Chapter 351 (2/2)

He did not do anything.

He had just lowered his head and allowed the raindrops to fall on his forehead and then seep into his hair.

The raindrops were indeed imbued with a fierce power.

But Ning Que's skin had always been thick. His skin had gotten even thicker especially since he joined the Devil.

The Taoists outside the Southern Gate Temple had been paying attention to the happenings within the hall silently.

This was the first battle of the newest generation of the Academy since they entered the human realm.

Some of the silver-haired Taoists could not help but think of the Academy's Crazy Ke. Their emotions were all over the place as they thought of the bloodshed that the man had been part of since he rode his black donkey into Chang'an.

The doors of the Taoist temple were shut, and no one dared to peek through the windows.

Those standing by for the battle results could only see the fire and the dryness that flowed out of the window. That was followed by the pattering of rain, with water flowing out from below the door, to continue with a chill that was colder than the winter outside the hall. Then, there was a Buddhist light and a solemn Buddhist Chant before all was silent once more.

It was silent in the hall and no one knew of the results of the battle. Did Mr. Thirteen of the Academy win, or did the core disciple of the elder at Lanke Temple win?

Mo Shanshan stood beneath an old tree outside the hall, while looking at the building. Her eyes had suddenly brightened when Ning Que had used four consecutive talismans. And her expression was worried when the Buddhist Chant rang out within the hall, and a vague Buddhist light could be seen. And when silence returned, she could guess how the battle had ended, and she calmed down.

Because she knew that someone like Ning Que might lose or die, but he would not go down without a sound.

The doors to the hall opened, and Ning Que helped monk Guan Hai walk out slowly.

The Taoists who were viewing the battle could not help but be shocked when they saw this, especially when they saw the traces of blood on Guan Hai's face. They thought to themselves, that Ning Que was indeed a disciple of the Academy who had entered the human realm. He had won with such ease.

Of course, Ning Que was considered to be part of the Southern Gate of Haotian due to his relations.h.i.+p with Master Yan Se. So the Taoists of the Southern Gate Temple could not help but express joy at his victory.

After a short conversation with He Mingchi, Ning Que spoke briefly with monk Guan Hai. He said with an abundance of affection, that he would personally head forth to Lanke Temple to partic.i.p.ate in the Yue laan hungry ghost festival next year, and that they should speak more then. Then, they exchanged niceties and left.

Snow fell once more as he walked out of the Southern Gate Temple.

Ning Que's face looked extremely pale as he walked down the path leading to the city. The hand holding the big black umbrella was trembling slightly. Mo Shanshan, who was beside him, looked at him and sighed deeply. Then, she wrapped her arm around his. It looked like a lover's hold, but she was actually propping him up.

Mo Shanshan said, ”Even though Guan Hai is young, he has been trained by the elder of Lanke Temple, whose state is high beyond measure. His grasp on the Buddhism art is exceptional and is one of the many powerhouses in the Buddhist Sect. You have surprised me, by winning based on your own cultivation skills and not because of your talisman arrows or the pouch that Master Yan Se left you.”

Ning Que felt pleased with himself when he heard that Guan Hai was a powerhouse of the Buddhist Sect and that he had beat him. Then, he was a little annoyed when he heard that he had surprised Mo Shanshan. He said, ”Do I seem weak to you?”

Mo Shanshan smiled as she looked at the falling snowflakes. ”That's because you're really weak.”

Ning Que was speechless.

Mo Shanshan stopped, then looked at his profile and said in a serious tone, ”But you were very strong today.”

Ning Que replied seriously, ”Thank you.”

Mo Shanshan thought of something, and she asked, ”I think that there was something odd with the talismans that you used in the hall. You shouldn't be able to write such powerful talismans in your current cultivation state and your lack of understanding in Talisman Taoism. The talismans that I wrote were like that before I encountered the Great Blockage Formation at the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine.”

At her current status, she was naturally qualified to measure other Talisman Masters against her own cultivation skills.

Ning Que only remembered then, that the girl's understanding of Talisman Taoism was way beyond his, and could not help but feel uneasy. He thought, that if she could see the weird method that he had used on the Fu paper, or even discover his Dark Methods...

”That was not a talisman.”

Mo Shanshan caught a snowflake in her hands. She looked at the sparkling snowflake melting slowly in her palms and said, ”I understand now. You were using your will like a talisman. Is this the legendary no-boundary spirit of the Academy?”

Ning Que might be a student of the Second floor of the Academy, but he did not know what the no-boundary spirit was. But since Mo Shanshan did not think that he had used the Great Spirit instead of the Qi of Heaven and Earth, he would not try to explain it either.

However, when he heard ”the no-boundary spirit”, he could not help but think back to the day when he had ascended the mountain. He had seen the words, ”There is no boundary to the gentleman” on the stone outside the Wooden door. Could it be that the words held greater meaning?

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