Chapter 171: Hundred People Uprising (2)
It was one o'clock in the afternoon, a time that made people drowsy and yearn for an afternoon nap.
Inside the Hokusinn family's main dojo, however, it felt like a stifling furnace with flames building up inside, burning fiercely, accompanied by a deep rumble.
Dozens of people knelt on the wooden floor, their backs against the wall, pressing their heels against their buttocks, arranged in a straight line.
The spacious dojo had already been filled by dozens of people.
Every examination for promotion within the school was a significant event, and with Yingzhou people's tendency to exaggerate trivial matters, the spirit of chuunibyou was deeply ingrained in their DNA. The trial of the Hundred People Uprising demanded an even more solemn attitude akin to a ceremonious ancestral rite.
After paying respects to the ancestral spirits of the Hokusinn family and the sword saint, and completing a simplified ritual, the challengers and those awaiting the challenge stood in the center of the dojo.
Hokusinn Kichyō tied her hair back into a neat ponytail, wearing a loose-fitting kendogi. Underneath the kendogi, she tightly wrapped white fabric and a tight-fitting undershirt.
Relaxed on the surface, but tense internally. It represented her current state.
Her expression appeared calm and even relaxed, as if viewing the challenge as a walk in the park. However, her heart was tightly wound, suppressing her emotions.
The first round was about to begin.
This Hundred People Uprising was slightly different from the past, whether it was to reduce the difficulty or intentionally prolong the duration was unknown.
In the first round, she had to deal with not ten, but forty people; in the second round, thirty; the third round, twenty; and the final round, ten.
The difficulty increased with each round.
The Hokusinn main dojo had more than one, and by entering each dojo, she needed to defeat everyone visible before being able to proceed to the next dojo. She had to traverse four dojos and overcome four trials before finally reaching the presence of the Hokusinn sword saints of generations past to pay her respects.
One against forty.
Hokusinn Kichyō walked to the center of the dojo and in the next moment, the forty people with their backs against the wall simultaneously stood up, took three steps forward, then promptly halted, bowed, maintained a bowed position for three seconds, straightened their backs, and each held their wooden sword in postures for starting a sword strike.
The human wall formed a perfectly square shape, leaving no gaps in any direction.
It was like rows of mahjong tiles with a white die placed in the center.
Hokusinn Kichyō gripped her wooden sword, her well-trained physique hidden beneath the kendogi, with the contours of her muscles faintly visible beneath the loose clothing.
Holding the sword with one hand, her arm muscles tensed, power flowed into the blade like water, and the wooden sword became an extension of her arm.
She said, "Please enlighten me!"
“Hah!"
A division branch dojo instructor was waiting outside the first dojo gate.
He was here to observe the situation, unable to unleash real fire or cause any casualties.
With youthful hot-headedness, it was easy for one to lose control and unleash internal fire. In the past, there had been incidents where things escalated to a violent extent.
Those who practiced martial arts must surely have a trace of darkness buried within. Too much would lead to ferocity and brutality, while too little would result in weakness.
A good character is rarer than talent.
He sat on the railing of the corridor, pondering that the first stage would take at least ten minutes to clear, so he lit a cigarette.
But before he could finish smoking, just as he had taken less than half a puff, suddenly there was silence from inside the dojo.
Glancing at the time, less than two minutes had passed. Was it already over?
It was indeed easy to achieve such a result when forty people fought against one, especially without experience.
He hesitated, considering whether to go in and take a look or wait for someone inside to open the door.
But soon, a gust of cold wind blew over, causing him to turn his head. He saw a figure walking out from the door, and in an instant, their arm flicked out and snatched the cigarette from his mouth.
“Smoking is strictly prohibited in the dojo. Offenders will be fined 10,000 yen." Hokusinn Kichyō extinguished the cigarette and threw it into the nearby trash can, then walked briskly through the corridor towards the next dojo.
Meanwhile, the trainee who had passed the seventh round was still in a daze.
How did she come out so quickly?
Only two minutes have passed...
He quickly turned around and headed towards the dojo. Numerous disciples lay sprawled on the ground, clutching their purplish skin, groaning in pain. There wasn't much blood, but without exception, each one had been defeated with just one move. No other injuries could be found, but a single wound was enough to render them powerless, at most needing a finishing blow.
Those who could groan were considered fortunate. More than half of them had fainted and were lying on the ground, in a state of semi-consciousness.
"My goodness..." muttered the middle-aged man.
He recalled Hokusinn Kichyō's indifferent and calm demeanor just now, and somehow, a word came to mind.
—To demolish the old and decayed.
Meanwhile, Hokusinn Kichyō had already arrived at the gate of the second dojo's venue.
She felt it wasn't quite enough.
Or, to put it differently, not satisfying enough.
In her imaginary scenario, facing that group of weapon-wielding white apes, she had long been accustomed to guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare. She knew what the main technique of outnumbered combat was. Sometimes, she not only had to face the dual-blade monkeys on the front lines but also had to dodge the sneak attacks of cord guns hidden in the mountains by the apes.
Used to dealing with one against many, she had already become accustomed to it. On the contrary, compared to those monkeys, ordinary people had more weaknesses and shortcomings, making them easier to judge. Even the cunning White Monkey had fake moves to deceive. The recent forty people were just ordinary disciples of the sect, with varying levels of skill. Once the battle began, just a few charges disrupted their formation, turning it into chaos. Some people even hesitated to fight, fearing they would hit their own teammates. A few were even knocked unconscious by attacks from behind.
However, the further it went, the higher the difficulty became.
She pushed open the door and was met with fewer people.
This time, there were thirty people.
...
“How long for this time?”
“Five minutes...”
“But there are thirty people!”
“Why are you shouting so loudly!”
“I'm happy!”
The third hall.
Suddenly, there were many familiar faces in front of her.
“Are the patriarchs and representative masters personally taking action too?” Hokusinn Kichyō held a wooden sword in each hand. “I won't show any mercy.”
“No need for that. Give it your all. We're very curious to see how far you've come.”
“Fine.” Hokusinn Kichyō didn't hold back and made the first move, thrusting forward with her wooden sword, aimed directly at the patriarch's chin.
The fourth hall's arena.
“Everyone, be prepared.”
“She'll be here in about ten minutes.”
“Each of you are exceptional representatives from different dojos, with outstanding skills that are evident... Even if the opponent is the Young Miss, there's no need to show mercy. Give it your all. If you have any sense of complacency, you'll suffer a big loss!”
“If you all understand, then start putting on your armor!”
It's better to be young and strong. The ten people remaining to hold the center were all young, vigorous practitioners or representative masters, in their prime.
This level of ten against one was much more difficult than the previous three rounds combined. The ten individuals quietly started putting on their armor, including face masks.
No one used any protective gear in the previous three rounds, but now everyone was fully equipped. This posed a significant challenge for the challenger as well.
Bai Wei wore a face mask, his emotions complex and unclear.
He randomly found a spot to stand, having difficulty concentrating.
Who would have thought that the Hokusinn Kichyō he was going to fight in a while would actually turn out to be his employer's family?
Well, after a while, there will be a mock battle. Otherwise, it's definitely a plot twist.
A knocking sound was heard.
Bai Wei looked towards the door with a full-face mask for swordsmanship.
Hokusinn Kichyō pushed open the door, surrounded by a faint shimmer of platinum aura.
【High spirits】【Enlightenment brings clarity】【Invincible in all battles】【Hokusinn Sword Maiden】【Explosive strength】
Buff effects started appearing one by one, while her swordsmanship level was fluctuating unpredictably, seeming to break through its bottleneck at any moment.
