Chapter 54: I Don't

The pursuit and killings, traps and madness that occurred within Maple Leaf City seemed unrelated to the martial arts arena.

Here, the battle continued as usual.

The three winners who entered the round-robin stage were Zhang Linchuan, Lin Zhengren, and Fu Baosong from Wangjiang City.

This was a tall, slender man with a clear face, who had narrowly defeated a fifth-year disciple from Maple Leaf City to win the last spot.

Both fifth-year students from Wangjiang City had entered the round-robin stage, putting them in a significantly advantageous position.

In fact, the battle between the fifth-year students was the most important part, and only the champion of the three-city Dao discussion among the fifth-year students had the qualification to directly enter the National Dao Academy.

Similar Dao discussion events had some of these spots, but more or less. For example, "Northern Wind Playing with Snow" had two spots. Although it was a five-city Dao discussion, it only required choosing two out of ten, which was more likely than the "three-city Dao discussion."

These spots were also a form of resource allocation, often depending on the strength of the Dao academies in various cities. And what reflects the strength of the Dao academy is none other than the cultivators it cultivates. Therefore, once a cultivator grows up, the city Dao academy he comes from will also rise.

More National Dao Academy spots and faster growth of cultivators form a virtuous cycle.

On the other hand, in cities like Three Mountains City, with a talent gap, unable to win the Dao discussion, reduced resources, and more difficult cultivation conditions for disciples... this is a vicious cycle.

Only by understanding the Dao academy system of the Zhuang Kingdom can one understand why the cultivators of Three Mountains City fought so desperately.

Back to the competition, the first match of the three-city Dao discussion for fifth-year students was an internal battle.

Lin Zhengren versus Fu Baosong.

This battle had almost no highlights. Everyone knew that the current situation was a showdown between Maple Leaf City and Wangjiang City. The highlight of the entire round-robin was whether Zhang Linchuan could defeat his opponents from Wangjiang City in succession—which now seemed unlikely.

As for the internal battle, it was just a formality.

Obviously, Lin Zhengren also thought so, so when he saw Fu Baosong walking towards him, he casually said: "Just concede directly. I'll severely injure Zhang Linchuan later, and then you defeat him to take second place."

He seemed to have already arranged the rankings.

"Hey!" Zhang Linchuan covered his nose with a handkerchief, looking disgusted: "Don't act like I don't exist!"

Lin Zhengren turned to look at Zhang Linchuan, who was waiting for his turn, and smiled: "Or you can just quit now, and save yourself some pain."

After revealing his sixth-rank cultivation, he seemed to have freed his entire temperament and no longer cared so much about appearances.

At this moment…

"I won't."

He heard a voice say this.

Lin Zhengren suddenly turned around, looking at the source of the voice. Fu Baosong, the tall, silent man who had been quiet all day, spoke his first words today.

"You won't? Won't what?" Lin Zhengren was incredulous.

Lin Zhengli even started cursing from off-stage: "Fu Baosong, are you out of your mind? Don't you know your own strength?"

Fu Baosong turned a deaf ear. He just looked at Lin Zhengren, his gaze very calm and equal, no different from how he looked at others.

He said: "I will do my best, no matter who the opponent is. This is the meaning of the Dao discussion."

Lin Zhengren laughed in anger: "Good, then you can try."

Suddenly, there was a turn of events.

The Maple Leaf City commoners watching were invigorated. If the two cultivators from Wangjiang City were serious, wouldn't that mean Zhang Linchuan from their Maple Leaf City had a chance?

Although Lin Zhengren was a sixth-rank cultivator, if Fu Baosong could injure him before being defeated... Zhang Linchuan wasn't without hope!

"Good job, Fu Baosong!"

"Upright and unyielding, strong and indomitable, a model cultivator!"

"That's right! Why concede? Lin Zhengren doesn't have more brains than you, beat him down, and you'll be the champion!"

The spectators off-stage spoke up, their excitement as if they really liked Fu Baosong.

Especially Jiang Wang, who vaguely felt that the last voice sounded very familiar.

He followed the voice and saw Huang Azhan sneaking around in the crowd.

Jiang Wang turned his head back, his face blank.

He really didn't know what "special skills" the guy who had entered this small circle because of Du Yehou had. Flattering and bootlicking, greedy for wine and lust, and now he even incited public opinion.

But strangely, this guy seemed to have flaws everywhere, but he wasn't annoying.

……

On the stage, Lin Zhengren was clearly truly enraged, and started with the Azure Serpent Constriction.

The giant serpent broke the ground, turning the sky, and constricted into a ball.

Bang!

The Azure Serpent Constriction landed on a wall of vines.

The intertwined serpent vines formed a circle, protecting Fu Baosong in the center. It was the Vine Serpent Entangling Wall that Lin Zhengren had used before.

However, the B-grade middle-rank Vine Serpent Entangling Wall could not defend against the A-grade low-rank Azure Serpent Constriction.

In less than three breaths, the Vine Serpent Entangling Wall had shattered.

The azure giant serpent contracted forcefully, but in the next moment, it suddenly weakened.

A turquoise hand with a withered feeling pressed on the body of the serpent. Decaying gray-white intertwined with turquoise on the giant body of the Azure Serpent.

B-grade high-rank Dao technique, Decaying Wood Art!

Although it didn't disintegrate the Azure Serpent with a single hand like Dong A, it still weakened the Azure Serpent.

Fu Baosong took advantage of the gap to leap out.

But how could Lin Zhengren give him a chance? He reached forward, and the prepared Water Dragon Wave roared out!

However, behind the translucent body of the Water Dragon, his handsome face was extremely gloomy.

Some Dao techniques require talent, and some Dao techniques require compatibility. It doesn't mean that once the cultivation level is reached, the corresponding grade of Dao techniques can be mastered.

Just like this Decaying Wood Art, although it was only a B-grade high-rank technique, it was the unique secret technique of the Wangjiang City Dao Academy's dean, and even Lin Zhengren had not been taught it! The reason was that he wasn't compatible enough?

Did this poor boy, this stinky stone in the latrine, have enough compatibility?

Conceited as Lin Zhengren was, he had long been fed up with those high-sounding hypocritical excuses. Such as not enough compatibility, such as the so-called meaning of Dao discussion!

Facing the Water Dragon Wave that was almost waiting for a rabbit to run into it, Fu Baosong rolled a wave under his feet to dodge. Coming from the Wangjiang City Dao Academy, he was naturally familiar with the Triple Wave Technique.

But Lin Zhengren just pressed down with his left hand, and there was a surge of waves, mixing with the waves under Fu Baosong's feet, making this dodge a daydream.

A simple Dao technique, Raging Waves, was used with exquisite timing and precise positioning to break the Triple Wave Technique, which had three displacement effects.

The Water Dragon Wave mercilessly bombarded Fu Baosong, blasting him high up and causing him to fall heavily.

Lin Zhengren stepped on the waves under his feet, stepping on Fu Baosong's head.

He lowered his head slightly, using a very deliberate, contemptuous tone and said, "With you, can you beat me?"

Fu Baosong struggled to turn his head under Lin Zhengren's feet. He looked at Lin Zhengren, his eyes without anger, but an incomprehensible stubbornness: "I can't beat you. But I can't... lose without a fight!"

This person is really... both smelly and stubborn.

Smelly enough to make one frown, stubborn enough to be respected.