However, just when I was worried, you came back at this time."

“It’s really better to come back sooner than later!”

Speaking of this, the old man changed into a slightly serious tone.

"Ji Jun, since it's rare for you to come back, let's compete with your junior brothers and fulfill one of their wishes."

"After today, when you come back next time, I don't know that I will have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Moon of the Horse."

"I will also take this opportunity to see how much progress you have made recently."

After Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.

Then, he thought for a moment.

After only a moment, he nodded gently.

"Then...Okay! Then let's have a good discussion!"

As he spoke, he stood up slowly, turned his head and looked at his junior brothers not far away.

"Everyone, let's use 'original' to decide the outcome!"

"Those who want to defeat the legendary Niou head-on, just go into battle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, most of the apprentices present had their eyes lit up and they shouted excitedly.

Fighting against the "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto... For a warrior, this is a precious opportunity that cannot be bought for money!

In the world of martial arts, it is an unchanging truth that "the one who is close to vermillion will be red, and the one who is close to ink will be black".

Fighting against the weak will only make oneself weaker and weaker, and may even lead to bad habits.

Only by fighting against strong men can you truly feel how big the world is! Only then can you better understand your own shortcomings!

Therefore, being able to compete with a master of Qingdeng's level is a hard-won opportunity!

If you are lucky enough, you will be able to benefit from it throughout your life!

That dojo, which had just been peaceful for a short time, became manic again.

One by one, the apprentices stood up and shouted, "Nioh-sama! I am willing to serve as the vanguard!", "Nioh-sama! I am ready! War can start at any time" and other such exciting words.

Seeing this, Kondo Shusuke had to say in a helpless tone:

"Calm down, everyone. Mr. Ju is right here. He will neither leave nor escape."

"Those who want to fight Tachibana-kun are all lined up!"

"Don't be anxious! Don't be messy!"

Follow the division

After Fu's words, the apprentices immediately lined up in a tidy queue, with excited expressions on their cheeks.

Yuan Li: A special martial arts confrontation mode.

To put it simply, it is a wheel battle.

The Original Stander and the challengers take turns fighting each other until the Original Stander loses and voluntarily admits defeat, or all the challengers are eliminated.

In the Japanese kendo world, there are two forms of wheel fighting.

One is "cutting".

The second is "original establishment".

There are subtle differences between the two.

Compared with "rikkari", the original process is more formal. To beat someone, you have to start with a salute. After the winner is determined, you salute and change to the next opponent. The guiding significance is more obvious.

"Rikkari" is to exercise the physical strength, willpower and reaction speed of the Rikkari player. There is no distinction between victory and defeat, and it will not be paused for saluting in the middle.

Wheel battle.

Regardless of whether the person being killed wins or not, the challenger will keep attacking.

Until the challenger voluntarily withdraws, someone will immediately take his place, and the cycle repeats.

There are many reasons why Qingdeng chose "original standing" as the method this time.

First, "original standing" makes it easier for him to move his muscles and bones.

Since the "Iga Offensive and Defense War", he has been spinning like a top, "buzzing", with little time to rest.

First, he personally presided over the Shinsengumi's military expansion plan.

Then, he paid close attention to the detailed progress of the "Ekakusha Talks".

Then he rushed back to Edo without stopping, taking full responsibility for the "Makuhide Negotiations"-related matters.
To be continued...