Library of Heaven’s Path

Chapter 590: Zhao Feiwuʼs Analysis

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

”Zhang shi...”

Walking up to Zhang Xuan, Ruohuan gongzi hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said, ”I have something to request of you!”

”Feel free to speak!” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

While he did have some misunderstandings with this proud genius of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, they had resolved most of their grudges back in the Glacier Plain Court. Furthermore, as fellow participants representing Myriad Kingdom Alliance, if he could be of help, he wouldnʼt reject it.

”Initially, I donʼt bear much hope in reaching the top ten. However... now that Iʼm already in the top sixteen, if I donʼt at least give it a try, I will regret it for life...” Ruohuan gongziʼs face reddened.

Having picked ʼA1ʼ, he was able to advance to the next round unconditionally.

Humans are born with desire. If he had been defeated in the previous round, he wouldnʼt have been so conflicted. Now that he was already in the top sixteen-a victory away from getting into the top ten-he couldnʼt help but harbor some hope.

”... But the one Iʼm fighting against in the next match is Qin Lei of White Helios Sect!”

With a distressed expression, Ruohuan gongzi uttered gloomily, ”I donʼt have the confidence to defeat him!”

Zhang Xuan turned to look at Ruohuan gongzi and asked, ”Qin Lei? The person who is ranked third on the list?”

He had seen this name on the list that Pavilion Master Kang gave him previously. Qin Lei was a genius of White Helios Sect. As a 4-star pinnacle master teacher and a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle expert, he was only below Fleeting Cloud Sectʼs Luo Xuan and the Frigid Gale Sectʼs Liao Wuzhi on the list, and he was a popular contender for the champion spot as well.

”Yes!” Ruohuan gongzi nodded his head.

”If thatʼs the case, it would indeed be difficult for you to defeat him!” Zhang Xuan frowned.

While Ruohuan gongzi improved immensely in the past two months, reaching Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle as well, it would still be difficult for him to compete against disciples of huge sects like his current opponent.

After all, there was a huge gap in the resources they were entitled to over many years, and two months of last-minute training was far from sufficient to cover the gap.

”Thus, I wish to seek Zhang shiʼs guidance... Regardless of whether Iʼm able to defeat him or not, youʼll have my gratitude!” Ruohuan gongzi quickly said.

Zhang shi had truly fared impressively in this tournament. Even the most popular contenders such as Luo Xuan and Liao Wuzhi found themselves being outshone.

If there was someone who could bring him the closest to success, it wasnʼt his teacher Pavilion Master Kang but the young man standing before him at this instant.

”I can offer you pointers, just that...”

At this point, Zhang Xuan shook his head before continuing, ”... given that we donʼt even know the content of the duel, how can I offer you any effective pointers?”

There were many different dueling formats to the Master Teacher Tournament, and given that the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was ranked in the last place in the previous tournament, Ruohuan gongzi didnʼt have the right to choose. Under such circumstances, he could only go along with the proposed dueling format from the other party, so how could Zhang Xuan offer any effective guidance?

After all, the bare minimum to preparing a winning hand was to know what cards the other party had up his sleeves. Otherwise, even if a 6-star or 7-star master teacher were to be present here, he would surely be completely helpless in the face of this situation.

Even if Zhang Xuan wished to be of help, there was nothing he could do!

Ruohuan gongzi hesitated for a moment before saying, ”In the previous round, the person he faced was Wu Qing from True Breath Sect. The both of them were nearly equals, so he proposed knowledge impartation and won through it. Against me... I think thereʼs a good chance he might choose a physical duel so as to be spared the effort!”

Wu Qing was also another master teacher whose name was listed in the top ten of the list, but due to his bad luck, he met with Qin Lei in the very first round and ended up being eliminated.

As the both of them were nearly equally-matched, Qin Lei proposed knowledge impartation.

But against Ruohuan gongzi, it was unlikely that Qin Lei would go through that much trouble; the chances were that he would outright propose a physical duel.

Even though the both of them were Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle, the other party had more years of experience behind him. Not to mention, the resources that White Helios Sect provided the other party was far greater than Ruohuan gongziʼs. Thus, it was likely for Ruohuan gongzi to be the weaker one in all aspects, be it battle technique or power control.

As such, his guess was actually rather logical. There was indeed a high possibility that the other party would propose a physical duel against him.

”This...”

Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

If it was really a physical duel, then things could be solved easily. It was a walk in the park for him to raise the other partyʼs fighting prowess up a notch within the next hour. However... what if it wasnʼt a physical duel?

Wouldnʼt all preparation be done in vain?

Just as Zhang Xuan was just about to say something, Pavilion Master Kang called over to them.

”Zhang shi, Ruohuan, have some food first!”

Turning around, they realized that most of the master teachers had already departed from the stage to rest their wearied bodies and regain their energy.

”Letʼs head down first!”

There was no use discussing this matter when nothing was confirmed at all. Thus, the duo walked down the stage.

The Alliance Head Residence had prepared quite a luxurious spread. There was even spirit beast meat, an extremely effective nourishment in recovering oneʼs expended zhenqi.

Upon seeing the feast, Zhang Xuan felt his stomach grumble.

”What were you two talking about?” Zhao Feiwu asked the duo with a light smile.

”Oh, Ruohuan gongzi is facing Qin Lei from the White Helios Sect in the next match, and he hopes that I can offer him some pointer for it. However, we donʼt know what dueling format the other party is likely to choose,” Zhang Xuan replied as he filled his mouth with the delicacies before him.

”What kind of dueling format?” Zhao Feiwu cupped her chin, and after a moment of contemplation, she replied, ”I think that... it is likely to be comprehension of cultivation!”

”Comprehension of cultivation?” Zhang Xuan, Ruohuan gongzi, and the others in the surroundings turned to look at her.

In truth, most of them had agreed with Ruohuan gongziʼs view that the other party would choose physical duel. As such, they were intrigued to see that someone had a different viewpoint from theirs.

”Comprehension of cultivation? But that is a very troublesome duel to hold, and the evaluation is extremely tricky as well. Very few people would choose that kind of dueling format!” Su shi replied.

There were many ways a comprehension of cultivation duel could be held, such as interpreting a battle technique, interpreting a cultivation technique, and so on... But regardless of which one it was, it was extremely time-consuming and effort-consuming. More importantly, there were many differing viewpoints regarding the topic, and they could all be correct at the same time. In other words, as long as oneʼs interpretation wasnʼt too off the mark, it would be hard to decide on a winner.

On top of that, as 4-star pinnacle master teachers, it was impossible for their understanding of cultivation to be too far off the mark. As such, there were very few who would opt for such a troublesome dueling format.

”Tell us more about it!”

But still, while the princess before him was lacking in cultivation, Zhang Xuan knew that she was an avid reader, and she had shown that she was particularly astute in guessing the thoughts of others on multiple occasions as well.

”The basis behind my deduction is simple-it depends on what he hopes to achieve in this tournament!”

Zhao Feiwu chuckled mysteriously.

”What he hopes to achieve?” Ruohuan gongzi was taken aback. ”Wouldnʼt it be winning the champion seat?”

The greatest glory one could derive from the Master Teacher Tournament would be to win the champion seat. As one of the most popular contenders for the position, it would be natural for Qin Lei to be eyeing that seat!

”Youʼre right, but what do you know is his greatest obstruction to his goal at the moment?” Zhao Feiwuʼs eyes narrowed into crescents as she turned her beautiful face toward the young man before her.

”You mean... Zhang shi?”

There was no one present in this square who would offer a different answer than that at this point.

It wouldnʼt be an exaggeration to use the word ʼrampageʼ to summarize Zhang Xuanʼs performance in the preliminary selection. And after the first dueling round, there was no one else who thought that they could exploit his low cultivation. With this, he had become the strongest contender for the champion seat, standing above even Luo Xuan.

Thus, the greatest obstruction Qin Lei would face in becoming the champion was indubitably him.

”Indeed. Since his goal is Zhang shi, naturally, he doesnʼt view you as a threat. Thus, in the first place... he has never really thought of you as an equal before!” Zhao Feiwu said.

Ruohuan gongziʼs face reddened.

Even though those words were indeed hurtful, he knew that it was true.

Given the disparity between both of their capabilities, the other party indeed had nothing to fear of him.

”However, given that you came from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and his goal is to defeat Zhang shi... there is a good chance he will use Zhang shiʼs greatest strength to defeat you so as to taunt him!” Zhao Feiwu continued.

”My greatest strength?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback by those words.

”Un. Even though you have shown outstanding aptitude in multiple aspects such as your temperament and wisdom, without a doubt, your greatest strength is your intelligence and Impartation of Heavenʼs Will!”

”Thatʼs right!” Pavilion Master Kang nodded his head.

Zhang shi had performed impressively throughout the tournament, but these two factors were what that left the deepest mark on the onlookers.

Using Impartation of Heavenʼs Will to persuade an Otherworldly Demon to kill himself; defeating the puppet of the Celestial Chest with a single move.

On the other hand, destroying the Ghost Domain Illusory City didnʼt really reflect much about Zhang shiʼs capability, especially given that the other participants hadnʼt had the chance to undergo it themselves, whereas memorizing twenty thousand books was due to his strong background. These two feats paled in comparison to the former two.

”Impartation of Heavenʼs Will is highly tied to oneʼs Soul Depth, so even if he thought that he could defeat you in that aspect, it would unlikely to be spectacular... but intelligence is different! A master teacherʼs intelligence is usually reflected through the depth of his understanding of cultivation, and if he could perform outstandingly in that aspect, he might be able to steal the spotlight from Zhang shi. This is a good opportunity for him, so I believe that thereʼs a good chance that he will grasp it!”

Zhao Feiwu chuckled as she revealed her analysis. ”Rather, I think that a physical duel would be one of the less likely options for him. After all, it is unseemly for a refined master teacher to be engaged in physical brawls. It wouldnʼt reflect well on him even if he were to win!”

”Youʼre right!”

Zhang Xuanʼs eyes lit up.

Zhao Feiwu seemed to have grasped the other partyʼs thoughts accurately, and her words seemed to fit perfectly as though a jigsaw puzzle.

”Your analysis is right, but how would a duel involving comprehension of cultivation be carried out? After all, we canʼt possibly find a manual on the spot and decipher it...” Ruohuan gongzi asked in bafflement.

The most direct way for to determine whose comprehension of cultivation is deeper would be for the duo to decipher the same book, but... which book would they choose? After all, wouldnʼt the result be biased no matter which book is chosen?

”There are other ways to measure oneʼs comprehension of cultivation. If I recall correctly, thereʼs a dueling format known as... ʼFlaw Identificationʼ, right?” Zhao Feiwu replied with a smile.

”Flaw identification? You mean... the dueling format where both sides each execute a battle technique, and the respective opponents point out the flaws in the executed technique, and whoever manages to point out more flaws is the winner?”

Ruohuan gongzi was stunned. ”But... that requires one to have an exceptional eye of discernment and profound comprehension of cultivation. Usually, only higher rank master teachers would do it for lower rank master teachers. For him to point out my flaws...”

He didnʼt finish his words, but what he wanted to express couldnʼt be any clearer.

They were both 4-star pinnacle master teacher. For the other party to actually boast of correcting Ruohuan gongziʼs mistake, wasnʼt he being a little too arrogant?

”Indeed. Donʼt worry, since this Qin Lei wishes to win the spotlight and outshine Zhang shi, there is a very good chance he will choose this dueling format!” Zhao Feiwu smiled.

Since the other party was aiming for the champion seat, he had to shatter the heavy pressure Zhang Xuan was exerting on him first. And for this, Ruohuan gongzi, who was a fellow representative of Myriad Kingdom Alliance, served as the perfect stepping stone.

Only by using the most arrogant way to step down on Ruohuan gongzi would his own strength be emphasized. Only through this way could he finally get on equal footing with Zhang shi.

”...”

Ruohuan gongzi had a bitter look on his face.

What was this?

He thought that he would at least be respected as a fellow competitor in the Master Teacher Tournament given the massive rise in his cultivation, but in the end, the other party only regarded as a mere stepping stone.

”The heck, Iʼll screw him over!”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt. Gritting his teeth, Ruohuan gongzi turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, ”If this is the dueling format, does Zhang shi have any ideas as to how I can achieve victory?”

To actually challenge a master teacher of equivalent rank to a match of flaw identification... the other party was indeed hubristic. But while Ruohuan gongzi hated to admit it, he had no confidence to face the other party in such a match-off.

Thus, he entrusted his hopes to the young man before him who had created miracles time and time again.

”Ideas?” Zhang Xuan frowned. After a moment of thought, his eyes lit up, and a peculiar smile appeared on his face. ”I do have an idea, but it wonʼt be easy to carry out!”

”Oh? As long as I can defeat it, Iʼd do anything no matter how difficult it is!”

Hearing that the other party had an idea in mind, Ruohuan gongziʼs eyes lit up. He quickly stood up and bowed sincerely. ”Zhang shi, I humbly seek your guidance...”

”Er... Alright then!”

Zhang Xuan casually picked up the bowl of meat soup which he was half-done with and passed it over. ”Take this and pour it over your opponent!”

”Ah? Pour it... over Qin shi?”

Ruohuan gongziʼs eyes widened in shock.