Chapter 443 – A Clumsy Swordsman (1/2)
Chapter 443 - A Clumsy Swordsman
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
In those hasty brushstrokes, Guan Bai saw Zhou Ziheng's technique that seemed like a solitary boat emerging from a place beyond the heavens. The energy it carried was, as expected, majestic and boundless.
But he could even more vividly make out Chen Changsheng's technique.
That technique was just a single word.
Just a single word.
Like a great dam, like an iron chain, like the stones of a cliff, like a sword being brought up to slit the throat in suicide.
Guan Bai faintly felt a pain in his chest.
If his junior brother had been able to understand the principles behind this sword strike, taking the 'straight' from all things, how could things have reached this point?
He gazed at his bewildered schoolmates and said, ”This technique—Chen Changsheng has practiced it at least ten thousand times.”
The students of the Heavenly Dao Academy were perplexed. They asked, ”Is just that enough?”
”From what I understand, Chen Changsheng has practiced the sword for not more than a year. In this brief period of time, he took such a simple technique and practiced it ten thousand times.”
Guan Bai emotionlessly continued, ”If a person so clumsy with a sword has managed to respond to Zhou Ziheng's attack, how could Zhou Ziheng possibly win?”
After saying this, he shook his head, got up, and walked out of the room.
The scenery of the Heavenly Dao Academy was like a painting. No matter where you walked, it was all scenic, such as that lake and mountain directly ahead.
At the edge of the lake stood a man with a very lonely figure.
He was the Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Zhuang Huanyu's father.
He turned around and said to Guan Bai, ”Your evaluation of Chen Changsheng is very high.”
Guan Bai replied, ”Since he's already been decided as my opponent, my evaluation should be even more cold and objective.”
Principal Zhuang asked, ”If I were to tell you that Chen Changsheng only learned that technique at most thirty days ago, would your evaluation of him be even higher?”
At these words, Guan Bai did not speak for a very long time. Finally, he said, ”Despite what Sir thinks, in the end, Zhuang Huanyu was my junior brother. I have to do a few things on his behalf.”
Principal Zhuang sighed, ”It seems you will definitely have to participate in the Boiling Stone Summit.”
Guan Bai replied, ”Yes, because I want to know, if I give Chen Changsheng three hundred more days, just how far his technique will progress.”
At the gate of the Orthodox Academy, Zhou Ziheng's sword carried the powerful force of a storm. If the Li Palace priests had not come last night to set up a spell array in advance, the surrounding spectators all might have been injured by this sword energy.
Precisely as Guan Bai had seen in that drawing, Chen Changsheng only used a single technique.
Of course, it was impossible that he only used one technique. Here, one technique meant he used that one technique many times. From the moment Zhou Ziheng's sword came carrying a storm to the final cessation of the berserk winds and great waves, he only used one technique.
In Guan Bai's eyes, he was a person clumsy with the sword, so the technique he used was naturally also somewhat clumsy.
It was precisely the third sword that Su Li had taught him.
This sword had a very idiotic name: the Stupid Sword.
This technique looked very stupid. Sometimes it looked like one was toting a carrying pole, sometimes it looked like one was leading a horse, and other times it looked like one was prepared to slit their own throat. In short, it didn't seem at all like one was attacking with a sword.
The edges of the sword were never exposed outward and the sword itself always remained flat and straight in front of his body.
This seemingly very simple technique was actually not simple at all, because not even Su Li had managed to successfully train in it. In reality, Chen Changsheng was the first person to ever learn the Stupid Sword.
In order to train in this technique, nothing was required. Talent and comprehension were both unnecessary. It only required incessant practice, stupid and clumsy repetition, and also the firm belief that this technique could be learned.
Zhou Ziheng's sword truly was powerful. His sword energy was like a wave, incessantly crashing towards Chen Changsheng. Yet no matter what he did, Zhou Ziheng could not get past this technique.
The sword in Chen Changsheng's hand had turned into an iron chain pulled taut by a massive boat, it had become an unbending tree.
Zhou Ziheng's sword that was like a solitary boat had been stymied.
Zhou Ziheng's sword that had come like a storm had also been stymied.
No matter how ingenious Zhou Ziheng's sword techniques were, they found it impossible to break through Chen Changsheng's defense. The edge of his sword stabbed countless times against Chen Changsheng's sword, causing innumerable sparks to shoot out.
When the two swords clashed, they emitted boundless light. The vast majority of spectators were so blinded that they covered up their eyes. They all thought in astonishment that Zhou Ziheng truly was worthy of being called a Star Condensation expert. His sword emerged like the wind and needed only an instant to press down on Chen Changsheng, forcing him to retreat step by step.
Ordinary people could not understand the state of the battle, but naturally, there were people that could understand it.
In the moment that Chen Changsheng took out his sword, a cry of surprise burst out from the pavilion. As the painter from the Pavilion of Divination began to draw his second picture, the tip of his brush began to tremble.
In the tea house within Hundred Flowers Lane, Xue Xingchuan sat by the window gazing at the sword glows that blazed with incomparable brilliance. He silently thought about the letter from his brother, and then thought to himself, this child has actually managed to take another step in his swordplay.
The sword glows made it impossible to look at the battle directly. It was like numberless lightning bolts flashing.
Accompanying them were countless peals of thunder.
In the next moment, the rumbling of clashing swords suddenly came to a halt.
Zhou Ziheng drew back his sword. As he stared at Chen Changsheng who had already been pushed to right in front of the gate, he was filled with an indescribable shock.
He could never have imagined that Chen Changsheng would actually be able to defend against so many of his attacks!
It must be known that his Stormswept Solitary Boat Sword emphasized energy and was exceptionally tyrannical, not even mentioning the fact that he was at Star Condensation Realm while Chen Changsheng was only at Ethereal Opening!
Even if Chen Changsheng's swordplay was even more exquisite, taking into account the difference in cultivation, just how had Chen Changsheng been able to block so many of his attacks? He wasn't even injured, and not even the hands holding his sword had begun to tremble!
Soon after, the shock in Zhou Ziheng’s eyes was fiercely and harshly removed and his partially damaged self-confidence became firm once more.
Because Chen Changsheng had retreated.
He had not allowed Zhou Ziheng's Stormswept Solitary Boat Sword to fall upon his body, but he also had not been able to stand firm.
Ultimately, he was still at the Ethereal Opening Realm. Even though his body had been bathed in dragon blood, even though he possessed a strong body and strength on par with that of a Star Condensation cultivator, there was still a gap that he could not fill.
Particularly because his meridians were broken. There was no need to compare his output of true essence with Zhou Ziheng, because his output of true essence was less than even that of cultivators at the same level as him.
Zhou Ziheng recalled the details of their recent clash. Based on the vibrations he had felt from his sword whenever they clashed, he was able to confirm this fact.
Xue Xingchuan in the tea house and the powerful figures under the awning also simultaneously confirmed this fact.
Chen Changsheng's swordplay truly was exceptionally exquisite and his strength was even more freakish beyond belief, but his output of true essence was insufficient.