"Hey! Why are you still over here? Come on, follow me!"
"What's the rush? I haven't finished watching this match."
"Quit talking and come on! A monster appeared in the southwest corner! They're already in the fifth round, and every opponent in the previous four rounds was defeated in a single move!"
"What? One move! Are you serious?"
"He's insanely strong! Just follow me—hurry, hurry, or we won't be able to squeeze through!"
Similar conversations kept breaking out all across the plaza.
As if drawn by magnets, the spectators began rushing toward the southwest corner in droves. Before they knew it, most of the areas around the other rings had become deserted.
And at the very center of the surging crowd.
The black-haired youth leaned against the edge of the wooden platform. Having waited for quite some time, he idly picked at his ear.
"Has the next person not arrived yet?" He glanced at the referee.
"He'll be here soon! Mr. Xia Nuo, please bear with us a little longer!" The referee was a woman in her twenties with a high ponytail, and she hurriedly answered him.
As more and more people crowded around them, she was squeezed until she was flushed and drenched in sweat, but she still couldn't suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth. She was clearly in an excellent mood.
How lucky!
It was her first time serving as a referee, and she already got to oversee such an incredible swordsman. When she returned and told the junior disciples at her dojo about it, they would be green with envy.
After watching four consecutive matches from such close range, she had long since been awed by his miraculous swordsmanship.
Besides, Mr. Xia Nuo was still so young. His swordsmanship was already this formidable—what would he be like in the future?
Could it be that in just a few years, she would personally witness another genuine Sword Master emerge from East Blue?
"He's here!"
Her eyes suddenly lit up as she looked toward a scar-faced swordsman walking over. Rising onto her toes, she waved frantically. "Mr. Qilin, over here!"
The scar-faced swordsman wore an impassive expression, a cigar clenched between his lips. His entire body seemed shrouded in shadow as he silently stepped onto the wooden platform.
"Hey, isn't that Mr. Qilin, the vice-master of Falling Leaf Dojo, one of the Seven Great Dojos?"
A spectator recognized him and cried out in surprise.
"It really is him!"
"Wasn't he the runner-up in the Kendo Tournament five years ago?"
"That famous swordsman is actually competing again? As expected... he still can't let go of losing the championship back then, can he?"
The vice-master of a dojo? The runner-up five years ago?
On the wooden platform, Xia Nuo took in the surrounding discussion.
His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the scar-faced swordsman, and a trace of seriousness finally entered his gaze.
This guy... wasn't like the weaklings before him. Judging by his aura alone, he was quite formidable.
If nothing went wrong, he should be the person most worth taking seriously in the entire Kendo Tournament—
"I forfeit."
The hoarse voice drifted out amid the smoke.
"All right, it looks like both contestants are ready, so... huh? What?"
The ponytailed woman stared in astonishment at the scar-faced swordsman. "Mr. Qilin, what did you say?"
The commotion around them also ceased. Every spectator's startled gaze focused on Qilin.
Clack. That was the sound of the bamboo sword being tossed aside. Qilin blew out a smoke ring and waved his hand casually. "Don't look at me like that. I saw this kid's third-round match earlier."
"With swordsmanship this terrifying, I admit I'm no match for him. I'm getting on in years. Rather than be sent flying and make a fool of myself, I may as well preserve a little dignity."
"I-is that so..."
The ponytailed woman was about to say something.
But Qilin had already stepped off the wooden platform. His cigar-smoking figure disappeared into the crowd and soon vanished from sight.
Xia Nuo withdrew his gaze. Looking at the bamboo sword that had landed right by his feet, he imperceptibly furrowed his brows, then suddenly bent down and picked it up.
"This counts as spoils of war too, so I'll take it. No problem, right?"
"Huh?" The ponytailed woman froze for a moment before hurriedly nodding. "Of course. Mr. Qilin threw it away himself, so you can do whatever you want with it."
"Good."
Xia Nuo placed the bamboo sword alongside his own and tucked both back into his belt.
The ponytailed woman took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement, stepped onto the wooden platform, and announced loudly:
"Fifth round of the preliminary selection: Xia Nuo versus Qilin. Final result: Xia Nuo wins!"
"On behalf of the Kendo Tournament organizers, I hereby announce that Mr. Xia Nuo has won all five rounds! He does not need to participate in the repechage elimination stage and has officially become the first contestant to advance and secure a place in the top eight!"
All the spectators had already been whispering below, waiting for her to announce this news.
Thus, after a brief silence, deafening cheers of excitement rang across the plaza—
"Xia Nuo! Xia Nuo! Xia Nuo!"
Bang!
In a spacious office, a luxuriously dressed middle-aged man slammed his fist down on the desk and roared furiously:
"This is the nobody you told me about? Just some lucky encounter? You gave him the most difficult possible opponents, and he still won all five rounds! With strength like that, he's obviously the reinforcements that bastard from the Sakuraba Family brought in!"
"You were the one who called him a nobody, boss."
The tall, slender swordsman wearing a White Fox mask replied calmly.
"Huh? Did I?... No, that's not the point! How dare you talk back to me!"
The middle-aged man froze, then flew into a rage from embarrassment. He grabbed the ashtray from the desk and hurled it over.
"That mistake was based on your information! Tell me, what are we supposed to do about a kid this powerful?"
"And that Qilin! Hadn't he always been hung up on failing to win the championship back then? I thought he'd come to redeem himself this time, but it turns out he's a complete coward! He didn't even have the guts to fight a single match!"
"..." The tall, slender swordsman fell silent, his face hidden behind the mask and impossible to read.
Still seething, the middle-aged man suddenly remembered something else.
"Right, what about that brat from the Sakuraba Family? Has he finished fighting? How's his record?"
"Four wins and one loss. He lost to another favorite for the championship, but he still holds a repechage qualification. Unless something unexpected happens, he'll advance to the top eight later as well."
The middle-aged man grew even more agitated. He rose and paced back and forth across the office.
"No! We absolutely cannot let the championship fall into the hands of the Sakuraba Family. Otherwise, the reputation of Sakuraba Dojo will rise again. If they make a comeback, dealing with them will take quite a bit of effort..."
"Hey, White Fox!"
He suddenly turned and fixed his gaze on the tall, thin swordsman, his voice cold.
"Before the preliminary selection ends, go participate right now. You must claim one of the top-eight spots. At this point, you're the only one strong enough to ensure that the championship falls into our hands!"
The tall, slender swordsman slightly furrowed his brows.
"Didn't we agree from the beginning that I would remain behind the scenes and wouldn't appear publicly to do this sort of work?"
"Are you kidding? Circumstances forced our hand. Besides you, who else can reliably stop those two brats? Of course, I'm mainly talking about Xia Nuo. Whether the brat from the Sakuraba Family can defeat the other advancing contestants is still uncertain."
The luxuriously dressed middle-aged man sneered. "Besides, I didn't tell you to take off your mask. Use your current fake identity, or change masks if you want. Who the hell could guess who you are?"
"..."
The tall, slender swordsman was silent for a long while before finally nodding.
"Go. Don't waste time!"
The middle-aged man waved his hand. Just as the swordsman's back was about to disappear through the doorway, he suddenly spoke.
"Hey, White Fox, you aren't going to go soft, regret our agreement from back then, and betray me, are you?"
The footsteps outside paused.
"...There's no point asking a question when you already know the answer."
The emotionless voice drifted in from outside.
"Haha, good! I'm glad you know!"
The middle-aged man threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Don't forget how terrifying my ability is! Ordinary people like you have no way to resist it!"
Southeastern area of the plaza.
"What is it, Mr. Xia Nuo?"
Junichi had just stepped down from the wooden platform amid the cheers. The excitement in his heart had yet to fade when Xia Nuo pulled him aside, prompting him to ask in confusion.
"Nothing."
Xia Nuo smiled brightly. "First of all, congratulations on easily making it through the repechage and advancing. But the top-eight stage doesn't begin until one in the afternoon, so we still have time. How about coming with me to get something to eat?"
"We're eating already?"
Junichi scratched his head, still unable to process what was happening. Before he could react, Xia Nuo forcibly grabbed him and dragged him by the arm toward the outskirts of the plaza.
After leaving the plaza and taking several twists and turns, they entered a secluded, deserted alley. Only then did Xia Nuo stop.
He tossed a bamboo sword into Junichi's bewildered hands.
"What's this...?"
Junichi raised the bamboo sword and studied it for a while before noticing the small line of characters engraved on it: "Eleven o'clock sharp, second floor of Wisteria Restaurant?"
"My opponent in the fifth round, Qilin, the vice-master of Falling Leaf Dojo, gave it to me." Xia Nuo frowned. "It seems he wants to meet us privately about something. Do you know this man?"
"The vice-master? Qilin?"
Junichi racked his brains and thought hard for a long while.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He slapped his fist into his palm.
"I remember now! I don't remember anything about him being a vice-master, but I've seen that name before—five years ago!"
"That year, Father was still alive. He was in charge of organizing and hosting that Kendo Tournament, and he would always bring a list home."
"The list contained the names of swordsmen who had signed up for the tournament but couldn't attend because they were short on money. Father specifically allocated funds to sponsor each of them with travel and lodging expenses. Qilin was on that list!"
"A list? You were only ten that year. Are you sure you remember correctly?"
"There's no way I got it wrong!"
Junichi nodded firmly. "I only carefully looked at that list twice. I wouldn't dare be certain about most of the other names, but this one was so unusual and easy to remember that I still recall it to this day."
"Given that, the most reasonable guess is that he... no, that he is our ally?"
Xia Nuo pondered.
Remembering Qilin's immediate forfeit and the two cups of coffee that were still warm that morning, he twisted his neck, producing a series of crackles.
"Then let's go meet him and hear what Mr. Qilin wants to tell us. But we can't let down our guard. Bring the sword."