Translator: Pika
Jiang Luofu shot a surprised glance at Sang Hong, thinking that the latter was acting much more recklessly than usual. However, she thought nothing of it and rested back onto her seat. She leisurely crossed her legs and she prepared herself to watch the show. She was also curious to see if Zu An still had any surprises in store for her.
With Sang Hong and Jiang Luofu setting the example, the other powerhouses also quickly returned to their seats to spectate this additional match.
Qin Wanru tugged her husband’s sleeves and asked, “Does Zu An stand a good chance against Yuan Wenji?”
“I’m not sure.” Chu Zhongtian shook his head. “Based on what he had shown earlier, he seems to be slightly weaker than Yuan Wenji. To be honest, I’m still not very sure what happened to Yuan Wendong earlier to actually lose the battle.”
Hong Xingying heaved a sigh of relief hearing those words. If that fellow had really returned victoriously to the Chu clan after triumphing over a fifth rank cultivator, I really wouldn’t know what to do with him. However, since his greediness got the better of him, it looks like he’ll be done in here.
If Zu An lost this match, whatever prestige he built up would vanish in an instant. If so, I wouldn’t need to worry about anything anymore. Heh, in the end he’s still nothing more than a hoodlum who managed to climb up through luck. I don’t know how he managed to build up his cultivation, but he immediately forgot his palace right away. People like him will just die without even knowing how in the future.
Meanwhile, Chu Huanzhao was panicking. “Isn’t my brother-in-law in danger then?”
Chu Zhongtian consoled her, saying, “Rest assured, I’ll step in and save him if it comes down to it.”
“Tsk. Throughout this entire Clans Tournament, have you managed to save anyone at all?” remarked Chu Huanzhao with a click of her tongue.
This darned child!
Chu Zhongtian nearly choked on her words. He was unable to find any words to refute what hsi second daughter just said. It took a long while before he managed to squeeze out, “I’ll move together with your mother and older sister if anything happens later on. That should be fine, right?”
Only then did Chu Huanzhao finally nodded in approval. “That’s more like it.”
Chu Zhongtian’s face turned dark. What’s the use of having daughters? She’s already siding with others despite her young age. She’s really going to be the death of me at this rate!
On the other hand, the others from the Yuan clan were currently surrounding Yuan Wenji, giving him a pep talk. “Wenji, there’s no need to get scared. His real cultivation is only at early third rank. He isn’t a match for you in a proper battle.”
“Wendong only got careless earlier while fighting him. Put on these ear muffs later on before the fight. Don’t let the nonsensical chatter of that man distract you. Just focus your attention on hacking him down once you step onto the dueling ring. At the very least, try to get at least a hand and a leg from him!”
“You also don’t have to get too worried about his movement skill either. We’ve examined it closely earlier, but it’s not a threat at all. You just have to do this...”
...
On the dueling ring, Zu An yawned in boredom. “Are you done discussing yet? Is this battle on or not?”
But halfway through his words, he suddenly froze up.
This sounds oddly familiar. Isn’t this what Yuan Wendong did earlier on before I got onto the dueling ring. Oh shit, am I going to walk in his footsteps too?
Pui pui pui! How can I be compared to him? That man doesn’t even have a hundredth of my suaveness! Even the Goddess of Luck will specially look after me after seeing my handsome face!
“Since you’re in such a hurry to court death, I’ll fulfill your wish!” Yuan Wenji leaped onto the dueling ring with a darkened look on his face.
“Don’t be like your cousin, who keeps prattling off but ends up disappointing everyone,” replied Zu An calmly.
“You resorted to despicable means to assault Brother Wendong earlier on! I’ll make you pay for what you did to him!” Yuan Wenji drew his sword and pointed the tip at Zu An.
It was then that Yuan Zhengchu berated loudly, “What did I tell you earlier? Don’t even talk to him! Put on your earmuffs!”
Yuan Wenji’s face reddened. He quickly put on the earmuffs that were given to him.
Somehow, this guy’s words seem to carry some sort of sorcery. I just can’t help but want to refute whatever he’s saying.
On the other hand, Zu An was a little disappointed to see the earmuffs. The ‘Whatcha Staring At’ skill was unexpectedly useful in the earlier battle. While it only caused Yuan Wendong to be distracted for a split second, the opening it created was more than enough to make a difference in the midst of a heated battle.
But if all of my opponents were to cover their ears when going against me in the future, wouldn’t that skill be practically useless from now on?
However, Zu An soon consoled himself that there was no way everyone would be constantly wearing earmuffs. The reason why Yuan Wenji was wearing it was not because he knew about the effects of ‘Whatcha Staring At’ but that he was afraid of getting distracted by his words and following in the footsteps of Yuan Wendong.
“Die!” Yuan Wenji sneered coldly as he drove his sword frontward. His proficiency in swordsmanship was beneath that of Yuan Wendong, but he had at least managed to grasp the basics, allowing him to exert formidable prowess.
Zu An crossed several blows with him, and soon, he noticed that something was amiss. He realized that his movements were being predicted!
“Hahaha, that lousy movement skill of yours might look scary at first sight, but it only has that few maneuvers.” Having guessed Zu An’s thoughts, Yuan Wenji burst into heart laughter. His words didn’t hinder his movements though as he continued to dish out ferocious slashes toward Zu An.
On the other hand, Zu An berated Old Mi in his head for imparting to him a flawed movement skill. What’s the use of it if it can be deciphered that easily?!
To be fair, Zu An was using the revised Sunflower Phantasm that Old Mi changed in a fluster out of fear that someone would see through the real one. He didn’t have time to properly think through the revised version through, resulting in it being riddled with openings. With several experts analyzing it simultaneously throughout the course of the earlier battle, it was inevitable that they would soon find a way to curb it.
If Old Mi had been given more time to work on it, even the weaker, revised version would be strong enough that those present wouldn’t be able to easily see through its openings.
While Zu An was distracted, Yuan Wenji made use of the opportunity to push his attack on. A gleeful smile crept onto his lips as he slashed his sword with a force so great that it could hack his leg into two.
My luck isn’t bad today. With the crippling of Yuan Wendong, no one in the younger generation of the Yuan clan will be able to compete with me anymore. On top of that, I’d even be able to exact vengeance for Yuan Wendong, making a huge contribution to the Yuan clan. With this, I should be next in line as the successor of the Yuan clan!
Thinking back, I really need to thank Chu Second Miss for this. Even though you bullied me ever since I was still young, at least you made up for it by sending such a huge gift my way.
Hahaha, just wait till I become the successor of the Yuan clan. I might just be able to have the Chu clan betroth you to me so that I can bully you everyday. Just thinking about it makes me excited!
Just as Yuan Wenji was about to slash through Zu An’s legs, he astonishingly found that there was no resistance against his blade. What he had slashed through was just a mere afterimage—the real Zu An was already nowhere to be seen.
From his peripheral vision, he saw a glint of light coming from the side. His heart jerked in fright as he hurriedly tried to sidestep away. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
A cry of misery echoed on the dueling ring as an arm flew through the sky in an arc. It was still clutching onto a sword tightly, all five fingers twitching nonstop. It was a hair-raising sight.
Then, Zu An smashed his feet into Yuan Wenji’s abdomen, crushing him heavily onto the ground with a cry of misery. Yuan Wenji tried to rise back up, but his injuries were too severe for him to move. In the end, he stared at Zu An with quivering eyes as he cried out, “Y... You’re vicious!”
You have successfully trolled Yuan Wenji for +1024 Rage!
Losing his arm was one thing, but the earlier kick had smashed his ki core, crippling his cultivation for good. It was just a moment ago that he was dreaming about rising to greater heights, but in the next, he had fallen back into the dust. The nosedive drop in his emotions left him on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Zu An walked over and gazed down on him from above. “I’m not a big-hearted person. If someone treats me well, I might still irk him with my words. However, if someone treats me badly, I’ll return it to him tenfold. I was planning to just fracture your arm and injure your abdomen to exact vengeance from Huanzhao, but since you tried to sever my legs, you shouldn’t blame me for returning the favor.”
From the sidelines, Hong Xingying gulped in fear. He felt a shudder run down his spine. He’s too vicious!
At this moment, those from the Yuan clan flew into a state of rage, “Zu An, you’re courting death!”
You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for +1024 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Yuan XXX for +444 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Yuan YYY for +444 Rage!
...
How could Yuan Zhengchu remain calm after seeing two of his clan members being crippeld? He led the experts of his clan onto the dueling ring, intent to get back at Zu An.
However, Chu Zhongtian was already well-prepared. He led the Chu clan up onto the dueling ring as well to stop those from the Yuan clan. “Yuan Zhengchu, have you no sense of shame? After all your preaching earlier on, you’re trying to interfere in a duel between the juniors now?”
Yuan Zhengchu knew that he was no match for Chu Zhongtian, so he turned to Sang Hong and cried. “Governor Sang, this man is too cruel! Please redress the grievances of our Yuan clan!”
Standing amidst the members of the Chu clan, Zu An felt more confident than ever. So, he spke out loud, “Uncle Yuan, I don’t understand what you’re saying here. We agreed beforehand to fight it out to settle our grudges, but you’re whining right after the duel is over. Isn’t this the attitude of a sore loser?”
Yuan Zhengchu choked upon hearing those words. Who is your uncle? If I had a nephew like you, I would have drowned you in the lavatory by now!
You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for +999 Rage!
Sang Hong also felt incredibly frustrated too. The Yuan clan is more useless than I have expected. They keep slipping up time and time again, expecting me to clean up their mess.
Instead of expressing his stance, he turned to Jiang Luofu and said, “Principal Jiang, I didn’t expect the Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay to harness such great prowess. I must say that I’m impressed.”
Zu An’s earlier strike was obviously one of the forms of the Elementary Swordplay, but for some reason, Yuan Wenji, despite his higher cultivation, was unable to avoid the attack.
Jiang Luofu thought back about the earlier duel, and to be frank, she couldn’t understand how Zu An was able to bring forth such prowess with a relatively straightforward move. It felt like there were some bits of his swordplay that was different from the Elementary Swordplay, but she couldn’t put her finger on just what it was.
“The Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay is the crystallization of centuries of wisdom of our academy, so it does have its strengths. It’s just a pity that our lack of talent prevents us from comprehending the deeper intricacies lying within,” replied Jiang Luofu.
Xie Yi also spoke up at this moment, “Governor Sang, no matter how we look at it, Zu An’s earlier strike was indubitably the most normal Elementary Swordplay of the academy. If Yuan Wenji isn’t even able to dodge such a strike, it’d be hard to pin the blame on Zu An for not holding back.”
Sang Hong nodded in agreement. Given the circumstances, it would be hard for him to side with the Yuan clan. “Patriarch Yuan, we’ve agreed not to pursue the results of the duel no matter who wins or loses. You’re putting me in a spot here.”
His words swiftly brought about nods of agreement from the crowd.
“Indeed! We heard it too!”
“The Yuan clan are sore losers!”
“Just how lousy must he be to be unable to even deal with the Elementary Swordplay?”
...
Zu An heaved a sigh of relief. He had executed the Sunflower Phantasm for an instant there, and fortunately, no one had seen through it. All they saw was just the ordinary Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay from the academy, oblivious to the fact that it had been augmented by the Sunflower Phantasm to become the legendary ‘Bixie Swordplay’. This sword art was bizarre in the sense how only those facing it would be able to feel its prowess. Onlookers would only be baffled by how the enemy inexplicably fell for his attack so easily.
However, what Zu An didn’t know was that there was someone in the crowd staring at him intently. “That sword art he executed earlier, why does it resemble that man’s so much? No, this won’t do. I need to report it upward!”
😉