Chapter 169: What Curse Cannot Be Cured?

The next day.

The competition entered the second round.

A total of 23 contestants participated in this round.

Yan Keling drew a bye.

Chen Shu's face twisted with jealousy.

Fortunately, his opponent in this round was just a Traditional Sword Cultivator from Ling'an Academy at around the Fourth Stage mid-level, so he still won easily.

I heard Brother Jiang also won with difficulty.

The reason it was only "heard" was that the little girl had followed him today to watch and mooch a meal. Brother Jiang's matches were usually quite bloody; either he beat others quite miserably or others beat him quite miserably. The little girl was currently in a period of personality formation, and Chen Shu was afraid of causing too great an impact on her psyche or activating the violent genes contained within her Night Person bloodline, so he did not bring her to watch.

After this round ended, only twelve contestants remained.

Arriving at the third round.

Chen Shu's opponent was a bit more formidable: a Fourth Rank Peak Buddhist Sect disciple, a monk who practiced Zen-Martial Dual Cultivation. It was very tricky; Chen Shu fought him while resisting the Lazy Cancer Curse, and it took a great deal of effort to win.

He was so tired he wanted to forfeit the competition.

At the same time, in this round, Brother Jiang lost to a Fourth Rank Peak Wangting Sword Sect cultivator. It was within expectations; no matter how much his body could endure, it couldn't withstand a Sword Cultivator's Sword.

It is said he was beaten quite miserably; the referee had to call an emergency stop, and then he received emergency medical care.

Yan Keling, meanwhile, continued to advance with the help of Master Linjian's terrifying strength.

Currently, only six contestants remain.

They are: Zhang Suannai of Ling'an Academy, Xuanzhen of the Daoist Academy, Tongdeng of the Buddhist Academy, Senior Brother Ji of Yujing Academy, Chen Shu, and Yan Keling.

Five of them are group members.

Yujing Academy accounts for the weakest half.

Now Chen Shu really wants to withdraw from the competition.

Among so many people, the only one he has a relatively high chance of defeating is Yan Keling.

And that is only a relatively high chance.

There is still a great deal of risk.

Furthermore, even if he wins, he likely won't avoid injury, his Spirit Power would probably be depleted by seven or eight tenths, and he doesn't even know how much physical and mental energy it would cost. Regardless of winning or losing, he would surely be half-dead from exhaustion after the fight. To take this risk and suffer this fatigue for that tiny bit of academic credit is truly not worth it.

More importantly—

It is said that the opponents for this round are decided by one's own draw! He might not even encounter Yan Keling!

"Emm..."

If he were to run into Zhang Suannai...

Chen Shu has no desire to become a tool for her to show off.

April 24th.

Chen Shu held a cup of iced strawberry milk tofu, drinking it while strolling slowly into the Military Academy, and turned his head to say to Ning Qing beside him, "Tell me, which opponent do you think I'll draw today?"

"I don't know."

"Guess."

"Not guessing."

"Go on, guess."

"..." Ning Qing also lowered her head to take a sip of milk tea, then released the straw, "Not telling you."

"That means you've already guessed it."

"..."

"Is it Zhang Suannai?"

"No."

"Then who is it?"

"Beg me."

"Not begging! Hurry up and say it! If you tell me, I'll make you something delicious when I get back after the fight! Otherwise, I won't cook for you for a month! You can just eat takeout!"

"It's someone you can beat."

"Yan Keling?"

"..." Ning Qing paused for a moment, "It's a pity my cultivation is not high right now. If my cultivation were profound, I could bring you good luck, allowing you to draw an opponent you are confident against and have a luck bonus during the battle."

"You have that ability too?"

"Yes."

"What's the principle?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"..."

Chen Shu curled his lip, his gaze drifting toward the other side.

The little girl was honestly holding her milk tea with both hands, her mouth around the straw, walking with her head down intently, unable to hear what her sister and brother-in-law were saying.

Xiaoxiao is still the cutest.

Half an hour later—

The edge of the Martial Arts Arena.

The six people arrived at the drawing station, where an opaque box sat in front of them.

A tall, upright male teacher said to them, "This box forbids Spirit Power and shields Spiritual Sense. Inside are six small balls of three colors. Those who draw balls of the same color are automatically paired up and will battle in the order of red, yellow, and blue."

All six nodded.

Then they began to draw lots.

Zhang Suannai walked to the very front, looking very arrogant; she reached her hand into the box and pulled it out quickly, with an air of not caring who her opponent was.

A yellow ball.

Zhang Suannai held the yellow ball high and waved it, then tossed the ball aside and walked back.

Chen Shu glanced at the other four people, seeing that Gate of All Wonders had a calm expression, Green Lamp Ancient Buddha had his eyes slightly closed, the two strange people were there, and Senior Brother Ji and Yan Keling from his own academy were looking at each other; he waited a moment, and seeing no one else go up, he stepped forward.

He reached his hand into the box.

He grabbed a small ball.

He didn't pick.

Chen Shu took it out.

A red ball.

He still held the red ball high to signal, then walked back into the group.

"Tsk tsk."

Zhang Suannai clicked her tongue repeatedly and shook her head endlessly, looking as if she were very regretful.

Chen Shu rolled his eyes.

Gate of All Wonders went to draw.

A blue ball.

Green Lamp Ancient Buddha went to draw.

A blue ball.

The first pair of opponents was formed.

Exclamations of Surprise came from the surroundings, from those contestants who had already been eliminated.

Daoist Sect versus Buddhist Sect.

It certainly had some gimmick.

Chen Shu glanced at the remaining two, having a faint, ominous premonition.

He saw Yan Keling walk up, a thin arm reaching into the box, and when she took it out, she was holding a bright yellow ball in her hand.

"Ah~~"

Her expression was extremely miserable.

Zhang Suannai laughed out loud: "Little girl, don't be afraid, Grandma will take good care of you..."

Yan Keling was weak and didn't dare to answer.

Chen Shu looked toward Senior Brother Ji, and Senior Brother Ji happened to look at him too.

The two had automatically become opponents.

Chen Shu was even more miserable than Yan Keling.

If he had encountered Gate of All Wonders or Green Lamp Ancient Buddha, Chen Shu might have felt more relaxed, because the gap was too large—both were top-tier geniuses of the Fifth Stage, and the chasm between the Fifth Stage and the Fourth Stage could not be smoothed over by talent; Chen Shu could have quickly stepped off the stage and taken Qingqing out to play.

But he just had to run into Senior Brother Ji.

No matter what, it would take a lot more effort.

The male teacher said to Chen Shu and Senior Brother Ji: "Your match starts at exactly ten o'clock in the morning, at the No. 1 Martial Arts Arena; you can prepare beforehand. The match for the two students who drew the yellow balls starts at one o'clock in the afternoon, and the final match starts at three o'clock."

"Understood."

Several people nodded to indicate they had noted it.

At this time, Teacher Shi Qian walked over and said to Chen Shu and Senior Brother Ji: "You two shouldn't think so much, just give it your all, do you understand?"

"Understood."

"Okay."

"I know you know each other, but don't have any psychological burden; this is a rare exchange. Usually, there aren't so many teachers guarding you to ensure your safety and letting you fight freely, so cherish it, do you understand?"

"Understood..."

"Mm..."

"And with so many teachers and leaders from other schools watching, win some face for our academy."

"Okay, Teacher Shi."

"We'll try our best..."

"Especially you, Chen Shu, you are very lazy; don't give up on yourself just because Ji Guanhe is at the Fifth Stage."

"Emmm..."

"I'm too lazy to talk to you, go prepare well!"

Shi Qian glanced at him, frowned, and then turned his head to look off the stage.

Two girls were standing there, one with a tall figure and a blank expression, the other still quite young and also with a blank expression—when Chen Shu was wandering around with them a few days ago, he had run into him and introduced them; one was Chen Shu's childhood sweetheart, and the other was the neighbor's little sister whom Chen Shu had watched grow up.

Shi Qian thought for a moment and walked over: "You are Ning Qing, right?"

The girl turned her head to look at him:

"Teacher, is something the matter?"

"Do you know that Chen Shu recently encountered a Lazy Cancer Curse?"

"We know."

"That's good. Today's match is very important to him. Not only have many leaders from the academy come, but several elders and deacons from the Spirit Sect have also come to watch. You should persuade him more, let him perk up, he must give it his all and perform well."

"I have persuaded him."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't listen."

"He doesn't even listen to you? Isn't it said that you two are about to start dating?" Teacher Shi Qian was a bit puzzled; isn't Yiguo a place where everyone is henpecked?

"I can't do anything about him."

"Sigh..."

Shi Qian couldn't help but sigh, feeling mentally exhausted.

Honestly, as a staunch celibate, why did he have to worry so much about a junior?

Just then.

Another voice came from beside him, cold and clear yet slightly soft, asking: "Why is it very important?"

Shi Qian shifted his gaze to her.

The little girl had fair and delicate features, but she kept a straight face, appearing somewhat serious.

Shi Qian did not look down on her because she was a minor, and patiently explained: "Because this concerns the future of your brother Chen Shu, it is very important."

"Brother-in-law will get hurt."

"The teachers are watching, there won't be any major issues."

"It will hurt."

"It will only hurt for a moment, the pain will stop after the fight, and being too afraid of pain means one cannot grow."

"..."

The little girl fell into thought, seemingly finding it quite reasonable, so she nodded at him:

"I have a way!"

"What way?"

"A way to persuade brother-in-law!"

"Specifically?"

"A method, to persuade, brother-in-law, to be serious."

"..."

"..."

Facing the little girl's serious face, Shi Qian pondered for a few seconds and said earnestly: "Then I'll leave it to you!"

"Okay!"

The little girl still had no expression.

Nine-fifty.

No. 1 Martial Arts Arena.

Chen Shu and Senior Brother Ji walked toward the Arena together.

Thinking of the upcoming battle, Chen Shu felt uncomfortable all over, his body and mind becoming incomparably exhausted; for a moment, he had the urge to give up the match, or even just stand here and not move forward, standing there for the whole day.

At this moment, a figure trotted to his side.

"Brother-in-law!"

The little girl waved at him.

"Hm?"

Chen Shu glanced at Senior Brother Ji beside him and said: "Senior Brother Ji, my sister is calling me, I'll go over for a moment."

"Alright..."

"Excuse me."

Chen Shu walked to the little girl's side, only to see the little girl standing straight, blinking her eyes as she said: "Brother-in-law, sister said, if you win this match, she will wear black silk for you to see when she goes back tonight!"

"???"

Chen Shu was stunned for a moment, then reacted and smiled: "Alright, alright, go back now."

"It's true!"

"Completely impossible."

"It's true!!"

The little girl frowned, feeling sad that her brother-in-law didn't trust her, and detailed the process she had fabricated: "Just now that teacher came to tell sister and me to persuade you to give it your all, saying it concerns your future, brother-in-law, and that it's very important. This method is what I came up with; I asked sister, and sister didn't agree but didn't refuse either, just made an ugly face at me and told me to give it a try."

The little girl paused here: "In that case, she will admit it when the time comes, right?"

"..."

Chen Shu didn't make a sound, his eyes shifting.

Qingqing's personality made it hard for her to do such a thing, but if it was proposed by Xiaoxiao and she just didn't object, then it was quite reasonable.

At the same time, given Qingqing's personality, even if she didn't agree directly, as long as she didn't refuse on the spot but used an attitude similar to "tacit consent," then when he found her later, she would likely still admit it. Even if she didn't, at worst he could just act spoiled or play dumb.

Chen Shu's gaze instantly became firm.

When he turned his head to look at Senior Brother Ji again, his entire aura was completely different from before—the power of the curse seemed so insignificant at this moment.