Chapter 160 – A Simple Sword Technique
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
What Chen Changsheng wanted to know the most was what exactly Zhexiu wanted. After some serious pondering, he confirmed his suspicion: Zhexiu really had turned to glance at Luoluo when they had entered the Education Palace. It was precisely this glance that made him feel this wolf youth to be extremely dangerous. No one could have expected that Tang Thirty-Six, roast chicken in hand, would be able to buy Zhexiu's services for the Orthodox Academy.
This truly sounded too absurd, but it had really happened.
Luoluo was also looking at Zhexiu, her emotions somewhat mixed.
To the vast majority of young cultivators, the Grand Examination could be considered the most important matter of their lives, but to some people, the Grand Examination was only a chance, an opportunity to exchange for something they truly desired. To put it another way, the hallowed and stately Grand Examination was actually just an auction.
Tianhai Shengxue had withdrawn from the competition and Zhexiu had agreed to a deal with the Orthodox Academy for precisely this reason. So what about Chen Changsheng? Luoluo was well aware that he had no interest in reputation or fame, so why did he have to get first rank of the first banner? She had once asked him, as had Tang Thirty-Six, but he had never given an answer.
The tiebreaker matches proceeded smoothly. Tang Thirty-Six easily defeated his opponent and Xuanyuan Po's luck in drawing his opponent was not bad. He encountered no experts on the Proclamation of Azure Sky and was also able to easily gain victory. When considering the grades of the literary test, while Xuanyuan Po was still not guaranteed to get into the three banners, Tang Thirty-Six would naturally have no problem.
The following matches of the top eight were still decided by drawing lots, but because there were so few people, they were divided into upper and lower halves, allowing one drawing to decide the order of all the matches to follow.
The result of the drawing was as follows: Luoluo would fight Zhong Hui of Scholartree Manor, Gou Hanshi would fight the girl from Holy Maiden Peak, Zhexiu would fight the examinee from Star Seizer Academy, and Chen Changsheng was matched against Zhuang Huanyu. In these four matches, two of them were internal fights. The Mount Li Sword Sect and Holy Maiden Peak considered themselves part of the same sect, and Zhexiu was nominally competing as a student of Star Seizer Academy.
This was not at all in accordance with Tang Thirty-Six's plan.
In his view, the best result was Zhexiu against Gou Hanshi and Princess Luoluo against Zhuang Huanyu, while the other group would be Zhong Hui versus the examinee from Star Seizer Academy and Chen Changsheng against the girl from Holy Maiden Peak. In this way, even if Gou Hanshi won against Zhexiu, he would have to then clash with the full might of Princess Luoluo. After these two tough battles, even someone as strong as Gou Hanshi would weaken a little. And Chen Changsheng, with his toughened body, had the highest chance of winning against the girl from Holy Maiden Peak. If he could then win against Zhong Hui, he really might be able to take first rank of the first banner.
Now, however, Gou Hanshi only needed to defeat Zhexiu to reach the final match. It was plain to see that the girl from Holy Maiden Peak was no match for him. Of course, there was still a good side to this drawing: Chen Changsheng only needed to defeat Zhuang Huanyu to reach the final battle. Luoluo would probably be able to defeat Zhong Hui, and when she faced Chen Changsheng in the next round, she would assuredly concede.
The first match was Chen Changsheng versus Zhuang Huanyu.
In today's Grand Examination, Zhuang Huanyu was as silent and low-key as Tianhai Shengxue. However, Tianhai Shengxue's silent and low-key attitude was because he had already prepared himself to withdraw, while Zhuang Huanyu's attitude was so that he could get a little further. Moreover, in the previous rounds, he had not encountered an opponent that necessitated showing off his full strength.
Zhuang Huanyu had a most resounding name amongst the younger generation of experts on the continent. His eleventh rank on the Proclamation of Azure Sky was the highest rank amongst the capital's Ivy Academies, the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Excluding the top three, the strengths of the people at the top of the Proclamation of Azure Sky were all very close. He was assuredly the strongest opponent Chen Changsheng had faced in the matches.
The Hall of Washing Away Dust was very quiet.
Zhuang Huanyu expressionlessly said to Chen Changsheng, "Your luck today is not bad."
From the first round until now, the strongest opponents Chen Changsheng had encountered were Huo Guang and the youth from Shuang City ranked twenty-something on the Proclamation of Azure Sky. They sounded strong enough, but numerous experts were taking part in today's Grand Examination. He had not encountered anyone from the Mount Li Sword Sect, nor had he encountered anyone like Zhexiu. In terms of probability, his luck truly wasn't very bad.
"Your luck is also very good," Chen Changsheng replied.
This was also true. From the start of the matches, Zhuang Huanyu had not even encountered an opponent on the same level as him. In terms of luck in drawing lots, not even Chen Changsheng was on his level. This was no longer a question of luck. Someone in the Orthodoxy had assuredly rigged the drawing somehow.
The Heavenly Dao Academy was regarded as the leader of the Orthodoxy's schools. Regardless of what Mao Qiuyu or Vice Principal Zhuang might think, the Orthodoxy would undoubtedly ensure it was represented by an exemplary student. This was especially the case now that the Orthodox Academy was showing signs of revival, as the Orthodoxy naturally could not permit the grace of the Heavenly Dao Academy to be completely snatched away.
"Since two people with good luck have met, I think that we should cease relying on luck," Zhuang Huanyu stated.
Since they could no longer rely on luck, they obviously had to rely on strength.
At this moment, the supervising Li Palace priest asked from the second floor, "Are both of you ready?"
Zhuang Huanyu nodded.
Chen Changsheng shook his head, and then did something that nobody expected.
He walked back under the roof of the Hall of Washing Away Dust and took off his brand-new shoes. He placed them at the foot of the stone steps, arranging them very neatly as if he was a guest at someone else's home.
In the gloomy room on the second floor, several light gasps could be heard. Mo Yu's delicate eyebrows were slightly raised, and while her face remained emotionless, the depths of her eyes concealed the faintest of smiles. Prince Chen Liu had been secretly keeping an eye on her expression this entire time, especially whenever Chen Changsheng took part in a match. Upon seeing her reaction now, he couldn't help but grow even more suspicious.
Chen Changsheng returned to the battleground with bare feet, the edges of his feet carrying a little sand.
He raised his right hand and gripped the hilt of the dagger at his waist.
With this action, the Hall of Washing Away Dust grew even quieter. None of the important figures in the room on the second floor spoke, but their eyes shone, and their expressions turned slightly grave.
Earlier when fighting against that young expert from Shuang City, Chen Changsheng had still kept his dagger sheathed, relying on the bizarre and unfathomable Yeshi Step, and ultimately on speed and strength, to win the day. Now it looked like he was prepared to unsheathe his dagger for this match. Against a powerful opponent like Zhuang Huanyu, it was apparent that he could no longer keep hiding his cards.
Still no one believed that he could defeat Zhuang Huanyu. Although he had displayed an unimaginable strength and speed in the last few rounds, along with that bizarre Yeshi Step, he had only succeeded in Purification not too long ago. The amount of true essence he had in comparison to true experts was too little, so there was simply no chance of victory in sight.
The fundamental problem was that Zhuang Huanyu was truly very strong.
"Should those who wear shoes be afraid of the barefooted?"
Zhuang Huanyu's gaze fell upon Chen Changsheng's sand-stained feet. After a pause, he said, "Perhaps you are not aware that when I lived in the countryside, I rarely had the chance to wear shoes, let alone new ones."
Chen Changsheng said nothing, but he clearly understood what Zhuang Huanyu wanted to say.
Zhuang Huanyu was Vice Principal Zhuang's son, but he had remained in the countryside to take care of his ailing mother, and it was only after many years that he was able to arduously raise his head and become the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Even now, he wore only ordinary cloth shoes on his feet.
Chen Changsheng just did not understand why Zhuang Huanyu looked at him with such cold eyes, hostility concealed beneath them. He could not understand when he had offended this person.
Zhuang Huanyu was the valued and nurtured future of the Orthodoxy's new faction, so it was only right for him to regard the Orthodox Academy as an enemy. As for the old grudge he had with Tang Thirty-Six, it was truthfully the same as the attitude Guan Feibai had towards Tang Thirty-Six, the natural loathing that poor youngsters raised in poverty had towards rich young masters who did not cherish life. But why did he dislike Chen Changsheng?
"Begin?" Zhuang Huanyu asked.
His tone was very ordinary, just as if he was back in the Heavenly Dao Academy and asking his classmates if class could begin.
Chen Changsheng's response was also very ordinary, simply nodding his head.
Zhuang Huanyu raised his sheath horizontally in front of him. With his left hand gripping the sheath and his right hand gripping the hilt, he calmly said, "Please."
Chen Changsheng's right hand gripped his dagger and his left extended in front of him as he responded, "After you."
In this ordinary fashion, the battle began.
But the moment it began, it became extraordinary.
With a zeng, Zhuang Huanyu drew his sword from its sheath and casually waved it in front of him.
It only seemed casual, but in actuality, great focus was placed on this technique. The edge of the sword sliced through the air, leaving a straight line that was exactly level with the ground!
Not all swords could cut so straight a line.
Zhuang Huanyu's sword cleaved a straight line.
Yet ten-some zhang away, an arcing line appeared.
It was a slightly curved arc of light, dazzling to behold.
This bright arc of light did not appear in the air or on the sand, but in Chen Changsheng's eyes.
Chen Changsheng's eyes were very clear, his pupils very black. It was not the black of the late night, but a cleaner sort of black.
This arcing sword glow in his black pupils was extremely distinct.
This was because the straight line slashed in the air by Zhuang Huanyu's sword had instantly crossed the space, disregarding the ten-some zhang of distance, and reached Chen Changsheng.
This sword glow was only three feet from his eyes.
This sword glow had come so quickly that its two ends were somewhat sluggish. By the time the straight line had reached Chen Changsheng, it had actually become an arc!
This was a perfect arc. No matter how Chen Changsheng responded, he would find it very difficult to shatter this arc, because an arc was the toughest shape. At the same time, he would also find it very difficult to defend against, because no matter which part of the sword arc he struck, the rest of the arc would swiftly transform into a circle and wrap him within.
This battle had begun in a very ordinary way, but the opening salvo had been extraordinary.
The first move Zhuang Huanyu had used was the mightiest sword technique of the Heavenly Dao Academy, the Sword of Hithering Light.
Sighs of praise came almost inaudibly from the room on the second floor.
It was such a simple sword technique, but one could see from it how remarkable Zhuang Huanyu's cultivation was.
Even in the entirety of the Grand Examination, this sword technique would still rank in the top three.
Just how could Chen Changsheng overcome this sword technique?