Chapter 391 - 360: Small Spell-Dueling Meet (Part 2)
Chapter 391: Chapter 360: Small Spell-Dueling Meet (Part 2)
There are two types of offensive Magic. One type, like the Spirit Blade Skill and Spirit Sword Skill, can be wielded like a weapon and sustained as long as Spiritual Power is continuously channeled into it.
The other type, like the Stone Flying Skill and Flame Stream Arrow, are fire-and-forget, instantaneous Magic.
Maintaining the Spirit Blade Skill only requires a small amount of Spiritual Power, but a full-body defensive Magic like the Rock Armor Skill is a different matter.
Tong Wei had intended to bait Zhao Lin into attacking so he could hold out longer, but seeing the situation, he found himself in a bind.
He couldn’t dismiss the Rock Armor Skill, nor could he afford to maintain it. Gritting his teeth, he held on for another moment before finally raising his hand to concede.
And just like that, Zhao Lin won his first match without breaking a sweat.
Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators have a limited arsenal, so whoever lands the first blow usually wins. As a result, the matches progressed quickly.
Zhao Lin’s Minor Achievement Level Ice Blade Skill was nearly unbeatable. He met with little resistance in the second and third rounds, only running into minor trouble during his fourth-round match.
In less than an hour, all the matches for the second- and third-year disciples were over, and the top four from each year had been determined.
The two groups converged on a single dueling ground.
As the fourth-ranked disciple of the second-years, Zhao Lin was the first to step into the arena.
His opponent: Sun Yanqing, the top-ranked third-year disciple.
"Senior Brother Sun."
"Junior Brother Zhao."
The two walked into the dueling ground and bowed to one another. Then, at Elder Nie’s command, they began.
"Stone Flying Skill!"
Sun Yanqing was clearly prepared, unleashing his signature skill right from the start.
Although he had also trained in the Spirit Blade Skill, after witnessing the accuracy of Zhao Lin’s blades, he knew he was no match and decided against using it.
’If Zhao Lin dares to counterattack with his Ice Blade Skill, I’ll just use a Spiritual Energy Shield for defense.’
This was the advantage of a higher cultivation stage. Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining could use two Magic skills at once.
’I can’t manage them both perfectly like a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator—I have to favor one over the other—but as long as I can withstand a single blow, it’ll be enough.’
"Rock Armor Skill!"
Zhao Lin saw through Sun Yanqing’s intentions. With a sharp cry, yellow smoke billowed up in front of him, rapidly solidifying into a rock wall several inches thick.
"Whoa, that Rock Armor is so thick!"
"Judging by the casting time and the armor’s thickness, that has to be the Minor Achievement Level."
"He’s mastered two skills at the Minor Achievement Level! Senior Brother Zhao is a true magical genius!"
The spectating disciples cried out in a wave of astonishment.
The instructor, Yan Yuan, also stared at the arena in shock. He was the one who had taught this Magic to Zhao Lin. ’I hardly ever saw him come to me for guidance. How did he reach the Minor Achievement Level so quickly?’
Elder Nie and Elder Wu exchanged a look. They hadn’t expected that after just over a year of cultivation, Zhao Lin had already mastered both an offensive and a defensive skill to the Minor Achievement Level. Such talent for Magic was a rare sight.
This was precisely the effect Zhao Lin had been hoping for.
THUD THUD THUD...
With a series of heavy impacts, the flying stones struck the rock wall, shattering and disintegrating completely.
Zhao Lin seized the opportunity to dismiss his Rock Armor Skill and unleash his Ice Blade.
Sun Yanqing quickly deployed a Spiritual Energy Shield around himself. Then, forming a new spell seal, he sent a brown stone blade flying toward Zhao Lin.
’The Spiritual Energy Shield’s defense is limited, but it can block at least one attack. That gives my Stone Blade Skill a chance to seize the initiative back.’
Sun Yanqing had it all figured out, but to his surprise, Zhao Lin’s Ice Blade didn’t aim for the Spiritual Energy Shield at all. Instead, it veered in mid-air to intercept the flying Stone Blade.
CRACK!
The Stone Blade shattered, dissipating into nothing.
The disciples were all dumbfounded. ’That was impossibly precise!’ they thought.
The Minor Achievement Level Ice Blade Skill could be controlled with one’s Divine Sense, giving it incredible precision. However, intercepting another spell in mid-air was an order of magnitude more difficult than hitting stationary copper coins. This was a feat approaching the Proficient Level of mastery.
Before Sun Yanqing could react, Zhao Lin directed the Ice Blade to shoot straight for the Spiritual Energy Shield.
Greatly alarmed, Sun Yanqing frantically poured Spiritual Power into his Spiritual Energy Shield, simultaneously forming a new spell seal in an attempt to find an opening and turn the tables.
CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.
The Ice Blade hammered against the Spiritual Energy Shield repeatedly, quickly carving a crack in its surface. Seeing that the situation was beyond saving, Sun Yanqing could only raise his hand. "Junior Brother Zhao, you’re incredible. I lose."
"You went easy on me."
Zhao Lin replied, cupping his fist.
This was the advantage of powerful Magic. Even though Sun Yanqing’s cultivation level was higher than Zhao Lin’s, his skills were not potent enough to fully translate his Spiritual Power into offense and defense.
It was like an untrained brute facing a master martial artist; all the strength in the world was useless, and he would only end up taking a beating.
The expressions of both Dou Wu and Gong Huaipeng changed. They had assumed that with martial arts restricted, Zhao Lin’s power would be severely diminished. They never expected him to be this formidable.
In the following three matches, the third-year disciples won each time, and Lin Chaoran was also eliminated.
The first match of the semi-finals: Zhao Lin versus Gong Huaipeng.
After the two took their places in the arena and completed their salutes, Elder Nie commanded, "Begin!"
"Wind Blade Skill!"
Gong Huaipeng knew Zhao Lin’s Ice Blade Skill was formidable, but his own Wind Blade Skill was also at the Minor Achievement Level. ’Even if he blocks it, they’ll just cancel each other out,’ he thought.
’In a magical duel, there’s no advantage in letting the opponent strike first. Seizing the initiative forces them onto the defensive.’
Just when everyone thought Zhao Lin would surely use his Ice Blade Skill, a red light flashed on his hand. Fire Spiritual Qi rapidly converged, and dozens of flaming arrows shot forth, like a shower of fire.
"Gods, am I seeing things? That’s Flame Stream Arrow!"
"That’s right! At least thirty arrows! It’s at the Minor Achievement Level!"
"But... how did he even practice that?"
The disciples were left completely speechless.
Elder Nie and Elder Wu locked eyes again, each seeing the profound shock mirrored in the other’s gaze.
Gong Huaipeng’s face went pale with shock. It was hard to say whether his Wind Blade would even hit Zhao Lin, but if he didn’t focus everything on defense, he would surely be caught by this spell.
Left with no choice, he had to cancel his Wind Blade Skill and cast a protective spell instead.
"Vajra Shield!"
A golden light flashed, and a transparent yet seemingly solid protective shield enveloped Gong Huaipeng.
The Vajra Shield appeared similar to a Spiritual Energy Shield, but it was actually a Metal Element defensive Magic, with far superior protective capabilities.
After the barrage of impacts, the Vajra Shield shook violently, looking as if it might shatter at any moment.
Gong Huaipeng was baffled. ’My Vajra Shield is at the Minor Achievement Level too,’ he thought. ’How can it not hold up against a Flame Stream Arrow of the same level?’
Suddenly, a realization struck him. ’Of course! Fire overcomes Metal!’
The five elements generate and overcome one another, and Magic is no exception. Fire Element Skills have a natural advantage over Metal Element Skills.
However, Gong Huaipeng was only half right. Zhao Lin’s Flame Stream Arrow only appeared to be at the Minor Achievement Level; in reality, it was a Proficient Level skill he had disguised.
Having gained the upper hand with one move, Zhao Lin gave his opponent no chance to counter, immediately launching another Flame Stream Arrow.
This time the arrows were even more concentrated, every single one striking the Vajra Shield without fail.
BOOM...
Gong Huaipeng braced himself and poured in more Spiritual Power, but the Vajra Shield still couldn’t withstand the assault and shattered into a shower of golden light.
Zhao Lin had already prepared an Ice Blade, which he now shot out with lightning speed.
"I surrender."
Gong Huaipeng’s face went white. He raised his hand to surrender, feeling utterly suffocated and aggrieved.
’I have two Minor Achievement Level skills, and my cultivation is a whole level higher than his, but what happened? From start to finish, the only spell I cast was the Vajra Shield. I just stood here getting pummeled without a single chance to fight back!’
’That’s about enough.’
Zhao Lin remained outwardly calm, but he was cautioning himself inwardly.
’Even a magical prodigy like Miao Kefa had only mastered three Minor Achievement Level skills two years into his cultivation. I should stop here and not reveal any more of my abilities.’
The second semi-final match was an internal duel between two third-year disciples. Dou Wu easily defeated his opponent with his Stone Hammer Skill, showcasing its immense offensive power.
The magical dueling tournament had reached its final match.
"Ice Blade Skill!"
Facing Dou Wu, Zhao Lin went on the offensive from the very beginning, not hesitating for a moment.
’The Stone Hammer Skill is incredibly powerful. If I let him seize the initiative, I’ll be forced onto the defensive.’
And then, what had happened to Gong Huaipeng happened all over again.
Dou Wu was forced to focus everything on defense. His Stone Hammer hung suspended in the air, as he didn’t dare divert any Spiritual Power to command it.
CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...
The Ice Blade weaved and dove through the air, repeatedly striking the exact same spot.
’How is his Ice Blade Skill so powerful?’
Dou Wu gritted his teeth and withstood seven or eight strikes before his shield finally gave way, a two-finger-wide crack appearing in its surface.
"Zhao Lin is victorious!"
Seeing this, Elder Nie didn’t wait for Zhao Lin to press his advantage and immediately announced the outcome of the match.
"He won!"
"Senior Brother Zhao is incredible!"
Zhu Cong, Li Sancai, and Tong Mu began to applaud, and the rest of the disciples quickly joined in. In an instant, the air was filled with thunderous applause.