Library of Heaven's Path Chapter 536: First... From the Bottom? [3in1]
Chapter 536: First... From the Bottom? [3in1]
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
This was his first time fighting against a demonic tunist. Even though the other party’s Soul Depth was beneath his, it was equaled out by his low cultivation. Thus, he had no choice but to retaliate with all of his might. As such, he didn’t have any spare energy to pay attention to his surroundings.
As such, Zhang Xuan couldn’t have expected that the ghastly pale face belonged to Elder Wu. He thought that someone was trying to assault him.
Thus, executing the Heaven’s Path Spear Art with all his might, the spear in his hands turned into a bright ray of light and flew toward the other party.
On the opposite side, Elder Wu had just heaved a sigh of relief, and before he could react, he saw a spear whipping straight toward him. His eyes narrowed but it was already too late to dodge. As such, he was struck in the chest and was sent flying out.
Padah!
He was smacked into the wall, forming a "大" character on it.
"What the heck?!"
No one could have expected that there would be such a twist at the end of the test. Their eyes popped out from their sockets, and their faces grew so scarlet that it seemed as though blood would seep out of it if one were to pinch it.
That was Elder Wu, the only demonic tunist in the whole of Myriad Kingdom City, a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle expert who was widely feared by others. Yet, he was struck by a spear and crashed into a wall...
Did it need to be so exaggerated?
"Elder Wu, why did you... suddenly run up to me? I didn’t do this on purpose..."
Hearing the shocked gasps from the crowd, Zhang Xuan finally recognized the other party. With a reddened face, he spoke sheepishly.
Wasn’t this a test of Soul Depth? Why did you suddenly run up to me then? I thought that you were up to no good...
"Cough cough!"
Coughing up two large mouthfuls of blood, Elder Wu finally recovered from his condition and struggled down from the wall.
What the heck was this?
The pavilion master told him that he just had to serve as the examiner for this test. He thought that it would be easy, so he immediately agreed to it. Who knew that this would almost cause his death?
The other party’s strikes on the formation plate were aimed at the weaknesses of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis. If he didn’t retaliate, his soul would surely be severely damaged. Left with no other option, he could only slowly advance to heighten the might of his offense...
In the end, the demonic tune that even the pavilion master feared seem to be completely ineffective on the other party... The other party didn’t even seem to notice the increasing intensity of the tune!
The freaking hell!
To be able to be impervious to a demonic tune... What kind of monster did Su Fan and Ling Yuheng bring here?
The great frustration he was suffering from was making him doubt the purpose of life in itself.
"Forget it, I don’t blame you..."
Even so, he knew that a clash between music could easily spiral out of control. The other party didn’t intend this either. Thus, after recuperating for a short moment, Elder Wu waved his hands nonchalantly.
Even though he felt indignant, as an elder, he couldn’t possibly pick a bone with a 2-star master teacher!
Besides... Given how he was reduced to such a state even when he wasn’t picking a bone, if he were to really try to exact vengeance... It would be hard to tell whether he could return alive!
Since that was the case... He might as well drop the matter.
"Check the formation plate!"
Fetching the formation plate from the wall, he passed it over to the invigilating master teacher.
"Yes!"
Grabbing the formation plate, he began counting the strokes on it and announced, "A total of 431 strokes. Every single stroke is of equal depth and width!"
"431 strokes? Isn’t that result the same as Ruohuan gongzi?"
"That seems to be so... He managed to leave behind so many marks with a spear?"
"I thought that he was just randomly knocking the spear on the formation plate, to think that he managed to inscribe so many strokes. That’s impressive!"
"Since the both of them have the same number of strokes... who will be the second place? Or will it be shared between the two of them?"
...
Hearing the results, the crowd flew into an uproar.
They’d thought that given how Zhang Xuan seemed to be randomly striking on the formation plate without any clear order, the strokes on the formation plate would surely be chaotic and messy, or perhaps, he might not have even left a single stroke behind at all. Yet, never could they have expected that the latter would share the same result as Ruohuan gongzi!"
Since the both of them had the same result... How would the ranking be decided?
Were they going to be placed second together?
"He also... carved 431 strokes?" Not expecting Zhang Xuan to achieve such results, Ruohuan gongzi’s complexion darkened.
With a carving knife in hand, he toiled through so much hardship before he could inscribe so many strokes. On the other hand, the other party was equipped with a spear and his movements were completely erratic, not to mention, he was knocking on the plate to retaliate against Elder Wu. Yet, the other party still achieved a result equivalent to his? Was this for real?
"Looks like we’ve been underestimating him. That fellow isn’t as simple as he looks!"
Ruohuan gongzi’s eyebrows shot up.
When he heard that the other party was only a 2-star master teacher, honestly speaking, he didn’t even view the other party as an opponent. But from the looks of it now, it was the gravest mistake he could make.
To use a spear to inscribe on a formation plate from several meters away... He could never have imagined this to be possible.
In fact, even with seeing it with his own eyes, he still found it incredulous.
"However... Do you think that achieving a draw with me will be that easy?" Ruohuan gongzi’s lips curled up to form a cold sneer.
So what if the other party managed to inscribe the same number of strokes as him? He still had a trump card in hand! A countryside bumpkin like the other party could never hope to match up to him!
"Impressive!"
Feng Mosheng was also awed.
Despite using a carving knife, he only carved one more stroke than the other party. As expected of someone heavily recommended by the elders. Fearsome indeed!
He thought that he was the dark horse for this selection round, but compared to the other party, he felt like he could only be considered as a dark donkey.
...
Amidst the crowd’s discussion, six formation plates were placed side by side on a table. Each of them was filled with inscriptions, reflecting their prior work and accomplishment.
"Pavilion master, please evaluate the formation plates!"
The invigilating master teacher clasped his fist and bowed to Pavilion Master Kang.
"Un!" Nodding his head, Pavilion Master Kang, Elder Su, and a few other elders stepped forward and browsed through the formation plates.
"The calculation before is accurate. Allow me to announce the results for the first round then."
Scanning through the crowd, Pavilion Master Kang said, "Feng Mosheng, with 432 strokes, is in first place. Jun Ruohuan and Zhang Xuan, with 431 strokes each, are tied in second place. Fu Xiaochen, with 427 strokes, is in fourth place. Luo Xi, with 411 strokes, is in fifth place. Du Hu, with 407 strokes, is in sixth place!"
"I didn’t expect Feng shi to really be in first place!"
"That Zhang shi is formidable as well. Probably no one thought that he could achieve a tie with Ruohuan gongzi!"
"Indeed. I thought that his reputation supersedes his capability, but to think that it would be the opposite instead!"
...
Innumerous discussions broke out below.
Everyone thought that Ruohuan gongzi and Fu Xiaochen would be standing at the top of the candidates. No one expected that two dark horses - Feng Mosheng and Zhang Xuan - would appear all of the sudden.
"Alright, the first round is over. Let’s proceed on to the second round..."
After declaring the results, Pavilion Master Kang was just about to proceed into the next round when a voice interrupted him.
"Pavilion master, I think that there’s a problem with my result!"
Everyone turned to the stage, only to see Ruohuan gongzi stepped forward with a faint smile on his face.
"Oh?" Pavilion Master Kang turned to look at him.
"For the first round, Elder Wu said that we’ll be judged on the progress in our inscription and the exquisiteness of our strokes!" Ruohuan gongzi said. "May I double check if that’s true?"
"I did say those words!" Elder Wu nodded his head.
After resting for a moment, he had already recovered significantly. Just that, his face was still pale, and his spirit seemed to be a little withered.
"That’s exactly what I mean. You all have checked the number of strokes... but you all forgot to check the exquisiteness of it!" Ruohuan gongzi chuckled lightly.
"Exquisiteness of the strokes?"
Everyone was taken aback. Even Pavilion Master Kang couldn’t help but frown.
How in the world do we check that?
Are we supposed to judge by how thin the candidates’ strokes are? But that’s a problem of the carving knife already, one’s Soul Depth had nothing to do with it!
"Simple, I’ve carved more than just marks on the formation plate... Please take a look!"
Walking up to the formation plate, Ruohuan gongzi whipped out his carving knife and added several dozen more strokes.
These strokes were very simple-they were mainly just connecting some of the isolated lines together. However, just by connecting these lines together, the messy strokes on the formation plate changed into something very different.
Weng!
A crisp chirp sounded, and a giant peony suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes. Shrouded in spiritual energy, it slowly bloomed beautifully.
"It is... a painting!"
"Under that kind of condition, Ruohuan gongzi actually managed to carve a fifth level painting on the formation plate!"
"That explains why he’s so confident despite the number of his strokes being lower than that of Feng shi!"
"A fifth level painting... That’s a work that only a 3-star painter could produce! I’ve long heard that one of Ruohuan gongzi’s supporting occupation is a painter... From the looks of it, that’s indeed the case!"
"Incredible..."
...
Everyone was astonished. Even Pavilion Master Kang didn’t expect this turn of events.
To be able to grant the flower spirit and create a fifth level painting when one’s mind was under the assault of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis... Ruohuan gongzi’s mental fortitude had reached an astonishing level!
It was no wonder why he was so confident!
Carving strokes on the formation plate was extremely elementary. Creating a painting under that condition... that was true capability.
Under normal circumstances, it would already be difficult to create a fifth level painting in three minutes. Not to mention, the other party had done it under the influence of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis... His talent, capability, and mental fortitude were truly frightening.
"Good, good!"
Pavilion Master Kang’s eyes lit up as he nodded his head in satisfaction.
As painter wasn’t one of his supporting occupations, he failed to see through the trick hidden in the formation plate. Even so, he understood the difficulty in creating a fifth level painting under that condition.
Ruohuan gongzi was his direct disciple. Seeing the other party’s outstanding performance had filled him with pride and relief.
"The reason why I have less strokes isn’t because I was unable to inscribe anymore but that... to carve out a painting, I couldn’t leave behind any more strokes than that. I hope that pavilion master can reconsider the judgement!"
Ruohuan gongzi spoke confidently.
"Un!" Pavilion Master Kang nodded his head. His gaze swept across the elders. "What do you all think?"
"Even though he has carved a single stroke less... he has managed to create a painting. Clearly, Ruohuan gongzi’s accomplishment is much greater here!"
"To be able to create a fifth level painting under the influence of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis, his mental fortitude is indeed impressive!"
"I also feel that Ruohuan gongzi should be in first place!"
...
Soon, most elders concurred that Jun Ruohuan should be in the first place.
No one questioned the decision, and even Feng Mosheng expressed his approval of the decision.
Even though he had carved more strokes, it was clear that the other party’s work was much more exquisite than his. Every single stroke the other party made had a purpose, whereas in comparison, his strokes were made randomly just for the purpose of clearing the test.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Pavilion Master Kang announced, "Good. Since no one has any objection, I’ll announce the revised results. Ruohuan is in first place, Feng Mosheng in second, Zhang shi third, Fu Xiaochen fourth, Luo Xi fifth, and Du Hu sixth!"
"Ruohuan gongzi is indeed impressive. As expected of the most popular contender for the champion spot!"
"He managed to get the first place in the first round easily. However, we’ll have to wait to see whether he can maintain his lead!"
...
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
Seeing that he had received the first place, Ruohuan gongzi chuckled delightfully. Turning to Zhang Xuan, his eyebrow shot up and he said, "Zhang shi, it seems like we aren’t tied in the second place anymore!"
You sure caused a huge ruckus just now, but so what? In the end, you still lost to me!
"Ah..."
Not expecting the other party to gloat even after getting the first place, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. He turned his gaze to Pavilion Master Kang and said, "That... as long as one’s strokes are more exquisite, one’s results will be better, right?"
"Yes!" Pavilion Master Kang was taken aback for a moment, but he soon nodded his head.
"That is good!"
Following which, Zhang Xuan turned to his formation plate on the table, and with a darkened expression, he bellowed, "What are you sleeping around for? Hurry up and get to work!"
Weng!
A crisp sound of Spirit Euphoria sounded in the air, and the formation plate which he had just inscribed whirred into action. Spiritual energy was frenziedly drawn from the surroundings, creating a massive vortex.
"Spirit euphoria... This is a... sentient grade-4 Spirit Gathering Formation Plate?"
Elder Wu narrowed his eyes.
As a 4-star formation master, he possessed a deep understanding of formations. As such, he knew how difficult it was to carve a formation plate.
Even with his current strength, carving a grade-4 Spirit Gathering Formation would require at least a week.
Yet, the other party, just by stabbing for three minutes with a spear, managed to inscribe one successfully... And what made it even shocking was that it was a Sentient Formation Plate!
Th-this... was way too shocking!
On top of that, it is common understanding that a grade-3 blank formation plate could only harness a grade-3 formation. Yet, the other party managed to inscribe a grade-4 formation... How deep could his comprehension of formation have reached?
At the very least, Elder Wu knew that he was no match for the other party.
What was even more fearsome was that... the other party did it while facing off with him.
While blood was spurting out of his mouth, the other party was busy making a grade-4 Sentient Formation Plate...
Elder Wu felt so stifled that he could explode at any moment now.
"The inscribing of a formation plate is an extremely complex process. Every single stroke had to be carefully planned, and not a single mistake would be tolerated. To do so with a spear..."
"In comparison, Ruohuan gongzi’s fifth level painting is nothing at all!"
"Indeed, there’s a huge disparity between the two..."
...
Seeing the gathering of spiritual energy, everyone in the room fell silent. Their eyes widened as though they had seen a ghost.
"You..."
On the other hand, Ruohuan gongzi trembled so violently that he was about to go insane.
He thought that he was already formidable to have created a painting. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect this fellow to inscribe a grade-4 formation!
A grade-4 formation was already extremely difficult to inscribe even without the Demonic Tune of Psychosis. Yet, this young fellow did it while leaving Elder Wu spurting blood...
That was too unbelievable!
More importantly... the formation plate was even sentient!
Even though both his painting and the formation possessed spirit, the difference in the significance of the feats was like heaven and earth.
Ruohuan gongzi thought that he would surely be ranked first this time. He didn’t expect to be overthrown in the blink of an eye, and even stomped several times upon...
Tears threatened to stream down his face.
If only he knew earlier, he wouldn’t have acted so smugly and say that he couldn’t be tied with the other party in the second place. In the end... he was the one who ended up being in the second place instead...
This face slap...!
Just as he was feeling stifled, the other party’s voice sounded, "Can my formation be considered as exquisite?"
"Cough cough, it does!"
Pavilion Master Kang’s face reddened.
It was embarrassing how the other party had inscribed a formation and he didn’t even notice it.
More importantly... To have to change his judgement twice in a single round, what kind of monsters were involved in this selection round?
"In the first test, Zhang shi, being in first place, shall be awarded 6 points. Ruohuan, in second place, will be awarded 5 points, so on and so forth..."
Knowing that it would only become more embarrassing if he were to delay any longer, he hurriedly announced the results. Seeing that there was no one objecting to them, he heaved a sigh of relief and contin