Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Divide and Conquer
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“He has good fortune . ” Gu Xichun slowly spoke from the viewing platform .
It was noon .
Under the many watchful eyes, Ding Ning was the last to enter the area marked by the four pillars of smoke .
The moment he stepped in, Ding Ning sat down without any regard for his appearance . He put down the meat he was carrying . Panting hard, he leaned against a small tree .
His profuse sweating instantly soaked his clothing .
Gu Xichun thought, this time, the group would agree with him . If Ding Ning had encountered even one more armored lizard along his journey, he would not have arrived in time and would have been eliminated .
Yet, the moment he had said the words, he felt inexplicably icy gazes around him .
He frowned, but quickly grasped the reason that had warranted such emotions . He sneered within .
The endeavor and resolve of the weak could evoke admiration and sympathy in many . However, usually, the result would remain unchanged .
White Goat Cave and Green Vine Sword School only had a third of their members reach the designated area . Two-thirds were eliminated at the entrance and during the journey . In his view, White Goat Cave and Green Vine Sword School’s collective strength was weaker than Shadow Mountain Sword Cave’s .
Xue Wangxu was reclining on a cushioned chair on the edge of the viewing platform; his eyes half-lidded as though almost asleep . IHAd he been privy to Gu Xichun’s thoughts in this moment, he would object .
The strength of the sect was not determined by the number of realm three and four cultivators, or even realm five cultivators . The strength of the sect was determined by the strongest cultivator of that sect . Sometimes, just one true expert was enough .
The autumn wind was cold . When one’s clothes were soaked with sweat, they were heavier and used up more energy, making one more susceptible to illness .
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But Ding Ning’s performance still won respect from most people on the platform .
He attempted to make a fire after breathing heavily for a while . He prepared enough dry leaves and branches . Then he rolled a ball of dry grass and hit his sword against rock to create sparks before blowing on the grass . After a few breaths, the kindled fire burned brightly .
The fire was strong, warm, and almost smokeless .
He took off his soaked clothing, and hung them on cut vines to dry . At the same time, he put the two heavy pieces of meat onto the fire to roast .
The servants of Green Vine Sword School had finished preparing food . They carried meal boxes in baskets of vine and put them on a path close to the viewing platform . At this time, the scene inside the sword trial valley appeared calm . Many students started to take cover, resting and recovering their strength . Many students who were watching had thoughts of going to eat when exclamations sounded . All those walking towards the vine bridge to the mountain path stopped in their steps .
Two figures met near a pillar of smoke . These two were people who could win in the end .
One of them was tall and handsome . Su Qin of White Goat Cave .
The other had an ordinary body, with no extra flesh on his body . His movements were filled with indescribable energy . This was the one who killed the armored lizard in two blows, He Zhaoxi .
The two were just separated by a patch of trees and walking towards each other . None of them showed any intentions of stopping to rest .
If these two people met, who would win?
The breathing up on the platform turned heavy .
When the trees between them thinned out, He Zhaoxi and Su Qin saw each other at the same time . The two stopped about thirty meters away from each other .
Su Qin frowned slightly . His right hand slowly landed on the hilt by his waist . His finger joints were slightly pale .
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He Zhaoxi’s eyes narrowed slightly . He slowly pulled out the yellow sword on his back . But in the next moment, Su Qin and all the spectators on the viewing platform were stunned . He did not prepare to attack, but cut down a piece of the armored lizard meat .
Like Ding Ning, he had taken meat from the back of the armored lizard . Because he was much stronger than Ding Ning, he cut down double the amount of meat Ding Ning had . After entering this area, he had not made a fire so he was still carrying the raw meat on his back . The piece was still dripping with blood .
“I recognize you . You are Su Qin, your cultivation should be above realm three second class,” he said, as he looked at Su Qin’s cold demeanor . Then he put the bloody meat, half the size of his fist, into his mouth and started to chomp .
“What is he doing?”
Many on the viewing platform took a deep breath at his action . With a pale face, Xie Changsheng turned to look at Xu Heshan and Xie Rou . Thinking of the appearance of the armored lizards, he felt like retching .
Xu Heshan and Xie Rou shook their heads .
With He Zhaoxi’s personality, he probably would not use this method to disgust or terrify his opponent .
Su Qin’s gaze sharpened . He looked at He Zhaoxi who was taking big bites of meat and mocked . “I know there is a way in which cultivators can eat large amounts of raw meat but still digest well without getting ill . It is an intense exercise; constant and intense exercise where one makes ones energies and organs strong, and the body temperature rises … but even if you have such an idea and have to fight me, you see me and think of eating meat . Do you feel that I will be so patient to wait for you to finish eating?”
He Zhaoxi continued to cut and eat meat as he said, “I feel there is a better choice than fighting you now . ”
Su Qin sneered . “What better choice?”
“I do not want to waste time . The less time I spend in the first five realms, the more time I have to use in the realms after realm five to have breakthroughs . I do not want to waste too much time on this minor trial . ” He Zhaoxi spoke calmly . “If I can resolve something in a day or two, why should I wait until the third day/”
Su Qin stilled . He thought of a certain possibility .
He Zhaoxi looked at him and said, “Two lions hunting sheep is faster than one lion hunting sheep . ”
Su Qin’s brow rose . The coldness in his eyes didn’t lessen but a smile floated on his face .
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“So you suggest we hunt together?” He Zhaoxi had caught his interest . .
“I do not know how many would be left before nighttime …” He Zhaoxi continued to eat raw meat . “…maybe we can decide the victor now . ”
Su Qin’s lips rose slightly and he glanced towards the sky . “I will accept your offer because I do not have much patience either . Also, I do not like being a spectacle . ”
He Zhaoxi looked at the woods in front of him and nodded . “With this as the border?”
Su Qin was unperturbed . “With this as the border . ”
He Zhaoxi did not say anything else . He continued to eat meat as though he was going to consume all of it in one sitting . At the same time, he turned and started to run .
Su Qin also turned and slowly advanced .
“What are they doing?” Xie Changsheng asked, his face cold .
Even from this far a distance, he could see that He Zhaoxi was not running because he feared Su Qin, but because the pair had reached an agreement in their conservation just now .
“Divide and conquer . ” Xu Heshan said, slowly and took a deep breath as he looked at Xie Changsheng .
Xie Changsheng was stunned before he reacted .
Yes, if they were able to hunt and clean out all other opponents in this circle, then this sword trial would end right now rather than in three days .
“But this is also dangerous,” he said, with an ugly expression . “Constant battles will diminish their strengths . They will be prone to injuries and people with strength lesser than theirs can put up a tough fight . ”
Xu Heshan nodded, glanced at him spoke softly . “You are correct . But Su Qin is conceited and He Zhaoxi confident . ”
Xie Changsheng inhaled deeply .
Theoretically, Su Qin and He Zhaoxi’s union had nothing to do with him, and it would greatly lessen the times of boredom in the future . But at some unknown point in time, he had started to hope that Ding Ning would go further . Inwardly, he even hoped that Ding Ning would win in the end .
A White Goat Cave student who was harvesting wild yellow oranges from an orange tree seemed to suddenly feel something . He took a quick step and reached the rear of the orange tree .
When the person appeared, his expression relaxed and he instinctively called out . “Senior Sect Brother Su Qin . ”
In the next moment, he saw Su Qin’s hand holding a sword and he froze .
“Since this is a fair trial, there must be a fair competition between members of the same sect . Apologies . ” Su Qin said as swung his sword .
With a soft sound, the thin mist in front of him was pushed away to make a clear path . A purple sword light jumped out of his left sleeve .
He was unlike ordinary cultivators as he wielded the sword with his left hand . His sword was very long, a foot longer than the ordinary longsword, and his sword which flashed with purple flames of light was very flexible .
As this sword beam reached the White Goat Cave student, the White Goat Cave student blocked in shock and parried the sword beam . However, the sword beam suddenly curved, forming a semicircle and hit the neck of the White Goat Cave student with a snap .
The White Goat Cave student took several steps back and fell to the ground, instantly, unconscious .
Su Qin nodded in apology, took the two tokens hanging from this White Goat Cave student’s waist and continued to advance .
At the same time, elsewhere, there was a thunderous explosion . A visible shockwave spread outwards as though a passage was created in space . A figure flew backwards and smashed into the vine wall behind, unable to climb back up .
In front of him, behind the spreading wall of air, He Zhaoxi put away his sword and continued to sprint . He had eaten all the raw meat he was carrying . This moment, his stomach was bulging . As he sprinted, his intestines even croaked like frogs .