One Ring Against Two Rings, That Worked!?
At noon the next day, the area outside Suotuo City's Soul Fighting Arena was packed with people.
Word that the City Lord's Manor had sent a challenge to Perching Swan Academy had spread early that morning, and many Soul Masters had come specially to watch the spectacle.
In the carriage heading for the arena, Feng Yanqiu had been talking Du Hengzhou's ear off the whole way, worried that not enough spectators would show up today. Qin Zhaoye leaned against a corner of the carriage and opened the Wordless Ancient Scroll under cover of his wide sleeve. A notice announcing a case's conclusion had just appeared on its surface.
[Group Hub: The topic "Tang San's Origins" has been concluded and archived. It can be bound to execute a cultivation exchange.]
Qin Zhaoye tapped the exchange field three times in quick succession. Each level from 11 to 20 cost 50 conversation points, and once he bound the concluded topic, 150 conversation points were deducted on the spot.
The Soul Power in his body silently rose three notches, coming to a steady stop at the threshold of level 20. He only needed to absorb his second Soul Ring to advance further.
The carriage came to a stop outside the Soul Fighting Arena. Dean Feng Yanqiu was the first to jump down. He reached out to help Qin Zhaoye alight and called out at the top of his lungs, "Make way, everyone! Don't crowd Perching Swan Academy's main fighter!"
Du Hengzhou followed behind with a cold snort. "He hasn't even stepped onto the stage yet, and the beads on your abacus are practically flying into this old man's face."
As soon as the three entered the main Soul Fighting Zone, they saw a young man in fine robes standing on the central stage with his arms folded.
The young man raised his chin, glanced at Qin Zhaoye, and announced loudly before the entire audience, "Cen Ao, of the City Lord's Manor! Level 23, two rings!"
A chorus of laughter immediately rose from below the stage.
"Young Master Cen is level 23, after all. Fighting an auditing student who's been on the rolls for three years-isn't that using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken?"
Qin Zhaoye walked slowly onto the stage, his gaze settling on Cen Ao.
The ever-active Eye of Historical Observation took effect automatically. The Wordless Ancient Scroll hovering at his side opened to a page, and dense golden annotations instantly covered the entire sheet.
"Cen Ao, seventeen years old, a young master of the City Lord's Manor, disciple of a guest elder of the City Lord's Manor. Martial Soul: long spear. Currently level 23, two rings. His customary opening move is a thrust from the right followed by a sweep. His right shoulder drops half an inch when he exerts force, and an old injury three inches below his right ribs affects his breathing."
The referee at the edge of the stage stepped forward and said, "Both sides, reveal your Martial Souls for Soul Ring verification."
Cen Ao sneered and turned his palm over. A pitch-black spear slammed onto the stage, while two Yellow Soul Rings pulsed up and down around him. "Kid, if you can last five moves against me, Perching Swan Academy won't have taught you for nothing."
Qin Zhaoye didn't answer. He tapped his foot against the ground.
A deep purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, and the Wordless Ancient Scroll hovered above his left palm.
The laughter throughout the arena stopped at once.
The referee's raised hand froze in midair. He looked down and checked the purple halo beneath Qin Zhaoye's feet three times, his voice changing pitch. "Qin Zhaoye of Perching Swan Academy, level 20, one ring. First ring, thousand-year equivalent! Begin the Soul Fight!"
An uproar swept through the stands.
"My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, are they? His first ring is purple?"
In the front row, Du Hengzhou's brow twitched. "He was only level 17 yesterday, and he went up another three levels overnight?"
On the stage, Cen Ao could no longer keep the sneer on his face. His First Soul Ring suddenly lit up. "Playing tricks! One ring is still one ring. Face my spear!"
His right shoulder had barely dipped, and his spear had yet to move, when Qin Zhaoye's purple Soul Ring flickered. His first Soul Skill, Historical Brush Errata, activated.
A golden line appeared on the scroll first, tracing the path his spear would take half a breath later with perfect clarity. Even the arc of the sweep that followed was marked out.
Only then did the spear thrust straight along the golden line toward Qin Zhaoye's chest, precisely the right-side thrust described in the annotation.
Qin Zhaoye merely slid half a step to the left.
The spear brushed past the hem of his clothes and missed. Cen Ao twisted his wrist to sweep it around, but Qin Zhaoye had already placed his right hand on the middle of the shaft and pulled it down with the force of the motion.
His own momentum sent Cen Ao stumbling forward. Every killing move felt as though it were striking an answer that had been posted in advance, leaving him unable to bring any force to bear.
In just one move, the sneer vanished completely from Cen Ao's face, and cold sweat seeped down his back.
"Again!" Cen Ao gritted his teeth and activated his Second Soul Ring, gripping the spear shaft tightly with both hands.
His shoulder had barely moved when a golden line from Historical Brush Errata traced the path of the spear's downward chop ahead of time.
Taking advantage of the half-breath opening when Cen Ao's breathing caught at his right ribs, Qin Zhaoye stepped in close, avoided the spearhead, and planted his right palm firmly three inches below Cen Ao's right ribs.
With a muffled grunt, Cen Ao's second Soul Skill collapsed on the spot. His right arm went numb, and he could no longer hold the shaft. The spear clattered onto the stage.
His face deathly pale, he tried to retreat, but Qin Zhaoye had already stepped forward, holding two fingers together half an inch from his throat.
The arena fell silent for an instant. Then the entire main Soul Fighting Zone erupted!
"Three moves! How could he possibly disarm a two-ring fighter from the City Lord's Manor in just three moves?"
In the front row, Feng Yanqiu jumped straight from his seat onto the railing and cupped his hands around his mouth to shout to the whole arena, "Take a good look, everyone! This is a homegrown genius of Perching Swan Academy!"
On the stage, Qin Zhaoye withdrew his fingers.
Cen Ao swallowed, glanced at the spear on the ground, and gritted his teeth as he bent to pick it up. Only then did he cup his fists in public. "Brother Qin, impressive skills. I, Cen, was outmatched today!"
In less than half an hour, news that "Shrek's Perching Swan Academy has produced a monstrous newcomer" spread throughout Suotuo City, and the "cripple" label he had borne for three years was nullified that very day.
As Qin Zhaoye walked out of the Soul Fighting Arena, the Wordless Ancient Scroll in his sleeve suddenly grew hot, and a gold-framed notice popped up in the group.
[Historical Deviation Announcement · Paragraph Level] Original entry in the "Official History of the First Era: Suotuo Dossier": "In this year of the First Era, there was nothing to record in Suotuo City." Current status: Deviated. Qin Zhaoye, a person absent from the official history, publicly defeated Cen Ao, a level 23 two-ring fighter, across levels at the Suotuo City Soul Fighting Arena as a level 20 one-ring fighter. Qin Zhaoye has been determined to be the greatest source of deviation in the First Era timeline. This paragraph is marked as pending revision.
A small gray file appeared in the corner of the scroll, labeled "Pending Revision." It was the first one.
[Gold-Letter Report: The first paragraph-level historical deviation has been confirmed. The group owner receives 1,000 conversation points.]
As soon as the announcement appeared, everyone in the group surfaced.
[Ancestral Precepts Recitation Champion: Holy shit, holy shit!]
[Ancestral Precepts Recitation Champion: Grandmaster, look! The words in the official history entry have turned into a gray file!]
Lan Xuanyu was half a beat slower to react, but when he spoke, he asked about the person.
[Ten-Thousand-Year Melon Field Contractor: A paragraph-level deviation? What kind of immortal is this Qin Zhaoye? There's no trace of him in the Official History of the First Era, but he changed the Suotuo City dossier the moment he showed up!]
[The Bystander Sees Clearly: A one-ring fighter beat a two-ring fighter across levels, and he's the greatest source of deviation outside the history books. I'm afraid the waters of Suotuo City are about to be muddied.]
Over at Nuoding Academy, Tang San's eyes had never left the gray file. Hadn't the history books been set in stone long ago? How could they change right under his nose, just like that?
[Tang San: The finalized "Official History of the First Era" really can be changed?]
Qin Zhaoye looked at the line and tapped the scroll twice.
[Group Owner: The history books have been read, and the ending is known, but the power to put pen to paper lies with the living. This historian records only ironclad facts.]
Not long after he sent that message, the betting pool on "whether Tang San would still enter Shrek as the history books said" began to stir.
[Ten-Thousand-Year Melon Field Contractor: A powerhouse like that has appeared in Suotuo City, and history itself has taken a turn! So I'm betting another fifty that Grandmaster won't go!]
Tang Wulin grew anxious as soon as he saw it and immediately followed suit.
[Ancestral Precepts Recitation Champion: Fine, raise it! I'll put in another fifty that Grandmaster goes just as planned, because nobody can stop Grandmaster!]
[The Bystander Sees Clearly: I'll put in thirty. Consider it buying a ticket to watch the show.]
The prize pool climbed a little higher. It wasn't much of an increase, but the fun was in the excitement. Who really cared about a few dozen conversation points?
At that moment, the countdown in the upper right corner suddenly flashed red. Once, twice—and on its final tick, it reached zero.
[Group Hub: Automatic recruitment complete. New member joined. Real name displayed on the first day; name card locked: First Era · Bibi Dong.]
Qin Zhaoye tapped the scroll, unable to suppress his smile.
On the Pope's first day in the group, her name card displayed her real name. With a spectacle this big, anyone would want to watch. He slowly typed a line in the group owner field.
[Group Owner: The Pope's first-day streaking begins now!]