At the end of Aoto’s line of sight was a very kind-looking... big fat man.

The important founder of Beichen One-Sword Style, the younger brother of the creator of Beichen One-Sword Style, Chiba Shusaku, the current Hall Master of Little Chiba Sword Dojo... A man with so many titles had an astonishingly out-of-shape physique...

At 63 years old, Chiba Dingji is undoubtedly a senior by age.

Yet, as a senior, he has quite a "middle-aged" physique: severely overweight, his protruding belly bulging the fabric of his clothes.

The overweight has made Chiba Dingji’s face bloated, and his facial features suffer deformation due to "stretching."

If one observes carefully, it’s not hard to see—Chiba Dingji’s facial features are still quite good-looking, broad-faced and heavy-jawed, exuding a majestic aura.

Unfortunately, this overweight physique has dealt a devastating blow to his appearance...

Although Chiba Dingji’s appearance was somewhat unexpected for Aoto, Aoto didn’t regard Chiba Dingji differently because of it.

Firstly, because Aoto never judges people by appearance.

Secondly, because Chiba Dingji’s status is so high that it leaves no courage to question his skill.

Chiba Dingji’s current status in Japanese Swordsmanship World... To put it plainly, he is the indisputable Grandmaster, an alive legendary Sword Master whom even the General of Expedition of the Edo Shogunate would have to respect.

Such identity naturally made Chiba Dingji an idol for countless swordsmen.

After Chiba Dingji entered the competition venue through a gap in the northwest corner, some spectators who recognized him immediately became excited.

"Look quickly, it’s Chiba Dingji!"

"Chiba Dingji is here!"

"Sigh... I really want to learn from him... Unfortunately, I’ve heard that due to his old age, he no longer accepts challenges from anyone..."

...

Amidst the excited shouts from the audience, Chiba Shigetarou and his group from Little Chiba Sword Dojo’s "Main Array" hurriedly went to greet Chiba Dingji.

On the "VIP audience seats," Zhouzhu, accompanied by his wife, smiled and went to see his late-arriving old friend.

The attention of many people on site, including Aoto, was finally drawn to the legendary Sword Master who appeared.

Of course—Aoto’s focus was slightly different from others...

—He wondered if someone like Mr. Dingji might have any particularly impressive or unusual talents...

Aoto was very focused on guessing the talents that Chiba Dingji might possess and pondering how to spar with him...

He had heard: Chiba Dingji, due to his age, no longer accepted any challenges from others, so simply going to him and saying "I want to learn from you" was definitely not feasible.

While Aoto was still focused on thinking about how to spar with Chiba Dingji, two very familiar figures suddenly appeared in his left peripheral vision.

"Mr. Tachibana, Mr. Chokata, finally found you."

"Mr. Kiryu? Miss Kinoshita?" Chokata was shocked.

The two familiar figures that suddenly appeared in Aoto’s peripheral vision were Boss Kiryu and Mukiwa.

Boss Kiryu, dressed like the "ordinary neighbor old man," led Mukiwa leisurely toward Aoto and Chokata with a gentle smile.

As Aoto and Chokata looked over, Mukiwa promptly bowed to the two of them politely.

Aoto noticed: Mukiwa seemed to really like red.

Every time he saw her, she was dressed in the same style of bright red kimono, wearing flat wooden clogs with red straps.

Because Mukiwa always wore the same clothes, this made Aoto curious about her wardrobe—did she only have this one outfit, or did she have several of the same style...

After Kiryu led Mukiwa to appear, it instantly attracted attention from many people in Shiwei Hall.

Due to Kiryu’s frequent appearances at Shiwei Hall, many people there recognized this glasses-wearing old man.

Many people gathered around, actively greeting Kiryu, and Kiryu also warmly responded to their greetings.

"Boss Kiryu!" Kondo displayed a joyful smile and quickly approached Kiryu, "You came to watch the competition?"

"Boss Kiryu, Miss Kinoshita." Said Aoto, now switching his surprised gaze between Kiryu and Mukiwa, "I thought you weren’t coming..."

"Hahaha." Kiryu chuckled a few times, "Today there’s nothing urgent, so I brought the Young Master to have a look."

After a few simple exchanges with Aoto and the others, Kiryu raised his head, glanced around at the audience seats, and said, "It’s really crowded here... Mr. Tachibana, when exactly does the match begin?"

Aoto: "About eight o’clock (afternoon 2:00)."

"Oh... then it’s almost time." Kiryu smiled slightly, "Well then—I’ll go take a seat with the Young Master for now."

"Mr. Kondo, Mr. Tachibana. Do perform well later. The Young Master and I will be cheering for you from the audience."

Aoto laughed heartily, "Thanks. With those words, I feel much more energized."

Kiryu gave a carefree smile, "Hahaha, Mr. Tachibana, you’re surprisingly articulate."

...

...

Less than 15 minutes remain until the start of the match.

Whether it is Shiwei Hall or Little Chiba Sword Dojo, all the participants have basically completed their warm-ups and equipment checks, and are now tensely waiting in silence for the competition to begin.