Chapter 141: He's Definitely Injured
The academy often says that there are myriad Dao, innumerable, such that everyone's understanding of Dao is not entirely the same. However, after thousands of years of exploration and experimentation by Human Race cultivators, Worldly Sect with profound foundations naturally have their own secret Spell Cultivator arts to pass down.
Later cultivators, following the legacy of their ancestors, gradually formed a system.
And the Huantian Technique is the representative work of the Chu Family.
But the problem is that the Tong Xuan Realm is merely the initial understanding of immortal arts' mysteries; few people at this Realm can master and utilize spell arts. Even if Chu River has extraordinary talent in comprehending the Dao, its power is beyond imagination.
“This is just his first move, not his full power.”
“Ji You, there's going to be trouble—”
Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, Pei Ruyi, and others also rose from their seats, their hands at their sides clenching suddenly.
In this battle, Du Zhu actually didn't have too strong a Battle Intent, perhaps because he also knew that he was merely an appetizer before the main course.
So this wasn't a satisfying battle that everyone wanted to see; it was more like a display of skill.
And the strength Chu River displayed at this moment indeed exceeded everyone's expectations.
Ever since he returned to the academy, everyone said his Qi was very strong, but no one had ever seen him make a move. This move now truly showed everyone the Chu Family's foundation.
“He probably hasn't used his full strength yet.” Wen Zhengxin's expression became very solemn.
Ban Yangshu shared her view: “That Du Zhu had no intention of winning, but even if he did, he probably couldn't have taken that sword strike.”
Bai Rulong's Realm was below Chu River's, so he couldn't discern it. Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask, “That strong?”
Pei Ruyi pursed her lips: “I've been in the Tong Xuan Realm the longest, but even in the Profound Connection Realm,
I probably wouldn't be able to easily claim victory.”
“Can Brother Ji defeat him?”
“It’s hard to say—”
“He only went home for two months, why could he grow to such a degree?”
Amidst the discussions, Chu River's Qi around him remained immensely powerful, with the Qi of spell arts swirling around his body, instantly pressing down from the Baiyu Platform.
With a clang, a sharp piece of metal flew towards the spectator stands, narrowly dodged by a Disciple watching the excitement.
Upon closer inspection, it was a shattered blade tip.
The people present looked back and saw Du Zhu flying backward, his tightly held long saber now broken into countless pieces scattered across the arena, and his immortal robe was torn by the Qi, looking tattered.
That completely dark blade was no ordinary item; its material alone indicated its extraordinary hardness, but at this moment, it was broken into countless pieces, which fully demonstrated the power of the previous sword strike.
Because a clean cut would only leave one break, the blade now fractured into countless pieces was clearly twisted apart by terrifying spell arts.
At this moment, both on and off the stage, there was instant silence.
Du Zhu crawled up from outside the arena, looking deeply at Chu River, his eyes filled with intense unwillingness.
“Still fighting?”
“If you're still fighting the next round, you'll need a new weapon.”
Qin Rong, the Master-in-charge of the Master's Courtyard, floated over at this moment. He glanced at Du Zhu's tiger's mouth, finding no injury there.
His brow couldn't help but furrow slightly, but he still questioned him according to procedure.
The Arena consisted of three rounds, similar to how Tianshu Academy once challenged Lingjian Mountain, with victory going to the one who won two rounds.
However, various other factors could lead to a single-round decision, such as death, surrender, or inability to continue.
Just then, a slip of paper was passed from the Du Family Patriarch to Du Zhu's hand.
After reading it, Du Zhu gently shook his head, giving up the chance to change blades and go back on stage.
At this time, everyone was still immersed in Chu River's stunning performance just now, and it took a while for them to notice Du Zhu's departure.
They were not surprised by this.
Because no one believed Du Zhu could enter the Inner Courtyard, they had known early on the impact he could have on this battle,
at most, he would just exhaust either Ji You or Chu River.
And now, what everyone was more concerned about was whether Ji You could still defeat such a Chu River.
This question had been repeatedly raised ever since Ji You comprehended the Heavenly Book, and it had gone through many twists and turns during that time.
Initially, Chu River, as the second son of the Chu Family, seemed destined to enter the Inner Courtyard.
But Ji You, with one sword strike after another, shattered that possibility.
When he returned from Lingjian Mountain, it was Ji You's moment of highest prestige; at that time, most people felt that Ji You had already crossed the threshold of the Inner Courtyard.
Until today, Chu River's powerful sword strike against Du Zhu forcefully pushed that trend back.
Even Pei Ruyi, Ban Yangshu, and Wen Zhengxin showed unprecedentedly solemn expressions.
Afterward, Disciples from the Master's Courtyard went up to clean the Baiyu Platform, and two more figures appeared in everyone's gaze.
The one walking in front was still in that white robe, easily attracting countless gazes.
Some people standing behind the imperial family and relatives saw the Lingjian Mountain Disciple next to them, who had been idle, begin to furiously write.
“Actually, in these past few days, many people have told you to enter the Inner Courtyard, saying there are many benefits, and although you have a wild temperament, you are probably aware of this.”
“Now, I want you to forget all that.”
“Forget about establishing a Worldly Family in Feng Province, forget about Inner Courtyard Disciples enjoying the offerings of the common people, forget about this Instructor's hundred Spirit Stones.”
“Draw your sword, just enjoy yourself.”
Cao Jinsong's expression was also a bit somber, but he still pretended to be relaxed as he brushed the dust off Ji You's shoulder.
He also saw that Chu River's Qi was unusual, and while he found it astonishing, it was the eve of battle, so there was nothing more to say.
Ji You also adjusted his clothes: “Am I handsome?”
“Your demeanor is no less than this Instructor's when I was young.”
Ji You took a deep breath, then stepped onto the Baiyu Platform and stood firm.
These past few days, countless people had been discussing the Inner Courtyard quota, feeling that this battle was incredibly important, but for Ji You, every battle he experienced was important.
That punch at the Yuyang County government office, those three sword strikes on the streets of Shengjing, Qi Ridge, Sword Forest—
He came from a poor, remote place; to spend even one or two silver taels, he had to painstakingly rely on his skills to rob. How could there be any unimportant battles?
So his current state of mind was not complicated; instead, it was very much like what Cao Jinsong had just said.
Draw your sword, just enjoy yourself.
At this moment, Chu River also looked towards Ji You, and the Qi that had settled after the previous match suddenly wavered.
Purple-red Qi surrounded him. At this moment, he held his sword with one hand, his eyes filled with killing intent.
“Wild private cultivator—”
As Chu River spoke, the four words, though low, were clear enough to reach everyone's ears.
Everyone suddenly realized that this term, exclusively for Ji You, hadn't been mentioned in a long time.
But from Chu River's perspective, born into a prestigious family, watched by all since entering the academy, yet repeatedly trampled underfoot by a wild private cultivator—it must indeed be unforgettable.
And his return from You Province at this moment was perhaps to await this moment of revenge.
Whoosh!
On the Baiyu Platform, Chu River stomped his foot and raised his sword, a powerful Qi roared forth, creating towering waves of wind.
He truly hadn't used his full strength against Du Zhu, but this sword strike now, imbued with powerful spell arts, surged directly forward.
With a clang, Ji You raised his sword to meet it, and was immediately struck by the heavy Qi, sent to the edge of the Baiyu Platform, his sword constantly trembling.
Then he withdrew his sword, and another strike came, attacking again.
Chu River's Qi was overwhelmingly powerful, far exceeding Ji You's Qi; even from a great distance, many Outer Courtyard Disciples felt a sense of suffocation.
But Ji You's expression didn't change; his Spiritual Qi surged instantly, and he directly swung his sword to meet it.
Between clangs, the sound of metal vibrated in their ears, and sparks flew.
But for some reason, Ji You's clean iron sword was clearly not as fluid as Chu River's Dao-infused sword; several times he swung and missed, only to be met head-on by the sword's edge.
With a muffled thud, the stone bricks under Ji You's feet shattered directly, and he propped his sword and spun around, deflecting the Qi waves in front of him, and went straight for the sword!
The next instant, the sword's edge shifted. Chu River seemed to anticipate it and flashed, his left hand gathering a surge of Qi that swept across. “The Huantian Technique is a type of accompanying spell art.”
“When a cultivator's sword comes into contact with the opponent's Qi, it will be affected by the spell art, causing the sword's trajectory to become uncontrollable and unable to move as desired, as if entangled.”
Deep within the vast forest, at the peak of the cloud-shrouded sea of clouds.
The four Inner Courtyard Hall Masters, besides You Yingqiu, were on the mountain, observing everything on the Ascension White Jade Platform.
Great powers like them, from the Upper Five Realms, generally don't pay much attention to Outer Courtyard Disciples.
But today, they had all, by prior agreement, come to the cliff and were watching with extreme seriousness.
Among them, Chai Hu, the Chang Sheng Dian Master, whose cultivation method was similar to the Chu Family's, immediately saw the danger Ji You was currently facing.
“It's truly been many years since an Outer Courtyard Disciple could display such spell arts.”
Lu Fengchuan, the Desireless Hall Master, couldn't help but speak, letting out a soft sigh.
At this moment, there was a muffled thud.
Ji You, who had just performed a circular slash, was still in a back-turned posture, but his blade had been dodged by his opponent, and his back was directly struck hard by a fist entwined with the Huantian Technique.
That was not the force of martial arts, but the power of spell arts.
The force within it burst forth violently when the punch was thrown, heavy and powerful, directly sending Ji You, who was holding his sword, stumbling back three steps.
Seeing this scene, the Baiyu Platform immediately erupted in an uproar.
Among them, it was difficult to discern the details of the battle, but they knew that in this initial clash, Chu River was unharmed, but Ji You had truly taken a punch from his opponent.
Moreover, the wind generated when the punch's force dispersed was almost overwhelming, allowing people to judge its power.
One must know that Chu River's Qi had previously been strong enough to break Du Zhu's precious blade; how could a direct hit to the back of the heart be easy to bear?
“He's injured, Ji You is definitely injured...”
“Who could take that punch and not be hurt?!”
“For these past few days, the academy has been saying how powerful Ji You's sword is, how could he fall into a disadvantage so quickly?”
“Perhaps it's a movement technique problem; Ji You's sword simply can't catch Chu River.”
“Is this even called swordsmanship? Why do I feel like Ji You's sword is a bit overrated? I could do this too, couldn't I?”
“No, I've seen his sword; it shouldn't be so ordinary, should it?”
Ji You turned his head, holding his sword, and looked at the continuously rotating and intertwining purple-red Qi around Chu River, his expression becoming thoughtful.
He was not from a Worldly Family, and no one had taught him the Dao, so he didn't quite understand the mysteries of spell arts.
But at this moment, he had already felt during the process of drawing and retracting his sword that there seemed to be something strange about the Qi surrounding Chu River's entire body.
Because when he drew his sword, he would feel an unusual airflow passing through the blade, as if the sword body was obstructed when entering water, causing the sword to deviate by several inches when it landed, and then easily dodged by his opponent.
However, after these few sword strikes, he could probably understand that this was caused by the spell arts surrounding Chu River's body.
(I've been too busy and forgot it was my birthday today. Happy birthday to myself, I'm shamelessly asking for monthly votes.)