Chapter 277: Chapter 268: A Perfect Sword Strike

Murong Dongwu wasn’t here to bully a weakling. For an expert like him, whose win rate was consistently above fifty percent, there was clearly no need to beat up a newbie just to raise his stats.

He refused to believe that some guy who had lost countless matches could suddenly execute a Curved Sword Qi.

Because he himself was in the process of mastering the Curved Sword Qi and had already gained some insights. He knew very well how difficult the Curved Sword Skill was, and this guy before him only had Level 20 Elemental Power...

"I am Murong Dongwu. Fifty-six wins, seven draws, forty-one losses. Remember this: it is the Snow Immortal Sect that will defeat you. Don’t worry, I won’t bully you. I’ll just use the Curved Sword Skill!"

Murong Dongwu was extremely arrogant. Having mastered the Curved Sword Skill, he was well aware of its formidable power. If he could integrate the Curved Sword Skill into his own Extreme Cold Ice Soul Sword, its might would experience a qualitative leap.

At this moment, in the void surrounding the Dueling Platform, more than fifty Cultivators were watching. They were all here for the show. If the first time was just a rumor, the second time had far more witnesses. This meant that the "Master," who was so famous in the Battle Space, could really use the Curved Sword Skill.

"I really hate Murong Dongwu’s smug attitude. So what if he learned the damn Curved Sword Skill? Does he have to come here to show off?"

"What can you do? If you could use it, you’d be showing off too. The Curved Sword Skill is one of the most difficult to practice among the basic Sword Techniques."

"The Master is in for it. It seems like this is his only trick. When using the same Sword Technique..."

The Master seemed to have been intimidated by Murong Dongwu’s reputation. He kept his head slightly bowed and didn’t retort.

Wang Meng was wondering, ’Why is it that even when using the same Sword Technique, with no huge difference in power, Mo Shan and Wangtian possess such absolute dominance?’

Murong Dongwu was very satisfied with his opponent’s attitude. With a sharp roar, his Elemental Power surged. The Ice Extreme Sword in his hand—forged from Ten Thousand Year Ice Extreme Ore from the Little Thousand World of Snow Domain—erupted with a brilliant light. Any Sword Technique executed with the Ice Extreme Sword would carry an intense freezing power, and now, combined with the Cultivation Academy’s Water Element Skill, it was even more formidable.

The dazzling light and intense Sword Qi jolted Wang Meng awake. In that instant, the image of Mo Shan’s thrusting sword still lingered in his mind.

KILL~~~

A bolt of Sword Qi, like a flash of lightning, shot out. That’s right—it was another Curved Sword Qi.

SHING...

A dead silence fell. Murong Dongwu’s Curved Sword Qi was quite impressive. His Level 27 Elemental Power, combined with the special properties of his Ice Extreme Sword, made his Curved Sword Qi even more bitingly cold.

But when Wang Meng’s sword struck, it all dissipated.

It was a sword strike beyond description. As the saying goes, the quality becomes clear upon comparison. Next to Wang Meng’s strike, Murong Dongwu’s Curved Sword Qi looked like a wriggling worm.

It was a beautiful arc, one that made even being killed by it seem like a work of art.

Murong Dongwu had spent ages studying the Curved Sword Qi. The moment he saw the Curved Sword Qi his opponent unleashed, his Heart Spirit was instantly captivated.

THUD.

Murong Dongwu fell to his knees, his gaze still fixed on the trajectory the Curved Sword Qi had carved through the void.

"Perfect... perfect... How could anyone use it so perfectly...?"

Murong Dongwu was experiencing it firsthand, but the other Cultivators in the void could see it even more clearly.

That one strike left everyone speechless. Executing a Curved Sword Qi was difficult, but quite a few experts could manage it. However, to use it to such a degree... how many people in the entire Cultivation Academy could do that?

Was this still the "Master"?

Who was he???

Wang Meng, however, had just had an epiphany. Ignoring his opponent, he left the Battle Space directly and quickly entered the Heaven and Earth Spirit Locking Array.

’He finally understood. The difference between him and that... what’s-his-name opponent was just like the difference between himself and Mo Shan.’

’Though the Sword Technique is the same, what matters is the control over one’s realm of understanding. The more identical the technique, the more important the realm. Every Sword Technique has its own form of perfection.’

’It isn’t Mo Shan’s perfection, nor Wangtian’s. It has to be my own. When I finally reach the limit, using the same Sword Technique, the same Elemental Power, and at the same realm, I won’t be able to defeat Mo Shan, but he won’t be able to defeat me, either. There’s nothing wrong with the Sword Technique itself. I shouldn’t be imitating anyone; I need to find my own strongest strike.’

Having found his answer, Wang Meng began to practice frantically. People of the Fire Element were impatient and lacked endurance, but the defining trait of the Earth Element was incredible persistence. Wang Meng didn’t care about failure at all. Now that he had found the key, nothing could stop him.

Fan Hong had no choice but to request a leave of absence for Wang Meng, which made the Dean quite unhappy. Fortunately, Fan Hong’s annual offering had just arrived. It was quite substantial, and since he didn’t have to give it to Chan Jing, he had plenty to spend. He gave Dean Mi Dao a little sweetener, and after finishing all the work himself, Mi Dao was willing to turn a blind eye.

Every student in the Cultivation Academy receives a score. Combat is one part, and other aspects are another. The rules are rigid, but people are flexible. The Cultivation Academy didn’t just completely write off geniuses in other fields. If it did, there would be no need to make places like the Alchemy Institute so excellent. It was just that the requirements for geniuses in other fields were higher.

The standard for qualifying as a Star Alliance member was based on this score. As long as one met the standard, they could participate in the Star Alliance’s selection process—a privilege only available to students of the Cultivation Academy.

Once you became a member of the Star Alliance, you could stand on equal footing with your own Sect Leader, occupy a seat in the Star Alliance, and possess a vote.

Even the old ancestors and the like would have to address you with honorifics. Your status would be on par with a Sect Leader. How awesome was that? And the benefits of being a Star Alliance member were even greater, especially for the young experts who came from the Cultivation Academy.

That was why those powerful experts had never given up on this goal. Very few who had spent time here ever wanted to return to their former Small Thousand Realms, unless they were just content to drift along. To climb higher, one had to bind themselves to the Star Alliance.

Wang Meng had found a way to develop his own Curved Sword Qi. But that one strike he had unleashed had utterly shaken the Cultivation Academy.

Some scoundrel—at least, that’s what Murong Dongwu thought—had secretly created an image recording of their battle, turning it into a Magic Talisman that was being sold everywhere.

At first, it only cost one Middle-Grade Spirit Stone, but now the price had skyrocketed to one Top-Grade Spirit Stone.

How much was a single Talisman actually worth?

But that wasn’t the point. There weren’t many people in the Cultivation Academy who couldn’t afford a Top-Grade Spirit Stone. The question was whether the content was worth the price.

But the soaring price spoke for itself.

Everyone who saw it was shocked. You couldn’t believe someone could use the Curved Sword Skill so perfectly.

With only Level 20 Elemental Power, he made the overly-embellished Ice Arc Sword Technique look like absolute trash.

The greater the expert, the more clearly they could see the difference.

In Li Tianyi’s hand was a Talisman depicting the Curved Sword Skill. He, like Wang Meng, had also found his own way with the technique. In fact, he had already mastered the Curved Sword Skill and integrated it into his Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword. (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.)