by Mao Ni
This sword style was assuredly not Guan Feibai's strongest sword style, but it was assuredly the sword style that had engraved itself the deepest in his body!
From inside the hall to outside, the perpetually arrogant Guan Feibai had suffered too much humiliation tonight, had held it in for far too long. Even in this endless battle with Luoluo, he had been suppressing his anger, coldly, even cruelly moving his sword according to the instructions of his senior brother, all the way until this moment…
Tonight, he had suppressed himself for far too long.
Yes, his lamp had still not run dry because he had never used his true essence, but his rage and arrogance had simmered for so long that his reserves had almost boiled away.
At the final moment, he finally released the energy he had suppressed for the entire night. This energy was extremely powerful, seeming as if it could fly, carrying a parched essence!
Without needing true essence, only relying on such formidable sword intent, he would be able to defeat any opponent!
* * *
The moment Guan Feibai moved his sword, Luoluo also moved.
Just what sword technique should she use to respond to her opponent's Flying White?
The Falling Rain Whip suddenly tightened, becoming extremely straight, just like a branch that had been chosen with utmost care.
She stared into Guan Feibai eyes, not even glancing at or caring for his sword. Gripping her whip, she stabbed at him with no hesitation or delay in her actions!
Yes, there were no tricks, no changes, no sword intent or accumulated energy.
She held her whip like a sword and simply stabbed forward.
The Falling Rain Whip was like a branch. It had no need to rise, only move forward and then fall.
Just like how Chen Changsheng in the library of the Orthodox Academy had used the tree branch to poke at her body.
In this stab, she naturally did not use true essence, yet a fierce buzz droned through the night sky.
It could be imagined just how fast she was.
It could be imagined just how many times she had practiced this stab.
This was something that none of the crowd had been able to understand. The majority of the Mount Li Sword Sect's disciples were born in poverty, so they practiced their swordsmanship relentlessly and possessed an unusual determination, but how could Princess Luoluo, the sole daughter of the White Emperor, endure so much pain?
In White Emperor City, no one dared to discipline her, so she was naturally not taught to be this way.
Chen Changsheng dared to discipline her, but she acted so clever and intelligent, so what was there to discipline?
The Orthodox Academy truly did have a teaching stick, but it had no other use than Chen Changsheng instructing her on how to circulate true essence.
Luoluo had practiced it herself.
For some reason she wanted no one else to know, from the moment she began to think, she had always yearned to be strong.
So she cultivated with great diligence, practiced the sword with great bitterness.
* * *
Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi stared at the plaza in silence.
Luoluo's and Guan Feibai's final attacks seemed to have nothing to do with them, but in truth, they still had something to do with them.
The lessons they had taught to Luoluo and Guan Feibai in the Orthodox Academy and the Mount Li Sword Sect were all displayed in these final attacks.
That Luoluo and Guan Feibai would have this opportunity to use these final attacks was truthfully also the result of them exhausting their minds.
Since they could not accept a draw, there would certainly be victory and defeat.
Who would win and who would lose? Would the sword be more powerful or the whip even faster?
The crowd stared, their expressions tense.
Guan Feibai's sword howled through the night sky like a parched brush, a whip wielded in the hands of a god.
Luoluo's whip stabbed through the night sky like a tree branch, a sword wielded in the hands of a god.
* * *
The sword rose.
The whip rose.
The sword fell.
The whip did not fall.
* * *
A hint of pain appeared in Guan Feibai's eyes, quickly replaced by a sense of incredulity.
He lowered his head to his stomach. The clothes there had been broken and the Falling Rain Whip stuck out of it like a sword. Blood slowly seeped out.
He raised his head to Luoluo, shocked and furious. He wanted to ask something, but no words came out.
Blood trickled down from the corner of his lip.
The Falling Rain Whip had not advanced far, as Luoluo had already stayed her hand.
His injuries were very light. Blood was trickling from the corner of his lips not because of Luoluo's whip, but because his anger, unwillingness, and all his other emotions had exploded, wounding his heart.
"Concede."
Luoluo drew back the Falling Rain Whip, clasped her hands, and bowed. With a calm expression, she turned and walked back to Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng looked across through the darkness at Gou Hanshi, slightly bending his body and clasping his hands.
After a moment of silent thought, Gou Hanshi returned the gesture.
Chen Changsheng turned to Luoluo, a faint smile appearing on his slightly pale face.
Seeing him smile, Luoluo also happily laughed.
This competition of swords had finally reached a conclusion.
Victory and defeat had already been assigned.
Luoluo had won over Fourth Law Guan Feibai.
The Orthodox Academy had won over the Mount Li Sword Sect.
No one in the crowd had expected this sort of result beforehand.
The entire place was absolutely silent.
Suddenly, there was a voice.
"If we could use true essence, that final strike of your whip wouldn't even be able to break my skin."
Guan Feibai gazed at Luoluo's back, his face pale, refusing to accept this result.
Luoluo stopped.
Chapter 82 – The Resounding Crack of a Whip
As a member of the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws, as the fourth-ranked young expert on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, Guan Feibai was worthy enough and confident enough to be proud. Tonight's competition of swords was, in his view, unfair—an emotion only intensified by his unexpected loss to Luoluo—so he felt that he could still be proud and self-confident.
However, losing was losing, and his proud self had originally planned to keep his silence, but that changed upon seeing Chen Changsheng's smiling face and hearing Luoluo's laughter. He found Chen Changsheng's smile repulsive, Princess Luoluo's laughter grating. Thus, he found he could not restrain himself from speaking those words that he had originally been prepared to keep at the bottom of his heart.
Yes, he could not accept this result. His final sword technique was named Flying White and its parched strokes were like threads of iron. If he could use true essence, then when the sword energy rose up, a curtain of iron would stand in front of him. No matter how simple and piercingly cold Luoluo's final stab was, it would have been simply impossible for it to break through his sword energy and wound his body.
Luoluo turned around to him and, seeing his expression, knew what he was thinking. Raising her brows, she said, "If… true essence could be used, then I would have broken through your defense on the seventy-sixth move."
She spoke very indifferently, but also with an unquestionable certainty.
Guan Feibai's expression subtly shifted as he recalled the situation at the time. The spectators in front of the palace also began to recollect. After a period of solid contemplation, everyone unexpectedly came to the same conclusion: yes, if true essence could be used, then the sword technique of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong that Chen Changsheng had Luoluo use at that time could have directly struck the zhongfu point and obtained victory.
&nb
sp; "The problem is, even if you could use true essence, you wouldn't be able to use that technique."
Guan Feibai felt like he had understood everything and coldly declared, "Let alone that particular sword technique, even those sword techniques of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong that you used at the very beginning wouldn't be usable with Your Highness's current level of cultivation. All Your Highness has is the form!"
The noise of discussion gradually began to rise from the crowd. Everyone, including the senior experts such as Principal Mao Qiuyu, had to admit that Guan Feibai's words were reasonable.
The greatest problem with demi-humans cultivating in human techniques was that the meridian networks of the two were vastly different, resulting in problems arising when circulating true essence. At present, the demi-human experts of the continent, including Jin Yulu who had earlier taken action, perhaps had some interaction with human cultivation methods in their youth, but upon reaching adulthood, they all still learned the secret cultivation methods of the demi-humans.
In tonight's competition of swords, Princess Luoluo had used human sword techniques and so must have cultivated with human methods. Logically speaking, if she could not reach the upper level of Meditation, it would naturally be impossible for her to use some of the mightiest techniques of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong.
No one had brought up this matter earlier because it had already been decided that neither side would use true essence, testing more the skills of Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi. Of course, the abilities of Luoluo and Guan Feibai were also tested, but since those sword techniques she used only had the form and were also in accordance with the rules of the match, no one could criticize her.
Only when Guan Feibai broached the matter did the crowd feel that this match was even more unfair to the Mount Li Sword Sect than they had earlier thought.
The wind blew across the dark palace. On the roof of the palace, the White Crane had buried its head in its feathers and seemed to be asleep.
Nobody spoke, only gazed at Luoluo.
Although no one criticized or denounced her, nor dared to rejudge the battle, the meaning behind those gazes was exceptionally clear.
Gou Hanshi shook his head, indicating that Guan Feibai should return.
Luoluo saw the look in the eyes of those humans and slightly raised her brow, a sense of discomfort in her mind. However, she said nothing more, turning and making her way toward the edge of the plaza.
Guan Feibai looked at her back and gave a noiseless sneer before also turning around.
The two walked away, backs to each other, gradually distancing themselves all the way until they had almost returned to their respective groups, separated by several dozen zhang.
Just then, Luoluo suddenly stopped.
Then, she did one thing.
She gripped the Falling Rain Whip and casually lashed it against the ground.
The whip rose like the wind and fell like the rain, precisely the most powerful technique of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong.
A crisp crack!
The Falling Rain Whip, brimming with true essence, struck like a sword against the incredibly thick ground!
For just an instant, the ground in front of the palace hall seemed to tremble!
Instantly, a massive crevice opened in the ground.
Dust and bits of stone shot out of the crevice, seeming like thousands of moths under the starlight!
Who said that there was a problem with demi-humans cultivating in the techniques of humans?
Just where did the might the Falling Rain Whip had displayed just now come from!
Who said that it was impossible for her to use the mightiest technique of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong?
Just what was that whip strike then!
* * *
At the crisp crack, Guan Feibai suddenly turned.
He had not seen the movement of Luoluo's whip, but he saw the traces of true Qi in the night sky and heard the cracking of the ground.
He looked to the ground and saw a crevice spreading toward him, ultimately terminating around a foot from his position.
The dust and stone burst from the crevice and clattered to the ground.
His pupils contracted and his face instantly turned pale.
He could guess which technique of the Wind and Rain Sword Luoluo had used: precisely the sword technique he had said she would not be able to use.
When they were competing in swords, they had been separated by ten-odd zhang, while now, they were separated by several dozen.
Right now, her sword intent could reach to right in front of him, so what about back then?
He finally understood that, through some inexplicable method, his opponent had long since broken through that threshold between demi-humans and humans, and completely grasped the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong!
This being the case, if their match had not forbidden the usage of true essence and was a true battle, would he not still have lost?
In this extremely brief moment, he thought of many things, calculated countless possibilities, and came to the stunning conclusion that he had not the slightest chance of winning!
Could he truly be inferior to her?
The crack of Luoluo's whip was still ringing through the night, echoing deep into the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.
It was a very crisp sound.
Just like a slap.
When Guan Feibai thought of his cold and arrogant words, he felt his cheeks burn.
His pale cheeks turned slightly red.
The spectators on the stone steps were similarly shocked. They stared at the crevice in the ground and Princess Luoluo quietly standing next to Chen Changsheng with the whip in her hand, too stunned to speak for a very long time.
They also felt that Princess Luoluo's Falling Rain Whip had fallen upon their bodies!
The immature demi-human who was seldom heard of had actually cultivated in human techniques to nearly break through into the Ethereal Opening Realm!
Just how had she managed to do it?
Mo Yu gazed at Luoluo, her delicate brows slightly knit, with heavier matters on her mind—the blood of the White Emperor clan was actually this powerful?
* * *
"I did not expect that Your Highness had managed to overcome that barrier."
Gou Hanshi looked at Luoluo and continued, "Congratulations, Your Highness, but I do not know…"
"Yes."
Luoluo knew what he meant. Turning to Chen Changsheng, she bowed in deference, declaring, "Many thanks to Teacher for your instruction."
Gou Hanshi turned to Chen Changsheng. After a long period of silence, he uttered, "Admirable."
This admiration was true admiration.
Chapter 83 – Carriages in the Night
In terms of scholarly knowledge, no person could surpass Gou Hanshi, and very few people had ever earned his admiration. Tonight, Chen Changsheng had accomplished this.
He looked at Gou Hanshi and said, "I am not worthy of such a compliment."
"You are worthy." Gou Hanshi seemed somewhat sorrowful as he looked at this youth who earlier had not been worthy of the slightest attention from him.
He thought of his astonishingly talented eldest brother, thought of the marriage. He came to the sudden realization that, without a noise, his confidence in his senior brother had been somewhat shaken.
"The last technique her Highness used just now…" He wanted to ask Chen Changsheng something, but didn't know if it was appropriate, so he stopped in hesitation.
"Just what do you want to ask? Just quickly leave! Or do you still want to stay and disgrace yourself?"
The ashen-faced Elder Xiao Songgong yelled. After shooting a resentful glare at Jin Yulu, he angrily flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
With a slightly bitter expression, Gou Hanshi clasped his hands to Chen Changsheng and said, "Farewell."
Chen Changsheng returned the gesture, replying, "See you again."
<
br /> "We truly will see each other again."
Gou Hanshi calmed down and said to him, "I greatly anticipate how you and the Orthodox Academy will perform in the Grand Examination. I hope that you will continue to bring pleasant surprises."
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning and did not reply.
Gou Hanshi turned, bringing his junior brothers of the Mount Li Sword Sect to disappear into the darkness of the Imperial Palace.
All in front of the Weiyang Palace was silent.
Too many things had happened in tonight's Ivy Festival, bringing far too much astonishment.
The marriage between Qiushan Jun and Xu Yourong, which had been anticipated by the entire continent, had been brought to a halt by the marriage contract in the hands of the youth called Chen Changsheng.
He was a student of the Orthodox Academy.
Princess Luoluo had made her identity known.
She was also a student of the Orthodox Academy.
The young master of the Wenshui Tang clan had withdrawn from the Heavenly Dao Academy.
He had become a new student of the Orthodox Academy.
All these things were associated with the name of the Orthodox Academy.
Thus, the formidable Mount Li Sword Sect had acted according to the rules of the Ivy Festival to challenge the Orthodox Academy which had withered away for so many years.
Ultimately, the Orthodox Academy won.
And it was an unquestionable victory.
The ups and downs and the surprising conclusion had, for the moment, left many people in a state of utter disbelief.
The crowd looked in the direction of the Orthodox Academy, intending to view those three people, the young men and woman, with a renewed focus, finding it even more difficult to accept the events of tonight.
The vast majority of gazes were fixed on Chen Changsheng, even though he was far inferior to Luoluo in terms of status. However, he was Xu Yourong's fiancé, Luoluo's teacher, and the current spokesperson of the Orthodox Academy. There were far too many reasons for him to draw the gazes of the crowd.