Chapter 268: Chapter 259: The Master’s Counterattack

"Haha, you should have seen the look on Hex Zui’s face when he paid the bill. It was priceless."

Li Tianyi said with a laugh.

Ning Zhiquan shook his head helplessly. "You three are really something else. You knew this place was expensive..."

"Brother Ning, if someone wants to suck up, we should of course give them a chance to show off."

Tang Wei said, "Wang Meng, you’d better get your head in the game. If you don’t stand a chance, it’s better to lose to us than to some stranger."

With that, Tang Wei waved his hand and left.

Ning Zhiquan coughed dryly a few times. "Wang Meng, don’t mind him. Tang Wei is just like that. He was just trying to remind you to be careful."

Wang Meng nodded. Ning Zhiquan also said his goodbyes and left to make his own careful preparations. Although his Elemental Power level was higher than theirs, at this level, Elemental Power was just one factor among many. Given Ning Zhiquan’s cautious nature, he was still under a great deal of pressure.

Mingren knew Li Tianyi and Wang Meng had things to discuss, and being the most perceptive, he excused himself.

Li Tianyi stared at Wang Meng—or more accurately, he was sizing him up from head to toe.

Wang Meng touched his face. "What’s up? Is there a problem?"

Li Tianyi sighed. The domineering aura Wang Meng once had was gone, which disappointed him a little.

Among those who had come from the Holy Hall, no one paid more attention to Wang Meng than he did. ’A brand new opportunity, a whole new world... I hoped Wang Meng would become even stronger. But the Cultivation Academy has much stricter requirements for talent. It looks like Wang Meng is going to fall at the starting line.’

Originally, Li Tianyi had planned to challenge him tomorrow. The first battle was of great significance. But seeing Wang Meng now...

"It’s nothing."

Li Tianyi left, looking a little dejected. He didn’t want to discourage Wang Meng. ’Maybe I was wrong,’ he thought. ’I should probably change my focus and find a different opponent.’

Wang Meng didn’t notice any of this. He was too busy wondering if the giant hole he’d dug for himself would ever disappear.

’The food at Jade Garden was so good. And that wine... it was even more mellow and beautiful than Jade Dew. An indescribable pleasure.’

’...I should have gotten a doggy bag.’

Humming a little tune, Wang Meng headed back. The event would officially start tomorrow. It wasn’t just Ning Zhiquan and the others who were taking it seriously; Wang Meng was also brimming with excitement. He had finally completed the second stage of his Five Elements Technique and was eager to test his skills.

He had just gotten back to his room when the door opposite his opened and a head poked out. Over the past year, the person who had bothered Wang Meng the most was, ironically, this Fan Hong. The guy’s memory was so unbelievably bad. Even though he’d come up with the idea of using memos, the problem was, he would often forget about the memos themselves. Still, through sheer persistence, he had finally managed to remember Wang Meng.

"Brother Wang, I’ve almost spent all the Spirit Stones I brought from my Sect. I have to go find some work tomorrow. Want to come along?"

Fan Hong asked.

Wang Meng had been frugal for the past year, but his funds wouldn’t last much longer either. According to the information in the Star Ring, students at the Cultivation Academy had many options for earning Spirit Stones and resources, such as Alchemy, smithing, or even participating in wars.

"Where are you thinking of going?"

"With my build, I’m definitely not cut out for smithing. I was thinking of trying my luck at the Alchemy Room, or maybe the Spirit Beast Garden would work too."

"I’m easy. By the way, let me ask you something. According to the Cultivation Academy’s rules, first-year students don’t have to participate in battles. What happens if they do?"

Fan Hong blinked. "Nothing happens. If you’re confident, you can go ahead."

"So it counts toward your win rate?"

"Of course." Fan Hong might have a bad memory, but he was never muddle-headed about important things.

Fan Hong closed his door, leaving a petrified Wang Meng behind.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK...

Master Wang had well and truly dug himself a massive hole this time.

A wail of anguish erupted from somewhere in the Cultivation Academy.

At this time every year, the Battle Space was incredibly lively. The new students had to complete their first battle, and the veterans would certainly not pass up this hunting opportunity.

The day had passed, and a new one had begun. Master Wang stared clearly at his "appalling" victory count.

’Damn it, this trap is just bottomless.’

It had to be said, Wang Meng was mentally tough, with an incredibly strong ability to endure. From entering the Holy Hall, to experiencing the Godhood, to leading Thunderlight Hall to an eight-win streak—putting aside his actual strength, Wang Meng’s will had already been forged to a state of incredible maturity.

’Thinking about it, as long as my win rate is over twenty percent in the first year, I won’t get kicked out immediately. There’s still plenty of time.’

Wang Meng quickly shifted from the despair of being in a deep hole to brimming with excitement. ’All those previous matches were just practice. Even though I lost, I got to understand the Star Alliance’s fighting style.’

And now, it was time for him to give it a real try.

"Master" appeared!

The Battle Space was instantly in an uproar, especially among the new students. This was practically a gift from the heavens. The normally calm Battle Space was suddenly flooded with hundreds of people queuing for a random match.

Everyone wanted to try their luck, and every single one of them thought they would be the lucky one.

’Either way, a battle has to start sooner or later. Why not me?’

Wang Meng himself didn’t feel much of anything. He selected a standard-issue Star Alliance Long Sword. To be honest, he found it quite easy to handle. He never needed any special Immortal Sword to begin with, and when it came to channeling Elemental Power, it felt about the same as using his Broken Heaven Edge.

His opponent appeared.

Chang Gu, a disciple of the Celestial Eagle Sect. Win rate: forty-three percent. A struggling existence, but this person was definitely not a new student!

Sighs of disappointment rippled through the crowd. What luck! He had actually fought his way through the ranks of new students to get the top prize.

When Chang Gu saw that his opponent was the anonymous "Master," he could hardly believe it himself. How could he be so lucky?

"Are you kidding me? How shameless! A guy with a forty-something percent win rate is still competing with us!"

"What fucking bad luck."

At the same time, many other battles also began, a lot of them involving people who had been lured in by "Master."

Queuing for a random match didn’t guarantee you’d get one; only a fraction of all participants would be successfully matched.

Wang Meng looked at his opponent. ’A Sword Cultivator. He must have been here for a few years. Good.’

Chang Gu took a deep breath. ’A quick battle, a quick victory. No need to waste time on this guy. A precious win!’

BOOM—

His Elemental Power erupted—Twenty-Ninth Layer!

At the Cultivation Academy, many disciples from the Small Thousand Realms would deliberately control the rate at which their Elemental Power increased. Only by doing so could they master more refined Magic. Simply put, any increase in Elemental Power had to be matched by one’s understanding of Magic.

Blindly increasing one’s Elemental Power might bring short-term benefits, but it was ultimately a dead end. The only exception was in desperate, no-way-out situations. Furthermore, during random matchmaking, a higher Elemental Power also meant a higher chance of being matched with a high-level opponent, which could lead to an even more miserable outcome.

This matchmaking system took into account win rate, Elemental Level, number of battles fought, and even time spent at the Cultivation Academy. But no one knew the exact settings used by the Star Alliance, most likely to prevent people from exploiting loopholes.

With nine layers of difference in Elemental Power, "Master" was about to get wrecked again.

Everyone only cared about who had gotten lucky; nobody had any expectations for the battle itself.

"DIE—"

Chang Gu didn’t hold back. He didn’t want to reveal too much of his own style; the more he exposed, the more easily he could be countered.

In an instant, the air filled with a dazzling light as a streak of Sword Qi tore through space.

—Speed Strike Flash Sword!

A blinding flash of light would stun the opponent, and in that same instant, the fatal strike would land. Using this against "Master" was definitely overkill.

Wang Meng, whose sword was pointed diagonally downward, swung it in an instant. A bright light flashed in his eyes as he savored the smooth flow of his Elemental Power output.

This was within Chang Gu’s expectations. ’This "Master" guy isn’t very skilled, but his willpower is quite firm. Anyone else with a record like his would have killed themselves long ago.’

SWISH—

With a sound of tearing air, a stream of Sword Qi shot out. ZING—

THUD...

BOOM!

The Battle Space fell silent...

’What was that?’

’Are my eyes playing tricks on me?’

’I’m seeing things! I must be seeing things!’

’Why did that Sword Qi curve?’

Curved Sword Qi!

Chang Gu stared dumbfounded at Wang Meng, completely unable to accept this outcome.

’This is a goddamn setup!!!’

’Curved Sword Qi??? He used Curved Sword Qi with a piece-of-junk sword that has no special techniques imbued in it?’

After the contestants were confirmed, only a handful of spectators remained in the void of the Dueling Platform. They were mostly just a little bitter about not being chosen and had stayed to watch the slaughter, hoping it would improve their mood.

But what did they see?

A Celestial Level Star Alliance Sword Technique—Curved Sword Qi!

A perfect Curved Sword Qi. Chang Gu didn’t even have a chance to think about dodging before he was instantly killed with a single strike.

"You..."

Chang Gu pointed a trembling finger at Wang Meng, his heart filled with unimaginable indignation and fury. ’Fuck, he’s a fraud! If I had known my opponent was an expert, I would never have been so careless.’

Chang Gu’s figure gradually faded, disappearing from the Battle Space.

Wang Meng vanished as well. ’Celestial Level, Earth Level... none of that matters. The key is the feeling, that wonderful sensation in the instant the Sword Qi was released.’

Meanwhile, intense battles were still raging on the other Dueling Platforms. Li Tianyi, Ma Tian’Er, Yanm Yuyue, Lin Jinghao, and the others had all entered the fray. For those full of confidence, there was no need to wait.

Having won the match, Wang Meng didn’t feel particularly joyous. For him, winning or losing wasn’t the point; the key was the progress he’d made. It had to be said that the stimulation provided by an opponent was crucial. That Chang Gu had been very strong, and under the pressure of his Sword Qi, Wang Meng’s own potential had naturally erupted in a burst of passion.

Wang Meng didn’t start another battle. It was better not to bite off more than he could chew. Over the past year, he had only fought once every few days.

But he wasn’t finished for the day. Wang Meng spent an ancient hour savoring the marvelous feeling of the Curved Sword Qi, then sank his consciousness into his Sea of Heart.

Now that he had Curved Sword Qi to use against Moo Shan, Wang Meng felt a little more confident. After all, he had also mastered the Second Layer of the Five Elements Technique. His control over Elemental Power and the refinement of his Sword Technique were clearly on a much higher level.

’When you’re at a low level, you can’t see your own problems. You always think you’re perfect, but in reality, your cultivation realm just isn’t high enough.’

’With the same Twenty Layers of Elemental Power, I refuse to believe I still don’t have a chance of winning,’ Wang Meng thought. ’At the very least, I should be able to escape the fate of being insta-killed.’

Full of confidence, Wang Meng went in. And then... he was insta-killed. Or more accurately, he was the one who got insta-killed.

Wang Meng had the Godhood switch his opponent to Wangtian. ’Damn it,’ he fumed, ’Moo Shan definitely knows me too well.’

And then Master Wang was insta-killed again. It was utterly without suspense, a spectacular defeat.

It was obvious that Moo Shan’s and Wangtian’s styles were completely different. But Wang Meng only knew that they were different; he had no idea where the differences lay or how they were different.

His stubborn streak roused, an indignant Wang Meng challenged them a few more times. Unfortunately, the Godhood meticulously carried out its master’s will, finishing Wang Meng off crisply and cleanly each time.

Wang Meng lay on the ground, feeling very weak. Fighting against the Godhood consumed his own Heart Spirit and was extremely draining. However, after a period of rest, the Godhood would quickly replenish his Primordial Spirit. (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please come to Qidian.com to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)