Chapter 35: The Great War Begins (Part 1)

  At dawn, Xuan Yu Zhen Ren informed Li Hongfei, Zhang Ao Xue and Lu Yun that the competition would be held in the afternoon. In the morning, he wanted the three of them to cultivate their skills and adjust their breath, especially since Ao Xue and Lu Yun had consumed a lot of true yuan and needed more time to recover.

  He summoned Zi Yang Zhen Ren and Jing Yue Da Shi to one side, Xuan Yu let out a soft sigh: "The contestants for this competition have already been decided, they were randomly drawn, no one is allowed to object. As long as it's not a match between fellow disciples, whoever was drawn will participate, no one can say anything about it. This time's contestants, for our Yi Garden, are extremely unfortunate, alas."

  That soft sigh made Zi Yang and Jing Yue feel uneasy, both of them anxiously looked at him, waiting for his next move. Seeing that he didn't speak, Zi Yang couldn't help but ask: "Senior brother, what's the situation like? You have to say something, we're all worried sick. Hurry up and tell us."

  Xuanyu let out a soft sigh, gazing slightly at the horizon: "This time, twelve people are divided into six groups, to be held in the afternoon. The six groups of people are: Puti College's Benyi against Daoyuan's Yunhua, Fenghuang Book Academy's Cangyue against Puti College's Jiezhen, Daoyuan Wuwang against Ruyuan's Duli, Ti Jianyuan's Jian Wuchen against Hongfei, Zhan Yu against Aoxue, and Ruyuan Bi Tian against Lu Yun."

  Ziyang and Jingyue's faces changed slightly upon hearing this. Such a result was indeed unexpected. Firstly, with Li Hongfei's cultivation facing that Swordless Dust, the outcome would probably be just one word - loss; secondly, Lu Yun facing Bi Tian, the number one expert of Ruyuan Gate, the outcome would also likely be similar. The only hope lay in Ao Xue being able to defeat Zhan Yu. Only then would Yi Garden have a chance of having someone enter the top six.

  Ziyang Zhenren's face was not pleasant as he said, "How can this be? Every time we come, we end up facing off against the disciples of the Tianjian Institute. First it was Yunfeng against that Zhang Yu, then it was Luyun against Leng Jiaohao, and now even Hongfei and Aoxue have also faced off against Tianjian Institute disciples. Hasn't this become a battle between our Yiyuan and the Tianjian Institute? The other institutes are just waiting to take advantage of us, leaving the most difficult opponents for us to deal with. This is infuriating, it's simply unreasonable."

  Master Jingyue let out a soft sigh and said in a gentle voice, "Perhaps the emergence of such things is also destined. As cultivators, we value going with the flow the most. Since everything has been decided, let's face it bravely. This time, no matter what, our Yi Garden's strength is evident to all. Such a competition was never meant to be completely fair and reasonable, so someone always has to lose."

  "Even if someone has to lose, it can't always be us, Yi Garden, who loses out. Why don't the other institutes go deal with Jian Wucheng? Leaving the strongest opponent for us and clearly trying to eliminate all three of our disciples in this battle, making us take the fall and rank last. Hmph, I'm just not happy about it."

  Xuan Yu Zhen Ren glanced at him and said softly, "Forget it, since this matter has already been settled, you don't need to get angry. After all, no one has compared yet, who knows what the final result will be? Although everyone predicted that Jian Wu Chen would become the champion of this session, but things are unpredictable, no one knows until the end. Instead of getting angry here, why not go and take a look at Lu Yun, and encourage him properly. From his victory over Leng Jia Hao yesterday, it's not certain that he will lose today either."

  Ziyang Zhenren's face slightly improved upon hearing the words, and he glanced at the two of them before turning around and entering the cave. As his figure disappeared into the entrance, Xuan Yu Zhenren spoke in a low voice: "This time, among the three, the one with the greatest chance of winning is probably Ao Xue. With the divine sword in her hand, combined with her cultivation, she should have a great hope of defeating Zhan Yu. As for Hong Fei, it's almost certain that he has no chance. And as for Lu Yun, I've always had a strange feeling about him, but I just can't grasp it, and can't put it into words. His battle with Bi Tian is still an unknown quantity."

  Master Jingyue gazed into the distance and said softly, "Actually, Hongfei's battle with Jian Wucheng also has a very significant meaning. At least he can go all out and test Jian Wucheng's cultivation to see how strong it is. At the same time, even if he loses, he may be able to make Jian Wucheng suffer heavy losses and possibly even get injured. In that case, tomorrow's final battle may not necessarily be Tianjian Academy's stable first place. Who will win in the end, no one dares to say."

  Xuan Yu Zhen Ren's face showed a hint of contemplation. After a long while, he finally spoke: "I've roughly guessed that the six strongest in this battle should be Jian Wu Chen, Ben Yi, Wu Wang, Cang Yue, Ao Xue and Bi Tian. If today Hong Fei severely injures Jian Wu Chen, which one among the remaining five would benefit from it? Would it be Pu Ti Academy's Ben Yi or Feng Huang Book Institute's Cang Yue?"

  Master Jingyue fell silent, clearly analyzing his words. As for the cultivation of those few people, since they had never compared before, all inferences were just guesses, and no one could be sure. He looked up, glanced at Xuan Yu, and Master Jingyue said softly, "We'll know when the time comes, won't we?" After finishing speaking, he turned around and entered the cave.

  Quietly standing at the door for a while, Xuan Yu Zhen finally let out a soft sigh and left.

  In the cave, Lu Yun was not practicing, but rather chatting with Yun Feng. When Zi Yang True Person entered, he saw them talking and couldn't help but ask: "Why aren't you taking advantage of this opportunity to recover your true yuan, instead of chatting here? What are you talking about that's so exciting?" After finishing speaking, he glanced at Lu Yun, and a hint of sigh flashed in his eyes.

  Lu Yun looked at him and saw that his eyes were filled with a hint of worry, so he understood that he must be concerned about the competition. With a calm smile, Lu Yun said calmly: "Master, please sit down, we are discussing the competition right now. Yun Feng just told me to make sure to win the Qian Kun bag and defeat the Tian Jian Academy's prestige, making our Yi Garden also one of the top six academies. That way, we can be proud and not be looked down upon anymore."

  Lin Yunfeng, who was standing beside him, laughed and said: "Right, that's the way it is. It would be even more impressive if Sword Dust were to lose all his teeth. At that time, Tianjian Academy would probably be disgraced. Hehe, but in that case, our Yiyuan would be invincible. Haha." After finishing speaking, he looked very pleased with himself, as if Lu Yun had already defeated Tianjian Academy and won first place.

  Ziyang Zhenren heard this, a hint of bitter smile appeared on his face, and he sighed softly: "Don't be too kind-hearted, the final battle is still far away. If you want to have a chance to compete with Jian Wucheng in the end, you must work hard in this afternoon's match. Only by defeating your opponents step by step can you have hope of pursuing the last first place. If you can't even pass today, how can there be tomorrow's match?"

  Lu Yun's heart sank slightly upon hearing the words, and from his master's tone, he sensed that something was amiss. The most obvious thing was that their opponent in the afternoon's battle was unlikely to be simple, but rather a formidable foe, or else his master wouldn't be so worried. Looking at his master's faintly bitter smile, Lu Yun's eyes flashed, and a powerful aura burst forth in an instant. That powerful aura instantly filled the entire cave, and a resolute determination quietly seeped out from within it. The powerful aura caused the surrounding objects to tremble, and the countless small stones on the ground were instantly shattered by the powerful airflow, turning into a layer of mist that drifted through the air.

  Lin Yunfeng and Zi Yang Zhenren both changed their faces, looking at Lu Yun with a shocked expression. Slowly, the two of them felt his determination and perseverance, and couldn't help but reveal a hint of a relieved smile on their faces. Zi Yang Zhenren's eyes shone brightly as he looked straight at Lu Yun, saying in a deep voice: "Well done! You have such determination and confidence, I'm extremely delighted. After all these years, our Yang Institute has finally produced a Lu Yun, who will bring glory to us and the highest honor to Yi Garden. All of us will be proud of you, go for it! I believe you will definitely win this afternoon."

  Lu Yun looked at his master's expression, and he was deeply moved. At this moment, he realized that his master's desire for him to become a great dragon was so strong. Lu Yun finally understood that beneath his master's kind face, there was an unyielding determination. Years of worry had made him taciturn, but at this moment, Lu Yun became his only hope, and he completely revealed the persistence he had hidden deep in his heart for many years.

  Lu Yun nodded vigorously and solemnly said, "Don't worry, I will definitely win this afternoon, no matter who the opponent is. I will make Yi Garden famous all over the world and let Yang Institute shine with unlimited glory, just watch." At this moment, Lu Yun was deeply moved by Zi Yang Zhen Ren's unyielding determination to turn hatred into strength. Since he had come, he couldn't let everyone leave in disappointment.

  "Good, good, you're indeed a worthy disciple of my Yang Institute. I'll be cheering for you. Try your best this afternoon, your opponent is Bi Tian from Ru Garden. I hope you go all out, no matter what, you'll always be the pride in my heart." After saying that, seemingly afraid that Lu Yun would see the excited tears in his eyes, Zi Yang Zhen Ren turned around and stood still for a while before leaving.

  Watching the master leave, Lu Yun suddenly thought that he had never truly regarded him as a master before. But at this moment, Lu Yun realized that his shadow had already been deeply imprinted in his mind. Although he hadn't taught him many techniques, his expectations and care for himself, though only for two short years, were also unforgettable to Lu Yun.

  Lin Yunfeng's face changed slightly, and he said in a low voice: "Lu Yun, it seems that you will have to work hard this afternoon. Bi Tian is the number one master under the Confucian school, not easy to deal with. His cultivation is deep, and it's not simple to win against him. Are you confident?" After finishing speaking, he looked at him with concern in his eyes.

  Lu Yun's expression changed slightly, to be honest, he didn't want to fight Bi Tian. There were many reasons for this, mainly because the relationship between Ru Garden and Yi Garden had always been good, and if he won, then Ru Garden would have no chance of entering the top six. This would be a huge blow to Ru Garden. Glancing at Yun Feng, Lu Yun said calmly: "Unfortunately, I didn't meet that Zhan Yu, otherwise I could have taken revenge for you personally. As for Bi Tian, to be honest, I won't lose." His tone was calm and flat, without much fluctuation, which made Yun Feng somewhat unable to see through him.

  Yun Feng looked puzzled, but Lu Yun laughed and changed the subject: "Alright, it's still early. Let's go out for a walk. If we stay here too long, people will become stupid." After saying that, he pulled Yun Feng along and left the cave.