Chapter 582: 535 Odds of Winning

The Master of Fuhu was quite surprised he would start the conversation with this, thinking: Surely it is because we are not familiar, and he wants to start with some light topics to facilitate getting acquainted, so he said: "As for this, it cannot be seen from the current situation. However, I feel that Sunset Manor has a higher chance of winning."

The visitor, Liu Shusheng, made an 'oh' sound, showing neither joy nor anger, and said: "How so? I see that Changfa Manor is not at a disadvantage in the current situation."

He pointed downward, toward the battlefield filled with black Qi; one could overlook the entire situation from the viewing platform.

"Not to mention the two matches currently being fought; one is evenly matched, and the outcome of the other is hard to predict, so let us count them both as draws."

The one he referred to as hard to predict was the match between Fang Weiran and Xing Qing, which was now reaching a white-hot stage and was also the most brilliant and intense one. The Sword Intent of these two people was extremely sharp, and the victory or defeat lay only in a hair's breadth; they might fight for days and nights, or the outcome of life and death might be decided in the next instant. The one he called evenly matched was the other one: Xing Cang and another White-haired Swordsman from Sunset Manor, Xing Ping.

The sword fighting between these two was a proper contest; you strike a sword, I strike a sword, you use a Sword Technique, I use a Sword Technique, you come and I dodge, I advance and you retreat, truly proper and conventional. The situation was evenly matched, and it seemed it would not be easy to decide the winner for a while.

These two matches were head-to-head duels, while most of the other matches had fallen into situations of chasing, tracking, ambushing, and counter-ambushing. If one were immersed in watching such situations, it would be very tense and exciting, but if one were looking down from above for some brilliant scenes to pass the time, it really would not be as stimulating as a direct sword-to-sword confrontation.

"In situations of chasing and ambushing, the person who enters first definitely has the advantage, just like the first-move advantage in a Chess Game. As long as one settles their heart and does not seek a sure kill, one can at least maintain a situation of neither winning nor losing. At most, it is mutual wariness; if no one leaves the passage, it is equivalent to a trade-off. If there is an expert in the team, as long as the others can manage a trade-off, they are making a contribution."

Liu Shusheng said: "I wonder if the Master of Fuhu has noticed? Changfa Manor has more people who occupy the first-move advantage. They have the advantage in eight out of ten matches. This ratio is too high, isn't it? I wonder if this is luck or manipulation."

The Master of Fuhu frowned and said: "You mean the drawing of lots just now was rigged? With so many Abyss Envoys watching, that shouldn't be possible, right? Besides, this is the home ground of Sunset Manor; if anyone were to rig it, it should be them, right?"

Eight to two; although such a result from drawing lots is heavily skewed, it is not impossible.

Liu Shusheng said: "I am not saying it was rigged; perhaps it is just luck? It is just that luck was artificially increased."

The Master of Fuhu frowned and said: "Luck? Why talk about increasing such an ethereal thing..."

There is such a thing as luck in this world, but it is difficult to measure, and most of it is still coincidence; no one can say definitively that a certain person is born with high luck. Some people are truly lucky and might be called a "Son of Luck," just as Tang Zhao was jokingly called "Heaven's own son," but that is just an envious title from others, and there is no such thing as real luck, let alone operations like "seizing National Fortune."

The only things that might affect luck are special Sword Arts and Sword Techniques. But those Sword Techniques are not only rare, there are also no cases proving they truly have miraculous effects; in any case, I have never heard of a classic battle where one side won only because they added luck.

In the eyes of the Master of Fuhu, luck is a bluffing thing; it is just for psychological comfort to create an aura, colorful clouds, or a Sword Deity Lingzhi at the start of a match, and it cannot be taken as truth.

Liu Shusheng shook his head and said: "The theory of luck is not ethereal; there have been examples from ancient times to the present. Back then, Emperor Taizong of my Great Jin once saved a Sword Deity Lingzhi and, relying on the luck it bestowed, was invincible on the battlefield, leading a small number of elite cavalry to charge hundreds of times without even a minor injury. Later, he even enshrined this Auspicious Sword Spirit to suppress the National Fortune, and for decades there was favorable weather, leading to a peaceful and prosperous age with flourishing National Fortune. If not for the Disappearance of that Sword Spirit, the National Fortune would not have gradually..."

He did not continue, only shaking his head and sighing.

The Master of Fuhu did not agree at all, thinking: It is not as if I haven't seen the nobles from your Imperial Court who come to Wangliang Mountain; each one is high-ranking and a jerk. People like this are high officials, so how can the country be good? What is the use of blaming it on National Fortune?

Liu Shusheng saw his meaning and smiled faintly: "Any Sword Technique involving luck is mostly related to elements like light, spiritual energy, auspiciousness, and predestined affinity; naturally, Wangliang Mountain has none of these. It is not strange that the Master of Fuhu does not believe it. However, if it is truly because of luck that they can achieve this, it shows that Changfa Manor has quite a foundation and has prepared relevant tactics; the layout can be considered stable. Why does the Master of Fuhu still not favor them?"

The Master of Fuhu shook his head: "I also see that they have tactics. But their tactics are too passive. Except for a few individuals, the others drag things out whenever they can and hide whenever they can, as if everyone is doing it to save their lives rather than to compete for victory. I first thought, could it be that they have too many outside helpers? They are not their own sword slaves, but people paid to do a job, so naturally, they are unwilling to risk their lives. But I see that even their own sword slaves and Sword Guests are hiding covertly. Instead, it is an outsider who is risking their life, which makes me feel there is an inside story."

Liu Shusheng nodded: "Surely there is a tactic; is it to control movement with stillness? Or are the others delaying the battle to pave the way for an expert to deliver the final blow?"

The Master of Fuhu sneered: "An expert? If there really were such an expert, the people inside might not see it, but could we not see it? Which one of these is an expert? An expert must have the temperament of an expert; how can there be an expert who hides their head and shows their tail?"

Liu Shusheng shook his head vigorously and said: "Perhaps the expert has already appeared and is right before our eyes?"

He pointed his hand and said: "Over there, isn't there an invisible battle?"

He was referring to the passage in the north.

Unlike other passages where either both people appear to fight or both remain hidden and lurk, there was only one Sword Guest inside, the White-haired Swordsman from Sunset Manor. And in front of his passage, the opponent who should have entered before him did not even have a shadow.

If it were just this, one could say that the Changfa Manor Sword Guest was hiding well, waiting for an opportunity to ambush, but seeing that the lone Sword Guest walking in a zigzag, completely lacking a sense of direction, sometimes suddenly stabbing a sword into the swamp to the side while walking, with Sword Light scattering and splashing countless shadow smoke, as if having a seizure, one knew that this person had actually fallen into a trap, and perhaps had already fallen into an illusion.

The Master of Fuhu actually saw it too; this passage had already been decided, and Changfa Manor had won.

But the Master of Fuhu still shook his head: "Even if this path is won, it was a successful sneak attack. Although the winner won, they still dare not show their face, nor do they dare to take advantage of this time—with no blockage in front and no pursuers behind—to rush forward, but instead remain in the passage to entangle with the opponent. If this is not a lack of enterprising spirit, what is it? It shows that the people of Changfa Manor are not united; even if there is an expert, they are timid and only seek self-preservation, so they have lost from the root."

Seeing that Liu Shusheng still had a different opinion, he pointed his hand and said: "In my opinion, that person has the posture of an expert who stands above the rest."

He was referring to the passage in the southeast.

That passage also had both people appearing, but there was no fighting; instead, one was chasing and the other was advancing. The person behind did not seem to be chasing a fugitive, but was hurrying to catch up with the footsteps of the person in front, yet could only ever look at their back. Whenever there was a slight possibility of catching up, they were immediately stabbed by a sword from the other side, and they would immediately roll to dodge, not daring to face the sharpness directly.

This side had also actually decided the winner. It was the person in front who won. It is worth mentioning that this was the other group besides Xing Cang where Sunset Manor was in front and Changfa Manor was behind. The one who was advancing without restraint in front was a tall White-haired Swordsman, while the one chasing behind in vain was a young female outsider invited by Changfa Manor.

No one recognized this outsider woman; even though Xin Ying had actually introduced her name at the beginning, everyone just listened and let it pass at the time. The number of people present who could still remember that she seemed to be surnamed Mi or Mai could be counted on one's fingers. The Master of Fuhu happened to recognize that White-haired person: "This one is also an invited outsider; Sunset Manor has long since lacked such experts. He is a Sword Guest from Anxing Manor."

Liu Shusheng was slightly surprised and said: "Anxing Manor, huh..."

The Master of Fuhu said: "Exactly. I remember his name is Xinglao. This is the second time I have seen him make a move; the last time was three years ago when Anxing Manor challenged Sha Star Manor. That time it was not a Civil Battle, but a thorough Martial Battle, killing until one side had no one left or fled the steps in a panic. This Xinglao is one of the killing stars of Anxing Manor; his leading sword was like a mad bull, killing until blood flowed like a river, blood flowing down the steps, one bloody footprint per step. Even after three years, it is still vivid in my mind. Look at that woman—"

He pointed to the woman who was chasing in a sorry state behind: "Look at that woman; although she is in a sorry state, it is not bad that she can protect herself to this extent; her strength is still considerable. It is a pity her opponent is wrong; he is too strong. However, she is lucky to have drawn the position of chasing from behind, so she will not block the way. Xinglao is probably too lazy to bother with her. If she were in front, she would probably be dead already."

He shook his head and said: "Originally, there were many variables in this Sword Guest match. Based on strength, Changfa Manor might not necessarily lose; this is the match they were most likely to win. It is a pity their strategy is too conservative. I guess their general plan is to win the first match if they can, and if they can't, to prioritize self-preservation. They bet their treasure on the second and third matches. It is a pity they made the wrong decision."

He said unquestioningly: "If they had risked their lives to take the first match and then let their young Master compete with the old man from Sunset, before the old man Wu brought out the foundation he hid in his youth, they might have really been able to beat the master with chaotic punches. This sword fighting would have been won. It is a pity they did not dare; they actually sought stability, wanting to win at the Sword Hero Bureau."

Speaking of this, the Master of Fuhu could not help but glance at the shed of Changfa Manor again, not seeing the Sword Hero who had amazed him before, feeling very regretful, and said: "Perhaps they think they have found an outstanding Sword Hero and are quite confident. But it is a pity, they cannot win the Sword Hero Bureau."

"Because his opponent is named Gui Rong."

On the platform, there were countless discussions like that of the Master of Fuhu, with everyone talking loudly to show their own insight. And below, each passage finally welcomed the people who had successfully broken through.

The first to step into the fork in the road was none other than Xinglao, the former Anxing Sword Guest praised by the Master of Fuhu.