Challenge Tournament

As Jiang Zichun stepped off the arena, an uproar finally erupted below.

"What exactly happened just now? How could Zhang Yurou not even block, letting herself be finished off with a single strike to the throat?"

"It is truly bizarre. One moment they were at each other's throats, and the next, one side just gave up resisting? There's definitely something fishy going on."

"Could Zhang Yurou have been bought off, which is why she didn't resist?"

"Jiang Zichun doesn't have that much money, does she? Besides, if you're going to act, you do it properly. How could it be so obvious?"

"What if it's a reverse-psychology tactic? That way, no one would suspect they were acting?"

"Uh... that's possible. Let's keep watching the others; I don't believe she can buy off everyone else too."

"True!"

The focus of the crowd's discussion was why Zhang Yurou had suddenly abandoned all resistance for a full second.

It was as if she had been immobilized.

There are immobilization divine abilities in this world, but they didn't believe Jiang Zichun could afford one, and when cultivation levels are equal, such abilities simply cannot hold someone for that long.

Furthermore, the higher the cultivation level, the weaker the effect of immobilization.

Generally speaking, for two-star cultivators, immobilization only lasts about one-tenth of a second. But for four-star cultivators, it might only last one-fiftieth of a second.

Therefore, they were certain that Jiang Zichun definitely did not use an immobilization divine ability.

The timing simply didn't add up.

Meanwhile, on the podium to the north of the arena, the other contestants also wore grave expressions.

They certainly didn't believe Zhang Yurou had been bought off.

Not to mention whether the two of them could deceive the surrounding referees and proctors.

Even if they did, the other students would inevitably demand a thorough investigation.

If any foul play were truly discovered, they would certainly face expulsion. The academy would never tolerate such cheating.

Therefore, it was unlikely that Zhang Yurou and Jiang Zichun would do such a thing.

The risk was simply too great, and the effort was severely disproportionate to the reward.

Only a fool would do that.

In this day and age, those who think others are fools are the real fools.

Thus, they concluded that this must be a new method of Jiang Zichun's.

As for what kind of method it was?

They would find out once they faced her.

Jiang Zichun didn't care about the discussions below; she silently returned to the podium and stood with the other contestants.

When those contestants tried to probe her, she just laughed it off and brushed them aside.

Although she knew she couldn't hide it from the others forever, she wanted to keep it under wraps for as long as possible.

It would be best to reveal the answer only after she had secured first place.

As Jiang Zichun thought this, the matches on the arena continued.

After losing to Jiang Zichun, Zhang Yurou continued to challenge the 8th-ranked Zhao Lan.

Relying on her steady and solid style, Zhang Yurou wore her opponent down until the end, finishing Zhao Lan with the killing move Soughing Autumn Wind to claim victory.

Seeing this, the crowd became even more suspicious of the previous match.

Since there was nothing wrong with Zhang Yurou, the problem must lie with Jiang Zichun.

They were eager to see if the next person to face Jiang Zichun would experience the same situation.

If it happened again, then Jiang Zichun must have found a new method, perhaps a martial technique, or perhaps a divine ability...

Soon, amidst waves of cheers, Zhang Yurou fought with increasing vigor, her ranking steadily climbing until she stopped at fourth place.

Seeing this, Jiang Zichun thought to herself that her improvement was indeed significant.

Next, it was her turn.

With that thought, Jiang Zichun walked straight onto the arena without hesitation and summoned her weapon.

She was going to challenge the 8th-ranked contestant.

Using the same method as she did against Zhang Yurou, Jiang Zichun would fight normally if she could, and if she really couldn't, she would cheat—no, she would use her newly learned Mathematics Divine Ability: Chicken and Rabbit in a Cage, to hit the opponent with a soul-searching question.

Because they had never encountered such a situation before, Jiang Zichun's subsequent opponents were completely helpless against it.

They would be lost in an illusion for a second, and the moment they emerged, they would see a long sword resting against their throat or chest. There was nothing anyone could do about that; they could only concede.

However, after conceding, they all became determined to find out exactly what this divine ability was.

It was just too infuriating.

Soon, Jiang Zichun had won six consecutive matches, reaching second place. Now, only the first-place spot remained.

However, looking at the short girl in first place, Jiang Zichun felt a lack of confidence for the first time; the girl's reputation was simply too formidable.

An Youyi had held the top spot at Xiaoxiang Academy for years, skilled in using a pair of massive hammers and the Meteor Hammer Technique.

This girl's heavy hammers were similar to the bronze hammers of Li Yuanba; they looked incredibly intimidating, and in a fight, a mere graze meant injury, while a direct hit meant death.

It was hard for an ordinary person to imagine what that petite figure looked like paired with those massive hammers.

In short, it was quite disharmonious.

An Youyi didn't use these heavy hammers because she possessed immense physical strength, but because of her family's ancestral divine ability, Weight as Lightness. With this ability, the hundreds of pounds of metal felt as light as a sword in her hands, weightless.

That was why An Youyi was currently undefeated throughout the academy.

Unless Jiang Zichun also possessed a similar divine ability, such as Lightness as Weight, or wielded a long-range weapon, it would be difficult for her to trade blows with her opponent.

In this close-quarters engagement, she was likely not a match.

However, Jiang Zichun was still prepared to give it a try.

After all, she had already reached second place and was only one step away from the top; she had to at least make an effort.

She didn't want to leave any regrets behind.

Besides, there was a referee nearby, so her safety was not an issue.

A moment later, the two stood facing each other on the arena stage.

At this moment, Jiang Zichun's face was full of solemnity.

Opposite her, An Youyi's eyes were filled with curiosity. She was curious about how Jiang Zichun made others give up their resistance.

Thinking about this, she idly tossed the large bronze hammers in her hands. She couldn't wait to experience it for herself.

Once the referee announced the start, the two quickly closed the distance. When they were within three meters, Jiang Zichun impatiently activated her Mathematics Divine Ability: Chicken and Rabbit in a Cage.

She had no desire to actually trade blows with her opponent.

After Jiang Zichun's divine ability struck An Youyi, An Youyi was immediately pulled into an illusion.

Inside the illusion.

After An Youyi processed the information in her mind, she quickly reacted.

"So it's an illusion. Can illusions be used to fight now? No wonder the others had no ability to resist."

"The time ratio between the illusion and the outside world is ten to one. That means I have to answer the question within ten seconds to get out in one second. Furthermore, the less time I spend in the illusion, the faster I'll wake up."

"Chicken and Rabbit in a Cage? So it's a test of mental speed!"

Thinking this, An Youyi burned a bit of Human Luck and shouted, "Start."

The timer began.

At the same time, a problem appeared in An Youyi's 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?"

Upon hearing the problem, An Youyi applied the Heavenly Origin Technique in her mind, setting up an equation and attempting to solve it quickly.

One second later.

The answer emerged: 35 beasts and 72 birds.

It was so fast this time; the entire process took only about one second.

Converted to real-world time, that was less than one-tenth of a second.

Therefore, when An Youyi woke up, she saw the tip of Jiang Zichun's sword pointed right at her.

An Youyi smiled calmly and casually blocked the iron sword with her bronze hammer. "Your divine ability is ineffective against me."

"I don't believe that."

Jiang Zichun certainly didn't believe it; the girl had just been trapped inside, so how could she claim it was ineffective?

Although she didn't know why her opponent had broken free so quickly, it was clearly effective.

An Youyi knew her opponent wouldn't give up so easily, but to think she could deal with her using only that illusion was underestimating her too much.

Meteor Dance.