Chapter 74: Seconded

“Be patient. Wen Xu has to beat Senior Sister Huo before he can fight you.”

So after fighting all this time, the actual winner had never even understood the rules of the finals.

Sure. That was extremely Chen Zui.

Chen Zui gave an “oh,” then silently began wiping the saber in his hand.

Seeing him fall quiet, Bian Chunzhou could not resist teasing him. “But if he loses, you’ll be the champion of the division below the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

Chen Zui looked as though that were completely beside the point. “He won’t lose.”a

Bian Chunzhou thought so too, but how could this blockhead be so certain? Senior Sister Huo was extremely formidable. At the very least, if Bian Chunzhou were in Wen Xu’s place, he would have a very real chance of losing.

“Are you wondering why I’m so sure?” Chen Zui actually looked rather smug. “I already taught him how to break through guqin music. He couldn’t do it before, but he can now.”

All flashy tricks ought to be shattered with brute force. That was Chen Zui’s approach to attacking. It seemed simple, but precisely because it was so simple, it was the hardest to counter.

“You mean his sword?”

Chen Zui nodded honestly. “Of course. He should’ve practiced the sword ages ago.”

Those layered arrays might be powerful, but how could they compare to the exhilaration of real blades and swords? He could hardly wait to fight Wen Xu.

Bian Chunzhou: …

He did not understand the thought process of you weapon fanatics, and he had no desire to understand it either.

Because Wen Xu had expended spiritual power during his previous match, his bout against Huo Shengyin was scheduled for the afternoon to ensure fairness. By then, Huo Shengyin had recovered to her peak condition.

As far as she was concerned, stumbling over the same person once was already enough. A second time—

Damn it! She had fallen again!

Versatile geniuses were truly hateful!

During their previous arena match, Junior Granduncle-Master’s swordsmanship could only be described as having barely crossed the threshold. But now…

Forget it. Goodbye!

Geniuses were so damn annoying!

Fortunately, reaching the top ten was enough to advance into the inner sect. Huo Shengyin calmed her agitated emotions. Fifty thousand spirit stones it was. At least she would not need to worry about cultivation resources before reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.

But still…

Losing twice in succession to disciples who had only joined the sect last year inevitably left Huo Shengyin somewhat dejected.

Ever since she had embarked upon the path of guqin cultivation, flowers and praise had always surrounded her. Nearly everyone in the outer sect believed she was certain to advance into the inner sect. Her talent for guqin cultivation was unparalleled, with few able to compare.

After hearing such things so often, even though she had a relatively steady temperament, she could not help developing some pride and complacency. She had even become a little self-satisfied.

But now, it seemed that in a great sect, geniuses truly were…

More monstrous one after another.

Huo Shengyin decided to steady her state of mind. She had originally intended to make a push for the Foundation Establishment Realm, but when she thought of that fearsome Senior Brother Shi, whose cultivation had leaped three levels in succession, she decided she ought to temper her mental state first.

Still, surely it was not too much to curse geniuses as annoying a couple of times in her heart.

Cursing was one thing, but she still had to watch the final match. She had heard that Junior Brother Chen and Junior Granduncle-Master were extremely close friends. Watching friends turn on each other sounded rather entertaining. She liked that sort of thing.

Besides, she could even be considered the one who had made it happen.

Huo Shengyin teased herself optimistically in her heart, while the other Qi Refining Realm disciples nearby were having an even livelier discussion.

“Are the disciples who joined the sect last year really this strong?”

“Otherwise, how could he be your Junior Granduncle-Master? He reached the finals at the ninth level of Qi Refining. That’s incredible!”

“…Exactly. Other people cultivate for one year and fight their way into the final arena of the sect tournament, while I…”

So the ugly one was me all along.

“Once you put it that way, how are we supposed to keep talking? Those things aren’t even comparable!”

“Fortunately, I have a good attitude. Junior Granduncle-Master becoming even more powerful wouldn’t be excessive at all. After all, he’ll be the face of Yonglu Mountain in the future!”

“Isn’t it a little early to declare that? Besides, Junior Granduncle-Master seems rather aloof. In contrast, Senior Brother Chen has advanced steadily and solidly. I favor Senior Brother Chen!”

“How is he aloof? We don’t even have to mention anything far away. Just look at Senior Brother Bian over there. Junior Granduncle-Master even…”

“Even what?”

“Well, I can’t guarantee this is true, but last time an evil cultivator was discovered at the foot of the mountain, Junior Granduncle-Master used the protective talisman the Divine Venerable gave him to save a friend! That was made by someone in the Body Integration Realm… Just thinking about it makes my heart ache for Junior Granduncle-Master.”

A protective talisman from the Body Integration Realm!

If it were placed at an auction, it could be exchanged for enough resources to support a cultivator all the way to the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm.

“Is that true? He just used it like that?”

Would the Divine Venerable not become angry?

“Fifty-percent chance it’s true. The senior brothers from Kaiyuan Peak were talking about it. I heard that whatever tower belonged to that evil cultivator was completely razed to the ground.”

“…You really can’t tell by looking at him. Junior Granduncle-Master is so generous! I’ve changed my mind. Is it still too late for me to go cling to Junior Granduncle-Master’s thigh?”

Go home and dream. Dreams have everything.

Amid the lively chatter, the final match of the sect tournament finally began.

As a mutual friend of both combatants, Bian Chunzhou had naturally claimed a position in the front row long ago.

Good grief. As expected of the finals, the crowd formed layer upon layer, packed so tightly that people were practically pressed against one another.

He had just spotted Senior Sister Huo on the opposite side, but she had been squeezed back into the second row.

Fortunately, Bian Chunzhou possessed extensive experience from school sports meets. This did not scare him at all.

Still, standing too far forward came with a slight disadvantage.

People recognized him easily.

“Senior Brother Bian, who do you think will win?”

You’re very polite, but your Senior Brother Bian really doesn’t want to answer that question.

What kind of “your wife and your mother both fall into a river, so who do you save first?” question was this?

Thus, Bian Chunzhou pretended he had not heard clearly. “What did you say?”

…

Senior Brother Bian, you look truly pathetic when you pretend to be stupid.

How could a cultivator possibly fail to hear clearly?

Bian Chunzhou simply acted as though the senior and junior brothers beside him did not exist.

In any case…

When had Bian Chunzhou, Grandmaster of Keeping the Scales Balanced, ever been afraid of anything?

Regardless of whether Chen Zui or Wen Xu won, he would be happy for his friend.

Of course, after the match, he might have to…

Should he start thinking up what to say in advance?

As Bian Chunzhou’s thoughts wandered, he heard a junior brother beside him exclaim, “Whoa, a saber-and-sword duel! This is so exciting! Look over there. Isn’t that an elder from Sword Peak? And someone from Saber Peak! Even the Junior Martial Uncle from Qi Refining Peak is here! There are so many people!”

Chen Zui’s saber was unquestionably fierce and powerful.

In truth, the world had always misunderstood sabers. People believed that because a saber was a single-edged weapon, its tip forever pointed forward. Thus, it would be the most loyal companion in its master’s hand and would never betray its master.

In reality, although the saber seemed to have a low barrier to entry, mastering it and refining one’s skill was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Because it had only one edge, most saber techniques revolved around the single act of cutting.

For that reason, a saber was actually a weapon that demanded extreme precision. If a saber wielder could not even calculate the direction and angle of their cut, then they certainly possessed little talent.

Naturally, Chen Zui would never use his brain to consider how to swing his saber or where the blade should enter.

That was far too complicated for him.

In a certain sense, the saber path suited to the overwhelming majority of people was instead the path least suited to him.

The path he followed was the Path of Instinct.

Heaven was fair.

Intelligent people had roads that intelligent people could walk. As for those who were not intelligent?

Naturally, there were methods for the unintelligent as well.

As the saying went, diligence could compensate for clumsiness, and the slow bird flew first.

Chen Zui was not a slow bird.

He was a saber wielder born knowing how to use a saber.

The saber was like his mind, his third hand, or a second self that followed him as closely as his shadow.

Every cultivator who had fought Chen Zui made the same discovery.

Senior Brother Chen—or Junior Brother Chen—might wield a saber that appeared simple and unadorned, but it exerted an extraordinary pressure.

The simple and unadorned one was Chen Zui himself.

The oppressive one was the saber in his hand.

As Chen Zui’s friend, Wen Xu had naturally served as his saber-practice target before, just as Chen Zui and Chunzhou had both served as test subjects for Wen Xu’s layered arrays.

He understood Chen Zui’s strength and talent very well.

In truth, the number of spiritual roots Chen Zui possessed had little effect on him. At the very least, Wen Xu had never seen him incorporate earth- or metal-aligned spells into his saber.

Thus, Chen Zui was a saber wielder who had reached an extreme.

He disdained using spells to embellish his saber path. He had experienced no sudden enlightenment or revelation either.

Every bit of his improvement had come from swinging his own saber.

A genius who achieved everything in a single leap was frightening.

But a saber guided entirely by instinct was even more terrifying.

On top of that, Chen Zui’s cultivation was an entire minor realm higher than his.

Wen Xu tightened his grip on Folding Wind, then emptied his mind completely.

Against an opponent like this, thinking too much would only restrain him.

He might as well fight to his heart’s content.

His heart was not so fragile that it could not endure a single defeat.

After setting his thoughts aside, Wen Xu’s sword became even faster.

The sword was like the wind, and the wind followed as closely as a shadow. Sword shadows flickered all around him, making it nearly impossible to distinguish which streak of sword light came from the true Folding Wind Spirit Sword.

Had his opponent been an intelligent person, they might already have begun to feel troubled.

But Chen Zui would not.

He possessed an extremely single-minded brain. Every fight depended upon his absolute bodily instincts and intuition.

He could even receive Wen Xu’s sword techniques with astonishing ease.

In a certain sense, he was an exceedingly terrifying opponent.

Of course, he truly was one.

Yet Wen Xu’s heartstrings did not waver because of it.

If even he believed his opponent was impossible to defeat, then why had he stepped onto the arena in the first place?

A person could not be entirely bound by cultivation realms.

What he sought was that single thread of opportunity—

Saber light and sword shadows raged across the arena with extraordinary ferocity.

But in truth…

It was all rather simple.

From the beginning of the match until now, neither Chen Zui nor Wen Xu had used a single spell.

They were competing purely through the power of their weapons.

“Isn’t Junior Granduncle-Master an array cultivator? When did he secretly learn the sword too?”

“…Why are you asking me? How would I know? Maybe one day of cultivation for him contains a hundred and twenty double-hours.”

“Seconded.”

“Seconded, plus one.”

In his heart, Bian Chunzhou silently shouted:

Seconded, plus ten thousand and eighty-six!

Admittedly, as Wen Xu’s friend, he knew that Wen Xu had been diligently practicing swordsmanship.

But…

Was this not progressing a little too quickly?

Besides, he was clearly improving even as the fight continued!

Surely that was not just his imagination?

Naturally, it was not Bian Chunzhou’s imagination.

As Wen Xu’s opponent, Chen Zui sensed it more clearly than anyone.

“You improved again! Are you using the wind to capture the sword’s trajectory? No, I said it backward. You’re using the sword to capture the movement of the wind—”

Chen Zui’s brain rarely came online, but the very next moment, he realized the wind had entangled him.

It wrapped around him like a fine, densely woven fishing net, enclosing his entire body.

Everything except his saber.

Chen Zui: …

Fighting smart people like you is the most annoying.

You always pick on my weaknesses.

Annoying.

So annoying.

Heh.

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