Chapter 389 - 359: Minor Spell Competition (Middle)
Chapter 389: Chapter 359: Minor Spell Competition (Middle)
Tong Mu shook his head. "I’m not sure either. I heard Senior Brother Zhao mention that the Array interferes with one’s mind, and the illusions are extremely realistic. If you were inside, you wouldn’t think they were fake."
"That’s terrifying."
Zhu Cong thought for a moment, then asked, "Well, couldn’t I just close my eyes and walk straight out?"
Tong Mu laughed. "I’m afraid not. The Illusion Array doesn’t just fool your eyes; it confuses your mind. Closing your eyes only makes the illusions more vivid."
"Besides, your sense of direction gets all mixed up in there. You might think you’re walking in a straight line, but you’re actually just going in circles. Just look at Liao Yong and Zhuo Feihu—aren’t they holding each other and spinning around?"
Zhu Cong patted his chest. "No wonder. Senior Brother Zhao is amazing."
Zhao Lin had already reached the edge of the Array. Just as he was about to step out, the illusion suddenly vanished, and he found himself outside the circle.
Elder Wu looked over with an approving smile. "Very good. You are the first one out."
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of Nourishing Essence Pills. "This is your reward."
Zhao Lin stared intently at Elder Wu, but instead of stepping forward to take the reward, he retreated several steps. The scenery before him shifted, and he finally emerged from the Illusion Array.
"Zhao Lin, first place."
Elder Wu nodded with a smile and handed Zhao Lin a bottle of Nourishing Essence Pills.
"Thank you, Elder."
Zhao Lin accepted the pills with a word of thanks, then turned to look back at the Array.
The disciples within the Array were still struggling, making for a pathetic sight.
"Kind sir, kind madam, please give me something to eat... I’m starving to death."
Li Sancai groveled on the ground, crawling forward with one hand raised high as if holding a bowl, his voice choked with tears.
"Haha, what a beggar."
A disciple in the crowd pointed at Li Sancai and burst out laughing.
Zhao Lin shot him a cold look, and the disciple was so frightened he immediately shut his mouth.
Several minutes later, a third-year disciple emerged from the Illusion Array, followed by Lin Chaoran.
When the two saw Zhao Lin standing outside, their faces fell with disappointment.
"Alright, this trial is over."
Elder Wu pressed his hand on the Array Plate, and the Illusion Array immediately shut down.
The illusions vanished. The disciples in the arena awoke as if from a dream, looked at each other, and walked back to their places with sighs.
The third trial: Marksmanship.
Two attendant disciples carried out an iron frame, from which a silver ring was suspended. A thin string was tied to the top of the ring, with a copper coin hanging from it.
The copper coin hung perfectly in the center of the silver ring.
Elder Wu walked over to the iron frame and announced, "During this trial, you may use offensive Magic, such as the Spirit Blade Skill, Spirit Hammer Skill, or Spiritual Needle Skill, to strike the copper coin."
"To prevent anyone from simply using large-scale Magic to hit it by chance, you are not allowed to touch the silver ring when you shoot."
"The distance is fifteen zhang. Each person gets three attempts. A hit is counted if the copper coin rings without the silver ring moving."
Upon hearing this, the disciples all gasped.
At a distance of fifteen zhang, the copper coin was so small it looked like a mere black dot.
Hitting it from such a distance demanded incredible control over one’s Divine Sense and Spiritual Power, requiring extreme precision.
The silver ring was only the size of a small bowl’s opening, which meant that the conjured Spiritual Blade or Spirit Sword could not be too large. It had to pass through the center of the ring.
Otherwise, if the ring rang, hitting the coin would be pointless.
Elder Wu continued, "One more point. After the spell is cast, you cannot use your Divine Sense to alter its trajectory. Doing so will count as a failure."
Hearing this, some of the disciples who had considered participating immediately gave up the idea.
Those who had cultivated the Spirit Blade Skill to the Minor Achievement Level could use their Divine Sense to guide it. If it was slow enough, they could make last-minute adjustments to its course and possibly score a hit.
But without being allowed to alter the trajectory, the initial cast had to be perfectly precise. Being off by even a little would mean a miss.
"Elder, what happens if there’s a tie?"
A disciple asked.
"In the event of a tie, the target will be moved back to twenty zhang. If there is still a tie, it will be moved to twenty-five zhang, and so on."
Elder Wu explained, "The copper coin and the silver ring are both made of refined metal, so you don’t have to worry about breaking them."
"Alright, let’s begin!"
This was the most difficult of the three trials, and far fewer disciples participated than in the previous two—only nine in total.
Aside from Zhao Lin and Lin Chaoran, the rest were all third-year disciples, including Dou Wu and Gong Huaipeng, who were rumored to be favorites to place in the upcoming combat tournament.
The first disciple to compete was named Zhou Tianming. He stared at the copper coin for a long moment, formed a spell seal with his hands, and shouted, "Wood Sword Skill!"
A beam of jade-green light shot from his hand. With a sharp CLANG, the silver ring chimed.
It wasn’t easy to hit the silver ring at all, so scattered applause broke out below.
For his next two attempts, Zhou Tianming made his Wood Sword smaller and slightly adjusted his aim, finally hitting the copper coin on his third shot.
Knowing he had no hope of winning, he shook his head and left the arena.
The second disciple to compete used the Golden Needle Skill, and his performance was a slight improvement over Zhou Tianming’s.
He hit the copper coin twice, though on one of those hits, he also struck the silver ring.
When it was Zhao Lin’s turn as the third contestant, the watching disciples immediately fell silent.
Zhao Lin was the only Martial Cultivator in the Spirit Dao Institute, and he had taken first place at last year’s Dharma Assembly. Every disciple had heard his name.
Combined with the fact that he had just taken the top spot in the Illusion Array trial, everyone was eagerly anticipating his performance.
Zhao Lin released his Divine Sense and locked onto the copper coin.
The previous two disciples’ skill with their Magic was at the Minor Achievement level, but even within the same level, there were clear differences in proficiency.
Zhao Lin’s Magic came from the great Daoist master Miao Kefa; he had inherited the relevant experience. Moreover, he had already mastered a spell to the Mastery Level, so his precision was naturally far greater than the previous two contestants.
"Ice Blade Skill!"
The spell flew forth. The copper coin let out a sharp DING, and the silver ring remained perfectly still.
Zhao Lin had deliberately suppressed the casting time and the density of his Ice Blade, making it look almost indistinguishable from a spell at the Minor Achievement Level.
Even so, Elder Wu was visibly impressed, recognizing that Zhao Lin’s Ice Blade Skill was far superior to that of the previous two disciples.
Zhao Lin stood quietly for a moment, waiting for the copper coin to settle. He then cast two more Ice Blades, both of which hit their mark.
"So precise!"
"He really lives up to his reputation. Amazing!"
The disciples erupted into thunderous applause.
Next, the remaining six disciples took their turns one by one.
After the first round, only four contestants remained: Zhao Lin, Lin Chaoran, Dou Wu, and Gong Huaipeng.
"Move the target back five zhang."
Elder Wu instructed.
The attendant disciples immediately walked up and moved the iron frame back five zhang.
At a distance of twenty zhang, forget the copper coin—even the silver ring was barely visible.
This time, Zhao Lin went first. Once again, all three of his spells struck true.
"Golden Sword Skill!"
Lin Chaoran felt the pressure mount. He aimed for a long time before casting his spell, but it went wide, striking only the silver ring.
He sighed and left the arena, feeling resentful. ’I have an Earth Spirit Root, and my talent for Magic is outstanding, but I’m always being overshadowed by Zhao Lin.’
Next, Dou Wu and Gong Huaipeng took their turns.
Like Lin Chaoran, Dou Wu missed his first shot. Gong Huaipeng, however, landed all three of his.
Without waiting for Elder Wu’s command, the attendant disciples came forward and moved the target back another five zhang.
Zhao Lin glanced at Gong Huaipeng, finally feeling the pressure.
If his opponent also landed all his shots this round, the target would be moved to a distance of thirty zhang.
His own Divine Sense could only reach thirty zhang. At the very edge of its range, it would be difficult to guarantee an accurate shot.
’My Divine Sense still isn’t strong enough!’
Zhao Lin thought to himself, his mind turning to the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill that Elder Wu had mentioned.
’If I cultivated that technique, my Divine Sense could extend further, unrestricted by my cultivation realm.’
Zhao Lin composed himself and cast an Ice Blade Skill.
DING... DING... DING!
Three consecutive times, an Ice Blade passed through the silver ring and struck the copper coin.
Zhao Lin calmly stepped to the side to patiently await the outcome.
Seeing this, Elder Wu was inwardly shocked. ’Zhao Lin’s Ice Blade Skill is already at the peak of the Minor Achievement Level. At this rate, it probably won’t even take him a year or two to reach the Mastery Level.’
Now, the pressure was on Gong Huaipeng.
"Wind Blade Skill!"
Gong Huaipeng waved his hand, sending out a Wind Blade.
The silver ring vibrated.
Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. ’If he had landed all his shots like I did, winning would have been much harder.’
Although he had missed his first shot, Gong Huaipeng persisted and cast his remaining two spells. His final result was one hit out of three.
"Zhao Lin is the winner."
Elder Wu announced.