Chapter 167 - Fast Improvement
The water dragon dashed up toward the sky.
The match soon entered into a weird situation of push and pull.
"How many attacks?" somebody mumbled in worry.
"Uh, ten?"
"Ten…." Lu Mingshu is not bad after all. She has broken the record of defending against Kou Wei.
What was weird though was that Kou Wei obviously had the upper hand and could easily take Lu Mingshu down, but for some reason, he hadn't done so yet.
Yu Kuang raised his brows.
Wei Chunqiu took a glance at him. "Realized it?"
"Yeah. Since when was she suddenly so powerful?" He nodded.
Yu Kuang had fought her before, and he was a bit better than her back then. Her lack of basics was a killer disadvantage for her.
But now, the Lu Mingshu on stage made him feel like he was going to suffocate.
Yu Kuang tried to put himself in her position and Kou Wei's position. It's way too suffocating.
She attacked quickly, and her sword energy was light. The first time he met her, she couldn't even use her technique more than twice, but now, she suddenly had the stamina to sustain and use it continuously!
"Not suddenly," Wei Chunqiu snapped. "How long have you not been watching her fight? She's been improving constantly."
Yu Kuang remained silent.
Wei Chunqiu stroked his sword and commented slowly. "She's surprising. A normal person would need months to examine themselves and what they're lacking after a fight, but she can correct herself in a day."
As a martial artist, fights were meant for them to improve, and growing with such ability, Wei Chunqiu was aware of how scary that could be. Shortening the time of self-reflection was already winning.
"But her lack of basics can't suddenly disappear just like that, right?"
The Lu Mingshu on stage now had an equal amount of mystic energy as Wei Chunqiu and Kou Wei. Even if he could accept everything else, she was weaker than Yu Chen just the other day, and mystic energy wasn't something that could be gained in a day.
"That's just her secret." Wei Chunqiu shook his head. "Maybe she found some secret technique somewhere that we haven't discovered."
For example, Wei Chunqiu himself had a secret skill, which he would only use when challenging Kou Wei.
Yu Kuang bit his lips and voiced out his burning question, "Senior Brother Wei, do you think she has a chance of winning?"
Based on Lu Mingshu's standard from before, the answer was obvious. However, seeing her today…
"Just watch." Wei Chunqiu didn't answer. Kou Wei would obviously win, but who knew how many secret techniques Lu Mingshu still had?
Kou Wei, who was currently fighting on stage, had the same thinking as Wei Chunqiu.
Yes. He knew that Lu Mingshu was improving. However, he never expected her improvement to be this scary until now. Raw talent was just talent; without the correct training, it was still going to go down the drain.
But at this point, he couldn't tell if Lu Mingshu or Yue Lingyin was better.
A few days really made a difference.
The water dragon dashed fiercely toward Lu Mingshu.
Lu Mingshu calmed herself down and focused on her skills.
She was well prepared to lose this match, but she was well prepared to win as well. No matter what the result was, she would continue fighting with her blood, sweat, and tears.
Stop competing in order to remain in the top ten? Of course that was a good idea, but the New Generation Ranking wasn't her main goal.
She did not need the recognition, she just wanted to be free.
The Physical Manifestation of Sword Intent moved freely to her heart's content.
An obvious power was unleashed through rays of sword-light.
Before the match started, Lu Mingshu used all the strengthening seals she had.
She was lucky because she received a seal that temporarily improved her mystic force and fixed her problem of having weak basics. She also got a seal that could break the connection between the opponent and their mystic force. Plus, she had one that increased her speed and attack power, making it possible to fight Kou Wei.
Kou Wei was too strong; his ability was considered to be at the peak of the Harmonization Realm. This match would be a precious lesson for Lu Mingshu.
"Senior Brother Wei, Kou Wei doesn't look well," Yu Kuang pointed out.
Wei Chunqiu nodded. "He's too shocked by the amount of mystic force she can use." If it was him, he would be taken aback too. Spectators wouldn't feel it as strongly as the competitor himself.
He knew that Kou Wei and Lu Mingshu were on good terms. He was older than her by ten years, and he was going to break through to the Spirit Realm soon, so he saw her as a junior more than an opponent.
However, halfway into the match, he discovered that Lu Mingshu's weaknesses had suddenly disappeared and she was on the same level. How could he not be shocked?
"This is not good." Yu Kuang furrowed his eyebrows. "If he doesn't get back on track, anything can happen…."
Someone defeating a stronger opponent than themselves wasn't a miracle in martial arts. Anything could happen in a match.
"Yeah." Wei Chunqiu nodded. "But it isn't like Kou Wei to just go down like that."
Kou Wei was the successor disciple of one of the top three sects, not some random cultivator. Kou Wei may have underestimated Lu Mingshu, but he wouldn't give up that easily.
Kou Wei was getting annoyed as time went on. He was on the verge of winning, but he didn't know what was stopping him.
He hadn't felt this way for a long time. After getting into the top ten of Harmonization Realm cultivators, he had been busy leveling himself up. For about six years, he had the title of the best disciple of the Heavenly Sea Pavilion, and he had never met such an opponent.
Did he perhaps think too lightly of her and not take the proper precautions?
No, stop. As a martial artist, no matter what opponent he was going against, he should put forth his best, and that was all.
Kou Wei took a deep breath and looked at Lu Mingshu.
"Miss Lu. Be careful," he said, then waved his fan.
Whla~
Sounds of gushing water could be heard.
"What sound it that?"
The water dragon on stage had already be recalled, but the sound of water gushing had become clearer. The spectators were whispering among themselves.
"Look, below!" A spectator realized an anomaly and shouted out loud
All the spectators were rooted to the ground as the scene unfolded in front of them.
Fountains shot up from the river beside the stage and burst.
Chapter 168 - Fatal
The peak that the imperial residence was built on wasn't considered high compared to the other peaks, but it wasn't too low either.
Five water dragons emerged from the foot of the mountain. In the blink of an eye, the dragons dashed up to the stage.
The overflowing river surged up and swept everything away with it. Within no time, the whole stage was overtaken.
"Five Dragons Playing with the Pearl!" A spectator stood up abruptly and shouted while pointing at the stage.
This caused an uproar in the tents.
Five Dragons Playing with the Pearl - a unique skill of the Heavenly Sea Pavilion that all disciples who had reached the Spirit Realm would acquire. Who would have expected Kou Wei to have already perfected it?
No wonder he was the best disciple of the Heavenly Sea Pavilion.
The spectators lamented. There was nobody who still doubted Kou Wei's ability. This attack, no matter who he was against, would get him a win.
Among the Harmonization Realm, only Wei Chunqiu could possibly defeat him, or perhaps Lin Wuxia. But who knew for sure? Lin Wuxia disliked competitions or disputes, and her momentum was already weaker than Kou Wei.
There was no need to continue watching this competition; there was no doubt that Lu Mingshu would lose.
The queen was watching the match from her seat. She shook her head and sighed. "That child worked hard to get here."
The King of Zhongzhou smiled and nodded. "No wonder you had your eyes on her."
Even under the temptation of the New Generation Ranking, she still held onto her aspirations and the original meaning of a martial artist, which even some Spirit Realm martial artist couldn't achieve.
In this mundane world, it was hard for one to remain pure at all times. The more powerful a martial artist was, the more fame and benefits would start rolling in. As time passed, they would drown in the materials and live by them, losing the original intention of a martial artist.
For example, the New Generation Ranking; how many, in her shoes, would be able to resist the temptation? For just a day, if she let Kou Wei and Wei Chunqiu overtake her on the rankings, then she would get third place for sure.
It had only been a year since she entered the Harmonization Realm and yet she could be placed third. After the Qilin Festival was over, she would gain much fame.
However, she chose to continue competing. In doing so, it was possible that she would drop out of the top ten, and everything would go down the drain.
Lu Mingshu was clearly aware of that, but she was clear about what she wanted.
Very clear. It wasn't that the New Generation Ranking had a false reputation, Lu Mingshu just had the true essence of a martial artist.
The King of Zhongzhou thought about it before smiling. "Who said she's stupid? She's smart! She knows what appeals to you."
The queen smiled thinly. If Lu Mingshu got into the New Generation Ranking, the queen would obviously value her a lot more. However, she wouldn't admire Lu Mingshu as much as she did now.
What was rare was that Lu Mingshu wasn't going out of her way to please the queen, which made her feel gratified.
If it wasn't because of Xing'er's stubbornness, I would have let her have her way. Or maybe I would treat her better in the future. After the Qilin Festival ends, I'll request the Nine Jade Palace to let her stay in the Seventh Truth Platform and provide her with all the resources she needs. With her talent, she'll be able to break through to the Spirit Realm in less than ten years….
The queen was deep in thought when the king awakened her with a gasp.
She paused for a moment before looking toward the stage.
Unfolding in her eyes was the scene of the water dragons bursting like firecrackers after sword energy shot through them.
A golden light shone in the direction of the sword-light. Everyone thought it was mystic light at first, but something seemed out of place….
"Talisman! That's a talisman!"
The five water dragons nearly swept Lu Mingshu away with them, but a talisman light suddenly fused with her sword-light and coiled around the dragons like a chain.
The sword-light dissolved immediately due to it not being strong enough, but the talisman remained, and it was surprisingly stronger than a real chain.
Kou Wei stood rooted to the ground.
No wonder he saw Lu Mingshu throwing something out. He thought that she dropped something, but the sword immediately lit up after she threw it out, and there was something infused in the sword-light.
Talisman! She is skilled in talismans!
But what did she throw out? A normal talisman couldn't have been so powerful.
A small cry could be heard, and his five dragons were unable to move. The talisman hung in the air and shone brightly.
"A spiritual tool!" Kou Wei shrieked.
In that moment, Lu Mingshu's sword-energy was already at Kou Wei's face.
Kou Wei had no choice but to block the attack with his fan.
The spectators were shocked to see the dragons intertwined together and locked by the talisman.
"What's going on?" The incident was too quick for the spectators to react.
In the Nine Jade Palace tent, An Tongchen's face fell.
That spiritual tool was the one that he had given to Lu Mingshu, so he would obviously recognize it. However, that wasn't how one should use it.
He got it a long time back, and after a lot of experimenting, the most effective way to use it was as a defensive tool. When it activated, it would congeal the mystic light and turn into a shield to block the attack.
The spiritual tool was rare, but it wasn't precious since it was useless for anyone in the Spirit Realm. Because of this, An Tongchen gave it to her, but he never expected her to use it in such a way.
What did she combine with it? It's so powerful that it can reduce Kou Wei's ability and constrain his dragons?
"Is that a spiritual tool? How come it's so powerful?"
There was another uproar in the tents.
A spiritual tool was indeed rare, but many spectators had seen one, and other competitors had used one too. However, their spiritual tools were all weaker compared to Lu Mingshu's; they could block one attack at most.
Lu Mingshu was completely focused on the match and ignored everything around her except her opponent, Kou Wei.
She seized the chance and launched an attack.
Kou Wei's face turned pale when he blocked the attack.
He took a long time to become skilled in this technique he was using, and his mystic force right now was mostly in the dragons, but Lu Mingshu managed to cut the link between him and the dragons, reducing his power to about 30%.
Realizing this, Kou Wei sighed and blocked her sword with his fan. "I concede."
Lu Mingshu didn't hear it. She was just figuring out how to get her sword out.
Between the silence, Lin Zixin came out.
He then announced the result. "Kou Wei from the Heavenly Sea Pavilion surrendered. Lu Mingshu from Nine Jade Palace wins!"
He then turned to Lu Mingshu. "Miss, you have to recall your spiritual tool."
Lu Mingshu came back to earth and recalled her spiritual tool.
The dragons were finally freed. Kou Wei waved his fan, and the dragons dispersed into the air.
"Senior Brother Kou," Lu Mingshu stammered. "I didn't mean to…"
Kou Wei didn't seem happy, but he still remained gentlemanly. "I surrendered, so that means I lost. Miss Lu need not worry. I will take it as a lesson."
He gave her a stiff smile before going back to his tent.
Lu Mingshu stood rooted to the ground.
She really didn't expect to win, she just focused entirely on Kou Wei and wanted to give it her all. Who knew that Kou Wei would surrender?
Chapter 169 - Victory Without Happiness
Lu Mingshu went back to the tent absent-mindedly. There were lots of congratulations, but she was too worried to care.
The other tents were filled with heated discussion.
"Why did Kou Wei surrender?"
"Yeah, he was about to win anyway!"
"Did he let her win? The Heavenly Sea Pavilion isn't that shameless!"
"Shut up!" A Spirit Realm elder finally stopped their discussion. "It's normal that he lost. How could he continue after he lost motivation?"
"Senior Uncle, could you explain what happened?" The disciples all chattered continuously.
He sighed in annoyance. "For this match… the Five Dragons Playing with the Pearl is a secret skill of the Heavenly Sea Pavilion. Kou Wei managed to master this skill even when he's in the Harmonization Realm, which shows that he's very gifted."
"So he should've won!"
"Yes, he should've." The senior uncle explained patiently. "But because of the fact that he's in the Harmonization Realm, no matter how strong his basics are, he doesn't have a lot of mystic force. When he used that skill, he put most of his mystic force into it. So…"
"Oh!" The disciple suddenly realized. "Because most of his mystic force was being controlled, he didn't have much left to use freely. So, there was no point in trying to defend anymore because his actions were limited while Lu Mingshu's weren't."
"Yes." The senior uncle sighed. "Kou Wei should've won this match, but things are always unpredictable."
Who would have thought that Lu Mingshu would have such a strong spiritual tool? The skill that was initially supposed to give him the win became his own downfall.
"Huh, so that means Lu Mingshu didn't win after all! She was only able to control his dragons all thanks to her spiritual tool!"
The senior uncle rolled his eyes. "There are a lot of competitors who used spiritual tools, so she's not going against the rules. Even if her spiritual tool is powerful, that's her luck, and the win is still hers!"
"But…"
All the disciples were confused by the sudden turn of the results, but after much consideration, they finally understood why.
It was frustrating. Even though Kou Wei himself surrendered, it's not like Lu Mingshu was actually stronger than him. However, she wasn't exactly cheating either, so it was still her win.
They were unable to react to the sudden change. Most of them sighed and came up with one conclusion; That's fate!
"This…" Yu Kuang stammered. "What the hell!"
The last thing he expected was Kou Wei to surrender and let Lu Mingshu have an almost free win.
Wei Chunqiu rolled eyes at his reaction. Is this surprising? To win from a position of weakness is not something rare. Only country bumpkins tend to make a fuss.
"Senior Brother Wei, why did this happen!?" Yu Kuang clung to him.
Wei Chunqiu slapped his hand away and sighed. "Is this more important than your Senior Brother situation? I might be in trouble."
Yu Kuang stared at him blankly for a few seconds before looking at the name list.
Lu Mingshu; one hundred and twenty-three points. Wei Chunqiu; ninety-five points. Kou Wei; seventy-three points.
Kou Wei lost eighteen points after losing that round. However, there was nobody else other than Lu Mingshu and Wei Chunqiu who had more points than him, so he was still in the top three.
At this point, if Wei Chunqiu wanted to be in first, he had to challenge Lu Mingshu. If he won, he would have a hundred and nineteen points and first place.
However, Kou Wei wouldn't just give up like that. The match between him and Wei Chunqiu would still take place, and if he lost, he would drop to ninety-six points and tie with Kou Wei, giving first place to Lu Mingshu.
In other words, he needed to defeat both of them to get first.
"…there's nothing different from your original plans?" Yu Kuang scratched his head.
"I didn't expect Lu Mingshu would come this far," Wei Chunqiu pointed out.
Kou Wei had always been his aim, and that was still true. It was just that he needed to win one match more.
He wasn't like those mediocre people who thought that Kou Wei's time was over and that Wei Chunqiu would defeat him easily. He could clearly tell that Kou Wei was still just as powerful; it was just that Lady Luck was on Lu Mingshu's side.
If it had been Wei Chunqiu, he could only have taken out his secret technique when Kou Wei used that skill. Even then, he wasn't guaranteed to win.
"At most, only Kou Wei would be better than you, but you would still be better than everyone else. Aren't I right?" Yu Kuang tried to calm him down.
Wei Chunqiu stared at him coldly. "Shut up you cabbage. Can't you see that Kou Wei just lost? You don't even know how to console others."
On the other hand, Lu Mingshu just returned to earth.
She felt like everything was a dream. How could she possibly defeat Kou Wei?
"Junior Sister Lu," Shao Zhengyang looked at her with a complicated look. "Congratulations."
Kou Wei just lost a round, and what was left now was the match between her and Wei Chunqiu and the match between Wei Chunqiu and Kou Wei. No matter what, she would definitely be in second at least. If Wei Chunqiu defeated both her and Kou Wei, she would be second, and if Wei Chunqiu lost to Kou Wei, she would be first.
For Kou Wei, a win would give him a tie with Wei Chunqiu. If he lost, that would give his third place to Yue Lingyin.
Shao Zhengyang once thought that this junior sister of his was too young - that she still wasn't experienced enough to know how to deal with people properly and gain benefits. He thought that securing third place would be better than continuing to fight.
But now… the last thing he expected was for her to defeat Kou Wei, regardless of the method. No matter what her rank was now, she would definitely become famous.
Lu Mingshu shook her head. "I'm really lucky."
She finally knew what was going on.
The win was totally by luck. It was all because An Tongchen gave her the spiritual tool, and by chance, she found that it was very useful to reinenforce its ability with a talisman.
When Kou Wei used his skill, she had no choice but to use the spiritual tool, but she never would've thought that she would happen to use it with a talisman that could confine mystic force.
Kou Wei's ability was suddenly confined for an unknown reason, leaving him in panic.
To be honest, he would surely have won if he hadn't surrendered. However, he still had to fight Wei Chunqiu later on, so he wanted to save some energy for later.
This made Lu Mingshu admire him more. Kou Wei had a famous reputation now; it was easy for him to win, but not lose. Losing to a newbie like her would definitely affect his reputation.
If he was smart enough, he would have just defeated Lu Mingshu first before worrying about the match. Even if he was drained and lost his next match, his reputation wouldn't have been affected very much; firstly, he wouldn't have been in his best state, and secondly, Wei Chunqiu had the same amount of reputation. Losing to Wei Chunqiu wasn't shameful.
But Kou Wei didn't do that. The match with Lu Mingshu was full of surprises, and it was his loss since he forgot that competitors could bring in talismans and spiritual tools, so he didn't prepare himself for that. To Kou Wei, the match with Wei Chunqiu held a lot more value.
Even though she had won this round, Lu Mingshu didn't even feel happy.
On the contrary, she became even warier. Compared to Kou Wei, she had a long way to go.