Chapter 11 I am a talented person
Very well, they're all formidable opponents. The capital city truly is a place of fierce competition, with one exceptionally talented individual on one side and a martial arts prodigy on the other. Fortunately, I'm no ordinary person either.
Lu Jinlan thought to himself, silently comforting himself: I have a cheat code, with cheat codes, I'm not afraid of anything.
She silently opened the system shop; she currently had over two thousand health points. The potent pill's effect only lasted half an hour, and it cost ten health points to exchange for one. Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth, scrolled the quantity to 99, and clicked confirm. Instantly losing nearly half of her health points, her pockets suddenly felt heavy.
The chief examiner has already drawn the first group of candidates, and the deputy examiner announced loudly on the stage: "The first to go on stage is Zuo Suizhi from Chengzhou, facing off against Chu Yishu from Shenjing."
Chu Yishu was the local student who provoked Xiang Ruzhen yesterday, and Zuo Suizhi sat behind Lu Jinlan. The two whose names were called went up on stage with their own weapons, and as soon as the gong sounded, the battle quickly escalated to a fever pitch.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Jinlan pulled out some "power pills" and stuffed them into her mouth, handful after handful. The other examinees looked at her in surprise. Lu Jinlan puffed out her cheeks and said, "What are you looking at? I didn't eat breakfast. I've never seen anyone eat supplements as a meal before!"
After swallowing ninety-nine powerful pills, my whole body felt bloated, as if a force inside me was about to burst out and I couldn't wait to fight someone.
Looking at the stage, Lu Jinlan realized that Chu Yishu was quite skilled. Her humiliating defeat yesterday was due to her provoking Xiang Ruzhen. Today, to avenge her loss, she was deliberately showing off her abilities, making dangerous moves on stage. Zuo Suizhi was gradually showing signs of weakness, seemingly unable to hold on for much longer.
Bang! Zuo Suizhi's double maces were knocked away, and Chu Yishu's spear tip was pressed against her neck.
Clang! Another gong sounded, and the deputy examiner announced: "Shenjing Chu Yishu wins."
Zuo Suizhi dejectedly picked up her weapon and returned to her position. This time, she was probably out of luck with the Royal Academy. Unless the eighteen candidates after her all lost miserably and performed worse than her.
Xiang Ruzhen said to her, "Your weapon is too short. She uses a long spear. If you use a long weapon, you will have a better chance of winning."
Zuo Suizhi shook his head. "I've been practicing with the mace since I was a child, and I'm not used to anything else. Her skill level is far above mine. Even if I used a long weapon, I could only last for another quarter of an hour at most. I can't win. I'm not as skilled as her, so I admit defeat."
Just as Lu Jinlan was about to say a few words of comfort, he suddenly heard the announcement from the stage: "The second to perform is Lu Jinlan from Yunzhou, facing Yan Wuxin from Shenjing."
Huh? Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin stood in their respective positions, looking at each other from afar with complicated expressions. This is... too much of a coincidence.
Xiang Ruzhen's eyes were filled with worry. The three of them had fought last night. Although Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin were evenly matched in strength, Lu Jinlan's physical abilities and combat experience were far inferior. She couldn't win. Unless... there was no unless.
Yan Wuxin walked onto the arena carrying the Phoenix Cry Longsword, while Lu Jinlan stood opposite her, holding a precious sword.
The two bowed in greeting. Just as Lu Jinlan was about to stand up, she suddenly heard Yan Wuxin whisper, "Friend, you're really putting me in a difficult position."
Lu Jinlan replied in a low voice, "No need to make things difficult, just play normally."
"Tch, why say something like that? I'm not as stubborn as Ruzhen, but I can't be too obvious about going easy on her."
"It's nothing, I just ate some supplements, I'm incredibly strong right now."
"You've been lazy all this time. With your small frame, even chewing ginseng won't help you now..."
The two talked and their heads drew closer together. The examiner on the stage shouted, "What are you saying? Candidates are not allowed to talk to each other!"
The two men immediately stood up straight, and with the sound of a gong, they had no choice but to point their sharp blades at each other.
In the first ten moves, neither side used their full strength, but Yan Wuxin had already sensed that something was wrong.
Lu Jinlan's swordplay suddenly became fast and heavy, the wind whistling through her blade, quite frightening—completely different from her light and airy style last night. Could it be that she was drunk last night, affecting her performance, or was she deliberately hiding her true strength? Surely the tonics couldn't have really worked?
Little did she know that the biggest drawback of someone like Lu Jinlan, who was a talented individual, was that she lacked a foundation.
Poor physical function and low strength resulted in insufficient power and speed in her attacks; even with a sword move rated out of ten, she could only achieve three or four points of damage. However, the appearance of the potent strength pill temporarily and perfectly compensated for this weakness, allowing her to immediately achieve seven points of skill with a sword move rated out of ten.
Previously, Yan Wuxin only thought Lu Jinlan's moves were novel and tricky, without seeing anything else. Now she suddenly realized that if executed well, every move was a brilliant killing move. She didn't need to worry about how to hold back; what she needed to think about now was not losing too quickly, otherwise others would definitely think she was throwing the game.
Yan Wuxin quickly adjusted his mindset, put in his best effort, and dealt with the situation with all his might.
Sparks flew as the phoenix-shaped longsword, forged from fine steel, and the sword, sharp as mud, clashed on the stage, but Lu Jinlan grew increasingly anxious.
She felt that Yan Wuxin was holding back. Otherwise, why would he be so slow? His attack was too gentle; it shouldn't be like this.
She didn't realize that it was her sudden speed that made others seem slower. She thought Yan Wuxin was doing it on purpose, so she tried even harder, wanting to force her to show her true abilities.
The two exchanged another twenty blows. Yan Wuxin was truly exasperated; sweat poured down her face and body, while Lu Jinlan only grew more ferocious. She was terrified that Lu Jinlan might accidentally stab her to death with his sword if things continued this way, and she was so anxious she wanted to curse.
Yan Wuxin gritted her teeth and fought for forty-six moves. Lu Jinlan's sword slashed towards the long hilt she was holding. Yan Wuxin quickly let go. The Phoenix Cry longsword spun in the air and was kicked into a crack in the stone wall behind the arena by Lu Jinlan with a backflip.
"Wow!" The crowd below the stage gasped in surprise. Yan Wuxin also breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his sweat, and prepared to leave the stage.
She watched as the deputy examiner raised the gong, about to strike it to announce the results, when the chief examiner suddenly raised his hand, signaling the deputy examiner not to strike the gong.
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
Lu Jinlan gripped the knife, looking blankly at the examiner, "I've already knocked her weapon away, doesn't that count as a win?"
The chief examiner was Ling Zhixu, the dean of the Royal Academy, who was known for her strictness and impartiality. At this moment, she said coldly, "Since you know each other, there is bound to be suspicion of fraud. Lu, you cannot convince the public without a victory achieved through your own efforts. Show us your true abilities."
Lu Jinlan looked at Yan Wuxin with suspicion, "Did you go easy on him?"
Yan Wuxin, panting heavily, touched the back of his neck and showed her his hand covered in sweat. "I'm innocent, I'm drenched in sweat."
Yan Wuxin raised his sweaty hands and looked at the examiner. "Dean, it's true that we know each other, but I've given it my all. Does she have to beat me to death for this to be considered a success?"
Ling Zhixu replied, "If she really tries to kill you, I will stop her in time."
"Alright." Lu Jinlan realized that these people were just looking for trouble. She couldn't fight with just her heart; she had to fight with murderous intent, otherwise these people wouldn't believe she was really capable.
Although her skills weren't entirely genuine, she should have been declared the winner according to the rules. Lu Jinlan paced around the arena a few times, estimating that the effects of the "power pill" would last for less than ten minutes. She quickly came up with a new idea.
Her eyes changed, she brandished her longsword, and said in a deep voice, "Student Yan, I'm sorry."
A flicker of panic crossed Yan Wuxin's eyes. "What do you mean?"
Lu Jinlan strode forward, sword in hand. Yan Wuxin, seeing her fierce gaze, retreated hastily. "Hey, I'm unarmed! You can't treat your friend like this! Dean! Dean, save me!"
Yan Wuxin turned to run out of the arena, but Lu Jinlan shouted, "You're not allowed to leave until a winner is decided!"
She rushed forward, grabbed Yan Wuxin by the back of the neck at the edge, and slammed her back into the arena.
Yan Wuxin retreated more than ten steps until his heels hit the pillar behind him before he stopped.
Everyone was shocked by Lu Jinlan's immense strength, and they all took a deep breath, feeling tense for Yan Wuxin. At this moment, Yan Wuxin seemed to be in a panic, and she looked at the pillar behind her, climbing up it with both hands and feet.
There were four large pillars around the arena, each as thick as a water bucket. Yan Wuxin climbed up, and Lu Jinlan followed suit, carrying her sword.
The sunlight was intense, and everyone squinted as they looked up. They saw Yan Wuxin hiding behind a pillar, desperately trying to avoid the attack, while Lu Jinlan's sword flashed fiercely, seemingly showing no mercy in every move. The blade scraped against the pillar, and palm-sized pieces of wood fell down with a crackling sound.
The pillar was closest to the examiners' table, and when the falling piece of wood landed on the table, it immediately caused a commotion.
Ling Zhixu sat calmly, his expression unchanged as he scrutinized Lu Jinlan with furrowed brows. Lu Jinlan's moves were fierce, wielding the sword like an axe.
Even with an axe, with her feet off the ground and her body suspended in mid-air, only one leg hooked onto the pillar, it was extremely difficult to exert force. This girl looked ordinary, so where did she get such strength?
Whoosh! Lu Jinlan chased after Yan Wuxin and kicked him several times, sending seven or eight pieces of wood flying towards the examiners' seats. One examiner was unable to dodge in time and was knocked unconscious.
At the same time, the crowd suddenly shouted. Ling Zhixu looked up and saw that Yan Wuxin, in an attempt to dodge the sword, had nearly fallen backward. Fortunately, she quickly hooked her legs around a pillar, hanging upside down in mid-air, teetering on the brink of death.
Everyone watched in terror. Then, another loud crack came from above. Lu Jinlan swept her leg, sending a piece of wood the size of a table flying down and smashing it onto the examiners' table, shattering everything on it, from teacups to writing implements. The inkstone flew out, splashing ink all over Ling Zhixu, even staining his face.
Several deputy examiners retreated hastily, their voices trembling as they reminded him, "Dean, please look!"
Yan Wuxin seemed unable to hold on any longer, and his whole body plummeted downwards. Lu Jinlan's sword tip pointed downwards, and it slid down as well.
Startled, Ling Zhixu shouted, "Quickly, bang the gong!"
Only then did people notice that the deputy examiner who had just been knocked unconscious was the one responsible for striking the gong; she had been carried off holding the gong mallet. In the chaos of the moment, no one paid attention. Now, the situation was even more chaotic, so Ling Zhixu had no choice but to grab a piece of wood from the table and throw it at the gong hanging in the center.
Ding! The gong finally sounded, and all the examiners, candidates, and onlookers stood up nervously.
Everyone secretly thought something was wrong; the gong sounded too late.
It's common knowledge that people in mid-air cannot stop.
A note from the author:
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A great philosopher once said: It's reasonable for the protagonist to have cheat codes. (Sorry, I said that.)
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