Section 29: Cheating?
2013-02-09 Author: Gu Zhenren
Returning from the restaurant, Chu Yun took his usual medicinal bath. After waking up that night, he headed to the southern district again for the sparring and exchange.
This was already the sixth day of the Academy’s grand competition and the third day of the sparring and exchange sessions. According to the schedule, the first sparring event was the sealing project.
Chu Yun’s punctual arrival surprised the Academy staff presiding over the event. The Wushuang contestant was actually not late this time!
And his opponent this time was none other than the arrogant young man, Li Yi, whom he had met at the registration desk.
Li Yi was nervous and excited. It wasn’t because of Chu Yun, as he didn’t know Chu Yun’s background yet. It was because he saw Brow Saber Master and Sunflower Master standing by the sparring arena.
“Heavens! Two authoritative masters in the Engrave Seal realm, and I actually have the honor of being noticed by them?” Li Yi’s heart surged with emotion.
“Today is unusual. There are many spies from the grand competition lurking around,” Brow Saber Master subtly scanned the surroundings and said softly to Sunflower Master.
“That’s inevitable. Wushuang’s monstrous performance would sooner or later attract the attention of the Academy’s grand competition,” Sunflower Master said nonchalantly. “However, his opponent this time is quite weak. If only one of the masters were present.”
“This child can be considered a rising star in the sealing world. I hope he isn’t too discouraged and loses his confidence this time,” Brow Saber Master said, looking at Li Yi with concern.
Li Yi trembled with excitement, almost fainting from happiness. He roared in his heart, “The two masters are looking at me, bestowing encouraging gazes upon me! Li Yi, you must work hard, defeat the clown opposite you, and live up to the masters’ expectations!”
He clenched his fists, cheering himself on.
“The task for this round is to condense three Engrave Seals onto a blank scroll. The Engrave Seals must be of fire, water, and earth attributes. The time limit is three hours, and the primary evaluation criterion is the strength of the seal. Begin.” The Academy staff handed one blank scroll each to Chu Yun and Li Yi.
As the two entered their respective private chambers, Sunflower Master said, “Do you think he’ll achieve it in one go this time, condensing the Engrave Seals in an instant?”
“How would I know?” Brow Saber Master rolled her eyes at Sunflower Master, her emotions complex. She held both anticipation and a reluctance for Chu Yun to succeed too easily.
Chu Yun, of course, could not complete the task instantly. The Dao Transformation method could only be used to remove seals. However, creating Engrave Seals still required the assistance of the Immortal Consorts on the Blissful Joy Ship.
In the end, he spent half an hour and emerged from the private chamber, submitting his work.
“What exquisite craftsmanship! Three Engrave Seals of fire, water, and earth, layered together to form a system, increasing the seal’s strength threefold. However, it’s not a composite seal, so the difficulty isn’t high, and it consumed little time!” Sunflower Master, despite his effeminate demeanor, was still a master and had a discerning eye. With a glance, he perceived the intricacies.
“Without a doubt, this is indeed the work of a master-level hand,” Brow Saber Master also exclaimed.
Two more hours passed, and Li Yi strode out of the private chamber, his heart filled with the desire for victory.
However, reality was cruel.
“How, how is this possible?” Upon seeing Chu Yun’s work, Li Yi was stunned.
He looked at the young man before him in disbelief. This was clearly the work of a master. Was the other party a monster?
This sparring match was without suspense. Chu Yun defeated Li Yi with a significant advantage.
“My debut! My future!” Thinking of the two masters watching him, Li Yi wanted to cry but had no tears. How could he have encountered such a freak as Chu Yun?
“No, impossible! You’re only around my age, how can you be so powerful! You’re cheating, you must be cheating!” Li Yi roared, pointing at Chu Yun, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with rage.
Chu Yun didn’t even look at him. A person who couldn’t accept defeat, lacking the magnanimity to admit it, was simply not qualified to be his opponent. Not now, and not in the future.
“Yes, yes! You cheating scoundrel! You think you can leave? Explain yourself, tell us how you cheated. Strive for lenient treatment from the Academy’s grand competition.” Seeing Chu Yun leave, Li Yi strode forward, shouting loudly, blocking Chu Yun’s path.
Did Chu Yun cheat?
Of course not!
Monster Tamers were inherently a profession that relied on their demonic creatures. Whether it was weapon forging, pill refining, or anything else, they needed to rely on demonic creatures for refinement.
It was just that Chu Yun’s demonic creatures were special. They were the Blissful Joy Ship, created at the cost of the Tang Jin Kingdom Lord’s nation. Most of the Blissful Immortal Consorts were once prodigies of the master level. They paid the price of their lives to become Demon Soldiers. Their skills were also inherited.
Chu Yun directly relied on them for weapon forging, pill refining, and other tasks. The nature of his actions was the same as others—relying on demonic creatures. Li Yi also couldn’t draw seals solely by himself; he had to use demonic creatures to perform Dao methods.
Chu Yun did not cheat at all. It was simply that the Blissful Immortal Consorts were too powerful and unique. Possessing them was akin to having countless masters as your logistical support.
Why did others not have the help of the Blissful Immortal Consorts?
Chu Yun did not cheat at all. If one were to claim he cheated, wouldn’t that be unfair to the owner of the Blissful Joy Ship? Even the Tang Jin Kingdom Lord, resting in the netherworld, would probably rise up to retort, “Damn it, I paid such a tragic price back then to create an unprecedented Blissful Joy Ship, and only then did I get these benefits.”
What, you don’t like it? If you don’t like it, go build one yourself!
Beside them, Sunflower Master and Brow Saber Master frowned in unison.
“This child is being somewhat unreasonable. His temper is narrow-minded, and he lacks the demeanor of our Engrave Seal masters. He cannot stand to see his peers surpass him, and his future achievements will be very limited,” Sunflower Master remarked.
“The key is that he’s talking nonsense without any evidence. It’s clear he just can’t accept his crushing defeat and is seeking an excuse to console himself and find other reasons for his failure,” Brow Saber Master shook her head slightly, extremely disappointed in Li Yi.
Just then, a group of people appeared and approached Chu Yun.
“Are you contestant Wushuang? We are staff members of the Academy’s grand competition. You have participated in eighteen events and won every single one, achieving an astonishing record. It’s truly unprecedented. We know this is highly presumptuous, but you must understand our intentions. Please forgive our boldness, as your performance is truly awe-inspiring.” The speaker bowed and spoke in a diplomatic and courteous tone.
“I understand. How do you want me to cooperate? To be frank, I absolutely cannot demonstrate the refining process in public,” Chu Yun said with a smile.
He wasn’t surprised; he had anticipated such a situation.
His performance was simply too superhuman. Surpassing ordinary people by one step often evoked jealousy, as the proverb goes: “A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.” Surpassing them by ten steps would evoke admiration, making one an idol in people’s hearts.
But the crucial point was that Chu Yun had surpassed ordinary people by far. It wasn’t ten steps, but a hundred.
Surpassing by one step or ten steps was still within the realm of human capability, a stage that humans could achieve. The world would be jealous and envious.
But surpassing by a hundred steps was no longer human. It was beyond human power, simply inconceivable. In such cases, people’s first emotion would be suspicion.
How is this possible? Humans cannot achieve this. But he did. What other explanation could there be?
Cheating!
Li Yi’s outburst and suspicion actually represented the thoughts of the vast majority of people.
“What! Won all eighteen events?” Hearing the Academy staff, Li Yi burst into laughter. He had been unsure earlier, but now he felt confident. He raised his index finger, pointed at Chu Yun’s nose, and shouted, “You’re too arrogant, too presumptuous. Cheating shouldn’t be done like this. This is a blatant provocation to the sacred Academy grand competition! As a scholar and a member of the esteemed Academy family, I cannot tolerate this, I absolutely cannot tolerate it!”
He trembled with excitement, his voice growing louder and more piercing. By the end, it was almost a shriek, causing the Academy staff beside him to frown.
“You shut up immediately! You’re an embarrassment to us Engrave Seal masters!” Brow Saber Master could no longer hold back. With a cold snort, like a basin of ice water, she doused the excited and heated Li Yi, chilling him to the bone.
“M-Master…” Instantly, the roaring Li Yi was silenced as if his throat was choked, his face full of fear, stuttering.
“Master Brow Saber and I personally witnessed contestant Wushuang’s actions and removed seals in an instant. We both admit defeat to his Engrave Seal skills. Neither of us detected any cheating. Young man, your insight is very unique. Have you found any evidence? Tell me about it…” Sunflower Master said softly, but to Li Yi, these words were like thunder.
“So the two masters came specifically to watch Wushuang!” Li Yi finally understood the truth. He trembled all over, his face ashen, and he couldn’t utter a single word.
Evidence? He had merely blurted out his words in anger and humiliation, unable to accept such an outcome. Where was any evidence?!
“Actually, proving this point is quite simple. Our Academy has gathered a group of masters. As long as contestant Wushuang can engage in a brief exchange with these masters verbally, it will suffice. Demonstrating the refining process on the spot would greatly harm contestant Wushuang’s personal interests, and we understand this,” the Academy staff leader said at this point.
Chu Yun nodded. This scenario was also within his expectations. He had a Spirit Contract with the Blissful Immortal Consorts, allowing for very discreet and convenient mental communication. Communicating with other masters would naturally leave no trace.
However, Chu Yun did not intend to agree readily. Instead, he said, “If you cannot do something yourself, you assume others cannot either.
What narrow-mindedness and petty arrogance this is. I am very angry. Your suspicion is an insult.”
“Please forgive us, contestant Wushuang!” the Academy staff leader quickly bowed. “After proving contestant Wushuang’s innocence, the Academy will certainly offer significant compensation.”
“Oh, what compensation?” Chu Yun’s eyes lit up. After all this talk, wasn’t this exactly what he was waiting for?
The other party immediately replied, “You can enter the Divine Treasury World in advance and have three complimentary exchange opportunities.”
Chu Yun was surprised, and then overjoyed. He had never expected the Academy’s compensation to be so sincere!
(To be continued) [Provided by Qingfeng, Recruitment]
