Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

He executed this strike with effortless grace.

The dark sword shadow was his wooden sword, a gift from his swordsmanship master. It wasn't one of those common red or white kasaya swords, but a fine ebony one.

The term "ebony" refers to several different types of dark-colored precious woods, but there is no plant called ebony in botanical taxonomy.

This ebony sword is even more expensive than a real sword of the same size. It's a luxury item that Uesugi Kiyoshi, a poor man, could never afford. But there's a reason for its high price. Through a series of secret processes, the hardness of this wooden sword is in no way inferior to that of steel.

With a single slash, it might not cleave a person in two, but it would certainly break tendons and bones.

The hideous demon opposite seemed to realize that its true form had been seen through, so it stopped pretending and waved its withered, thin hand with sharp nails, twisting and turning like a boneless snake, as it reached for Uesugi Kiyoshi's neck.

His menacing claws were parried by Uesugi Kiyoshi's Iaijutsu reverse slash, followed by a graceful, swift, and graceful kasaya-shaped diagonal slash.

All the strength in his body was concentrated at one point, his body taut like a bow, and his sword was drawn like an arrow from a fully drawn bow.

The ebony knife made intimate contact with the demon's face, cracking its sallow skin layer by layer. A large chunk of the demon's face visibly caved in, and its body was sent flying by the force of the blow, crashing into the pots and pans in the counter, producing a series of crisp, shattering sounds.

In the blink of an eye, with a swift movement, the outcome was decided.

The ebony sword was put back into the crimson silk sword pouch. Uesugi Kiyoshi took a half step back and waved his hand to disperse the dust in the air.

This wasn't his first time dealing with "ghosts," nor was it his first time slaying one.

He wasn't surprised that he had succeeded with his sword, because in his opinion, most of these "ghosts" were quite weak.

Moreover, just like humans, ghosts die when killed, and the methods used to kill humans are also effective in killing ghosts.

These are all experiences he personally gained through trial and error.

This was also his original intention in relearning Kendo.

Of course, this doesn't mean those evil spirits were completely useless; it's just that Uesugi Kiyoshi himself was somewhat special, making those spirits' usual tricks ineffective against him.

He's cunning.

He had not seen any particularly powerful ghosts, but based on the evil ghosts he had encountered, he concluded that the methods these ghosts used to harm people were basically similar to "deception," which were illusions that worked on the mind.

For example, if Uesugi Kiyoshi hadn't noticed anything amiss with that bowl of ramen that was so rich in flavor, and had just eaten it because of its enticing aroma, the outcome might have been very different.

And then there's the ramen shop where Uesugi Kiyoshi is currently—this isn't the "real world," but rather a place similar to a "dream" or a "spiritual space," which he habitually calls the "demon realm," because he usually only enters this "demon realm" after encountering demons.

As for how the ghost realm was formed and what its principles were, he didn't know, but he knew how to escape the ghost realm—simply kill the evil spirit that created it.

The demon that was cleaved away by Uesugi Kiyoshi's sword let out a somewhat shrill scream. Although the wooden sword did not seem to be a fatal wound, it still writhed and convulsed on the messy ground like a dying man. With its movements, its body gradually faded, turning into a gray mist that flowed into Uesugi Kiyoshi's body.

A few seconds later, only Uesugi Kiyoshi was left standing in the ramen shop. Only the disgusting, bloody bowl of ramen in front of him reminded him that what had happened was not an illusion.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his anxiety eased a little.

If you get injured in the Ghost Realm, you will also get injured in the mortal world.

If you die in the Ghost Realm, you might die in the mortal world too. Uesugi Kiyoshi was certain of this, because the original owner of this body had likely died in the same way.

"This demon can only provide this much mirage energy, so it can't be that strong, can it?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi muttered something in confusion. He was used to the gray mist that surged into his body and called it "mirage."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a moment of dizziness. When he came to his senses, he found himself in front of the ramen shop where he had encountered the ghost. The ramen shop's door was tightly closed and locked with several chain locks. Through the dusty glass windows, he could see vague shadows inside the shop. The cups and plates were in disarray, the tables and chairs were scattered, and the walls were charred, as if it had been burned down.

"Burned to death? No, it doesn't seem like it. If it were burned to death, its original form should be a charred, dried-up corpse."

"But actually, apart from its slightly cracked skin, that ghost was no different from an ordinary person."

"And he died after taking one of my swords. Incredibly weak."

"Forget it. Why should I dwell on this?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi withdrew his gaze from the ramen shop, suppressed his curiosity, and quickly walked out of the somewhat gloomy alley.

After stepping out of the alley, he could clearly feel that the chilling sensation had vanished, and the bustling sounds of people coming towards him reminded him that he had completely escaped the ghostly realm.

Uesugi Kiyoshi glanced at the time on his phone; it was 6:30 PM.

"So it's the Hour of the Demon."

"Am I so unlucky that I ended up at a place where someone died during the Oma Twilight hour?"

"No wonder you can encounter ghosts in broad daylight."

The Japanese like to call the time before dusk "the hour of twilight," believing it to be a cursed time when all evil spirits and ghosts appear in the sky, and those who walk alone on the road will be bewitched and lose their souls.

Converted to modern time, the Oma Toki time is roughly between 6 and 7 pm.

If it were Uesugi Kiyoshi in his previous life, he wouldn't have believed in these feudal superstitions.

But now, he has no choice but to believe it.

As he walked along the road, lost in thought, a sudden jolt went through his mind, and a stream of consciousness containing countless pieces of information exploded in his brain.

Uesugi Kiyoshi frowned and pressed his hand to his brow, but his expression immediately turned to one of surprise.

"Is there enough mirage energy?"

"The Scroll of One Hundred Demons has been lit up? I can finally use Onmyoji: The Card Game?"

"This cheat system is way too late! Why didn't you wait until I became a sword saint before it came!"

Although he was complaining, Uesugi Kiyoshi's expression of surprise was genuine.

He could no longer think about the evil spirit he had just encountered; his steps quickened, turning from walking to running, his heart set on returning home.

It's been a year since I traveled through time.

He is finally about to find a way to survive in this world overrun by evil spirits!

Chapter 3 Uesugi Kiyoshi

Uesugi Kiyoshi stepped into an old apartment building.

He certainly couldn't afford a detached house, nor could he afford those luxurious high-end apartments. Rent in first-tier cities is often the main expense for people who are busy working here.

He lives in an old-fashioned apartment building with small units, a remnant of the commodity housing era.

The environment is cramped, dirty, dark, and damp, but the rent is cheap.

The last advantage is enough to make up for all the previous disadvantages.

Uesugi Kiyoshi hurried up to the first floor, grabbed the key, and opened the door in one quick, efficient motion.

To the right of the entrance is a small bathroom that can only fit a sink, a toilet, and a simple showerhead; to the left are a shoe rack and a clothes rack.

A little further on, there was a stove, a range hood, and an old-fashioned small refrigerator—Uesugi Kiyoshi had never used these things. They were freebies that came with the apartment when he rented it. In Tokyo, you can't just throw away these old appliances; you have to go to a specific garbage disposal site and even pay a hefty garbage disposal fee. Uesugi Kiyoshi was naturally not going to be that sucker. I guess the landlord left these old-fashioned appliances for the same reason.

The remaining space was a main room of about 20 square meters. The room was somewhat empty, without entertainment facilities such as a TV or computer. There was only a kotatsu (heated table) covered with a quilt, a desk covered with books, and Uesugi Kiyoshi's bed on a tatami mat near the wall. There was also a small balcony for drying clothes, just big enough for one person to turn around. This was Uesugi Kiyoshi's residence in Tokyo.

It was extremely shabby, yet the monthly rent for such a basic apartment was a hefty 50,000 yen, which basically covered all of Uesugi Kiyoshi's scholarship earnings at school.

Uesugi Kiyoshi wasn't spoiled, and this wasn't the first time he had experienced a tough life.

In his past life, his parents passed away when he was young, leaving him an inheritance that was neither too large nor too small.

He was adopted by distant relatives, and the inheritance naturally fell into their hands. However, his relatives were not the kind of snobs who only cared about money. They were very responsible and supported him until he graduated from high school, which can be considered as doing their best.

At least Uesugi Kiyoshi couldn't find anything wrong with his guardian from his previous life. He wasn't particularly good to him, but he didn't abuse him either. He raised him to adulthood, and although it didn't cost that much money, he had no objection to the inheritance going to him.

He had experienced a lot and matured early. He saw through the coldness and warmth of human relationships. There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. If his distant relatives had not come to adopt him, he would have been sent to an orphanage, and his fate would have been much worse than it was then.

If you put in the effort, you should get a reward; that's perfectly normal.

However, his future after university will truly depend on him. His distant relatives are not so kind and even have to pay for his university education.

Fortunately, Uesugi Kiyoshi was a clear-headed and very hardworking person.

He knows what he wants and is willing to fight for it with everything he has.

He didn't want to live that kind of impoverished life of dependence on others anymore.

He had excellent grades in high school and successfully got into a prestigious university.

He completed his university studies with the money he earned through student loans and part-time jobs. Afterwards, thanks to his impressive resume, excellent grades, and the eloquence he honed through part-time work, he was directly recruited by a top-tier domestic company through campus recruitment.

Just as his wonderful life was beginning and he was about to see the light at the end of the tunnel, he transmigrated.

The time travel was completely inexplicable.

Uesugi Kiyoshi is a very self-disciplined person. Hardworking people are usually very self-disciplined. He plans his time every day very clearly. Even when he is already working, he strictly controls his leisure time to within half an hour.

He firmly believed that if he wanted to live a better life than others, he had to persevere in learning new knowledge.

One evening, he was using his half-hour leisure time each day to play a mobile game—a card game called Onmyoji Arena by NetEase.

This is a card battle game developed based on the "Onmyoji" IP. The background is Heian-kyo during the Heian period, and it tells the story of Onmyoji and various yokai shikigami.

Uesugi Kiyoshi was fascinated by this game, firstly because this kind of card battle game could make the most of his spare time, and secondly because it was very strategic and he liked games that required thinking.

Secondly, this game is very cheap. Admittedly, whales can play with any deck they want, but a free-to-play player can also build a pretty strong deck by collecting cards from completing story missions.

He was particularly fond of a "dog-raising" deck, which was an offensive deck centered around the shikigami "Inugami". It was very cheap to build and had a decent win rate. The only downside was that it was a bit boring.

Uesugi Kiyoshi wasn't afraid of being bored; he just wanted to win.

In short, a die-hard supporter of points.

Isn't the point of playing games to win?

Losers are never happy.

This is his opinion.

He fell asleep while playing Onmyoji: The Card Game, and when he woke up, he found himself in another world.

The guy who transmigrated into this body is no ordinary person either; the original owner's experiences are quite similar to his.

Uesugi Kiyoshi was born in Hokkaido. It is said that his ancestors were samurai, but his family fell into poverty and his parents were ordinary farmers. However, he was taught kendo by his father from a young age.

Later, his parents also died young from illness, passing away when the original owner was in junior high school.

The original owner was also a person with his own opinions. He knew that in today's Japanese society, one could not achieve anything by relying on kendo. For a rural boy like him with a low background, the only way to turn his life around was through studying.

Japan's social classes are extremely rigid: the son of an official is an official, the son of a merchant is a merchant, and the son of a farmer can only be a farmer.

Unless you get into a prestigious university like the University of Tokyo, Keio University, or Waseda University, you won't have a chance to succeed.

So, the original owner worked hard, abandoned martial arts to study literature, and studied desperately. His junior high school graduation exam results were among the best in the entire Hokkaido. He was even noticed by the admissions officer of a private high school in Tokyo that recruits outstanding students from all over the country. The teacher lured him to study in Tokyo with tuition waivers and scholarships.

Unfortunately, the original owner died at home the day before the start of his first year of high school, and Uesugi Kiyoshi was thus resurrected in her body.