NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: Chapter 26 Have you heard the sound of the wind?
The second match, Meng Yu's opponent was a master swordsman who wielded a knife; simply put, it was the same boy he had faced in his first match years ago, the one who used the Unyielding Blade of the Eight Winds.
The opponent's complexion was both blue and white, clearly a bit embarrassed.
Then, the battle began.
The opponent charged forward, having undergone special training, feeling greatly improved and confident of victory. For instance, no longer could Meng Yu easily divert his Unyielding Blade of the Eight Winds with a simple entanglement and dodge.
However, as Meng Yu's wrist turned, and his Sword Qi weaved through the air like silk, the opponent's Unyielding Blade of the Eight Winds was once again deflected. Meng Yu then struck a very dashing pose, with the technique "Crane Exhibits Its Wings" piercing through his opponent's throat.
"How could you possibly improve so fast?"
Meng Yu won, but his Grade Five True Qi cultivation was also exposed for all to see.
In just thirty days, his True Qi had advanced from Third to Fifth Grade!
Could it be that he was holding back his strength all this time?
This was indeed possible. There always are some people who, for the sake of winning fame in competition or other reasons, hide their cultivation level.
But wasn't he a key individual? The prison's individual medical report indicated that he was Third Grade; could that be faked?
...
In the third match, Meng Yu faced a man using the Hook Technique. Even though his technique was formidable and his moves were unconventional, causing the average opponent to be thrown into disarray, Meng Yu still won with ease.
The next morning, before the fourth match began, his opponent was a chubby boy.
"Meng Yu, oh, you're in for it now."
The chubby boy sat down in front of Meng Yu while he was enjoying some grilled meat.
As a general rule, competitors don't eat too much before a match to prevent stomach issues. However, Meng Yu didn't really care. After all, he had an hour before the match, and a small meal could easily be digested by a Qi Refinement Practitioner.
You couldn't find meat this good in prison.
As for the chubby boy's approach, it wasn't surprising at all.
During the college entrance competition, these middle school students were cut off from all outside contact and prohibited from harming any opponents in daily life. However, they were not forbidden from bonding or engaging in various covert battles in advance.
Although you couldn't threaten or harm an opponent, all other tactics were fair game. After all, besides eloquence being a weapon, making some naive boys and girls fall for a trick or forming alliances was also beneficial, wasn't it?
The Immortal Sect didn't raise flowers in a greenhouse.
Moreover, the Immortal Sect hoped everyone would bond with each other.
"Yeah, I'm already in a bad enough spot; you don't need to rub it in."
Meng Yu sighed. His bald head and prison garb already made him look like he was on public display for execution.
"What I mean is, you can't beat me."
"It doesn't matter. Being able to freeload a meal is good enough. In Hongye Prison, all the delicious dishes and stir-fries have to be purchased. I usually eat just fire potato starch and water chicken meat, which becomes a delicacy once the master chef stir-fries it with high heat. Winning or losing doesn't matter to me."
"Let's strike a deal. You can't beat me anyway; your equipment is just those two Wooden Swords, while I have lots of equipment."
The chubby boy grinned and displayed all his competing gear, various high-quality armors, weapons, and even a Wooden Puppet.
"Hmm, pretty impressive; I can't beat that."
Meng Yu examined the opponent's gear, such as the Xuanwu Shield, and his lip twitched, "But if you can win, why come negotiate with me?"
"Sigh, you know how it is. I want to rank well, but fighting you would reveal many of my secrets and Unique Skills. Most importantly, winning wouldn't look honorable. And then, everyone would say I won by relying on weapons. So how about we make a deal? I'll show off my equipment, you pretend to attack a few times, then you forfeit. I'll owe you a favor in return."
It wouldn't be a hollow promise; who knows, years from now, you might genuinely need such a favor.
The chubby boy smiled confidently, looking at Meng Yu as if he were a plump sheep ready for the taking.
"Hmm, I have a question."
"What question?"
"Do you prefer cumin flavor or spicy hot flavor?"
"Ah?"
The little fatty was stunned for a moment, still not understanding what was so great about grilled meat.
...
This competition, countless eyes were watching here.
The betting odds for the little fatty were 1.1 to 1, while Meng Yu's odds were 3 to 1!
This little fatty's grandfather was a Golden Core Master, and his weapon, the Xuanwu Shield, was a genuine First Grade, Perfection magic artifact. He was also a cultivation prodigy, adept in various Art of Puppets.
If it weren't for the competition rules that the puppets brought must be personally crafted with a quantity limit, he could steamroll over anyone.
The little fatty was also full of confidence, aiming to enter the top one hundred. Meng Yu's Sword Intent of the Wind seemed formidable, but he was confident that he could defeat him.
"So powerful!"
Fifteen minutes into the battle, the little fatty couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
His tactic was simple and clear. As soon as the battle started, he released his wooden puppet, a meat shield akin to a High Stage Qi Refinement Practitioner, which tenaciously held up Meng Yu, while he incessantly unleashed the Xuanwu Shield and the Black Water Spear.
The battle was fierce. Meng Yu actually managed to defeat his Eighth Layer wooden puppet, and one must know that this puppet was made of various precious materials and imbued with numerous talismans. Its combat power was even stronger than his!
However, he still controlled the battle.
Despite the loss of his puppet, his Xuanwu Shield split from one to two, two to four, and now it layered upon layers, dominating the entire space.
Amidst this, he was even struck three times by Meng Yu's sword, and one could even say that even now, Meng Yu was weaving through his vicinity like the wind, time and time again avoiding the enclosure of the Xuanwu Shield through unbelievable maneuvers.
But, it was time to end it.
Meng Yu's biggest flaw was his insufficiently powerful weapon and his frail defense!
The little fatty sighed, then took a deep breath; his somewhat chubby body quickly became toned, and he activated his magic artifact with full force.
The Xuanwu Shield, shell after shell bearing down on Meng Yu. No matter how fast the wind, what can it do when faced with layers of barriers?
This was the disparity in equipment, the crushing force of resources. Meng Yu, he would remember this opponent and would continually remind himself, cultivation, cultivation, resources are foremost!
"Meng Yu, surrender. Unless you don't want to be squashed into a meatball!"
The little fatty shouted loudly but kept his body hidden in the deepest part.
He felt Meng Yu had no chance left.
And at this moment, the audience watching the match came to the same conclusion.
Meng Yu had lost.
"You, do you hear the sound of the wind?"
Standing a hundred meters away, Meng Yu suddenly smiled, his weapon laid across his brows, the light crimson wooden sword as brilliantly vivid as maple leaves.
Then, one by one, red leaves flew out from the wooden sword.
No, not red leaves, but fiery Fire Crows!
The second Sword Intent, the Sword Intent of Fire!