Chapter 390 - 360: Small Spell-Fighting Meet (Part 2)
Chapter 390: Chapter 360: Small Spell-Fighting Meet (Part 2)
"Senior Brother Zhao truly keeps his word. I’m impressed!"
Tong Mu praised, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Of course! If they allowed martial arts, Senior Brother Zhao could have swept all three championships by himself."
Zhu Cong puffed out his chest and deliberately spoke loudly, looking as if the honor were his own.
With Tong Mu winning one match and Zhao Lin winning two, their small group of four was suddenly the center of attention.
The magic-dueling meet officially began shortly after.
Nearly a hundred disciples were participating in the duels. Since holding one match at a time would be too slow, two arenas, each fifty zhang long and wide, were marked out for the competition.
Normally, the dueling grounds for Qi Refining Realm cultivators were over a hundred zhang, but since most disciples were in Early-stage Qi Refining and their attack range was only twenty to thirty zhang, a fifty-zhang square arena was sufficient.
The second-year and third-year disciples each occupied one arena. They would determine their respective top four, who would then be pitted against each other to decide the ultimate victor.
Two elders served as referees. Since magical treasures were forbidden, the competition wasn’t very dangerous, so no special protective Array was set up. The elders simply reminded the disciples to be mindful of their power and hold back.
There was no need to draw lots. The disciples were simply ranked according to their cultivation level.
Then, the top-ranked would be pitted against the bottom-ranked. For example, first place would face last place, second place would face second-to-last, and so on.
"I’ve finished explaining the rules. Does anyone have any questions?"
Elder Wu asked, his gaze sweeping across the assembled disciples.
"Elder, Junior Brother Zhao Lin is a Martial Cultivator. He can’t use his martial arts in the duels, can he?"
Gong Huaipeng raised his hand, asking a question.
He considered himself a contender for the championship but knew he would be no match for Zhao Lin if martial arts were allowed. Thus, he had to ask.
"Of course. Only Magic is allowed. I’ve already made that clear to him."
Elder Wu understood the disciple’s concern and answered with a smile.
"Junior Brother Zhao’s Body Technique is faster than the Divine Movement Skill. Does that count as martial arts?"
Gong Huaipeng pressed on.
Zhao Lin raised his eyebrows. ’He really knows how to pick his questions. Is he trying to limit my speed too?’
Elder Wu pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "Zhao Lin’s Body Technique is indeed a great advantage, but restricting it completely would be unfair to him."
Saying this, he glanced at Zhao Lin. "How about this: the Body Technique can only be used for defense and evasion, not for attacking or pursuing. Zhao Lin, do you agree?"
"I agree."
Zhao Lin agreed readily.
"The Elder is wise."
Gong Huaipeng quickly added.
"Alright, let’s begin."
Elder Wu waved his hand. "Show off your skills, everyone! Let the matches begin!"
Hearing this, Lin Chaoran and the forty-fifth ranked disciple walked into the arena.
The other disciples gathered around the arena to watch.
There was no suspense in this match, so Zhao Lin turned his gaze to the other arena.
The disciple entering from the third-year side was named Sun Yanqing, currently the only Qi Refining Fifth Layer disciple in the Spirit Dao Institute.
"Senior Brother Sun."
"Junior Brother Yang."
The two of them cupped their fists in greeting.
"Begin the match!"
Following Elder Nie’s command, the two began casting their spells simultaneously.
Sun Yanqing started with a Stone Flying Skill, and dozens of fist-sized stone projectiles whistled through the air.
The disciple named Yang was clearly aware of the gap between him and Sun Yanqing. He didn’t even think of attacking, instead using a Wood Element defensive Magic: Fence Skill!
Wood Element Spiritual Qi transformed into dozens of tough Ink Bamboos, which intertwined to form a bamboo fence in front of him.
Zhao Lin had seen Sheng Jinlong use this Magic before. Its defense was extremely sturdy, but the Yang disciple was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, so the effect was naturally worlds apart.
BANG BANG BANG...
After a series of violent impacts, the bamboo fence was reduced to a pile of splinters.
"Golden Needle Skill!"
Sun Yanqing’s hands formed a Spell. Gold Element Spiritual Qi condensed into a slender dagger, and with a flash of cold light, it stopped less than half a foot from Junior Brother Yang’s face.
"Senior Brother Sun, your skills are superb. I lose."
Junior Brother Yang said, dejected.
Dou Wu was the second to compete.
He cultivated the Earth Spirit Hammer Skill, also known as the Stone Hammer Skill, which Zhao Lin had already witnessed during the archery competition.
The advantage of this Magic was its great power and destructive force; its disadvantage was a lack of flexibility.
Sure enough, as soon as the match began, Dou Wu directly summoned his stone hammer and launched a ferocious assault, smashing through his opponent’s defenses in a few blows.
"Dou Wu wins!"
Elder Nie announced.
The entire process took less than two breaths.
Zhao Lin narrowed his eyes. ’When fighting an opponent like that, I have to seize the initiative from the very beginning. Otherwise, if I get stuck on the defensive, it’ll be hard to turn the tables.’
"Senior Brother Zhao, it’s your turn."
As he was pondering, Zhu Cong’s reminder sounded in his ear.
Zhao Lin had opened thirty Spiritual Acupoints, ranking him fourth among the second-year disciples, so his turn to compete came quickly.
"Senior Brother Zhao, please go easy on me."
The disciple facing Zhao Lin, a young man named Tong Wei, said half-jokingly.
"I should be asking Junior Brother Tong to go easy on me."
Zhao Lin joked back.
"Match... begin!"
The moment Elder Wu’s voice fell, Zhao Lin flicked his arm and unleashed an Ice Blade Skill.
In a cultivator’s duel, speed is paramount.
Knowing he couldn’t out-speed Zhao Lin, Tong Wei pointed a finger in front of himself. A cloud of yellow smoke instantly rose and solidified into a thick rock wall.
Rock Armor Skill!
Zhao Lin smiled faintly. The ice blade flew over Tong Wei’s head, where it hovered without attacking.
’The Rock Armor Skill’s defense is excellent. Even at a merely proficient level, it would take at least four or five strikes from my ice blade to break through.’
’I have several more matches after this; I can’t afford to waste too much Spiritual Power so early on.’
Elder Wu couldn’t help but nod to himself. Being able to secure a victory with minimal cost was enough to show that Zhao Lin’s understanding of Magic was far beyond that of most disciples.