Chapter 161 - Fat Lambs
Indeed, he lived up to his name as the best disciple of one of the top three sects.
It was uncountable how many better-than-average Harmonization Realm disciples there were here that put themselves into Qi Zining"s situation, and the results…
He"s too fast! There isn"t even time to unravel any of his strategies.
It reminded Lu Mingshu of the strengthening seal that could freeze the opponent"s mystic force.
If she still had that with her, she might"ve still had a small chance of winning over Wei Chunqiu. Without it…
Nine Jade Palace had really declined too much. During the recent Heavenly Door compet.i.tion, Kuai Xin was said to have a good chance to break through to the Spirit Realm in a few years" time, similar to Wei Chunqiu. However, the difference in their actual ability was huge. With Lu Mingshu"s current ability, she had a 70-80% of defeating Kuai Xin, but if she went against Wei Chunqiu, it probably wasn"t even 20%.
After Wei Chunqiu kick-started the compet.i.tion, other disciples from the strong sects started to submit their names as well.
One by one, the names were announced. Each time any of them went on stage, there would be disciples cheering loudly for them, and as they fought, they proved themselves worthy of those cheers.
During the fourth day, the challenger"s fight had entered a weird stage.
Despite all the experts coming up to challenge, the matches weren"t as interesting as the first three days.
The matches ended too quickly because of the huge difference between the two fighters" abilities.
Not even a day had pa.s.sed before there was a huge change to the name list.
The names who were in the higher ranks during the first three days could no longer be seen on the list as they were replaced by famous names.
That"s how it should be! Most of the spectators looked at the list with satisfaction.
The Qilin Festival - a gathering of the best - should be like this.
"Yu Chen from Fallen Skies Valley challenging Lu Mingshu from Nine Jade Palace!"
Silence took over the venue as the two names were announced.
"What the h.e.l.l?" somebody muttered in irritation. "Can"t they just let us watch the good matches in peace?"
His fellow disciple patted him on the shoulder and shook his head. "You"re stupid. Yu Chen from Fallen Skies Valley is unlike those previous random guys."
"Fallen Skies Valley… Yu Chen…. Oh! Isn"t he the…?" the guy gasped as he realized who it was.
Fallen Skies Valley was situated in Bei Ming, and they were the best sect there. Thus, Yu Chen could be considered quite well-known.
He wasn"t as good as Yue Lingyin, but he wasn"t far either. He entered the Harmonization Realm seven years ago, and he was the best disciple in Fallen Skies Valley.
In other words, he was more-or-less expected to be in the New Generation Ranking. Even if he didn"t get in, he would only be a few ranks short.
Him challenging Lu Mingshu was no doubt for a different reason than the previous challengers - a real fight.
"Yu Chen?" In Amethyst Phoenix Pavilion"s tent, Yue Lingyin narrowed her eyes to get a better look. "That guy certainly has issues, eh?"
Her straightforwardness left her junior sister speechless. "Senior Sister Yue…" That"s another sect"s best disciple, can"t you give him some face?
"Hey, everyone"s busy trying to gain marks right now and yet he"s challenging Lu Mingshu. Either he lost his mind, or he never had one in the first place."
"Senior Sister, look at the list…."
After half a day had pa.s.sed, most people"s rankings and points had dropped, except for Lu Mingshu, who was still in the same position as the previous day. In other words, her points were way higher than anyone else present.
Yue Lingyin widened her eyes in surprise. "Huh? So he wants to get points from her?"
Duh. Her junior sister rolled her eyes.
But the next moment, she heard Yue Lingyin slamming the table happily. "See! He definitely has issues! Who would choose Lu Mingshu out of so many opponents? Haha, let"s see how he dies!"
In the other tents, people were similarly shocked, but the only one who would be as straightforward as Yue Lingyin was Qi Sheng.
"He must be the most idiotic human being ever!" Qi Sheng exclaimed.
Kou Wei hit him hard on the head. "Watch your language."
"I am just stating the facts!" Qi Sheng pouted. "Hasn"t he watched the matches during the past three days? Isn"t it enough to show that Miss Lu is good? He should be careful not to cry when he loses, it will be so embarra.s.sing, haha."
Kou Wei sighed. "You can"t look at it that way. Miss Lu"s points right now are enough to make people"s eyes green with envy. If she wins a few more rounds later on, she will be able to get into the New Generation Ranking. If she"s lucky and n.o.body challenges her from this point on, she might be able to get into the New Generation Ranking with just what she has now. The person who wants to take her down didn"t expect this, but she fought a lot of matches during the past three days."
"But her power…"
"Somewhere around Bo Zhong"s," Kou Wei said. "Yes, she"s good, but she"s only been in the Harmonization Realm for a year! You can only be good to a certain extent without strong basics. Furthermore, there"s no doubt that she"s not in her best state right now. Yu Chen definitely has a better chance of winning this."
With all of the current conditions surrounding Lu Mingshu, some would dare to fight her, and Yu Chen in particular was the adventurous type.
Lu Mingshu went up on stage slowly.
Yu Chen"s appearance deviated from his name. He was young - either twenty-two or twenty-three - and he looked decent, but the way he walked and acted made him look like a gangster.
"Oh, Miss Lu, I finally get to meet you." Yu Chen bowed and winked at her. "I"m called Yu Chen, the successor disciple of Fallen Skies Valley, and my master is Zuo Hufa. I"m the second eldest among the disciples, and I"m twenty-three this year. I"m still single and currently looking for a partner. I like gentle and caring girls, like-"
"So, nothing like me then?" Lu Mingshu cut him off.
Yu Chen laughed out loud. "Oh no, absolutely like you."
"Gentle and caring?" Lu Mingshu sneered.
"Miss may seem to be an icy beauty, but your true personality is something that most can"t see…."
"Enough." Lu Mingshu held up her hand. Just as nagging as Yu Kuang. "Games are unnecessary because they have no effect on me."
Think that I"m easy? Don"t be stupid. Xie Lianzhen"s acting was excellent, and she could still see through him, so who was this Yu Chen?
Lu Mingshu furrowed her eyebrows. She felt a bit irritated. This will be a tough match; I must stay focused.
"Miss, why won"t you give me a chance?" Yu Chen smiled cheekily. "I"m really interested in you!"
"Hah!" Lu Mingshu sneered. She fished out her sword and pointed at him. "Shut up and start."
She used the Physical Manifestation of Sword Intent as soon as the match started. The sword energy rushed up to the sky like a dragon and dashed toward Yu Chen.
"Miss Lu, I am not even done!" Yu Chen realized it and got into his ready position. "In that case, let"s just talk when the fight is over, okay? Haish."
The sword energy dash toward him.
Yu Chen swayed his weapons and enlarged his mystic light, creating a s.h.i.+eld.
In a normal scenario, he would be able to block the attack. However, when the sword energy clashed with the s.h.i.+eld, Yu Chen"s hand felt sore.
He felt like he was being pinched, and the s.h.i.+eld already had holes in it.
Chapter 162 - How Did She do it?
Among the bustle, Yu Chen waved his weapons and dodged the attack.
"Miss Lu, you have quite a few surprises, eh?" Yu Chen panted. "What special technique are you using now?"
He was filled with curiosity now. Before he decided to challenge Lu Mingshu, he had researched about her first. Her ability, potential, ways of fighting, and skills that she used. He even went to talk to her opponents one by one.
Xing Kun swore that she had learned a special skill that could freeze the other party"s mystic force. Xing Kun said that he was unable to control his limbs after fighting with her.
But her other opponents mentioned nothing about this skill, and one of them even accused Xing Kun of lying; if she really did have such a skill, it would have been an easy fight against Cai Zheng, so why did she struggle so much?
Now, Yu Chen was personally fighting against her, and the skill that Xing Kun mentioned wasn"t shown. However, she was certainly using some kind of new skill now.
He still didn"t know how she pierced through his mystic force s.h.i.+eld so easily.
Of course, Lu Mingshu wouldn"t tell him. She spun around, and the mystic light froze in the middle of the air and shot up.
Yu Chen had no choice but to go up against her.
His weapons had long blades that were almost as long as a rifle. They were best used for piercing attacks from far away, and since they were a pair, they were rather strong.
A dim golden mystic light moved in the direction that Yu Chen was waving his weapons.
One of the spectators sighed. "This elite is indeed different. Look at his mystic light, it"s so solid! He must have used a lot of effort to achieve that."
Compared to Yu Chen, Lu Mingshu"s mystic light was just as bright as his, but it wasn"t as solid as his. It was unavoidable; no matter how talented she was, compared to the time and effort that Yu Chen put in, her talent was insufficient to cover up her loss of only entering the Harmonization Realm a year ago.
Boom!
Both rays of mystic light clashed.
Yu Chen"s ray of light shone brighter and became thicker.
"Lu Mingshu"s actions aren"t very wise. Yu Chen is different from all her previous opponents. He has a higher chance of winning; Lu Mingshu is very skilled with a sword but weaker in other areas, while Yu Chen is equally good in every aspect-"
Before the sentence could be completed, Yu Chen"s mystic light started flickering, and it almost cracked.
"What"s happening?" Squeals could be heard from the tents.
Lu Mingshu"s mystic light enlarged and seized the chance to break Yu Chen"s mystic light.
Yu Chen stepped back urgently.
The hooligan-like smile on his face disappeared, and he stared intensely at the girl standing in front of him.
What"s happening? Her mystic force was incomparable to his, but it was oddly sharp. When their mystic light met, her light pierced right through his.
The previous time, his defense was pierced through because he was completely unprepared. This time around, Yu Chen had already taken his precautions, but his light was still nearly pierced through.
Unbelievable. How can a person change their skillset every single day? Did she learn a bunch of different skills just to get into the New Generation Ranking?
"Miss is indeed surprising," Yu Chen started. "I see that I have kicked an iron board today.
Lu Mingshu looked at him coldly. "Sir, why aren"t you taking out all of your ability? Or is it just this?"
Yu Chen sneered and smiled cheekily. "Well, I like your honesty. Bring it on!"
After he finished his sentence, Yu Chen changed his position. He gripped his weapons and leapt into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the mystic light became as thin as a string and sprinkled all over the stage, encasing it like a spiderweb.
Elites were indeed different. In no time, Yu Chen immediately found a new way to tackle Lu Mingshu; if a s.h.i.+eld didn"t work, then just make the mystic light into a web!
"Such a powerful mystic force!" The spectators gasped in awe.
Like thousands of propitious vapors, the mystic lights hung from the air, enclosing Lu Mingshu and forcing her to the edge.
However, Lu Mingshu didn"t hide. She swayed her sword to the back, and a chime could be heard before she rushed up.
Both of them were fast, and the mystic light flashed across the stage like lightning.
The spectators had a fun time watching them.
This match is so interesting to watch! The skills are so fancy!
With Yu Chen"s strong and stable basics and Lu Mingshu"s masterful sword skills, their fight against each other was fascinating.
"Senior Brother, who do you think will win?" Qi Sheng asked.
The match had already been going for quite a while, yet he still couldn"t tell. Yu Chen was way better than he expected, which was bad for Lu Mingshu.
Kou Wei bit his lips and shook his head. "I don"t know."
"Even you don"t know?"
Kou Wei laughed gently. "That"s what makes it a good match! If one can already predict the results, then what"s the point of competing?"
"But…"
"Let"s put it this way," Kou Wei started after thinking deeply for a while. "Yu Chen is equally good in every aspect, and he does not have any weakness. If he"s lucky, he will be in the New Generation Ranking."
"So do you think he will win?" Qi Sheng asked anxiously.
Kou Wei laughed. "I haven"t finished my words! Yu Chen is a predictable opponent, but Lu Mingshu isn"t."
For example, the match with Xing Kun. The gap in their abilities was small, but she was at a loss due to lack of experience. However, Lu Mingshu was able to find ways to overcome it. For example, she won the match with Cai Zheng because of her perseverance. Her opponents were all strong, it was just that she was smart enough to get herself out of trouble and win the match. She even came back stronger than before.
It was said that she also performed in this way during the Heavenly Door compet.i.tion. There were two opponents who were much more capable than her, but they still lost to her eventually. One was due to being too focused on showing off his skills, while the other was because he underestimated her.
So even though Lu Mingshu didn"t have much chance of winning now, Kou Wei didn"t dare to confirm that she would definitely lose.
After he finished his sentence, he could hear the other spectators gasping in awe.
"Five Morning Sun Summit. That"s Five Morning Sun Summit!"
Kou Wei looked across the stage to see Yu Chen hanging in the middle of the air. As he waved his weapons, the mystic lines shone across the whole venue brightly.
Five Morning Sun Summit - the secret skill of Fallen Skies Valley.
It worked by solidifying mystic light into five b.a.l.l.s, which would then release a huge energy wave.
Under normal situations, this skill could only be mastered if one had reached the Spirit Realm, but Yu Chen had already mastered it.
Did Yu Chen make the right choice to challenge Lu Mingshu? Is he about to take away the most points in one go? Lu Mingshu might be in trouble….
A sword energy rose up into the air and abruptly broke Kou Wei"s train of thoughts. The energy tossed and turned in midair as if it was a dragon.
Kou Wei was stunned. That"s not right. Lu Mingshu isn"t capable of doing this. How can she manage something like that?
Before he could realize what exactly was going on, the sword energy enveloped the five b.a.l.l.s and suppressed them.
Boom!
The sword energy and the five b.a.l.l.s exploded.
When the mystic light had dispersed, Lu Mingshu took a few steps back.
However, Yu Chen was crouching on the ground and vomiting blood.
Chapter 163 - Not the Best Partner
Cough!
After a while, Yu Chen managed to stand up straight.
"Do you wish to continue?" Lu Mingshu asked.
He shook his head. "I still have the strength, but since I"m not as skillful, then so be it."
Lu Mingshu nodded and got off the stage.
"Miss Lu."
She stopped in her tracks.
"Could you tell me what skills you learned?" Yu Chen looked at her with curiosity. There were only a few seconds before he was about to win; why did the tables turn so suddenly? He was well aware of her abilities, yet she was able to acc.u.mulate more mystic energy than theoretically possible for her within a split second. Yu Chen had trained for so long, yet this was the first time he had seen such a skill that enabled one to increase their amount of mystic energy in such a short time.
"Yes! What did you do?" the spectators shouted.
They also didn"t know what was going on. Yu Chen was the one who should"ve been winning.
"Sir is much more powerful than me, so it"s true that I should"ve lost."
"I know. So?" Yu Chen hurried her.
"So I kept a bit of mystic energy every time I attacked."
"Kept?" Yu Chen scratched his head. "Kept where?"
Lu Mingshu kept quiet. She couldn"t possibly reply that it was all because of her strengthening seal, which allowed her sword to resonate with her mystic energy, or that she had learned a special meditation technique from the Heavenly Wheel.
When Yu Chen used the Five Morning Sun Summit, Lu Mingshu used the mystic energy she had stored to increase her power by double. That"s why she could overcome Yu Chen"s strong skill.
Yu Chen understood the idea soon. "Oh, so it"s like that…."
The method was logical and easy to think of, but the difficult part was… where did she store the mystic energy and how did she ensure that she didn"t lose it in the process? That wasn"t something that a normal person could do. Even though Yu Chen was unsatisfied with the result, he couldn"t find anything else to doubt Lu Mingshu on.
"Okay, I concede defeat. Miss is indeed surprising. I hope we get to go against each other another time." He bowed and went back to his tent.
On the other hand, Qi Sheng heaved a sigh of relief. "See, I told you he"s an idiot. A free win for Lu Mingshu."
Kou Wei shook his head. "Yu Chen didn"t really lose anything either. It"s his first match. No big deal if he lost."
"But he"s injured…."
"A minor matter. He will still be able to defeat others." Kou Wei pointed to the name list. "The only downside is that he didn"t get to take advantage of Lu Mingshu"s huge amount of points."
Kou Wei said while jotting down an opponent"s name and pa.s.sing it to the clerk.
After the interesting match between Lu Mingshu and Yu Chen, the rest of the matches of day four were all dull. It was nothing but elites getting easy points from the fat lambs.
Lu Mingshu joined in the contest too.
Now, it was her turn to challenge others. After defeating Yu Chen, she went on winning the subsequent matches and swept away everything before her.
Night arrived. In the main palace, a name list with points recorded was placed in front of the queen.
Lu Mingshu: 58 points. She was on the first row.
Followed by Wei Chunqiu: 42 points and Kou Wei: 40 points.
After so many Qilin festival, this was only the third time such a thing had happened.
The first two times was because there was a very talented martial artist that was stronger than all other compet.i.tors. Lu Mingshu was also a talent, but there were plenty of compet.i.tors stronger than her.
Ding Qingqing came in with a bowl of soup. "Your Highness, please take a rest first."
The queen sighed and placed the name list aside.
"It"s been a long time since this has happened," she commented
"Yes." Ding Qingqing smiled. "The previous time… was about sixty years ago?"
"Yes! We weren"t even born back then."
"But this won"t last long. Kou Wei and Wei Chunqiu still haven"t gone up against her yet."
The queen finished her supper silently and washed up before continuing. "Have you asked about Wei Chunqiu yet?"
"Yes." Ding Qingqing nodded. "It was said that when State Master Jia Yan got in the way of Miss Lu, Wei Chunqiu was there, and Lu Mingshu did something that made him happy, so he promised to go easy on her."
"I see. Hmm." Instead of happiness, worry could be seen in the queen"s eyes.
Seeing her reaction, Ding Qingqing asked carefully, "This makes you worried?"
"I"m in a dilemma." The queen sighed. "It"s obvious that this child has a lot on her mind, and she"s unhappy with her life."
"Do you think this is bad for Young Master?"
The queen nodded. "Xing"er… he"s unhappy too. Since Master died, he has never smiled genuinely. After I forced him to be the Alioth Star Lord, it"s as if he"s always wearing a mask. He"s always Xie Lianzhen, never Xie Xingchen. Even in front of me…."
"Young Master just needs more time…."
The queen smiled bitterly. "It"s fine, Qingqing. He does not need more time to think things through when he has already seen it all. Before he turned twelve, I could feel his hatred toward me. After twelve, I couldn"t feel anything from him." Her eyes turned as dark as the night. "Sometimes, I would rather he hate me, because at least that would show that he still has feelings toward me. But… he never calls me mother, and that"s because I"ve never felt like his mother. He has always felt like he"s an orphan…."
"How could this be Your Highness" fault? You are unwilling too."
"It"s not about having no choice, it"s just me pus.h.i.+ng away responsibilities." The queen sighed. "I don"t blame him; I"m the one that gave up on having him as my son, and he"s totally aware of that too. That"s why he never comes and I never ask him to."
At times, the queen felt that she was the biggest failure. She was able to control all of Zhongzhou, yet she was unable to control her own son. To him, she was nothing but another stranger that he could use for his own benefits.
The queen fidgeted with the paper. "Even though I have failed as a mother, I still want him to live happily. This girl has too much unhappiness; she can"t be together with Xing"er."
"But that"s what Young Master wants."
"Yes. What he wants…." The queen lowered her head. "I feel like I am getting further and further from him. I can"t tell what it is that he wants from this girl. And seeing Lu Mingshu"s performance… I"m shocked, and I don"t dare to force her anymore."
"Your Highness…." Ding Qingqing looked at her in shock. "You think marrying Xing"er is not good for her?"
"She"s so hardworking only because she"s unwilling to marrying Xing"er, and since she"s just as pessimistic as Xing"er, how will they benefit from being with each other?"
"But, Young Master…"
The queen closed the name list. "Let"s wait then. Hopefully, Xing"er will change his mind.