Chapter 284: Chapter 275: How a Salted Fish Makes a Comeback

"Wang Meng, how have you been? Keep it up! Let’s stay in touch. Don’t just coop yourself up. Sometimes, talking more can actually help your Cultivation."

Mingren hadn’t changed a bit. He probably just had a good attitude; he could adapt and be at ease no matter where he went.

Back at the Holy Hall, he never really thought much of it. Everyone was always hanging out together and could see each other anytime. But after leaving, he realized how lonely it was. He really missed Zhang Xiaopang and the others. ’I wonder if that guy has been cultivating properly,’ he thought.

Adaptability was a powerful skill in itself. Wang Meng didn’t care about anything and dared to challenge everything, while Mingren was the type who also didn’t care about much, but in a way that let him calmly face new environments and find his own solutions.

Seeing these messages put Master Wang in a great mood. He left his own messages for Mingren and Ning Zhiquan. ’The difference in Magic level makes this so much more convenient than a Messenger,’ he mused. ’It would be great if this Star Ring thing could be popularized in the Holy Hall.’

Wang Meng pushed down his feelings of nostalgia and entered the Battle Space. He was very confident in himself, but he still had to fill the massive hole he had dug for himself, one step at a time.

Inside the Battle Space, "Master" appeared. Since everyone was calling him that, Wang Meng had actually gone ahead and made "Master" his alias. It was pretty good, actually. ’A mortal among Cultivators.’ That was Master Wang’s own interpretation.

Wang Meng’s instant kill against Murong Dongwu had already piqued the curiosity of many Cultivators. In a random match, decided purely by luck, Wang Meng’s opponent appeared.

Zhao Wuji of the Xuanji Sect, Tianshuo Small Thousand Realm. A Talisman Cultivator.

Zhao Wuji was slightly taken aback when he saw his opponent, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He had heard of "Master" before, but he never thought he’d be lucky enough to run into him.

’This guy learned the Curved Sword Qi from who-knows-where, but he only seems to know this one move. He truly gives off the air of someone trying to live off a single trick.’

’Too bad he ran into me,’ Zhao Wuji thought. ’Curved Sword Qi is indeed a decent basic Sword Technique, but a single, repetitive technique, no matter how strong, can always be defended against. And this is just the Curved Sword Skill, nothing more.’

Zhao Wuji, a Talisman Cultivator at the Twenty-seventh Layer of Elemental Power, had a record of thirty wins out of fifty-six battles. He was one of those with a very high win rate.

Talisman Cultivators weren’t afraid of sharp, powerful attacks, especially those from the Cultivation Academy.

Zhao Wuji appeared, and Talismans began to flutter continuously from his hands. A three-meter-square Eight Trigrams Array materialized on the ground, rising up to completely envelop him.

It was the Celestial Circle and Earthly Square Primordial Trigram Array, formed from forty-nine Defense Talismans. A defense combining Talismans and an Array Technique. No matter which direction an opponent attacked from, the Talismans would mount a defense at the first moment, and the Eight Trigrams Array itself would intercept the opponent’s attack as soon as they stepped within its range.

Wang Meng watched his opponent complete the Eight Trigrams Array. Even if the man hadn’t deployed it immediately, Wang Meng would have given him the time.

Among Sword Cultivators, Talisman Cultivators, Bow Cultivators, and Body Cultivators, the Talisman Cultivator was the most versatile in dealing with all types of opponents. You could defeat a Talisman Cultivator, but it was very difficult to take one down instantly.

The moment Zhao Wuji’s Mixed Element Eight Trigrams Formation appeared, the onlookers in the void couldn’t help but boo. It was too boring, too uninteresting. This was another one of the shameless tactics Talisman Cultivators were fond of—setting up such a defense before the battle even began.

"Zhao Wuji is going a bit overboard. Setting up the formation is one thing, but using General Level Talismans against an opponent with a standard-issue weapon is too much."

"He’s afraid of losing, isn’t he? If he loses to someone with a win rate near zero, his personal score will probably take a big hit."

Anyone with a win rate above fifty percent harbored the dream of joining the Star Alliance.

Win rate was merely the standard for being allowed to remain at the Cultivation Academy, whereas personal score was the criterion for joining the Star Alliance.

After many years at the Cultivation Academy, reaching Minor Perfection was no longer the real goal; everyone was aiming for the Star Alliance. Once you broke through to Minor Perfection, the Star Alliance would surely have ways to help you reach Great Perfection. At the very least, you would have more resources and advantages than anyone else. Plus, with the status of a Star Alliance member, you’d be someone no one in any Small Thousand Realm would dare to provoke. How cool was that?

Of course Zhao Wuji had to be cautious. In a battle between the strong and the weak, if the stronger party lost, it would be, frankly, a very unfortunate affair.

In the Cultivation Academy, weapons, Magical Artifacts, and the like were broadly divided into four levels: Soldier Level, General Level, King Level, and Emperor Level.

Soldier Level items were the most common, used for everyday practice. The swords, Talismans, and other equipment provided by the Star Alliance for matches were all Soldier Level. They only met the most basic combat requirements and possessed no special enhancements.

General Level was different. This type of Defense Talisman, when paired with an Array Technique, offered much stronger defense and faster reaction speed. Its power was on a completely different level. Such Talismans were also quite valuable; one had to either craft them personally or purchase them from the academy.

Zhao Wuji wasn’t an idiot. His opponent had already won several matches in a row, and he knew that Murong Dongwu was no weakling. To be instantly killed so easily... ’If I underestimate him, I’d deserve to die ten thousand times over,’ he thought.

The battle began.

Wang Meng didn’t hold back. He had dabbled with Talismans himself, so he could naturally tell that his opponent’s faintly glowing golden Talismans were no ordinary items. But this only served to ignite Wang Meng’s fighting spirit.

His eyes blazed as he suddenly swung the Long Sword in his hand.

KILL~~~

SWOOSH...

Curved Sword Qi!

Knowing full well his opponent had set up a comprehensive defense, he still used Curved Sword Qi. The spectators really didn’t know what to say. ’You could at least throw in a few normal Sword Qi slashes to mix things up. Is this "Master" guy really that straightforward?’

Zhao Wuji’s eyes narrowed. The Mixed Element Eight Trigrams Formation activated instantly, focusing all its power to defend against the opponent’s Curved Sword Qi.

BOOM...

With a deafening crash, Zhao Wuji was blasted back seven or eight steps before he could stabilize himself. He was shocked. His most trusted Celestial Circle and Earthly Square Primordial Trigram Array had actually lost a third of its Talismans to that single sword strike. A chill ran down his spine. ’If I had been careless and used Soldier Level Talismans, I probably would have been instantly killed, too.’

Soldier Level Talismans didn’t have nearly this fast of a reaction speed.

Wang Meng hadn’t expected such a ferocious strike to actually be blocked. Instead of being dejected, he grew even more excited. His Sword Qi flared. Zhao Wuji was startled and hastily replenished his Talisman Array.

BOOM...

Another strike... and it was still Curved Sword Qi...

Zhao Wuji was completely focused. Because he knew it was Curved Sword Qi, he could predict its trajectory. The Eight Trigrams Array operated at full power, blocking the Sword Qi in the nick of time!

BOOM...

Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth. The attack was so ferocious it nearly surpassed the defensive limits of his Talisman Array.

CRACK...

Blasted backward again, Zhao Wuji saw that his Eight Trigrams Array had been half-destroyed this time. His opponent’s power had grown even stronger.

Wang Meng’s excitement surged even higher. He unleashed another strike with a backhand swing.

Zhao Wuji saw this and thought, ’This is getting ridiculous! Damn it, he’s using me as a target! But I have to block it first and figure out the rest later.’

Zhao Wuji was indeed an expert. He replenished his Talismans with incredible speed. This was no time to hold anything back. While restoring his formation, he also cast the Celestial Destiny Skill on himself, boosting a Talisman Cultivator’s reaction speed and power.

The Celestial Circle and Earthly Square Primordial Trigram Array erupted with brilliant light as it expanded from forty-nine Talismans to sixty-four.

His defensive power doubled. ’Block first, attack later.’

The number of spectators in the void gradually increased. Many didn’t think this was a particularly high-level battle. They were mostly just curious. It was just a match below the Thirtieth Layer, after all. How high could the skill level possibly be?

They wanted to know how a guy who had lost so badly he didn’t even have his pants left could possibly make a comeback.

They had to admit, this "Master" fellow was truly a one-track-mind. Couldn’t he be a little more flexible? Zhao Wuji was completely focused on defending against his Curved Sword Qi, giving him absolutely no opening. If he were to mix in a few other Sword Techniques at this moment, even the most ordinary Sword Qi, it would surely have an unusual effect.

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