Chapter 1651: An Unexpected Weapon
Zu An suddenly sounded a bit shy as he replied, “How can I accept that? But if big sis Yan is willing, I’m not entirely opposed to it…”
Yan Xuehen was speechless. She almost laughed out of irritation from how shameless this guy was. She had never expected him to say that!
You have successfully trolled Yan Xuehen for +444 +444 +444…
She took a deep breath and reminded herself to retain an emotionless state, and that she couldn"t get angry. Then, she suddenly revealed a hint of a sweet smile and said, “With my relationship with Chuyan, there is no way that could happen. I will give you one final chance. If you had to pick one between the two of us, who would you pick?”
She thought to herself, If this guy picks me, that means he’s a fickle person. In that case, even if it meant she was hated by Chuyan, she would still have to end their relationship. She couldn"t let this scoundrel deceive her.
If he picks Chuyan… Isn’t that just how it should be? I’ll properly congratulate them, and my heart should be able to become completely calm, like before.
“If I chose you, would you start a relationship with me?” Zu An suddenly asked as he looked at her pure, snow-white features.
“I would,” Yan Xuehen said, although her heart gradually became ice-cold. Hmph, he is filth who forgets about his past relationships as soon as he sees a new person. He would definitely make the choice that pleased another woman most the moment he met them too.
Zu An looked at her for a while, then said, “Only a child would make a choice. An adult… would want it all.”
Yan Xuehen’s eyes widened. She had never expected him to say such a shameless thing in such a righteous way!
“Get lost!” she snapped as she stormed off angrily. For some reason, however, she sighed inwardly in relief.
When he saw her leave with a cold expression, Zu An realized that he really had provoked her too much this time. Sigh, I’m really not good at speaking against my conscience. If I had known it would be like this, I should have just said I’d choose her to make her feel better.
…
Time quickly pa.s.sed, and the semifinals arrived.
The judges sat down one after another. After the previous few days, even though they were still unfamiliar with each other, they at least knew who the others were. They all nodded toward each other with a smile.
Heavenly Sorrow’s Guan Chouhai suddenly asked with a chuckle, “Who do you all think has a higher chance of winning in the first round?”
Previously, Zhi Yin’s loss had made him lose a lot of face. However, due to the events of the past few days, especially the upsets that had occurred, his mood had gradually improved.
Wan Tongtian said with a chuckle, “It will be Wu Xiaofan, of course. He was able to win against Mount Luofu’s representative disciple Luo Dongjiang effortlessly, while Wan Guiyi had so much trouble against Purity Temple’s Qiu Chanzi.”
Mount Luofu’s Elder Xu and Purity Temple’s Vice Temple Lord gave him an angry look. They both thought, Thank you oh so much for reminding us of that.
Zu An thought to himself, This Wan Tongtian’s emotional quotient really is low. No wonder even though he and Elder Huo Ling had feelings for each other, they ended up hating each other instead.
w.a.n.g Wuxie said with a chuckle, “Brother Wan speaks too harshly. Xiaofan was just lucky in that round. Worthy nephew Luo is not so weak; it might just be that their styles were just a poor match, so nephew Luo could not bring out his full strength. As for Purity Temple’s Qiu Chanzi, the Winter Cicada’s Cries impressed even us judges, so few among his peers could win against him to begin with. Worthy nephew Wan’s ability to win proves that his sword intent has already reached a level that follows his very heart’s desires. That is why his chances of winning this match are quite high.”
Elder Xu and Purity Temple’s Vice Temple Lord’s expressions immediately became much better. Receiving the recognition of w.a.n.g Wuxie made them both feel great. Even Wan Tongtian had a grin on his face. This mister w.a.n.g was handsome and spoke well; he was indeed someone worth getting to know.
Meanwhile, Zu An had a strange expression. He remembered how, in his previous world, students would all encourage each other when they were about to take a test; he hadn’t expected the people of this world to be the same!
…
The Righteous Sun Sect Elder who was presiding over the tournament officially declared the start of the compet.i.tion. Wan Guiyi and Wu Xiaofan were already standing to either side of the stage. When their eyes met, the very air around them seemed to grow still.
Apart from the Righteous Sun Sect and Jadefall Palace’s disciples, the other spectators were also clearly divided into two sides.
One group supported Wu Xiaofan. After all, he had the greatest reputation and treated others with warmth and respect. It was hard for others to dislike him.
However, a large group of people supported Wan Guiyi. There were more female cultivators among them. Even though Wan Guiyi had a bit of ‘eighth-grade syndrome’ and was a bit haughty, he was handsome. Due to his looks, his ‘chuunibyou[1]’ and arrogance actually gave him a unique charm.
Wan Guiyi saw that Wu Xiaofan was empty-handed. He frowned and asked, “Are you not planning to use any weapons even against me?” At the same time, inwardly, he cursed Luo Dongjiang ruthlessly again for not even bringing out any of Wu Xiaofan’s real strength. He didn’t even know what kind of weapon his opponent used.
Wu Xiaofan had a gentle expression as he replied, “All of my skills are in these hands of mine. Whether or not I have a weapon does not make a big difference.”
Wan Guiyi harrumphed. He didn’t say anything else. His finger flicked toward his sword, which quickly left the scabbard. It was as if a streak of lightning had appeared on the stage.
Gasps filled the air all across Golden Peak, because most of the students hadn’t even clearly seen him draw the sword.
Qiu Chanzi also suddenly got up. He noticed that Wan Guiyi’s sword was actually a bit faster than when they had faced each other. He thought, So he was still holding back his strength and is only going all out against Wu Xiaofan… He suddenly looked a bit dejected when he thought of that. He couldn"t help but scratch his head, turning his hair all messy like a bird’s nest.
“This Wan guy’s sword isn’t bad. Give him another ten years to grow and he’ll definitely become a great enemy of our Holy Sect,” Yun Jianyue said with a sigh.
Qiu Honglei was startled, asking, “Master, you’re not thinking of getting rid of him, are you?”
There were daoist cultivators everywhere. If they went after an important disciple like Wan Guiyi, their ident.i.ties would easily be put at risk.
“What are you thinking? Your master isn’t one to bully juniors,” Yun Jianyue said. “That’s a fight between you guys. I won’t take any part in it.”
Qiu Honglei realized that even though her master came from the Devil Sect, she had always been proud. She had never stooped so low as to do such despicable things. From a certain perspective, she was more upright than some of these righteous sects’ people.
Meanwhile, intense waves of ki emanated from the battlefield. Wu Xiaofan had seen Wan Guiyi’s sword-drawing skill before, however. Even though it was even faster this time, to his surprise, he didn’t panic. He sent a palm forward; the wind it emanated clashed with the sword energy, producing a powerful blast wave. The tough stage surface started to shatter, and the pieces were sucked up by the wind, sending sand and stone everywhere.
Watchful Heart Peak Master Feng Wuchang’s eyes twitched. He was the one in charge of the stage preparation. Only the most precious stone materials were used to make the stages, and there were even defensive formations applied to them. And yet, these little monsters were getting more and more ridiculous with their fights, destroying a stage every round.
This is all money being thrown away! The State Teacher isn’t the one managing these things, so of course he doesn’t care! When he thought about the expenses they had incurred, Feng Wuchang felt as if he was about to cry.
“Huh? Wan Guiyi is actually taking the advantage!”
Many disciples were incredibly shocked. Most of them had favored Wu Xiaofan more, but Wan Guiyi was the one who was heavily pressuring his opponent.
Wan Guiyi’s body had already turned into several afterimages, not once touching the ground from start to finish as he spun around above Wu Xiaofan’s head. Countless copies of him attacked Wu Xiaofan from time to time.
Meanwhile, Wu Xiaofan sent endless palm strikes above his head, forming a terrifying storm in the air and neutralizing Wan Guiyi’s attacks again and again.
However, the more experienced spectators could tell that Wu Xiaofan’s position was extremely unfavorable. After all, if one always remained on the defensive, one would eventually slip up. He had spent the entire match defending and rarely had a chance to attack. If he showed any openings, it would quickly cause issues for him.
Sure enough, the glint of a sword’s edge suddenly flashed out of the endless sword shadows. Wan Guiyi’s real body rushed forth, unleashing a stunning strike toward Wu Xiaofan’s ribs. It cut through the ki around Wu Xiaofan at a visible rate, thrusting toward his ribs.
However, Wu Xiaofan reacted quickly too. His palm slammed against the side of the sword, redirecting it to one side. Then, he kicked into the air, widening the gap between them.
Wan Guiyi didn’t chase after him, instead standing in place with his sword. He said coldly, “You won’t be my match if you still refuse to use a weapon.”
…
Qiu Honglei couldn"t help but say mockingly, “Master, I’ve discovered that these disciples all have something wrong with their heads. They clearly have the advantage, and yet they don’t press the attack and just love to show off. It’s so inflexible and stupid.”
Yun Jianyue replied, “That might be true for the others, and if they waste their chances and die as a result, they deserve it. But this Wan Guiyi is fully devoted to the sword. He looks down on winning through flukes, which is what makes his sword so formidable, and his future achievements potentially limitless. Of course, he has his flaws too. If he encounters a Devil Sect opponent, he’ll just die prematurely without fully realizing his talent.”
…
Back on the stage, Wu Xiaofan sighed and said, “Previously, I felt that because Brother Wan was injured, it wasn’t too appropriate for me to use a weapon. However, I didn’t expect you to be so strong, leaving me at a disadvantage as a result.”
As he spoke, he suddenly lowered his palms, before slowly raising them again. A golden light flew out from his abdomen. When the light scattered, it revealed a toothpick floating in front of him. It was pointing in Wan Guiyi’s direction.
Wu Xiaofan said with a serious expression, “Mine is very big. You’ll have to endure it.”
1. Chuunibyou is a j.a.panese colloquial term typically used to describe early teens who have grandiose delusions, who desperately want to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. ☜