Chapter 306: The Highly Anticipated Grand Final

Early summer in Yujing is already very hot; the sunlight is blindingly bright, and the cicadas are noisy.

This gathering unexpectedly left everyone in a very good mood.

After the meal, everyone dispersed.

Door of All Wonders and Ancient Buddha of the Green Lamp left together; they both had matches in the afternoon. Night Person Nüxia Wu Eiwei is a student at the Military Academy herself, and although she is clearly a very incompetent student, she certainly has a Dormitory at the Military Academy, so she went back there too. Zhang Suannai was the first to say she was going back to school. Chen Shu originally wanted to tell her to take Xiaoxiao back, but Xiaoxiao insisted on staying here to watch the matches, so Zhang Suannai stayed behind to keep her company, saying she would act as her commentator.

Chen Shu, meanwhile, bought a meal to go visit Brother Jiang.

Qingqing has been very clingy lately, so naturally, she followed him.

Yan Keling and Brother Jiang are considered friends, and as she happened to have nothing to do in the afternoon and heard that Brother Jiang had suffered quite serious injuries, she followed along to take a look.

Inside the infirmary.

Brother Jiang was covered in bandages, lying quietly on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Brother Jiang."

Chen Shu pushed the door open and entered. Seeing the single room he was staying in, he said with a grin, "I brought you food. I got some bamboo shoot fish balls and some soy sauce chicken."

Brother Jiang looked up at him.

"Can you still move?"

"I can!"

Brother Jiang braced his body to sit up; judging by the situation, it seemed he hadn't been affected much at all.

"That's fine, saves me from feeding you. I don't want to feed you anyway, it's kind of gross." Chen Shu sat down to the side. "How are you now?"

"I only suffered some superficial injuries. The doctor gave me a Pill and I went to lie in the Spirit Healing Room for two hours, so I've basically recovered," Jiang Lai said. "The doctor just came by to check on the situation and said it won't affect tomorrow's match."

"Superficial injuries..."

Chen Shu twitched the corner of his mouth while installing the small table for the hospital bed.

He had seen clearly under the Arena; Brother Jiang was covered in Sword wounds, hundreds of them, large and small. The deepest ones were several centimeters, and there were even several piercing wounds. While such injuries might be less severe than death by a thousand cuts, in his past life, the result would have been the same for anyone—they wouldn't have survived.

Now, it was just "superficial injuries" in his own words.

However, Chen Shu had long since witnessed Brother Jiang's freakish recovery ability.

"Can you still go back to the Dormitory tonight?"

"The doctor suggested I'd better stay here." Jiang Lai sat up and picked up a spoon. "I also want to stay here. If I sleep in the Spirit Healing Room for one night, the injuries on my body can basically all heal, so I can continue to fight tomorrow. It's also helpful for my cultivation."

"You didn't let yourself get beaten like this on purpose just to temper your body, did you?" Yan Keling asked. "You practice a Body Tempering Method, right?"

"No..."

Jiang Lai revealed a bitter smile: "He is very strong."

"Who is your opponent?"

"A Wangting Sword Sect cultivator."

"Oh..."

Yan Keling understood then. In the Arena, as long as a Wangting Sword Sect cultivator has a Sword in their hand, it is too easy for them to beat a Martial Artist.

In the first few stages, because the physical body is not strong enough, those with weapons inevitably have an advantage over those without. By the fourth or fifth stage, the body of a Martial Artist or Martial Cultivator can make up for part of the gap, but only a part, because the weapons your opponent uses are often not ordinary steel either; the standard cold weapons at the Martial Body meet are far from comparable to ordinary steel.

Therefore, many Martial Artists also use weapons at the Martial Body meet.

It depends on whether the individual is comfortable using them.

For example, Martial Artists at the Military Academy must take elective courses in swordsmanship, and Martial Artists at Yujing Academy must also take elective courses in Weapon Combat Technique, but Jiang Lai is an Arena Martial Artist and is not skilled at using weapons. He did apply for a Long Sword, but he couldn't bear to use it, fearing he would break it and not be able to sell it for a good price.

However, facing a Wangting Sword Sect cultivator, using a weapon makes no difference. Wangting Sword Sect cultivators possess the sharpest edge in the world; the Swords in their hands can cut through everything.

Therefore, they are the biggest counter to Martial Artists in the early stages.

After reaching the sixth stage, practitioners of any system are incomparable to Martial Artists.

By that time, one is flying in the sky while the other looks up from the ground; it is the true difference between immortal and mortal.

Of course, that is assuming the Martial Artist does not have modern equipment.

If you encounter an Intermediate Stage Martial Artist on the Battlefield, they are usually wearing Power Armor, or even coming to find trouble with you while driving a Hunter Aircraft or a War Chariot.

"Heh..."

Chen Shu yawned, feeling bored. The infirmary was chilly and full of the smell of medicine, so he told Brother Jiang to call him when he finished eating, then walked with Qingqing to the corridor outside, looking at the tree shade and chatting in low voices.

"Xiaoxiao seems to really love watching these kinds of matches."

"Night People revere wildness and violence."

"Then why don't you love watching them? Don't you also have a Night Person Bloodline?"

"Relatively speaking, I lean more toward Heavenly Human, and she leans more toward Night Person."

"Is that so?"

Chen Shu was stunned for a moment.

Then, thinking about it carefully, the sisters indeed have significant differences. It can be seen from their height and appearance, and it can also be seen from their developmental progress; the maturity period of Night People is the latest among the many races in this world.

"But Xiaoxiao doesn't seem to revere violence either. She isn't even as violent as you."

"?"

"Fine, you aren't violent either."

"..."

Ning Qing only then withdrew her gaze and pursed her lips: "Perhaps, it is also due to upbringing."

"Perhaps?"

"Perhaps."

"What other 'perhaps' is there?"

"Perhaps, she is not as well-behaved as she looks to you."

"Nonsense, my Xiaoxiao is the most well-behaved."

"As you wish."

"Sigh..."

Chen Shu revealed a look of worry, gazing toward the Martial Arts Arena not far away: "I'm truly afraid my sister-in-law will learn bad habits here."

"As long as you are here, she won't," Ning Qing said indifferently. "Emotions are a person's shackles, a person's anchor; romantic love is, familial affection is, and friendship is too."

"That makes sense."

Chen Shu thought for a moment, then suddenly grinned: "Do you know how to play Go?"

"I only learned Chinese chess."

"I'll teach you how to play Go when we go back."

"When did you learn Go?"

"During the New Year, I learned it at the Spirit Sect."

"Okay."

Ning Qing looked into the distance, where a cicada was peeing on a treetop.

Zhang Suannai and the little girl sat side by side in the shade of the trees; the summer sunlight and the chirping of cicadas were both soporific. The two of them waited quietly for the afternoon's competition, when suddenly, Zhang Suannai seemed to notice something and looked up at the sky.

The large tree had lush branches and leaves, covered in aerial roots, and had been there for who knows how many years. Sunlight shone through the branches and leaves in bright spots, making her squint her eyes involuntarily.

She felt like she had just felt a raindrop.

"It seems to be raining..."

Zhang Suannai turned her head to say to Xiaoxiao beside her.

"..."

The little girl only glanced at her sideways before continuing to watch Taozi play with a cicada.

"Really!"

Zhang Suannai emphasized.

The little girl turned her head again, looking at her calmly, and only after a few seconds did she say: "Sister Suannai, in weather with cloudless skies for ten thousand miles, it doesn't rain."

"I felt it!"

"If you had watched 'The World of Insects', you would know that this is actually the urine sprayed by some insects on the tree."

"!?"

Zhang Suannai touched her forehead, feeling completely unwell.

"Don't be surprised. From the time we were small until now, we have been rained on many times under trees on sunny days every summer." The little girl withdrew her gaze and continued watching Taozi. "Insects like cicadas live by sucking sap from trees and excrete the excess moisture. It is non-toxic and odorless; as long as you don't mind the surface, it doesn't matter."

"!"

Zhang Suannai's eyes were still wide open.

After a few seconds, she silently sat in a spot that was covered by tree shade but not directly under the tree.

"A person who cares about the surface."

The little girl glanced at her and evaluated her as such.

Just as she was thinking this, her eyes suddenly narrowed.

An extremely thin, curved line of water landed on her face.

The little girl fell silent for a moment, picked up Taozi, and sat down beside Zhang Suannai.

The sun slanted to the west, and the afternoon competition began.

This match was a duel between two Martial Artists. Since the two were evenly matched, it was hard to say how strong they were, but the fight was truly spectacular. The little girl and Taozi sat properly in the spectator stands, watching intently, while Zhang Suannai provided commentary on the side, often pointing out the exquisite details, which could be considered professional. Several other non-Martial Artist contestants who had also come to watch listened with great interest.

It was just that this person had an annoying trait—

As she spoke, she would always add that these people were too weak. It was as if, besides herself, everyone else in the world was trash.

"Sister Suannai."

"Hmm?"

"I heard the final is between you and my brother-in-law. Is that true?"

"Pretty much."

"Then who is more powerful between you two?"

"It's definitely me! Watch me beat your brother-in-law to a pulp!"

"..."

The little girl stared at the two Martial Artists in the Martial Arts Arena, her eyes flickering, remaining silent.

After a long while, she asked again:

"Then what about you and my sister?"

"Your sister didn't sign up."

"Who is more powerful?"

"That... is hard to say..."

Zhang Suannai actually wanted to say "I am the best in the world," but no matter how arrogant she was, she could not ignore the facts—the history of the Secret Sect, where a dozen people once terrified all the major sects in the world, was not a lie. A Secret Sect member at the same rank was completely different from other systems.

There are some things in this world that are just unreasonable.

Or rather, only in games or novels is there balance; the real world is unbalanced. Just like the absolute advantage the modern system displayed over the traditional system several hundred years ago, the Secret Sect had the same fundamental difference and absolute advantage relative to other systems.

The traditional Cultivation System was temporarily lagging behind.

Perhaps it would catch up later, but that was a matter for the future.

Zhang Suannai revealed a pained expression.

Seeing this, the little girl could not help but knit her brows.

For a moment, he felt extremely worried.

……

The next day.

Chen Shu's opponent was a Martial Cultivator from the National Comprehensive University, rumored to be a collateral branch of the Imperial Family, at the Fourth Rank Peak, whom he easily defeated.

Thus, one match every day, until late April.

It was not until the quarterfinals that there were a few relatively brilliant duels.

Today, Brother Jiang will face a Fifth-tier Sword Cultivator from the Military Academy.

Brother Jiang's fighting style is at times extremely ferocious and at others incredibly steady, attracting the attention of many; he has been covered in wounds along the way, yet he has always been able to return fully recovered the next day to participate in the battle, earning the admiration of many, though anyone could see that he had reached his limit today.

But he was not the one with the highest level of attention.

It was the duel between Yan Keling and Dharma Master Xuanzhen.

These two were matched together.

The final result surprised many people—

Two years ago, Yan Keling had not yet advanced to the Fifth Stage, while Dharma Master Xuanzhen had already contributed a very brilliant duel in the semifinals; although the final result was that he missed out on entering the finals, anyone could see that his strength was no weaker than his opponent's. Today, two years later, one had invited a Ninth Stage powerhouse from the former Ming Sect to battle, while the other had summoned a Secret Contract partner from an unknown location, yet in the end, the Imperial Sect System proved superior.

After that came the semifinals.

Chen Shu against Yan Keling.

Zhang Suannai was still against Dharma Master Tongdeng.

There was no suspense in the outcome of either.

Until the end of April, when the highly anticipated grand final arrived.

This was also the first time in the history of the University City Martial Body Meet that Six-Stage Martial Artists participated in the competition; both sides were at the Sixth Stage, unprecedented.