Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Tang Thirty-Six descended from the stone steps and stood beside that student called Chen Fugui. Looking him over, he nodded, and said, "Your performance was not bad. In the future, you will learn the 'Tiger Charging Through the Dark Forest'."

Chen Fugui was a little surprised at these words, but upon realizing what Tang Thirty-Six had just said, revealed an ecstatic expression. His voice trembling, he said, "Many thanks to Superintendent, many thanks to Superintendent."

Tang Thirty-Six turned around to those several dozen students behind him. "Do you see? Just like what was said last night, when two armies battle, what's most important is vigor! Who care if you're not the enemy's opponent! You have to fight to find out. In addition, before you attack, you absolutely cannot think of yourself as inferior to your opponent. This is called, 'I would rather be beaten to death then scared to death'. It can also be called, 'if you can't beat someone to death, you still have to scare him to death'."

The students of the Orthodox Academy responded together, their voices ringing in unison. The gazes they aimed at Chen Fugui were filled with envy and yearning.

The challenger from the Li Palace Academy was left completely baffled by this scene. At this sight, he could no longer restrain his question, "What's going on here? Are we not fighting anymore?"

Tang Thirty-Six asked Chen Fugui, "Can you beat him?"

Before the match, he had asked this question. Chen Fugui had replied then that he could only know after fighting. Now that they had fought…

He very honestly admitted, "I can't beat him."

"Don't be discouraged. You only reached the initial level of Meditation not two months ago, it's only right that you're no match for an Ethereal Opening cultivator. It's not like you're some exceptional genius like me or Principal Chen."

Tang Thirty-Six patted him on his broad shoulder and soothed, "Summarize this match tonight, and then prepare everything you need for your studies."

The spectators thought to themselves, the match just started and barely anything was done. Just what is there to summarize?

The challenger from the Li Palace Academy watched as Chen Fugui walked back to the stone steps. Quite at a loss for what to do, he asked Tang Thirty-Six, "And then?

The match had just started and he hadn't even had time to use his sword before the shout came to stop. Then…shouldn't it be that they should continue to fight?

Tang Thirty-Six looked at him like he was an idiot, saying, "Since he can't beat you, he naturally concedes."

The challenger this time really did look a little silly. He was in a daze for quite a while before sobering up and asking in disbelief, "No way? It just ends like this?"

"What else? Do you want to stay and eat too? Our Orthodox Academy's cafeteria invited the chef of Clear Lake Restaurant to be cook. A normal person shouldn't even think about freeloading a meal."

Leaving the challenger with these words, Tang Thirty-Six returned to the stone steps of the Orthodox Academy to prepare for the second match.

The challenger from the Li Palace Academy was furious. His Qi suddenly spiked and the sword in his hand became infused with a cold energy.

Tang Thirty-Six halted and turned back. Expressionlessly, he declared, "Take another step forward and try."

On both sides of the Orthodox Academy's gate, two squadrons of Orthodoxy cavalry held cold spears in hand as they coldly kept watch.

Above the walls of the academy, one could barely make out the presence of crossbow bolts.

The surrounding crowd of spectators realized what the Orthodox Academy was prepared to do. The crowd parted with a flurry of noise, which was quickly suppressed into silence by the murderous intent pervading the scene.

"The Orthodox Academy…are you preparing to act shamelessly?"

A cold voice came from the street, its owner probably amongst the group of experts that had come to challenge the Orthodox Academy.

Tang Thirty-Six ignored that person. Walking back to the group of students, he looked at the list in his hand and yelled, "Which one of you is Fu Xinzhi?"

One person stepped forward. It was precisely that young scholar who had appeared so self-confident on that day when the Orthodox Academy was recruiting new students.

Tang Thirty-Six said to him, "Amongst your schoolmates, your cultivation is strongest. Put up a good performance and show those outsiders the true strength of our Orthodox Academy!"

Fu Xinzhi clasped his hands in respect. He slowly took out his longsword from its sheath. As he walked onto the field, his bearing was quite calm.

That challenger from the Li Palace was still standing there, no one paying him any attention whatsoever. Standing there by himself, he seemed rather pitiful and rather ridiculous.

He was clearly the victor of the battle, but where was the slightest bit of happiness from victory?

He shot a hateful stare at Tang Thirty-Six, and then, with a sweep of his sleeve, departed.

The next to come after him was similarly a swordsman at the middle level of Ethereal Opening. As for which school he was representing, Tang Thirty-Six could no longer remember. He could only remember that Chen Changsheng had explicitly told him last night that Fu Xinzhi's opponent could only be this swordsman. Chen Changsheng had even written a few very detailed notes on the list, saying just how Fu Xinzhi should attack and the maximum number of attacks he would be able to use.

Time passed rather slowly, or the first match had ended too quickly. It was still early morning, and although it was still the height of summer, it wasn't very hot.

Fu Xinzhi gripped his sword and stood on the flat ground in front of the Orthodox Academy. A cool breeze swept over him, wafting up his sleeves and giving him an unearthly feeling.

His opponent was also a swordsman. With the sun shining on his blue garments and the chilliness of his sword, he also gave off an extremely fine demeanor.

At this scene, the spectators who still felt rather dejected from the first battle's preposterous end instantly became energetic once more.

The swordsman expressionlessly declared, "Please."

As Fu Xinzhi looked at his opponent's face in the morning light, he seemed calm. In reality, only he knew just how nervous he was.

He was a student from Suiyang County. Unlike the students of the capital, he did not have access to knowledge of cultivation at a young age. Although his talent was decent, his strength had always been lacking.

As for battle prowess…in Suiyang County, he had never truly fought with another person.

Today was his first real battle in his entire life, and his opponent was at the middle level of Ethereal Opening, someone who he would have found impossible to imagine as an opponent back in Suiyang County, and who he would have regarded as a senior!

How could he not be nervous?

"You can't be nervous." This was what Principal Chen had repeated to him the most last night.

"Emphasize vigor. Vigor is not only in ferocity, but also in neatness." From morning class to now, this was the principle that the academy superintendent had constantly repeated.

In his mind, he recalled once more the form, speed, and true essence circulation of the techniques that Principal Chen had imparted to him last night, and then he took a deep breath.

He calmed down, and then attacked.

With a whoosh, it seemed like a storm had suddenly sprung up in front of the Orthodox Academy.

First Stance of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong: Rising Flurry!

With exceptional swiftness, his sword pierced through that storm and arrived in front of that swordsman.

That swordsman was still expressionless. His sword rose up from its sheath, confronting his opponent's sword with a majestic true essence that knocked Fu Xinzhi's sword far away from its original trajectory.

Fu Xinzhi was not alarmed.

For some reason, it was just like what Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six had said to all the new students last night…

The moment he made the first strike, his usual reverence that he had for Ethereal Opening cultivators back in Suiyang County vanished without a trace.

In addition, the current situation was just like he had practiced several times last night. His sword was in precisely that position, the position that Principal Chen had calculated.

That position was exceptionally good, exceptionally good for using the fifth stance of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong.

With a steady mind, he calmed his Qi. His sword energy suddenly rose up, the wind and rain abruptly kicked up. From his leaning position, he once more stabbed at his opponent.

Simultaneously, he counted in his mind, "This is my second strike."

Last night, Principal Chen had said that if he was able to use four moves against this powerful opponent, then it could be considered a success.

Clangclangclangclang!

Sword glows incessantly flashed and then vanished.

The wind and the rain in front of the Orthodox Academy similarly vanished, leaving behind only the clear and bright weather which would soon turn hot.

That swordsman still stood expressionlessly at his original position. There were no wounds on his body and only an extremely small cut on the front of his blue gown.

Fu Xinzhi grasped his sword, his chest rising up and down. An extremely deep wound had appeared on his left arm and blood was flowing out of it.

But it seemed like he couldn't feel the pain. His eyes were extremely bright, and it was obvious that he was extremely emotional and excited.

It was naturally impossible for him to obtain victory. Although he was the strongest amongst this batch of new students, the gap between him and the Ethereal Opening Realm was still impossible to cross.

But he used four moves.

This was the most important matter and also that which Chen Changsheng hoped that he could do.

So not only did he not feel defeated in the slightest, he was even filled with a boundless sense of heroism.

He hadn't even been in the Orthodox Academy for five days, but he could actually exchange four successive blows with an Ethereal Opening expert!

Then if he continued to study at the Orthodox Academy a little longer, just how far could he walk?

He looked into the eyes of that swordsman, thinking to himself, next year, I only need until next year, and then I will definitely be able to defeat you!

"Why are you still standing there?"

Tang Thirty-Six's voice came from the Orthodox Academy's gate.

Fu Xinzhi awoke from his reverie, sheathed his sword, bowed to the swordsman, then returned.

The swordsman was not angry like the challenger from the Li Palace Academy, nor did he attempt to block him. In addition, it was very obvious that it had nothing to do with the Orthodoxy cavalry or the crossbow bolts atop the wall.

Tang Thirty-Six watched as Fu Xinzhi returned, saying, "According to last night's calculations, if you managed to use four moves, you really could have been injured, but it shouldn't have been so serious."

Only after Fu Xinzhi returned did his schoolmates realize how deep his wound was. They could even barely make out the bone.

"For the final move, I went a little deeper. Because…I really wanted to try and see if I could stab my opponent," he said rather nervously.

His final move was unable to stab into his opponent's body. It had only been able to leave an extremely small cut on his opponent's clothes. If one didn't carefully look for it, it was almost impossible to see.

Tang Thirty-Six asked him, "Do you think it was worth it?"

To exchange a wound so deep that it almost reached the bone for a tiny hole on one's opponent’s clothes, anyone would feel that it wasn't worth it.

But Fu Xinzhi seriously considered the question, then said, "I think it was worth it."

"If you think it was worth it, then it's worth it." Tang Thirty-Six revealed a smile and said contentedly, "For instance, if I think you're pretty good, then you really are pretty good."

At this moment, the swordsman's voice suddenly rang out.

For some reason, the swordsman's voice was slightly trembling, whether out of fear or excitement.

"Good swordplay."

As he said this, he didn't look at Fu Xinzhi, but rather at Tang Thirty-Six.

It was not fear, but excitement, like the shock after seeing the wondrous scene of the sea of clouds atop a famous mountain.

With Fu Xinzhi's cultivation, for him to be able to learn the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong, even if it was only two moves, was already enough to shock others.

However, this swordsman's shock and praise were not because of this.

What truly shocked him was the person that taught Fu Xinzhi this sword style.