Chapter 273: Chapter 264: All-around Sparring Partner

At this moment, Chan Jing across from them had resumed her pitifully charming expression. Her eyes were fixed on Dragon War on the Dueling Platform, a faint smile playing on her lips. Perhaps sensing Fan Hong’s gaze, she met it. This time, Chan Jing didn’t look away, and the guilt in her eyes had faded even further.

The rational part of her mind was probably even more relieved. If she had stayed with Fan Hong, she might have been the one being bullied today. With her beauty, she would have had to find someone new sooner or later anyway.

Seeing Chan Jing look at him like a stranger, Fan Hong felt his heart stop.

BOOM...

On the Dueling Platform, Wang Meng was blasted away again. The roar woke Fan Hong from his stupor. His heart started beating again, and sound returned to his ears. Chan Jing’s eyes held an unfamiliar excitement.

"Not bad, kid. You’re pretty durable. How many more hits can you take?"

Dragon War descended from the sky, stomping viciously toward Wang Meng. If a kick from Dragon War’s current physique landed, Wang Meng would be finished for sure.

BOOM...

A Fire Talisman slammed right into Dragon War’s eyes. By the time he opened them again, the Broken Heaven Edge was already at his throat.

Creation from Nothingness!

A brilliant flash from the sword... SHING...

Dragon War simply couldn’t believe it. ’I actually lost to such a lowly opponent. I was too careless...’

BOOM...

The Battle Space faded, and the fight was over. Wang Meng had another victory.

Back in the Cultivation Academy, Dragon War’s face was pale. He stared daggers at Wang Meng, so angry he was on the verge of attacking.

The people around him quickly stopped him. "Brother Long, this isn’t the time. We can plan this out."

"You two, just you wait!"

Dragon War left in a rage with his men. Chan Jing was thrown into a panic; she had never imagined Dragon War would lose.

The victory brought no joy. The principle was simple, but how many people in this world actually live by principles? Fan Hong was still heartbroken. The only silver lining was that Wang Meng hadn’t been saddled with a defeat.

"Heh, Fan Hong, cheer up! I’m buying you a drink!"

Wang Meng patted Fan Hong’s shoulder. He didn’t really know how to comfort someone over a breakup, but getting a drink was definitely a good solution.

There was a saying in the Cultivation Academy: The fragrance of Jade Garden’s tea drifts for thousands of miles, and the fine wine of Ascension Tower ascends to the Nine Heavens.

The wine of Ascension Tower.

A waiter quietly sized up the two of them. In the Cultivation Academy, the staff everywhere were Cultivators themselves, some of them quite powerful. They all had sharp eyes, and from the two’s clothes and manner of speaking...

"What, are you not open for business today?"

"Of course not. This way, please," the waiter said respectfully. Seeing their Star Rings, the waiter relaxed.

Fan Hong was still in low spirits. When the fine wine arrived, Wang Meng said nothing and simply filled both their cups to the brim.

Fan Hong was silent for a moment before downing his cup in one gulp. Once he started, there was no need to urge him on.

The two drank until the world turned upside down. Fan Hong’s floodgates opened, and he poured out his entire story. The more he spoke, the sadder he became, until he was a sobbing mess. In his world, he had truly seen Chan Jing as a pure Goddess, but reality had dealt him a harsh slap in the face.

Wang Meng didn’t try to console him. They weren’t three-year-olds; the guy just needed to vent.

Wang Meng drank a lot with him. Normally, with Fan Hong’s tolerance, he would have passed out long ago. But when you’re heartbroken, it’s hard to get drunk even when you want to.

By the time Fan Hong was knocked out, Wang Meng was a bit tipsy himself. Only then did he call for the bill.

"Thank you. That will be twenty-three Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Since it’s your first time here, we’ll give you a discount. Twenty will be fine."

Wang Meng had received ten Top-Grade Spirit Stones from his recent victory, which was a considerable sum of wealth, but...

"How much?"

"Honored guest, after the discount, twenty Top-Grade Spirit Stones."

Wang Meng was instantly embarrassed. ’Crap,’ he thought. He’d only just won ten stones. Although he had some savings, he’d spent most of them over the past year, and this year’s allowance hadn’t arrived yet. Everyone said things here were expensive, but this was...

He was starting to understand what Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing went through back then. ’Still, their savings must have been seriously impressive.’

"Um, is it possible to run a tab?" Wang Meng had a splitting headache. Even a hero can be felled by a lack of money. He thought ten Top-Grade Spirit Stones was a lot, but he never imagined a price this outrageous. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He glanced at Fan Hong, who was passed out on the table. ’There’s no counting on this guy.’

"Wang Meng."

A familiar yet distant voice called out. The face that appeared before him was one that always stirred his thoughts: Yan Yuyue.

Without her mask, Yan Yuyue could fully display her beauty. Her arrival had indeed caused a sensation in the Cultivation Academy, and her outstanding Water Talent had also earned her invitations from various factions.

"I’ll settle their bill," Yan Yuyue said with a faint smile. It seemed that since coming here, much of her faint melancholy had dissipated.

Speaking of which, there was still some history between the two of them, whether it was the grudges of the previous generation or what had happened between them personally.

’I can’t figure it out,’ Wang Meng thought. ’To be precise, I’ve never been able to figure her out. It’s good enough that Yan Yuyue isn’t causing me trouble; I can’t believe she’s actually helping me.’

It wasn’t until Yan Yuyue had paid their debt that Wang Meng snapped out of his daze.

"Thank you so much for this. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can."

Yan Yuyue looked at Wang Meng quietly. "It’s nothing. If you feel bad about it, our faction has a mission coming up. We’re short-handed. You can come help us, and we’ll call it even."

Wang Meng shrugged. "Sure. As long as you don’t mind me slowing you down."

Yan Yuyue looked at Wang Meng. "In this world, I might underestimate anyone else, but I would never dare to underestimate you."

With that, she left. There were people waiting for her not far away.

’I’m truly baffled. A kidnapping threw us together for a bit, but we barely spoke at Celestial Heart Castle.’

’And there’s certainly no friendship to speak of between the Demon Heart Sect and the Holy Hall.’

Wang Meng could only sigh. ’This world is full of good people after all!’

He hoisted Fan Hong onto his back and left, leaving the waiter staring blankly.

"Yuyue, who was that?" The six people waiting for Yan Yuyue had been watching the whole time.

The Heaven-Dominating Hall that Yan Yuyue belonged to wasn’t highly ranked, but her personal strength was extraordinary. Moreover, she was the closed-door disciple of a Star Alliance member, so she couldn’t be judged by rank alone. On top of that, the Dragon King thought very highly of her.

"A friend. He’s very strong."

"Oh, is that so? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him."

"Zixiao, fame doesn’t always represent strength. I want to recommend him to the Dragon King. That man is truly strong!"

"...No way. Your Four Directions Small Thousand World already produced you and Ma Tian’Er. Is this kid really that amazing?" Zixiao found it hard to believe. The man was unknown, which meant he couldn’t have stood out during the aptitude tests. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them not to have heard of him.

"We have a mission coming up, don’t we? Let’s bring him along and let you all see for yourselves."

Yan Yuyue said confidently.

The few of them exchanged glances. They had known Yan Yuyue for some time and had witnessed her strength skyrocket over the past year. Besides, Yan Yuyue was very proud; they had never heard her speak so highly of someone before. They couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Yan Yuyue paid them no mind. Her conviction was based on something else entirely.

The Dragon King Faction was a power on the same level as the Empress Faction. Both the Dragon King and the Empress were close to the Minor Perfection stage. Legend had it that they could break through to Minor Perfection whenever they wished; they were simply waiting for the perfect opportunity. For ordinary Cultivators, Minor Perfection was an unreachable dream—they would be satisfied just to reach it. But for top-tier existences like them, reaching Minor Perfection wasn’t the problem. The problem was what kind of enlightenment they could obtain when they crossed that threshold.

On the path of Cultivation, every breakthrough represented a massive opportunity.

This was clearly demonstrated in the Cultivation Academy. You wouldn’t find anyone here who recklessly raised their Life Mark Level above all else. This was completely different from the Elemental-Power-is-everything mentality of an ordinary Small Thousand Realm.

And a single exchange in combat would prove it. Here, someone at the Twentieth Layer could defeat someone at the Thirtieth Layer from an ordinary Small Thousand Realm. As for things like knowledge and experience, the gap was astronomical.

"Damn, this guy is heavy," Wang Meng grunted, carrying Fan Hong on his back. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Yan Yuyue’s face flashed through his mind. A year in the Great Yuan Realm, and she still seemed just as beautiful.

He shook his head. ’Whoa, I’m dizzy. It must be the Godhood’s influence.’

After dropping Fan Hong off in his room, the effects of the alcohol wore off quickly for Wang Meng. He recalled the Alchemy concepts he had learned today, which mentioned Alchemy Techniques. This piqued Wang Meng’s interest. He needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of all the different paths of Cultivation. Only by standing tall and seeing far could he avoid becoming a frog in a well.

Meanwhile, in the Battle Space, fights were raging furiously. After waiting a day, most of the new students couldn’t resist joining the fray.

There was a consensus in the Cultivation Academy: being cautious and fighting less wasn’t necessarily better. It meant you fought fewer battles, so how could your strength improve quickly? Moreover, worrying constantly about gains and losses would ultimately still lead to elimination.

You had to fight as much as possible, but you also had to choose the right time and opponent. And it wasn’t always best to pick on the weak. Some with higher win rates would actively challenge stronger opponents to find their own shortcomings in defeat and grow stronger.

Someone like the Empress, who maintained a perfect winning streak from the very beginning and reached the peak with an air of invincibility, was a complete exception and not a path to be emulated.

Though he didn’t go to the Battle Space, Wang Meng entered his Godhood. During his fight with Dragon War today, Wang Meng had witnessed a different kind of Body Cultivation Skill for the first time. ’Perhaps it’s not so different here,’ he mused. ’It really broadened my horizons.’ This type of Body Cultivation, which also altered the body, resulted in more flexible and immense physical combat strength. When his opponent was prepared, even his Five Elements Sword Skill had been largely ineffective. ’It really is amazing,’ he thought. ’But carelessness is a common failing.’

Dragon War had looked down on Wang Meng from the bottom of his heart, so he couldn’t bring himself to take the fight seriously. When Wang Meng suddenly used the Fire Talisman, Dragon War was stunned for a moment. But Wang Meng’s combat experience was incredibly rich, and he immediately seized the opening to finish it.

Many factors contribute to victory in a battle.

BOOM...

CRAP~~~~! Wang Meng only had time to let out a cry of despair. Facing the illusion of Dragon War conjured by the Godhood, Wang Meng wasn’t the least bit careless, but he was still insta-killed.

He had finally found a practical use for his Godhood: an all-purpose sparring partner.

For the Godhood, understanding the Power of Laws was what mattered; the specific forms of expression were ultimately just fleeting clouds.

Waking up bright and early, Wang Meng completed his morning cultivation exercises and reported to the Sword Dao Institute ahead of schedule. Arriving early meant he could quietly pick a good spot.

The Curved Sword Skill was a sword technique that had recently piqued his interest. When used well, its Sword Qi was impossible to defend against, making it a truly deadly weapon.

Since coming here, Wang Meng had fully experienced his own lack of magic. Techniques like the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Sword Technique and the Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword were actually of little use, not even as good as the Five Elements Sword Skill he had comprehended himself. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)