Chapter 20: Why Aren't You Holding Me Back?

Fang Lang and Jiang Linglong's performance attracted many spectators from other academies.

Their consecutive victories in the Dark group was testament to the pair's sword skills and techniques. They were undoubtedly near the top of the leaderboard.

The individual event had not even begun and students from the other academies could already feel the brutality of the Luojiang Academy representatives.

The first stage of the team combat ended. Five teams among the 50 that were in the Dark group successfully entered the next stage.

Only one team would emerge victorious among the five. Then, the winning team would enter the third stage and battle the winners of the Heaven, Earth and Light groups and the top three would be determined.

Stage one of the team combat already took up the whole day.

Mentor Wen gathered the trio and gave them a rundown of the four teams in the second stage.

"Within the Dark group, our biggest obstacle is Donglu Academy. They stand toe to toe with the prestigious Changan Academy. If we can win against Donglu Academy, the others will pose no problem." Mentor Wen analyzed.

Liu Bubai and Fang Lang nodded while Jiang Linglong maintained a neutral expression.

"Master Wen! I'll take the first duel with Donglu Academy, and no, none of you can convince me otherwise," Liu Bubai loudly exclaimed. He refused to sit back and win without contributing—it was not his way.

However, a part of him was willing to step down if Fang Lang and Jiang Linglong insisted on the ace remaining hidden.

Fang Lang had completed his target mission and had no reason to stop the boy from fighting, so he kept silent.

Jiang Linglong did not speak up.

The awkwardness lingered in the air.

Liu Bubai looked between Fang Lang and Jiang Linglong.

'Why aren't you guys holding me back? Aren't you worried that the ace will be revealed?'

A smirk formed on Mentor Wen's face.

"Sure. The first match of the second stage will be yours, Liu Bubai. Remember to be cautious, Donglu Academy is a force to be reckoned with," Mentor Wen advised before dismissing the group. The three students split up, each heading back to their own room to recuperate for tomorrow.

…

Fang Lang arrived at his room.

After a day of combat, he had gained a lot of experience and insights. The mental and physical exhaustion weighed him down.

He noticed his neighbor's door was open. There were two other participants inside chatting with Song Qingyun.

Fang Lang and Song Qingyun exchanged a look. Song Qingyun gave him a slight nod before continuing his chat with his friends.

The two students noticed Song Qingyun's half-hearted greeting as the neighbor's door closed. Their curiosity was piqued.

"Who was that? Which academy is he from?"

Song Qingyun gave them a small smile. "Luojiang Academy's sixth-grade sword disciple."

His friends were astonished.

"A sixth-grade sword disciple joining the Gathering of Swords?"

"Well, the competition doesn't focus on cultivation. It's more about the sword skills and techniques."

"True, but with a low cultivation grade, how strong can he be?"

Song Qingyun agreed with the sentiment.

The sixth-grade sword disciple was likely just here to fill the third spot on the team.

"Luojiang Academy was in the Dark group, right? I think I heard they got into the second stage," one of the students said.

"What's his name?"

Song Qingyun recalled. "Fang Lang, if I'm not mistaken."

"Fang Lang? I think that's him. Luojiang Academy only sent out two participants for the first stage, a boy and a girl. Both are fearsome fighters who single-handedly took out all three participants for every team. They had a perfect kill for the first stage. Fang Lang was one of the two who fought. His bloodlust is strong!" the student said.

Song Qingyun was bewildered. A sixth-grade sword disciple defeated three opponents in a row?

What sort of sword techniques did he have?

Song Qingyun turned to look at the shut door and wondered if he made a wrong judgment.

…

Inside the room, Fang Lang was oblivious to the gossip about him.

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He switched into Ni Wen's cultivation mode and began absorbing the spirit crystal. Even amidst the Gathering of Swords, Fang Lang had to keep up his cultivation training.

As time passed, the number of drained spirit crystals around Fang Lang increased.

He had gone through 20 of the 50 spirit crystals provided to him by the System.

Fang Lang was at a bottleneck—the spiritual energy throbbed in the meridians of his body, making his vessels stretch. He was on the cusp of breaking into the seventh grade.

The basic channeling instructions from the Tang Dynasty's Sword Scripture appeared in his mind.

With Ni Wen's yellow core and the supply of spirit crystals, Fang Lang was able to improve his cultivation quickly.

Whoosh!

The air around Fang Lang reverberated.

He had reached the seventh grade!

After three days of persistent cultivation, he was finally successful.

The sky was dark when he opened his eyes. There was a pleased smile on his face.

Then, the smile transformed into a frown. The climb from sixth to seventh grade had taken up a large amount of spirit crystals.

Beyond the seventh grade, the ascent would be significantly more difficult even with Ni Wen's core.

There were only twenty-odd days left until the Imperial Examination. Fang Lang wondered if he could make it to the ninth grade.

Cultivation was an arduous journey.

He had to look for a second partner to bind to in order to boost his cultivation speed.

The night was peaceful.

Fang Lang rose from his bed and walked to the window. He stared into the luminous moon and let out a deep sigh. Determination flashed across his eyes.

…

The second stage of the team combat commenced the next day.

Fang Lang, Liu Bubai and Jiang Linglong arrived at the battle ring assigned to the Dark group.

Mentor Wen was already there. Although Donglu Academy was a tough opponent, he showed signs of concern, in line with his easygoing attitude.

He had faith in his team.

A distance away, Donglu Academy's mentor and team gazed at their opponents.

The mentor instructed sternly, "This year's Luojiang Academy is a formidable force. They got through the first stage without any defeats. Their students destroyed multiple teams without even tapping out. Do not underestimate them. Although we achieved similar results as them, we must remain cautious."

After a moment, he said, "The consecutive wins have ignited Luojiang Academy's fighting spirit. We have to win the first match and break their streak. That will hammer their confidence and help with the subsequent matches.

"Lin Yun, you're up first."

The order made the team members gasp.

"Master, Lin Yun is our ace. Is it wise to reveal him in the first match today?"

The students of Donglu Academy were puzzled.

In the end, they accepted their mentor's strategy.

The strapping lad called Lin Yun grinned slyly at his mentor's decision. There was a cruel glint in his eyes as he said, "Finally, it's my turn. My blade has been parched for too long."

The mentor frowned. "This is a competition. Don't cause any unnecessary deaths."

"I know." Lin Yun waved off the warning. He swung a rusty steel sword around and approached the battle ring.

The umpire announced the start of the second stage.

In the first battle ring of the Dark group, Lin Yun from Donglu Academy entered the ring.

Mentor Wen kept to his word and sent out Liu Bubai.

Liu Bubai was decked out in a fighting robe with his fancy sword in hand. He patted Fang Lang's shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry. Like I promised, I'll carry the team."

With a flourish, Liu Bubai leaped onto the battle ring.

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