Chapter 160: A Simple Sword
What exactly did Zhe Xiu want? This was now the thing Chen Changsheng wanted most to know. After careful recollection, he confirmed that he hadn’t seen wrong—when entering the academy, Zhe Xiu had indeed turned back to glance at Luoluo. It was precisely because of that glance that he found this wolf tribe youth extremely dangerous. Who could have imagined that Tang Thirty-Six, carrying a roast chicken, would actually bribe him into becoming an ally of the National Academy?
It sounded too absurd to be true, but it really happened.
Luoluo was also watching Zhe Xiu, her emotions somewhat complicated.
For the vast majority of young cultivators, the Grand Examination could be said to be the most important event in their lives. But for some people, the Grand Examination was merely an opportunity—a chance to trade for what they truly desired. In other words, the seemingly sacred and solemn Grand Examination was essentially an auction.
Tianhai Shengxue had withdrawn, and Zhe Xiu had accepted the National Academy’s deal, all for this reason. What about Chen Changsheng? She knew very well that he had no pursuit of fame, so why was he so determined to take first place in the Grand Examination? She had asked him before, and Tang Thirty-Six had asked too, but he had never given an answer.
The supplementary matches proceeded without much incident. Tang Thirty-Six easily defeated his opponent. Xuan Yuan Po had good luck with his draw, avoiding any strong contenders from the Azure Cloud List, and smoothly secured his victory. Considering the combined results of the written and martial exams, it was uncertain whether Xuan Yuan Po could make it into the top three, but Tang Thirty-Six naturally had no problem.
The next round, the top eight, was still decided by drawing lots. However, since the number of participants was now small, they were directly split into upper and lower brackets. A single sword draw determined the order of all subsequent matches.
The results of the draw were: Luoluo faced Zhong Hui, the youth from Huaiyuan Academy; Gou Hanshi’s opponent was the maiden from Holy Maiden Peak; Zhe Xiu faced the examinee from Star Seizing Academy; and Chen Changsheng’s opponent was Zhuang Huanyu. Among the four matches, two were internal affairs: Li Mountain Sword Sect and Holy Maiden Peak were of the same school, while Zhe Xiu was competing under the banner of Star Seizing Academy.
This did not align with Tang Thirty-Six’s design.
In his view, the best draw would have been Zhe Xiu against Gou Hanshi, Luoluo against Zhuang Huanyu, with the lower bracket having Zhong Hui against the Star Seizing examinee, and Chen Changsheng against the maiden from Holy Maiden Peak. That way, even if Gou Hanshi defeated Zhe Xiu, he would then have to fight Luoluo head-on. Two consecutive tough battles would leave even Gou Hanshi weak in the knees. Meanwhile, Chen Changsheng, being tough and resilient, would have the greatest chance of defeating the Holy Maiden Peak maiden. If he could then get past Zhong Hui, he might actually snatch first place.
But as it stood, Gou Hanshi only needed to win his match against Zhe Xiu to advance to the final. Clearly, the maiden from Holy Maiden Peak was no match for him. Of course, this draw also had its advantages: Chen Changsheng only needed to defeat Zhuang Huanyu to enter the finals, because Luoluo should be able to beat Zhong Hui, and when she faced Chen Changsheng in the next round, she would surely forfeit.
The first match to begin was Chen Changsheng versus Zhuang Huanyu.
Throughout today’s Grand Examination, Zhuang Huanyu had been as silent and low-key as Tianhai Shengxue. However, Tianhai Shengxue’s silence was because he had long prepared to withdraw, while Zhuang Huanyu’s was to go further. Moreover, in the earlier rounds, he hadn’t encountered any opponent that required him to reveal his edge.
Zhuang Huanyu was extremely famous among the younger generation of the continent, ranked eleventh on the Azure Cloud List. He was the highest-ranked student from the Ivy Academies of the capital and the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Except for the top three, the strength of those in the first half of the Azure Cloud List was very close. He was undoubtedly the strongest opponent Chen Changsheng had faced in a true sense.
The Dust-Washing Pavilion was very quiet.
Zhuang Huanyu looked at Chen Changsheng expressionlessly and said, “You’ve had good luck today.”
From the first round to now, Chen Changsheng’s strongest opponents had been Huo Guang and, in the previous round, a youth from Frost City ranked in the twenties on the Azure Cloud List. That sounded impressive enough, but today’s Grand Examination was filled with countless strong contenders. He hadn’t encountered anyone from Li Mountain Sword Sect, nor Zhe Xiu or the others. Statistically speaking, his luck was indeed good.
“Your luck is also good,” Chen Changsheng said, looking at him.
This was also true. From the start of the matches to now, Zhuang Huanyu hadn’t even faced an opponent of equal rank. If it were about draw luck, neither Chen Changsheng nor anyone else could compare to him. This was no longer a matter of luck; it was certain that someone within the National Church had manipulated the drawing process.
As the leader of the academies under the National Church, regardless of what Mao Qiuyu and Vice Dean Zhuang thought, the National Church would inevitably push forward a representative student. Especially in the past half year, with the National Academy showing signs of revival, the National Church naturally wouldn’t allow the Heavenly Dao Academy’s glory to be completely overshadowed.
“When two people with good luck meet, I think we can’t rely on luck anymore,” Zhuang Huanyu said, looking at him.
Unable to rely on luck, they could only rely on strength.
At that moment, the priest from the Li Palace overseeing the match asked from upstairs, “Are you ready?”
Zhuang Huanyu nodded.
But Chen Changsheng shook his head, and then he did something no one expected.
He walked back under the eaves of the Dust-Washing Pavilion, took off his brand-new leather boots, and placed them neatly on the stone steps, as if he were a guest visiting someone’s home.
From the dim room on the second floor came a few soft exclamations. Mo Yu’s delicate brows lifted slightly; her face showed no expression, but deep in her eyes was a faint trace of amusement. Prince Chen Liu had been secretly watching her expressions, especially whenever Chen Changsheng appeared. Seeing her reaction now, he grew even more puzzled.
Chen Changsheng walked back to the arena barefoot, the edges of his soles tinged with a bit of yellow sand.
He raised his right hand and grasped the hilt of the short sword at his waist.
With this movement, the Dust-Washing Pavilion grew even quieter. The important figures in the room on the second floor said nothing, but their eyes brightened, and their expressions turned slightly solemn.
Earlier, when defeating the strong youth from Frost City, Chen Changsheng still hadn’t drawn his sword, relying on the unpredictable Yashi Step, ultimately depending on speed and strength. But now, it seemed he was ready to draw his sword. Facing an enemy of Zhuang Huanyu’s caliber, he could no longer hold back.
Still, no one believed he could defeat Zhuang Huanyu. Although he had displayed unimaginable strength and speed in the previous matches, along with the bizarre Yashi Step, his marrow cleansing had succeeded too recently. His true essence reserves were too meager compared to true experts, and there was no visible path to victory.
The fundamental issue was that Zhuang Huanyu was truly strong.
“Does the barefoot man fear the one wearing shoes?”
Zhuang Huanyu’s gaze fell on Chen Changsheng’s sand-covered bare feet. After a moment of silence, he said, “Or perhaps you don’t know that back in the countryside, I rarely had the chance to wear shoes, let alone new ones.”
Chen Changsheng said nothing, but he understood what Zhuang Huanyu meant.
Zhuang Huanyu was the son of Vice Dean Zhuang, but he had spent many years in the countryside tending to his sick mother, struggling to rise and become the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Even now, the shoes on his feet were ordinary cloth ones.
Chen Changsheng just couldn’t understand why the look in his eyes when he gazed at him was so cold and hostile. He couldn’t figure out when he had offended this man.
Zhuang Huanyu was a key figure being groomed by the new faction of the National Church. It was only natural for him to be hostile to the National Academy. As for his old grudge with Tang Thirty-Six, it was probably similar to Guan Feibai’s attitude toward Tang Thirty-Six—the natural disdain of a poor boy from humble origins for a rich young master who didn’t cherish his life. But why didn’t he like Chen Changsheng?
“Shall we begin?” Zhuang Huanyu asked.
His tone was ordinary, like when he asked his classmates during lessons at the Heavenly Dao Academy, “Can we start class now?”
Chen Changsheng’s response was equally ordinary. He nodded.
Zhuang Huanyu raised his sword sheath flat, holding the sheath in his left hand and the hilt in his right. He gazed at him quietly and said, “Please.”
Chen Changsheng, with his right hand on the hilt of the short sword at his waist and his left hand extended forward, replied, “Please.”
And so, this match began in an ordinary way.
Yet from the very start, it was anything but ordinary.
With a sharp clang, Zhuang Huanyu drew his sword from its sheath and, seemingly casually, swung it through the air before him.
It only seemed casual. In truth, this sword stroke was extremely focused. The blade cut through the air, leaving a perfectly straight line, absolutely parallel to the ground, without any deviation.
Not every sword could cut such a straight line.
Zhuang Huanyu’s sword cut a straight line.
But over a dozen zhang away, an arc appeared.
It was a faintly curved arc of light, very bright.
This bright arc did not appear in the air, nor on the sandy ground, but in Chen Changsheng’s eyes.
Chen Changsheng’s eyes were very clear, his pupils very black—not the deep black of night, but a purer, cleaner black.
A faintly curved sword light appeared in his black pupils, very distinct.
This was because the straight line that Zhuang Huanyu’s sword had cut through the air instantly traversed the distance of over a dozen zhang, arriving before him.
This sword light was less than three feet from his eyes.
It came so fast that the ends lagged slightly. The straight line at the start of the sword stroke, upon reaching Chen Changsheng, had transformed into an arc.
It was a perfect arc. No matter how Chen Changsheng responded, it would be difficult to break, because arcs are the strongest shape. At the same time, it was also hard to defend against, because no matter where he struck the sword arc, the remaining parts of the line would, following the high speed, form a circle and envelop his body.
The battle began ordinarily, but its start was extraordinarily unusual.
With his first move, Zhuang Huanyu unleashed the Heavenly Dao Academy’s most powerful sword technique: the Radiant Light Sword.
From the room on the second floor came an almost inaudible sound of admiration.
A very simple sword stroke, yet it revealed that Zhuang Huanyu’s cultivation was far from simple.
Even across the entire Grand Examination, this sword stroke of his could rank in the top three.
How would Chen Changsheng break this sword?