Chapter 85 Thoughts
The Kirst's City Lord looked at Fang Xingjian and the four tottering swordsmen, his face turning even more grim, looking as black as the bottom of a pan.
And thinking about the Conferred Knight’s remains that he had to give away, his heart ached even more.
Originally, he’d had twenty Wind Hawks, and every one of them was a treasured possession. They could be used as precious resources for his clan to nurture talents in the future. However, ten of them had been stolen by Headmaster Jackson, and it pained him extremely.
Now, he had to give away the Conferred Knight’s remains, which he had laboriously gotten his hands on. He had planned to forge a Superior Remains Divine Weapon, a prized item that could be a suppressing force.
Seeing his dark expression, Huang Lin laughed, “City Lord, may I ask when the Conferred Knight’s remains would be sent over?”
“Hmph, are you afraid that I wouldn’t keep my word?” With that, he waved his sleeves and walked away. “I will send them tomorrow.”
Huang Lin smiled inwardly as he watched his back fading in the distance while the Tresia’s clan head remarked bitterly, “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send Body Tempering Ointment over as well.”
Huang Lin then turned to look at the leader of Aristocrat Academy, Houston, and extended his palm. “When will you be bringing the house deed?”
Houston replied reluctantly, “I got it, I’ll get someone to send it over to you in a while.”
Huang Lin added, “Also, don’t you remove all the servants, gardeners, butlers, plants, furniture and such.”
Houston tutted and said, “Don’t you worry, I’m not such a sore loser.” Inwardly, however, he was cursing the old fox; he had planned to remove all items in the manor, leaving an empty house.
Nevertheless, regardless of what they thought about the bet, the fact that Fang Xingjian had single-handedly defeated ten Knights within a month of his job transition had already been deeply engraved in their minds.
To be honest, defeating ten ordinary Knights was something all of them were capable of. But how long had they been training? And how long had it been for Fang Xingjian?
He could no longer be simply described as a genius. All the influences and clans in Kirst would now adjust their plans regarding the academy, because of Fang Xingjian’s performance today.
…
Fang Xingjian was naturally unaware that his Master and Headmaster had won plenty of gifts on his behalf. He held his sword in one hand, every swing and stab appearing casual. But in the eyes of normal people, the seemingly effortless moves were moves that had almost reached the pinnacle level. Even the sword wind created by the swing of the sword seemed as sharp as a knife when it brushed across one’s face.
Four swordsmen rushed to surround Fang Xingjian. Even though they closed up on him from four directions, they felt as if they were the ones surrounded by countless people with longswords piercing through the air, reflecting glaring sword lights. At every moment, it seemed as if there were countless sharp swords thrusting towards them.
Fast!
Fast!
Too fast!
Those were the only thoughts running through the four’s minds.
Fang Xingjian’s longsword seemed to be pressed against their throats every second, their lives at his mercy, each and every moment. They could only frantically execute all the sword techniques they knew, doing whatever they could to try to fend off the attacks that kept coming like tidal waves.
Crisp sounds of clanging sounded continuously from the four men’s swords while waves of attacks were repeatedly constricting their nerves.
Every touch from the sword tips seemed to brush across their chests, throats and temples.
Every strike from the sword seemed to want to dry up every ounce of their energy.
Not even realizing when, they were unable to use their Killing techniques anymore.
Simply by employing the simplest Nurturing techniques and Training techniques, they had already squeezed dry their own strength and broke through their limits time and again, just to keep up with Fang Xingjian’s tempo.
Every passing minute and every passing second seemed like a year.
Finally, four sounds consecutively rang out dang dang dang dang, and the longswords flew out from the four’s hands, twirling in the air for a few rounds before stabbing the ground.
The four swordsmen, including the blue-haired Knight, started coughing. All of them fell to the ground, some half-kneeling, some sitting on the ground, all of them panting heavily.
At this point, they actually felt relieved that all was finally over.
The blue-haired Knight gasped heavily. He felt as if his heart was about to pounce out of his chest. Not a single strand of muscle in his body could move anymore.
He stared vacantly in front of him at Fang Xingjian, only to see him standing and quietly holding his sword. He was neither flushed, nor out of breath, and the way he strolled idly made it impossible for anyone to guess that he had just gone through such a tough battle.
‘That chap… What kind of monster is he…
‘I already knew that the Prefectural Champion from each batch would be a downright beast in human form…
‘But this Fang Xingjian… ****** only had his job transition a month ago… And he hasn’t given anyone else the chance to shine ever since.’
Many others looked equally shocked.
Standing behind Fang Xingjian, Zhou Yong had been yelling and swearing at him all the while, but now he was like a strangled duck, speechless, with his mouth agape . He was staring wide-eyed at Fang Xingjian, as though he was looking at an enormous prehistoric beast, and not a mere human.
Ferdinand, on the other hand, was laughing bitterly, lying down on the ground while looking towards the skies. He did not know what to comment on this competition.
Robert looked at Fang Xingjian with excitement in his eyes. He was extremely thankful for his judgement, and it further cemented his decision of following behind Fang Xingjian from now on.
Fang Xingjian sat cross-legged on the ground, his mind still running through the sword techniques he had just learnt. Other than the two sets of Nurturing techniques he had acquired from Zhou Yong, the four swordsmen he had trampled on were from different factions and academies. After depleting all their energy, he had managed to pick up eight sets of Nurturing techniques from the four of them.
However, after practicing them through his mind for a while, he seemed to realize that everyone else was still staring blankly at him. He opened his eyes, threw a glance towards Robert and said, “Go seize their fortress. This way, the battle will be concluded, right?”
“Yes… yes… I’ve got it.” Robert stared at Fang Xingjian, who seemed extremely annoyed. He was trembling in fear just talking to him. He then nodded and ran towards the opponent’s fortress.
Claude chuckled coldly, “There’s going to be a good show this time. Fang Xingjian, I really want to know what would be the outcome if you were to fight it out with the group of weirdos from Classes 248 and 249.”
Classes 248 and 249 had spent the longest time in the academy. They had enrolled seven or eight years earlier than Fang Xingjian’s batch. They were also known to be the most powerful classes.
The Prefectural Champions from the two classes were recognized as the two strongest Knights in the entire academy. Even that person from Class 248, who had passed the Regional Selections, was thought to be only slightly stronger than those two.
…
Following the end of the competition, Huang Lin and the Headmaster walked out all smiles. They had won plenty today, and the remains given by the Kirst's City Lord could be used to make a Divine Weapon for Fang Xingjian.
Netherworld Valley’s antidotes could go into the academy’s resource reserve. Even if they were to sell them, they would still make a great profit.
The Body Tempering Ointment that the Tresia Clan had just lost could be used directly on Fang Xingjian to increase his body’s potential.
Also, the manor that the ex-aristocrat Houston lost was even more valuable. Even if no one stayed in it, they would still profit greatly from selling that house.
However, just as they walked out of the valley and headed in the direction of the academy, a shadow suddenly appeared before them, blocking their way.
The two men stopped, and after a good look, they noticed that it was Kirst's City Lord who was blocking their way.
Huang Lin laughed out in alarm, “Hey old man, you can’t be feeling bad about your loss and be planning to get rid of us?”
“Hmph.” Kirst's City Lord scrunched up his face and asked, “It’s like this, you know I’ve attained a great level of mastery with the rod. But… my daughter prefers the art of the swords. I see that Fang Xingjian’s sword arts aren’t bad. Would it be possible for him to teach my daughter?”
Huang Lin was shocked, and replied, “Old man, you can’t be thinking of introducing your daughter to Xingjian?”
Hearing those words spoken from Huang Lin’s mouth so explicitly, Kirst's City Lord could not help but turn flush, saying, “What nonsense are you spouting? I’m just letting the young people get to know each other.”
Earlier, as he was leaving, he had felt a lump of resentment in his chest, and thinking about how he had to give up the remains which he had only laid his hands on not long ago, he felt even more peeved.
But at that moment, a subordinate mentioned to him that Fang Xingjian seemed to have no kin nor relatives, and if he could have him as a son-in-law, to be added to his family, then the Superior Remains Divine Weapon would still be his, and Fang Xingjian would even be considered half a son to him.
The suggestion got Kirst's City Lord interested immediately. Hence, the current scene before Huang Lin.
Seeing that Huang Lin had more to say, Kirst's City Lord yelled, “Alright, alright. I’ll have my daughter send the remains over tomorrow. After that, just let Fang Xingjian give her some guidance on her swordsmanship every week.”
With that, he dashed off without looking back, as though he was not at all worried that Huang Lin and the Headmaster would disagree.