Chapter 225: The White Hannya On The Verge Of Promotion! 42nd Floor Of The Secret Realm, The Sword Saint Of The Sengoku Period!
The first place on the Top 100 Ranking, that is, the top spot, has changed.
This news had appeared less than a minute ago, but it had already spread throughout the circles in Hamamatsu City related to the Sengoku Secret Realm, and it immediately topped the hot search list, making the entire Special Affairs Office forum boil over.
It wasn’t just topping the list with “the speed of clearing the 40th Floor faster,” but in a situation where both Minamoto Shizuka and Kyuuketsuin Kin couldn’t clear or defeat the 41st Floor—
That “Anonymous Person No. 666” did it.
Hamamatsu City, in an empty house under the Minamoto Family’s name.
After returning here following the second challenge failure, Minamoto Shizuka, who had just bathed and changed clothes, listened to the servant’s report word for word.
In the room sealed with special soundproof cotton and laid with light yellow solid wood flooring, the girl who had long maintained an icy expression cracked a smile at the corner of her lips.
She lowered her gaze, meeting her own eyes on Hotarumaru’s blade.
The thrill of the hunt and battle intent dripped bit by bit from her pupils,
“Anonymous, huh… Truly intriguing.”
Minamoto Shizuka gently stroked the tachi on her lap, brushing away her emotions, and thought calmly yet eagerly in her heart: “I wonder when I can cross swords with such a hero.
Hamamatsu City, in a cheap inn costing five thousand yen per night.
Saito Ryuichi, still wearing that haori without changing clothes, sat on the tatami mat, eating instant noodles, his eyes fixed tightly on the top of the Top 100 Ranking.
After drinking the last of the instant noodle soup without leaving a drop, he murmured softly,
“That anonymous person who’s been pressing down on me from above is just a Special Affairs Office agent without a powerful backer.
I still need to get acquainted with them before anyone else… Five thousand contribution points should be enough to exchange for some minor details.”
Hamamatsu City outskirts, on a black stretched sedan in motion.
Lying on the back seat, Kyuuketsuin Kin, who was bored scrolling through his mobile phone, let out a slightly surprised “oh,” then typed with both thumbs and posted a congratulatory message under the forum post.
Far from any annoyance or unwillingness at being robbed of first place, he was instead pleased to see it happen.
He exited the app, opened his anime-tracking software, and thought: “If Shizuka is suppressed just like me, those old men at home probably won’t make any extra demands.”
Pretty good, pretty good.
Thanks to Anonymous Person No. 666, he had really helped resolve a somewhat troublesome demand.
……
Numazu City, Yagyu Dojo.
After a long period of shock and silence, Tamamo finally accepted this fact.
But immediately after, she couldn’t help but think in confusion—shouldn’t this Anonymous Person No. 666 be Elder Brother Uesugi?
But Elder Brother Uesugi had just been resting in the next room, so how did he go to Hamamatsu City to tackle the secret realm, and casually blast through the 40th and 41st Floors?
What, does he have Flying Thunder God or something!
Wait.
Tamamo suddenly thought of that train this morning that arrived on call and delivered them to Shizuoka City within five minutes, loaded with a bunch of demons.
In that case, it wasn’t impossible…
“Ate and then sneaked off, huh.”
She casually grabbed a tissue paper to wipe her mouth, and Tamamo, unable to suppress her curiosity, stood up from the dining table, crouched low, and tiptoed into the room Shangshan Che had entered not long ago.
Holding her breath, she quietly pulled the door open just a crack.
Tamamo stealthily peeked inside, but in the corner of the room, she saw an unexpected figure.
—It was unmistakably Shangshan Che, eyes closed, breathing steadily!
The girl was stunned.
She uncertainly looked down at her mobile phone, confirming that the Top 100 Ranking had indeed changed.
The one occupying the top spot was indeed Anonymous Person No. 666.
In that case, doesn’t that mean Elder Brother Uesugi absolutely isn’t Anonymous Person No. 666! Her guess was wrong from the very start?!
But if Elder Brother Uesugi is really as weak as he claimed before, how could he have exorcised Shizuoka City’s black phone booth with almost no injuries?
Couldn’t figure it out.
Completely couldn’t figure it out.
Tamamo stared at the “beautifully sleeping” Shangshan Che and fell into a system crash.
……
At this moment, the 42nd Floor of the Sengoku Projection Secret Realm.
Shangshan Che, who had lightly erased Oda Demon King’s army of ten thousand without a scratch, lightly tapped the fog wall with his blade tip.
Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist vibrated slightly in dissatisfaction, saying in his mind that since Master came in, he hadn’t drawn me once!
“Well… Little Jia, this limited weapon’s strength is right there; you should understand the beauty of strength.”
Shangshan Che patted Kaga Kiyomitsu’s guard and encouraged it: “Whenever you become ten times stronger than it, I’ll definitely toss this cumbersome thing aside without a second thought.”
Kaga Kiyomitsu didn’t bother responding, not even wanting to vibrate.
Ten times stronger… Master is painting a pie that’s too big and too far away; it could choke ten of me to death in one go.
As the two bantered, the fog wall silently dissipated.
Shangshan Che immediately focused, activated the Eye of Interpretation, and gripped the forty-meter greatsword in his hand tightly.
Just the army of ten thousand on the 41st Floor could burst-kill ten or eight of his four-tailed fox projections.
The 42nd Floor, as the secret realm’s final layer and the last barrier hindering challengers from clearing, could almost be called the strongest below Ghost God level in the entire Sengoku Period.
The projection there would be entirely reasonable even if it was ten times stronger than the 41st Floor.
So, who would it be?
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes, peering at the figure revealed after the fog dissipated.
Upon seeing it clearly, he couldn’t help but freeze.
Because this projection… was actually a boy.
And judging by his facial features, he was even younger than Shangshan Che.
With an ordinary daito at his waist that could be bought anywhere, wearing loose coarse hemp clothes, and nothing else, the handsome boy looked puzzled, turning his head as if still figuring out the current situation.
In any case, he looked completely harmless.
But for some reason, the moment Shangshan Che saw this boy, all the hairs on his body stood on end uncontrollably.
Pressure like an abyssal sea swallowed him whole.
It was as if he had encountered some extremely terrifying superior predator and natural enemy.
Even holding a greatsword that could instantly annihilate this boy projection, the feeling lingered like a bone maggot, impossible to shake off.
The boy scanned the surroundings, finally resting his gaze on Shangshan Che and the stylistically incongruous forty-meter greatsword in his hand.
In the face of this astonishing creation far beyond the Sengoku Period, he showed a momentary look of astonishment.
The boy sized up and gestured at the greatsword for a good while, then nodded thoughtfully: “If this blade swings down, I’d definitely die.”
Hearing the boy’s self-muttered words, Shangshan Che mentally hummed in confusion.
—He clearly hadn’t seen this projection before, and it didn’t seem to recognize him, so how did the other party possess self-awareness?
—Is it a privilege of the 42nd Floor, the final boss?
Holding the truth in hand, Shangshan Che didn’t overthink and directly asked: “Do you know me?”
The boy shook his head without thinking: “Not at all.”
“Then how do you have self-awareness and thoughts?” Shangshan Che called out from dozens of meters away. “In this special area, all other projections like you that appear have no self-awareness.”
“Projection…”
The boy blinked in confusion, tilting his head as he replied: “No idea, but if it’s me, being a bit special compared to ordinary people is normal.”
A calm response, brimming with near-overflowing confidence.
This familiar vibe made Shangshan Che raise an eyebrow—this was completely a copy of Lili Zi, and it even felt like this projection was a bit more confident than Lili Zi.
No, could this still be called “confidence”?
Arrogant beyond measure might be more accurate.
Shangshan Che stared into the eyes of the yawning boy.
He noticed that whether glancing at him or the greatsword that could instantly kill him, the boy’s eyes held only calm.
A calm that showed he wasn’t taking Shangshan Che seriously at all.
Utterly disdainful.
After a moment of silence, Shangshan Che asked the boy projection,
“Who are you?”
The boy answered: “Kamizumi Ise-no-Kami Hidenaga, the man who will surely become the Sword Saint.”
Kamizumi?
The man who will become the Sword Saint?
Hearing two key terms in succession, Shangshan Che blinked, and having crammed Sengoku history, he quickly searched his memory.
Soon, Shangshan Che was stunned.
Kamizumi Ise-no-Kami Hidenaga… Kamizumi Nobutsuna?
Kamizumi Nobutsuna?!
The founder of one of the three major kendo schools of the future, Shinkage-ryū, creator of the “No Blade Taken” technique, the number one Sword Saint of the Sengoku Period five hundred years ago!?
Shangshan Che was speechless.
Because this boy projection of Kamizumi Nobutsuna, probably not even fourteen or fifteen years old, was absolutely right.
He would indeed become the Sword Saint of the Sengoku Period in the future, dominating this chaotic era for decades.
No wonder this boy was arrogant to this degree.
No wonder the pressure Shangshan Che felt was so immense.
Shangshan Che sighed and set down the forty-meter great cleaver in his hand.
Now, all the puzzles were solved.
Because he was Kamizumi Nobutsuna.
Even though the Kamizumi Nobutsuna before him was not yet of age, still far from the realm, status, and name of “Sword Saint.”
But a person’s essence doesn’t change just because they haven’t matured yet.
“By the way, the Sengoku Period is a three-star map, right.” Shangshan Che thought silently to himself. “But this Kamizumi at around ten years old has already touched the limit of three-star, and after that he still dares to aim…”
“Hm?”
Seeing Shangshan Che put down the greatsword, Kamizumi Nobutsuna let out a surprised “eh”: “You’re not planning to use that sword to kill me?”
The boy rubbed his chin: “A vague feeling tells me I appeared here, and you came here, precisely to fight each other to the death.”
“In that case.”
Kamizumi Nobutsuna pointed at the greatsword lying on the ground: “Using it to erase me would be the most correct thing to do.”
“That would be too wasteful, Your Excellency Sword Saint.”
Shangshan Che drew the ecstatic Kaga Kiyomitsu from his waist and said seriously to him,
“Times are tough now; we must be thrifty.”
“I see, so I do become the Sword Saint in the future.”
Kamizumi Nobutsuna wasn’t surprised.
He nodded matter-of-factly, drawing the mediocre, even inferior quality daito from his waist.
For the first time, the boy looked straight at Shangshan Che’s face and eyes, speaking to him solemnly and earnestly: “Seeker of the Way, let me see just how much fun you can bring me…”
And so Shangshan Che smiled.
In the pure white space, no more words were spoken.
Only sword light intertwined.
……
On the tatami mat, Shangshan Che suddenly opened his eyes and touched his intact neck.
He bared his teeth: “Damn, all these sword wielders love chopping necks…”
Completely forgetting that he himself loved targeting that spot, practically the Decapitator King.
But unlike previous beheadings, being neck-sliced by Kamizumi Nobutsuna felt exceptionally real, so real that the real-world Shangshan Che could distinctly feel the phantom pain.
Still, it wasn’t entirely without benefits.
【After discussing and pondering with others, your skill Spirit Control Technique · Qi proficiency +93!】
【Your skill Natural Reason School proficiency +51!】
Looking at the prompt appearing in mid-air, Shangshan Che showed a harvest smile.
Though dying in three moves was embarrassing, and it hurt afterward… that boy projection of Kamizumi Nobutsuna was clearly feeding him moves.
Thus, the proficiency gains were substantial.
He decided.
Shangshan Che sat up, savoring the decisive and exquisite swordsmanship of the Kamizumi projection while wiping drool from his mouth.
From now on, he’d die once every day in the Projection Secret Realm.
Though he wanted to go right back in for another head-chop, considering he needed one life as a safety net for entering the Eternal World, he held back a bit.
After loosening his stiff body, Shangshan Che opened the door and exited the guest room, finding that even at dawn, outside was still bustling.
Many men and women in dōgi hurried about, holding who-knows-what in their hands.
Shangshan Che guessed it was probably materials for maintaining the barrier.
He didn’t think too deeply about it; after all, it had little to do with him.
“Shangshan Jun.”
An aged voice suddenly sounded beside Shangshan Che, making him whip his head around.
The Apprentice Master stood in the shadows, saying slowly to him: “Come with me; I’ll introduce you to your two teammates for this wager battle. They’ll go before you.”
“Sure.”
Though tempted to complain about the Apprentice Master’s near-teleportation ability, upon hearing the main topic, idle-handed Shangshan Che followed without a word.
A few minutes later, in the empty small dojo.
“These two are them.” The Apprentice Master gestured. “In a sense, you three will be fighting side by side in a few days.”
Shangshan Che looked in the direction the old man pointed, seeing one burly and one slim, two youths draped in dōgi.
“First time meeting, Shangshan Jun. I’m Akiyama Mei; call me Akiyama.”
Akiyama Mei, nearly two meters tall and nearly bursting the loose extra-large dōgi, stepped forward, grinning and extending his palm to Shangshan Che.
Shangshan Che shook his hand.
No imagined handshake power play occurred; Akiyama just gripped moderately and nodded friendly to Shangshan Che.
“Tsuchiya Yu, please advise.”
The serious-faced youth with two bamboo swords at his waist bowed to Shangshan Che.
Shangshan Che similarly gave a slight bow.
—These two teammates were solid.
After brief contact, with Eye of Interpretation active, Shangshan Che could clearly sense the two before him were no pushovers.
Footwork steady as a mountain, breathing nearly imperceptible, exposed muscles like fine steel cast, body-surface qi circulation thin yet tough.
Undoubtedly, these two had climbed very high on the Palace of Flesh mountain, had long obtained the Yagyu Shinkage-ryū mastery certificate, entered the hall and chamber, at the level of opening their own small dojo independently.
Even without practicing Onmyōdō, they were strong hands among three-and-a-half star.
Just a bit inferior to him after four-tailed fox incarnation.
After all, Shangshan Che had a sea of qi, with spiritual power reserves in his body surpassing qi barrier volume; the power gap wasn’t simple addition.
—If both came at him together, Shangshan Che might struggle a bit, but his odds of winning remained high.
“Now that you’ve met, I’ll speak.”
The Apprentice Master spoke, drawing the three’s gazes: “The wager battle is in one week.”
One week.
This timeframe wasn’t too short or too long—quite ample.
Pausing, the Apprentice Master swept his gaze over them: “No need for more chatter; I’ll say one thing…”
The old man’s gaze was deep, eye sockets shrouded in darkness, a hoarse and stern declaration issuing from his throat,
“—This is a deathmatch, people will die! If anyone wants to back out, now’s the time!”
No one present showed fear.
Akiyama Mei laughed loudly: “Apprentice Master, spare us these old clichés!”
Tsuchiya Yu didn’t speak, but a glint of fervor and anticipation flashed in his narrowed eyes.
The Apprentice Master slowly exhaled,
“Very well, then.”
After a simple meeting with Shangshan Che, Akiyama and Tsuchiya hurriedly left the small dojo—fearless of deathmatches, but necessary serious preparations couldn’t be skipped.
Battling the Hojo Clan of the Sengoku Period… possibly even generals and powerhouses from the Hojo Clan two or three hundred years apart; no amount of preparation up to a hundredfold would be excessive.
Even Shangshan Che, before this wager battle arrived, had to rack his brains for ways to maximize victory chances.
Scorn them strategically, emphasize them tactically—that was the principle.
Shangshan Che didn’t leave.
He was forcibly pulled to sit by the Apprentice Master, watching the seventy-or-eighty-year-old old man take out a tea set and start brewing tea with seemingly proficient ease.
Having seen Imagawa Yoshimoto’s elegant tea-brewing technique, Shangshan Che subconsciously pointed out,
“Lord Saionji, isn’t that step wrong?”
The old man raised a brow, pulling back the teacup about to be placed before Shangshan Che: “No drink then.”
“Hey, I’ll drink, how could I not!” Shangshan Che immediately took the teacup with both hands, downing the warm tea in one gulp. “Delicious!”
It really was delicious.
Downing the tea in one go, Shangshan Che felt refreshed, even gaining a small buff in his status bar.
Could only say the ingredients were top-notch; even if the brewing technique was off, it didn’t matter.
Buzz buzz.
The Apprentice Master was about to speak when Shangshan Che’s phone in his pocket interrupted.
The old man picked up his teacup: “No matter, take it.”
Shangshan Che did.
Glancing at the message on the screen, it roughly said Nanjo Emi notifying that the seed battle preliminaries notice was out, also in a few days, needing him to go through the motions.
The Apprentice Master asked what it was, and Shangshan Che didn’t hide it.
“Preliminaries, huh…”
The Apprentice Master rubbed the rim of his teacup with a finger: “Perfect timing; Yagyu has Shizuoka Prefecture finals too. When you meet him in Tokyo, young friend…”
Shangshan Che realized: “Throw the match?”
“No.”
The Apprentice Master looked at him gripping the teacup, grinned, and a villainous ruthless smile appeared on his weather-beaten face,
“Beat him to death, no mercy.”
Shangshan Che nearly spat out his tea.
Coughing repeatedly, he finally recovered.
Looking at the Apprentice Master whose words didn’t seem fake, Shangshan Che couldn’t hold back, slapping his thigh and laughing out loud.
—Could only say this father-son duo’s relationship was as close as blood even if not by blood!
The Apprentice Master reined in his malice, smiling lightly: “Only with failure and pressure under all eyes will that boy make better progress.
Though he’s seen many stunning geniuses of this era, truly facing and being utterly crushed in defeat is an experience he’s never had.”
The Apprentice Master downed his tea too, tone sincere,
“Young friend, I hope you can let that Yagyu boy taste defeat.”
“Lord Saionji, even without you saying, I’d do it.”
Shangshan Che showed a kindly smile.
The Apprentice Master paused, then nodded: “Then I’m reassured.”
The two passed the pot back and forth, soon draining the whole thing.
The Apprentice Master looked up at the moonlight: “Young friend, want to learn footwork now?”
“Tomorrow.” Having been decapitated once, Shangshan Che shook his head. “Not enough energy; efficiency would be low.”
“Quite right.”
The Apprentice Master stood: “Then young friend, rest well tonight.”
“See you in the morning, Lord Saionji.”
After a simple farewell, Shangshan Che turned and leaned leisurely against the dojo doorframe.
Thus, tonight’s assorted matters were more or less concluded.
He checked his phone, accepting the Line friend request from Tamamo’s sister Chisa that she had pushed.
Tamamo said this was the first mobile phone she bought for Chisa today, and she’d just hand-taught her to register Line, so forgive any odd messages from Chisa.
Shangshan Che didn’t think so.
—Chisa that child was actually quite shy; if he didn’t speak first, she’d probably never message for a long time.
But they’d just parted today; nothing much to chat about.
Better to check in after some time.
—At this moment, the Special Affairs Office app forum was in chaos, countless people curious about the anonymous person’s true identity, discussing whether Minamoto Shizuka and Kyuuketsuin Kin being suppressed by this nobody meant their reputations were undeserved.
Shangshan Che had no time for those messages.
With rare free time, sorting himself out was the way.
He set his phone aside and, as usual, first internally viewed his sea of qi.
Hmm… The entire sea of qi’s area had expanded by about another 10%; Uguisudori’s Feather’s defined bonus period was indeed great, and the area occupied by the three hadn’t changed much, reassuring.
Since the sea of qi steadily grew every moment, Shangshan Che always felt like he was playing an idle game each time he checked.
Just look, and there’d be new changes.
Had to say, pretty satisfying.
Shangshan Che took out the rotary phone from his storage bag that could dox the opponent, hesitated with hand on it, but didn’t dial.
First, it was four or five a.m.; calling would disturb people.
Second—
Now, more important matters awaited.
Shangshan Che set the phone aside and looked at the White Hannya promotion progress bar that had reached 【99%】.
He took a deep breath.
In less than three hours, White Hannya would reach two-and-a-half star!
At that time, the new two-and-a-half star gacha pool would unlock too!
