Chapter 318: The Top 8 Draw Lots
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"The Six Arts?" Yue Hongyan, Yang Qing, Tun Tun, and even Zhuge Fengling were slightly stunned.
Lin Feng smiled and did not say anything. Zhu Yi then came back to his senses and answered on Lin Feng's behalf. "It's just as Master said. Jiao Junchen's spell originated from the Six Arts of Confucianism, which are also called the Six Arts of a Gentleman, being rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics respectively."
"Rites refer to etiquette and propriety; music is as it is; archery is the art of shooting with a bow and arrow; charioteering refers to riding a horse carriage, as scholars in ancient times did not sit in sedans or ride horses when travelling, and instead commanded horse carriages." Zhu Yi then continued explaining, "Calligraphy can refer to literature, or just the art itself; mathematics refers to arithmetic and knowledge of number theories."
Zhu Yi elaborated, "In ancient times, these Six Arts were deemed as six skills that every scholar had to master. Confucianist scholars back then were not nerds with only the strength of a limbless chicken, and were definitely never mocked for being inept at either physical work or practical knowledge, far from the rotten bookworms of today."
He gazed at Jiao Junchen, who had just emerged from the Hidden Dragon Gorge and returned to the Great Qin Empire's delegation, and said softly, "This person comprehended the philosophies behind the Six Arts and formed his own spell based on his understanding, albeit adopting a more traditional flair."
Yang Qing also looked at Jiao Junchen, "Master said that the spell Jiao Junchen used to defeat Zhao Yan was the combination of 'archery' and 'charioteering', right?"
Zhu Yi said, "Yes. There are five types of charioteering: Ming He Luan, Zhu Shui Che, Guo Jun Biao, Wu Jiao Qu and Zhu Qin Zuo."
"When Jiao Junchen first rode the chariot of clouds and nimbly dodged Zhao Yan's Sword Radiance attack, he probably used a spell that originated from Zhu Shui Che. Charioteers practicing Zhu Shui Che can gallop along the riverbank and not fall, and are the most agile of all."
"Following that, the spell he used to penetrate the slit between Zhao Yan's cloud of Sword Qi definitely stemmed from Wu Jiao Qu, being able to negotiate narrow pathways with ease."
"The phoenix's cries accompanying the moving chariot that suppressed Zhao Yan's ability to interchange his swordplay was from Ming He Luan, where the chariot's movements correspond to a phoenix’s cries."
"And when he sliced through the interior of Zhao Yan's sword formation and drew his bow as he brushed past Zhao Yan, he used Zhu Qin Zuo. It refers to chasing down beasts then shooting them down from the left when hunting."
Zhu Yi said everything in one breath, and explained every step of Jiao Junchen's spell transformation in detail. "And when he demonstrated Zhu Qin Zuo, he blended the arts of 'archery' and 'charioteering' together perfectly."
"There are five types of charioteering, and there are also five types of archery: Bai Shi, Can Lian, Shan Zhu, Xiang Chi and Jing Yi."
"Jiao Junchen's first arrow was Can Lian. By releasing one arrow first followed by three consecutive shots, the arrows interlink with one another like a string of pearls. The four interconnected arrows then aim at one spot and attack, which was how he broke through Zhao Yan's defences just now."
"Afterwards, he immediately used Shan Zhu, which produces rapid-fire. The time it takes to aim is short, and it fires off arrows almost immediately, but it doesn't forsake its accuracy in the process. It pierced the gap opened by the Can Lian with superb precision, and finally took down Zhao Yan."
After saying this, Zhao Yan took a slight pause before continuing, "Besides his exquisite spells, he also possesses vigorous mana. Even though he targeted only one gap, but using just four arrows to destroy the Sword of Radiance Sect's 'Barrier of Clouds and Mist, Veil of Wind and Rain' formation was not a feat anyone could achieve."
Zhu Yi did not use his mana to converse telepathically with Yue Hongyan and the rest, neither did he intentionally lower his volume, so everyone at the Spiritual Conference could hear his explanations. Many of them finally understood what was going on.
When Jiao Junchen fought Zhao Yan just now, the process did not seem so complicated, and its duration was also very short, but since even Zhao Yan himself didn't know exactly how he lost, everyone else watching would be even more bewildered.
But after Zhu Yi's systematic, well-structured and clear analysis, everyone finally understood exactly how Jiao Junchen defeated Zhao Yan.
Some of them gazed at Jiao Junchen, and noticed that his face did not bear the slightest hint of bashfulness, instead seeming pleasantly surprised. He nodded repeatedly at Zhu Yi, "I can't wait to have a go with you now."
This meant that he acknowledged that Zhu Yi's analysis was correct. After hearing this, Tao Yaoyao snappily shot a glare at Zhao Yan standing behind her. "Do you understand why you lost now?"
Zhao Yan cracked a bitter smile and kept nodding. "I know, I know. If I had heeded Big Senior's advice earlier and concentrated on mastering the Instant Sword Teleportation Technique, I wouldn't have lost so badly."
Tao Yaoyao glared at him, "Nonsense, you would have won for sure!"
When the surrounding crowd saw Zhao Yan being berated by Tao Yaoyao as if he was her grandson, they could not resist snickering at that hilarious sight.
Lin Feng also chuckled, but he knew for sure that Tao Yaoyao was not reprimanding him just for the sake of it.
The Instant Sword Teleportation Technique was the most elite of the Sword of Radiance Sect's swordplay, more superior than the Radiant Clouds Sword Technique, being incredibly fast and able to traverse thousands of mountains and rivers in a split second. It is the speediest form of swordplay under the heavens, excluding the Shaoze Sword of Mount Shu, and is on par with the Heavenly Sword Sect's Heavenly Sword Teleportation Technique.
If comparing just its attacking speed at close range, it is even better than the Heavenly Sword Teleportation Technique, and can only be rivalled by the Shaoze Sword of Mount Shu.
The difference is, the Shaoze Sword of Mount Shu traverses space to kill, while the Sword of Radiance Sect's Instant Sword Teleportation Technique incorporates the enigmatic concepts of time.
An instant and eternity, the shortest and longest amount of time, represent the two extremes ot time respectively. Fully comprehending these two concepts would allow one to understand the true meaning of time, and the power of an instant forms the foundation of the Sword of Radiance Sect's mantras and swordplay.
Tao Yaoyao also demonstrated the Instant Sword Teleportation Technique previously when she singlehandedly defeated a sword duo from the Sun Moon Sword Sect. She relied on speed to overcome her slow opponents, and unleashed this battle strategy to the extreme, brutally destroying the Sun Moon Sword Sect's Dual Sword Combination.
Although Lin Feng was distracted by his piling concerns back then, and observed the Spiritual Conference half-heartedly, he too was surprised by Tao Yaoyao's swordplay.
"The Instant Sword Teleportation Technique is the Sword of Radiance Sect's real hidden trump card." Lin Feng thought to himself, "Even though Tao Yaoyao claimed that Zhao Yan would surely win Jiao Junchen if he mastered the Instant Sword Teleportation Technique, that's obviously impossible. But with that technique, Zhao Yan would have at least stood a chance against Jiao Junchen."
After all, the strength that Jiao Junchen just displayed was probably only the tip of the iceberg.
Upon hearing what Tao Yaoyao said, Jiao Junchen just smiled. Even if Zhao Yan did master the Instant Sword Teleportation Technique, he still wouldn't have been Jiao Junchen's match. Jiao Junchen would only treat the battle more seriously if Tao Yaoyao was the one sparring with him instead.
"Those capable of entering the Top 8 are certainly not weaklings." Shi Xingyun chuckled from a side, "Besides Sister Yaoyao and Zhu Yi, I could also be paired with you."
Jiao Junchen grinned, "Out of the seven competitors, the opponent I hope to get the most is Zhu Yi, followed by you. Tao Yaoyao and Song Qingyuan are ranked behind you."
Shi Xingyun shook her head and laughed, "But that being said, Zhu Yi is indeed the most suitable opponent for you. I really hope to watch the two of you battle."
Back at the Celestial Sect of Wonders, after Zhu Yi scrutinized the secrets behind Jiao Junchen's spell, he didn't say anything else. Yue Hongyan glanced at him and asked, "Second Senior, bystanders can see the clearest. You may be able to analyse Jiao Junchen's every move so systematically and clearly now, but can you still do the same when you're facing him in battle?"
Yue Hongyan looked incredibly serious. She had no intention of doubting or provoking Zhu Yi, but was concerned from the bottom of her heart.
Zhu Yi did not misinterpret her good intentions either. He remained calm as ever and said bluntly, "No I can't. Truth be told, I couldn't see through his tricks immediately when I watched him battle Zhao Yan at first."
"Initially, I could only see that the roots of his spell are derived from internalizing the skills of 'archery' and 'charioteering' of the Six Arts. I could only understand the specific details after he had ended his match with Zhao Yan." Zhu Yi's eyes flickered, and he said composedly, "If I had fought him before his match with Zhao Yan, then I'm afraid I could not have analysed his moves so slowly, and the outcome of the match would have been difficult to predict."
"But now, I have no need to worry because I already know his approximate skill level. Even though he hasn't demonstrated the spells of rites, music, calligraphy, and mathematics from the Six Arts, I can still roughly speculate what they might be like."
Zhu Yi smiled, "I also have a rough idea of any new tricks he might have aside from the Six Arts."
"If I were to battle him now, I wouldn't be in a complete mess like Zhao Yan was. However, this person's strength is truly formidable. Even though I'm confident of winning, victory wouldn't come easily."
With Jiao Junchen's victory over Zhao Yan, the second round of the competition between the Aurous Core cultivators has concluded, and the final Top 8 have been determined.
Zhu Yi, Gu Lei, Shi Xingyun, Tao Yaoyao, the Sun Moon Sword Sect's sword duo of Li Dongtao and Yun Mei, Song Qingyuan, Xiao Budian, and Jiao Junchen, formed the final line-up of the quarterfinals.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders and the host, the Great Qin Empire, both held two spots each in the Top 8, once again becoming the focus of everyone's attention.
With the names of the Top 8 confirmed, the third round of drawing lots also went underway, which was hosted once again by the Vivant Joy Holy Man.
Everyone fixed their gaze on the copper bottle in front of the Vivant Joy Holy Man, and Lin Feng was no exception. To him, it didn't matter which opponent his own disciples were paired him, as long as they weren't paired together.
Previously during the Foundation Establishment matches, Yang Qing and Yue Hongyan were paired together, which was truly a heart-breaking thing to watch.
Lin Feng stared at the copper bottle and thought to himself, "It would be best for them to be paired with the Heaven Lake Sect if possible."
The Vivant Joy Holy Man quickly drew the first name, which immediaty roused a slight commotion, because the first name drawn was none other than Xiao Budian.
Everyone's gazes fell onto Xiao Budian, who was beside Lin Feng, cloaked in purple clouds. Li Kuiyin and Shi Xingyun looked very worried.
Being the first name drawn also meant that he would be the first to take the stage and compete. Xiao Budian suffered severe injuries from his previous deathmatch against Mu Jihai. Even though Lin Feng was tending to him, whether he could revert to his strongest state still remained to be seen.
He obviously required more rest to heal his wounds under these circumstances, but now, he had to participate in the first match.
And shortly afterwards, Xiao Budian's opponent has also been determined - the sword duo of Li Dongtao and Yun Mei from the Sun Moon Sword Sect.
Both of them were already renowned individuals among all the advanced Aurous Core stage cultivators, and now with them battling as a duo, the strength of their Dual Sword Combination would increase drastically, which made the audience break out in a cold sweat for Xiao Budian.
The subsequent match line-ups were also quickly determined. The second match was Song Qingyuan versus Gu Lei, while the third match was a battle between two women, Tao Yaoyao and Shi Xingyun.
At this point in time, the fourth pair was already decided without needing to draw lots, and it was a pairing that shocked the entire audience.
Zhu Yi of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, versus Jiao Junchen of the Great Qin Empire!