The return of Sword Saint Takeda immediately caused a sensation in all the bigger Kendo families in Japan.

 According to Hiroshi Takeda, he would be appointing his successor when he was on his way back from his travels. All the younger generation of the Kendo families in Japan would then have a Kendo showdown against each other and the champion would be his successor.

 Kimura Kazuki did not know if Hiroshi Takeda was the only one in Japan who had reached the state of sword saint currently, but he was certain that he was the strongest sword saint in Japan. This was not only a fact acknowledged by the big Kendo families, but also by the Deity Rising Palace.

 People like Ikioi Ito or even the elders in his family were still unaware that they could connect with a shikigami as long as there were spirits in his family and that their consanguinity was activated. In contrast, for Hiroshi Takeda, these were all things that came to his knowledge easily.

 One was elevated to a different level when holding power. The stronger a person was, the more knowledgeable he would be.

 There would be a variety of intangible resources for Sword Saint Takeda’s successor after obtaining his recognition. After all, Hiroshi Takeda never had any disciples before this. Therefore, the resources to be obtained by his disciple would definitely be huge.

 Kimura Kazuki could see how powerful Ikioi Ito and the other two were. Even though the three of them were always bickering, it was obvious that they were very close friends. However, when the news of Hiroshi Takeda’s return reached them, something else was seen in their eyes.

 There was a sense of competition. Even Ikioi Ito, who was a coward and hated fights, had eyes that were burning with competitiveness.

 It was clear that the three of them were unaware of the fact that besides Hiroshi Takeda, Kimura Kazuki was also a sword saint. For Ikioi Ito, Kimura Kazuki was just someone stronger than them. The idea that Kimura Kazuki was a sword saint never even crossed their minds.

 A so-called sword saint was not a matter of strength, it was more of a state. Only a handful of people had achieved the state of sword saint since ancient times. Based on history, those who wanted to become a sword saint were at least 50 or 60 years old as youngsters were preoccupied with improving their own strength and would only make an effort to advance their states when their strength reached a certain point.

 Kimura Kazuki could feel that Ikioi Ito and the other two had lost interest in looking for monsters after they received the news. They had even lost their mood in practicing the patterns of Enchanted Talismans.

 On the contrary, Katsuki and Yayoi were calm when they got the news as most of the powerful swordsmen would choose men as their successors. There were very few who would choose female disciples as their successors. The preference of men over women was obvious in Japan.

 Among the most developed countries, Japan was the most gender-biased one. Although this was not reflected in human rights, it was still obvious in career development. A woman would never be acknowledged properly by a company no matter how capable she was. This kind of disgusting mindset was also reflected in all other industries, and even the Kendo families were unable to avoid that.

 Therefore, both Katsuki and Yayoi knew that they could visit but not compete.

 Even if they participated in the competition, they could never defeat the talent coming from the big families. Although many disciples of Kendo had participated in the Jade Dragon Flag Competition, there were still many who had kept a low profile and did not take part in the competition. These people would not be bothered by the threats made by the Sugawara family. As long as they ended up as the successor of the Sword Saint Takeda, the Sugawara family would not dare to say anything anyway.

 When a person was strong enough to destroy an entire family, then he signified the peak of an era and there was no doubt that Hiroshi Takeda was regarded as such a person.

 This was also the reason why Sei Shigeru had gone to Mount Tobiuo to seek for Sword Saint Takeda’s help once he received the task from the Deity Rising Palace.

 Ikioi Ito, Tomoya Saito and Mizuki Sugawara left hurriedly right after they greeted Kimura Kazuki. Kimura Kazuki did not even get to tell them that the issue at Kanayama was already solved.

 He could not help but laugh.

 However, since Hiroshi Takeda was returning soon, there were naturally some matters that Kimura Kazuki needed to look into.

 Regardless of whether it was the Yagyu family’s resentment or the incense crystals which had helped Kumoko recover her memory, Hiroshi Takeda had to come clean with an explanation.

 This explanation was likely to cost Hiroshi Takeda his life.

 After some consideration, Kimura Kazuki no longer had any desire to stay in Kobayashi Village. Since the issue here had been resolved and he had had enough rest these couple of days, he wanted to return home and make preparations.

 Naturally, Harunaka had to follow Kimura Kazuki and leave as well.

 She had been busy shopping with Katsuki and Yayoi these few days and had practically visited all the facilities in Kobayashi Village. Now that they were going to leave, she finally realized and asked Kimura Kazuki, “Senpai, is the monster issue here solved?”

 “Yes.” Kimura Kazuki smiled and described how he had met the Jorōgumo on Kanayama, which both surprised and astonished Harunaka. However, Harunaka did not ask to meet the Jorōgumo due to her inherent fear of multi-legged creatures, especially spiders.

 As for Hiroshi Takeda’s return, Kimura Kazuki made no mention of it to her.

 Harunaka’s main focus now would be to familiarize herself with shikigami so that she could achieve tacit understanding and consanguinity with Furuhashi Sakurakyu. In simpler terms, they required a close connection similar to the one Kimura Kazuki shared with the Sun and Moon Sword. Therefore, there was no need for Harunaka to know about the succession of Hiroshi Takeda.

 Kimura Kazuki and Harunaka returned to Tokyo after bidding farewell to Katsuki and Yayoi.

 Needless to say, Harunaka was interrogated by Akino and the other three when she returned home whereas Kimura Kazuki began his summer holiday after returning home.

 He did not make any specific preparations. To him, even though Hiroshi Takeda was in the state of sword saint, he was certain that he was not as strong as him.

 In fact, he would not even need to make a move. A Lightning Attracting Talisman was all he would need to turn Hiroshi Takeda into ashes.

 He was not being conceited, he was being confident.

 Obviously, Yagyu Kenichiro had also learned about the return of Hiroshi Takeda as he contacted him on the third day to inform him that the succession event would be held in Mount Tobiuo in four days. All the Kendo families in Japan would gather on Mount Tobiuo by then to witness their younger disciples compete in the event.

 Kimura Kazuki told Yagyu Kenichiro not to worry.

 In a flash, Yagyu Kenichiro had waited for a week and the succession event on Mount Tobiuo had become a hot topic by that time.

 Yagyu Kenichiro could not help but cry with joy when Kimura Kazuki finally contacted him a week later. Every second of waiting had been torture for him.

 Whilst on their way, Yagyu Kenichiro asked Kimura Kazuki whether he had made any preparations that week. For him, it was crucial to make ample preparations before seeking revenge from Hiroshi Takeda, the sword saint.

 This was also the reason why Yagyu Kenichiro had not disturbed Kimura Kazuki at all that week even though he had been very anxious.

 “Well, many things have been going on recently and I’ve been neglecting my studies. So I’ve been revising at home.”

 Yagyu Kenichiro lost his ability to speak for some time when he heard Kimura Kazuki’s answer.

 On the other hand, Yagyu Shizuka who was beside him looked at him with gleaming eyes overflowing with adoration. His clean yet mocking tone and attitude toward his opponent was exactly what she strived to learn.

 Of course, she had to improve her strength first.