Chapter 178: Chapter 57: Battle for the Champion

Before the martial arts tournament officially began, the two men politely clasped their hands and said to each other, “Please instruct me.”

So, if you say instruct, you instruct.

After Chu Huaixu retracted his right hand, he placed it behind his back.

He cares about appearances, so Han Shuangjiang couldn’t see his hand trembling uncontrollably after forcibly retracting his Sword Qi.

But the audience behind him could see it.

This man in a black robe, who had fought his way through numerous opponents, had not held back against any female cultivators.

He had long been labeled as ruthless towards women.

Yet, this very person performed such an act just now.

This kind of double standard, depending on the person, was actually like blatant favoritism in front of everyone.

He didn’t seem to be a man who didn’t understand gentleness or courtesy.

It’s just that this side of him wouldn’t be shown in front of these female cultivators.

— “Chu Huaixu slightly despises women.”

Perhaps a parenthesis should be added afterward, except for a certain person.

And not to mention, with a light tap on the forehead, then followed by “that’s enough,” it was quite imposing.

The audience, mostly young people, had a voice in their hearts saying, “I’ve learned.”

If there’s a chance in the future, maybe they could try it too?

Especially those self-proclaimed romantic sword cultivators, who noted it down mentally.

On the stage, the girl was still a bit dazed.

Because the aggressive Fingertip Sword Qi indeed caused her heart and mind to tremble, and her pupils quivered.

But in the end, it transformed into a light yet forceful guidance.

She had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Chu Huaixu’s gentle tap seemed to unlock something.

…

…

On the high platform, these great cultivators did not expect such a scene to occur.

Earlier, someone was ready to step in personally to maintain order, fearing Chu Huaixu might actually hurt Han Shuangjiang.

But who would have thought this kid risked Spiritual Qi backlash and damage to his meridians by forcibly retracting his Sword Qi.

In fact, Chu Huaixu wasn’t afraid of pain, and the self-healing ability of the Dao Scripture was outstanding, so he recovered quickly.

Li Chunsong and the others had smiles akin to doting aunts on their faces.

“I told you there was something going on between those two!” The dead gambling dog turned his head to Zhao Shuqi sitting next to him.

The Daoist Five Elders and Daoist Six Elders were known to be “proper and upright,” but privately, they lacked demeanor.

The Charitable Gambling King was quite emotional, feeling incredibly regretful that he couldn’t start a betting pool on their romantic entanglement!

This way, I could win again!

But Situ Cheng and others focused on different aspects than the rest.

Though Chu Huaixu had Lu Pan’s array restriction and Jiang Zhi helped hide his aura, he was, after all, one of the Four Great Divine Swords and ranked second among sword cultivators of the era.

If Chu Huaixu didn’t use the Sword Heart, he wouldn’t notice.

But once he did, he would catch a glimpse of the peculiarity.

“Why is there an aura of Sword Heart?”

“But how can there be a Sword Heart in the First Realm!”

“Could it be, he’s already touched the threshold of Sword Heart?”

“But his Sword Intent isn’t at Great Perfection!”

It’s said you don’t necessarily need Great Perfection of Sword Intent to condense a Sword Heart.

But you should at least reach the Realm of Great Success, and Chu Huaixu seems to have just started.

“With suppression on sword cultivators and an aura of Sword Heart.”

“This kid truly exudes an aura of strangeness inside and out!”

Situ Cheng wanted to ask, but thinking about the array and Technique hiding the aura on Chu Huaixu, this already represented the Daoist Sect’s stance.

If I ask, it would only embarrass me, appearing as if I’m overly curious about the Daoist Sect’s sword cultivators as a higher-up in the Sword Sect.

“No way, no way, at that time, they would only get even more complacent!” He immediately gave up the thought, planning to observe more in the finals.

On the stage, Chu Huaixu looked at Han Shuangjiang, seeing her still a bit dazed, he asked in a light yet surprised tone, “What? Senior Sister Han still won’t admit defeat?”

The dead fox started being cheeky again.

The Big Ice Cube’s Celestial Human State was completely broken, and her once silver-white hair turned back to ink black.

She looked at him steadily, for a long time.

Until, in the end, Chu Huaixu was unnerved by her gaze.

Just when he felt a bit puzzled, Han Shuangjiang clasped her hands, “I admit defeat.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the coldness on her aloof face dissipated, showing rare liveliness and a hint of girlish cunning, with a smile she added a title to the phrase:

“Junior Brother Chu.”

….

….

The first match of the Top Four in the East Continent tournament thus ended.

The process was incredibly splendid, and the conclusion was thought-provoking.

Chu Huaixu had made a name for himself across the entire East Continent.

If today’s match spreads, it might become a legendary tale, possibly embellished by storytellers.

But not including the storyteller on the high platform.

Jiang Zhi, who had consumed countless Anti-Aging Pills, Moisturizing Pills, and White Skin Pills yet remained extraordinarily ordinary-looking, found the final scenes on stage exceedingly glaring!

Jealous by nature and adding unrequited love, he was further consumed by jealousy.

In the past, Chu Yinyin’s master often remarked, “Junior Martial Uncle is not only dark and unattractive, but also incredibly dull, he doesn’t possess any romantic sensitivity.”

But as someone ranked second on the Accompanying Play Must-Eat List, some attributes were maxed out.

With Chu Huaixu, he truly couldn’t bring himself to like him in any aspect.

Thankfully, the second match started.

Xu Ziqing, carrying a massive sword box, started striding onto the stage.

He had witnessed his senior brother’s “guidance” to Senior Sister Han earlier in its entirety.

Xiaoxu felt a twinge of envy in his heart.

Compared to Han Shuangjiang’s gentleness, Chu Huaixu was generally very strict with him and rarely praised him.

Just as he became slightly dazed, his opponent, Chen Haoran, also stepped onto the platform.

With the hosting of two Inner Sect disciples, the two saluted each other.

That Chen Haoran made it this far in the tournament was not just due to luck; he wasn’t weak to begin with.

When he put forth his full effort, even Xu Ziqing, who was temporarily only at the Sixth Heaven of the First Realm, had to open the Sword Box.

Once he grasped the sword with his left hand, the outcome was beyond doubt.

Xu Ziqing’s left hand was instantly ruined by himself, but if it wasn’t for squinty-eyed Zhao Shuqi stepping in to save the situation, Chen Haoran would have been dead.

In terms of excitement, this match was definitely less thrilling than the last.

Yet the crowd still marveled at Xu Ziqing’s left-hand sword.

Having seen it a second time, the shock was no less than the first.

“Such a terrifying sword, who can possibly block it?”

“This shouldn’t be the power of the First Realm at all!”

“Not sure if Chu Huaixu can handle it either.”

On the stage, the tiles in front of Xu Ziqing had been completely shattered.

Every time he wielded his sword, half of the platform was destroyed.

Sect Leader Xiang Yan sat on the high platform and was already contemplating.

“For the fight for the top spot the day after tomorrow, we’ll need a bigger stage and more Arrays in place.”

The day’s matches had all concluded, and the Martial Arts Arena dispersed.

Xu Ziqing, dragging his heavily injured body, originally wanted to chat a bit with his senior and Senior Sister Han.

Unexpectedly, in front of everyone, Jiang Zhi openly called him away.

This astonished the ordinary disciples of the Daoist Sect and those from the Outer Sect.

“Junior Martial Uncle actually called Xu Ziqing away?”

He’s actually following the Junior Martial Uncle!?

Among the Outer Sect Disciples, such precedent had never been set!

Suddenly, many people began to find Xu Ziqing’s strength somewhat reasonable.

“It must be because he was trained by the Junior Martial Uncle.”

“No wonder, so he’s esteemed by the Junior Martial Uncle.”

Countless people began to feel immense envy.

Xiang Yan, watching this scene, felt a mixture of helplessness, feeling that the Junior Martial Uncle was as whimsical as ever.

Since the Daoist Sect is segmented into Junzi Temple, Inner Sect, and Outer Sect, it certainly implies differentiated treatment.

Jiang Zhi’s approach was against the rules.

Even though Xu Ziqing is a Sword Attendant and quite special, such matters shouldn’t be made public.

Everyone watched as the Junior Martial Uncle openly flew away from the Martial Arts Arena with Xu Ziqing, exchanged glances, and all revealed looks of resignation.

As a result, their Junior Martial Sister of this generation also began to publicly act out!

When the Junior Martial Uncle was around, Chu Yinyin didn’t dare to be too audacious.

Now that he had left, she too wanted to secure some prestige for her future apprentice!

“It’s just standing by someone in public!”

“I can do it too!”

She stood up directly on the high platform and loudly said, “Chu Huaixu, come with me for a moment.”

Xiang Yan and others: “…”

The youngest of the previous generation and the youngest of this generation are both difficult characters!

They were still inwardly criticizing, “You, in the mere Sixth Realm, what’s the point of standing by Chu Huaixu.”

“Junior Martial Sister, do you even know your limits?”

Chu Huaixu didn’t mind, on the contrary, he was willing to cooperate.

In his eyes, “Such an easily agitated and loudmouthed young girl, what’s the difference from a toy that reacts with a squeeze?”

“Quite adorable, chirping like that.”

…

…

On the other side, Jiang Zhi flew swiftly, soon bringing the severely injured Xu Ziqing back to Junzi Temple.

He tossed him a Spirit Pill and instructed him to take it for recovery.

Jiang Zhi, looking at the delicate youth, said, “The day after tomorrow is the fight for the top spot. What are your plans?”

“Uh, plans?” The youth was stunned for a moment.

He had no plans, leaving it entirely to his senior and Junior Martial Uncle to decide.

If Chu Huaixu told him to concede, he would gladly do so, willingly handing over the illustrious title of the East Continent’s top spot.

After all, he felt his true strength was indeed lacking compared to his senior, far behind.

Moreover, the gap between the rewards for first and second places is vast.

He felt those treasures rightfully belonged to his senior.

Even if he got them, he would privately offer to give them to his senior.

As long as Chu Huaixu expressed interest, Xiaoxu would unhesitatingly present them with both hands.

However, Jiang Zhi gave him a faint glance.

“I know exactly what silly thoughts are running through your head,” the Junior Martial Uncle said irritably, growing slightly agitated.

“But let me tell you, you don’t understand the depth of this matter or the intricacies within.”

“The East and West Continent tournament isn’t as simple as you think.”

“So, for the match the day after tomorrow, I want you to win!”

After finishing, he gently pointed at Xu Ziqing’s right arm with his finger.

Jiang Zhi looked at him, his expression serious, issuing a stern command in an unmistakable tone:

“For the top spot battle, I want you to wield the sword with your right hand!”

…

(ps: Second update, asking for monthly votes~)

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