The End-of-Month Grand Competition at Xiaoxiang Academy

Great Chu Kingdom, Liyao City, Xiaoxiang Academy.

On a martial arts arena, two graceful women were locked in an intense sword duel.

Surrounding the stage, a crowd of one or two hundred men and women watched with bated breath, their eyes fixed on the two figures darting back and forth.

The two on stage were matching wits and strength, trading blows as their blades clashed, occasionally emitting flashes of light that looked incredibly dazzling.

If one were to ignore the longswords in the women's hands, it would look exactly like two fairies dancing gracefully.

Among the crowd, a woman dressed in a moon-white training uniform watched the pair with intense focus; this woman was Jiang Zichun.

Although Jiang Zichun had no matches scheduled for the morning, she had come anyway to scout her potential rivals.

That rival was the tall woman currently on stage, Zhang Yurou, who was rumored to have made leaps and bounds in her swordsmanship.

Jiang Zichun's gaze remained fixed on Zhang Yurou, eager to gauge the true extent of her current strength.

However, the more she watched, the more her heart sank; the other woman had truly changed, becoming far more composed than before.

She knew that the sword technique Zhang Yurou practiced was called the Autumn Water Sword Technique, which emphasized a lingering, autumnal atmosphere, brewing lethal strikes while waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a killing blow.

In other words, the Autumn Water Sword Technique excelled at using slowness to overcome speed, specializing in entanglement and controlling the rhythm of a fight.

It was said that once one fell into the rhythm of the Autumn Water Sword Technique and allowed the opponent to dictate the pace, one could only wait for the end, their life no longer in their own hands.

The Fragrant Sword Technique practiced by Jiang Zichun, however, was a fast-paced style that prioritized ending a fight in the shortest time possible.

To a certain extent, this style was countered by the Autumn Water Sword Technique.

To put it another way, the Fragrant Sword Technique was an early-game style; if one didn't accumulate a massive advantage early on, there would be no chance of winning in the late game.

As for the Autumn Water Sword Technique, it was a late-game style; the longer the fight lasted, the more obvious its advantage became.

Therefore, the Autumn Water Sword Technique demanded stability—stay steady, and victory would follow.

When strength was equal, as long as the Autumn Water Sword Technique survived the early stages, its advantage would grow larger and larger until it crushed the opponent, leaving them with no hope of a comeback.

By that logic, Jiang Zichun and Zhang Yurou, who possessed similar cultivation levels, should have had a history of trading wins and losses.

However, in every previous duel, Jiang Zichun had completely dominated Zhang Yurou. Zhang Yurou had never won a single time.

As for the reason, both of them actually knew it.

It was because Zhang Yurou had always tried to use speed against speed, or even launch aggressive charges, which was exactly what the Fragrant Sword Technique was designed to counter.

Every craft has its specialty.

How could a sword technique meant for "using slowness to overcome speed" possibly outperform a specialized "fast-against-fast" technique in its own domain?

That would be absurd.

That was why Zhang Yurou had always lost to Jiang Zichun.

In fact, Jiang Zichun had pointed this out to Zhang Yurou before, but for some reason, the other woman had never changed, remaining stuck in her old ways.

But this time was different; Zhang Yurou had actually changed her style, adopting a steady, methodical approach that aligned with the essence of the Autumn Water Sword Technique, which explained the rumors of her sudden improvement.

"Zhang Yurou!"

"Zhang Yurou!"

"Zhang Yurou!"

Suddenly, a wave of cheers erupted, pulling Jiang Zichun from her thoughts.

Zhang Yurou had won.

As expected.

Jiang Zichun smiled faintly. It seemed the afternoon matches would be worth watching. However, she had a new trump card, so she was certain to win this time.

After gaining a rough understanding of her opponent's strength, Jiang Zichun squeezed out of the crowd and went to check on the other arenas.

Once finished, she returned to her training room to continue contemplating how to integrate the newly learned divine ability into her usual combat style, so as to avoid any accidents.

Because the people of the Great Chu Kingdom were generally fond of martial arts, even in a women's academy, the number of participants in the end-of-month tournament was quite high, usually around two or three hundred.

This time was, of course, no exception.

Due to the large number of participants, the academy divided the tournament into two stages.

The first stage was the qualifying round.

Across ten arenas, it took an entire morning to determine the top ten, which meant the winner of each arena.

Zhang Yurou was among them, and she had taken first place.

Since the top ten from the previous tournament were exempt from the first stage of qualifying, the first stage actually determined the 11th through 20th places.

And Zhang Yurou was currently ranked 11th.

In the afternoon, they would join the previous top ten to participate in the promotion tournament to determine the final top ten and earn rewards.

The afternoon matches were also known as the challenge promotion tournament.

Contestants could challenge those ranked up to two spots above them, but if they lost two matches in a row, they would be eliminated.

For example, the 20th-ranked contestant can challenge the 19th or 18th, but cannot challenge the 17th.

However, once the 20th-ranked contestant defeats the 18th, she becomes the 18th. At this point, she can continue to challenge the 17th and 16th.

In this way, moving from the back to the front, the process continues until the first place is reached.

Calculated this way, among the newly decided 11th to 20th places, only the top two have a chance to challenge the top ten; the remaining contestants have no opportunity to advance further.

However, if someone in the top ten is knocked down, those in the lower ranks gain the possibility of moving up. Therefore, they have not given up.

What if there is a soft target ahead? Although that possibility is not very high.

This afternoon.

The contestants arrived early, and the area under the arena was crowded with students.

Unlike usual, there were actually men in the crowd today. In fact, most of them were students from nearby academies who came to join in the fun.

Some stood under the arena, some stood in trees, and some even climbed onto the rooftops...

At 1:15 PM.

The referee teacher beside the arena finally announced that the matches had officially begun.

The first match was the 12th-ranked Yin Keke challenging the original 10th-ranked Kong Huiying.

Of these two, Yin Keke is one of the few cultivators on the Chu side who specializes in divine abilities; she focuses on the Taoist School Yin-Yang and Five Elements and excels at long-range combat.

Kong Huiying, like most Chu people, specializes in the Martial Way and excels at close-quarters combat. The martial technique she practices is the Thunderbolt Blade, which is also a type meant for quick decisive battles, much like Jiang Zichun's Fragrant Sword Technique.

"Yin Keke, please offer your guidance."

"Kong Huiying, please offer your guidance."

As the match began, Yin Keke, who excelled at long-range, took the initiative, first hitting her opponent with Condense Qi into Ice. After Kong Huiying dodged it, she followed up with a barrage of long-range divine abilities like Shockwave and Spiritual Qi Blade.

In an instant, all sorts of colorful spells appeared on the arena: white ice spikes, nearly transparent Spiritual Qi Blades, crimson fireballs...

Some divine abilities were even invisible to the naked eye, and one could only judge that a divine ability had been used by the ripples on the arena's Protective Barrier.

While launching this bombardment, Yin Keke kept changing her position to avoid being caught by her opponent.

After all, Yin Keke was a long-range unit; if she were caught by a melee fighter, she would be finished in one combo.

As for Kong Huiying, who held a long blade, she saw the opponent's attacks coming, occasionally dodging sideways or using her blade to deflect ice spikes, moving toward Yin Keke with calm determination.

When the two were about three meters apart, Kong Huiying's heart stirred.

Military Strategist Divine Ability: Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell.

In an instant, another Kong Huiying appeared behind Yin Keke, and this Kong Huiying's blade was now pressed against Yin Keke's neck.

Yin Keke had no choice but to call out her surrender.

It was only then that the image of Kong Huiying at her original position completely vanished.

At this moment, the crowd below began to whisper.

"Sigh, as expected, a long-range fighter without a shield isn't a true long-range fighter; it's too easy to be countered."

"Indeed. And ever since displacement divine abilities like Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell appeared, long-range fighters are countered even more severely. If she only had a shield, she could hold out for a while."

"You're overthinking it. A shield-type divine ability that can protect the whole body costs at least three or four thousand Luck Points. It's too expensive; we can't afford it."

After Yin Keke finished her challenge.

Next was the 11th-ranked Zhang Yurou, who decided to play it safe and continue challenging Kong Huiying.

Half an incense stick later, Kong Huiying was defeated.

"Rumor has it that Zhang Yurou's sword technique has greatly improved, and it seems that's true; she actually won."

"I heard she went to the Tianbao Trading Firm to train by fighting magical beasts, which is why her strength improved so much."

"So she paid-to-win!"

"If you have the ability, you go too."

"I'm too kind-hearted; I can't bear to kill living creatures."

Next was Jiang Zichun.

Before taking the stage, Jiang Zichun first used the Mohist School's Sword Formation divine ability to summon a three-foot-long precious sword.

Once the sword took shape, it looked no different from an ordinary steel sword, except for a layer of brilliant, flowing luster on its surface, which was quite beautiful.

On the arena, Zhang Yurou and Jiang Zichun stood facing each other, separated by seven or eight meters.

Although the two knew each other, they only exchanged greetings and then fell silent.

After the referee announced the start.

Both moved forward rapidly, reaching the center of the arena. Because they were not long-range fighters, there was no need to dodge.

After closing the distance, one used the Fragrant Sword Technique, and the other used the Autumn Water Sword Technique.

Jiang Zichun utilized the Fragrant Sword Technique, each strike faster than the last. Moreover, the swordplay carried a certain ethereal and unpredictable quality, making it difficult to discern where the blade would land.

However, Zhang Yurou actually used the Autumn Water Sword Technique to block them one by one.

This truly was the Endless Autumn Water.

Suddenly, Jiang Zichun's sword split into three, thrusting straight toward Zhang Yurou, appearing as if it were about to pierce her shoulder.

Just at that moment, Zhang Yurou's sword intercepted all three strikes at an incredible angle.

After the interception, Zhang Yurou remained in full defensive mode, only occasionally launching a counterattack.

This left Jiang Zichun feeling incredibly frustrated.

She couldn't even do anything to her opponent with Blade Light and Sword Shadow.

It was as if Zhang Yurou were wearing a tortoise shell, leaving her with no way to strike.

At this moment, Jiang Zichun was hoping that her opponent would counterattack quickly so that she could find a flaw and decide the outcome in one blow.

However, looking at the opponent's demeanor, it seemed she intended to build up power until the end and then finish her off with the ultimate move, Soughing Autumn Wind.

No wonder people said this Autumn Water Sword Technique was disgusting; there was indeed some truth to that.

The two of them were like an assassin versus a shield-bearer.

Either the assassin had to use speed to take down the shield-bearer, or the shield-bearer would wear the assassin out.

This was purely a test of patience.

Three or four minutes later, Jiang Zichun still hadn't taken down Zhang Yurou, and she knew her chances were slim.

Having not seen her for a month, the other girl had become so steady.

Immediately, Jiang Zichun decided to cheat.

Mathematics Divine Ability: Chicken and Rabbit in a Cage.

After unleashing this divine ability, Jiang Zichun still wasn't satisfied, so she followed it up with the Military Strategist Divine Ability: Feint to the East, Attack in the West.

Subsequently, one could see two identical swords appear in Jiang Zichun's hands.

However, one of these swords thrust toward Zhang Yurou's right shoulder, while the other thrust toward her neck.

This was the Military Strategist Divine Ability: Feint to the East, Attack in the West.

Only one of the two swords was real; the other, a fake, would only dissipate naturally once it neared the opponent's body. If it made contact with a weapon, the fake would produce the same consequences as the real one. The tactile sensation and the impact were exactly the same as the real thing.

As for Zhang Yurou, once Jiang Zichun used the Mathematics Divine Ability, she suddenly found herself in a void.

"Huh? Wasn't I outside sparring with Jiang Zichun? How did I end up here?"

Just as doubts flooded Zhang Yurou's mind, a piece of information was transmitted into her brain.

An illusion?

And I have to answer a question?

Isn't this just like Encouraging Learning!

But aren't illusions forbidden in combat? What is going on?

Could it be that Jiang Zichun created one?

No, she shouldn't have that ability.

Never mind that for now; I'll answer the question first. I can't waste time.

Following that, Zhang Yurou shouted for it to begin.

Then, a problem appeared in her mind.

"There are beasts with six heads and four feet, and birds with four heads and two feet. There are 498 heads and 284 feet in total. Question: How many birds and beasts are there respectively?"

Upon hearing the question, Zhang Yurou realized immediately: isn't this "Chicken and Rabbit in a Cage"?

Why is it this problem?

However, she had no time to dwell on it; she quickly simulated counting rods in the illusion and began to calculate...

After spending ten seconds in the illusion, when Zhang Yurou came out, her eyes still held a hint of bewilderment.

What on earth was that?

We were having a perfectly good spar, so how did it turn into a quiz?

This is just purely making things difficult for people!

A moment later, Zhang Yurou finally came to her senses, looking at the sword that had nearly pierced her neck.

She sighed and said in a dejected tone, "You win!"

Jiang Zichun then lowered her longsword and, using Spiritual Qi, transmitted a message to Zhang Yurou.

Zhang Yurou asked in surprise, "Really?"

Jiang Zichun simply nodded, said nothing more, and turned to step off the arena.