Chapter 126 – The Battle for Outer Academy Spots

Chapter 126 – The Battle for Outer Academy Spots

The next day.

“Twenty-seven challengers! Free-form ring defense — defend your ring for three consecutive bouts to earn an Outer Academy spot. Both combatants’ cultivation must be suppressed to the same level, and no weapons are permitted!”

“If the challenger wins, they enter the Outer Academy, and the Outer Academy candidate is demoted to the Branch Academy. If the challenger loses, they are eliminated outright.”

The moment the rules were announced, an uproar erupted among the examinees.

“Cultivation suppressed to the same level? On what grounds? Yesterday when the eliminated candidates challenged the Branch Academy candidates, there was no such rule!”

“Why can’t we use weapons? I’m a blade practitioner — you want me to fight bare-handed? Then what was the point of all my training?!”

Those challenging for Outer Academy candidacy were mostly at the Prenatal realm. If it were purely a martial contest, they would still have been confident, since the eleven Outer Academy candidates varied widely in ability — some Prenatal, some Postnatal. Match up against a weaker one, and promotion would be easy.

“Today’s rules clearly favor the Outer Academy candidates.” Leng Yi’an and her group had no intention of competing for Outer Academy spots; they were just here to watch the spectacle.

Luo Qianshan said, “There’s a full tier of difference between lower-grade root bones and mid-grade root bones. Why shouldn’t they be favored?”

Li Baimao chimed in, “Exactly. Those two with upper-grade root bones don’t even have to compete — they go straight into the Inner Academy.”

“Give it your all out there. Even if you lose, you can still go to the Branch Academy, but don’t get careless.” After saying this, Lin Wu turned to Leng Yuzi and the others. “If you’re going to challenge, you need to go all in. Miss this chance, and you’ll have to wait three more years.”

During yesterday’s melee, Leng Yuzi had been on a different ring fighting solo. Her performance must have been impressive, because the moment she stepped off the ring, a major faction had come to recruit her. She figured the Branch Academy’s resources were roughly on par with what that faction could offer, so she might as well take a shot at the Outer Academy — win, and all the better; lose, and she still had somewhere to go.

Lin Wu was quite pleased overall. Of the eighty-seven students he had brought this year, eight had made the Branch Academy and three had earned Outer Academy candidacy. On top of that, several factions and families had come to recruit others. It was a much better showing than previous years.

“By the way, where’s Xiao Shaobai? The matches are about to start — why isn’t he here yet?”

“No idea. Yesterday he told us not to wait for him, said he’d come on his own.”

Lin Wu nodded. He was about to ask why Zhan Changfeng hadn’t arrived either when he saw her approaching. “Several families and factions want to recruit you. Take a look when you have time.”

Zhan Changfeng took the invitation cards he handed over and tucked them into her storage pouch. “Understood.”

Lin Wu said nothing more. Compared to his other students, this one clearly had a much stronger mind of her own.

By the time the matches were officially announced to begin, Xiao Shaobai had also arrived. Zhan Changfeng turned her head to look at him, and sensed something — a faintly familiar demonic aura tinged with malice. She examined it more closely. Yu Sheng had once been tainted by a trace of this very same aura.

It seemed Xiao Shaobai had come into contact with Yu Sheng on the day of the archery ceremony.

The day of the archery ceremony was also when the first cannibalism case had occurred.

Xiao Shaobai noticed her gaze and stared straight back, the corners of his mouth stretching into a bloodthirsty grin, a barely concealed frenzied excitement flickering in his eyes.

“Best not run into me,” he said.

Zhan Changfeng seemed to understand something. Her eyes darkened.

“Will the eleven Outer Academy candidates now please take the stage to defend your rings!”

Li Baimao was a bundle of nerves. He went down the line grabbing each person’s hand, pleading, “For the sake of us being from the same Community School, please don’t pick me as your first challenge.”

When he reached Zhan Changfeng, he didn’t dare extend his hand. “There’s absolutely no entertainment value in beating me. Go find someone tough.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Once you’re on the ring, everyone’s at the same level anyway.” Luo Qianshan flicked his sleeve and leaped onto a ring with considerable confidence. The others took their positions as well.

The referee called out, “Challengers, step up!”

Zhan Changfeng walked onto a ring. The defender was a scrawny young man whose laugh came out high and reedy. “Oh my, little girl, I’m so glad you picked me. Did you think this big brother would go easy on you?”

“I picked based on height.” He was about the same height as her, which made fighting more convenient.

The young man’s smile froze.

The referee glanced at his notably short stature relative to an adult, stifled a laugh, and cleared his throat. “Number 157, Yi Zhan, Peak of the Prenatal realm. Number 245, Tian Guangguang, Peak of the Prenatal realm. No need for either side to suppress cultivation — begin!”

Tian Guangguang had been watching the earlier matches and knew something of Zhan Changfeng’s fighting style. “Hah! Let’s see what you do without a sword!”

He cultivated palm techniques, giving him a natural advantage in a weaponless bout. He launched his attack immediately.

Zhan Changfeng’s hands traced a circle in a motion that appeared slow but was deceptively fast, deflecting his palm strike to one side. Watching from the sidelines, Master Yao Yu’s brow twitched — that technique looked remarkably similar to something he himself had used. Before he could even begin to wonder how she had grasped the inner essence of yielding softness containing firm strength in such a short time, her style shifted abruptly. One hand seized Tian Guangguang’s deflected arm while the other formed a fist that struck viciously toward his chest.

Tian Guangguang’s heart seized, and he instantly lost all ability to resist.

Zhan Changfeng crouched down and pressed on his chest, which sent him into a terrified shriek. “No killing allowed! I surrender, I surrender! Referee, save me!”

“…Just rest for a few days and you’ll be fine.” This technique was something she had derived from watching Li San’s method of butchering wild boar. Originally, she had wanted to develop a few sword techniques based on the human body’s joints, but as she worked through the principles, she discovered certain load-bearing points on the human skeleton.

The chest, for instance, had one such point. By making a fist with the middle knuckle protruding and concentrating all force onto that single point, when point met point, it was like driving a sharp awl into the center of a sheet of ice — the entire surface would crack and collapse like a spider’s web.

Of course, she had used relatively little force this time, only creating a few fracture lines — enough to temporarily immobilize him, nothing more.

This technique was quite effective in actual combat. Zhan Changfeng mentally reviewed the force, angle, and feel of her strikes while waiting for the next challenger.

After a successful challenge, one still had to defend for two more rounds to earn an Outer Academy spot.

Originally eleven Outer Academy candidates had been selected, so there were eleven spots available. Whoever completed three consecutive victories first would claim a position.

Li Baimao stared at the man before him, on the verge of tears. “Why don’t you go find someone more challenging?”

Ji Wuming’s expression was wooden. “Better to play it safe.”

Ji Wuming was a Prenatal realm cultivator with abundant combat experience. Even when suppressed to the same Postnatal minor completion level as Li Baimao, he won without breaking a sweat.

Li Baimao had to go find another ring to challenge anew. Given his circumstances, his options were limited, and after circling around, he ended up right in front of Zhan Changfeng.

Zhan Changfeng glanced at him.

“No, no, I’m not fighting you. Come on, we’re practically family! I just wanted to discuss a strategy — like maybe you could throw a match for me?”

“You’re blocking the person behind you.”

Li Baimao turned around to see a towering cultivator glaring at him, bellowing in a gravelly voice, “Hey buddy, you challenging or not? If not, quit standing there.”

Li Baimao flinched and scurried to the adjacent ring. “Please, instruct me!”

His antics hadn’t gone unnoticed. Shen Bingyu wasn’t actually offended — she asked with a smile, “You’re that sure she’s stronger than me?”

“Not at all, not at all — you’re both formidable.” Shen Bingyu was something of a celebrity from another Community School, Baige Academy. But at least her style was gentle.

Even as Li Baimao thought this, he caught sight of the fellow who had just gone up to challenge Zhan Changfeng being carried off the ring. Tsk.

Zhan Changfeng completed her three challenges, handed over her exam token for registration, and swept her gaze across the other rings. Suddenly, she saw a nimble figure throw an opponent to the ground — the movements ruthless, precise, and brimming with explosive power. He had one hand clamped around the downed man’s throat and turned to look back at her, his gaze like a wolf’s.

Xiao Shaobai.

“Holy hell, that kid’s fighting like he’s possessed today!” Lin Wu exclaimed gleefully. “That Outer Academy spot is in the bag!”

Li Baimao, who had been knocked off his ring in under fifteen minutes, replied with a deflated expression, “Everyone’s on fire today except me. Guess I’m the only one getting booted from the Outer Academy race.”

Zhan Changfeng found a seat in a nearby open pavilion and sat down to wait for the assessments to conclude. Before long, Master Yao Yu came over as well.

“Master Yao Yu, what brings you here?”

Without a word, Yao Yu struck at her with a palm. Zhan Changfeng raised her hand and deflected it. Yao Yu’s eyes lit up, and he withdrew his attack. “Different paths leading to the same destination — remarkable, truly remarkable!”

Zhan Changfeng understood his meaning. “I wouldn’t dare claim as much. I merely use True Qi to alter the trajectory of an attack, whereas Master Yao Yu’s technique is beyond my comprehension.”

Zhan Changfeng’s technique used True Qi dispersed around her body as a ‘field,’ then employed the principles of taiji to direct that field, weakening and redirecting her opponent’s attacks.

Master Yao Yu, however, needed no such tangible True Qi.

“You can use True Qi as a field — your control over True Qi can only be described as masterful. No need for false modesty.” Yao Yu nodded. “But indeed, it cannot compare to mine. You use True Qi. I use intent.”

“Intent?”

Master Yao Yu let out three hearty laughs, offered no answer, and strolled away.

(End of Chapter)