Chapter 53: Three Mythological Moves
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The fact that a frighteningly strong martial artist such as Du Yuntian worked for the First Prince was enough to spur the Third Prince into finding someone to investigate the situation.
Although the Third Prince was hiding his capabilities and biding his time, it did not mean his hands were entirely tied. Half a day's effort was more than enough time for him to find out information regarding Du Yuntian.
Su Yu took the paper and looked it over carefully. As he read, Su Yu's expression turned serious— his lips a thin line.
"Du Yuntian… is actually the younger biological brother of the previous Holy Meet's king!" Su Yu was shocked!
At the previous Holy Meet, the participant who attained the crown was named Du Lin; he was the previous Holy Meet's strongest demon student and he had successfully entered the Sanctuary following his win.
Du Yuntian was actually Du Lin's biological younger brother!
The relation between the two wouldn't be too concerning if that was the end of the matter—Du Lin had no power over deciding the result of the Holy Competition. Their relation, however, implied that Du Yuntian was even more powerful than his brother—who had already won the crown in years past!
It was said that Du Yuntian had fought the strongest demon students from nine of the martial arts training institutes. Among the nine training institutes, all of the strongest demon students were defeated by the third move!
His consistent victories over the other demon students in under three moves earned Du Yuntian the nickname "Du Yuntian of the Three Mythical Moves!"
No one student had yet managed to stay in the fight long enough to see Du Yuntian's fourth move!
His achievements were unprecedented; Du Yuntian was also much stronger than his brother, Du Lin—it was said that Du Yuntian was the strongest martial artist of his generation. He was unsurpassed and could beat any genius!
Three Mythological Moves? Su Yu's chest tightened.
The geniuses in the empire had gathered in immeasurable numbers; if a king of his generation was going to appear, it would most likely be in that very arena.
Su Yu was overwhelmed, his heart wrapped in darkness.
No matter how the Third Prince tried to remain composed, his clear pupils betrayed the conflict within his heart.
He had placed all his hope and his people's hope on Dong Lin.
If Dong Lin won, the Third Prince would obtain the empire.
If Dong Lin lost, the Third Prince would be killed.
The information that he obtained, however, had sent him into a valley of despair.
"Do you know why Du Yuntian is so strong?" The Third Prince was unaware of the way his own voice trembled with fear. His eyes refused to stay focused—instead, they looked towards the Fiery Minister, who was above millions of people.
"Why?" Su Yu asked seriously.
The Third Prince laughed darkly and looked at the Fiery Minister. With indescribable dissatisfaction, he said; "Because… Du Yuntian is the Fiery Minister's disciple!"
In every Holy Meet, the top ten martial artists would become Sanctuary disciples. At the Sanctuary, the nine Ministers would choose some of the ten martial artists who caught their attention to become their disciples. From then on, the martial artists who had been chosen would be under the supervision of their Minister, respectively.
At the previous Holy Meet, Du Lin had used his position as the number one to gain the favor of the Fiery Minister, and he had become the Fiery Minister's disciple.
After some time, the Fiery Minister discovered Du Lin had a biological younger brother, Du Yuntian, who was even more gifted than Du Lin!
The Fiery Minister personally rushed to the Du family home in order to measure Du Yuntian's abilities. He was amazed by Du Yuntian's abilities, so he stayed with the Du family for several months in order to advise Du Yuntian in his training. As a result of the Firey Minister's mentoring, Du Yuntian's abilities increased greatly.
Unless there was an order from the Holy King, the top ten martial artists would need to go through the Holy Assessment before they could enter the Sanctuary. Du Yuntian, however, may have already become the Fiery Minister's disciple.
The Holy Meet was just a formality for Du Yuntian and the Fiery Minister.
No one could compete with Du Yuntian for the first position. It could be argued that the final result of the Holy Meet had long ago already been decided—in Du Yuntian's favor, no less.
"He… Is he actually the Fiery Minister's disciple? Has he really been under the supervision of the Fiery Minister?" Su Yu breathed heavily—his heart ached under the intense pressure of the notion.
No wonder the Third Prince had lost his composure and seemed hopeless. It was impossible for the Third Prince to win his bet!
As though he realized what was going on between the Third Prince and Su Yu, the First Prince—just a short distance away—sneered, as if he had already won.
Su Yu and the Third Prince were both left in shock.
With his natural skill alone, there was no doubt that Du Yuntian was the current Holy Meet's king—but knowing he had the guidance of the Firey Minister as well?...
Alternatively, what if a threat showed up at the competition? Would the Firey Minister step in and ensure Du Yuntian's success?
The bet had seemed fair, initially—but both Su Yu and the Third Prince now understand it had been anything but fair from the start.
When Su Yu decided to participate in the Holy Meet, it had already been guaranteed that he would fail!
Su Yu, however, did not have a choice; other than attaining the Holy Crown, he had no way out of his current predicament.
Su Yu clenched his fists and centered himself.
If he wanted to rescue the Duke of Xianyu and kill the First Prince, there was only one path he could take; Su Yu had to attain the crown!
As he refocused on his goal, Su Yu continued to analyze the scrap of paper. On it, he discovered more information regarding the demon students from the thirteen prefectures.
In particular, Xianyu prefecture's Zheng Yilin was specifically interesting—he was the only demon student who had managed to comprehend the Holy Decree! Even Du Yuntian was unable to comprehend the Holy Decree.
Among the demon students from the thirteen prefectures, Zheng Yilin's abilities were the hardest to estimate.
Apart from Zheng Yilin, there was Chong Nanfei—also known as the Demon King!
Chong Nanfei was at Level Six Lower Tier and he was the number one demon student from the martial arts training institute in the Jiuchuan prefecture. His level of comprehension was extremely high and his cultivation techniques were extremely powerful!
Chong Nanfei's abilities were frightening. After all, he had managed to suppress all the proud and strong martial artists in the Jiuchuan prefecture!
It was rumored that Chong Nanfei had fought with many demon students from many different prefectures and he had never lost. Even Zheng Yilin—before he had comprehended the Holy Decree—had been defeated by Chong Nanfei.
Apart from Du Yuntian, who Chong Nanfei had not fought before, Chong Nanfei was the obvious Demon King!
The Royal Family had their two dragons; Du Yuntian and Dong Lin.
The martial arts training institutes had their two best demon students; Zheng Yilin and Chong Nanfei.
The four altogether stood as the stars of the Holy Meet—no one could possibly compete with their raw power and skill.
This was a serious matter. Su Yu made the most of his time and started to train.
Under the effects of space-time manipulation, one day's effort was equivalent to thirty day's effort, which was a month's time and would be sufficient for him to further comprehend some of his cultivation techniques.
In particular, he was a step away from making a breakthrough to Stage Three Top Class with Tempest.
While Su Yu made the best of his training, the duels carried on in the arena.
Du Yuntian, Zheng Yilin, and Dong Lin were the most interesting and strongest martial artists within the arena. In particular, a frightening Level Six Lower Tier demon student was nothing special when compared to Du Yuntian, as he was defeated after only three moves by Du Yuntian!
The legend behind Du Yuntian of the Three Mythological Moves was not only a legend; it was actually true.
After one day, all the duels had ended and the fifteen strongest martial artists had emerged.
At that moment, Su Yu opened his eyes, which were filled with disappointment.
Even after comprehending Tempest for what was equivalent to one whole month's time, Su Yu felt he was lacking something. As a result, he was unable to make a breakthrough to the Top Class, and he could not display the full potential of Tempest.
As Su Yu opened his eyes, the referee declared the last segment of the competition.
"The Ten Great Holy Competition will begin now!" The referee declared expressionlessly.
The Ten Great Competition was held to select ten people out of the fifteen survivors from the elimination rounds. In other words, five people would be eliminated by the end of this segment.
Royal Family and martial arts institutes alike; they were all extremely nervous.
The top ten of the Holy Competition would earn the rights to enter the Sanctuary and become Sanctuary disciples. As such, the upcoming battles were very crucial!
The referee was expressionless as he took out two numbers from the sealed black box: "The first match; number ten, Du Yuntian, versus number eighteen, Dong Lin!"
"Du Yuntian of the Three Mythological Moves? One of the Four Great and Proud Martial Artists, Dong Lin?"
Beneath the stage, the audience burst into an uproar! No one had expected both of them to be matched against one another during the Ten Great Competition.
The Third Prince's pupils shrunk. His heart started to beat violently and he felt his blood rush through his veins.
"He…He was matched against Du Yuntian so quickly!" The Third Prince concealed his hearts' anxiety and uneasiness. He was unable, however, to conceal the hope in his eyes.
What if…What if Dong Lin wins?
The First Prince who was beside him laughed derisively; "Third brother, seems like the odds are not in your favor."
The Third Prince presented a composed facade, smiling lightly; "Brother, you are too quick in claiming victory. I have nurtured Dong Lin as I valued his potential, and there were no ulterior motives behind my intentions."
"Really? If that is the case, then all is well." The First Prince was in a good mood, though his heart was full of murderous intention.
The First Prince's third brother was more intelligent and capable than him. If the First Prince had given his third brother a few more days, he might have found an opportunity to turn the tables against him. The Third Prince was too much of a threat; once the First Prince ascended to the throne, his first task would be to get rid of his brother!
The Third Prince withdrew his fists into his sleeves and clenched them tightly. His heart was full of anxiety and his eyes were fixated on Dong Lin.
You better not let me down; all my hopes rest on you, Dong Lin!
The phrase echoed through the Third Prince's mind again and again as he watched the match with rapt attention, eyes practically glued to the fight.
Rustle, rustle－
Two shadows lept around the arena.
One shadow was Du Yuntian of the Three Mythological Moves. The other, a proud and strong martial artist; Dong Lin.
Both Dong Lin and Du Yuntian were Level Six, and extremely arrogant. They also represented the Royal Family, albeit different members—Dong Lin represented the interests of the Third Prince, and Du Yuntian the interests of the First Prince.
Their match was not only a test of strength between themselves but a contest between the two princes as well.
The normal audience was ignorant of the true high-stakes nature of the match. The politicians in attendance, however, had broken into a cold sweat—this match would decide the future of the cabinet of the imperial court!
If Dong Lin lost, the Third Prince would lose all power and would be doomed to die at the hands of the First Prince.
If Dong Lin won, the Third Prince would turn the tables to his advantage within a day's time!
Du Yuntian carried a Dragon Spring Sword. Even though the sword was sheathed, a thread of the sword's vital energy overflowed from his side. The sword was cool and swift—it was sharp in both its physical and spiritual nature.
Dong Ling started to move in his blue robe. His eyes burned through the heavens with fighting spirit. His eyes were narrowed seriously in a manner he had never done before as he said in a low voice; "Du Yuntian, our fight cannot be avoided!"
During the Royal Family's Dragon's Meeting, Du Yuntian had declined all challenges. When Dong Lin and Du Yuntian were matched against one another during the Holy Meet, however, Du Yuntian had no choice but to fight!
Du Yuntian's apathetic eyes looked at Dong Lin up and down as he sized him up. After a moment, he lightly shook his head; "You are no match for me."
"You're overconfident—let me fix that for you!" Similarly, Dong Lin was also extremely arrogant. How could he stand Du Yuntian's condescending eyes?
"Hibernation Destroying Finger!" Dong Ling roared as he stretched out his index finger. It rose to the sky as if pulled by the sun, as the Earth turned with his movement.
Dong Lin's finger was covered in scarlet swirls, like flames. His finger had a frightening power as if it channeled the energy of a beast awoken from its long hibernation.
The power of a Stage Three Top Class medium level cultivation technique was great!
Du Yuntian's gaze remained apathetic. He took a step forward and swung his Dragon Spring Sword; the attack cracked across the landscape, like a thunderbolt that swept across the sky.
Du Yuntian's attack was extremely fast and frightening. The feeling of the attack imprinted a cold memory on the hearts of the audience, which they would forever, fearfully remember.
Titter－
Bang－
Dong Lin groaned and retreated quickly. His eyes filled with astonishment!
His attack, a medium level cultivation technique at Stage Three Top Class, had been easily dissipated by a swing of Du Yuntian's sword!
The terrifying part was that Du Yuntian had not even unsheathed his sword!
Du Yuntian was calm and composed. He leisurely placed his sword back on his person; "Your abilities were not too bad. You are still not worthy enough for me to draw my sword, though!" He said coldly.
Dong Lin was extremely shocked. "You haven't won yet!" He roared.
Dong Lin's ten fingers were covered with energy. The energy was vital energy which Dong Lin's body emitted.
Only strong martial artists of Level Seven of the Martial Path and above could emit vital energy. A strong martial artist at Level Six, however, could borrow the power of the extremely advanced level cultivation technique in order to just barely emit vital energy from his body. The power created by condensing one's vital energy into an attack was immeasurable.
Red rays of light like the break of dawn covered his fingers—Dong Lin was covered in a mysterious and unpredictable atmosphere.
"Nine Pulses Incredible Sword!" Dong Lin roared!
Swish, swish, swish－
Nine of his ten fingers fired beams of vital energy at Du Yuntian!
The Third Prince was extremely excited. Nine Pulses Incredible Sword was Dong Lin's hidden cultivation technique; it was a top advanced level cultivation technique that the Third Prince had found for Dong Lin, and he had paid a huge price for it.
The First Prince frowned for the first time. "Advanced level cultivation technique!!" He cried, his voice choked.