Chapter 62 : Possessiveness
This round of competition required five matches in total, scheduled quite tightly. After determining the outcome against Zhong Heng, Yun Qingyue rested for less than an hour before her turn to compete again. Fortunately, her luck wasn't bad; she didn't encounter other peaks' senior disciples. As such, who her opponent was made little difference to her—in any case, none could defeat her.
With each person fighting five matches, and the reduced number of arenas, it was naturally impossible to complete all matches in one day. Therefore, this round of competition was divided into two days, and the scheduling depended on luck.
Take Yun Qingyue, for instance—she competed in four matches on the first day, but since none of her opponents were formidable rivals, she won rather effortlessly. As for Zhong Heng, after his first match against his senior sister, his name never came up in the arena draw, so he spent almost the entire day as a spectator. Only when approaching dusk, during the elder's final draw, was he finally selected.
The battle-loving young man immediately perked up and rushed to the arena without delay.
By then, Yun Qingyue had just finished her final battle and retrieved the well-behaved little white tiger from a junior sister. Upon hearing the news, she considered for a moment, then decided to go watch Zhong Heng's match.
As it happened, a group of Mount Mingxia disciples had come to watch the senior sister compete. Now that Yun Qingyue's match was over, these people naturally followed her, forming a grand procession heading to the second brother's arena to watch him fight. However, upon arriving and seeing the two opponents facing each other on the arena, many disciples revealed expressions of bewilderment, even disbelief.
Someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "How is it him?!"
Some with less current information asked nearby fellow disciples: "What's going on? Who is this person?"
Quickly, a fellow disciple enlightened them: "It's Chu Yang. An Outer Sect disciple from our peak who joined with pre-existing skills. He caused quite a stir before." After explaining Chu Yang's exploits, they concluded with a sigh: "I can't believe he's made it this far. I thought he would have been eliminated long ago."
The final remark, though somewhat sour, resonated with many. Not just Outer Sect disciples, but most of those still in the arena were personal disciples. Someone immediately followed up: "Perhaps he had good luck before, not encountering any formidable opponents. But now facing Second Brother, he's likely to lose... By the way, what's Chu Yang's current cultivation level?"
Someone had indeed paid attention to this and promptly answered: "Should be mid Golden Core? Second Brother is late Golden Core, and has subdued a Fire Seed. Defeating him would be effortless."
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All these whispers reached the little white tiger's ears, but after listening, she felt as if these people were setting up death flags for Zhong Heng. She instinctively felt uneasy and looked up at Senior Sister, only to discover her gaze had fallen on Chu Yang?
Could he truly be a protagonist?
The little white tiger immediately felt worse. Her fuzzy paw pressed on Senior Sister's hand, only feeling better after successfully drawing her attention back to herself.
Regardless of the discussions below or individual thoughts, none of it affected the two on the arena. Zhong Heng had already seen Chu Yang's name on the jade wall earlier and was somewhat familiar with his exploits. Now facing such an opponent, his face showed obvious interest. His interest manifested in directly drawing his sword without any unnecessary preamble: "Zhong Heng of Mount Mingxia, please guide me."
Seeing this, Chu Yang wasn't coy either. Raising his sword tip, he said: "Chu Yang of Mount Mingxia, please guide me."
After introducing themselves, Zhong Heng didn't stand on ceremony. With a push of his toes, he attacked his opponent directly—though his heavy sword was weighty, his movement toward Chu Yang was extraordinarily nimble, appearing before Chu Yang almost in the blink of an eye.
The heavy sword carried great force, emphasizing the character of "momentum." When Zhong Heng swung this sword, it brought tremendous pressure. Ordinary people, if enveloped by his sword momentum, would likely be frightened to the core, subsequently getting scraped or touched by the heavy sword, inevitably resulting in broken tendons and fractured bones. With bad luck, if a vital spot was hit, blood would certainly spatter.
However, this was a match between fellow disciples, so there was no need for such danger. When Zhong Heng swung his sword, he avoided Chu Yang's vital points. Chu Yang, seeing this, remained calm and composed. Not only was he undaunted by the sword's momentum, but he also slightly shifted his footing to avoid the sword's edge, meeting the attack with his own sword through a point and deflection, using softness to overcome hardness.
Zhong Heng had practiced swordsmanship for thirty years and encountered countless opponents, naturally having seen all kinds of techniques. Using softness to overcome hardness against a heavy sword was the choice of most people. Seeing this, he wasn't surprised; he simply twisted his sword momentum, and amidst the fluctuation of spiritual energy, the heavy sword seemed to gain magnetism, firmly adhering Chu Yang's sword edge to his own, using his opponent's momentum against him.
Seeing this, Chu Yang hurriedly changed tactics, vibrating his spiritual energy to separate the two swords. Afterward, he didn't entangle with Zhong Heng's heavy sword but instead thrust forward with agility, targeting Zhong Heng's hands and feet with each move while swiftly evading the edge of the heavy sword with his footwork.
On the arena, the two exchanged blows, progressing from comparing sword techniques at the start to later employing spiritual energy and magical techniques in full display. How dangerous it was for the two combatants aside, for the spectators, this was definitely an exciting duel. Even those Mount Mingxia disciples who had earlier made sour remarks about Chu Yang often cheered for him during impressive moments, gradually developing a degree of respect.
The little white tiger watched with interest, though since she didn't particularly like Chu Yang, she only cheered for Zhong Heng. Yun Qingyue, however, could discern the underlying principles; occasionally her brows lightly furrowed, and her glassy eyes flashed with thoughtfulness.
This match lasted a long time. Zhong Heng rarely encountered such a compatible opponent and fought with exhilarating abandon. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten he was on a competition arena, so by the time the battle was halfway through, his attitude gradually became more serious—his cultivation realm was higher than Chu Yang's; earlier he had restrained his cultivation to compare sword techniques with Chu Yang, but now he unleashed his full capability.
However, contrary to Zhong Heng's expectations, though his cultivation was indeed higher than Chu Yang's, Chu Yang didn't retreat in the face of his dominance but instead employed every technique to maneuver around him. The long-term outcome remained uncertain, but for the time being, he truly couldn't secure victory.
Gradually, Zhong Heng lost patience and began to mobilize the power of his Fire Seed.
Chu Yang wasn't one to resign himself to fate. His cultivation was inherently inferior to Zhong Heng's, and he didn't possess rare treasures like a Fire Seed. All he could rely on was the sword in his hand. Thus, he once again transformed his sword technique. Facing the oncoming sea of fire, his sword flashed "swish, swish" several times, weaving a net of sword energy that actually managed to momentarily block the sea of fire.
Seeing this, the crowd below couldn't help but cheer again. Only Yun Qingyue's eyes deepened in expression. However, at this moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the two combatants on the arena, and even the little white tiger didn't notice these subtleties.
Chu Yang's swordsmanship was exquisite, but his cultivation ultimately couldn't match Zhong Heng's. He persisted for one breath, two breaths, three breaths... but the sword net finally couldn't withstand the raging flames and disintegrated.
He lost, conceding defeat before the fierce flames could consume him, and Zhong Heng didn't make things difficult for him.
After the outcome was determined and they descended from the arena, Zhong Heng casually popped a spirit-replenishing pill into his mouth, then remarked to his senior sister: "I wonder where this Chu Yang came from. I feel he might not have been using his full strength just now."
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue pondered for a moment before asking: "When you fought with him, did you sense anything unusual?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Heng scratched his head, carefully recalled the encounter, and scratched his head again: "Not really? I observed his techniques and swordsmanship to be upright and balanced; his background should be sound." After speaking, as if recalling something, his eyes revealed a touch of regret: "This person's talent and techniques are quite impressive. I heard that Elder Yi Yun had his eye on him and wanted to take him as a disciple, but he refused... With our master's temperament, she probably won't accept another disciple."
Peak Master Qingyu didn't enjoy taking disciples; of her seven personal disciples, more than half weren't personally chosen by her. The only disciple she had sought out herself was Yun Qingyue. But now, no one could say she had too few disciples, and the sect wouldn't push more disciples her way.
As Zhong Heng spoke, he still seemed regretful, probably a result of mutual admiration born from combat, but Yun Qingyue remained noncommittal.
As the two conversed while leaving the arena, Zhong Heng was unexpectedly kicked when they walked close. It wasn't from Yun Qingyue; looking down, he met the little white tiger's bared teeth and glaring eyes.
What was this about now? How had he offended Jianbing again?
Zhong Heng was bewildered, appearing as confused as a tall monk unable to figure things out. Unable to understand, he simply asked, though not the obviously displeased little white tiger: "Senior Sister, does Jianbing have some misunderstanding about me?"
Not at all!
The little white tiger turned around, showing the back of her head, ignoring him and only urging Senior Sister to move forward.
The three quickly arrived at the jade wall to check today's competition results—Yun Qingyue had good luck, scheduled for four matches today and winning all four, ranking first in today's standings. Zhong Heng's luck was worse, only getting two matches with one win and one loss, putting him at the bottom. Looking at the remaining Mount Mingxia disciples, Chu Yang remarkably had a record of two wins and one loss, better than Zhong Heng. The other three weren't worth looking at, having lost two to three matches each, already missing their chance for the top ten and the subsequent Three Sect Martial Arts Competition.
Looking at the records of disciples from other peaks, countless had lost two or three matches and were basically eliminated. However, those who had only lost one match, regardless of how many rounds they had fought, still had a chance to turn things around tomorrow.
Most notably was Mount Qingyun's senior disciple Wen Jin, who had also lost one match today due to unfortunate luck in facing Bei Luo. Senior Brother Wen's strength wasn't weak, but the speed of his formation deployment couldn't match Bei Luo's punching speed, resulting in him being thoroughly dominated. Even if he could still make the top ten, his record of four wins and one loss wasn't very impressive.
After checking the records, Zhong Heng couldn't help but sigh, but before he could reflect further, he heard his senior sister say: "Go back and cultivate. You still have three arena matches tomorrow. If you lose another, you'll miss the top ten and the competition."
Hearing this, Zhong Heng tensed up and, no longer concerned with anything else, nodded and indeed hurried back to cultivate.
Once he left, only Yun Qingyue and the little white tiger remained. Only then did Yun Qingyue turn to look back, seeing that the crowd around the arena had long dispersed, and the previously conspicuous young man was nowhere to be seen.
The little white tiger didn't know who Senior Sister was looking for, but her instinctive possessiveness made her quickly react—her fluffy head nuzzled against Senior Sister's neck, the familiar cool fragrance surrounding her nose, calming the slight tension in her heart. Then the baby tiger "aowu-ed" several times, using gestures to urge Senior Sister to continue teaching her literacy.
Yun Qingyue, softened by her nuzzling, withdrew her gaze and restrained the overly enthusiastic baby tiger. At the same time, the pensiveness between her brows cleared, and she smiled: "You didn't sleep last night and were drowsy, weren't you? Why are you now urging me to teach you?"
The little white tiger, with her head held down, had eyes full of innocence: Of course it's because I'm studious!