Chapter 332: Feeling Like I Took a Sword to the Chest

The first exchange was extremely sensational.

One came from Dayi, the other from Lan Ya; they happened to be the two competing superpowers of the current world.

One was a Wangting Sword Sect cultivator, specializing in Killing Sword Dao, representing the Yiguo military; the other was a pure-blooded Night Person, tyrannical by nature, representing the core power class of Lan Country.

The two also happened to have a bit of a personal grudge.

For a moment, whether it was the geniuses of the younger generation, or the watching members of the Yiguo Imperial Family, government officials, and messengers from other countries, all stopped what they were doing and cast their gazes toward the two figures in the Martial Arts Arena.

Without the need for gongs or drums, the two sides began fighting the moment they entered the arena.

Two top-tier geniuses who excelled in close-quarters combat and both possessed high attack and high agility were locked in battle; how could it be anything but spectacular?

Just as Chen Shu had seen in the Forbidden Land, at times it was impossible to tell who was who; one could only see the figures entangled with each other, both sustaining injuries, stirring up wind and sand. Sometimes their attacks landed on the ground and easily tore apart the loess earth, and it was impossible to distinguish who was on the left or right, or who was above or below.

There was no distinction between offense and defense; both sides were attacking with all their might, crazily showing off their skills.

And both sides were making every move a lethal one.

It was both extremely spectacular and incomparably violent.

This first match shattered the atmosphere of "friendly exchange," making everyone else feel uneasy, unable to help but think—

Will I have to fight like this later too? If I don't fight like this, what will the other side think? If I appear very gentle, will it make people think our country/race lacks mettle?

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Those with companions all huddled together to whisper.

Chen Shu, however, only cared about his sister-in-law:

"Xiaoxiao, can you see clearly?"

"I can't see clearly."

The little girl was somewhat distressed.

"It's good that you can't see clearly. They are all too violent; don't learn from them, be a bit more gentle," Chen Shu exhorted the little girl.

"Brother-in-law, do you not like violent people?"

"One must be gentle."

"Sister is very violent."

"Sister is also very gentle."

"..."

The little girl silently withdrew her gaze and continued looking at the arena.

If Zhang Suannai had said this, she would definitely have replied "Nonsense" without hesitation, but since her brother-in-law said it, she could not defy him like that.

Chen Shu glanced at the other side again.

Zhang Suannai's expression had already become grave.

Chen Shu couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, Zhang Suannai must be thinking: If she hadn't cheated in Nanzhou, would she actually be able to beat Wu Eiwei?

This Nüxia's combat power was truly strong.

Of course, this Night Person was not falling behind either.

They were both the most top-tier geniuses in this world.

Zhang Suannai was one too.

Admittedly, the previous Zhang Suannai had temporarily left Wu Eiwei behind, but that was mainly because Zhang Suannai had cheated once at the Exotic Beast Wangting in Nanzhou. If she hadn't accidentally ended up in Nanzhou, her cultivation progress would not have pulled too far ahead of Wu Eiwei, Dharma Master Tongdeng, and Master Xuanzhen and the others.

However, the Sword Sect system was better at fighting than the Buddhist Sect or the Daoist sects, so in terms of combat power alone, Zhang Suannai had a certain advantage against the Buddhist-Daoist duo when at the same level.

Facing the Wangting was hard to say.

Right now, the Moonlight Nüxia's cultivation should be around the Sixth Stage Mid-Late; the Zhang Suannai at the Martial Body Meet was also at about this cultivation level. From Chen Shu's perspective, the combat power displayed by the Moonlight Nüxia before him was not a bit worse than that of Zhang Suannai at the time.

Therefore, the Moonlight Nüxia's previous statement that "two years ago, facing Zhang Suannai at the Martial Body Meet, I had an eighty percent win rate" might not have been bragging.

Two years ago at the Martial Body Meet, her and Zhang Suannai's cultivation levels should have been about the same.

Chen Shu was happy to see Zhang Suannai nervous, and he did not hesitate to add to her anxiety, so he leaned over and asked: "How is it? How much of a chance of winning would you have had against her now, before you entered the Forbidden Land?"

"None of your business!"

"I was just asking..."

"Ten out of ten!"

Zhang Suannai's tone was firm—

The final winner was always Zhang Suannai.

Without a doubt, Zhang Suannai was the protagonist of this era.

Look, two years ago she and Wu Eiwei were evenly matched, then she immediately ended up in Nanzhou and cheated once, pulling away the gap with Wu Eiwei again; if this isn't called protagonist halo, what is?

Zhang Suannai was deeply convinced of this.

"I had a match with you a few months ago; do you guess I think you were stronger then, or she is stronger now?"

"I'm not listening! You and her are in cahoots, working together to make me uncomfortable!"

"It's 'in cahoots' (hang-xie), not 'kang-xie'!"

"I'm not listening! I'm going to read it as 'kang'!"

"You can get the answer from Qingqing."

"I won't ask! Qingqing will stand on your side just to please you!"

"Tsk tsk..."

Today's portion of happiness started with creating anxiety for Zhang Suannai.

At this time, the battle below had reached its end; it was still impossible to tell who was better or worse, but the outcome was about to be decided. It was just that the two's fighting styles were too fierce, with absolutely no intention of stopping at a touch; I fear that the moment the winner is decided will also be the moment of life and death.

Thus, the referee decisively called a halt in advance.

Both sides were quite straightforward; they stopped as soon as they said they would.

"I'll go next!"

Zhang Suannai immediately wanted to step forward.

"Don't go..."

Chen Shu, however, called out to stop her.

"Why?"

Zhang Suannai turned her head back, revealing a puzzled expression.

Chen Shu turned his head to look to the side.

Master Xuanzhen and Yan Keling looked at each other, and in the end, it was Yan Keling who stepped out and bowed to the tiger demon not far away.

Huang Chu was not intimidated either and immediately stood up.

Yan Keling was seen smiling sweetly as she stepped forward to offer a greeting first, very politely: "I have met Senior Sister Huang. I heard about you from Senior Brother Hu back when we were still in the Forbidden Land. I am a disciple of the Imperial Sect, which has already been lost to history. I specialize in the Divine Contract Secret Technique, while I personally follow the path of a Martial Cultivator."

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. After I came out, I also heard about you from Brother Hu, and just now I heard Senior Daoist Chen mention you as well."

"Then I ask for your guidance, Senior Sister Huang."

"No need for such formalities, please, fellow Daoist."

Both sides walked into the Martial Arts Arena in a very friendly manner.

Everyone present was sharp-eared and bright-eyed, and they could hear Yan Keling actively telling Huang Chu about her areas of expertise as they walked, opening and closing her mouth with requests for guidance, interspersed with mutual humility and professional flattery; it was as if, because they knew the same monster, the two sides had already become acquaintances.

The atmosphere suddenly became friendly again.

The young geniuses outside the arena all breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did Chen Shu look at Zhang Suannai.

Zhang Suannai was scratching her head.

Soon, both sides in the arena began to fight again.

The Linjian adult descended once more, and Huang Chu also transformed into her true form—a giant beast phantom, a massive white tiger—and the two fierce beasts fought intensely in the arena.

In Chen Shu's estimation, this teammate from the Forbidden Land was not lacking in combat power at all—

At the very least, her cultivation was not inferior to anyone present. She dared to enter the Forbidden Land at the Fifth Stage peak and was promoted to the Sixth Stage as soon as she entered. Calculating carefully, her cultivation was likely slightly higher than the average of everyone present.

As a descendant of the Tiger God, her combat power went without saying.

Then again, everyone present had roughly similar talent and not-so-low backgrounds; what influenced cultivation and combat power was mainly age, the Cultivation System, and the degree of diligence.

It was a pity that the Imperial Sect was too monstrous below the High-Tier.

Yan Keling's situation was also very special; even in the history of the Imperial Sect, very few people could gain the favor of top-tier big shots at such a young age.

This cheat was opened a bit too wide.

Perhaps after Huang Chu reached the Ninth Stage, she would not be weaker than the Linjian adult, and maybe even after she reached the High-Tier, the outcome of this fight would be unknown. But at this moment, she was only a Sixth Stage cultivator with a cultivation level just a tiny bit higher than Yan Keling's. At this level, the existence of the Linjian adult was a dimensional strike.

Moreover, in terms of the system, the tiger demon had no restraining effect on the Imperial Sect.

Unlike Wu Eiwei. Although Wu Eiwei might not necessarily be able to beat the Linjian adult, the sword in the hands of a Wangting Sword Sect cultivator was the sharpest in the world. Facing this sword and an peerless genius like Wu Eiwei, an ordinary Martial Cultivator of the same level would shatter at a single touch, and the Wangting Sword Sect cultivator was extremely fast; if he really wanted to kill Yan Keling, the Linjian adult might not be able to defend against it.

Therefore, the gap was insurmountable.

"Taozi."

Chen Shu pointed at the white tiger in the arena and said to Taozi, "When you grow up in the future, you will be like this."

Taozi blinked its eyes and looked into the arena.

It was unknown what it was thinking.

At noon, the group leader hosted a banquet outside the school to treat everyone.

The injuries on Nüxia Yueye were only simply treated, and she attended the banquet as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Suannai was silent for a long time before praising her:

"You're not bad."

"So?"

"Are you at the late Sixth Stage now?"

"Just reached the late stage."

"Then I'll wait for you." Zhang Suannai was confident and composed, "When you reach the Sixth Stage Peak, we'll have a fight."

"You've got some nerve."

"Wow, you're so good at putting on airs!"

Several group members listened to them bickering and looked at each other.

Chen Shu, however, looked at Zhang Suannai with new eyes.

With her current cultivation, she was clearly one small level higher than Wu Eiwei; if she fought Wu Eiwei, victory would be in her grasp, but she insisted on waiting for Wu Eiwei.

Cultivators spend at least two-thirds of their time breaking through Spirit Locks, so within a stage, they mostly stay at the peak of a certain level. During this period of stagnation, cultivation progress is very, very slow, mainly manifesting as moving closer to the next stage, while progress in the current stage is negligible.

Although Zhang Suannai had long reached the Sixth Stage Peak in the Forbidden Land, she still needed to wait for a period of time to be promoted to the High-Tier.

The two would almost certainly cross paths at the Sixth Stage Peak.

"Brother Suannai is still proud..."

Although Chen Shu looked forward to their duel—preferably to the point of pulling hair and tearing clothes—he didn't really want to see them bickering right now. So, after eating, he took Qingqing, Xiaoxiao, and Taozi to visit his injured former teammate.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, I have come to visit you."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chen... I am not in a convenient state right now, so I will not bow to Fellow Daoist Chen."

"Since we are friends, there is no need to be so formal."

"Fellow Daoist Chen's words are reasonable."

"Have you eaten?"

"I have."

"How was the meal?"

"Quite hearty."

"How are you feeling now?"

"The Xia Kingdom truly produces genius after genius; I am ashamed of my own inferiority."

"She is using a cheat, and she will reach High-Tier soon; once she reaches High-Tier, the effect of this cheat will become increasingly lower," Chen Shu said to her, "Though, the fact that Fellow Daoist Huang was actually able to injure her while facing this cheating contestant has likely stunned quite a few people."

"Just luck, just luck..."

"But this is the first time I have seen your true form..." Chen Shu paused, tilted his head, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Huang, why is your true form a white tiger?"

"It can't be helped, I was born a white tiger," Huang Chu said, "In scientific terms, it's called a genetic mutation."

"Then your parents..."

"Are both normal tigers."

"I see."

Chen Shu roughly understood.

So even if Huang Chu is a white tiger, she still has to have the surname Huang, because normal tigers all have the surname Huang, and her parents also have the surname Huang.

Thus, Chen Shu picked up the Taozi beside him again: "Then in Dongzhou, what surname do cat demons generally have?"

Taozi let her four limbs hang down naturally, looking at Huang Chu with eager eyes.

"Woof~~"

"Some have the surname Miao, some have surnames based on their color, like White or Flower. However, cats have many color variations and it's very irregular; sometimes cat demons will follow their parents' surnames, so it's not strange to see a black cat with the surname White," Huang Chu looked at this white cat, "This is a spirit cat, right?"

"Yes, when I bought it, they said it was imported from Dongzhou."

"Buying it is true enough, it's almost at Transformation."

"Indeed."

Chen Shu said this while lowering his head to glance at Taozi: "What surname do you want to have after you reach Transformation? Follow me and Xiaoxiao with the surname Chen, or follow Qingqing with the surname Chen?"

"Woof~~"

"The surname Wang? That's not very good, is it?"

"Woo~"

"The surname Wu?"

"Awoo!"

"The surname Ao? Only dragons have the surname Ao, and dragons are all made up."

"..."

Taozi opened her eyes, letting him hold her, and stopped making noise.

Chen Shu grinned happily.

Huang Chu also couldn't help but laugh.

At this moment, footsteps were heard from outside again.

Huang Chu immediately looked at Chen Shu and said, "My compatriots have come to see me."

"Does this count as a compatriot?"

"Thousands upon thousands of races, thousands upon thousands of flowers, thousands upon thousands of brothers and sisters are one family, after all; we are all the great Demon Race, citizens of the Yaoguo," Huang Chu said to Chen Shu with a smile, then paused and lowered her voice, "Senior Sister Jin has a bit of a bad temper, so I ask that you please be patient with her, Fellow Daoist."

"Senior Sister Jin?"

"That eagle demoness."

"Why? Does she eat people?"

"That she wouldn't..."

Huang Chu revealed a subtle expression: "But she might hurt you through another means."

Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open.

Three members of the Demon Race walked in.

Huang Chu hurriedly introduced them.

"This is the Fellow Daoist Chen I mentioned earlier, this is his girlfriend and his younger sister, and this is the spirit cat that is almost at Transformation."

"So you are the peerless genius from the Xia Kingdom that Huang Chu met in the Forbidden Land?" The eagle demon aimed her sharp eyes at Chen Shu, then at those beside him, deciding to first express a bit of goodwill toward this Xia Kingdom person who had helped Huang Chu and had also been tricked by Huang Chu, "Can't tell, you look quite average, but your girlfriend is quite pretty."

"..."

Chen Shu felt as if he had been struck by a Sword in the chest.

This Sword had happened to pierce through his proudest feature.