Chapter 51: The Emperor's Death

Before the commencement of the fifth-year battle, Wei Quji and Dong A, occupied with affairs of state, graced the venue with their presence.

For them, the contests between the junior students of the City Taoist Academy held little allure. However, the clashes of the fifth-year disciples held immense significance for the three cities.

Firstly, fifth-year disciples essentially represented the zenith of the City Taoist Academy's martial might. Secondly, a coveted slot for the Three Cities Forum awaited, granting direct passage to the National Taoist Academy! No need for the grand examination of the coming month, no need to journey to the Prefectural Government, a direct path to Zhuangdu!

This singular opportunity could only be bestowed upon the leader of the fifth-year students within the Three Cities Forum.

As Wei Quji and Dong A settled into the viewing platform, a palpable hush descended upon the arena.

It must be acknowledged that a formidable presence like Dong A exerted a profound influence on elevating the overall prowess of the Taoist Academy.

In this iteration of the Three Cities Forum, the leader of the first-year disciples hailed from Maple Forest City Taoist Academy, none other than Jiang Wang. The third-year disciples had almost devolved into an internal struggle within Maple Forest City Taoist Academy.

With his cultivation at the fifth-rank Inner Mansion realm, Dong A's presence in Maple Forest City Taoist Academy was undoubtedly a profound stroke of fortune for the entire institution.

Now, should they secure the leadership of the fifth-year disciples, Maple Forest City would assuredly sweep aside the other two cities, claiming the lion's share of the resources allocated by the Zhuang Court this year.

Thus, Zhang Linchuan found himself rubbing his forehead with such fervor it seemed he might create a physical indentation.

"The pressure is immense..." he muttered under his breath.

Of the three ongoing battles, the most captivating was, without doubt, Lin Zhengren's duel against... Sun Xiaoman.

One, the foremost on the Wangjiang City Taoist Merit List, possessed a tranquil disposition. The other, a petite, endearing young girl who appeared as delicate as a wilting flower, unable to withstand a gust of wind.

"Is this little girl... ten years old?" Zhao Rucheng marveled, clicking his tongue.

Not far from where they were seated were the cultivators from Three Mountains City. Sun Xiaoyan, once again clad in a hooded black robe, spun around in annoyance and shrieked, "I'm only thirteen! It's scorching!"

Zhao Rucheng hadn't heard clearly, so he leaned closer, only to recoil abruptly with a sharp intake of breath.

For beneath the hood, he beheld a face bruised and swollen. This stout little fellow, he knew not what had transpired in the brief interval after his match, but his entire countenance was inflamed, his eyes obscured, and his speech slurred.

Could it be the aftermath of that Kun Pi Drum? Zhao Rucheng pondered inwardly.

Over yonder, Sun Xiaoyan, witnessing the effect of his disfigured face, also retreated in abject misery, tugging down hard on his hood with a pudgy hand. Before the competition, his elder sister had still sought a secluded corner to thrash him thoroughly. Where could he possibly find justice?

Jiang Wang maintained a placid demeanor, yet a flicker of anxiety stirred within his heart.

This small stout boy was merely thirteen, while he himself was already seventeen. The young girl in the arena was the boy's elder sister, capable of representing Three Mountains City in the fifth-year group. She could only be more powerful.

In the nascent stages of the path of cultivation, had he already fallen so far behind?

...

The barefoot girl bounded onto the arena with effortless grace, the silver ornaments adorning her wrist jingling softly. Her face was adorably harmless, and in comparison, Lin Zhengren's handsome features garnered him little favor.

Almost half the audience in the stands secretly wished for Sun Xiaoman's victory, the other half merely hoped she wouldn't exert herself too greatly in achieving it.

"I heard that Chu Ping perished at Xiong Wen's hands, his heart torn out. I pity him." Before the battle commenced, Lin Zhengren spoke slowly.

"Life and death are preordained," Sun Xiaoman replied with a blank expression.

Jiang Wang distinctly felt the atmosphere amongst the cultivators from Three Mountains City nearby grow significantly colder.

Previously, Xiong Wen had appeared in Three Mountains City and was besieged by the disciples of the Three Mountains City Taoist Academy. Yet, not only did he successfully evade them, but he also slew ten cultivators, including Chu Ping, the senior brother of the Three Mountains City Taoist Academy. Each of them had their hearts gouged out for wine, a deed that sent shockwaves throughout the entire county.

This incident spurred the Arresting Criminals Division to mobilize the forces of the entire Qinghe County in pursuit of him.

Lin Zhengren's mention of this now was, of course, not out of genuine regret.

Gazing at the young girl before him, Lin Zhengren smiled, "Last year, he fell to me in a single move. I wonder if you can reclaim that this year?"

Chu Ping was dead, so he naturally could not reclaim anything.

But did the living have such an opportunity?

Sun Xiaoman took a step forward on her bare feet, another step, those pair of lustrous and fair jade feet crossing and advancing.

The battle had begun.

Lin Zhengren drew his right hand, pulling a verdant whip from his left sleeve.

The whip flowed like water, yet its tip suddenly extended, pointing at Sun Xiaoman. It was as insidious as a venomous serpent!

He pushed with his left hand, and waves arose on the flat ground, instantly surging and encompassing Sun Xiaoman. This sudden tide was swift and unparalleled.

Simultaneously, those with keen eyes noticed something emerging on the open ground before Lin Zhengren, breaking through the floor tiles and drilling upwards.

To contend with such a young girl, one must first launch a psychological offensive. Perhaps many would scoff at such tactics. Yet, it also highlighted Lin Zhengren's composure.

Exploit every advantage, yield no opportunity to the opponent.

In this moment, his fighting style showcased this stability even more vividly.

Lin Zhengli's combat technique might mimic his, but the disparity in strength was immense.

Sun Xiaoman ascended from the ground, rising on her toes, effortlessly evading the suddenly arriving whip tip. Then, she stepped upon the encroaching waves, walking upon the tide.

Zhao Rucheng's brows furrowed, his eyes filled with surprise.

That was a potent surge of Taoist power, yet there was no sign of injury on her jade feet. Particularly, there was no indication of her releasing any Taoist power.

Either she, like Sun Xiaoyan, possessed a permanently solidified Kun Pi Drum on her person, or her body refinement had reached a certain level of strength.

At this stage, it seemed only reckless warriors could achieve this, isolating the damage of Taoist power with a purely physical body.

The barefoot girl walked upon the waves, and after a few steps, treading upon Lin Zhengren's Taoist power, she soared forward.

Lin Zhengren loosened his grip, and the green whip suddenly lashed its tail, producing a sound that ripped through the air. Then, it transformed into a colossal python mid-air, its fangs bared as it lunged at Sun Xiaoman.

This whip was originally crafted from a living python, a treasured heirloom of the Lin family of Wangjiang City, named Biyan.

Simultaneously, the open ground before Lin Zhengren erupted. Countless vines burst forth like a swarm of snakes! This Taoist power was instantaneous! It was the Taoist power that Lin Zhengren had engraved in the Tongtian Palace after his initial completion of the small cycle.

This kind of Taoist power is generally not easily revealed. Because each low-rank cultivator can only engrave two instantaneous Taoist powers in the Tongtian Palace, one after the initial completion of the small cycle, and another after the initial completion of the Heaven, Earth, and Man Great Cycle. This is akin to a trump card for each cultivator, usually kept secret.

Sometimes, in a battle of cultivators, even when employing an instantaneous Taoist power, they might feign forming a hand seal, solely to conceal its nature.

And Lin Zhengren seemed to feel some pressure, unhesitatingly revealing his trump card.

These serpentine vines intertwined in the air and, in a very short span, twisted into an impenetrable wall of vines, blocking the path before Lin Zhengren.

Wood-element Taoist power, vine snake winding the wall!

And Sun Xiaoman was soaring forth before Lin Zhengren. Facing the colossal python pursuing from behind and the vine wall obstructing her path ahead, she simply raised her small hand.

The small silver ornament dangling from her wrist grew in size with the wind.

Everyone watched as the petite barefoot girl floated mid-air. With both hands, she had already grasped two silver colossal hammers, each comparable to her own height, and spun around with a mighty swing!

The giant hammer howled in a wide arc, smashing heavily upon the green python behind, and continued its rotation, carrying the serpent with it.

Sun Xiaoman spun around in the air, and the giant hammer, dragging the green snake, howled with undeniable force, crashing against the vine snake winding wall.

In the instant of contact, the entire B-grade middle-grade Taoist power-condensed vine snake winding wall crumbled.

One hammer, mountain collapse!