My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 364 - 141: The Swordsmanship Competition Begins!

To completely elevate Shiwei Hall’s status, there is still a long road ahead for the people of Shiwei Hall to travel.

"How wonderful..." Kondo exclaimed, watching the swordsmen from Training Hall take their seats, envy plainly visible in his eyes. "When will our Shiwei Hall be able to boast such prestige and renown?"

"Tsk." Sitting next to Kondo, Hijikata sneered a few times, then reached out to pat Kondo on the shoulder. "Asheng, your ambition is too low, isn’t it? Are you satisfied with merely matching Training Hall in terms of prestige and fame?"

"Haven’t you ever considered surpassing Training Hall...no, surpassing every Sword Dojo in Edo, nationwide?"

Kondo chuckled bitterly, "Asui, setting overly grand aspirations isn’t always a good thing."

While the group of Shiwei Hall was chattering, a sudden commotion erupted again from the west side of the arena.

"Ah, the swordsmen from Shixue Hall have arrived!"

"Look! It’s Taojing Chunzang, the Hall Master of Shixue Hall!"

"Following ’Powerful Saito,’ has ’Position of Peach Well’ also arrived?"

"Hahaha, this competition was truly worth attending, we actually witnessed two of ’Edo’s Three Great Swordsmen’!"

...

A new Sword Dojo team appeared on the west side of the arena.

The overall demeanor of this newly arrived Sword Dojo team contrasted sharply with the swordsmen from Training Hall earlier.

If the swordsmen from Training Hall exuded an "intense" aura, then the swordsmen in this new Sword Dojo team radiated "elegance."

Almost every swordsman’s actions in the team were imbued with an air of elegance.

Especially their leader—a man nearing 40 years old, whose outstanding aura made him stand out like a crane among chickens in front of the row.

This middle-aged man’s face might not be particularly symmetrical or handsome, yet he possessed the refined demeanor of a Gallant Young Master.

With a gentle smile gracing his face, he stood tall like a pine, each gesture and movement exuding both charm and authority.

He seemed to embody beauty and grace, like phrases "graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a roaming dragon" were crafted especially for him.

After this handsome elder appeared, numerous ladies among the Weapon Seat’s audience roundly opened their eyes, sparkling with admiration, casting longing looks toward the handsome elder.

"Ho ho..."

Zhouzhu uttered a low exclamation.

"’Powerful Saito’ and ’Position of Peach Well’ have both arrived... ho ho, this Swordsmanship Competition is truly a gathering of heroes..."

The arrival of Taojing Chunzang and the swordsmen from Shixue Hall undoubtedly propelled the atmosphere on the Weapon Seat to a new climax.

Seeing two of "Edo’s Three Great Swordsmen" arriving consecutively... such magnificent occasions are rare!

As these renowned and powerful Great Sword Heroes made their appearances one after another, all the spectators on the Weapon Seat couldn’t help but be stirred.

Exclamations and sighs echoed continuously.

Sitting on the left side of Aoto, Chokata was stunned by the scene of these prominent figures appearing one after another, showing an expression of surprise, intensified as he blinked several times towards Taojing Chunzang’s direction, and then said lightly half-jokingly:

"Today indeed has been enlightening, seeing ’Powerful Saito’ and ’Position of Peach Well’ sequentially."

And just as everyone thought that the consecutive appearances of ’Powerful Saito’ and ’Position of Peach Well’ were the biggest surprise of this competition... a new development unfolded.

The first change occurred with a vassal from the Aizu Domain who was maintaining order on the arena’s periphery.

He hurried to his colleague, exchanged some words with him, and his colleague’s expression immediately shifted.

Soon, scattered groups of spectators, faces lit with eagerness and excitement, flowed into the Weapon Seat, announcing something to those around them.

Word spread rapidly from one to ten, then to a hundred.

Instantly, the Weapon Seat stirred collectively.

Saito Mijuro, who had been wearing a composed expression, raised a brow, twisted his lips, revealing a surprised look.

His younger son known as "Ghost Joy," Saito Kanosuke’s face suddenly turned pale.

Taojing Chunzang, who had been wearing a gentle smile since his appearance on the arena, found his smile frozen into an awkward expression.

Other swordsmen with some renown in Edo, on the Weapon Seat, either revealed resentment, pursed their lips with complex expressions, or displayed candid admiration.

Zhouzhu, Kondo, and Chokata all widened their eyes and mouths in astonishment.

Aoto’s eyes conveyed an expression of curiosity mixed with bewilderment.

All these changes stemmed from the rapid spread of one sentence—

"’Skill of Chiba’ Chiba Eijiro has arrived!"

Amidst the uproar, on the east side of the arena, two Sword Dojo teams entered the spectators’ sight with unhurried steps.

The two teams were the closely related Xuanwu Hall and Little Chiba Sword Dojo.

Leading the procession of these two teams was none other than the illustrious "First Prestigious Family of the Martial Arts World"—the Chiba family.

Chiba Dingji walked unmistakably at the forefront.

Besides Chiba Dingji, Aoto also saw familiar faces of Chiba Shigetarou and Miss Sazanoko, along with Chiba Domon Shiro, with whom he had a minor disagreement during the "Plum Blossom Festival."

Apart from these familiar faces, Aoto hadn’t seen the other two people before.

The two were quite young, walking on either side of Chiba Dingji, sharing similar appearances, indicating they were likely brothers.

The person on Chiba Dingji’s right had a nonchalant expression: