Chapter 214: Chapter 204: Inner Court Competition (2)
October 12th. An auspicious day.
Auspicious for travel, breaking ground, meeting friends, and new ventures.
To avoid unwanted attention, the internal competition was arranged in the inner institute’s training grounds. Aside from a few elders from the Xingyun Sect who had come to watch, the only attendees were the inner institute disciples, instructors, and elders from the three sects.
In the center of the training grounds were four rectangular areas paved with dark gray bricks. Each was ten zhang long and six zhang wide, the same size as the arenas used for the Martial Arts Assembly.
The disciples sat on the ground, with the three sects occupying the eastern, western, and southern edges of the field. The elders and instructors, meanwhile, were seated on the viewing platform to the north.
In the past year, the Xingyun Sect’s inner institute had gained four new disciples, all familiar faces Zhao Lin had seen back at the Wuxiang Institute: Lin Qiutong of the Cyan Wood Department, Guo Enze of the Water Mirror Department, and the brothers Du Zhong and Du Nian from the Earth Department.
’This gender ratio...’
Zhao Lin scanned the crowd and noticed that the Li Yang Sect had two female disciples, and the Southern Suppression Sect had three.
The Xingyun Sect had the fewest, with Lin Qiutong being their only female disciple.
’It’s even lower than an engineering university in my past life!’
Then again, it made sense. The martial path was a highly confrontational discipline. Due to the innate physical differences between men and women, the disparity in strength was enormous.
In his past life, men and women would never have been allowed to compete in the same arena.
"Brother Zhao, the one ranked fifth in the Li Yang Sect is likely Chao Duan. You might end up fighting him, so keep an eye on him."
The disciples were seated in order of rank, and Xiang Shaofeng was next to Zhao Lin. When he saw Zhao Lin looking around, he assumed he was sizing up the competition and offered some information.
"Chao Duan, is that the red-faced one?"
Zhao Lin looked over toward the Li Yang Sect. In the fifth seat from the right sat a large, red-faced man with a beard like steel needles growing from his chin.
At a glance, the man looked to be at least forty, making it hard to believe he was a disciple under thirty.
Xiang Shaofeng said, "That’s him. Chao Duan is at the Second Layer of the Blood Realm and cultivates the Thick Earth Profound Wood Skill. I fought him three years ago, and he was an incredibly tough opponent."
Zhao Lin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He cultivates a dual-attribute Basic Cultivation Skill?"
Martial Cultivation Techniques are divided into Basic Cultivation Skills and Energy Application Techniques.
The Sea Return Skill is a Basic Cultivation Skill, which determines a martial artist’s cultivation level and qi attribute.
Energy Application Techniques, on the other hand, are skills like the Stone Roar Fist and Turtle Shell Force, which use qi for offensive or defensive purposes.
If one cultivates a Basic Cultivation Skill of a certain attribute, it is best for their Energy Application Techniques to match that attribute in order to achieve maximum power.
If the difference between the two is too great, or if they conflict, the technique’s effectiveness will be severely diminished—it might even become impossible to execute.
For example, someone who cultivates the Fire Attribute Red Flame Skill would be completely unable to learn the Water Attribute Rain Covering Leg, no matter how hard they tried.
The advantage of a dual-attribute Basic Cultivation Skill is its versatility and the wider range of compatible Energy Application Techniques. The downside, however, is its immense difficulty, so not many in the Xingyun Sect choose this path.
Xiang Shaofeng chuckled. "Actually, you also cultivate techniques of two different attributes. Strictly speaking, neither the Three Yin Claw nor the Celestial Frost Fist are pure Water Attribute techniques. They belong to the yin-cold category."
Zhao Lin nodded silently. His Sea Return Skill could control yin-cold True Qi, but it was completely ineffective against Thunder Attribute True Qi.
Unless he also trained in a Thunder Attribute Basic Cultivation Skill—but not only would that be time-consuming and arduous, the sect didn’t have any such techniques in its legacy.
"Chao Duan from the Li Yang Sect is impressive, but I think Liu Feiyang from the Southern Suppression Sect is even trickier. See him? That arrogant-looking one over there."
As he spoke, Xiang Shaofeng jutted his chin in the direction of the Southern Suppression Sect.
Zhao Lin followed his gaze and saw a man sitting ramrod straight among the disciples of the Southern Suppression Sect. He was tall and slender, with sharp, chiseled features and a handsome face. He was, without a doubt, a beautiful man.
However, this beautiful man wore his hair long, letting it fall loosely over his shoulders.
Zhao Lin was taken aback.
For the sake of convenience in training and combat, most disciples of the Xingyun Sect kept their hair short. Even those who wore it longer made sure it never covered their eyes, and the female disciples always tied their hair up.
’But this Liu Feiyang is a clear nonconformist, with his shoulder-length hair. Won’t that get in the way during a fight? Judging by his seat, it looks like I’ll be facing him later.’
Xiang Shaofeng, reading his expression, knew what was on Zhao Lin’s mind. He warned, "Don’t be fooled by his aloof act. He’s got real skills."
"The Li Yang Sect’s strength lies in a few exceptionally powerful individuals at the top, whereas the disciples of the Southern Suppression Sect are more evenly matched in skill."
"Liu Feiyang may be ranked fifth, but he fought Miao Tianfeng to a draw at the last internal competition."
"Do you know what makes him so tough?"
Zhao Lin shook his head.
Xiang Shaofeng said, "The Basic Cultivation Skill he cultivates is of the Wind Attribute. He’s unbelievably fast. Most people would be lucky to even touch the hem of his robes."
"I know you’re fast too, but you might not be a match for him in that department."
’Wind Attribute?’
Instead of being alarmed, Zhao Lin was delighted, a sense of keen anticipation rising within him.
’Two opponents, one with Earth and Wood dual attributes, the other with the Wind Attribute. Both of them practice styles of martial arts I’ve never seen before. It seems this internal competition really is full of hidden masters.’
People in this era were particular about auspicious timing. Even if everyone was present, they had to wait for the designated hour to arrive.
With nothing to do, Zhao Lin focused his hearing, eavesdropping on the conversation among the elders on the northern viewing platform.
The Primordial Realm martial artist leading the Li Yang Sect’s delegation was a man named Zhong Yuntian. He swept his gaze over the Xingyun Sect disciples before turning to Yang Lin. "Junior Brother Yang, your esteemed sect has quite a few new faces compared to three years ago. It seems you have an endless supply of fresh talent!"
Yang Lin replied with casual politeness, "Senior Brother Li, you flatter us."
Zhong Yuntian smiled faintly. "With so many young talents, choosing ten to attend the Martial Arts Assembly should be more than enough."
Yang Lin’s expression darkened. "Ten people? Brother Zhong, what is the meaning of this?"
Zhong Yuntian replied in a leisurely, unhurried tone, "At the last Martial Arts Assembly, my Li Yang Sect ranked first among the three sects in combat results. And though a few of the older disciples have since left, their replacements have undergone three years of tempering. Our overall strength is even greater than before."
"It would only be right for us to take twelve of the spots this time."
Yang Lin snorted, his face stern. "So, are you saying only your disciples have improved while everyone else has been stagnating? That was last time. The rosters have changed. It’s a bit hasty of you to be drawing conclusions so early, Brother Zhong."
Zhong Yuntian immediately cut in, "Not at all. The top-ranked disciples are still the same people as before."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Zhu Hong, an elder from the Southern Suppression Sect, quickly stepped in to mediate. "Gentlemen, please, let’s not argue. The final arrangements are for the Sect Leaders to discuss and decide. We shouldn’t trouble ourselves with it!"
"Brother Yang, the hour is almost upon us. I say we begin."
Yang Lin nodded. Ignoring Zhong Yuntian, he turned to the two instructors at his side. "Shengnian, Zhou Qing, you may begin."
"Yes."
Instructors Liu Shengnian and Zhou Qing walked down from the viewing platform. The Li Yang Sect and the Southern Suppression Sect each dispatched an instructor as well, and the four of them gathered at the edge of the field.
Liu Shengnian cleared his throat and raised a hand to quiet the crowd. He then announced in a loud voice, "Everyone, the internal competition is about to begin! The three great sects are allies, bound by a common purpose. These matches are for sparring and exchanging pointers. Know when to stop, and remember, you must not inflict fatal injuries."
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