Chapter 217: It’s a Draw
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: GaiaNove
Silence.
The entire place turned silent.
Everyone"s mouth was widened in astonishment, all of them dumbfounded.
Shen Bi Ru, who just claimed that w.a.n.g Ying would lose, felt as though she had been slapped hard in her face. Her deep, black eyes were about to pop out from their sockets.
"A single kick... and she sent Du Lei flying? How... How did she know which were shadow clones, and which was the real one?"
Given Du Lei"s speed, even expert cultivators of the same realm would find it hard to discern the real person. Yet, a casual kick from w.a.n.g Ying sent him flying a distance, as though she was simply kicking a mere human bound in a sack.
"Not only does she have to differentiate between the shadow clones and the true person, the speed of her kick must be that much faster than Du Lei. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to injure him if her attacks are unable to keep up with him."
Han Qiong"s face turned grim. "It appears that not only has w.a.n.g Ying"s injury recovered, she had also learned an incredible leg technique and movement technique."
"Indeed!"
Shen Bi Ru also recovered from her shock.
This wasn"t just a matter of seeing through the enemy"s movement technique. Without suitable battle techniques in complement, how could she have sent him flying that easily?
"This..." w.a.n.g Chao grabbed his hair.
He had just insulted the other party as a fool, and the next moment, she sent Du Lei flying with a kick. w.a.n.g Chao felt as though he had been toyed with.
Just beside him, Elder Hong Hao looked as though he had been given a tight slap as well and he was on the verge of tears.
Initially, he was here to see Zhang Xuan get humiliated in public. Yet, somehow, he ended up watching how Zhang Xuan"s reputation grew increasingly brilliant and Lu Xun getting beaten so terribly instead.
"Cough cough cough!"
On the side of the dueling ring, Lu Xun choked on his saliva and nearly fell to the ground.
Elder Hong Hao was on the verge of tears, but Lu Xun was already crying.
What exactly is going on?
That is the Illusory Shadows Nine Celestial Steps, and there was no mistake in Du Lei"s execution at all. Even though Du Lei is still a way off from reaching his level of mastery, to be able to display this kind of mastery at Zhenqi realm, he can already be considered as a genius!
Such amazing execution of a formidable movement technique, and yet Du Lei was sent flying with a single kick?
More importantly...
The girl on the stage had reddened eyes, and she kept apologizing, saying that she had accidentally used too much force...
Too much force your head!
So the reason why you were hesitating wasn"t that you were at a loss, but you were considering how to avoid wounding the other party heavily?
If holding back your strength sent the other party flying a dozen meters, wouldn"t he be killed if you had used your full strength?
The spectators all went hysterical. On the stage, Du Lei finally struggled to his feet. Looking at the apologetic girl before him, he couldn"t take the mental blow and spurted another mouthful of blood.
"Are you alright... I really didn"t do it intentionally... I just learned the battle technique, so I can"t control my strength well and used too much force..."
w.a.n.g Ying"s eyes turned red.
"Used too much strength your head!"
Roaring, Du Lei charged toward w.a.n.g Ying.
He was truly enraged.
It is one thing if you had sent me flying with a single kick, but apologizing? Are you trying to humiliate me?
Furthermore, she kept emphasizing that she had used too much force... Do you think that I am too fragile, not worthy of facing you at your full strength?
"Ah?"
w.a.n.g Ying didn"t expect that her sincere apology would result in the other party charging toward her. She was frightened pale.
Even though her cultivation is higher than Zheng Yang and Liu Yang, she doesn’t have much battle experience. Not to mention, she has an excessively kind nature. Seeing the other party charge toward her, she naturally became terrified.
In a moment of panic, she retreated thoughtlessly.
Hu!
Magically, within the blink of an eye, she was already a dozen meters away.
"What?"
"Traveling a dozen meters in the blink of an eye? Wha... What is that movement technique?"
"Too fast! How can this be possible?"
...
Upon witnessing the maneuver, the crowd turned silent abruptly for a brief moment before bursting into an uproar.
Everyone had considered the Illusory Shadows Nine Celestial Step to be already one of the most formidable movement technique. Yet, to think that w.a.n.g Ying"s technique would be even more fearsome.
To travel more than a dozen meters in less than half a breath, the entire event felt like a supernatural occurrence.
Even Pixue realm experts are incapable of such speed.
How did she do it?
"It is impossible for the w.a.n.g Clan to possess such a movement technique. If they had it, they would have long become famous..."
"Indeed. But if it isn"t the w.a.n.g Clan, from whom did she learn the technique?"
"It must be Zhang laos.h.i.+. Didn"t Zheng Yang"s formidable spear art come from Zhang laos.h.i.+ as well?"
"To impart such an incredible movement technique so readily? If that"s true, I want to withdraw from my tutelage and come under Zhang laos.h.i.+!"
"Count me in as well..."
...
The eyes of the spectators burned with pa.s.sion.
Spear art is a specialized art, and not everyone is interested in it. However, movement techniques are different. This can serve as a mean of survival, as well as a trump card. If one can master it, even when facing an expert far superior to them, he will at least have the ability to flee unharmed.
Who wouldn"t want to learn such a powerful and handy battle technique?
"I will defeat you..."
Seeing w.a.n.g Ying travel a dozen meters in the blink of an eye, Du Lei felt faint. However, rage had already overtaken his rationality and without any care, he charged forward once more.
"AH!"
Seeing the other party"s savage expression, as well as the crimson blood flowing down the ends of his lips, w.a.n.g Ying felt terrified. Her legs pushed against the ground and she fled once more.
Just like that, one chased while one fled.
"Seems that her character is simply too weak. I will have polish up her personality in the future."
Taking in the sight before him, Zhang Xuan shook his head.
If met with this situation, putting Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, and Yuan Tao aside, even Zhao Ya would have immediately sent Du Lei flying. Even if he didn"t die, he would find to stand up once more.
But w.a.n.g Ying, on the other hand, fled from him.
It was due to her weak personality which led to such a situation.
It seems that her greatest flaw isn"t her cultivation or her battle technique, but her battle experience.
"Heaven"s Path Movement Art saps one"s stamina greatly. It might be okay to execute it once or twice, but any more than that would be difficult!"
Heaven"s Path Movement Art allows one to move at amazing speeds and travel a dozen meters in the blink of an eye. Even so, it has its own flaws.
That is, it exerts greatly on one"s stamina.
w.a.n.g Ying might be able to escape like this once or twice, but she will eventually be caught by the enemy if this goes on.
And as Zhang Xuan expected, w.a.n.g Ying started sweating profusely and panting heavily, unable to move anymore.
At this moment, she had also been forced to the corner of the ring by the other party.
Huala!
Du Lei ran forward and grabbed her arm, "Even if I can"t win, I won"t allow you to win..."
Roaring, he leaped forward, pulling her along with him.
"You..."
Not expecting that the other party would resort to such tricks, forcefully pulling her out of the ring, w.a.n.g Ying panicked and sent another kick toward him.
Hu!
As though a rubber ball, Du Lei was immediately sent flying. In the midair, he was unable to keep his balance and flipped several turns before landing at a distance thirty meters away.
Putong!
However, right after kicking the other party, w.a.n.g Ying, having drained the final bit of stamina she had left, fell from the dueling ring as well.
Both parties had fallen from the dueling ring and landed on the ground at nearly the same moment. As such, the conclusion was... a draw!
Du Lei knew that he would be unable to defeat w.a.n.g Ying in a straightforward battle. As such, he charged forward ferociously, pulling her down with him.
However, w.a.n.g Ying"s counterattack was also fearsome. Having sent the other party flying thirty meters away, even if Du Lei doesn’t die, he would be confined to his bed for at least two months.
"This... This is cheating!"
"Too shameless..."
"He obviously isn"t a match for her, yet he tried to pull the other party down to the ground. He deserves that kick..."
"How can one be so shameless? He’s even worse than Yuan Tao!"
A commotion broke out beneath the stage.
Everyone could tell that Du Lei"s action was no different from shameless cheating.
While the teachers’ reputations are at stake, the Teacher Evaluation is actually just a friendly spar between students. It was clear that his movement technique and leg technique were inferior to the other party, yet he forcefully used his superior strength, as a male, to drag the other party down with him. In their eyes, it was an exceedingly shameless action.
Thus, everyone thought that he deserved to be sent flying... There wasn"t a single person who felt sympathy for him.
Hearing those curses, Yuan Tao became speechless. He hadn’t said anything, so why did he suddenly get targeted as well?
Who are you saying is shameless? You"re the one who is shameless, your entire family is shameless...
"Both landed on the ground at the same time, draw!"
Hearing the arguments, the refereeing teacher began to feel a headache. Even so, he nodded his head and announced his verdict.
Even though Du Lei"s actions lacked sportsmans.h.i.+p, it was true that the both parties had landed at the same time, so the match could only be considered as a draw.
"Teacher..."
Upon hearing the conclusion, w.a.n.g Ying turned to look at Zhang Xuan with an apologetic look.
Zhang laos.h.i.+ had given her so much, treating her legs and imparting her a leg technique and movement technique. Yet... She wasn"t able to defeat her opponent and bring honor to Zhang laos.h.i.+. She felt as though she had disappointed him.
"Don"t worry, just take note of this in the future. Don"t let it bother you." Zhang Xuan nodded his head. "It is negligence on my part as well. What you"re lacking isn"t your cultivation or your battle techniques, it is your character."
"Thank you, teacher!"
Seeing that Zhang laos.h.i.+ didn"t blame her, and on the contrary, he even consoled her, w.a.n.g Ying felt even more embarra.s.sed. However, the result couldn"t be changed, so she could only walk gloomily over to the other students.
If Du Lei saw her expression, he would have gone insane immediately.
Your kick caused me to be groaning in pain here, unable to move at all, yet you are feeling depressed... The one who should be depressed is me!
"Zhang laos.h.i.+ won two consecutive rounds and achieved a draw for one. It is already impossible for him to lose the Teacher Evaluation anymore."
"Indeed. Even if Lu laos.h.i.+ wins the next two rounds, it would only result in a draw."
"Let"s see how thing unfold. I don"t think that Lu laos.h.i.+"s students stand a good chance against the other remaining students of Zhang laos.h.i.+."
"I think so too. Initially, I thought that Zhang laos.h.i.+ would suffer a crus.h.i.+ng defeat. Yet, to think that... Lu laos.h.i.+ would be the one under pressure. What is going on?"
...
Even though they felt that Du Lei"s actions were too shameless, they quickly accepted and got over that fact.
This was how the rules were. Even though it seemed unfair, there was nothing they could do about it.
But here comes the problem.
Of the five duels, Zhang laos.h.i.+ had achieved two wins and one draw, so all of the pressure is now on Lu laos.h.i.+. If Lu laos.h.i.+ were to lose the next match, there would be no need for the fifth one.
On the other hand, if Lu laos.h.i.+ were to win the remaining two, it would be a draw for the Teacher Evaluation. This would be the best possible conclusion, given how both sides would retain their dignity.
Upon thinking so, the crowd focused their gazes on Lu Xun immediately, interested to see who he would send out next.
"I can"t lose anymore... I started this Teacher Evaluation to display my skills, and if I were to lose another round, I will be too embarra.s.sed to meet anyone in the future..."
Lu Xun gritted his teeth.
Since the crowd was able to comprehend the current situation, it was natural that Lu Xun would understand it as well.
If he were to lose, not only would he lose the reputation that he had painstakingly built up, he might even become a laughingstock.
"Zhu Hong had once lost to Zhao Ya. Even though his cultivation has improved, he might still hold a trauma over that event. If I were to send him out, I can"t guarantee his victory... I should have Bai Chao go up! He specializes in fist techniques and it shouldn"t be a problem for him to deal with Liu Yang."
Making up his mind, Lu Xun beckoned.
Bai Chao stood out from the crowd and took big steps to the dueling ring.
"It"s my turn!"
Upon seeing Bai Chao walk up to the stage, Liu Yang chuckled softly. Before Zhang Xuan could say anything, he had already stepped into the ring to face his opponent.