The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 39: Chapter 37: Glorious in Defeat

The pain searing through her body drove Xi Yueyao into a frenzy, and she shrieked as she charged at Zhou Chen.

"Aaaargh! I’ll whip you to pieces, you bastard!"

Xi Yueyao was blinded by rage. At this moment, fear was nonexistent in her eyes. Her only thought was to charge forward and whip Zhou Chen into a pulp.

Her long whip kicked up waves of dark red energy. This was the strength-based Secret Technique she had learned, [Chaotic Lash]. Due to her unique power foundation, Chaotic Lash’s direct damage wasn’t high, but its advantages were its wide range and completely unpredictable attack patterns.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The dark red waves of energy crisscrossed, like a gale sweeping through leaves, nearly filling half the arena platform. Although Zhou Chen’s aptitude was outstanding, his combat skills were ultimately lacking. He could only swing his longsword, doing his best to block the onslaught.

’She does have a few tricks up her sleeve. As expected of Xiyue Frost’s sister.’ Feeling the sting of the Chaotic Lash, Zhou Chen finally started to get serious.

But Xi Yueyao’s fury hadn’t cooled. She roared and gave chase. Through her Crystal Eye, she could clearly perceive Zhou Chen’s current condition: Chaotic Lash had only depleted one-third of his Qi Blood, while she had already lost two-thirds of her own.

Seeing Xi Yueyao charge at him, Zhou Chen had no choice but to take her seriously. He parried several blows from the whip with his sword, then seized an opening and struck.

This strike was completely different from before. If the Three-Point Sword Qi was an area-of-effect skill, then this attack was undoubtedly a devastating single-target one.

Zhou Chen’s aura surged dramatically. As his Magic Power flared, he thrust his sword toward Xi Yueyao at an astonishing speed!

"One-Sword Decision—!"

The crowd below the stage erupted in gasps. Even the senior faculty in the stands were agape.

"That’s Elder Gu’s signature technique, [One-Sword Decision]! It’s said to be incredibly lethal and even has a sharpness-boosting effect!"

"Whoa, he really is Elder Gu’s Direct Disciple."

"[One-Sword Decision] is a high-tier technique. Zhou Chen is only level eighteen, so the Magic Power consumption must be huge."

"No kidding! You can’t just learn an advanced Secret Technique whenever you feel like it!"

In the stands, Elder Gu nodded, his eyes narrowed in satisfaction with Zhou Chen’s performance.

Dean Zhao Hao was even more excited. "Elder Gu was right. With Zhou Chen’s current strength, he really has a chance to shine in the academy championship."

"Naturally. My One-Sword Decision is no joke. Besides, Xiao Chen has already raised his proficiency with it to 32 points," Elder Gu said with self-satisfaction.

"Thirty-two points? He’s a rare genius indeed!" Zhao Hao exclaimed in amazement.

Over with Feng Hao, everyone’s expressions grew grim. Even though they were only watching from the sidelines, they could clearly feel the terrifying aura of [One-Sword Decision]. It was undoubtedly a true finishing blow.

"Boss, is our Class Rep going to be in danger?" Li Mufeng asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"Relax..." Feng Hao mused. "It’s true that Yao Girl loses her head easily, but she’s also terrified of dying. She shouldn’t be foolish enough to take that head-on."

"Are you sure?" Li Mufeng was still worried.

Feng Hao clicked his tongue, feeling a little uneasy himself. When he’d coached Xi Yueyao on combat techniques, the girl had been most interested in skills for escaping and self-preservation. As a result, her fundamentals in defensive footwork and dodging were very solid.

’I just don’t know if she can pull it off in this situation,’ he thought. ’After all, a fighter’s mentality has a huge impact on the outcome.’

On the arena platform, the cold, murderous aura of the One-Sword Decision snapped Xi Yueyao back to her senses. She felt conflicted and panicked. ’Oh no, that’s a terrifying Secret Technique! Maybe I should just give up. I really don’t want to get hurt!’

However, a shout from Beixing Ran in the crowd instantly reignited her fighting spirit.

"Go, Zhou Chen! Help me beat that damn girl senseless!" Beixing Ran shouted, gritting her teeth and shaking her fists.

Hearing Beixing Ran’s voice, Xi Yueyao flew into a rage. Amidst her fury, her mind paradoxically cleared, and various combat techniques surfaced. "You’re pissing me off!"

In that instant, the One-Sword Decision was already upon her, a faint glint of the blade hiding immense power.

"You’ve already lost!" Zhou Chen said with a confident smile.

"Nonsense! I won’t lose!" Xi Yueyao huffed. Her footwork suddenly became methodical. As she rapidly retreated, she used her long whip to harass Zhou Chen.

BANG!

The air seemed to freeze at the tip of the One-Sword Decision’s blade. After a brief silence, an unparalleled, tyrannical aura erupted.

Just when everyone thought Xi Yueyao was about to be defeated, she did something that left them all dumbfounded.

She rolled sideways to the right. While it looked a bit clumsy, she had effectively dodged the brunt of the One-Sword Decision’s force. As she came out of the roll, she flicked her wrist, sending the long whip to coil around Zhou Chen’s left ankle.

"Hmph! Let’s see you act so smug now!"

Completely ignoring her own critically low health, Xi Yueyao unhesitatingly yanked Zhou Chen to the ground. She then roared and charged forward, raising her whip and lashing out wildly. "I’m serving justice on behalf of the heavens! I’ll whip you two shameless adulterers to death!"

The sudden turn of events stunned Zhou Chen. Seeing the whip lash out, he hastily raised his sword to defend himself.

Zhou Chen was Elder Gu’s Direct Disciple, after all. His reaction speed was clearly a cut above the other students. Combined with his absolute advantage in genetic data, he defended with ease.

Moreover, while defending, he also wove in several blasts of Sword Qi from a Basic Secret Skill, quickly chipping Xi Yueyao’s health down to below 10%.

"The match is over. Zhou Chen is victorious!" the referee announced, his voice tinged with hesitation.

According to the rules of the combat assessment, a participant was considered defeated if their health dropped below 10% or they left the arena platform. Xi Yueyao had only a little over four thousand points of Qi Blood left. Although her vitality helped her recover some, she still couldn’t withstand Zhou Chen’s Sword Qi.

The match was over, but the crowd was still roaring. Who could have imagined that Xi Yueyao would be able to push Zhou Chen that far?

"You’re truly skilled. I underestimated you." Zhou Chen did have some magnanimity, it was just that Beixing Ran’s influence had made him act foolishly.

"Hmph, you sneaky bastard!" Xi Yueyao was clearly unconvinced. She muttered a curse and stomped off the arena platform, pouting.

In the stands, the senior faculty were in utter disbelief. Although Xi Yueyao’s aptitude was good, there was still a considerable gap between her and Zhou Chen.

"Excellent, excellent. Both of the Xiyue Family’s daughters are outstanding," Zhao Hao praised involuntarily.

Elder Gu, however, looked displeased. In his opinion, Zhou Chen hadn’t used his full strength at all. "Xi Yueyao’s performance was indeed good, but Xiao Chen wasn’t going all out."

"Oh?" Zhao Hao paused, his gaze flickering. "Are you saying Zhou Chen was holding back?"

"Naturally..." Elder Gu said, feigning an air of mystery. "With Xiao Chen’s combat power, his real stage is against the second and third-years."

"Does Elder Gu mean that Zhou Chen intends to challenge the second and third-years?" another Elder asked incredulously.

Elder Gu smiled but said nothing, though his eyes clearly held the answer.

As she came down from the arena platform, Xi Yueyao swaggered with an arrogant posture, the very picture of someone who had been gloriously defeated.

"Class Rep, you’re amazing! To be able to fight Zhou Chen to a standstill like that!" Zhang Meng came forward, eager to flatter her. Feng Hao and the other two gathered around as well.

Xi Yueyao was extremely susceptible to praise. Hearing his words, she practically puffed up with pride. "Of course your Class Rep is amazing! If that guy hadn’t used some cheap trick, I might have actually won."

"Alright, girl, stop being so smug!" Feng Hao said irritably. "Zhou Chen was obviously holding back. Did you really think you could beat him?"

"Nonsense!" Xi Yueyao retorted. "You’re just jealous of me!"

"Why would I be jealous of you?" Feng Hao was exasperated.

"Hmph, you’re just jealous!"

Feng Hao laughed in exasperation, not bothering to argue with her. He took a Tier Three Blood Recovery Pill from his Spatial Ring and said, "Here, take this pill and recover."

"I don’t want it." Xi Yueyao turned her head away, pouting.

Thankfully, Yue Linglong arrived at just the right moment. She looked at Xi Yueyao, her beautiful eyes filled with satisfaction as she nodded. "Yaoyao, you performed well. You didn’t bring any shame to Class One."

"At least Teacher Yue knows what to say." Xi Yueyao rushed to Yue Linglong’s side, pouting.

"Alright, alright, I know you’re amazing. Now, hurry up and take the pill," Yue Linglong said gently.

Only then did Xi Yueyao accept the Blood Recovery Pill and begin to meditate and recover by herself.

At the same time, Yue Linglong’s gaze fell upon Feng Hao. Her expression was hesitant as she asked, "So, are you confident you can defeat Zhou Chen?"

"Oh, I’m plenty confident. I’m just afraid Teacher Yue won’t believe me," Feng Hao said with a smirk.