Chapter 66: The Showdown to Revitalize the Cultivation World (66% complete)
Su Xiaoyao and Helian Yi seemed to have encountered their destined nemesis, their eyes only for each other.
And beside them, there was another person with eyes wide open in fury.
Qi Tian took the hemostatic medicine and stood there indignantly, refusing to leave.
He was only one step slower than Helian Yi! One step!
He was just a hair's breadth away from emerging before Helian Yi and becoming the first candidate qualified to choose his opponent for the next round of assessments.
But unexpectedly, the opportunity slipped through their fingers.
He had never lost to his peers before the Lingzhou Grand Tournament, so he was still resentful of that crushing defeat.
Whether it was to solidify his Dao heart or to wash away his troubles, he had to defeat Helian Yi. He thought he would be able to achieve his goal smoothly in this entrance examination, but who knew that he couldn't even catch Helian Yi's eye.
Helian Yi's brows furrowed with arrogance, yet he reserved all his competitive glances for another opponent.
Qi Tian suffered such a defeat for the second time, and the same emotion stemmed from the same opponent.
"And you? Who do you choose?" Jun Huilian asked, looking at him.
Qi Tian was in a state of agitation, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
Before this, he had never considered challenging anyone other than Helian Yi.
His wish was not fulfilled, so he stopped thinking about it and just pointed to the nearest person.
"Let's choose him."
He believed that, apart from Helian Yi, no one of his peers was his match.
Since I can pass the test no matter who I'm paired with, it doesn't matter who I choose.
Standing next to Su Xiaoyao, Xiao Tingyuan stared blankly at the hand Su Xiaoyao was pointing at: "Me?"
"You often hang out with Helian Yi's opponents, so you must be quite strong. I haven't fought against Chef Xiu yet, so I hope you can give me some surprises." Qi Tian spoke frankly, directly stating what he was thinking.
Xiao Tingyuan understood; he had benefited from Su Xiaoyao's "connections".
"It's alright." He scratched his head. "I'm not purely a cooking enthusiast; in fact, I major in swordsmanship."
Qi Tian asked, puzzled, "Then you choose the culinary path..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence, a look of sudden realization crossing his face, followed by a wave of annoyance.
He glanced at Xiao Tingyuan several times, hesitated for a long time before saying "Never mind," and then left with his sword.
Xiao Tingyuan was left completely baffled.
1314 thoughtfully provides a "translation" service:
【Honey, he means he regrets choosing you because he thinks you chose to avoid battle in the kitchen out of fear. The system suggests you keep fighting until he regrets choosing you, muah~】
Xiao Tingyuan reacted more to the wording of the translation than to the content itself.
He rubbed the goosebumps off his arms and said in fear, "Chiu mi? What's chiu mi? 1314, speak properly!"
[The system underwent a comprehensive upgrade after the performance review. This is the result of my further training, mwah! 1314 will provide the best service to the host, muah~]
Xiao Tingyuan couldn't take it anymore: "You! Are! Broken!"
No, dear, 1314 is developing in a positive direction.
Before the system upgrade, Xiao Tingyuan couldn't outmaneuver 1314. After the upgrade, 1314's abilities became even more profound, making it even harder for Xiao Tingyuan to stop it.
He missed 1314 terribly when he wasn't around, but when the system came into view, he started acting like a madman.
Fortunately, the leisurely time only lasted for three days. Once the assessment officially began, even 1314 stopped criticizing him.
1314 is always so understanding:
[I won't bother you any longer, host. Relax and keep going!]
Xiao Tingyuan said wearily, "So you knew you were bothering me."
【whee】
Xiao Tingyuan: "..."
The final round of assessments began, and for the sake of her host's physical and mental health and the courage to bring glory to herself, 1314 reluctantly muted her microphone.
Having finally found peace and quiet, Xiao Tingyuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately felt full of energy.
Just as he strode confidently through the barrier onto the arena, he glanced in another direction and his heart clenched again.
"You dare to daydream right in front of me? It seems you're ready to step down," Qi Tian said coldly.
Xiao Tingyuan snapped out of his daze and replied helplessly, "It's just an assessment, don't be so aggressive."
Qi Tian said, "Although the losers will enter the loser's bracket semi-finals, the score will be based on different situations and performance during the competition. Since you are a chef, the score will be judged based on whether your basic skills are solid. Therefore, you cannot give up easily before the outcome is decided."
Xiao Tingyuan was confused: "I didn't say I was giving up."
"Then why don't you face me directly?" Qi Tian frowned. "Your opponent is me, yet you're distracted by someone else. How is that any different from forfeiting the match?"
"I was just glancing at my friends," Xiao Tingyuan explained. "I was afraid they would beat me to death, so I couldn't help but pay more attention."
Qi Tian was taken aback. He turned around and realized that Helian Yi and Su Xiaoyao's dueling arena was right next to theirs, and they were competing at the same time.
This was awkward, and he couldn't help but look in that direction.
"Well, look at me. If you want to fight Helian Yi, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future." This time it was Xiao Tingyuan's turn to say this.
Qi Tian wondered if his fighting spirit against Helian Yi was that obvious.
He coughed to cover his embarrassment, turned back to straighten his expression, resumed his cool demeanor, and said coldly, "Let's make our move. I originally intended to choose a strong opponent, not bully the cook. You..."
He was about to say a few words when a gust of wind carrying turbulent spiritual energy roared in.
If it weren't for his years of combat experience and the instinctive reaction that made him subconsciously turn his head to protect his vitals, Qi Tian couldn't imagine what his fate would be now.
His eyes were glazed over, but he dared not stop his work.
Xiao Tingyuan's punches were all deadly, each one a potential killing blow.
"Wait, aren't you a kitchen repairman? Why are you so strong!"
During a break in the fight, Qi Tian, whose understanding had been completely refreshed, exclaimed in surprise with wide eyes.
Xiao Tingyuan said matter-of-factly: "Cooking practitioners need to practice flipping the wok, and sword practitioners need to practice wielding the sword. In a sense, there is no difference between the two."
Qi Tian felt a lump in his throat.
The difference is huge!
He quickly focused all his energy on dealing with his opponent, having no energy left to regret not being able to retake the test with his former rival.
At the same moment, in another examination room.
After a brief exchange of probing blows, the two figures quickly separated.
Su Xiaoyao and Helian Yi each gained a better understanding of the other's strength.
Su Xiaoyao lowered her eyes and stroked the sword she had just broken in for three days, making a decision in her mind.
She casually glanced at Helian Yi, her nonchalant scrutiny revealing a hint of caution.
When Helian Yi got serious, his eyes and brows exuded an indifference that seemed detached from the world. His beautiful and glamorous face, when serious, left no room for any fantasies. The coldness in his eyes made it clear that this was the young master of the Helian family, who was invincible below the Nascent Soul stage. He was always high above and always looked up to by others.
However, this overwhelming sense of oppression had no effect on Su Xiaoyao.
Having grown up with a modern spirit that values freedom, equality, and justice, she never felt that anyone was born superior. Her only thought was—
Helian Yi is truly handsome, with an impeccable demeanor, and his every move during a fight is a pleasure to watch.
It's purely an appreciation of beauty.
She remained the same, shoving her sword onto the arena with a nonchalant, unserious posture: "What bad luck! I've just broken through to the late Golden Core stage, and it's the perfect time for me to consolidate my spiritual energy. If it had been a little earlier, your chances of winning would have been higher."
Helian Yi raised an eyebrow: "Such arrogance. Your realm has been consolidated, but your spiritual power is not yet proficient, is it? How about I have Chu Yi and Shi Wu accompany you to practice?"
"You kindly offered me a sacred-grade spiritual artifact to practice with, so I can't let you down. Please teach me."
Su Xiaoyao's smile vanished instantly. With a slight movement of her feet, she disappeared from sight.
Her movements were as swift and agile as the wind, aimed directly at Helian Yi's face. Her figure was as graceful as the wind, and her sword moves were as sharp as a knife.
Helian Yi remained calm and showed no sign of backing down, summoning his usual pair of curved swords.
Instead of letting the scimitar resist on its own, he unusually gripped the blade with both hands to face Su Xiaoyao head-on, while taking a step back with his right foot, where a chaotic vortex of spiritual energy rippled out to provide support.
Sword energy crisscrossed, and the sound of swords cutting through the air echoed between heaven and earth like thunder. Not only did the audience in the sky involuntarily put down what they were doing and watch intently, but even the candidates on other arenas couldn't help but turn around to look frequently.
Both fighters displayed fluid techniques and profound expertise in their respective fields. The longsword and scimitar continuously sparked with undying energy, each collision accompanied by earth-shattering fluctuations of spiritual energy.
Fortunately, Jun Huilian, who was acting as the proctor, reinforced the barrier in time.
"I underestimated my juniors." Jun Huilian felt both gratified and emotional.
"This is the junior from ten thousand years in the future? Although he is not as good as you, he is still passable."
Several illusory shadows appeared beside her, and the one who spoke was an extremely richly dressed old woman.
A weathered old man of similar age scoffed, "Little Ahui's talent is extraordinary; few can match him."
“I already told you not to call me Little Ah Hui, it sounds like I’m not even five years old,” Jun Huilian retorted.
“What a lovely name. And you’ve used this name until you’re ten years old.” The old woman stubbornly insisted, “I’m going to call you that. Even if it’s 20,000 years from now, you’ll still be the junior I’ve watched grow up.”
"Alright then." Jun Huilian didn't want to argue with an old child.
"Shuzhu, can't you stop being so childish at your age?" the old man mocked.
Just as Granny Shuzhu was about to erupt, Jun Huilian stopped them in time, raising his chin to indicate that they should look at another person: "Aren't you going to choose a successor for your own lineage? Why don't you take a closer look now? Look how seriously Uncle Sui is looking."
The expert, known as "Uncle Sui," is tall and handsome, with an air of detachment from worldly affairs.
"No rush. Just call us out and let us be the teachers at the academy. There will be plenty of time to select students later." Grandma Shuzhu was not flustered at all.
Despite what she was saying, she quieted down and carefully observed the situation on each arena.
"I'll leave the martial arts scoring to you seniors," Jun Huilian said with a smile.
She was happy to delegate tasks to others and be a hands-off manager.
“Uncertain,” Uncle Sui, who was usually very sparing with words, suddenly spoke.
"What?" the old man asked curiously. "Which arena are you looking at?"
Uncle Sui pointed in the direction of Su Xiaoyao and Helian Yi.
The old man was an impatient man: "You should finish your sentence. Who do you think is promising? Who do you think is in trouble?"
"He advanced two levels so soon after forming the Golden Core, but his foundation is unstable, so it's uncertain." He finally decided to say a few more words.
“Hey, what did you think I was talking about? Isn’t it obvious? Although that little girl is nice, the other child is already at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. The difference of one stage is like a chasm.” The old man stroked his beard and said.
"Oh? Is that so?" This time it was Granny Shuzhu who spoke.
"Do you have another opinion?" The old man, who didn't get along with her, deliberately provoked her. "The difference is obvious, so don't insist on contradicting me."
"Heh." Granny Shuzhu scoffed coldly, "How did the TV series I've been watching recently describe someone like you? Right, a mediocre man."
"you!"
"What do you mean, 'I'm going against you' by liking that girl? What a joke! I just have a sharp eye and unique insights."
Grandma Shuzhu's retort left him speechless.
When he finally came to his senses and tried to retaliate, she casually tossed out, "Want to bet?"
The old man's temper flared up, and without saying a word, he retorted, "Let's gamble! What shall we gamble on!"
Jun Huilian did not participate in the old rascal's struggle, but only looked at Su Xiaoyao, admiring her unique charm.
Perhaps there are similarities among geniuses; Su Xiaoyao has a shadow of her younger self.
She then wondered, could this be considered ordinary trust?
No, she's anything but ordinary.
Jun Huilian smiled as he thought about it.
"What's so funny?" The old man, having staked out all his possessions, took a breath and immediately greeted her with a smile.
The only time he and Shuzhu were evenly matched was in their attempt to take Jun Huilian as a disciple—both of them failed.
This had almost become an obsession for the two old men, so he couldn't help but care about Jun Huilian's movements.
Jun Huilian rested his right elbow on his left hand and casually pointed, saying, "It's nothing, but don't you dare slack off. I used three 70-episode TV series and ten movies to get your help in calculating the scores for the test takers."
"Don't think I don't know you're making money without any investment." The old man snorted and turned his head away.
He sounded reluctant, but his eyes honestly looked at the candidates, and soon he was engrossed in watching them.
Most of the great figures who are willing to leave behind their legacy are people who cherish talent, and they are fascinated by promising young talents.
At that moment, their attention was drawn to the same direction.
There were two arenas in that direction, and the intensity of the fights was about the same, making it hard to decide which one to watch first. People were also afraid that if they were engrossed in watching one fight, they would miss the other equally exciting one.
Su Xiaoyao swung her heavy sword and slashed rapidly, each sword strike carrying the power to tear through space.
A sudden thrust is unexpectedly added to the mechanical, repetitive attacks, leaving no time to dodge.
Helian Yi appears to focus on attack, but in reality, his lightness skill is superb, and his dodging speed is even faster than that of Su Xiaoyao, who is known for his escape speed.
"I never expected Young Master Helian to have a trick up his sleeve. I'm really honored to be the first person you had to use your full strength against," Su Xiaoyao said through gritted teeth.
During the Lingzhou Grand Gathering, Helian Yi was still in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, but now he has reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm, and there are faint signs of a breakthrough.
Helian Yi wasn't using her as a practice subject at all; he was clearly using her as a tool to find his final breakthrough!
She couldn't swallow this insult, so she wouldn't give him that chance.
The swordplay suddenly became fast and slow, and the greatsword's every unexpected offensive and defensive transition was unpredictable.
Not only that, she went for the kill, thrusting her sword out with a backhand motion, the tip of the sword flashing with a sharp, cold light, aimed directly at Helian Yi's throat.
Helian Yi was not one to sit idly by and wait for death, but this time he only defended and did not attack. He wielded his curved sword with great skill, deflecting attacks with every strike.
“Likewise, no one knew you were a sword cultivator before this.” Helian Yi gritted his teeth, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Rumor has it that you only know how to throw pots at people, but now you can fight me to a standstill with a super-grade sword and my saint-grade knife. You’re hiding your true strength, Su Xiaoyao.”
Those skilled in defense and those accustomed to offense as defense temporarily reversed roles.
Su Xiaoyao knew what this guy was waiting for; he was looking for an opportunity to break through.
She didn't want to give him the chance to use her as a stepping stone, and wanted to end the battle with a thunderous attack. Her sword energy swept over like a storm, forcing Helian Yi, who was looking for an opportunity to cultivate his spiritual energy, to retreat step by step.
Helian Yi was always just one step away, but he was stuck at the bottleneck and unable to break through.
In fact, he had been stuck at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage for some time, and he was prepared to use Su Xiaoyao's sword as a stepping stone to find a breakthrough opportunity in the battle.
But Su Xiaoyao was indeed Su Xiaoyao; she couldn't stand the slightest scheming and always managed to keep him at bay.
Just as he was rapidly processing his thoughts, a wisp of spiritual energy suddenly appeared in Su Xiaoyao's palm.
Helian Yi's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly tried to defend himself.
But this was just a feint. A smile flashed in Su Xiaoyao's eyes as she seized the opportunity to close in.
Helian Yi's expression suddenly changed, a smile appeared on his lips, and he looked completely at ease, showing no trace of his previous panic.
He lured the snake out of its hole, and the opportunity was seized through deception.
Su Xiaoyao's expression remained unchanged, as if she had foreseen everything.
Their gazes met, sparking a fire more ferocious than the clash of swords.
Immediately following, the swords and blades, imbued with the full power of both sides, clashed, causing thick fog, dust, and explosions to erupt in the air, enveloping the entire arena.
The spectators held their breath, staring intently at the indistinct arena. They were even more anxious than the contestants themselves, wondering who would receive the cheers next.
As the smoke and dust cleared, a tall and upright figure stood resolutely among them—
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Author's note: Thank you for the birthday wishes~ I'm late because I'm celebrating my birthday today, goodnight my little cuties!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 00:09:22 on February 19, 2024 and 01:08:29 on February 20, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Xiaolinzaizai (1);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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