Even though he didn’t know whether it was a supernatural occurrence or not, one thing was for sure-Zhang shi’s judgement was spot-on. For this, he was extremely awed with the other party’s foresight.
In the past, he had been reveling in his position as the number one genius of Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and he thought that there was no one in the world who could best him. But after seeing this young man, he realized that he was still far from matching up to true geniuses.
Returning back to the group, Ruohuan gongzi respectfully clasped his fist and asked, “Zhang shi, what do I do now?”
“Sit down and eat!”
Zhang Xuan gestured.
Ruohuan gongzi was dumbstruck.
You got me to pour meat soup over the other party to provoke him; going to such an extent, I thought that you would have some incredible plan in mind, and yet… you’re asking me to eat now?
“Your match is about to start, and you’ll only have the strength to fight once you’re full. Without energy, how do you expect to emerge victorious against your opponent?” Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes.
There was only an hour of resting time, and it was about to come to an end. If he didn’t hurry, the tournament was going to resume.
“Alright!”
With no other better idea in mind, Ruohuan gongzi could only follow the other party’s instruction. He sat down and began to eat ravenously.
The dinner prepared by the Alliance Head Residence was indeed sumptuous. Soon, they were full, and by then, the tournament was already about to start.
“Memorize the contents on it. You just have to recite it later on!”
Just as Ruohuan gongzi was still perplexed as to how he should deal with Qin Lei, Zhang shi passed a piece of white paper to him. It was filled with scribblings that were written by the other party during the meal just a moment ago.
Surprised, he quickly swept through the contents of the paper, and his eyes immediately widened. “Zhang shi, do I really have to say… this?”
“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded affirmatively.
Ruohuan gongzi vision immediately darkened, and he nearly broke down in tears.
Big Brother, you are pushing me off a cliff here! Are you that unhappy that I wasn’t beaten up just now?
If I were to say what is on the paper, that fellow would probably forfeit his candidature just so that he could strangle me to death.
“Stop wasting time idling and quickly memorize it. Remember, you must recite it word-for-word. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your victory!”
Seeing Ruohuan gongzi wallowing in his sorrow, Zhang shi urged him with a frown.
Tears glittered in Ruohuan gongzi’s eyes.
If only he’d known earlier, he would have never asked Zhang Xuan for help. At this moment, it felt as though he was onboard the ship of a pirate, and there was no backing out now.
“Alright!”
Gritting his teeth, Ruohuan gongzi quickly started memorizing the contents on the paper. Soon after he was done, a gong sounded, and Hong shi’s deep voice reverberated through the entire square. “The tournament resumes. Would the participating master teachers come onto the stage?”
Everyone replied and hurried up.
On the round stage, Ruohuan gongzi took a deep breath before walking over to the dueling stage labeled A.
For a moment, his silhouette looked slightly valiant.
Knowing that it was too late for second thoughts, he had decided to simply follow Zhang shi’s instructions. If death was what that awaited him, so be it!
“Humph!”
Qin Lei also walked toward dueling stage A as well. Recalling how the other party provoked him previously, his rage immediately surged.
Seeing that all participants were on their respective stages, Hong shi announced, “The match begins. Start discussing the format of the duel!”
“Since White Helios Sect was first place in the previous tournament, the right of choice is in my hands!”
Harrumphing coldly, Qin Lei turned at the detestable young man before him and said, “I choose… comprehension of cultivation!”
“Ah?”
Hearing that everything had gone as predicted, Ruohuan gongzi was momentarily stumped.
“Why? You dare not accept my challenge?” A light flickered across Qin Lei’s eyes.
“What do I have to fear? Comprehension of cultivation, is it? So be it then! What are the rules?” Ruohuan gongzi replied.
“Good!”
He thought that the other party would reject his proposal, but the other party accepted it candidly instead. Heaving a sigh of relief, Qin Lei explained, “Simple. We’ll both execute a battle technique, and each of us will point out the flaws in it. Whoever points out more flaws will be the winner!”
“Un!” Ruohuan gongzi nodded.
…
“It went exactly as your analysis predicted!”
Seeing the sight, Pavilion Master Kang and the others turned to look at Zhao Feiwu.
Even though this lady wasn’t a master teacher, her wisdom was indeed impressive.
“Un. All that is left is to see whether the note Zhang shi gave him is effective or not!”
Zhao Feiwu chuckled lightly.
The most she could do was to deduce the content of the competition. Whether Ruohuan gongzi would be able to emerge victorious or not would depend on the content of the note that Zhang shi passed to him.
“Un!” The group nodded their heads.
While they were speaking, the duo on the stage were already done executing their battle techniques.
After having seen the entire set of movements from Qin Lei, Ruohuan gongzi was completely stumped.
He had never heard of the other party’s fist art before, needless to say, seen it… How in the world was he supposed to point out any flaws?
“Going by the rules, I’ll go first!”
Seeing the confusion on the other party’s face, Qin Lei sneered coldly. “If I’m not mistaken, the fist art that Ruohuan gongzi executed is a Spirit intermediate-tier battle technique known as ‘Seven Forsaken Fists’. It’s indeed a formidable technique, but it’s a pity that your mastery is still lacking… I could see a total of four flaws!
“First, having barely reached Transcendent Mortal 4-dan, your zhenqi isn’t sufficiently pure yet. Even though your movements seem to be in place, you’re lacking the essence of the technique…
“Second, the core of the Seven Forsaken Fist is forsaken heart, forsaken emotions, forsaken intent, forsaken benevolence, forsaken fate, forsaken thoughts, and forsaken desires. However, you aren’t able to meet even a single one of these notions. Given that your movements and your intent are at odds, no matter how much you practice the technique, it will be nothing more than an empty shell!
“Third…
“Fourth…”
Soon, Qin Lei finished listing out the flaws in Ruohuan gongzi’s technique. Every single point of his stabbed straight into the vitals. There was no one who wouldn’t lose his confidence upon hearing too much of such words.
“Incredible!”
“With just a single look, he was able to point out the four main flaws behind the technique. As expected of one of the strongest contenders for the champion seat, he’s indeed fearsome!”
“I was looking intently at Ruohuan gongzi’s movements too, but I wasn’t able to see a single problem about it…”
…
Upon hearing Qin Lei’s words, a huge commotion raked up among the crowd below.
Nearly everyone present here was a master teacher or an expert, and they possessed a sharp eye of such things as well. The technique Ruohuan gongzi executed felt wholesome, and with just a single look, it was clear that he had devoted many years of his time into it…
But even so, Qin Lei was still able to easily list out four major problems. His eye of discernment wasn’t inferior to even some half 5-star master teachers.
“Seems like it’ll be hard for Ruohuan gongzi to win in this round!”
“Un. I had been paying close attention to Qin Lei’s execution, but I wasn’t even able to tell what battle technique he was executing!”
“I am also unable to make sense out of it…”
Everyone discussed with hushed voices as they looked toward the stage, curious as to how Ruohuan gongzi would deal with this situation.
With a cold smirk on his face, Qin Lei was also staring at Ruohuan gongzi intently.
The battle technique he had just executed had come from some ancient ruins. Even Hong shi might not be able to recognize it, needless to say this fellow.
Thus, he was confident that he would win this match.
“It’s your turn. If you can’t say anything constructive, you should just admit defeat!”
Seeing the conflicted expression on Ruohuan gongzi, Qin Lei harrumphed.
“This…”
At this moment, Ruohuan gongzi seemed to have come to a major decision and gritted his teeth. “If I’m not mistaken, there’s something wrong… with your brain!”
“What?”
The square fell deathly silent instantaneously.
Wasn’t it a duel in pointing out flaws in battle techniques? When did it become an insulting competition instead?
“What did you say?”
Hearing those words, Qin Lei immediately exploded in rage.
“Despite not having completed nourishing your soul, you forcefully tried to achieve a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm and drove your zhenqi into your head. And in that attempt, both your soul and your brain are wounded. Am I mistaken about that?” Ruohuan gongzi said.
“This…”
Qin Lei frowned.
After Sect Leader Bai Kaizhi, who was also his teacher, was killed, he understood the bad state the sect was in and panicked. Thus, he forcefully tried to advance to Consonant Spirit realm.
In that process, one’s zhenqi had to be driven into one’s head to open up the Heling acupoint. Only with the opening with this acupoint can one make the leap to become a Consonant Spirit realm expert… But Qin Lei wasn’t ready yet then. The head was a vulnerable region, and yet, he willfully drove his zhenqi into his, thus causing significant damage to his soul and brain. As a result, he was suffering from splitting headache whenever night falls.
But he had never told this matter to anyone, even the elders of the sect for fear of worrying them. How did the other party manage to see through this?
“Not only so, there are innumerable traumas from cultivating incorrectly all over your body. For the sake of impressing others in this tournament, you even cultivated a battle technique of unknown origin… If I’m not mistaken, to master it, you would need thirty-two acupoints all over your body to resonate in harmony, right?
“This requirement in itself isn’t a problem; most battle techniques have such demands from the cultivator. However, this battle technique sought to connect the Baihe and the Yongquan acupoints. The former pulls in the clear aura of the sky whereas the latter absorbs the turbid aura of the earth. As the two of them collide, an intangible cage is formed, locking your soul firmly into your body!
“In other words, without any fortuitous encounter, it’s impossible for you to reach Consonant Spirit realm! If you don’t believe my words, you can try driving your zhenqi into your Bihai acupoint. If you feel a numbing sensation there, it means that your soul has already started declining. Alternatively, you can also try your Qinzhen acupoint. If you feel an itch, it means that the internal of your body has grown oddly stiff, and it is nothing more than a cage at this point…
“Other people cultivate in hopes of advancing to higher realms, and yet, you do so only to seal your path of progress… Isn’t there something really wrong with your head?”
Since Ruohuan gongzi had already made up his mind, he tossed aside his hesitation and recited everything that Zhang shi had him say.
In any case, he couldn’t understand the other party’s battle technique. At this rate, he would lose anyway. Thus, he decided to take the gamble; at the very least, there was a ray of hope down this path.
After he was done, he thought the other party would immediately rush forward to pummel him up or insult him. But shockingly, the other party remained bizarrely motionless. It was as if he had met with something incredulous, leaving his face pale with shock.
‘Could it be that… I was spot-on?’
Gedeng! Ruohuan gongzi’s heart skipped a beat.
When he saw the content of the note, he thought that it was just nonsense Zhang shi made up on the spot. If he were to recite it, the other party would surely rush up to kill him… Never had he entertained the thought that it would actually be true. The other party had barely raised his hands back then, and Zhang shi was able to tell all of this?
“Of course, if you don’t believe me… you can continue trying for Consonant Spirit realm. You’ll feel a surge of powerlessness, or perhaps, your zhenqi, suppressed by some sort of power, might even be unable to enter your head.”
Ruohuan gongzi’s eyes lit up, and endless confidence seemed to surge into him at this instant. Ignoring the other party’s shocked expression, he continued, “Despite being a 4-star pinnacle master teacher, you cultivated a battle technique blindly without analyzing its true nature, and yet, you still dare to challenge me to a comprehension of cultivation duel… How much more arrogant can you get?”
Qin Lei’s body swayed weakly as though it had lost its backbone.
He had just tried out everything that the other party had said, and it turned out that the other party was completely spot-on… Could it be that he had really cultivated incorrectly?
To err so greatly despite being a master teacher, how was he supposed to guide others then? This wasn’t only a loss in this duel, this was a loss for him as a master teacher as well.
“Alright, I’ll stop here… As a fellow master teacher, I can tell you this. There’s still a way to resolve your problem at this point, but the longer you delay it, the harder it’ll be for you to make a full recovery…”
Ruohuan gongzi waved his hands. “I’m a magnanimous person, so as long as you admit your defeat, I’ll impart you the solution to your problem.”
