The martial art "Chasing Wind Arrow" involves shooting arrows with a special internal energy, causing them to twist and change trajectory to track targets. Upon mastering it, one can achieve rapid-fire volleys, unleashing a continuous barrage of arrows.
"Hehehe!" Gu Yuan's sinister laughter echoed from the bedroom.
This was just like a homing missile. The top twenty prodigies would have a hard time now.
Gu Yuan suddenly anticipated the expressions on the faces of the various geniuses when they saw the curving arrows the next day.
Time to cultivate!
Gu Yuan began to comprehend this martial technique.
Moments ticked by, and in the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
Gu Yuan entered the arena and found more spectators than ever, the atmosphere more heated. Observing the mood, Gu Yuan was slightly surprised, but then he remembered: this was the final for the top twenty high school seniors in the entire prefecture, a competition to decide the top scholar of the prefecture.
It was normal for the popularity to be higher than usual.
Arriving at his officially assigned seat, Gu Yuan glanced around and saw that twenty seats were labeled.
In front of him, a monk in white robes turned to look at Gu Yuan, revealing a handsome face with red lips and white teeth. He clasped his hands together and smiled faintly at Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan returned the smile, the monk's name flashing in his mind.
He was Monk Miaozhen from Vajra Temple, at the peak of Body Tempering, possessing the might of a dragon and elephant. He was a true disciple seed of the current generation of Vajra Temple, his Great Vajra Palm being invincible, ranked fifth.
Gu Yuan's gaze shifted to his side, two seats away. A fair-faced Daoist in a deep blue Daoist robe was meditating with his eyes closed.
Perhaps sensing Gu Yuan's gaze, the Daoist opened his eyes. The moment he did, Gu Yuan saw a flash of purple light in his pupils. The Daoist looked at Gu Yuan and nodded slightly, a gesture Gu Yuan returned.
Xiao Yixian, Dharma name Chongyang, a true disciple seed of the current generation of Laojun Temple. He practiced the Five Thunders Orthodox Law, performed the step-and-stride formation, and was even rumored to be skilled in spirit-summoning techniques. He was a powerhouse, ranked sixth.
Chongyang turned his head, a solemn glint in his eyes. His intuition warned him that Gu Yuan, who had surged from over three hundredth place, posed a significant threat to him.
Gu Yuan decided not to pay attention any longer and began to meditate, waiting for the competition to begin.
With only twenty participants remaining, the competition format changed to a draw. It would be a knockout system, deciding the ranks from eleventh to twentieth today, with the top ten duels tomorrow.
He began to refine the internal blood and qi, channeling it into his blood sacs for storage, to be unleashed when necessary.
Amidst cheers, Gu Yuan opened his eyes and saw the director of the Zhongzhou Prefecture Education Bureau, recruiters from top universities, and several military bigwigs.
Gu Yuan knew this was a normal phenomenon. Every prefecture was experiencing this, with top university teachers leading the recruitment, sometimes even leading to disputes over a single student.
Since then, the director of the Education Bureau would accompany them, partly to assess educational standards and partly to present official rewards.
With the arrival of these influential figures, the contestants immediately sat up straight, adopting a serious demeanor.
This made Gu Yuan feel a bit speechless, but he followed suit, putting on his best display of spirit and energy.
"Audience members, distinguished leaders and teachers who have traveled from afar, welcome to the finals for the top twenty in the Zhongzhou Prefecture Martial Arts Examination. Without further ado, let's begin the competition."
"This time, we will use a draw system with a knockout format. Let's see which two contestants will face each other today."
On the large screen suspended in mid-air, the names of the contestants began to scroll. Everyone held their breath, silently awaiting the first pairing.
The scrolling names gradually slowed down, and finally, two names appeared.
Wow!
The audience erupted in cheers.
Gu Yuan was taken aback. Was his luck this good? His match was in the first round.
"Alright, let's invite contestant Gu Yuan and contestant Cang Tianhua to the stage."
Cang Tianhua: Peak Body Tempering, ranked ninth, a power-type fighter.
Tsk!
This was somewhat of a counter to his bow and arrow, Gu Yuan mused, and then stood up, heading towards the arena.
Cang Tianhua also stood up and walked towards the arena. He was tall and slender, estimated to be 1.8 meters, with well-proportioned, explosive muscles.
On the stage, Gu Yuan took a deep breath, cupped his fists in salute to Cang Tianhua, who returned the gesture.
A flash of light appeared in his hand as Qiushui, its snow-white blade gleaming with a cold light, exuding a sharp aura.
Cang Tianhua's weapon was more unusual: a pair of golden-threaded gauntlets.
With both sides ready, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the referee gave the signal, and the match officially began.
In the spectator stands, a young man in a Tianxia University uniform asked the man beside him with a smile, "Who do you think will win?"
The man addressed, wearing a Tianhai University uniform, stroked his chin and looked at the two contestants charging at each other in the arena. He responded solemnly, "I don't know. Kids these days always hide their strength. Who knows if they have any trump cards? You can't know who will win until the very last moment."
The Tianxia University man nodded in agreement and fell silent, focusing intently on the match.
Gu Yuan's blood and qi began to churn violently within him. His physique, reinforced by his rib and muscle conditioning, erupted, and his major tendons began to exert their power.
Lightning Cut!
Gu Yuan started with a killing move.
The power of the thunderous leopard in his legs began to awaken, small arcs of electricity leaping out and splashing into the air.
A burst of formidable strength erupted, leaving a deep footprint on the ground. His body instantly vanished from its original position, lightning slicing through the air with a faint burning smell.
Cang Tianhua narrowed his eyes, his feet moving in rapid succession. His speed instantly surged, carrying a hint of wind.
Ten meters covered in an instant. Fist met blade.
Clang!
A metallic collision rang out, sparks raining down.
Gu Yuan unleashed the Tiger Fiend Saber Technique. Qiushui's blade flashed, resembling a white flood dragon churning the seas, radiating a sharp aura. The saber light subtly connected, forming a ferocious tiger's head, as if roaring at the sky.
As the ninth-ranked contestant, Cang Tianhua undoubtedly had his own formidable skills.
A layer of yellow spiritual light manifested on his gauntlets. When Gu Yuan collided with him, the force was more than double that of their previous encounter, nearly causing him to drop his saber.
Gu Yuan's expression turned solemn. He couldn't underestimate anyone.
He hadn't expected a Body Tempering realm practitioner to have so many mystical techniques. If the subsequent Pulse Opening and True Qi realms had even more tricks up their sleeves.
"Yo, this young fellow from the Cang family is quite good," commented Zhao He, a recruiter from Tianxia University, observing Cang Tianhua's fist technique. "I didn't expect his Mountain Sea Heavy Fist to have condensed the intent of mountains. Not bad, not bad. What do you think, Yuan Lei?" He turned to Yuan Lei, the recruiter from Tianhai University.
"What do I think? I'm sitting and watching. What else can I do?" Yuan Lei rolled his eyes speechlessly.
He thought Gu Yuan was quite promising. His saber technique was sharp. Even a simple Tiger Fiend Saber Technique was executed to such a level. He could be nurtured.
The recruiter from First Martial Arts University, dressed in uniform and sitting upright, watched the match. He twitched his lips slightly upon hearing the conversation next to him, feeling quite speechless.
However, his gaze fell upon Gu Yuan on the stage. This Gu Yuan was a promising candidate for military arts. His moves were fierce and decisive, making him eligible.
These recruiters generally had very sharp eyes. They were responsible for recruiting top prodigies and could assess most situations at a glance.
On the stage.
Cang Tianhua's fists were covered in the intent of mountains as he employed the Mountain Sea Heavy Fist style. Every strike carried immense power, which Gu Yuan's reinforced ribs and muscles couldn't suppress for the moment.
Qiushui parried Cang Tianhua's heavy blows. Gu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he channeled the ferocious black tiger in his mind.
Tiger Fiend - Soul Suppression!
Roar!
A tiger's roar filled with ferocity erupted from Gu Yuan's mouth, striking directly at Cang Tianhua's eardrums.
"What is this!" Yuan Lei's eyes widened with seriousness. He exchanged a look with Zhao He, seeing the surprise in his counterpart's eyes!