Chapter 406: Chapter 405: The Martial Arts Competition for Marriage Begins
Those present couldn’t help but turn to look at Shi Xiaole.
Yu Wenxiu said with interest, "What do you want me to promise you?"
"Maple Forest Red Leaves."
Shi Xiaole transmitted to her.
Yu Wenxiu’s eyebrows rose, she looked at Yu Fei meaningfully. Only when he lowered his head did she turn to Shi Xiaole and said, "That’s a big ask. But if you can beat all the participants, why not agree?"
Yu Wenxiu’s goal has always been to become a free and adventurous swordsman. Things like marriage and raising a family have never been part of her life plan.
If she could resolve this issue at a certain cost, why not?
Moreover, the method that strange man had told her sounded mysterious. Both she and her parents had tried it and gained nothing. It wouldn’t be a big deal even if she told the others.
Of course, the premise is that Shi Xiaole can beat everyone else.
Soon, Junior Sister Seven led five experts over.
In this competition, it’s stipulated that the age of participants must be under thirty. But there is no age limit for the blockers, as long as they have reached the Spiritual-Passage Realm.
Upon inspection, among these five, three were at the pinnacle of the Ninth Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, and two were in the middle stage of the Ninth Layer. They all had strong auras.
"Swordsmen, before the eighth day of the month arrives, if someone stronger than you comes along, they will replace you at any time. I hope you understand. Swordsman Huang, please spar with this young swordsman."
Yu Wenxiu looked at a middle-aged man in a yellow robe among the five, who was the weakest of them.
"Young man, please."
With a quiet snort, the middle-aged man in the yellow robe looked at Shi Xiaole with some hostility.
"Please."
Shi Xiaole said politely.
"Yellow Sandstorm!"
The weapon of the man in the yellow robe was a long spear. His thrust, under the power of the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, created numerous spear shadows that seemed like a large amount of sand falling from the sky, instantly blocking Shi Xiaole’s sight and senses.
"Swordsman Huang has mastered the Yellow Sand Intent, which is not weak among the high-level intents. Once surrounded by it, one will lose all senses and will be unlikely to perform more than fifty percent of their usual ability."
In the pavilion, a young man commented.
"Even you, Senior Brother Five, could only take sixty-three moves from Swordsman Huang. I wonder how this young man will fare?"
Junior Sister Seven seemed to have a fondness for Senior Brother Five, chuckled as she said this.
In the meantime, the man in the yellow robe had already launched fifteen attacks, each one stronger and faster than the last. Unfortunately, despite his aggressive attacks, he hadn’t even touched Shi Xiaole’s garments let alone hurt him.
"Wind Intent Realm and it’s full mastery!"
The man in the yellow robe was inwardly shocked.
His Yellow Sand Intent was considered top-tier among high-level intents, but Shi Xiaole’s Wind Intent was from the top tier of high-level intents. There was a whole level difference.
"Sandstorm Covering the Ground!"
Realizing his ordinary techniques were ineffective, the man in the yellow robe’s face fell and he immediately deployed his lethal technique.
His spear began to rotate rapidly, like countless venomous snakes spitting out yellow sand. The sand filled the ground, cutting off all of Shi Xiaole’s escape routes.
A flash of wind shadow.
Before the sandstorm fully formed, Shi Xiaole had already flown out of a gap, and kicked downwards.
Clang!
The man in the yellow robe used his spear to block, and was forced ten steps back before stabilizing himself. With shock and admiration in his eyes, he looked at Shi Xiaole: "Young swordsman, your technique is superior. I admit I’m not your match." He turned around and left.
In that instant, Shi Xiaole had clearly slowed his speed. Otherwise, there would have been no time for Huang to block with his spear.
"A mediocre leg technique of the second level, combined with a full mastery of Wind Intent. As long as one can’t keep up with his speed, even if they are more powerful, they can hardly trouble him."
Yu Wenxiu’s eyes sparkled.
Shi Xiaole was clearly a young master who won by speed. He would fail badly against someone faster, but against ordinary people, he could easily entangle them.
Zhang Qiuhua and Lin Aotian were not reliant on speed. If Shi Xiaole were to compete, even if he didn’t win, he could at least deplete their energy to some extent.
"Shi Xiaole, I hope you can perform better in the competition on the eighth."
Yu Wenxiu smiled.
"Certainly."
Shi Xiaole said indifferently.
Just now, he had restrained his cultivation in the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. There was no point in revealing his true power against the man in yellow robes. Besides, he could best exercise his skills when he fought with equal strength.
For Shi Xiaole, this competition is a chance to observe the martial artists of Mirror State, especially the young ones. He wanted to see how strong the so-called ’Young Master Flame’ and ’Young Master Aoyun’ were.
As the day for the competition neared, Heavenly Jade Mountain became busier and busier.
One day, a red figure was seen rushing through the forest, the burning energy was so intense, it was like a torch in midwinter, causing people’s blood to boil.
"It’s ’Young Master Flame’ Zhang Qiuhua."
The martial arts masters who were climbing the mountain changed their faces.
A cloud of mist suddenly spread out, covering the flame. The flame burned even more fiercely and formed a fire dragon roaring in the mist, constantly shaking the mist.
"Brother Lin, we have been friends for twenty years, I truly do not wish to cross blows with you, why not withdraw from the courtship?"
As the flames subsided, a slender figure emerged.
This man, with his determined face, was one of the top ten geniuses of Mirror State, the ’Young Master Flame’ Zhang Qiuhua. His eyebrows were red, a trait that no one could ascertain was a result of his Jade Sect training or just a natural occurrence.
On the other side, the mist parted. Atop a lofty pine tree, stood a youth clad in blue. His features were gentle yet refined, making him an exceptionally handsome man. He was one of the ten geniuses of Mirror State, the ’Young Master Aoyun’ Lin Ao Tian.
"Brother Zhang, a fair lady made for a gentleman. I have always known of your feelings towards Wenxiu. The love triangle between us always had to be resolved. This courtship is the perfect opportunity."
Lin Aotian said with a slight smile, his lips red as cherries, teeth shiny and white.
"Brother Lin, I will not hold back."
Zhang Qiuhua’s tone grew serious.
In this courtship, Lin Aotian was undoubtedly his biggest, and only, competitor.
Lin’s Cloud Soaring Skill was as exceptionally cultivated as his Fierce Fire Divine Skill. If he wished to triumph, it was inevitable that he reveal some secret techniques that he had thus far concealed.
"Neither will I."
Lin Aotian’s eyes narrowed slightly, filled with combative spirit.
This time, whether it was for Yu Wenxiu or for his reputation, he could not lose.
"Those two are usually reticent about revealing their abilities. Nobody can truly measure their strengths. But for Wenxiu’s sake, they would certainly compete for real this time."
"Haha, all the better for us to spectate a good show."
Off to the side, three young men stood. The aura they exuded melded and segregated them from other young martial artists.
On recognizing them, someone exclaimed in surprise. They were three more of the top ten geniuses.
After watching Zhang Qiuhua and Lin Aotian climb the mountain, 99 percent present were disheartened, but they would not back out. Even if they could not win, being able to witness a match between these two geniuses was a rare treat.
On the 8th of December.
Feather-like snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
In just a few short hours, the entire Heavenly Jade Mountain was enveloped in white, the green pines and cypress trees, all blanketed by snow. The distant view was blurred by fog, occasionally swept by wind, giving rise to undulating waves of snow.
In the Heavenly Jade Sect’s backyard pavilion.
"My friends, Lady Ye will go first. Once she steps down, Sir Zhang will take over. The third to take the stand will be Mr. Shi, followed by Sir Wang and then Sir Qian."
Yu Wenxiu considered it for a night before finally deciding to send the weakest, Ye Zhi, out first for the simple purpose of testing out their opponents.
Zhang Zhong would be the second to go on stage. This man had profound internal strength and was proficient in the whip technique, often able to strike unexpected blows.
Sending Shi Xiaole as the third was due to his superior flying skills.
By the third round, if the stage was not occupied by a more powerful opponent, it was the best time for Shi Xiaole to step in, consuming the opponent’s strength.
Wang Xin and Qian Dajiang were the most powerful of the five, naturally they were responsible for holding up the fourth and fifth rounds.
If they both fell, then she would have to enter the ring herself.
Yu Wenxiu clenched her fists secretly.
...
At the peak of Heavenly Jade Mountain, there was a platform spanning 100 meters in all directions. Surrounding the platform were tables laid out across the landscape. At this point, under the guidance of the Heavenly Jade Sect disciples, quite a few people had already arrived.
For those in the martial world, a snowfall was hardly an event to be concerned about. It wouldn’t prevent a grand affair like a martial arts competition. In fact, a duel in the snow even held a certain poetic flair.
The auspicious hour had arrived.
The tables surrounding the platform were already filled with people. Even at a casual glance, they were all impressive young martial artists.
Joking aside, Yu Wenshu was one of the most famous beauties in the martial world of Mirror State. Given the power of the Heavenly Jade Sect, how could they let any mediocre contestants in?
To step into the ring, one must first pass the assessment of the Heavenly Jade Sect.
"Husband, in my opinion, both young master Zhang and young master Lin are outstanding talents, either one of them is indeed deserving of our daughter."
In a temporary shelter erected in the middle of the field, there sat a couple of remarkably good-looking middle-aged people. The woman shifted her gaze away from Zhang Qiuhua and Lin Aotian expressing her admiration.
"Rest assured, whether our daughter is willing to get married or not, she has to. She’s just a girl, what kind of behaviour is it to want to live alone!"
Yu Cheng grunted.
He had long understood the abilities of the five masters Yu Wenxiu had brought in. The other four were not to be feared. Using Yu Cheng’s perception, he felt that Shi Xiaole was a bit suspicious, but considering his age, he was not worried.
As the top martial artist in Mirror State, Yu Cheng was once a young genius. However, his Spiritual-Passage Realm strength would not be much stronger than the two young masters.
If he were a bit younger, the odds would be more in his favor.
"The auspicious hour has arrived, the courtship martial competition officially begins! Let me clarify, during the competition, deliberate injury is not allowed, hidden weapons are not to be used, and all weapons shall be provided by our Heavenly Jade Sect."
The competition was presided over by the Sixth Elder of the Heavenly Jade Sect, who was in charge of external affairs.
Under his announcement, the young competitors picked up their numbers one by one in order and returned to their seats.
"For the first round, number one, Yang Yanting."
As the Sixth Elder shouted out, he stepped off the battlefield.
The next moment.
A twenty-five or six-year-old young man leaped into the arena, picked up a knife from the weapon rack, declared his intention to begin, and immediately chopped towards Ye Zhi who was guarding the first pass.
