Chapter 596: Sword Duel
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Wei Changqing found himself standing on the brink of insanity. It was just a moment ago that he offered such a huge incentive to Beryline Spirit Beast for it to resist the other party"s taming.
And yet... in the blink of an eye, it had already betrayed him. Isn"t there a mistake somewhere?
If the other party had offered something beyond him, such as a higher-tier spirit beast blood essence, Wei Changqing would have conceded. But what the other party offered was a resounding slap instead...
Where did the pride you had when I tamed you go? Do you have any dignity?
"Beryline Spirit Beast, what are you doing? Have you already forgotten that you"re my spirit beast?"
Blood rushed to Wei Changqing"s head as his face reddened in rage. Roaring loudly, he stomped forward.
As my spirit beast, how can you kneel and fawn over another? If even this could be tolerated, there would be nothing in the world that couldn"t be tolerated!
Hu!
But before he could get close, a gigantic claw suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Peng!
Kicked squarely in his chest, Wei Changqing was sent flying backward, and blood spurted wildly from his mouth.
"You..."
Wei Changqing was frenzied. The one who struck him wasn"t anyone else but his own tamed beast!
To think that he would be kicked by his own tamed beast while giving it a piece of his mind. It seemed like the latter had really betrayed him...
I spent two years to tame you, and the money I spent on you is sufficient to build even a castle. And yet...
Just the thought of it caused another mouthful of blood to spurt from Wei Changqing"s mouth.
Big Brother, isn"t this going a little too far...
"Zhang s.h.i.+... managed to tame Beryline Spirit Beast?"
"Furthermore, with just a single slap?"
...
While Wei Changqing was busy spewing blood, the crowd spectating the commotion also felt as though their heads were bursting apart. The sight before them was simply too inconceivable for them to accept.
Was this a supernatural encounter, a paranormal sight, or an occult occurrence?
With just a single slap, Zhang s.h.i.+ actually managed to tame Beryline Spirit Beast to the point that it didn"t even recognize its own master anymore, even kicking the latter away...
Why did it sound so fantastical?
"So this is... Zhang s.h.i.+"s Beast Pummeling Taming Method?"
Pavilion Master Kang, Su s.h.i.+, and the others found their lips twitching uncontrollably.
When they heard of it from Zhao Ya, they took it with a tinge of skepticism; after all, the very notion of it was simply too ridiculous. But upon seeing it, they realized that it was even more ridiculous and fearsome than what they had imagined.
To make a spirit beast betray its master and become subservient to one with a single slap, how in the world does this work?
"How humiliating!"
The various elders from Zijin Sect grasped their faces once more.
"Cough cough, you don"t need to kowtow anymore. I"ll take you in as my tamed beast!"
After Beryline Spirit Beast kicked Wei Changqing away, it started kowtowing profusely, in fear of being rejected.
Roar!
Seeing that the other party had agreed to it, Beryline Spirit Beast stood up, walked over to the edge of the stage, and stood beside Demon Cinque Beast as though an underling. Indescribable excitement glowed in its eyes. With a proud gaze, it glanced at Wei Changqing, whose face was trickling with blood.
"..."
Wei Changqing clutched at his own chest, stifled.
It was only at this moment that it suddenly struck him-the reason why Zhang s.h.i.+ kept asking him if he was certain. It wasn"t that the other party was unconfident... the other party was just afraid that he would be humiliated too badly.
If only he"d known, he wouldn"t have clutched on to his pride and defied the words of his sect elders. He would have just admitted defeat obediently.
Not only did he lose his storage ring and spirit beast blood essence, his sole tamed beast even betrayed him. In just a single duel, he had lost all of his wealth...
Just as he was thinking this, Zhang s.h.i.+"s voice suddenly sounded. "Does this count as my victory?
"If you still have any disagreements, we can go another round..."
"There"s no need for it! I admit defeat." Wei Changqing face paled in fright, and he hurriedly shook his head.
Go another round?
Just a single round could put me in such a tragic state. If I were to go another round, who knows whether I would be alive by the end of it or not.
Seeing the other party admit his defeat, Zhang Xuan smiled in satisfaction. Then, he turned to Demon Cinque Beast and gestured.
"Demon Cinque, return his possessions to him!"
"Roar?"
Demon Cinque Beast"s face was filled with indignation, but eventually, it still returned the jade bottle and the storage ring.
"This..."
Wei Changqing was taken aback.
Demon Cinque Beast had stolen these from him in the midst of his beast taming, and after his shameful actions, there would be no one who would protest even if Zhang s.h.i.+ were to take these things for his own. But to his surprise, Zhang s.h.i.+ actually chose to have it returned to him.
"Demon Cinque is lacking in propriety so do pardon him for his actions. It isn"t easy for you to accrue such wealth, so it is only right for me to return these to you!" Zhang Xuan said impa.s.sively.
"Zhang s.h.i.+..."
Wei Changqing"s eyes reddened.
This is what a true master teacher should be like!
To win, Wei Changqing had shown an unsporting att.i.tude and resorted to many underhanded tricks. Despite this, the other party overlooked it and defeated him honestly. On top of that, the other party didn"t fault him on his behavior either, going to the extent of even returning the confiscated goods...
This magnanimity... He felt as though he was nothing more than a clown. Compared to the other party, his actions were truly laughable.
"From now onward, I shall be Zhang s.h.i.+"s loyal follower. I"ll make anyone who dares to talk bad about him apologize!"
Clenching his fists tightly, Wei Changqing made a vow in his heart.
Formidable master teachers had their own followers as well. These followers would help to build the master teacher"s reputation and bring glory to his name.
To become a great master teacher respected throughout this vast continent, followers were a necessity.
Zhang Xuan couldn"t have expected that this casual whim of his would actually make this 4-star master teacher a follower of his.
Wei Changqing"s loss meant that Zhang Xuan had successfully progressed to the next round. Soon, the other stages also came to a conclusion, and the top eight candidates were out.
Luo Xuan and Liao Wuzhi, the two most popular contenders for the champion seat, were among the group. What that surprised Zhang Xuan was that Song Chao was also among the group. It seemed like even though the latter seemed a little dull-witted before him, he still possessed incredible capabilities.
With his help, Ruohuan gongzi was also within the group. However, the compet.i.tion was extremely intense at this stage, and it would be difficult for him to progress any further than this.
Hong s.h.i.+ soon announced the pairings of the next match.
"Alright, let"s begin the round to determine the top four. I"ll announce the matches now. On stage A, Jun Ruohuan of Myriad Kingdom Alliance will face Luo Xuan of Fleeting Cloud Sect. On stage B, Bi Jianghai of Gazing River Sect will be facing Song Chao of Blue Frost Sect... On stage D, Zhang Xuan of Myriad Kingdom Alliance will be facing Liao Wuzhi of Frigid Gale Sect!"
"Liao Wuzhi?"
Hearing the name of his opponent, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He had heard of this name before. It was the genius second to only Luo Xuan on the list of contenders for the champion seat.
He didn"t expect to meet him in the round to determine the top four.
"Zhang s.h.i.+, you must be careful of Liao Wuzhi. I"ve watched his previous matches, and all of them were physical duels. Furthermore, he won every single one of them with astounding might each time!"
Su s.h.i.+ stepped forward and said. "Take the last match where he fought against a candidate of White Helios Sect for example, with just three slashes of his sword, his opponent was no longer able to raise his arm anymore and was forced to surrender!"
"Three slashes?"
"Un. In the entire tournament, the maximum number of moves he made with his sword was only three slashes. In fact, in the first round, he didn"t even draw his sword. He was able to knock out his opponent with just the sheath itself," Su s.h.i.+ said with a grim expression.
Zhang Xuan"s previous matches coincided with Liao Wuzhi"s, and as such, he hadn"t really seen much of the other party"s duels.
"Even though he"s only at Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle, if my eyes fail me not... his true strength is comparable to even a Half-Consonant Spirit realm master teacher!" Su s.h.i.+ said.
Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
If what Su s.h.i.+ said was true, Liao Wuzhi was indeed formidable.
One must know that master teachers, with their keen eye of discernment and vast knowledge of cultivation in itself, are considered to be invincible within their power cla.s.s. To be able to defeat a master teacher of higher cultivation realm is an incredible feat in itself.
"It"s about to start!"
After discussing a moment longer, Zhang Xuan saw the other party walking over to the stage, and thus, he began walking over without any hesitation as well.
At this moment, the aura shrouding Liao Wuzhi seemed to have reached the peak. His very presence was reminiscent of the sharp edge of a sword.
As soon as Zhang Xuan stepped onto the stage, Liao Wuzhi immediately said, "Zhang s.h.i.+, I challenge you to a sword duel!"
"Sure. It just so happens that I"ve learnt a new sword art recently, and I"ve yet to try it out."
Zhang Xuan smiled lightly.
He didn"t say those words out of humility; those words were the absolute fact. Not only had he never used the sword art before, he had never even practiced it before.
In other words, he had only emulated the sword art in his mind ever since learning it. As such, he wasn"t sure about exactly how strong it would be.
And this sword art was the enhanced version of Heaven"s Path Sword Art that he tidied up on his way to the Glacier Plain Court.
The Heaven"s Path Sword Art, Heaven"s Path Spear Art, and other Heaven"s Path battle techniques started out as movements, but beyond that point, it was hinged mainly on conception. A difference in conception could result in vastly different results for the same set of movements.
As such, master swordsmen were able to train through their thoughts; they didn"t need to go through the physical motions with a sword in hand.
To have not executed a sword art that one has learned and not know how powerful it is... Zhang Xuan was probably the only one in the entire history of the world.
Seeing the other party agree to it, Liao Wuzhi smiled. Then, he turned to Hong s.h.i.+ and said, "Hong s.h.i.+, I"ve a request that I"d like to make!"
"Speak!" Hong s.h.i.+ nodded.
"I wish for a private duel with Zhang s.h.i.+. I hope that you can accede to my request!" Liao Wuzhi said.
"You want a private duel? Alright, I can agree to that!" Hong s.h.i.+ nodded.
Given that Zhang s.h.i.+ was a powerful adversary, the chances were that Liao Wuzhi would have to resort to his trump cards, and it was understandable why he wouldn"t want his trump cards to be exposed in public.
As such, his request was reasonable.
In any case, everyone here was a master teacher, and there was no one who would be so shameless as to deny their own loss.
Hu!
Hong s.h.i.+ snapped his fingers, and a mist immediately rose in stage D, hiding it from the sight of others. Even a Consonant Spirit realm expert would be unable to peer through it.
"It"s a pity that we"ll miss out on such an exciting duel!"
"Indeed. Liao Wuzhi possesses incredible apt.i.tude in swordsmans.h.i.+p while the depth to Zhang s.h.i.+"s ability has yet to be uncovered. I thought that I could learn some things from their duel, but it turns out they will be conducting it in private... How frustrating!"
"Then, who of the two do you think would win?"
"My bet is on Zhang s.h.i.+. There hasn"t been an opponent in the tournament who could match him so far. Liao s.h.i.+ might be powerful, but it is unlikely that he would be a match for him."
"I disagree with your view. Liao s.h.i.+"s apt.i.tude in swordsmans.h.i.+p could be said to be unmatched by any of his peers. It"s like you didn"t see the previous duels he had; there was no one who could withstand the immense might of his swordsmans.h.i.+p. Given how skilled Zhang s.h.i.+ is in fist art, he must have devoted most of his time to it. There is a good chance that he might be lacking in his swordsmans.h.i.+p!"
...
The most antic.i.p.ated duel ended up being a private one. Everyone couldn"t help but find it a huge pity.
"Shh, I think their duel... has already begun!"
Suddenly, someone amidst the crowd shouted. Following which, the guards and soldiers in the surroundings suddenly felt their swords in their hands shake, and an agitated metallic call sounded from their resonance.
"This is... Call of the Myriad Swords, Roar of the Dragons! But which of the two of them... has achieved Sword Heart realm?"