Chapter 481: Sword from the Mouth (3)
Tang Thirty-Six walked down the stone steps and stood beside the new student named Chen Fugui. Looking at him, he nodded and said, "Good performance. From now on, you'll study the Night Forest Running Tiger technique."
Chen Fugui was momentarily stunned before reacting, his face lighting up with ecstasy. His voice trembling, he said, "Thank you, Academy Supervisor, thank you, Academy Supervisor."
Tang Thirty-Six turned to face the dozens of new students and said, "See that? This is what I talked about last night—in a battle between two armies, momentum is paramount. Whether you're a match for your enemy or not, you only find out after fighting. And before you strike, you must never think you're inferior to your opponent. As the saying goes, better to be beaten to death than scared to death. Another saying goes, if you can't beat someone to death, scare them to death."
The new students of the National Teaching Academy responded in unison, their voices perfectly aligned, their eyes fixed on Chen Fugui with envy and longing.
The challenger from the Detached Palace Affiliated Academy was baffled by the scene. Finally unable to hold back, he asked, "What's going on? Are we not fighting?"
Tang Thirty-Six asked Chen Fugui, "Can you beat him?"
He had asked this question before the match began. Chen Fugui had said then that you never know if you can win until you fight. Now that he had fought...
He honestly admitted, "I can't."
"Don't be discouraged. You've only been at the Initial Illumination realm for less than two months. Of course you can't beat someone at the Thoroughfare Abyss realm. You're not a peerless genius like me or the Dean."
Tang Thirty-Six patted his broad shoulder, comforting him, "Tonight, thoroughly review today's match, and then prepare for your next lessons."
The watching crowd thought to themselves, the match had barely started and nothing had happened—what was there to review?
The challenger from the Detached Palace Affiliated Academy watched Chen Fugui walk back up the stone steps, equally bewildered. He looked at Tang Thirty-Six and asked, "And then what?"
The match had just begun; he hadn't even drawn his sword before it was called off. Shouldn't they continue fighting?
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "If you can't win, you surrender."
The challenger from the Detached Palace Affiliated Academy was truly dumbfounded. After a long pause, he came to his senses and asked in disbelief, "No way? That's it?"
"What else? You want to stay for a meal? Our National Teaching Academy's cafeteria hired chefs from Clear Lake Restaurant. Ordinary people shouldn't even think about freeloading."
Leaving that remark, Tang Thirty-Six headed toward the academy gate, preparing for the next match.
The challenger from the Detached Palace Affiliated Academy flew into a rage. His aura surged, and the sword in his hand gleamed with a chilling light.
Tang Thirty-Six stopped, turned around, and looked at him expressionlessly. "Try taking one more step forward."
Flanking the main gate of the National Teaching Academy, two squads of National Teaching cavalry stood with cold spears in hand, their gazes indifferent.
Above the wall, crossbows were faintly visible.
It was only then that the watching crowd realized what the National Teaching Academy was planning. A commotion erupted, but it was instantly suppressed by the killing intent that enveloped the field.
"The National Teaching Academy... is it going to cheat?"
A cold voice came from the street, likely from one of the experts who had come to challenge the academy.
Tang Thirty-Six ignored the speaker entirely and walked straight to the new students. Looking at the roster in his hand, he called out, "Which one is Fu Xinzhi?"
Someone stepped forward—it was the young scholar who had shown great confidence on the day the National Teaching Academy recruited new students.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and said, "Among your classmates, you have the highest cultivation and strength. Perform well and show those outsiders what the National Teaching Academy is really made of."
Fu Xinzhi clasped his hands in a salute, slowly drew his long sword from its sheath, and walked to the center of the field, his demeanor calm and steady.
The challenger from the Detached Palace Affiliated Academy was still standing there, ignored by everyone. He looked lonely, almost pitiful, almost laughable.
He was supposed to be the victor of this match, but where was the thrill of victory?
He shot Tang Thirty-Six a resentful glare, flicked his sleeve, and retreated.
The next challenger to step forward was also a sword cultivator at the mid Thoroughfare Abyss realm, fighting on behalf of some academy instructor. Tang Thirty-Six couldn't remember which one. He only knew that Chen Changsheng had made it very clear the night before: Fu Xinzhi's opponent could only be this sword cultivator. Moreover, Chen Changsheng had added detailed notes in the roster, explaining how Fu Xinzhi should strike and how many strikes he could manage at most.
Time seemed to move slowly, or perhaps the first match had ended too quickly. It was still early morning, and though it was midsummer, it wasn't particularly hot.
Fu Xinzhi stood sword in hand on the flat ground before the National Teaching Academy gate, letting the breeze swirl around him, lifting his robes. He had an almost otherworldly air.
His opponent was also a sword cultivator, his green robe catching the morning light, his sword tip faintly cold. He, too, exuded an excellent bearing.
Seeing this scene, the crowd, still feeling stifled by the absurdly quick end of the first match, perked up.
The sword cultivator said expressionlessly, "Please."
Fu Xinzhi looked at his opponent's face in the morning light. On the surface, he seemed calm, but only he knew how nervous he was.
He was a student from Suiyang Prefecture. Unlike the students of the capital, who had received training in cultivation since childhood, his talent was decent, but his cultivation level had never been very high.
As for combat ability... in Suiyang Prefecture, he had never truly fought anyone.
Today was the first real fight of his life, and his opponent was a mid Thoroughfare Abyss realm cultivator—someone he couldn't have even imagined facing back in Suiyang, someone he would have regarded as a senior master!
How could he not be nervous?
Don't be nervous. That was the phrase Dean Chen had repeated most often last night.
Momentum is paramount. Momentum isn't just about ferocity; it's also about stillness. The Academy Supervisor had been drilling this principle into them from morning lessons until now.
He mentally reviewed the positions, speeds, and true essence circulation methods for the sword strikes Dean Chen had taught him last night, then took a deep breath.
He calmed down and drew his sword.
With a whoosh, it was as if a sudden storm had erupted before the National Teaching Academy gate.
The first form of the Bell Mountain Wind and Rain Sword: Rising from the Yellow Earth!
His sword shot through the storm with incredible speed, arriving before the sword cultivator.
The sword cultivator remained expressionless. His sword left its sheath, and his true essence surged forth, directly knocking Fu Xinzhi's sword off its intended trajectory.
Fu Xinzhi didn't panic.
For some reason, just as Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six had told all the new students last night...
After he unleashed his first strike, the reverence he had always felt for Thoroughfare Abyss realm cultivators back in Suiyang Prefecture vanished without a trace.
Moreover, this situation had been rehearsed several times the night before. His sword was exactly where it needed to be—the position Chen Changsheng had calculated.
That position was perfect for the fifth form of the Bell Mountain Wind and Rain Sword.
He focused his mind, his sword momentum surging, the storm intensifying. He thrust diagonally at his opponent once more.
At the same time, he counted silently in his mind: "This is the second strike."
Last night, Dean Chen had said that if he could land four sword strikes against this powerful opponent today, it would be a considerable success.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Sword light flashed continuously, then vanished without a trace.
The storm before the National Teaching Academy gate also disappeared, leaving behind only clarity and the impending heat of summer.
The sword cultivator stood motionless in place, expressionless. There were no wounds on his body, only a tiny tear on the front of his green robe.
Fu Xinzhi gripped his sword, his chest heaving slightly. A deep sword wound had opened on his left shoulder, blood streaming out steadily.
But he seemed to feel no pain. His eyes were very bright, filled with excitement and exhilaration.
Of course, he couldn't win. Although he was the strongest among this batch of National Teaching Academy new students, the gap between him and the Thoroughfare Abyss realm was still insurmountable.
But he had landed four strikes.
That was the most important thing—what Chen Changsheng had hoped he could achieve.
So instead of feeling any sense of defeat, he was filled with soaring pride.
He had been at the National Teaching Academy for less than five days, and he had already managed to land four strikes against a Thoroughfare Abyss realm expert!
If he studied here longer, how far might he go?
He looked into the sword cultivator's eyes and thought to himself, next year, just next year, I will definitely be able to truly defeat you!
"What are you still standing there for?"
Tang Thirty-Six's voice rang out from the academy gate.
Fu Xinzhi snapped back to reality, sheathed his sword, bowed to the sword cultivator, and walked back.
The sword cultivator didn't get angry like the challenger from the Detached Palace Affiliated Academy, nor did he try to stop him. Clearly, it had nothing to do with the National Teaching cavalry or the crossbows on the wall.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the returning Fu Xinzhi and said, "According to last night's simulation, if you wanted to land all four strikes, it was indeed very likely you'd get hurt, but it shouldn't have been this severe."
Fu Xinzhi walked back, and only then did his classmates see how deep the sword wound was—so deep that bone was faintly visible.
"I put a bit too much force into that last strike," he said nervously. "Because... I really wanted to try and see if I could hit him."
His final strike hadn't pierced his opponent's body, only leaving a tiny tear in his clothes—so small it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and asked, "Do you think it was worth it?"
Trading a wound deep enough to show bone for a tiny tear in an opponent's clothes—anyone would say it wasn't worth it.
But Fu Xinzhi thought it over seriously and said, "I think it was worth it."
"If you think it's worth it, then it's worth it." Tang Thirty-Six smiled, looking at him with satisfaction. "For example, if I think you're pretty good, then you really are pretty good."
Just then, the sword cultivator's voice suddenly rang out from the field.
For some reason, his voice trembled slightly—whether from fear or excitement, it was hard to tell.
"Excellent swordsmanship."
When he said this, he wasn't looking at Fu Xinzhi but at Tang Thirty-Six.
It wasn't fear. It was excitement, even a sense of awe, like seeing the breathtaking beauty of famous mountains and seas of clouds for the first time.
Given Fu Xinzhi's cultivation level, the fact that he could learn the Bell Mountain Wind and Rain Sword, even if only two forms, was already astonishing enough.
But that wasn't what had shaken and moved the sword cultivator.
What truly stunned him was the person who had taught Fu Xinzhi that swordsmanship.