paranoianovel Chapter 233 - 160: Defeat Everyone, Part 2
Chapter 233 - 160: Defeat Everyone, Part 2
Jiang Man fell silent.
’Overload?’
So, to be fast with Sword Flight, you didn’t just need a high-level Sword Control Technique, but also a good enough Spirit Sword.
Old Huang confirmed it.
Not only that, but a cultivator with high Cultivation also had to suppress their Spiritual Qi, or its sheer density could snap the Spirit Sword.
At that moment, Jiang Man finally understood just how ordinary a common Spirit Sword truly was.
He also realized how vast the amount of Spiritual Source a Sword Cultivator had to spend.
These swords were not something an ordinary person could afford.
From the looks of it, Zhuo Bufan and Zhao Yaoyao were the wealthiest in the courtyard—they were both Sword Cultivators, after all.
"I wonder when Forging techniques will improve and expand the production of Spirit Swords," Jiang Man lamented.
He remembered someone had told him about this.
It probably wouldn’t be many more years.
Once mass production expanded...
...a Spirit Sword worth over ten thousand would only cost five thousand.
A few years after that, it would only be three thousand.
And if they had a trade-in program, it’d be two thousand.
He could afford two thousand.
Then everyone would be using Sword Flight.
「Noon.」
Gao Rong and Su Qinya came to find him.
"It’s about time. We have to go," Su Qinya reminded him.
Jiang Man nodded. "I can leave right now."
"Do you have a Spirit Sword?" Su Qinya paused before adding, "If not, you can ride with Junior Brother Gao."
Jiang Man shook his head.
He had been waiting to use Sword Flight for a long time; there was no way he would miss the chance to fly on his own sword.
"Then follow me. The competition venue is quite far from here. If we’re late, we’ll be disqualified," Su Qinya warned.
She then rose into the air on her sword.
Gao Rong did the same.
Jiang Man glanced at their Spirit Swords.
Su Qinya’s was a common Spirit Sword, about the same as his.
Gao Rong’s was much better.
’So rich.’
They then flew toward the mountain range behind the sect.
Besides them, many other people were heading there on their swords.
Thousands of Flying Swords streaked through the sky.
It was an exceptionally spectacular sight.
However, Jiang Man noticed that Gao Rong and Su Qinya only had a gentle breeze brushing their faces, their robes fluttering lightly.
Meanwhile, he was being buffeted by a gale.
Seeing Jiang Man’s predicament, Su Qinya flew to his side, and an aura of power enveloped him.
Then, her pleasant and lively voice reached him. "The Wind-Collecting Technique. It’s one of the Magic Skills you need to learn for Sword Control. It’s similar to Giant Swordsmanship, but this is only a Mid Grade Technique. It has defensive properties."
Jiang Man was speechless. "..."
’It’s just Sword Control, why does it come with so many add-ons?’
’A Mid Grade Wind-Collecting Technique... I wonder how much Spiritual Source that costs.’
Jiang Man took a closer look and noticed that quite a few people were like him, flying without the Wind-Collecting Technique.
He then moved away from Su Qinya and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister, but I don’t need the Wind-Collecting Technique."
Su Qinya herself merely gave a slight nod, her expression unchanging.
Gao Rong, however, was quite curious. "Flying without the Wind-Collecting Technique can easily affect your condition. Or does it not matter if your Cultivation is high enough?"
Jiang Man looked at Gao Rong and smiled. "That’s not it."
"Then what is it?" Gao Rong asked.
Jiang Man answered truthfully, "Because I already have a dao companion. It wouldn’t be right to get too close to an unfamiliar woman."
Gao Rong was taken aback.
He hadn’t expected that answer.
’That was a bit offensive.’
’A prodigy truly doesn’t need to care what others think.’
Curious, he glanced at Su Qinya, but her expression remained completely unchanged.
’A genius really doesn’t show their emotions.’
In reality, Su Qinya felt no emotion at all.
She just found him childish.
’So what if he has a dao companion?’
’Doesn’t that make him an easier target?’
She just needed to proceed according to her plan.
As the members of the First, Second, and Third Courtyards set out...
...in a tavern on Red Water Peak, Zhuo Qingcheng sighed. "So, in the end, Zhuo Ling was unwilling to yield?"
"That is correct," the Shopkeeper nodded.
Zhuo Qingcheng fell silent.
The Shopkeeper asked curiously, "My lady, do you think this Jiang Man is worth Miss Zhuo Ling humbling herself for? His performance is indeed good now, but who can say what the future holds."
"If it were Young Master Zhuo Bufan, it would make sense for her to yield and cooperate."
"But Miss Zhuo Ling is only a step away from the Golden Core."
"She should be able to enter the Inner Sect this year."
Zhuo Qingcheng was silent for a moment.
She recalled the Evil God Domain.
She understood that staying up all night wouldn’t affect Jiang Man, but she couldn’t be sure about his future.
All she could do was remind the relevant people.
She had tried to persuade Zhuo Ling, but unfortunately, Zhuo Ling did not approve of Jiang Man and his all-night cultivation.
All the examples laid before her showed that this all-night Cultivation method was likely most brilliant only during the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Starting from the Golden Core, it would lose its luster.
Not to mention anything beyond that.
No matter how much of a genius he was, he would eventually fade into mediocrity.
"Zhuo Ling isn’t wrong, though," Zhuo Qingcheng mused. "Fixed mindsets... everyone is like that. If it were me, I would probably make the same choice."
After that, Zhuo Qingcheng left, no longer intending to involve herself in the affairs of the Outer Sect.
With Zhuo Bufan still there, it wasn’t a total loss.
It just meant they couldn’t advance things further.
The impact wasn’t significant.
After all, Zhuo Ling might not have succeeded anyway.
Besides, a proud and spirited person like Zhuo Ling might not have gotten along well with Jiang Man.
Perhaps not teaming up was for the best.
The Shopkeeper grew more and more confused. What on earth had this Jiang Man done to warrant Miss Qingcheng’s attention?
He was already supposed to keep an eye on the man, but now it seemed he needed to pay even closer attention.
—
Before a mountain gorge, a group of people hovered on their swords.
Jiang Man noticed many people were using the most common type of Spirit Sword. It seemed no one was willing to waste too much money on them.
At that moment, a stone monument in front of the gorge lit up.
Then, the members of the First Courtyard charged in on their swords.
The rules of the competition were that the First Courtyard went first, followed by the Second Courtyard.
The Third Courtyard was on the outermost perimeter; if they could fight their way in, they could compete with those inside.
And Jiang Man would have to fight the people from the Third Courtyard on the outskirts.
Soon, the second stone monument lit up.
Su Qinya said, "I’ll be waiting for you inside."
Then she flew inside on her sword.
After them, the Third Courtyard entered.
"I’m heading in first," Gao Rong said as he also flew in on his sword.
Jiang Man wasn’t completely alone, however.
There were five others with him.
They were the prodigies from the Fourth and Fifth Courtyards.
Three of them were at Foundation Establishment Perfection, and two were in the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.
"No one from the Sixth Courtyard came this year either," a burly man said, looking at the group.
But his gaze soon landed on Jiang Man. "The Seventh Courtyard sent someone, though. That’s a rare sight."
The five of them consisted of three men and two women.
They all looked at Jiang Man.
They had all heard about someone coming from the Seventh Courtyard.
But they had never actually seen Jiang Man before.
"Have you guys been here before?" Jiang Man asked curiously.
"I have," the burly man answered.
"Then what are we supposed to do next?" Jiang Man asked.
"Go in, fight anyone you see, and just keep fighting your way through," the burly man said with a smile. "The good stuff is all in the First Courtyard’s territory."
"The things in the Third Courtyard’s area are the most common."
"Besides, for the First, Second, and Third Courtyards, the competition awards other prizes based on ranking."
"Ranks fifty to one hundred get a corresponding amount of Spiritual Source."
"The top fifty get some Magic Skills and Cultivation Skills."
"And occasionally, they even give out Spirit Swords."
As he spoke, he glanced at the Spirit Sword at Jiang Man’s feet. "Not a common Spirit Sword like the one you’ve got, of course. Those things break after just a few uses. You can’t even use your Sword Control Technique at full power with it."
At that moment, the stone monument lit up again.
"It’s our turn to go in," one of the women said.
The six of them then flew inside on their swords.
Since it was Jiang Man’s first time, he could only follow behind them.
Just as they entered, they saw three people at the edge of the gorge. Their gazes were challenging, and they looked ready to attack at any moment.
"See them? Those are people from the Third Courtyard. Defeating them earns you a corresponding evaluation, and the higher the evaluation, the higher your rank," the burly man said after a moment of thought. "Simply put, the more people you defeat, the closer you get to the top of the rankings."
He paused, then continued, "Who wants to give it a try? Half of us are here for the first time, after all. If you can’t even handle these senior brothers and sisters from the Third Courtyard who are hunting us, you might as well just be here for show."
His gaze fell directly on Jiang Man. "Junior Brother, want to give it a shot? You look like you could really use a good ranking."
Jiang Man thought for a moment and said, "If I defeat everyone from the Third Courtyard, and then everyone from the Second Courtyard, can I get into the top fifty?"
Hearing Jiang Man’s words, the burly man, who had been teasing him just a moment ago, froze.
It was as if he hadn’t quite heard what Jiang Man said.
’Are you kidding me?’
Then, a crimson sun rose.
Its light shone upon the three opponents.
Before anyone could react...
BOOM!
The light swept past.
An immense power exploded outward.
The three experts from the Third Courtyard who had been about to hunt them were sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting up blood.
"Just one hit? I guess I’m just too strong," Jiang Man’s voice rang out.