by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Yun Zhuo could see their doubt. He couldn't help but to smile and say, "I have been defeated. It was a complete defeat. Anyone who thinks they're stronger than me, feel free to be the next challenger."
He then left with wide strides. When admitting his defeat, he felt no humiliation. Instead, he was relieved. Only those who dared to face their mistakes would be able to obtain more success. That was something Yun Zhuo had just understood. This defeat would serve as an important turning point in his path to his eventual greatness.
Chapter 585: Betting Duels
After Yun Zhuo declared his defeat, the crowd in front of the villa started thinning. Those who left were the ones who weren't a match for Yun Zhuo. It was natural that they also weren't qualified to challenge Xiang Shaoyun as well. One ought to admit that Xiang Shaoyun's way of defeating an opponent without an actual fight was rather impressive.
In truth, Xiang Shaoyun was merely feeling lazy when it came to fighting. He had spent a lot of time fighting the skeletons during his time at the Back Graveyard. Now that he had left, he wanted to take a few days off.
The Han Clan sisters updated him about the academy's affairs during the past year. Of course, the two did not know as much as Tang Longfei. After Tang Longfei finished talking, Xiang Shaoyun finally had an all-rounded understanding of the academy's affairs. There were tens of factions in the academy, and there were three rankings for all the recently recruited disciples. One could say that the academy had transformed into a place of strife.
How should the academy disciples cultivate and grow? They needed to rely on their own hard work. There were nine cultivation zones in the academy that the disciples could enter. The zones respectively corresponded to gold, wood, water, flame, earth, wind, lightning, light, and darkness. Whether the disciples grew or not, it would rely on themselves.
Of course, it wasn't easy to gain entry into the nine cultivation zones. One needed to pay the academy sufficient contribution points for each entry. As for the contribution points, the disciples needed to complete missions for them. The more contribution points one paid, the longer one could stay inside the cultivation zones. Contribution points could also be used to purchase numerous battle techniques, herbs, weapons, and so on from the academy.
In short, contribution points were akin to money in the academy, similar to the contribution points of the Bloodsin City. Of course, there were also some free cultivation zones in the academy. These could be considered a benefit accorded to the disciples for joining the academy.
However, it was natural that the free cultivation zones weren't as good as the nine paid cultivation zones. After hearing about the nine cultivation zones, Xiang Shaoyun recalled the mission Ugly Gambler had given him. He was required to look for the divine site. His plan was to look for the site if he had the time for it. If not, he would just forget about it. In any case, he had already cured himself of Ugly Gambler's poison. He did not need to be overly bothered with what Ugly Gambler wanted.
After explaining the matters of the academy to Xiang Shaoyun, Tang Longfei started asking about him. "Shaoyun, I heard you were banished to the Back Graveyard. Did that actually happen?"
The rumors about Xiang Shaoyun's banishment were very believable. He had been worried about Xiang Shaoyun all this while. Now that Xiang Shaoyun had returned, he couldn't help asking about it.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Yes, but I managed to profit from the disaster. That is why they had decided to release me."
"Why did they do that? With your crazy physique, the academy should have focused on nurturing you instead. Why would they do something so foolish?" Tang Longfei asked in confusion.
Xiang Shaoyun did not want to talk too much about it. "Big Brother Tang, there are things where we really have no other choice. Since we're already here, we should focus on growing. As for everything else, it's best we forget about it for now."
"Ok, I'll respect your wish. But you need to watch out. After all, your cultivation level is your current weakness. There are still some difficult opponents on the Serpent Fowl List. Don't fail due to some absurd mistake," said Tang Longfei.
Xiang Shaoyun suddenly roared with laughter and said, "Haha, I suddenly have a great idea for earning contribution points!"
"What idea? I am also lacking contribution points!" Tang Longfei said, his eyes lighting up.
"I naturally have an excellent plan, but it only works on myself," said Xiang Shaoyun with a crafty smile.
The next day, Xiang Shaoyun appeared at the academy's martial ring. He got Tang Longfei to disseminate news that anyone who managed to defeat him would be able to move into 1 Dragon Villa and obtain 10,000 contribution points. That was a large amount of points that couldn't be easily earned.
After all, the value of the academy's contribution points was completely different from Bloodsin City's contribution points. One could say that 10,000 contribution points here were worth 100,000 contribution points at Bloodsin City.
When joining the academy, an ordinary disciple was given 1,000 free contribution points, whereas a core disciple was given 10,000 free contribution points. All the points were recorded in each disciple's badge. As a core disciple, Xiang Shaoyun had naturally been given 10,000 contribution points as well.
Of course, he wasn't offering that reward for nothing. If his opponent suffered defeat, the opponent would have to pay him 10,000 contribution points. In other words, this was a duel and a bet, a method for him to earn contribution points quickly. Tang Longfei was rather impressed with Xiang Shaoyun's mind for being able to think of something like that.
Sure enough, after the announcement was made, many challengers appeared. Beside the ring, Tang Longfei had a betting stand with a payout rate of 1-to-1. He himself was also lacking in contribution points. Of course, he wasn't exactly a fair host as he only let others bet against Xiang Shaoyun. Then again, anyone making a bet at his stand was doing it voluntarily, so there really wasn’t anything unfair with it.
Initially, Tang Longfei had not expected so many people to participate, but the moment Xiang Shaoyun stepped onto the ring, a large number of people came to place their bets. Of course, they did not stake many. On average, each person staked about several hundred contribution points, and they were most likely only there to test the waters.
In their eyes, although Xiang Shaoyun had a crazy physique, his cultivation level was too low. One ought to know that all the top 1,000 of the Serpent Fowl List were Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators. Even if Xiang Shaoyun was a War Emperor, he wouldn't be able to prevail so easily.
Their confidence in him further dropped when they saw that his current opponent was Huang Quan, who ranked 50 places higher than Xiang Shaoyun. Huang Quan cultivated the power of earth and possessed an impressive defensive strength. He had also comprehended the power of gravity and was capable of unleashing an astonishing combat prowess.
That was why the crowd did not have much confidence in Xiang Shaoyun winning. A considerably large crowd formed around the ring, and they all wanted to see what someone with a nine-star physique was capable of.
Huang Quan wasn'tvery tall, but his body was quite sturdy. He wore a simple singlet that revealed his rock-like muscles. It was obvious he possessed explosive physical strength.
Huang Quan lightly bumped his fists together before looking at Xiang Shaoyun seriously. "Xiang Shaoyun, I am not here for the 1 Dragon Villa. I only want to see what's so special about a nine-star physique. I hope you don't disappoint me."
"Hehe, come. I won't disappoint you," said Xiang Shaoyun with a smile.
Chapter 586: The Disadvantage of Cultivating Nine Powers With Nine Stars
The moment Huang Quan stepped onto the ring, he attacked. Since he wasn't a cultivator focusing on speed, he decided to gain the initiative by striking first. He unleashed his prowess of a first-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, releasing his domineering presence of an Emperor and surrounded Xiang Shaoyun with a gravity field formed of his earth energy.
; He blasted Xiang Shaoyun with both his fists like a pair of cannons. He was extremely strong, as if he was an Emperor of Emperors capable of easily punching above his weight.
Mountain Bombardment!
His two fists formed an attack capable of instantly destroying two or three mountains. He had a valiant and dreadful strength. Xiang Shaoyun sensed a change in his surroundings, which caused his body to stop moving. The incoming fist pushed the air around him to envelop him, exerting heavy pressure on him.
"Power of earth? Sure, let me fight you with the same power," said Xiang Shaoyun as he activated his earth star, releasing boundless earth energy before facing the incoming attack head on.
Four fists collided, creating an oppressive sound. Both combatants remained rooted on the ground and exchanged punches repeatedly. The fists collided again and again. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged an uncountable number of punches. The crowd watched on in excitement, cheering every now and then.
For them, the reason for the battle did not matter. So long as there was an exciting battle to watch, it was something worthy of celebration. After a round of punches, Xiang Shaoyun felt his arms go numb. One ought to know that his flesh was comparable to a devil's, or even a demon's. Even when facing someone with a higher cultivation level, he rarely felt anything if it was a clash of pure physical strength.
And yet he was actually feeling pain when clashing with Huang Quan head on. It was apparent how strong Huang Quan was. In truth, Huang Quan wasn't feeling that well either, and only he himself knew that. He was already forced to use his gravity field. Even then, Xiang Shaoyun seemed completely unaffected, capable of matching him in terms of speed, making it impossible for him to gain the upper hand in the clash.
He had even used all his strength and activated the petrification ability he had to further harden his body. Even a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm would find it hard to withstand his attacks in his current form. However, Xiang Shaoyun was able to withstand his punches and was even able to fight him to a draw. His confidence wavered.
"I refuse to believe I can't defeat you!" Huang Quan roared and activated the earth power in all seven of his stars, pushing his combat to a level comparable to a third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.
This was the true strength of a genius capable of joining the Dragon Phoenix Academy. Both his arms morphed into stone, and his physical strength reached a terrifying level. When he punched, his punches looked more like mountains than fists.
Furthermore, the gravity on the ring further increased, reaching a force several hundred times stronger than regular gravity. The crowd went into an uproar seeing the change. They were all genius disciples capable of punching above their weight, but it still wasn't easy to battle an opponent two stages above them.
Even Xiang Shaoyun was slightly impressed by this display of strength. If he used his full strength, he naturally wouldn't fear Huang Quan's strength. But if he relied only on his earth power, he wouldn't be a match.
Since he had already decided to face Huang Quan with the power of earth, his only choice was to brace himself and stir his earth power. He flooded his surroundings with ripples of brownish radiance as he met the incoming attack with his own punch.
Bang!
The fists connected, and one of them was sent flying away. It was none other than Xiang Shaoyun. Tang Longfei, Lady Shura, and the Han Clan sisters were filled with disbelief. They found it hard to believe that Xiang Shaoyun would be defeated so easily.
The others shared that thought as well. After all, Xiang Shaoyun had severed several geniuses' arms on his first day back. Someone like that wouldn't be defeated by Huang Quan so easily.
Instead of pressing on, Huang Quan looked at Xiang Shaoyun coldly and said, "I don't believe this is all you got. Use your full strength, or you will suffer a miserable defeat."
Huang Quan was currently in an optimal state, and he had strong faith in himself. Hovering behind him was the projection of a dragon that was 15 percent complete, representing the current level of his presence of an Emperor.
As for Xiang Shaoyun, he crashed at the edge of the ring, and blood dripped down the corners of his mouth. He looked quite sorry. He finally understood the difference between cultivating one power and multiple powers.
In the past, he had been able to punch above his weight with the powers of lightning, gold, and flame. However, that was because his lightning power had worked in tandem with his lightning bone, while his gold and flame powers were enhanced by his possession of unique powers of the respective elements.
As for his other stars, they had yet to be fully filled with energies of different elements. Thus, he could also draw on the power of those stars to support his first three powers, allowing him to increase his combat prowess.
Now, all nine of his stars were fully filled with the energies of nine different elements. Each power could only rely on the support of a single star. And no matter how powerful each of his stars were, it was still lacking compared to someone utilizing multiple stars.
If it wasn't for the fact that Xiang Shaoyun had constantly compressed his energies and that his stars were different from an ordinary person's, he would have long been crushed by Huang Quan's seven stars, relying on a single star.
That was the disadvantage of cultivating nine different powers with nine stars. Xiang Shaoyun finally understood that. If he insisted on using only a single power against Huang Quan, he wouldn't stand much chance.
"I refuse to believe a single power is not enough to deal with you!" Xiang Shaoyun turned stubborn, and after a roar, he erupted with his power of earth as he charged Huang Quan once more.
After turning both his arms into stone, Huang Quan had grown much stronger. He did not fear exchanging punches with Xiang Shaoyun. After exchanging several punches, Xiang Shaoyun was sent flying again. This kept repeating, and finally, even his face was bruised from being punched.
"Damn it! It is a taboo to hit the face! This young master still needs to rely on this face to make a living! You're dead for sure now!" Xiang Shaoyun roared in fury as he started using the ancient mantra with his earth energy, instantly entering a unique state of mind.
At this moment, he seemed capable of sensing the properties of the earth: its thickness, its expansiveness, its magnanimity, and its durability. His mind turned clear and tranquil. The state allowed him to sense the structure and the attributes of the gravity field around him, allowing him to sense the boundless power of earth beneath him.
Reflect gravity field!
Chapter 587: Profundity of the Power of Earth
Xiang Shaoyun was exceedingly perceptive toward energy. That was why he had been able to create a tactical technique, the Havoc Dance. As for the reflect gravity field he had just released, that was something that occurred after he managed to sense the structural makeup of Huang Quan's gravity field. Making use of his own earth energy, he ingeniously destroyed the structure of his opponent's gravity field, caused Huang Quan to lose control over it, and suppressed him with it.
Huan Quan's grasp on the changes of energy flow and energy control was completely incomparable to Xiang Shaoyun's. More importantly, Xiang Shaoyun had managed to sense the profundity of the power of earth, allowing him to borrow an unending amount of earth energy from the ground beneath him. As a result, his aura skyrocketed, and the projection of a towering mountain appeared behind him, exuding the aura of an unyielding mountain.
Everything had happened thanks to him recalling the ancient mantra the gravekeeper elder had taught him.
The ancient mantra depicted the profundity of heaven and earth, primal chaos, and yin and yang. It retold an ancient secret, and it was an ancient technique related to flow. But now, it also seemed like it was a key toward the profundity of powers.
His time spent with the gravekeeper elder, receiving the teachings from the gravekeeper elder who wasn't keeping anything from him, and his newly gained filthless soul had allowed his comprehension power to greatly
grow. The accumulation gained from all three resulted in his current comprehension of the power of earth.
As he released the reflect gravity field, Huang Quan felt his body grow heavier. However, that much increase was still acceptable. He was still able to run after Xiang Shaoyun, and he threw his heavy fists forward. He was confident he would be able to completely defeat Xiang Shaoyun after landing one more hit.
The thought of victory gave him no joy whatsoever. Rather, he was disappointed by Xiang Shaoyun's strength. As soon as that thought surfaced in his mind, his fists collided with Xiang Shaoyun's. A rumbling sound erupted, as if mountains were clashing against each other.
After borrowing the power of the earth, Xiang Shaoyun's strength had surpassed Huang Quan's. After repeated clashes, Huang Quan started feeling like his arms wouldn't be able to take it anymore. The reflect gravity field further exacerbated his situation, and finally, he was sent flying away while coughing blood.
The layer of stone around both his arms had collapsed completely, and his skin was cracked and flowing with blood. His aura started dropping, and he couldn't stop coughing blood. He found that even his inner organs had been damaged.
It was now apparent that in his last round of head-on collision with Xiang Shaoyun, he had been at a disadvantage. The realization filled him with disbelief. One ought to know that he cultivated the power of earth, a power known for its defense. It was a big shock to him that Xiang Shaoyun was able to inflict so much damage to him using the same power. He had clearly been holding the upper hand the entire fight, but in the blink of an eye, everything seemed to have changed.
Was he hiding his strength all along? Huang Quan wondered to himself.
"Do you surrender?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Huang Quan hesitated for a bit before he finally lied down weakly and said, "I-it's my defeat."