43: Chapter 40 Luck 43: Chapter 40 Luck After Chu Xisheng won, a beam of blue light sent him down from the stage.
At that time, the other three stages were still in fierce combat, with six third-layer disciples fighting each other.
Their strengths were evenly matched, with no significant gap, which made their battle particularly intense and difficult to determine the winner.
Chu Xisheng simply sat down to rest and watch the battles.
What caught his attention the most was the southern stage, where one person used the Chasing Wind Saber, following a fast sword style with a flash of lightning; the other person wielded the Nine Palace Sword with a continuous flow, like drifting clouds and flowing water.
Both were also proficient in the ‘Light Cloud Jump,’ moving swiftly across the stage, nearly leaving afterimages.
Chu Xisheng could tell that these two had martial arts skills that were clearly superior to the other two stages.
Even Liu Xingruo, the chief of the West Courtyard, paled in comparison to them.
So much so that the two referees on the stage were tense throughout the fight, always staying within two zhang, ready to intervene at any moment.
Chu Xisheng watched the young man with the saber with a focused expression.
This person’s sword skill led Chu Xisheng to a deeper understanding of Chu Yunyun’s teachings.
However, as he concentrated intently, oblivious to the passage of time, a sudden turn of events occurred on stage.
The young man wielding the saber executed the ‘Wind Cloud Sudden Change’ move of Chasing Wind Saber, which suddenly increased his sword speed by at least fifty percent!
The term ‘Secret Technique Totem’ instantly came to Chu Xisheng’s mind—it was the ultimate prize of this examination.
This type of tattoo, engraved on the body, can enhance one of their practiced moves by fifty to sixty percent.
However, the young man with the sword reacted immediately.
The sword in his hand darted out like a Thunder Snake, striking back with an attack just as fast as his opponent.
This abrupt change caught the two referees by surprise, and they failed to react in time.
By the time they intervened, one had almost had his right chest pierced by the sword, while the other had a blood mark cut across his neck, damaging his trachea.
In the end, it was a situation where both were injured.
Chu Xisheng couldn’t help shaking his head in regret for both of them.
The strength of these two made them either the first or the second among the Inner Sect Disciples.
Chu Xisheng doubted that even if three of him joined forces, they would be no match for any one of them, yet the two of them encountered each other early on and both fell during the second round of live exams—a real pity.
By this time, the winners had been determined on the other two stages.
The light projected by the green Jade Plate changed again, and two more stages on the field collapsed and crumbled, turning into specks of colorful fluorescence that dissipated.
Chu Xisheng’s figure was once again moved to the stage on the left.
However, there was no one in front of him, just an empty space.
Chu Xisheng couldn’t help but blink and thought that he must have gotten a bye?
He really was far too lucky—
At this time, all the instructors of the Five Schools, including Ye Zhiqiu, were looking at Jian Cangfeng with dark faces and hostile eyes from the high platform in the North Courtyard.
It would have been fine if Senior Brother Jian had cheated, but he did it so blatantly.
Even Ye Zhiqiu could not stand it anymore.
Lei Yuan was also filled with helplessness, rubbing his forehead with a headache: “Senior Brother Jian, this Chu Xisheng is quite fortunate.
Was his opponent randomly assigned by the ‘Four Symbols Decision Plate’?”
He was subtly reminding the Inspector to consider the impact and act with some decorum.
Jian Cangfeng knew when to stop and let out a hearty laugh, taking his hands out of his sleeves and casually lifting his teacup: “Indeed, the lad is quite lucky, but the abilities of the disciples you train are even more impressive.
They’ve left a deep impression on me.
“What were the names of those two disciples just now?
At less than fifteen years old, they’ve already achieved the Third Layer of Nourishing Essence Skill, and possess combat power beneath the Eighth Rank, forecasting a great future.
This needs to be well-documented, so the elders are informed.
Junior Brother Lei, please take the trouble to allocate a few additional Essence Building Pills for them and instruct the healers to treat them well, ensuring no complications are left behind.”
As soon as he said this, North Courtyard Instructor Qiu Feng and Southern Courtyard Instructor Gao Yang both relaxed slightly.
The two who had been injured on the stage just now were their disciples.
Chu Xisheng had stepped onto the platform for a moment, only to be sent back down by the green light.
He could only sit back down cross-legged, waiting for the results from another platform.
After about fifteen minutes of fierce fighting, victory was finally decided, and it was a tall, pale-faced youth who won.
This person, about fifteen years of age, wore a blue disciple uniform threaded with lots of golden silk, and his garments had also been altered to appear particularly form-fitting.
On his head, he wore a plumed crown, and his feet were shod in a pair of silver-threaded black boots, the attire of a young and graceful nobleman, though he carried his nose high in the air, and his face shape was a bit like that of a hippopotamus.
When both were moved to the platform at the same time, the pale-faced youth looked surprised and also somewhat delighted, bowing to Chu Xisheng: “I am He Chao from the West Courtyard.
I never expected that my final opponent would be Junior Brother Chu!
Recently, there have been rumors in the Martial Arts Academy that Junior Brother Chu’s strength has already reached the top of the Inner Sect.
I didn’t believe it initially, but now it seems there might be some truth to it.
I am fortunate this time to be able to witness Junior Brother Chu’s brilliant moves, so please, hold back a little.”
Though He Chao spoke such words, his eyes already revealed a trace of coldness.
He was determined to secure this final victory.
He Chao had some understanding of Chu Xisheng; it was said that his Primordial Skill had only reached the Second Layer.
He Chao couldn’t understand how Chu Xisheng had eliminated his Senior Brother Liu Xingruo and made it to the final round, but surely it wasn’t by genuine skill.
After all, how strong could one be with only the Primordial Skill Second Layer?
Chu Xisheng returned the gesture without a change in expression: “Of course!”
His arrival in the finals was indeed solely due to luck.
At first, his Martial Arts Points inexplicably jumped to thirty-seven, followed by Senior Brother Liu Xingruo from the West Courtyard’s failed attempt to trap someone, only to be trapped himself.
What came next was even less of concern; he encountered a Second-Leaf Disciple in the second round, and in the third round he had a bye.
This stroke of luck was so good that it made his heart flutter—
But by this time, Chu Xisheng could no longer entertain thoughts of giving up easily.
The ‘Secret Technique Totem’ allowed for any one of his Chasing Wind Saber moves to be amplified by fifty to sixty percent in strength, a significant boost to his combat power.
Moreover, having observed He Chao’s battle, Chu Xisheng had come to a clear understanding of He Chao’s Martial Arts characteristics and combat habits.
Having come this far, he had to give it his all no matter what.
Chu Xisheng took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the ‘Light Cloud Jump’ in the system’s fluorescent screen.
—Do you want to use three Martial Arts Points to upgrade ‘Light Cloud Jump’ to the first layer?
Chu Xisheng found that the number of Martial Arts Points needed to upgrade any given Martial Arts Skill was related to his proficiency in it.
The more proficient he was in a Martial Arts Skill, the deeper his mastery, the fewer Martial Arts Points it required to upgrade.
Correspondingly, the less familiar he was with a Martial Arts Skill, the more Martial Arts Points it required to upgrade.
Chu Xisheng unhesitatingly chose to agree, and as the ‘Light Cloud Jump (Uninitiated)’ in the Martial Arts column changed to ‘Light Cloud Jump (First Layer)’, an unusual warm current once again grew within him.
His mind felt as if it were being stung by needles as a series of foreign memories suddenly formed.
These were images related to Light Cloud Jump, allowing him to comprehend all the mysteries and key points of the Light Cloud Jump’s first layer in an instant.
His muscles also warmed slightly as they formed muscle memories related to Light Cloud Jump.
At the same time, the Martial Arts Instructor responsible for judging and overseeing tossed a copper coin into the air.
“Pay attention, the moment the coin falls, you may begin!”
At that instant, the gazes of over four thousand spectators outside the arena were captively drawn to that copper coin.