Chapter 54: I Won't

The pursuit and slaughter occurring within Fenglin City seemed entirely unrelated to the martial arena, filled with traps and madness.

Here, combat proceeded as usual.

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

The latter was a tall, thin man with a clean and elegant countenance. He had narrowly defeated a fifth-year disciple from Fenglin City to claim the final spot.

Both fifth-year disciples from Wangjiang City had advanced to the round-robin stage, placing them in a position of overwhelming advantage.

In truth, the battles between fifth-year disciples were the most critical segment; only the top fifth-year student from the Three-City Dao Debate possessed the qualification to enter the National Dao Academy directly.

Similar debate competitions offered such spots, though the numbers varied. For instance, the "North Wind Snow Performance" offered two spots; although it involved five cities, one only needed to be among the top two out of ten, making the odds higher than the "Three-City Dao Debate."

These spots were a form of resource allocation, often depending on the strength of the local City Dao Academies. And the strength of a Dao Academy was reflected solely by the cultivators it produced. Thus, once a certain cultivator rose to prominence, their home City Dao Academy would rise along with them.

More spots in the National Dao Academy led to faster growth for cultivators, creating a virtuous cycle.

Conversely, in a place like Sanshan City, where there was a gap in elite talent, they could not win the debates, resources dwindled, and the conditions for disciples' cultivation became even more difficult... this was a vicious cycle.

Only by understanding the Dao Academy system of the State of Zhuang could one understand why the cultivators of Sanshan City fought so desperately.

Returning to the competition, the first match of the fifth-year round-robin in the Three-City Debate was an internal battle.

Lin Zhengren versus Fu Baosong.

This fight held almost no interest for the spectators. Everyone knew the current situation was essentially Fenglin City versus Wangjiang City. The highlight of the entire round-robin rested on whether Zhang Linchuan could consecutively defeat his opponents from Wangjiang City—though, by now, there seemed little hope.

As for the internal match, it was merely a formality.

Lin Zhengren clearly thought so as well. When he saw Fu Baosong walking toward him, he simply said nonchalantly, "Just forfeit now. I'll strike Zhang Linchuan heavily in a moment, and then you can defeat him to take second place."

He had already arranged the rankings in his mind.

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

Lin Zhengren turned to look at Zhang Linchuan, who was waiting on the sidelines, and smiled. "Either withdraw now, or you can save yourself some physical pain."

After exposing his sixth-grade cultivation, his entire temperament seemed liberated; he no longer cared much for outward appearances.

At that moment...

"I won't."

He heard a voice say this.

Lin Zhengren snapped his head around toward the source of the voice. That tall, thin man, Fu Baosong, who had remained silent all day, had spoken his first words of the day.

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

Lin Zhengli even began cursing from outside the arena: "Fu Baosong, have you lost your mind? Do you not know your own weight?"

Fu Baosong ignored them. He simply looked at Lin Zhengren with a gaze that was calm and equal, no different from how he looked at anyone else.

He said, "I will give my all, regardless of who the opponent is. That is the meaning of the Dao Debate."

Lin Zhengren laughed out of pure rage. "Fine, then give it a try."

The tide turned.

The spectating citizens of Fenglin City felt a surge of spirit. If the two cultivators from Wangjiang City were being serious, didn't that mean their own Zhang Linchuan had a chance?

Although Lin Zhengren was at the sixth-grade level, if Fu Baosong could wound him before being defeated... Zhang Linchuan was not without hope!

"Way to go, Fu Baosong!"

"Upright and unyielding, a model for cultivators!"

"Exactly! Why forfeit? Lin Zhengren isn't going to take your head; knock him down and you'll be the champion!"

The spectators outside the arena voiced their support, their passion making it seem as though they truly adored Fu Baosong.

Jiang Wang, in particular, felt that the last voice sounded very familiar.

Following the sound, he saw Huang Azhan scurrying about sneakily through the crowd.

Jiang Wang turned back, his face expressionless.

He truly didn't know what other "talents" this fellow, who had entered this small circle because of Du Yehu, possessed. Flattery, gluttony, lust, and now, inciting public opinion.

Yet, strangely, despite this man's flaws being visible everywhere, one couldn't bring themselves to hate him.

...

On the field, Lin Zhengren was clearly genuinely enraged. His opening move was the Green Python Constriction.

A giant python erupted from the earth, twisting into a mass.

*Bang!*

The Green Python Constriction slammed into the vine wall.

The intertwined snake-vines formed a circle, protecting Fu Baosong at the center. It was the Vine-Snake Wall technique Lin Zhengren had used previously.

However, a Grade B Mid-rank Vine-Snake Wall could not, under any circumstances, defend against a Grade A Low-rank Green Python Constriction.

In less than three breaths, the Vine-Snake Wall shattered.

The green python contracted forcefully, but in the next instant, it suddenly withered.

A jade-colored hand, carrying a sense of desiccation, pressed against the python's body. On the massive body of the green python, decaying grayish-white and jade-green colors intertwined.

Grade B High-rank Daoist Art: Decaying Wood Decree!

Though he did not disintegrate the python with a single hand like Dong A, he had nonetheless caused the python to wither.

Fu Baosong seized this gap to leap forward.

But how could Lin Zhengren give him the chance? Reaching out, the prepared Water Dragon Wave roared forth!

However, behind the translucent body of the water dragon, his handsome face was grim to the extreme.

Some Daoist arts required talent, while others required compatibility. It wasn't as if once your cultivation reached a certain level, you could simply master the corresponding grade of art.

Take this Decaying Wood Decree, for example. Although it was only Grade B High-rank, it was the unique secret technique of the Wangjiang City Dao Academy Principal, and even Lin Zhengren had not been taught it! The reason given was a lack of compatibility?

Could it be that this penniless brat, this piece of filth, was actually compatible enough?

Arrogant as Lin Zhengren was, he had long since grown tired of those grand, hypocritical excuses. Such as "insufficient compatibility," or the so-called "meaning of the Dao Debate"!

Facing the Water Dragon Wave, which was practically a sitting duck, Fu Baosong attempted to dodge by swirling the waves beneath his feet. Coming from the Wangjiang City Dao Academy, he was certainly no stranger to the Triple Wave technique.

But Lin Zhengren simply pressed his left hand down, causing a surging tide to mingle with the waves beneath Fu Baosong's feet, turning his attempt at evasion into a fantasy.

A simple Water Surge Daoist art, through impeccable timing and precise positioning, had countered the Triple Wave technique, which possessed three displacement effects.

The Water Dragon Wave struck Fu Baosong mercilessly, blasting him high into the air before sending him crashing down.

Lin Zhengren surged forward on the waves, stepping directly onto Fu Baosong's head.

He lowered his head slightly and said in a deliberate, contemptuous tone, "With your skill, can you even win against me?"

Fu Baosong struggled to turn his head beneath Lin Zhengren's foot. He looked at Lin Zhengren, and in his eyes, there was no anger, but rather a baffling stubbornness: "I cannot defeat you in battle. But I cannot... lose without fighting!"

This man was truly... stubborn and unyielding.

Stubborn enough to make one frown, yet unyielding enough to command respect.