novelraw Chapter 385: Points Tournament
Chapter 385: Points Tournament
Feng Jue's forehead was already beaded with sweat, yet he still unleashed an even stronger killing move.
A straight and sharp sword aura erupted, forcibly tearing through the layers of obstacles within the Myriad Forms Domain, aiming directly for Chu Zhou's chest.
This single sword strike drained the majority of Feng Jue's spiritual energy, representing the most powerful blow he could currently unleash.
A glimmer of approval flashed in Chu Zhou's eyes as he formed hand seals before his chest.
"All Forms Return to Origin, Suppress!"
The aura around him abruptly transformed. The ever-changing, elusive Myriad Forms Domain contracted, condensing into a pure force as heavy as a mountain, like an invisible colossal seal that pressed down upon the sword aura and the Feng Jue behind it!
"BOOM—!!!"
The sword aura and the invisible giant seal collided violently, erupting in a shocking shockwave of energy.
The stalemate lasted only for an instant before the Army Breaker sword aura emitted a groan of being overwhelmed, shattering inch by inch.
The terrifying suppressing force, its momentum undiminished, slammed heavily into Feng Jue's body."Pfft!"
Feng Jue was struck as if by lightning. Blood sprayed from his mouth, the protective spiritual energy around his body instantly dissipated, and he was sent flying backward. He smashed heavily against the protective light barrier at the edge of the arena, then slid to the ground.
The light from his Startling Swan Sword in his hand completely faded.
He struggled to stand up, but his internal spiritual energy was in chaos, and his meridians screamed with intense pain. After several attempts, he ultimately remained kneeling on one knee, barely supporting his body from collapsing completely with trembling arms.
A crushing defeat, utterly without suspense.
Feng Jue had poured his all, forcing Chu Zhou to use a stronger technique, yet he still couldn't shake his opponent.
The absolute gap in realm and Life Soul was like an unbridgeable chasm.
The referee immediately stepped forward, confirmed that Feng Jue no longer had the strength to fight, and loudly announced, "The winner is Chu Zhou of Kirin Academy!"
The entire venue erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause.
Most of it was directed at Chu Zhou, who had displayed overwhelming strength.
Chu Zhou looked at Feng Jue, who was struggling not to fall completely, gave a slight nod as a gesture of respect, then turned and gracefully descended from the stage.
Medical personnel quickly rushed onto the stage to assist the nearly exhausted Feng Jue down.
Online discussions buzzed about the match.
"Objectively speaking, Feng Jue gave it his all. Everyone saw the sharpness of the Startling Swan Sword, forcing Chu Zhou to use his big move, All Forms Return to Origin, to suppress it. An SS-grade fighting an SSS-grade, with a two-stage difference, to reach this level is an honorable defeat."
"While that's true, reality is just this harsh. Chu Zhou's Myriad Forms is too comprehensive, offense and defense integrated, with endless variations. It feels like he hasn't even gone all out. The barrier of top-tier geniuses is truly difficult to surmount."
"Vermilion Bird Academy's run this year is basically over. Feng Jue was their last hope in the individual tournament, and now he's down too. Looking at their remaining lineup, making it into the top twenty would be an overachievement."
"What else can Vermilion Bird Academy do now besides missing Su Zhan? It's a shame that no matter how talented Su Zhan was, he's already part of the past."
"Look at Kirin Academy and Azure Dragon Academy, SSS-grade geniuses emerge one after another. Vermilion Bird Academy is really suffering from a lack of new talent..."
...
When Feng Jue was assisted back by the medical staff, his face was somewhat pale. Excessive spiritual energy consumption coupled with internal organ shock left him looking extremely weak.
"Poker Face!"
Liu Ziming was the first to rush forward, supporting his other arm, his face full of concern. "Damn it, that guy's Life Soul is too damn cheesy!"
Xu Hao also stepped forward, giving Feng Jue's uninjured shoulder a firm pat, and managed to squeeze out a sentence: "...You fought well."
Wang Mingyuan looked at Feng Jue, checked his injuries, and said solemnly, "Some meridian shock, spiritual energy exhaustion. You need to rest quietly for a few days. You did very well, exceptionally well."
Looking into Feng Jue's unyielding eyes, knowing this kid was holding back a fire in his heart, he continued gently, "Losing to Chu Zhou is no disgrace.
You made him see the backbone of Vermilion Bird Academy. That's enough.
The path of a true powerhouse is long. A single victory or defeat doesn't decide everything.
Remember this feeling today. It will become the driving force for your future breakthroughs."
Feng Jue nodded silently, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Teacher, I'm fine."
The Five Great Academies' Grand Competition employed a combined format of round-robin points and knockout stages.
After determining the top 400 contestants, it didn't immediately proceed to the next single-elimination round. Instead, these 400 people were regrouped for several days of points-based ranking matches.
This was to ensure the rankings more accurately reflected the contestants' true strength, avoiding excellent contestants being eliminated early due to premature encounters between top contenders.
Indeed, it would take three more days for all 400 contestants to complete their current round of points matches.
For Abyss Realm powerhouses with access to various recovery elixirs, as long as the injuries weren't life-force damaging, these three days were sufficient to adjust their condition back to peak.
After taking the precious elixirs provided by the academy and receiving personal treatment from Wang Mingyuan, Feng Jue's damaged meridians and exhausted spiritual energy recovered about seventy to eighty percent by the second day.
Yet, the memory of that crushing defeat at Chu Zhou's hands was etched deep into his heart.
In the subsequent points matches,
Xu Hao and Liu Ziming also faced their own battles.
Their luck wasn't as extreme as Feng Jue's; they didn't directly encounter those monsters with SSS-grade Life Souls.
But anyone who could make it into the top 400 was undoubtedly an elite from their respective academies. Their strength was at least at the Abyss Realm level, their Life Souls mostly SS-grade, with extremely rich combat experience and skills.
Although both of them achieved victories, the processes were exceptionally difficult, and their wins were hard-fought.
At this level of competition, they no longer held absolute advantages. Every victory required giving their all, sometimes even sustaining injuries.
Vermilion Bird Academy's prospects in the Grand Competition remained grim.
On the points leaderboard, the rankings of Feng Jue, Xu Hao, and Liu Ziming all hovered in the mid-to-upper range. The hope of charging for higher positions grew increasingly slim.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere enveloped the entire academy.
They could only fight match by match, striving to secure the best possible rankings to maintain the academy's last shred of dignity.
...
Black City.
City Lord's Residence.
Within an elegant tea room reserved for receiving the most important guests.
The fragrance of tea wafted, refreshing and pleasing to the senses.
Mo Yuan and Zhang Daoxuan sat facing each other, separated by an ancient, simple tea table.
Unlike the previous public occasion at the banquet,
this meeting involved only the two of them.
Zhang Daoxuan was still dressed in a simple, deep gray Zhongshan suit, his hair and beard meticulously groomed, his gaze gentle and serene.
He took a light sip of the spiritual tea personally brewed by Mo Yuan and praised, "Excellent tea. Vibrant with spiritual energy, calming the mind and focusing the spirit. A rare treasure. You old fox really know how to enjoy life."
Mo Yuan smiled, his expression relaxed. "Just some crude tea from the mountains. Can't compare to your private collection. What wind has blown you, such a busy man, to my humble abode? Surely not just to mooch some tea?"
Zhang Daoxuan set down his teacup, the smile on his face fading slightly. "Old Mo, we've known each other for many years. Regarding some matters, I won't beat around the bush."