Chapter 172: I Shouldn't Have Come Here

"The fish balls from the Military Academy are actually quite good... let me have another sip of milk tea."

"Gulp!"

"Thank you, Xiaoxiao..."

"Eat some more chicken, pick one without bones."

"Thank you, Qingqing..."

"Have a bite of rice, take small bites."

"This is divine..."

These were the sounds from inside the infirmary.

Zhang Suannai had already left the room and was standing in the hallway outside, taking deep breaths of fresh air.

She then fell into a daze.

Ten minutes later.

That jerk inside had finally finished eating.

Zhang Suannai took a deep breath, lowered her head, and walked back in.

She saw the little girl taking the tissue Chen Shu used to wipe his mouth, walking over to throw it in the trash can, and returning to the bedside with an unprecedentedly obedient expression: "Brother-in-law, how do you feel now? Does it still hurt?"

"Still a little."

"Huh?"

"It would be nice if someone could massage my legs."

"I'll massage them for you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Suannai said impulsively: "You can't massage legs suffering from exhaustion-induced pseudo-atrophy; the more you massage, the more it hurts."

"Shut up!"

"!!"

Zhang Suannai secretly clenched her fists.

She had offered a kind reminder, only to be treated like this.

This person is truly hateful!

Looking forward again—

The little girl was already massaging that person's legs; her small, fair fists were light as she rhythmically tapped his legs, from thigh to knee and back to thigh, then switching to the other leg. The frequency of her tapping was high, and her expression was very focused.

It looked very comfortable.

I have to find a way to ruin his good time.

Zhang Suannai rolled her eyes, took out her Mobile Phone to check the time, and said cleverly: "My match is about to start, I have to go!"

"What time is it?"

"It's starting soon anyway."

"Xiaoxiao, what time is it?"

"Twelve-thirty."

"It's still early." Chen Shu said, "Then you go first, we'll come later."

"??"

"Hm? Why haven't you left yet?"

"!!"

Zhang Suannai's expression was complex, and she walked out impulsively—now this was great, not only did it not work, but she had inexplicably lost her right to watch as well.

Zhang Suannai was filled with regret.

Twelve-fifty.

Chen Shu arrived at the No. 1 Martial Arts Arena.

Welcoming the "admiring" gazes of the contestants from various academies, as well as the stares cast by a few old fogies from the Spirit Sect, Chen Shu walked proudly and offered a word of encouragement to Yan Keling, who had yet to go on stage: "Good luck, Junior Sister, perform well."

Yan Keling looked at him, her expression complex.

Qingcai Keke...

I am the Junior Brother...

I am the Senior Sister...

Society is truly complex.

Zhang Suannai stood right next to Yan Keling, looking straight at the three of them, as if waiting for them to cheer her on.

Chen Shu ignored her.

However, as Ning Qing passed by, she whispered: "Good luck."

Then, the little girl also seemed to have "finally discovered that Sister Suannai was standing here," turned her head curiously, and said earnestly: "Good luck, Sister Suannai!"

Zhang Suannai was momentarily filled with surprise and emotion—

They actually cheered for me!

My roommate with the Heavenly Human Bloodline actually cheered for me!

Both roommates have me in their hearts!

Zhang Suannai almost burst into tears; watching her two roommates and that person walk away, she found a quiet spot to sit down, preparing to watch her own match.

She went on stage.

Yan Keling beside her was very nervous.

Zhang Suannai noticed this, and out of kindness, she comforted her: "Don't be nervous, you can't beat me anyway. You'll definitely be insta-killed by me, so you might as well relax. Close your eyes, open them, and it'll be over."

Yan Keling became even more nervous.

One o'clock sharp.

The sound of a gong rang out.

Zhang Suannai held the Standard Longsword provided by the Military Academy; this longsword had a ring-pommel design, meaning there was a small circle at the end of the hilt, and the material of this sword determined that it was more suitable for a Wangting Sword Sect cultivator and less suitable for a Traditional Sword Cultivator, but Zhang Suannai did not care.

She was in no rush to make a move, instead hooking her right index finger through the ring-pommel of the longsword, spinning it around in circles out of boredom, while looking ahead:

"Where is yours?"

Yan Keling formed seals with both hands, her eyes closed.

"Boom..."

It was like a sound, yet not quite a sound; in short, everyone present felt a jolt in their minds, as if a channel had connected to a distant, unknown place. Regardless of this young girl who was only at the late Fourth Stage, the sheer capability of this profound Secret Technique itself—the moment the two regions connected, the fluctuations in space, and the brief gaze of a top-tier powerhouse from an unknown origin—was enough to make so many hearts tremble.

A massive beast figure leaped out from thin air, rapidly turning from illusory to solid.

The beast turned its head coldly, looking at Zhang Suannai, who was boredly playing with her sword; in its gaze was a kind of condescension akin to indifference.

"Are you ready?"

Zhang Suannai asked very casually.

Yan Keling, on the opposite side, actually nodded.

"Good."

Zhang Suannai instantly gripped the hilt of the spinning longsword and danced another circle in the air, leaving a circle of Light Swords suspended in the sky; almost instantly, these Light Swords shot toward Yan Keling one after another, cutting through the air with sharp whistling sounds.

"Roar!"

With a furious roar, the Light Swords dissipated one by one.

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow as he watched.

With a Spirit Power intensity of only the late Fourth Stage, it should have been impossible to disperse Zhang Suannai's Light Swords—Zhang Suannai herself was very strong, and these Light Swords were different from the Sword Qi emitted by the Sword Light Technique Chen Shu used; they were a signature trick of Traditional Sword Cultivators, yet they had been shattered so easily.

In that instant, this unknown entity named Lin Sword displayed extremely profound techniques for utilizing Spirit Power.

Perhaps even more than profound.

It was very likely a principle of Spirit Power utilization from a system different from that of human Cultivators.

But in front of Yan Keling and Lin Sword, Zhang Suannai was still playing around, dancing her sword in a relaxed and casual manner, yet more and more Light Swords were gathering in the air. These Light Swords were like tangible floating objects, drifting leisurely in the air and spreading out along the edges of the Martial Arts Arena's Defense Barrier.

"Go!"

Countless Light Swords shot toward Yan Keling from all directions.

Lin Sword let out another low roar, and at least dozens of Light Swords shattered, but even more kept shooting in from the sky.

The sound of them piercing the air became a continuous roar!

Piercing!

The massive body blocked the front of Yan Keling.

But the Light Swords came from almost every direction; some circled to the sides and the back, and the target of the Light Swords was not the beast, but Yan Keling.

Yan Keling was seen holding a Standard Longsword as well, the longsword dancing rapidly in the air, actually slashing the incoming Light Swords to pieces one after another; a few that slipped through were dodged by her by the narrowest of margins, and when she truly couldn't dodge, she consciously avoided vital areas.

"Cling, cling..."

The clanging sounds on the Arena were incessant.

Chen Shu's eyes lit up again.

This "Junior Sister" had actually displayed a comprehensive strength no less than that of an ordinary Fourth Stage Martial Cultivator.

It was truly a surprise.

However, it was still of no use.

Yan Keling's greatest weakness remained herself.

The reason the Imperial Sect could rank among the top sects was due to the Spirit Contract Secret Technique; aside from the projections summoned by the Spirit Contract Secret Technique, their own strength was inevitably weaker than disciples of other top sects with the same talent and cultivation level, otherwise, they would have been in a league of their own, just like the Secret Sect.

Not to mention, her opponent was Zhang Suannai.

Yan Keling was already very excellent; relying on her super-strong talent, her combat power was likely not weaker than an excellent disciple of the Sword Sect at the same level, but alas, her opponent was a genius of the Sword Sect one stage higher than her.

Yan Keling was already in a fluster.

Zhang Suannai was still showing off.

About thirty seconds later.

The winner was decided.

Fortunately, Zhang Suannai still had a sense of proportion; Yan Keling did not suffer any serious injuries. It seemed that regardless of whether they were strong or weak, those who sparred with her never had serious injuries on their bodies, only perhaps being mocked by her on the field, leaving them with psychological trauma.

The referee announced the result.

Yan Keling headed to the infirmary to get bandaged.

Zhang Suannai jumped nimbly out of the Martial Arts Arena, teased the teachers and leaders of Ling'an Academy a bit, then ran over to tease the deacons and elders of the Sword Sect, but because she was young and her cultivation was shallow, her attainments in the Dao of being a jerk were not as good as the elders and deacons, so she was ridiculed and nearly broke down.

"Assholes!"

Asshole sect!

Asshole elders!

Asshole deacons!

This sect is full of assholes!

While cursing in her heart, Zhang Suannai adjusted her mood and managed her facial expressions, ignored the gazes of the silly group members and the group leader, expressed a timely bit of confusion at their staring, and then ran to her two roommates.

"Am I cool?"

"..."

"Xiaoxiao, am I cool?"

"Cool..."

"Xiaoxiao is still the cutest!" Zhang Suannai smiled brightly, then asked with a sharp tongue, "Is she even more handsome than your brother-in-law?"

"I'm lying to you! You're ugly as hell!"

"..."

Now it was Chen Shu's turn to smile brightly.

Time: 13:06.

Chen Shu yawned and looked up at the sky; the weather was sweltering, and the sound of cicadas drifted from afar, urging one to sleep. Fortunately, the branches overhead were lush and leafy, and the sunlight filtering through them was reduced to mere dappled spots, filtering out the intense heat and leaving only beauty behind.

There were two hours left until the Daoist-Buddhist conflict.

He was a wounded person, after all.

He was suffering from the torment of the Lazy Cancer Curse.

Only a can of ice-cold soda beaded with water droplets and a lovely nap could help him arduously survive this afternoon.

Chen Shu turned his head to look at Qingqing.

Qingqing ignored his gaze.

"Qingqing~"

"..."

"I want to take a nap."

"..."

"Let me borrow your lap."

"..."

"Put it on my tab."

"..."

"Thanks."

Chen Shu lay down on the long bench, resting his head on Qingqing's lap, and at the same time said to Xiaoxiao beside him, "My dear Xiaoxiao, could you please buy your injured brother-in-law a can of ice-cold soda?"

"What do you want to drink?"

"Lemon soda."

"What kind of lemon soda?"

"Xiao Zheng Lemonade."

"Okay."

The little girl got up to go buy it.

Zhang Suannai had a dazed expression as she watched that person, who was already lying on his roommate's lap with his eyes closed, and she silently got up and left.

It was approaching three in the afternoon.

Chen Shu, who had slept until his face was flushed, sat on the bench. The sun had shifted west, but the shade of the trees still enveloped them. He held a can of lemon soda in his hand, used a Spell to make it ice-cold again, tilted his head back, and took a gulp—it couldn't have been more wonderful.

Even the breeze brushing against his face had turned cool.

The final match of the day was about to begin.

The two people in the arena were still bowing to each other.

Then came the preparation time; as a disciple of the Buddhist Sect, "Green Lamp Ancient Buddha" could participate in battle at any time just like a Martial Cultivator, so there was nothing to prepare, and he simply pressed his palms together, lowered his head, closed his eyes, and waited quietly. "Gate of All Wonders" stood with a Sword on his back, holding the Sword in one hand and forming a seal with the other, as an extremely strong fluctuation of Spirit Power rippled from his body; he had already activated a Secret Technique of the Daoist school, the Art of Invoking Deities.