Chapter 50: Wang Yichui

As Sun Xiaoyan's victory sent ripples of astonishment through the onlookers, Lin Zhengli, who had been roused from his stupor, was now whispering resentful words behind his elder brother.

"Why did you concede for me? If you had woken me then, I might not have been unable to fight!"

"And then?" Lin Zhenren didn't turn his head.

"If I hadn't been careless, how could that brute have had a chance? Not to mention that fellow from Fenglin City, he hasn't even established his Foundation! I refuse to let him claim the championship!"

"Even if you were to defeat him, by points, he would still be the freshman champion. It holds no meaning. Besides..." A faint smile played on Lin Zhenren's lips, "What if you were to lose again?"

"How could that be possible!" Lin Zhengli glanced left and right, then lowered his voice, his unwillingness palpable, "You don't believe me? That I would lose to him?"

"Who can say?" Lin Zhenren chuckled softly.

Lin Zhengli felt a surge of indignant fury, especially given that he had indeed been pinned down and thoroughly beaten before so many eyes. He was about to retort when Lin Zhenren suddenly turned his head and seized him by the collar.

"Remember! Your foolishness has already created an enemy."

He lowered his voice, "If you lack a hundred percent certainty, do not grant your enemies an opportunity to succeed. He has not vanquished any of you, and his claim to the championship is far from absolute." He released his grip on his younger brother and turned back to observe the matches, his elegant face devoid of any trace of gloom. "Do not aid him."

...

In the round-robin competition, Fenglin City was blessed with fortune, with no internal clashes in the initial round. Li Jianqiu received a bye, while Wang Changxiang and Sun Xiaoyan contested the first match.

Neither participant deviated from their established fighting styles. Sun Xiaoyan still charged forward with reckless abandon, and Wang Changxiang, as before, began with his mist.

"What is happening! It's the mist again!"

"Exactly! I can't see a thing!"

Unable to witness the match, the spectators offered no courtesy to the Wang family. However, the opinions of the audience were clearly of no concern to Wang Changxiang.

Sun Xiaoyan blundered about in the mist, his efforts proving fruitless. And after the Dao decision was complete, the wind rose and the mist dispersed. That gentle breath, passing through the area between his fingers, instantly turned violent, transforming into a whirlwind. With a roar, it tore through the thick fog and directly impacted Sun Xiaoyan!

"Ah!" The little fatty bellowed, a sound not unlike a piglet snorting, lacking in intimidation.

But his strength was undeniable. He still attempted to charge forward within the roaring tornado! His clothes were torn by the wind, and his face flushed a deep red. His feet gripped the ground firmly, yet the floor tiles shattered one by one, and he was forced back, step by step. Stepping outside the boundary would mean defeat.

Sun Xiaoyan began to form a hand seal. It was exceedingly difficult for him to do so within such a tornado, yet he still succeeded. A stone wall materialized before him, only to be blown apart in an instant. The shattered stones struck Sun Xiaoyan's body, and this time he lost all control. His entire being was swept into the air and tossed out of the arena.

The defensive power of the Kunpi Drum technique was indeed formidable. Even within such a fierce tornado, he displayed no visible wounds. The fragmented stones that struck him left not even a bruise. Yet, he still lost.

Sun Xiaoyan's defense was nearly insurmountable at this stage. In a true battle, Wang Changxiang might have been helpless against him. But this was a competition; blowing him out of the arena was sufficient for victory.

Jiang Wang sighed softly, for he suddenly realized that whether he faced Wang Changxiang or Sun Xiaoyan, he seemed to have no effective strategy. The defense of the Four Spirits Refining Body was clearly inferior to the Kunpi Drum, and while the Ziqi Comes From the East Sword Art was sharp, it was likely insufficient to breach the defense. If he possessed a superior weapon, there might still be a chance. As it stood, he could not defeat this little fatty. As for Wang Changxiang, as long as the breath tornado was unleashed, his only recourse was to flee. That was a Class A Dao technique! In the entire Fenglin City Dao Academy, including the instructors, how many could wield such power? A monstrous talent!

"Wind Sparrow." The hunchbacked old man spoke again, "His Dao Meridian True Spirit should be the Wind Sparrow, born with an affinity for wind element power. That is why he can employ Class A Dao techniques across realms."

Jiang Wang heard for the first time that such a Dao Meridian True Spirit as the Wind Sparrow existed. In the Dao Academy's lectures on Dao Meridian knowledge, the instructors had only described the Earthworm True Spirit. Jiang Wang had once believed that all Dao Meridian True Spirits were Earthworms. Knowledge often conferred strength. Jiang Wang and the others exchanged glances, and their demeanor towards the old man with the somewhat disheveled appearance became significantly more respectful.

"May I inquire about your esteemed surname, sir?" Huang Azhan cleared his throat and said respectfully, his tone polite. Probably resenting his earlier slip of the tongue, the hunchbacked old man's attitude towards Huang Azhan was quite dismissive. He snorted coldly and did not respond.

"That's right, Grandpa, what is your surname?" Jiang An'an suddenly turned her head, her large eyes filled with curiosity, "I always see you, but I don't know how to address you."

"Gui!" The little girl Qing Zhi, standing beside him, had just opened her mouth when the hunchbacked old man happily interjected, "Grandpa's surname is Gui, just call me Grandpa Gui."

"Such a noble surname, truly elegant." Huang Azhan began to savor the sound, shaking his head. His flattery would be unending from this point on. Even Jiang An'an and Qing Zhi quickly turned their heads, refocusing their attention on the arena.

The second round of battles had already commenced. Wang Changxiang versus Li Jianqiu. Whether it was their ranking on the Dao Merit List or the combat prowess they had displayed thus far, Wang Changxiang held an overwhelming advantage. But for some reason, Jiang Wang always felt that Li Jianqiu had more to offer.

"Senior Brother Wang, could we perhaps avoid using such a... unorthodox Dao technique as the breath tornado?" Li Jianqiu first attempted to negotiate before the start of the battle.

Wang Changxiang had already replenished his Dao Yuan reserves by this time, his energy and blood at their peak. He merely smiled upon hearing the words, "Junior Brother is jesting." His usual gentle demeanor.

The hand seal was already formed, and the mist dispersed. Li Jianqiu also spread his hands at this moment, and a strong wind suddenly arose. Class C lower grade Dao technique, Call Wind! This was not the miasma of Xiaolin Town; ordinary wind could disperse it. In the final analysis, the mist was not an insurmountable Dao technique. What was truly unstoppable was the breath tornado. In the previous two battles, the opponents had possessed means to break through the mist, but they had first opted for their own defenses, only to be caught unaware by a single, decisive blow.

In the arena where the mist had dissipated, Wang Changxiang continued to form hand seals, his voice gentle: "Junior Brother Li was not interested in wind element Dao techniques before." The world of Dao techniques was vast and boundless; it was better to specialize than to be scattered, to be refined than to be broad.

Li Jianqiu had already completed his hand seal, and two flaming swords materialized from his hands. He tapped his feet, and was like an eagle soaring in the sky. "For Senior Brother's edification!" At this moment, suspended in the air, his momentum was like a rainbow.

Wang Changxiang's expression remained unchanged. He clasped his hands before his mouth, his index and middle fingers joined, his thumb, ring finger, and little finger aligned on either side. He exhaled into the triangular space formed by his middle and ring fingers. Breath tornado! That wisp of breath transformed into a tornado in an instant. Li Jianqiu had already closed the distance, and without any leverage, he suddenly performed several somersaults in the air.

"Good!" Huang Azhan clapped his hands and cheered! Except for a very few exceptions, before opening the Gate of Heaven and Earth, it was almost impossible for humans to fly with their physical bodies. Li Jianqiu's ability to levitate displayed at this moment could be called astonishing.

But the people around all looked at Huang Azhan with the eyes of a fool. Huang Azhan clapped a few more times and sheepishly retracted his head. Because Li Jianqiu's airborne somersault was stunning, but he somersaulted right out of the arena, which was almost equivalent to admitting defeat.

Li Jianqiu landed, dispelled the flame swords he held in both hands, his face a picture of shock: "Your breath tornado can already be completed so swiftly?" He couldn't help but be surprised. The cultivators with some insight present could see it. The key to defeating Li Jianqiu lay only before he completed the breath tornado, but no one knew that he had not only mastered a Class A Dao technique, but also wielded it with such proficiency, such speed, and even managed to shorten the time required for hand seals! This also meant that in the previous battles, he hadn't needed such a lengthy preparation time at all, and the mist was merely a negligible cover, blinding the eyes of opponents like Li Jianqiu.

"I felt something was going to happen if I was slower." Wang Changxiang smiled gently.

Li Jianqiu was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled and understood. "I lost."

The champion of the three-city Dao discussion freshmen was thus decided, with Wang Changxiang winning both battles and returning victorious. After this battle, Wang Changxiang acquired a new moniker, Wang One-Blow... Signifying that no matter the opponent he faced, he could settle the matter with a single strike. Of course, it also hinted that his strength was limited to that one strike. In Huang Azhan's words, it was, though brief, undeniably fierce.

Next, the battle between Li Jianqiu and Sun Xiaoyan no longer held consequence for the rankings, and their match was also perfunctory. Although still intense in the eyes of the onlookers, Li Jianqiu perfectly demonstrated the ferocity of fire element Dao techniques, his hand seals flying with incredible speed. Sun Xiaoyan also once again, relying on the Kunpi Drum, charged forward and backward. Before close combat could be initiated, Li Jianqiu drifted out of bounds and once again conceded.

But in Jiang Wang's view, Li Jianqiu had not unleashed his full potential. Because from beginning to end, the simple and unadorned long sword at his waist remained unsheathed.

Everyone exited the arena, making way for the battle of the Dao Academy's fifth-year students. As a familiar junior brother, Jiang Wang naturally approached to offer Li Jianqiu a few words of comfort. But Li Jianqiu spoke first: "I had prepared a surprise, but I did not expect there would be no opportunity to display it."

Jiang Wang knew he was referring to the astonishing speed at which Wang Changxiang completed his breath tornado. "Why didn't Senior Brother attempt it just now against Sanshan City?" Although the battle just now was dazzling, anyone with eyes could see that Li Jianqiu had no intention of competing for victory.

Li Jianqiu smiled wryly: "Firstly, I might not have been able to break his defensive Dao technique. Secondly, there is no meaning in second or third place." He turned and walked away.

"The competition is about to start!" Jiang Wang reminded.

Li Jianqiu had already departed, his sword at his side: "I am not watching."