Section 60: Wei Qi’s Challenge
By Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
Checking the calendar, and comparing it to memories from his past life, the Dunhuang Country Lord was indeed scheduled to die around this time.
Jin Bihan’s emotions naturally became extremely unstable. Her father had promised to support her for two years before she left. However, less than a year later, he had passed away. There were naturally many intriguing details surrounding this.
She had foreseen this possibility, but she hadn’t expected this day to arrive so quickly. What was the cause of her father’s death? Which faction was responsible? Should she abandon her original goal and return to take charge of the situation?
Panic, anxiety, confusion, worry, heaviness, sorrow, and a trace of fear.
Jin Bihan’s mind was in turmoil. She had secretly shed many tears, but being strong-willed, she never cried in front of others. This was true even for Chu Yun.
“Since your mission is to learn ‘Tremor Nine Heavens,’ then continue with it. With your royal status, if you were to return now, wouldn’t you just be imprisoned and controlled by various factions, becoming a puppet? Princess Jin Bihan has already disappeared; if you, a distant royal relative, were to return, you wouldn’t achieve much.”
Chu Yun’s words made Jin Bihan reluctantly decide to stay at the Academy.
“What you need to do most now is to obtain ‘Tremor Nine Heavens’ as quickly as possible. Then, thoroughly research its methods and transform them into your own strength. Challenge me, and I will intentionally lose to you. If you end my winning streak, you will earn a large number of academic credits.”
This time, Jin Bihan did not refuse Chu Yun’s proposal. The two staged a scene in the đấu trường. The news of Chu Yun’s honorable defeat to Shi Jiaming spread throughout the Academy that very day.
“What? The formidable ‘Young Tiger’ actually lost to an unknown nobody?” Many were astonished. Jin Bihan had always kept a low profile at the Academy, and this was her chance to make a name for herself.
“You didn’t see it; Shi Jiaming was indeed ferocious. He possesses the ‘Golden Butterfly Shadow’ Dao, his movement techniques are like illusions, and Chu Yun couldn’t do anything about it.” Scholars who were fortunate enough to witness the match offered their opinions. The play staged by Chu Yun and Jin Bihan was indeed very convincing, and Chu Yun’s loss was such that it didn’t arouse suspicion.
“So, this Shi Jiaming is the number one person in the Academy?!” The scholars were astonished. For the past half-year, Chu Yun had been almost invincible in their minds, as formidable as a tiger with overwhelming might. To think he had actually lost. This was truly surprising.
Wei Qi was thrilled upon hearing this news. He immediately went to Ning Yiyi’s residence and excitedly informed her.
“Oh, thank you for the notification, Young Master Wei. Yiyi understands,” Ning Yiyi replied calmly. In fact, she was surprised at how calm she felt upon receiving this news.
Wei Qi, happy, continued to pester Ning Yiyi. The latter, feeling impatient, finally spoke, “No one can win every battle. Even losing one match is not unexpected. Do you, Young Master Wei, believe you can defeat Chu Yun?”
“Uh…” Wei Qi was momentarily stunned, his face flushing awkwardly. He finally retreated.
The disturbance subsided, and Chu Yun resumed his winning streak. As Ning Yiyi had said, an occasional loss was normal. However, in the minds of the scholars, Chu Yun’s almost invincible image had indeed been diminished significantly. Only Yan Que knew the truth and admired Chu Yun even more. After all, young men of this age were competitive, and few possessed such broad-mindedness and disregard for fame.
During this period, his adoptive father, Shu Tianhao, frequently wrote letters filled with anticipation for the future and passion for life. In his letters, he repeatedly praised Master Yu Ya. He mentioned that Master Yu Ya was not only powerful but also gentle and not at all arrogant, unlike some masters. Previously, Shu Tianhao had personally sought out other weapon-forging masters, only to be rebuffed and treated coldly, naturally developing some prejudice against them. Master Yu Ya, however, had experienced ups and downs in life, which had tempered his disposition, making him gentle and exceptionally good-tempered. This amazed Shu Tianhao and others. In his letters, he further praised Chu Yun’s capabilities, expressing astonishment and relief that he could find such a talented individual.
Chu Yun was also happy. This happiness wasn’t due to being praised or because the powerful warship of Shu Island was under construction, but because Shu Tianhao’s outlook on life had become more passionate and energetic. The Fierce Tiger of Many Stars had been dispirited and withdrawn since losing his arm. He had to bear the burden of Shu Island alone, facing hardship, and his mindset had never been so optimistic. However, from the letters, Chu Yun saw a gradually improving and increasingly spirited Shu Tianhao. Chu Yun silently analyzed that, on one hand, Shu Island’s development and increasing strength had lifted Shu Tianhao’s spirits. On the other hand, it was likely due to Master Yu Ya. Master Yu Ya shared a similar past with Shu Tianhao; they had both experienced glory and downfall. Now that Master Yu Ya had returned to his peak, this living example must have resonated with Shu Tianhao.
Jin Bihan pursued her mission with almost fanatical dedication, quickly earning the title of “Mission Maniac.” Chu Yun and Yan Que did their best to assist her. Her academic credits began to soar at a remarkable pace. In comparison, Chu Yun’s credits fluctuated around 20. He now understood that he wasn’t the type of person who could accumulate credits. Credits simply wouldn’t stay with him once he got them. Just like the 150 credits he had earned previously, they had vanished without him realizing it.
He had added the “Great Dragon Pattern” Dao to the Drunken Snow Saber. He replaced the lower-grade movement technique “Collision” with the middle-grade “Tiger Descends the Mountain.” He replaced the lower-grade “Half-Moon Slash” with the middle-grade “Snow Moon Heavenly Surge.” With this, the Drunken Snow Saber no longer contained any lower-grade saber techniques. It now boasted one upper-grade saber technique, “Great Dragon Pattern,” and the near-supreme “Soaring Sky.”
As for the Star-Fixing Bow, Chu Yun paired it with “Volley,” “Starlight Flash,” “Arrow to the Heavens,” “Small Feathers,” and the renowned “Meteor” archery technique! He was very interested in the Meteor Archery technique, but when he tried to use it, it had no effect, just as others had said. Even though the Meteor Archery technique had been activated, the arrows shot were limp and extremely slow, unable to even pierce wood. “It seems that only by comprehending the so-called Meteor’s profound mystery and re-consecrating the arrows with a specific spiritual will can the true Meteor Archery technique be used!” he realized after many failures.
Three weeks later, after achieving dozens of consecutive victories, he intentionally lost to Jin Bihan in the đấu trường once again. Jin Bihan thus gained a large amount of academic credits. The Academy was once again abuzz, with various reactions. However, an undercurrent had begun to form, and the number of people challenging Chu Yun gradually increased. Chu Yun was satisfied with this; he had been worrying about the lack of challengers, which slowed down his accumulation of winning streaks.
Two weeks later, after accumulating a considerable number of consecutive wins, he lost to Jin Bihan again, helping her obtain a large amount of academic credits. The scholars’ hearts became even more agitated. The myth of Chu Yun’s invincibility had been broken. Repeated losses were very telling. Especially at this time, many Pills with effects close to the Rise Pill had been developed. The profit from the Rise Pill in the market had already been steadily declining, and now it suffered a severe blow, with profits becoming negligible. Chu Yun simply made the Rise Pill Prescription public and ceased manufacturing the Rise Pill. This situation further diminished Chu Yun’s image in the minds of the scholars. Humans are forgetful creatures; it is normal to forget past pains once healed. Half a year was enough for Chu Yun’s once sky-high prestige to fall to another level. Especially his repeated losses to Jin Bihan exacerbated the collapse of his influence. The matter of the Rise Pill was also a contributing factor.
“Chu Yun is nothing special, and the Rise Pill’s Prescription seems quite ordinary.”
“It’s natural for a young man to be full of ambition for a time; it’s like waves rising and falling.”
“The ‘Young Tiger’ reminds me of the former ‘Fierce Tiger of Many Stars’; both had a period of brilliance and then fell into a slump. Being repeatedly defeated by Shi Jiaming is truly astonishing.”
An undercurrent was surging, gradually forming a tide. The 13 and 14-year-old youths were all proud, and they were all geniuses from their respective islands; no one was willing to admit defeat. Chu Yun’s current “decline” stirred the petty ambitions of the scholars to compete. However, the current situation was still delicate. Chu Yun had only lost to Shi Jiaming, and their battles were fierce. Everyone was watching. If someone could appear at the opportune moment and defeat Chu Yun again, Chu Yun’s influence would be completely shattered. This was an opportunity, a golden chance to become famous at the Academy! Many scholars ranked at the top were harboring ambitions. Among them was Wei Qi.
Wei Qi was tempted. He was already a dominant figure in the Academy, and Chu Yun’s arrival had completely overshadowed him. He harbored great resentment and secretly hated Chu Yun. On this day, he approached Ning Yiyi and frankly declared, “Chu Yun is nothing special. He got arrogant previously, and he really thought he was capable. This time, I, Wei Qi, will publicly crush him and humiliate him so much that he regrets being born into this world!” His face was full of confidence, and his fighting spirit was exceptionally high, as if he had prepared a trump card and was not afraid of Chu Yun’s perfected saber techniques.
“Oh? Is that so…” Ning Yiyi’s expression was calm, seemingly unconvinced of Wei Qi’s ability. Wei Qi felt a pang of shame and annoyance at her expression, and he spoke with dissatisfaction, “Yiyi, don’t you believe in me? Fine! I’ll defeat Chu Yun right now and show you my true strength! Who does Chu Yun think he is? I’ve already seen through his saber techniques! However, when I return victorious, I hope you, Yiyi, will be my girlfriend.” He was stout and not good-looking. As he spoke, his eyes blazed with desire, and he greedily scanned Ning Yiyi’s body. He swallowed hard, appearing coarse and lewd.
Ning Yiyi felt disgusted, but her face remained calm as still water. Her delicate and beautiful eyebrows slightly raised, and she said, “If you can truly win, what’s wrong with being your girlfriend?” Wei Qi immediately became ecstatic, rubbing his hands together and saying joyfully, “Great! With your words, Yiyi, that’s enough! It’s enough!”
“However, a tiger is still a tiger. What confidence do you have to defeat the battle saber in Chu Yun’s hand?” Wei Qi laughed heartily and revealed his tactic. Ning Yiyi’s eyes also showed surprise as she listened. She looked at Wei Qi, secretly marveling: It was hard to believe that despite his brute appearance, he could devise such a despicable tactic. However, with this strategy, he would indeed be in an invincible position. At worst, it would be a draw. Thinking of this, Ning Yiyi’s heart skipped a beat. She certainly wanted to see Chu Yun’s prestige completely vanish and him fall from grace. Wei Qi’s tactic, though shameless, truly gave her hope!
“Then Yiyi will wait here for Young Master Wei to return victorious,” she said, smiling charmingly at Wei Qi. Wei Qi’s eyes immediately widened. Ning Yiyi had never smiled at him like this before! He was instantly captivated, feeling light-headed as he walked out of the chamber, filled with fighting spirit.
“Chu Yun, you will bow before me. I will let you know what it means to be frustrated and what a disastrous defeat is!”
