Chapter 466: The River Flows Eternally

"Junior, how about it?"

Yue Xu waited on the spot for a while, but when he didn't receive an answer, he became slightly impatient.

"Apologies, please allow me to think about it."

Zhuo Buping wore a bitter expression.

"Fine, there is still some time before the match starts, Junior can take his time thinking."

Yue Xu felt displeased, spoke in a stiff tone, and then turned and left.

A moment later, Zhuo Buping's companion walked over:

"Did Senior Yue Xu want you not to try so hard?"

It was indeed easy to guess the purpose of Yue Xu coming to find Zhuo Buping at this time.

"Mm."

Zhuo Buping nodded.

"Then did you agree?"

The companion asked with concern.

Zhuo Buping shook his head: "I said I needed to think about it some more."

"Oh, you!"

The companion was speechless.

What was there to think about regarding such a matter?

The odds of winning were slim to begin with, so what was wrong with just losing the match as requested?

He could even take the opportunity to befriend a top-tier noble descendant like Yue Xu, which would bring many benefits in the future.

"It was a perfectly good opportunity, but you just had to hesitate. Even if you agree later, this favor will be greatly diminished. Sigh!"

The companion sighed.

"Should I not have hesitated?!"

Zhuo Buping suddenly seemed to erupt, asking back with some agitation.

The companion was startled by him and stared blankly.

"Apologies."

Zhuo Buping quickly calmed down, apologized to his companion, and then left with his head lowered.

"Sigh."

Watching Zhuo Buping's retreating back, the companion sighed and shook his head.

On the arena, the competition was in full swing.

All eight peerless prodigies had taken their turns on stage, and all had won very easily, finishing off their opponents within a few moves.

Li Fei's first-round opponent was a disciple of the Shangqing Sect, with a cultivation base at the late stage of Qi Transformation.

He did not entangle with his opponent for long, choosing to suppress them directly with force:

The first strike repelled the opponent, the second strike broke their defense, and the third strike decided the outcome.

Even if only one more implant was integrated, the chasm between the Dao Foundation realm and the Qi Transformation realm was difficult to cross!

"Next match, Tianqu University's Zhuo Buping versus Tianqu University's Yue Xu."

The staff member shouted loudly into the microphone.

Zhuo Buping walked to the edge of the arena. After being checked by the staff to ensure he was not wearing any protective gear or carrying any prohibited items, he went to select a long saber.

This saber was a Grade 3 exotic weapon provided uniformly by Tianqu University, characterized by being sufficiently hard; even if a Dao Foundation powerhouse used it to clash with full force, it would not break.

On the other side, Yue Xu had also chosen his weapon—dual sabers.

Just before taking the stage, he merely looked at Zhuo Buping calmly and said nothing more.

Regardless of what the other party decided, the outcome would be clear once they were on the stage.

The two walked into the arena amidst the applause of tens of thousands.

In the previous preliminary rounds, there were eight competition rings on the field simultaneously, so the audience's attention was divided, and the television broadcast was also fixed on only a few rings.

Specifically, the rings where the most noble descendants were located.

Now, the eyes of everyone in the venue were focused on this single match, and the television broadcast was the same.

For the first time in his life, Zhuo Buping was competing under the gaze of so many people.

He was suddenly a bit nervous.

Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Buping tried his best to calm himself down.

On the other side, Yue Xu was also somewhat nervous.

Although he was a noble descendant, this was his first time experiencing such an occasion.

However, the innate Qi he practiced was the Wood-Origin Profound Qi, which required the realization of a "Nature's Heart" to cultivate force.

The "Nature's Heart" allowed one to maintain a peaceful state of mind, prevented one from easily falling into abnormal states, and made one's perception of the surrounding environment more acute.

Therefore, Yue Xu was the first to calm down.

He held his dual sabers, aiming them at Zhuo Buping in front of him.

"Begin!"

The referee at the side of the ring said loudly.

Swish—

The next second, Yue Xu charged rapidly toward Zhuo Buping.

His cyan force transformed into two giant pythons, tearing toward Zhuo Buping from the left and right!

This was the Green Python Force, both fierce and versatile.

Zhuo Buping also snapped back to reality, slashing his long saber horizontally; two streams of flame force transformed into iron chains, firmly locking the incoming cyan giant pythons.

This was the Fire-Aversion Force, intense and possessing the characteristic of suppressing other forces.

One had wood-attribute force and the other had fire-attribute force; there was no restraint relationship in the Five Elements, so the key to victory lay only in individual strength and performance. (Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood)

After locking Yue Xu's Green Python Force, Zhuo Buping quickly entered a combat state.

The innate Qi he practiced was the Fire-Calamity Steel Qi, which required the realization of a "Battle Heart" to cultivate subsequent force.

The Battle Heart allowed one to maintain high fighting spirit during combat and enhanced combat instincts.

So, upon entering the fight, Zhuo Buping quickly forgot about the outside attention, and his mindset changed accordingly.

Facing the charging Yue Xu, he swung his saber to meet him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Single saber against dual sabers, blade light flickered, sparks flew, and the two quickly exchanged several moves.

One of the supernatural abilities triggered by Zhuo Buping's fire-attribute implant was the common "Power Burst," so in head-on combat, he held a clear advantage in strength and soon forced Yue Xu back.

"Is this the Junior's answer?"

Yue Xu suddenly asked in a low, sinister voice.

Zhuo Buping was silent.

No matter how one looked at it, choosing to agree to Yue Xu's request was the wisest and least strenuous path.

He could easily obtain a sum of compensation and gain Yue Xu's friendship.

If he chose to fight Yue Xu to the death, not to mention whether he could win, even if he did win, while the reward for the Top 32 was good, offending a top-tier noble descendant like Yue Xu would likely be a loss that outweighed the gain.

Not to mention, if he lost in the end, he would not only fail to get more rewards but would have offended someone for nothing.

But...

Swish—

Zhuo Buping slashed his saber toward Yue Xu:

"That's right, this is my answer!"

Yue Xu dodged the slash, snorted coldly, and his gaze turned icy:

"Utterly foolish!"

"Hahahaha—"

Hearing this, Zhuo Buping suddenly burst into laughter.

The world is full of injustice, so be it if I am foolish!

As a martial artist, whether he won or lost, he only wanted to bloom to his fullest.

He only sought to have a clear conscience!

Life is not easy, and many times, bowing one's head is a last resort.

But he worked hard at martial arts and risked his life to become stronger—wasn't it precisely so he could walk with his head held high?

With distractions gone from his heart, Zhuo Buping's state of mind aligned even more closely with the "Battle Heart," and his force flowed more freely.

Yue Xu became angrier the more they fought; although his strength was inferior to Zhuo Buping's, he did not believe he couldn't win given that the other party was injured.

He just wanted to preserve a better state to fight for a good ranking.

As it turned out, Zhuo Buping was ungrateful.

"You unappreciative, lowly thing, ruining my future!"

Yue Xu was agitated and irritable; the more desperately he wanted to defeat his opponent, the more his state of mind deviated from the "Nature's Heart."

The circulation of his force became increasingly unnatural.

Consequently, Zhuo Buping began to gain the upper hand.

Pfft—

Suddenly, Zhuo Buping spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

His injuries had recurred.

"Good opportunity!"

Yue Xu's eyes lit up, and he immediately launched an attack.

Having made it this far and been selected to participate in the competition, he naturally possessed his own exceptional qualities.

He quickly seized the opportunity to turn the situation around, his mindset gradually calming as he recovered his "Heart of Nature," using a peaceful state of mind to delicately control every detail.

Yue Xu gradually expanded his advantage.

Yet, although Zhuo Buping looked precarious, as if he would lose the next second, he always managed to tenaciously survive one dangerous situation after another, simply refusing to fall.

His gaze was resolute, as if flames were burning within.

A heart of battle is also a heart that refuses to yield!

The audience at the scene was also gradually drawn in by such a thrilling match, watching with fascination and letting out gasps from time to time.

If things continued this way, the final winner would still be Yue Xu.

But for every extra second Zhuo Buping dragged it out, Yue Xu felt he was being consumed by another second, moving one step further from achieving a good ranking.

This caused him to start becoming agitated again.

Yue Xu had lived a smooth life, growing up in favorable circumstances, so he could easily maintain a peaceful mindset and never felt rushed by anything.

But once he entered an adverse situation and encountered things not to his liking, the flaws in his character were exposed.

A true Heart of Nature should be one of impartiality and peace after experiencing the trials of life.

Unfortunately, as the son of the Deputy Chief Inspector, Yue Xu had not yet experienced any such trials in his life.

This problem did not exist only in him; the vast majority of students trained by the twelve universities suffered from this same issue.

This was also the reason why Grand Secretary Ye Ze was determined to make changes.

As time passed, Yue Xu's state of mind became chaotic once more.

At one moment, Zhuo Buping seized the opportunity of Yue Xu failing to "catch his breath" in time and traded injury for injury, letting the opponent's twin blades slash him while, ignoring the worsening of his wounds, he spared no cost to erupt with a burst of Fire-Hatred Energy, locking Yue Xu's twin blades tight.

Then, he exhausted his final strength and thrust his blade toward Yue Xu's throat!

If Yue Xu's state of mind had not been chaotic, his control over his energy would have remained fluid and his perception delicate; he could have broken free from the restraint in time and dodged this desperate strike from Zhuo Buping.

Unfortunately, there were no "ifs"; Yue Xu's reaction was a fraction of a second slower than expected.

*Swish—*

A burst of energy deflected Zhuo Buping's blade.

"Stop!"

The referee's voice rang out, and he quickly rushed to the side of the two, separating them.

Yue Xu stood stunned on the spot, still not having fully reacted.

"Zhuo Buping of Tianqu University, winner!"

The referee announced the result in a loud voice.

*Pfft—*

Zhuo Buping spat out another mouthful of fresh blood, but a brilliant smile appeared on his face.

Amidst the thunderous applause of the entire arena, Zhuo Buping persisted in walking off the field before collapsing with a thud.

Soon, the field was briefly cleared, and the competition continued.

The first round consisted of 32 matches, 16 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon.

By 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the list of the top 32 was decided.

Everyone could rest for the night, and the matches for the top 32 to 16 would take place tomorrow.

Early the next morning, Li Fei arrived at the arena to wait for his match.

Yuwen Yuwen Donghao, who was in the same division as him, would not meet him until the round of 16 to 8.

Therefore, for Li Fei, the truly difficult match would be tomorrow.

He sat in his seat, having already taken a large amount of elixirs in advance, and was currently stimulating the 【Flame Core】 to grow rapidly.

For every bit the 【Flame Core】 strengthened, his physique would strengthen by a corresponding amount, and the extraordinary abilities of 【Steel Armor】 and 【Ghost Feet】 would also increase.

Among all the contestants present, he was likely the only one whose combat power grew stronger with each passing day!

At one moment, Li Fei's name was announced over the speakers:

"Next match, Zhuo Buping of Tianqu University versus Li Fei of Wu'an University!"

Li Fei opened his eyes, slowly stood up, and walked down the steps.

Enthusiastic applause erupted at the scene.

In terms of fame, Li Fei was definitely the highest in the entire arena!

To many commoners in the provincial capital of Cang Province today, if you asked them the name of the president of Tianqu University, they wouldn't know, but they knew who Li Fei was.

He was the first in history!

Li Fei walked calmly to the edge of the field to undergo inspection, calmly chose a blade, and finally walked calmly to the center of the field.

On the other side, Zhuo Buping had also entered the field holding his blade, and the two stood facing each other.

Zhuo Buping looked at Li Fei not far away, intense fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.

A heart of battle never cowers because the opponent is strong!

"Begin!"

The referee at the side of the field announced loudly.

As the words fell, Zhuo Buping immediately charged toward Li Fei.

Blazing flame energy swirled around his blade, condensed but not released.

Li Fei stood calmly on the spot, waiting for Zhuo Buping to approach.

When the two were less than three meters apart, Zhuo Buping held his blade with both hands and slashed from top to bottom toward Li Fei, chains formed of flames blooming from the blade, intending to bind Li Fei.

But before these flame chains could bloom, Li Fei stepped to the right as if he had foreseen it, just enough to dodge the area sealed by the flame chains.

At the same time, he held his blade in his right hand and swung from right to left, the long blade striking the latter half of Zhuo Buping's blade.

*Bang! *

With an explosive sound, the long blade in Zhuo Buping's hand trembled incessantly, the web between his thumb and index finger split, and he nearly couldn't hold onto the blade.

*Pfft—*

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood; his injuries had recurred, and he could no longer control his energy at all.

After the slash, Li Fei's long blade followed through and thrust forward, the blade edge cutting through Zhuo Buping's protective energy and stopping at his throat.

"Li Fei of Wu'an University, winner!"

The referee at the side of the field announced the result in a loud voice.

From the start of the match to the end, the entire process took no more than five seconds.

To the onlookers, it looked like Zhuo Buping had charged up to slash at Li Fei, and the next second, Li Fei had suddenly appeared on the right side of his body, also slashing out a blade.

Then the fight was over.

It was simply dull.

Quite a few people yawned.

In the seating area of the Shangqing Sect, Gan Jingcheng, who sported a thick beard, squinted his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling upward:

"A bit interesting."

Directly opposite this seating area was the seating area of the Daluo Sect.

Ning Tang Chuan, whose brows were full of sharpness, turned his head to look at his refined and handsome junior brother, Ning Xing:

"Did you understand it?"

Ning Xing said somewhat unconfidently: "He seemed to keep his power suppressed at the Qi Transformation Realm from beginning to end, similar to his opponent?"

Ning Tang Chuan shook his head:

"Not similar, but just right. The power of that strike of his was neither more nor less; it was just enough to vibrate the opponent's weapon and energy, thereby just enough to trigger the opponent's internal injuries. Finally, it just happened to cut in from the weakest point of the opponent's protective energy, defeating the opponent. From beginning to end, the power he displayed did not exceed the mid-stage of the Qi Transformation Realm."

"So amazing!"

Ning Xing exclaimed sincerely.

"Can you do it?"

Ning Tang Chuan asked his junior brother.

Ning Xing thought about it seriously and said: "If I observe the opponent for a period of time, I can do it."

Ning Tang Chuan turned his head to look at that figure on the field:

"He left as soon as he finished his match yesterday morning."

The implication was that Li Fei had not stayed to observe his opponents at all; all of this was accomplished on the spot.

"So amazing!"

Ning Xing exclaimed again.

"Junior brother, if you want to defeat him, you must be more diligent."

Ning Tang Chuan said as much.

"It's a pity that you were born a few years earlier than him."

He looked at Li Fei's back and thought this to himself.

On the field, Li Fei nodded to Zhuo Buping in acknowledgment, then turned and walked off the field.

He truly had not watched Zhuo Buping's matches; he did not know what kind of unyielding spirit Zhuo Buping had displayed yesterday, what kind of fighting will he had shown, or what kind of story of injustice lay behind him.

Whether unyielding or resentful.

Whether cowardly or valiant.

To Li Fei, this was just one ordinary opponent among the many he had defeated.

PS: The title is "The River Flows Eternally Without End." The preceding line is "Your bodies and names shall both perish," but in truth, the term "you lot" is not entirely fitting for this plot segment. The main point I wish to express is greatness and insignificance, the ordinary and the extraordinary. I hope everyone can grasp a hint of the artistic conception of "the river flows eternally without end."

There will be another chapter in the early morning.

(End of this chapter)