Chapter 14 Ah Que is the best. The first match...
Jiang Yuemian got up early in the morning. Yesterday, she went to see the night market lanterns with her disciple and had a farm-style meal. They didn't return until very late.
She had wanted to sleep in, but today was the inner sect martial arts competition, which was the second match. So she reluctantly crawled out of bed, drowsily washed her face, grabbed a piece of clothing from the closet, put it on, and went out.
When Jiang Yuemian arrived, most of the disciples who were going to take the written test had already arrived. Jiang Yuemian walked through them and heard their discussions.
"You wouldn't believe it, but after doing that test paper yesterday, I felt my spiritual power increase. I'm sure I'll win this written exam today!"
"Oh? Your spiritual power has increased too!? I thought it was just my imagination. I'm a pill cultivator, but my talent isn't great. But after practicing that civil service exam question yesterday, I feel like my comprehension has improved. I thought I was the only one experiencing this!"
"Hey buddy, me too, me too!"
"Could this civil service exam question be a top-grade cultivation technique?! If that's really the case, the sect leader has actually selflessly shared a cultivation technique that improves cultivation aptitude!"
"Wow! If that's the case, then Li Wengong really made the right choice coming here!!"
Everyone was very excited, after all, talent is predetermined, and even a slight improvement is enough to excite people.
Shen Que was also among the crowd, listening to their words and deep in thought.
It turned out that it wasn't his imagination; these civil service exam questions were indeed beneficial to his cultivation. After figuring it out, he hung his head in regret, regretting that he hadn't been practicing questions all the time and had wasted a lot of time improving his comprehension. At this moment, he made a decision in his heart: when he got back, he would definitely practice civil service exam questions all the time to improve his cultivation as soon as possible.
After thinking it over, he turned his gaze to Jiang Yuemian in the center of the room.
After the disciples discussed it amongst themselves, they finally discovered Jiang Yuemian.
Looking at the venerable figure of the Immortal Venerable, they felt even more admirable of her. So selfless, the image of the Immortal Venerable became even more noble in their hearts, and even their eyes shone.
Jiang Yuemian, who overheard their discussion, thought, "..." Thanks for the invitation, I just wanted to motivate you guys to do more practice problems.
She walked to her seat expressionlessly and sat down, just about to lean back and take a nap, when Xiao Mingjue began to ask, "Xiao Wu, what kind of cultivation technique is this civil service exam question that can improve one's cultivation aptitude?"
Before Jiang Yuemian could answer, his eyes lit up. He thought to himself, "If all the disciples in the sect start practicing the civil service exam questions, wouldn't their aptitudes all improve? Wouldn't they be the undisputed champions of the various sect competitions in the future?"
"Senior brother, it depends on the individual. If everyone can improve their aptitude, wouldn't that be chaos?" Sigh, she had actually discussed it with 001, but it still depended on her own comprehension. Moreover, the Civil Service Exam Mastery Pen could only be linked to Civil Service Exam questions. In other words, only by practicing Civil Service Exam questions could one possibly improve their aptitude. Don't even think about practicing anything else.
To give an example, she is already a Mahayana cultivator, and although she has done a lot of practice problems, her comprehension has only increased a little bit.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mingjue's eyes darkened, but after a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "However, it's already quite remarkable that Xiao Wu was able to find such a method." He thought for a moment, and realized that improving cultivation aptitude after practicing questions happened after the successful forging of the immortal artifact. There must be some connection, but since Xiao Wu didn't bring it up, he didn't ask.
If those shameless people come to snatch it, Li Wengong won't be one to back down. Besides, Xiao Wu's personality is like that. He figured it out and his mood improved.
Meanwhile, Shen Que had already started queuing up to draw lots, and he was only a few people away from being called. So he took out the civil service exam questions from his storage bag and started working on them. Perhaps because he had been working on so many, he felt that he was doing the questions exceptionally quickly today. When it was his turn, he put away the questions in his hand and felt that his understanding of the way of the sword had improved a bit. He stepped forward with satisfaction.
Standing in front of the lottery box, he reached out and took out a wooden stick. He turned it over, and it clearly showed that it was for the seventh session in the afternoon, and Shen Que's name immediately came to mind.
In other words, he didn't have a performance this morning. Satisfied, he handed the wooden slip to the elder next to him, nodded in acknowledgment, and then turned and strode back.
The elder took the wooden stick from Shen Que, glanced at it casually, and thought, "Hmm? Shen Que!?"
He was startled. It turned out that this young man was the top scorer in the written test. He looked him over and thought, "Hmm, his steps are steady, and he is neither arrogant nor impatient. He is indeed a promising talent."
He withdrew his gaze and announced loudly, "Chen Que, the seventh show this afternoon."
The disciples nearby quickly took notes.
The disciples queuing behind him erupted in cheers upon hearing the name "Chen Que".
"Ha! So he's Shen Que!"
"It really does look extraordinary!"
"Yes, yes, that figure, that presence, wow, I wish I could get to know him!"
"Don't worry, you'll see it this afternoon! You can make some friends then."
"Too."
......
Shen Que didn't see Jiang Yuemian all morning. With the competition imminent, he spent the whole morning practicing his sword. Only by getting a feel for it beforehand could he perform well in the competition.
When the time came, he went to the competition venue ahead of time. When he arrived, the two disciples on the stage were still fighting.
So he focused on observing the two disciples. After a while, when the two were locked in a fierce battle, one of the disciples suddenly struck out with a sword, knocking the opponent's sword to the ground. Then, a burst of spiritual energy sent the opponent flying beyond the red line.
The outcome was decided, and the victorious disciple smiled and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "You've conceded."
He then leaped off the stage and walked through the crowd, laughing.
Shen Que's eyes darkened. This person was quite skilled, and judging from his appearance, he probably hadn't used his full strength. He must have been holding back, and he might be a formidable opponent.
"Next! Shen Que, Liu Ziwen."
Shen Que regained his senses and leaped onto the stage, where his opponent also joined him.
The other party bowed first: "Liu Ziwen, late Foundation Establishment stage, sword cultivator, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Shen Que also cupped his hands in greeting: "Shen Que, mid-Foundation Establishment stage, sword cultivator."
Upon hearing that Shen was indeed in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, Liu Ziwen was clearly relieved. Although he was a sword cultivator, his swordsmanship was really not very good.
Seeing that the two were ready, the referee gave the order: "Begin!"
So Shen Que took the initiative and wanted to finish the battle quickly. He thrust his sword forward, his mid-Foundation Establishment spiritual power enveloping the blade, and went straight for Liu Ziwen.
Liu Ziwen was clearly not expected that he would move so fast, so he raised his sword to block the move, but was knocked back by the impact of the sword.
He was shocked. This disciple named Shen Que had such profound spiritual power that he was on par with him in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. However, this sword strike was far more powerful than his own. He barely managed to block the attack and was still feeling a bit scared.
However, Chen Que, that name sounds familiar... It seems like the name of the person who got first place in the written exam was this one! Could it be that he ran into him?!
He couldn't help but smile bitterly, but he didn't expect that Shen Que had already launched a second attack.
Shen Que only wanted to conserve his energy and finish the battle quickly, but he didn't expect Liu Ziwen to seem to be in a daze.
He frowned. How could he be so distracted during the competition? Fortunately, Liu Ziwen snapped out of his daze when he drew his sword, so it wouldn't be considered taking advantage of him.
His attack was parried with difficulty, and Liu Ziwen's face turned even more bitter. He fought back and threw out his last sword.
Shen Que narrowed his eyes, taking the full-force attack from the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator seriously. He suspected that the initial direction of the sword strike was an illusion, and the real sword should be—
They found him behind him.
Before he could turn around, the sword in his hand had already reacted.
"Zheng—"
The sound of two swords rubbing together rang out, and then the sword was knocked to the ground by Shen Que.
The sword has been released, and the outcome is already clear.
The surroundings were completely silent.
Until the referee announced: "Shen Que wins this match!"
"Ha! Only three moves, and he's still a whole realm higher than me. This fellow's skills are truly remarkable."
"Huh? The referee said he was Shen Que? The one who got first place in the written exam? No wonder, geniuses are always omnipotent."
"Is the written test the main point? The main point is that this guy won against a cross-border opponent with absolutely no effort!"
On the stage, Shen Que bent down to pick up the sword from the ground and tossed it back into Liu Ziwen's arms. Liu Ziwen caught it and cupped his hands in greeting.
Shen Que also cupped his hands in thanks: "You flatter me."
After saying that, he leaped up and jumped into the center of the crowd.
There was only one match per day. Today's match had already taken place, so he went to queue up to draw a match number for tomorrow. He drew the second match tomorrow morning. Knowing the order of the matches, Chen Que prepared to go back to his courtyard to work on his civil service exam questions.
He did some practice problems indoors, and when he looked up again, two hours had passed and it was getting dark. He decided to strike while the iron was hot and start practicing his swordsmanship. A powerful sword intent instantly enveloped him, and after he calmed down completely, he took a breath.
He broke through the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and had already reached the late stage. He even developed sword intent, and this sword intent was actually a protective sword.
He smiled helplessly. It seemed that whatever one thought in one's heart could determine the kind of sword intent one could cultivate.
...
The next day, after he bowed to the platform, the two got into a fight, and Shen Que narrowly won.
Shen Que's eyes dimmed slightly as he thought that his strength was still insufficient and he needed to practice more. So, he returned to the courtyard and practiced his swordsmanship fiercely until he was drenched in sweat. Only then did he stop and sit down on the stone chair in the courtyard, feeling somewhat exhausted.
Suddenly, he felt a warmth at his waist. He reached out and touched it, only to find it was a communication slip. There was no one else in the slip, only Jiang Yuemian. Thinking of this, his expression softened instantly, and he turned on the communication tube.
Sure enough, the clear voice came through in an instant.
"Ah Que, I'll come find you for a meal later. I bought a lot of food down the mountain, so you don't need to cook. Just wait to eat."
Since the start of the competition, he hadn't seen his master for two days, except for one time when they met from afar.
Hearing her voice now, he felt completely relaxed. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then cast a cleansing spell on himself. After confirming that he was clean and tidy, he sat down again to wait for his master to arrive.
A short while later, Jiang Yuemian came over carrying a large pile of food. Before she arrived, her voice preceded her: "A-Que, come out and greet me! There's so much food!"
Upon hearing the sound, Shen Que hurriedly went out to greet her. He saw that the Immortal Venerable's hands were covered in sweat, and upon closer inspection, there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, but she did not notice it. When she saw Shen Que, her eyes lit up, like stars.
Shen Que shyly accepted the food from Jiang Yuemian's hands, and soon arranged it on the stone table. The two ate and chatted.
"Ah Que, tomorrow is the final. Are you confident?" Jiang Yuemian ate the chicken leg in her hand and, taking advantage of Chen Que's inattention, fed 001 a piece of crispy pork.
"Reporting to Master, Chen will certainly do his utmost."
But to Jiang Yuemian, this sounded like a lack of confidence. Looking at Shen Que's expression again, she wondered if he was afraid of disappointing her.
She composed herself, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Ah Que, I believe you can do it."
After she finished speaking, she smiled again, her eyes crinkling as she looked at him, her eyes carrying a reassuring strength: Don't put too much pressure on yourself; no matter what, A-Que is the best.
Shen Que was stunned for a while after hearing this. When he came to his senses, his ears were burning hot. He said softly, "Okay."
However, he secretly resolved that he would definitely win the championship and become his master's disciple in a dignified manner.
A note from the author:
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Hehehe, I spent the whole day reading novels today. They were so good that I suddenly sat up with a start, and feeling a little guilty, I started typing.
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