Champion of a Division Platform

The next morning, Grand Martial Plaza in the central district.

Around the platforms, the spectators were as thick as clouds. From high above, they looked like ants swarming together, and the atmosphere was lively.

Since these were the finals of each platform, the competition had entered its most thrilling stage. The finals for the four platforms were not held simultaneously, but took place in numerical order.

After the finals of Platform A and Platform B were completed in succession, it was finally time for the Platform C final.

The referee announced loudly, "The Platform C final is about to begin. Students Jiang Ping'an and Han Shanshi, please take the platform!"

As the referee's voice fell, discussion beneath the platform instantly surged, mixed with plenty of delighted laughter.

Wasn't Jiang Ping'an, one of the Platform C finalists, the child of fortune—the lucky bastard? How could they not be delighted and entertained?

Everyone craned their necks in anticipation, waiting to see what the child of fortune—the lucky bastard—would do this time.

Jiang Ping'an was the first to step onto the platform, immediately drawing a wave of jeers and laughter from below.

Faced with such a reaction from the audience, Jiang Ping'an remained very calm. It was the confidence of someone with absolute assurance.

The other contestant did not immediately take the platform.

The spectators immediately began chattering among themselves.

"Could it be that he'll lie down and win on luck again?"

"No way? No way?"

"If he keeps winning matches through 'luck' like this, there has to be something fishy going on!"

Princess Bailing was naturally beneath the platform as well. Once Jiang Ping'an finished his match, she too would have to take the platform to compete.

Relying on their status as former teammates, Zhang Jingtian, Lu Zhaisheng, and Hong Feng had gathered around Princess Bailing.

"I hope Brother Jiang can win," Hong Feng said in a prayerful tone, though deep down, he did not think Jiang Ping'an had much chance of victory.

Zhang Jingtian immediately sneered. "You might as well hope for the sun to rise in the west. You clearly don't know Han Shanshi, do you?"

"Let me tell you—Han Shanshi was born with divine strength and Bronze Skin, Iron Bones. He has also cultivated a matching Hardening Technique. You could say blades and spears cannot harm him. With Jiang Ping'an's soft, limp swordsmanship, even if Han Shanshi stood still and let him stab away with his sword, Jiang Ping'an might not be able to hurt him in the slightest!"

"Exactly!" Lu Zhaisheng chimed in. "Han Shanshi has already reached Grand Completion of the Origin Qi Realm. It is said that his Essence Sea has expanded to thirty thousand zhang, and his True Essence is as vast and abundant as the sea!"

"So you should pray that Jiang Ping'an does not lose too miserably, lest he drag us down and make us lose face as well!"

This time, Princess Bailing did not rebuke Zhang Jingtian and Lu Zhaisheng, because the facts were indeed as they said. Jiang Ping'an could not win.

After hearing this, Hong Feng said dejectedly, "It looks like Brother Jiang can't win."

Before long, Han Shanshi finally stepped onto the platform. He was an exceptionally brawny young man.

Han Shanshi was twenty-two years old, over two meters tall, with bulging muscles and bronze-colored skin. He held a great spear in his hand.

The great spear was one zhang long, with the spearhead alone measuring one chi and five cun—half a meter. It was forged entirely from metal and weighed over five hundred jin.

After taking the platform, he casually planted the great spear into the ground. The stone-paved platform floor was actually punched full of a hole by its butt end.

At the sight of Han Shanshi taking the platform, the spectators all breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. At least Jiang Ping'an wasn't allowed to lie down and win again. Otherwise, where would justice be?"

"The match begins!" the referee announced loudly.

As the referee's voice fell, Han Shanshi raised his spear and assumed a spear formation. He shouted disdainfully at Jiang Ping'an, "Come at me! I'll give you three moves!"

Jiang Ping'an was greatly displeased to hear that. He called out, "You tell me to come at you, and I'm supposed to come at you? Wouldn't that make me lose all face? I refuse!"

"Haha, Jiang Ping'an, I know what you're calculating!" Han Shanshi sneered contemptuously. "Don't you just want to rely on your nimble movement technique and make me chase after you, attacking you until I exhaust my True Essence?"

He continued, "To tell you the truth, I use a long spear. What I fear least are people with nimble movement techniques like yours. With one sweep of my spear, my attack range exceeds one zhang. You won't be able to dodge and weave your way out of it!"

"I'm only giving you the chance to strike first so everyone can see exactly how much you're worth, and whether you deserve to stand on the same platform as me!"

Jiang Ping'an smiled. "Then I really must thank you. Since that is the case, I'll respectfully comply rather than stand on ceremony."

With that, he immediately gathered Heavenly Essence and unleashed the Xun Wind Blade Art.

He did not use the Rapid Xun Wind Blade Art, because there was no need.

In the blink of an eye, invisible blades filled the sky as they swept toward Han Shanshi.

His comprehension of the Xun Wind Blade Art ran extremely deep. In one breath, he condensed more than ten wind blades. Each wind blade was one zhang long and incomparably sharp, and he had also precisely controlled the angle at which every blade shot forth.

The moment Han Shanshi saw Jiang Ping'an preparing to cast a spell, he inwardly cried that things were bad. When Jiang Ping'an unleashed the Xun Wind Blade Art, Han Shanshi's bronze face immediately changed color.

The Xun Wind Blade Art had an extremely wide attack range, crisscrossing over an area five or six zhang wide, and it was very fast. Moreover, the distance between them was not great.

Unable to escape the Xun Wind Blade Art's range at all, Han Shanshi could only desperately whirl his great spear, forming a spear wall so tight that not even water could splash through it.

In an instant, more than ten wind blades struck. The spear wall Han Shanshi had thrown up with all his strength barely blocked the attack, but some fragments of wind blades still slipped through and cut across his body.

Water might not get through, but wind could still blow through.

Fortunately, he possessed Bronze Skin, Iron Bones, and his skin was extraordinarily tough. The wind blade fragments could only cut through the outer layer of his skin, failing to injure the muscles beneath.

However, just as he had blocked one wave of wind blade attacks with all his strength, another wave followed hot on its heels.

Moreover, this wave was denser, seeming to attack from three directions: the front, left, and right.

This time, the spear wall he desperately whirled up could not block them all. The wind blades swept past, leaving him covered in bloody wounds.

It was fortunate that he had Bronze Skin, Iron Bones. Had it been anyone else, their life would already have been in danger.

But the matter was far from over.

A third wave of wind blades came sweeping in.

Han Shanshi desperately blocked another wave, but not an inch of skin on his entire body remained uninjured.

Yet a fourth wave of wind blades followed close behind.

"I concede!" Han Shanshi screamed in despair.

The Instructor waiting outside the arena, ready to intervene at any moment, immediately acted and dispersed the fourth wave of wind blades.

"Thank you for yielding," Jiang Ping'an said, cupping his hands toward Han Shanshi. He laughed happily. "You stood there without moving and let me cast my spell properly. You really are a good person! To think I could meet such a good person even in a platform match—this is proof enough that my luck is truly good!"

Han Shanshi, now a man of blood, barely managed to remain standing. Embarrassed and enraged, he pointed at Jiang Ping'an and cursed, "Why do you know spells?!"

He deeply regretted that he had actually become a second Zhao Zhenming, destined to be mocked behind his back by the other students.

"I learned them," Jiang Ping'an answered with utter nonsense.

Han Shanshi was so furious he nearly spat out three liters of old blood.

At that moment, the referee loudly announced, "Jiang Ping'an wins!"

Thus, Jiang Ping'an officially became the champion of Platform C!

Below the platform, countless spectators snapped out of their disbelief and erupted into an uproar, their discussions boiling over.

"No, how does Jiang Ping'an know spells? Doesn't he only know one movement technique and one sword art?"

"Could he truly be the child of fortune? Han Shanshi actually underestimated him, standing there without moving and letting him cast his spell!"

"Lucky bastard! Scheming bastard! He hid the fact that he knew spells, which was why Han Shanshi let down his guard. Otherwise, on the platform, he couldn't have withstood three strikes from Han Shanshi's spear!"

"Wait, the spell Jiang Ping'an cast seemed to be the Xun Wind Blade Art, didn't it? That's a high-grade spell, and it's very difficult to master."

Zhang Jingtian and Lu Zhaisheng's faces were as dark as water. If this slap to the face had taken physical form, their faces would already have been swollen into pig heads, so swollen even their Mothers would not recognize them.

Against such a powerful opponent, Jiang Ping'an had still managed to win by luck? Was there any justice left in the world?!

And Jiang Ping'an really was sinister—he had actually concealed the fact that he knew spells!

Zhang Jingtian and Lu Zhaisheng were filled with indignation and jealousy.

Hong Feng recovered from his shock and said in admiration, "I never expected Brother Jiang to win again."

He turned and asked Princess Bailing, "Princess, the spell Brother Jiang used should be very powerful, right?"

He had seen too little and did not understand the Xun Wind Blade Art.

"The spell he used is called the Xun Wind Blade Art," Princess Bailing said. "It is a high-grade spell and difficult to cultivate. However, Jiang Ping'an has already mastered it to perfection. No—his Xun Wind Blade Art has already reached the summit of mastery. Its power surpasses even the teacher who taught me the Xun Wind Blade Art back then."

As she spoke, Princess Bailing herself felt shaken.

Hong Feng was greatly shocked, then asked, "Doesn't that mean Brother Jiang's strongest ability is not martial arts, but spells?"

"Perhaps," Princess Bailing said, not entirely certain. "I can no longer see through him."

Since Jiang Ping'an had hidden the trump card that he was proficient in the Xun Wind Blade Art, perhaps he possessed even greater hidden cards.

Then, with a trace of severity, she said to Zhang Jingtian and Lu Zhaisheng, "Zhang Jingtian, Lu Zhaisheng, you are not allowed to spread rumors about Jiang Ping'an again from now on! With the Xun Wind Blade Art alone, Jiang Ping'an is enough to sweep through the vast majority of students!"

It turned out that Zhang Jingtian and Lu Zhaisheng had openly and covertly spread many rumors, slandering Jiang Ping'an by claiming that he had relied solely on luck to win so far and was merely a lucky bastard.

They had once been Jiang Ping'an's teammates, so the other students readily believed what they said.

Zhang Jingtian and Lu Zhaisheng flushed red, with an added measure of panic. "Y-yes, understood."

Deep down, they bitterly regretted that Princess Bailing had learned of their petty conduct. Their chances of winning Princess Bailing's favor had become nearly nonexistent.