Chapter 106: Rising Fame

"What did you say!!!" Shi Jingjing screamed in disbelief, her eyes wide, after hearing Chen Mobai's results at the peak.

"He defeated Qiao Xingwen in one minute! You haven't fallen for an illusion, have you?" Cao Yaling knew Shi Jingjing wouldn't believe it; she wouldn't have believed it herself if she hadn't witnessed it firsthand.

Even she, an eighth-level Qi Cultivator, couldn't defeat Qiao Xingwen in a minute. Probably only someone like Gong Xiangyu, a ninth-level Qi Cultivator, combined with powerful talismans or spells, could achieve that.

"A video has been uploaded; check it out yourself." Cao Yaling opened the betting website, where duel videos were already being uploaded according to the match schedule. She selected the fight between Chen Mobai and Qiao Xingwen and clicked the small triangular button between their avatars. A short video immediately began to buffer. It was indeed short, only one minute long.

Shi Jingjing immediately leaned in to watch.

As soon as the referee teacher stepped down, Qiao Xingwen first used two Spirit Orbs to probe. Chen Mobai responded by conventionally using the Body Agility technique to move and evade the attack. However, this move fell into Qiao Xingwen's calculations. He predicted Chen Mobai's landing spot from the Body Agility technique, and three even more powerful Spirit Orbs, bursting with dazzling light, shot from his fingertips, accurately targeting all of Chen Mobai's possible evasive maneuvers.

Isn't that the end? Just as Shi Jingjing thought this, a Wood Shield Talisman lit up in Chen Mobai's hand. "Hmm, a good counter," she thought. As Shi Jingjing was evaluating this, Chen Mobai threw out another talisman with even stronger spiritual light.

Water glowed like waves, then instantly condensed into a sword, striking towards Qiao Xingwen. A first-grade mid-level "Water Sword Talisman"—could it really defeat an opponent like that? As Shi Jingjing wondered, Qiao Xingwen confidently used an Earth Shield Talisman, a mere first-grade low-level defensive talisman, to block the Water Sword Talisman that Chen Mobai seemed to have thrown out in a hurry.

Immediately after, Qiao Xingwen spread the five fingers of his right hand, and five Spirit Orbs burst forth, covering Chen Mobai, who was charging towards him. Chen Mobai had to stop his advance and move left and right to evade the Spirit Orb attacks. Just as one of the Spirit Orbs was about to hit Chen Mobai, Qiao Xingwen suddenly became immobile and fell to the ground unconscious.

Shi Jingjing immediately rewound the video, set it to 0.5x speed, watched it three times, and even used her Spirit Eyes before finally noticing something.

The Water Sword Talisman, which had been blocked by the Earth Shield Talisman, transformed into a pool of clear water that landed at Qiao Xingwen's feet. As he used his Spirit Orbs, this clear water seemed to gain sentience, flowing like a spiritual snake from the raised edge of the Earth Shield on the stone platform by his feet, then behind him, and rising to the back of Qiao Xingwen's head. Immediately afterward, a transparent water staff heavily struck him. Qiao Xingwen, completely unprepared, was knocked unconscious by the blow.

"Water Control Art?" Shi Jingjing's face showed hesitation, and Cao Yaling nodded gently.

"The Water Sword Talisman was just a feint. Qiao Xingwen thought he had blocked that first-grade mid-level attack talisman and focused all his attention on a potentially higher-grade talisman Chen Mobai might use. He never realized that the water sword of the Water Sword Talisman was a ruse; the true attack was the water itself after the sword dispersed."

"Because we can use talismans, we all rely on them as our trump cards. But we forget that the main purpose of dueling is to test our flexible application of spells."

"Although Chen Mobai appears ordinary, he grasped the crucial point. A simple Water Control Art, combined with the Water Sword Talisman and appropriate tactics, allowed him to easily defeat Qiao Xingwen, a formidable opponent."

Cao Yaling had personally witnessed Chen Mobai meticulously design his strategy, making Qiao Xingwen believe he had the upper hand, only to defeat him with the simplest Water Control Art. Before Shi Jingjing arrived, Cao Yaling had already analyzed this deep and intricate duel, a true "game within a game," numerous times in her mind. The more she analyzed, the more impressed she became with Chen Mobai.

So dueling could be this simple! There was no need for powerful talismans or mastering complex spells; just using the most effective spell at the most opportune moment could easily defeat seemingly formidable opponents.

"Where did that guy go?" Shi Jingjing asked, looking up.

"He supposedly has a lunch appointment with Teacher Chan."

"Let's go, we'll latch onto him... no, we'll crash their meal!" Before Cao Yaling could react, her eyes wide, Shi Jingjing had already pulled her in the direction Chen Mobai had left, while also sending him a message.

Chen Mobai had added her as a friend earlier to ask for the betting website. However, Chen Mobai didn't seem to be on his phone and didn't respond to her. Just as Shi Jingjing was about to give up in frustration, she saw Teacher Chan calling.

"Why are you all here?" In the snack street of Danzhu Academy, Chen Mobai returned after ordering five small dishes, only to find many classmates seated at the tables. Besides the familiar Song Zheng and Mo Simin, there were also Xu Yuan, Shi Yuanqing, and many others. Basically, more than half of the students from their school had arrived.

"I'm your teacher. Since you're here at Danzhu Academy for the entrance exam, as the host, it's only natural for me to welcome you all. That's why I invited everyone." Chan Si smiled, sitting at the corner of the long table, waved to the owner, and ordered two more tables of dishes.

"Well, it seems I won't be able to treat him again." Chen Mobai sighed, wondering why it was so difficult to treat Chan Si to a meal.

"There'll always be a chance; after all, you've made it to the next round, haven't you?"

"Huh, how did you know? According to the odds, wasn't my chance of winning against Qiao Xingwen only one percent?" Chen Mobai hadn't yet mentioned his duel results since meeting Chan Si and Senior Sister Fu.

"I originally thought you'd been eliminated, and I didn't want to bring up anything upsetting, so I didn't ask. But now, your duel video has gone viral on Danxia City's city-wide forum." Shen Juanxiu's eyes sparkled as she looked at Chen Mobai. Upon hearing this, he immediately took out his phone and entered the forum.

"A huge upset: a seventh-level Qi Cultivator defeated by a sixth-level one!""The Dueling Art of Immortal Sect Fifth High School's Top Scorer: A Single Simple Water Control Art Can Change the Battle!""Is Third High School too weak, or Fifth High School too strong?""Such a sinister tactic!"Chen Mobai saw the top dozen or so posts with small flame icons next to their titles and excitedly clicked on them. Seeing the praise for himself, he couldn't help but smile happily.

Then, Chan Si and the others watched as Chen Mobai directly posted on the forum: "Thank you for the discussion, everyone. I, Chen Mobai, will continue to uphold the reputation of Immortal Sect Fifth High School in this duel. Please continue to support our school. Poster: If I become the Azure Emperor in the future."