บท 18: A Bar Above the Rest
บรรณาธิการ: Nyoi-Bo Studio
What strong poison!
Su Yu's expression wavered, but he did not panic; instead, Su Yu took advantage of the moments between one attack and the next.
"Universal Stroke!" Su Yu saw his opportunity and grabbed it, swiftly attacking!
His fists and legs attacked fluidly, one limb following the other seamlessly. Once a punch was done, a kick came—the attack was extremely powerful and relentless.
Chen Tiannan had no choice but to use his arms to guard his chest against the onslaught.
Clank——
Strangely, however, each time Su Yu's fists and feet made contact with Chen Tiannan it felt as though he were attacking solid steel. Chen Tiannan was knocked back half a step with each hit; after sixteen consecutive hits he had merely moved back eight steps and was unharmed.
The defense of the Angry King Kong Buddha was amazing.
"It's no use, how can a firefly fight for brightness against the moon?" with a cold smile, Chen Tiannan took advantage of the moment Su Yu's attack ended, aiming another attack toward Su Yu's chest.
Sssss——
Su Yu dodged, but the front part of his shirt melted. One attack had been ineffective; Su Yu's face was serious, but his eyes shined bright.
During his attack, after Su Yu realized Chen Tiannan's skin was impenetrable, Su Yu immediately began searching for other weaknesses in Chen Tiannan's defense. Though he only had a moment to analyze Chen Tiannan during his attack, Su Yu still managed to find something strange; when Chen Tiannan used the "Ghost Spirit technique,""Angry King Kong Buddha" paused for a moment and a palm-sized circle of muscle on his chest returned to its normal skin color.
To use both techniques simultaneously would require extreme coordination, which Chen Tiannan had apparently not yet mastered. Unfortunately, the small break in Chen Tiannan's defenses was short and rare--it only appeared when Chen Tiannan attacked, making it too dangerous to counter directly.
While thinking, Su Yu dodged continuously and continued to counter-attack. Chen Tiannan and Su Yu danced through time, weaving around each other as they crisscrossed across the arena; they were shadows, fluttering in and out of view.
One move, two moves!
Three moves, four moves!
...
Even after sixteen moves, they were still evenly matched. Although Chen Tiannan was powerful, Su Yu's techniques were not bad; neither opponent had yet obviously pulled ahead in the fight.
Of course, Chen Tiannan firmly held the advantage. A cold smile played beneath Chen Tiannan's eyes; Su Yu could defeat Xuan Lefei, and he was indeed strong for lasting so long against Chen Tiannan, but his defeat was inevitable.
Head judge Jiang Zhishi was secretly pleased with Su Yu's struggle, but his expression was fair as he said, "Su Yu! If you only dodge and refuse to fight all ten rounds, Chen Tiannan will be declared the winner!"
Oh? The audience felt that was unfair. Su Yu had not been defeated, he just had the lower hand; such a rule was obviously made in order to put more pressure on Su Yu.
Frowning, Su Yu gave Jiang Zhishi a cold look. He had defeated his son, Jiang Fan, so he bore a grudge and was biased against Su Yu. As such, Su Yu was forced to use his special tactic.
Su Yu stopped his sequence of dodging and retreating and faced his opponent face-to-face.
"Finally stopped hiding? Ghost Spirit technique!" Chen Tiannan declared viciously.
The nasty green nails left a string of broken lines in the air.
Su Yu's eyes suddenly changed to a murky crystalline shade. Time and space slowed; Chen Tiannan's every action was slowed down by three-hundred-percent. The weak spot in Chen Tiannan's chest became obvious and distinct in the drawn-out time.
"Universal Stroke!" Su Yu grunted. In other people's eyes, Su Yu's speed was suddenly three times faster than usual!
Whoosh——
Sixteen consecutive hits were finished in a breath's time!
Bang, Bang, Bang——
Chen Tiannan spat out a mouthful of blood as he flew backward.
"What is going on? How did his opponent's speed suddenly rise to Level Four Lower Tier?" Housemaster Ye was shocked.
Chen Tiannan was in disbelief; "How could it be..."
But, the state of his displaced body confirmed the seemingly impossible attack which Su Yu had just pulled off.
He was about to lose!
A hint of viciousness flashed through Chen Tiannan's cold eyes; "Even if I do lose--don't you dare expect an easy victory!"
Whoosh——
A ray of black lights emitted from Chen Tiannan's eyes. It was extremely fast; the audience only saw a blur before the black light enveloped Su Yu's body.
Su Yu's whole body vibrated. It felt as though an unknown creature had barged into his brain and was wreaking havoc.
Su Yu immediately understood what was happening--it was the legendary Technique of the Soul! The soul was one of man's weakest points; attacking the soul could cause anything from minor illness to death!
Housemaster Ye's face paled.
"Oh no! It's Demonic Eyes! With Su Yu's skills, his mind could be permanently damaged; he could end up demented!"
The more he wanted to help, the further away he felt.
An unexpected pain suddenly pierced Su Yu's brain and his vulnerable soul trembled uneasily; the vicious corrosive air was rapidly destroying his brain.
Sensing danger closing in, the nine dragons and the Nine-Dragon Cauldron entrenched within Su Yu's brain vibrated, and a stream of spirit serum spilled out from the small cauldron.
The pain in his brain rapidly diminished, and the unknown substance that had seeped into his head was killed by the wind and clouds.
To outsiders, Su Yu's body recovered after a mere shake; only he truly knew the danger he had just faced.
With a cold look, Su Yu activated the "Cloud Shadow" trick and, with one step forward, he caught up to Chen Tiannan, who had flown backward. Su Yu condensed all his power into his fist and punched it hard into Chen Tiannan's head.
"How is it possible that you are unharmed--ah!" Chen Tiannan's face took the hit full-on.
His lips were smashed; fresh blood was spewing from his mouth and a few of his teeth scattered onto the ground. Su Yu did not stop; he gave a kick toward Chen Tiannan's waist.
Crack——
It sounded like bones breaking.
Filled with anger, Su Yu's fists and legs were attacked consecutively with no breaks in between; he only stopped once he'd hit Chen Tiannan in midair all the way to below the arena.
Wah——
Falling heavily below the arena, Chen Tiannan spat out a mouthful of blood before the immense pain throughout his whole body caused him to pass out.
The crowd stared intently as they sucked in a breath of cool air.
Not only did Chen Tiannan have multiple broken bones, but his face was also badly beaten; he looked miserable and practically unrecognizable in his heavily-injured state!
Only once Chen Tiannan landed upon the ground did the anger in Su Yu's eyes start to diminish.
If it were not for the Nine-Dragon Cauldron, Su Yu would have become demented; Chen Tiannan was so vicious, how could he show mercy when Chen Tiannan had refused to do the same?
Jiang Zhishi's eyes were cloudy and uncertain.
The student, whom the duke wanted "dealt with," had become the Silver King. From that day onwards, everything would be different!
No! I cannot let him become the Silver King! Jiang Zhishi thought.
"How brave!" Jiang Zhishi gave a cold look and stood up. He leaped onto the arena with one jump. Fueled by anger, he grabbed Su Yu; "It is just a comparison test, yet you were so vicious! Stay and kneel!"
The intense anger suppressed Su Yu, making it difficult for him to retaliate.
Jiang Zhishi was a powerful character at Level Four Peak, how could Su Yu withstand him?
This senior was publically taking out revenge against Su Yu!
Su Yu was a changed person; even though he was not facing the true enemy, he would not submit!
"Universal Stroke!" Su Yu would not be suppressed, and so he retaliated.
Two hits! Four hits! Eight hits! Sixteen hits! All consecutive hits!
"You dare to retaliate?! The seriousness of your crime only increases with your actions!" Jiang Zhishi's face was icy as he easily withstood the retaliation. Even after sixteen consecutive hits, his body remained unmoved.
A powerful palm smacked Su Yu's skull!
How was this only a capture? Jiang Zhishi was obviously taking advantage of the chance to seriously injure him!
It seemed like Su Yu was going to suffer a hit.
Whoosh——
Suddenly, a wisp of sharp air shot from the VIP seats within the audience.
Puff——
Jiang Zhishi was struck by the stream of air; even though he was at Level Four Peak, he could not withstand that one hit!
Jiang Zhishi flew several feet; his mouth opened and blood spewed outwards--a bloody hole ripped open on the side of his waist, where he had been struck.
"What an embarrassment!" A cold voice came from the VIP audience seats. Housemaster Ye's long white robe fluttered around him, his black hair flowing; his cold eyes filled with indifference.
The students could not tell that Chen Tiannan had used such a dangerous trick like the secret technique of the soul; could it be that Jiang Zhishi had not realized either?
It was one thing for Jian Zhishi to stand and watch without blocking; but afterward, he did not investigate Chen Tiannan, and instead only jumped at the chance to hit Su Yu!
It was an utter embarrassment!
Jiang Zhishi was in pain. His mouth was full of blood and his heart was filled with hatred and fear. However, he did not defend himself. He could not air his grievances publically, as causing a scene in front of such a large audience would deeply injure his reputation. As such, he only clenched his jaw and gave Su Yu a silent glare before swiftly leaving as fast as his injured body would allow.
Many students thought it was ridiculous; Su Yu had seriously injured Chen Tiannan in a cruel manner, and Jiang Zhishi captured Su Yu out of his duty as the judge, so why was Jiang Zhishi injured and punished?
Housemaster Ye would not explain the matter. If he announced Jiang Zhishi's cowardly actions, it would be a black mark on the institute's reputation.
"In the fight for the Silver King title, Su Yu is the champion!" Housemaster Ye walked onto the stage and personally placed the silver crown on Su Yu's head.
"Your performance was not bad; continue to work hard. You should aim to join the gold students in a month's time." With a slight smile, Housemaster Ye patted Su Yu's shoulders before he turned to leave.
Su Yu's heart was filled with respect. He put his hands together and said, "Thank you, Housemaster!"
If not for the justice Housemaster Ye had established, Su Yu might not have left the arena in one piece.
Su Yu became famous after that fight; the title of Silver King had changed hands from Chen Tiannan to Su Yu!
At the moment he was crowned, Su Yu's student number plate shined a bright silver color with just a hint of gold. Soon, It would become a gold number plate!
Hidden away, the celestial beauty gazed at Su Yu from a distance. She gave a tranquil smile. A boy with handsome features and a lanky body stood beside her--handsome enough to make any woman swoon. At the corners of his peach-tinted eyes, however, brewed a glint of darkness.
The handsome youth gave an absurd laugh. "Senior Xia, I did not expect you to be interested in a fight between the Silvers," he said.
His words implied that the Silver Assessment was very boring; why would anyone wish to watch it?!
This impossibly beautiful youth was actually the Gold King; the strongest among the gold students, Fang Qingzhou! His qualifications were amazing, with skills at the Level Four Top Tier. Even among the gold students, there was no equal to Fang Qingzhou's skill!
Not a single person had survived beyond three of Fang Qingzhou's attacks; he was undefeatable. He was also a popular bachelor, who was revered by many female students.
There were negative rumors regarding Fang Qingzhou, however, which colored him as an unscrupulous playboy who had left many nice girls in extreme emotional distress; some girls had faced harm as result of their emotional state.
When the girls were hurt by Fang Qingzhou's actions, however, he was never directly punished; the institute settled privately with the family of the victim.
The celestial beauty was rather disgusted with Fang Qingzhou, and merely replied, "I just want to see if there are any rising stars."
Fang Qingzhou made no attempts to hide his contempt. "No matter how strong a silver is, he is still trash that needs disposing of," he said mockingly.
Although his words were harsh, they were true. The silver students were all unqualified; to call them trash was neither uncommon nor uncalled for within the institute.
The celestial beauty frowned. "That may not be true; I am optimistic about the new Silver King. He improved very quickly."
Once she finished her sentence, the celestial beauty turned to leave.
He? Did she mean Su Yu? Fang Qingzhou glanced at Su Yu's back and frowned, shaking his head as he scoffed, "That's it, he's peaked-- e will be in the lower levels for the rest of his life."
As he muttered, he hurried and caught up with the celestial beauty. He watched her graceful shadow with a wicked look.
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