"No need for introductions—I'm already a member of the Todoh Dojo."
"Already a member?"
"Yes, I'm a registered disciple. Here's my ID. By the way, is Headmaster Todoh Kasumi here? I have something to discuss with her."
Qin Ming spoke very politely—after all, this time he was inviting someone to come out of retirement to compete. Given the scale of this dojo, the other party surely had an invitation as well; politeness was necessary.
However, although his tone was courteous, when he mentioned that he was here to see Todoh Kasumi, the expressions of the surrounding disciples immediately changed.
Those who had been practicing martial arts halted their training and began to gather around him, some even casually picking up wooden swords from nearby.
That's right—wooden swords. The Todoh Dojo not only teaches aikido but also kendo; Todoh Longbai was famous as a dual master of aikido and swordsmanship.
Seeing the unfriendly glares from the crowd drawing near, Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri exchanged a quick look.
With synchronized steps, the two silently backed each other against the wall, guarding their vital points.
Gazing ahead at the disciple who had greeted him warmly just moments ago—now with the smile completely wiped from his face—Qin Ming's lips twitched slightly.
"What is the meaning of all this?" he asked.
The disciple at the front, his gaze darkening, replied,
"What do you mean by coming to see our headmaster?"
"Just to discuss a matter."
"Discuss a matter? The last time someone said that, one guy pulled out a submachine gun, another brandished a long spear, and yet another even used a grenade to injure several Todoh Dojo disciples. And you—you plan to discuss what? Hmmm?"
At these words, Qin Ming's expression froze instantly.
At that moment, he finally understood why the disciples were so on edge when they heard he was looking for Todoh Kasumi.
Somebody must have used this as an excuse to come looking for Todoh Kasumi—and ended up brawling! Worse still, more than one group was involved!
Perhaps those adventurers had even triggered a hidden task, or maybe they thought that, since Todoh Kasumi was alone and relatively young, she would be an easy target to bully.
Surveying the fiercely imposing crowd, Qin Ming took a deep breath, then suddenly broke into a broad, as-friendly-as-possible smile.
"If I say this is all just a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"
The gathered disciples glanced at Qin Ming's kindly smile, then exchanged silent looks among themselves. Moments later, they bellowed in unison,
"Attack! Take them down!"
At the sound of the explosive shout, a Todoh disciple leaped forward, raising his wooden sword with both hands, and delivered a swift upward slash.
With a resounding "smack," his wooden sword struck Qin Ming's shoulder, and in the next instant, the sword snapped in half.
Before Qin Ming could even cry out in surprise, his instincts took over. He flung out one powerful arm.
With a massive "thud," the disciple whose chest had been struck was sent sprawling into a "C" shape, thrown aside from the crowd.
With one comrade down, the others were utterly shocked; once they recovered, they roared and charged forward.
Soon, Todoh-style martial arts and Todoh sword techniques were being unleashed in rapid succession.
In the flurry of clashing blades and slashing wooden swords, the disciples immediately became embroiled in a brawl with Qin Ming and his companion.
The essence of Todoh martial arts could be summarized in two points: speed and stability.
Their style specialized in defensive counterattacks, using explosive bursts of power to strike the enemy before they could react.
Thus, the disciples were very skilled at parrying—whether practicing punches or sword strikes, their counterattacks flowed like water.
However, when faced with Qin Ming—the giant with seemingly limitless strength—their defenses began to falter.
Disregarding the chaotic techniques of the surrounding disciples, Qin Ming, relying on his massive body and crushing power, landed nearly one punch after another.
Every disciple whose wooden sword was used to block his blows found that it would snap immediately upon impact, sending them flying out of the fray.
With both arms swinging like massive spiked clubs, Qin Ming swept his fists in wide arcs.
Amid cries of agony, more than twenty disciples who charged him were swiftly knocked down.
In the midst of the ensuing chaos, a sudden explosive shout resounded from within the dojo. In the next second, a figure burst forth in a flying charge.
Running at full speed, the newcomer used a soft but powerful technique to catch an incoming disciple and flung him to the ground.
Without slowing down even an inch, the figure closed in on Qin Ming and launched a straight punch.
Hearing the rush of air, Qin Ming's pupils contracted, and in an instant, he recognized that the newcomer's speed was extraordinary.
Without a moment's hesitation, he spun around and threw a stabbing punch, intent on trading blows.
Yet his punch failed to hit the opponent, because at the very moment his fist neared, the enemy abruptly switched tactics.
The attacker lifted his palm upward, transforming it into claw-like fingers that grabbed Qin Ming's elbow joint, while his other hand seized the extended wrist.
With a sliding step closing the distance and a simultaneous twisting of his body, the attacker dove sideways into Qin Ming's embrace. Before anyone could react, she yanked at Qin Ming's arm and executed an over-the-shoulder throw!
Trip the leg! Twist the body!Skill: Aikido Toss!Boom!A deep, dull crash filled his ears as Qin Ming suddenly felt his body grow light— and in the very next moment, he was slammed onto the ground like a cannonball.
The enemy before him wasn't tall at all—in fact, she was very petite—but she had managed to lift him using her throwing technique!Lying on the ground with his arm still clutched by his opponent, Qin Ming's expression turned utterly shocked. After all, with his current physique, few could possibly throw him.
Though stunned, Qin Ming reacted quickly—his A‑rank fighting skills weren't to be taken lightly.Almost instantly, without even getting to his feet, Qin Ming shifted his stance and, with one powerful tug on his arm, countered with a single swift kick.
Pull, kick, and reverse throw!
In a flash, the enemy who had been dragged over was struck squarely in the abdomen by his kick, and carried along by the momentum of his arm, she was hurled away.
Rolling on the ground, she quickly knelt on one knee, raised both hands, and assumed the standard aikido ready stance.Meanwhile, Qin Ming pounded the ground with his fist, using the impact to rebound upward; once on his feet, he struck a fighting stance reminiscent of military close-quarters combat.
In that split second of confrontation, both sides realized that neither was to be taken lightly.
The petite girl, who had been forcefully thrown by Qin Ming's sheer physical strength, slowly got to her feet. Fixing her gaze intently on him, she bellowed,
"Who goes there! State your name!"
Hearing this, Qin Ming quickly spread his arms and replied,
"Shiranui Style! Qin Ming!"
"Shiranui? What business do you have in my Todoh Dojo? Our dojo does not welcome gate-crashers!"
"Are you the current headmaster, Todoh Kasumi? I've come on business!"
At these words, Todoh Kasumi's eyes noticeably twitched. The mere mention of "business" brought to mind all the lunatics she had encountered over the past couple of days.
"Business again? I think you're here just looking for a fight!"
Without any hesitation, accompanied by a roar, Todoh Kasumi raised both arms high, opening them wide as if throwing the main gate open.In the next second, as a flash of light enveloped her body, she forcefully swung her arms downward.
Finishing Move: Super Heavy Throw!
With the power surging from within, a violent blast of energy suddenly emerged.Amid swirling dust and sand, a visibly blue shockwave, standing two meters tall, shot straight at Qin Ming along the ground!
Qin Ming's face paled. Without a second thought, he raised his arms and, with all his might, countered by hurling his own energy blast downward.
Counter: Imitated Super Heavy Throw!Boom!The blue energy collided head-on with his crimson shockwave! The two forces clashed in mid-air, completely neutralizing each other!
Seeing that Qin Ming had unleashed his own signature technique—which looked nearly identical to their style's move except for its different color—Todoh Kasumi's face showed genuine shock.Before she could recover from her astonishment, Qin Ming raised his arm once more, forcing her to engage in a counter-energy clash.
In an instant, the energy bursts erupted, and the two exchanged five successive blows in the dojo—each one perfectly canceling the other out.
Thanks to the boost from his ki fluctuations, Qin Ming's blood-infused technique had grown far more potent than before. Even when matched against the original move, his strikes could hold their own.Especially with these long-range energy clashes, where energy balls are naturally unstable, such intense exchanges could easily cause them to disintegrate.
Thus, unless facing some unique kind of energy, such stalemates in technique clashes were entirely normal.After five consecutive exchanges, it became clear that Qin Ming was unable to best Todoh Kasumi—her face turning a steely blue.
Now, with no time to ponder why his own secret art had been learned by an outsider, Todoh Kasumi took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with resolve, and suddenly changed her technique.
She raised both hands in anger as a burst of white light flashed.Ultimate Move: Super Ultimate Break!Buzz!A terrifying wave of energy swept through the dojo, blowing dust everywhere and forcing nearby disciples to stagger back uncontrollably.
With a delicate cry, Todoh Kasumi brought both her arms down with full force.In the very next second, several layers of energy waves merged and surged forth toward Qin Ming!
It was the upgraded version of the Super Heavy Throw—indeed, the strongest technique of the ancient Todoh martial arts style! "Use it!" she commanded.
Seeing the incoming energy blast, Qin Ming instinctively countered with his own Super Heavy Throw.Yet, this time, when the two energy waves collided, they could no longer cancel each other out.
In Qin Ming's stunned gaze, his own crimson shockwave was torn apart on the spot, while the relentless blue blast sped toward him with full force.He had, unbelievably, lost!
Boom!A colossal crash resounded as Qin Ming, scrambling to raise his arms in defense, was blasted backward by the energy wave.Amid swirling smoke and dust, a massive hole was blown in the wall before him, and with one thunderous strike, Todoh Kasumi was sent flying away—her face instinctively breaking into a smile.
Victory!
If the Super Heavy Throw was the signature technique every Todoh disciple had to master upon graduating, then the so-called Super Ultimate Break was the true pinnacle—a technique that only a Todoh master, at the very top of his craft, could ever hope to grasp.
In essence, it was the luxurious upgraded version of the Super Heavy Throw—by fusing and compressing multiple energy waves into one all-out blast.While the principle behind it seemed simple, in practice it was as difficult as climbing a mountain. Throughout history, only a handful in the Todoh family had ever successfully executed it.
Qin Ming, with his ability to absorb and mimic using his own flesh and blood, managed to perfectly replicate the basic move.But the upgraded version of the ultimate technique, which required profound mastery, was not something he could learn at a glance.
One energy wave clashing against four layered energy waves—of course, Qin Ming couldn't possibly prevail!