Chapter 254 - 254: Calculated Constraints
"Good heavens! He really managed to do it!" Xuanyuan Zhou exclaimed, unable to hide the amazement in her voice.
Earlier, Han Xuhan had already discussed with them some possible methods he could use to force Chen Yan into revealing that voidboat ticket. It was his preliminary objective, after all, a strike directed at Chen Yan's biggest weakness.
Still, the way he had finally accomplished it after so many twists and turns left all three of his martial siblings feeling relieved.
They stared intently at the box sitting at the edge of the platform, where this ticket was supposedly being kept. Very few in the audience understood what it was, or knew its value.
Fortunately, Han Xuhan had been allowed to check it himself, and the Elders had also verified its authenticity. So there was no fear of foul play.
"Too many things have gone off the rails since the morning. I was afraid..." Xuanyuan Zhou sighed.
"Xuhan is great at adapting to any situation." Xiao Wu smiled proudly. "Even if something happens outside his expectations, he'll find a way out for sure."
Mu Ran recalled his adventures with Han Xuhan in the Holy Land of Laws and couldn't help but nod in agreement.
The concerns they had earlier were gradually diminishing as Han Xuhan and Chen Yan traded invisible blows continuously, with no signs of Xuhan eating big losses.
Now, he just had to hold on during the most crucial part...
Could he really pull it off?
Was it actually possible?
The same question faintly surfaced in the mind of every audience sitting around the dueling arena, though almost all of them dismissed the possibility immediately.
What a ridiculous notion! Could you even plan your way to victory in a duel like this?
Impossible!
Inside the arena, Han Xuhan and Chen Yan now stood face to face, maintaining a distance of about thirty feet between. At the edge of the arena, the loud voiced official declared,
"First round of the contest: a duel of pure martial skill. Begin!"
The entire arena seemed to inhale a sharp breath together in anticipation, but neither combatant made an immediate move.
Chen Yan said in a muffled tone, "Junior Brother, I think there's something you forgot to ask me before this duel began."
Surprised, Han Xuhan replied, "What is it?"
"My martial cultivation. Till now, I have only announced my cultivation progress in the Mystic Path."
Han Xuhan shook his head. "That information isn't relevant for this round of our contest. Right now, we shall only be relying on pure technical prowess, not martial strength."
Chen Yan laughed. "Is that how you're trying to protect your heart from uncertainties and fear? I must admit, it's a great tactic for a public martial duel like this."
Xuanyuan Zhou's gaze grew a degree brighter upon discovering another neat trick in Han Xuhan's plans.
"To train Xuhan more effectively, I used to hide and shift my martial cultivation level all the time while we fought. Did that principle give him the idea to ignore Chen Yan's martial cultivation?"
Xiao Wu asked in confusion, "What principle?"
Surprising them both, it was Mu Ran who answered.
"When you're never sure of your opponent's strength, you can only focus on your opponent's skill. And once you're fully focused on skill, your comprehension of techniques will skyrocket. In a duel between closely matched opponents, it gives one an advantage in terms of mindset."
Seeing both Xuanyuan Zhou and Xiao Wu staring at him in surprise, Mu Ran rolled his eyes.
"I trained myself the same way. And whenever Underling Xuhan tests his progress with me, I do the same for his benefit."
Then, glancing back at the arena, he added gloomily, "However, this type of training is not beneficial in the long run. It has a big drawback.
Once you face someone much, much stronger, someone who won't actually hold back their full strength... technical superiority won't save you. The training experience could become a burden instead."
"Then can Xuhan win? Chen Yan is surely much stronger than him in the path of martial cultivation..."
"At least in the first round, he still has a chance," Xuanyuan Zhou told Xiao Wu, exuding a sense of conviction.
"According to the investigation results on Chen Yan, he has only learned one martial art during his five years in the Crimson Snow Sect.
It's that highly specialized weapon art called the Sweeping Saber Style. Elder Long has been teaching us that style since the first day.
Both Mu Ran and I taught him the weaknesses of this style back then. Xuhan knows what he will be facing. The training surely gives him an edge over Chen Yan."
Unconvinced, Xiao Wu said, "Someone like Chen Yan definitely wouldn't limit himself to cultivating just one martial art. I don't believe it!"
Xuanyuan Zhou sneered. "Of course not. His main martial strength comes from the techniques taught in Xiao Mei's Clan.
But is he allowed to display those private martial arts here?
He can't even afford to reveal his real identity, hiding behind a mask. Can he afford to leak his background, then?"
Eyes widening, Xiao Wu said, "Wait a second, I just remembered something Xuhan told me a month ago, when he was training to duel Xiao Mei.
He said that in order to hide her clan's martial arts, she didn't even dare to practice the core techniques inside the territory of Crimson Snow Sect, leading to her stagnation. Does that mean...?"
"Correct," Xuanyuan Zhou's lips curved up.
"Chen Yan himself was in the same predicament. In the last five years, he might have had opportunities to go outside the sect to continue his martial cultivation, but that kind of progress should still be quite slow.
The advanced phases of martial cultivation each require not just training, but also vast experience, qualitative growth, and massive investments of resources.
Chen Yan has been busy hoarding everything for voidboat tickets. Did he have much of an opportunity to spare anything for his own use?"
Watching Chen Yan unsheathe his saber at the center of the arena, Xiao Wu whispered,
"That means Chen Yan's Martial Cultivation can't possibly be as high as his Mystic Cultivation. His martial skill is also heavily specialized, which leads to fundamental weaknesses that can be exploited with prior preparation.
Under the scrutiny of so many people, he won't dare to use his true martial skills either! He will be fighting Xuhan with too many constraints!
And all of this... has long been calculated by Xuhan!"