Chapter 1263: Encountering A Dark Horse

Translator: Lordbluefire

“Thanks for letting me win!”

After Xianyu Wei finished the niceties, she jumped down the stage and jogged back to Sun Mo. She stared at him with expectation, like how a puppy was waiting for its owner to feed it.

“Very excellent!”

Sun Mo wanted to stretch out his hand to pat Xianyu Wei’s head, but he suddenly discovered that she was now very tall. The lucky mascot was better to pat instead.

“Hehe!”

Xianyu Wei grinned joyfully.

“For the Dharma Skyshock Fist, you have comprehended its essence, so just continue training in it normally. Other than this, you should spend most of your time on the Undying Mystic Art!”
Sun Mo guided.

The plains girl had a pure personality. She was bubbly and adorable, with intense emotions. Her world only consisted of right and wrong, without a gray zone. Such a mentality was very compatible with the essence of this buddhist-style cultivation art.
As the saying goes…once buddha is enraged, the skies shall tremble!

No matter if you are right or wrong, happy or sad, I will simply shake the sky with a single punch and all worries will dissipate.

The competition continued but those high star-ranking great teachers spectating the battles were not in a good mood.

Pak!

A 6-stars threw the notebook in his hand onto the ground. He then covered his chest with his arms and had a look of unhappiness on his face. “Is there still any meaning to this competition? It has become a performance display for Sun Mo’s disciples!”
“There’s no solution to this, who asked his students to all be so impressive?”

“The Nine Greats are definitely very sad. They originally thought that their students would be able to shine in the Hero Battle. But in the end, Sun Mo and his students from the Central Province Academy have stolen the limelight.”
Some great teachers from other schools felt joy in the Nine Greats’ misfortune.

‘The stronger their students were, the better it would be to spread the school’s fame. There would surely be better students going to join them because of their fame.

To a school, the student supply was their farm crop and also considered a type of benefit. But now, Sun Mo had taken away a large portion of it.

Although many people were grumbling, they were still convinced in their hearts.

What condition would a person need if he wanted to surpass others in a certain field?

Outstanding talent, willingness to work hard, and the guidance of a good great teacher.

“That plains girl seems to be born with divine strength. I truly envy Sun Mo’s dogshit luck!”

A 6-stars great teacher was jealous.

“Theard that this Xianyu Wei was abandoned by her original teacher. It was Sun Mo who accepted her!”

Someone divulged.

“Haha, that teacher probably feels so much regret now that he wants to commit suicide, right? The saying ‘having eyes but am blind’ is probably referring to people like him!”

The 6-stars laughed mockingly.

No one replied. After all, not everyone would have such good judgment like Sun Mo.

“Let me put in a word of fairness. With regards to Sun Mo’s personal disciples, their talent and the education they received are all extremely high level. However, don’t forget about their own hard work. I’ve investigated and learned that Xuanyuan Po and Ying Baiwu are both cultivation fanatics. They
would always spend their days and nights in the darkness illusion dojo or soak themselves in medical baths.”

An old man sighed ruefully.

All the great teachers fell silent, having decided that when they returned, they would treat their disciples more strictly and request them to work even harder. (If your talent is weaker than others, but you are also not willing to work hard, how can you win? Based on luck?)

‘When another student using a five-feet silver spear went on the stage, Li Ziqi immediately asked, “Teacher, what do you think of this fellow?”

“Very strong!”

Sun Mo activated Divine Sight, but it showed the words ‘unknown target’.

Sun Mo was already used to the system’s lack of support.

“His name is Yuan Yuan, and no one has any idea where he came from. He’s ridiculously strong and has defeated five graduate students from the Skyraise Academy, Westshore Military School, and Jixia Learning Palace.”
Tantai Yutang introduced. “He is the largest dark horse of this batch!”

“Qi, if it wasn’t for the fact that our teacher’s fame is too great, Xuanyuan and Baiwu would also be dark horses!”

Lu Zhiruo pouted.

Only combatants who had completely no fame or had been looked down upon in the past could be termed as ‘dark horse’. As Sun Mo’s students were too famous, they were treated as the top-seeds.

Helian Beifang swept a glance at the papaya girl. (What do you mean? Am I inferior to both of them? Watch how I crush my opponent during my next round!)

Helian Beifang and Yuan Yuan were both in group C.

“Teacher, do you think I should recruit him?”

Li Ziqi had been a great teacher for quite a while. But up until now, she didn’t have a personal student yet. She was usually too busy and when she occasionally had time, she would guide the royal descendants or low-year students in the school.
‘There were people who coveted her identity as the Great Tang female emperor and wanted to take her as a teacher. However, she rejected all of them.

With regards to accepting a disciple, Li Ziqi wanted her teacher to screen for her.

“Currently, many great teachers are privately investigating his information, wanting to recruit him!”

Qin Yaoguang felt very regretful. If it was in the past, she could casually ‘craft’ some information on Yuan Yuan and would be able to sell it for a great deal of money. However, she couldn’t do such a thing now. If not, if she was caught, she would definitely lose face for her teacher.
“How can a student like him not have a teacher?”

Sun Mo shook his head. “Back before Xuanyuan met me, he was an amateur. As for this Yuan Yuan, he has clearly matured. His foundation is fixed and the probability of trying to change him isn’t high.”

This fellow was either from an aristocratic clan with a deep and profound foundation, or he was a student nurtured and guided by the Dark Dawn.

“It’s impossible for a person that can grow to such a strong level to be nameless!”

Sun Mo explained. “His body constitution is roughly the same as Xuanyuan. Do you recall when Xuanyuan first appeared in our school in the past? Do you guys remember how many teachers wanted to recruit him?”
“Does this brat have a problem with his background?”

Helian Beifang’s eyes narrowed.

As the first round of the competition ended, Sun Mo could confirm five combatants that belonged to the first tier.
Xuanyuan Po, the dark horse Yuan Yuan, Zou Long who was a graduate from Skyraise Academy, Zeng Sheng, and Zhan Fan from the Westshore Military Academy. These five were so strong to the point that even great teachers with the lousiest judgment would recognize their talent.
As for the second-tier combatants, there were plenty of them, roughly over ten, However, Ying Baiwu should be ranked top among them.

To put it unpleasantly, if the iron-headed girl used the Skyward Spirit Rune, there would be no need to fight in this competition anymore. She could directly grab the championship cup and walk away.

Ying Baiwu was not only strong in archery, but her close-combat skills were also impressive enough to make others feel despair. Many people felt that as long as they got near her, they would be able to stop her as she wouldn’t be able to fire arrows. In the end, they were beaten up so badly by Ying Baiwu
that their heads were swollen like pig heads.

These people didn’t think further. Ying Baiwu practiced archery because her talent in it was good, but this didn’t mean that she was weak in other areas.
Even if her talent was weak, after Ying Baiwu had learned so many peerless-grade saint-tier cultivation arts from Sun Mo, she had long since become a ‘monster’.

Strictly speaking, if the platform was sufficiently large, Ying Baiwu would have a higher probability of winning.

In the second round, Xuanyuan Po and Ying Baiwu both won with no suspense. As for Helian Beifang, he encountered Yuan Yuan, and the two of them fought so intensely that it felt like Mars had slammed into Earth.
Helian Beifang desired to crush this dark horse. So, once the fight started, he immediately seized the initiative to attack with his swift blade. However, he was shocked that he didn’t manage to suppress his opponent. Hence, he decisively chose to turn offense into defense.
Yuan Yuan’s silver spear was like the horn of an ancient monster, brimming with the aura of death as it continuously pierced forward.

Cheers rang out through the entire place.

‘The audience was mesmerized by the fight, while the great teachers fell silent.

Why would Helian Beifang, a guy from the plains, be so strong?

In this era, Sun Mo was a legendary character, someone that was heavily observed. Hence, the information on his disciples had spread around the great teacher world.

Helian Beifang loved to dabble in military stuff. He would usually stay in the library, and when he had some spare time, he liked to play simulated wars with other people.

Cultivation?

He only practiced normally!

But from the looks of things now, Helian Beifang’s ‘normal practice’ was enough for him to tangle with the strongest dark horse.

“Barbarian, you have successfully roused my killing intent!”

Yuan Yuan stared at Helian Beifang, a malevolent smile on his face. “Tell me, how do you wish to die?”

‘The Hero Battle wasn’t a life-and-death fight, but it was inevitable for injuries to happen. As long as one didn’t intentionally want to kill someone, the combatants wouldn’t be responsible if someone really died in a fight.
“Do you think I, your boss Helian, will be scared of you?”

Helian Beifang’s lips twitched.

After that, Yuan Yuan’s body shook and two clones appeared. It was now three against one, three of Yuan Yuan surrounding one Helian Beifang.

Storm Gale!

Chi! Chi! Chi!

The spears pierced forth, filling the sky with spear shadows. They looked like a silkworm cocoon that engulfed Helian Beifang.

“Ah!”

Lu Zhiruo screamed in fright and hurriedly hugged Sun Mo’s arm. This attack was so terrifying.

All of a sudden, a silver light shone. This was Helian Beifang’s swift blade that cut apart the ‘spear shadow cocoon’. He didn’t retaliate. Instead, he continuously retreated until he reached the edge of the platform.
Hu! Hu!

Helian Beifang panted heavily and had a serious look on his face as he sank into conflict.

He was the most proficient in the Great Desolation Dragon Subduing Scripture. If he used that, he might be able to win. However, this cultivation art was the ultimate divine art of the Dragon Subduing Academy. It would surely bring great trouble to his teacher if he used it now.
“You are the first opponent that can receive my ultimate Storm Gale attack. However, you will definitely die if I use my next move.”

Yuan Yuan wasn’t in a hurry. Since he met a good opponent, he wanted to slowly kill them.

Helian Beifang glanced at Sun Mo; his intention was clear without words. (What should I do?)

Sun Mo laughed. “Don’t think too much. If you want to win, just use it. As for any future troubles that may arise, I will settle them!”

The Nine Greats, wealthy clans, aristocratic families—all of them only had a single resolution method with regard to people who stole their cultivation arts. That was to kill the thief. They would spare no expense to do that.
In the past, he wouldn’t dare to use it even if he didn’t steal but had comprehended the cultivation art himself. This was because the Dragon Subduing Academy wouldn’t bother to listen to his explanation. They would directly use violence to resolve this.
But now, Sun Mo’s status and strength were something the Dragon Subduing Academy wouldn’t dare to treat recklessly.

(Moreover, I’m hugging the thighs of a saint and two secondary saints!)

Sun Mo was very calm.

He wanted to cover his chest with folded arms and lean backward to adopt an arrogant posture.

“Mn!”

Helian Beifang nodded and charged toward Yuan Yuan again. When he got near, he suddenly opened his mouth and howled.

Roar!

It was like the roar of an ancient ferocious beast that emitted a spiritual suppression, causing Yuan Yuan to be dazed for a short period. Yuan Yuan’s entire body stiffened and he couldn’t move.

“Eat my blade!”

Helian Beifang slashed out.

Thunderfall!

The swift blade arced like lightning as it slashed down.

BOOM!

“What?”

No one could have expected that Helian Beifang would erupt forth with such ferocious might. However, some great teachers who had seen the Great Desolation Dragon Subduing Scripture before had shock on their faces.
Why did this cultivation art look so familiar?

“We won!”

Xianyu Wei excitedly waved her fist.

Her senior martial brother Helian’’s attack speed was fast enough to block her senior martial sister Ying Baiwu’s arrows, let alone the fact that his opponent couldn’t move. She knew that his victory was guaranteed.
Just when the other students heaved a sigh of relief and were preparing to applaud and congratulate Helian Beifang, an unexpected incident occurred.

Yuan Yuan couldn’t move, but the silver spear in his hand somehow bizarrely shot out like a venomous snake, precisely slamming into Helian Beifang’s blade.

Ding!

Aclear sound echoed out.

“Min?”

Helian Beifang narrowed his eyes and slashed out once again in passing.

Swish~

His swift blade slashed toward Yuan Yuan’s neck.

Ci~

Fresh blood splattered. Yuan Yuan had lifted his hand to block this attack. However, he had to suffer a cut to the flesh on his arm.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Helian Beifang did a backward somersault to lengthen the distance.

Yuan Yuan stared at Helian Beifang and lifted his arm, licking his wound. His gaze turned even more malevolent. “Very good, you are the first person to injure me. I’ve decided to torture you slowly.”
“Judge, he’s so fierce. Are you not going to step in?”

Helian Beifang raised his hand and waved to the judge.

“If he takes some over-the-top actions, we will stop him.”

The judge replied.

Verbal words were just a form of psychological warfare. This was a permitted battle strategy.

“Alright then, I’ll forfeit!”

Helian Beifang shrugged and jumped down the stage.

“Min?”

Yuan Yuan was stunned. He was preparing to store up his strength and unleash it all. Now, it was like his punch had hit the empty air. It was super unbearable.

“Scram back for me!”

Yuan Yuan roared loudly. (Wanting to run after gaining an advantage? No way!)

Helian Beifang scratched his ears and had a frivolous expression, but he immediately retracted his expression when he returned to Sun Mo’s side. After that, he lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
“Teacher, I’m sorry for losing face for you!”

“It’s fine. Knowing when to stop is a type of growth too!”

Sun Mo consoled him.

“Trash!”

Xuanyuan Po spoke in contempt.

“You should be more careful. That fellow is very powerful!”

Helian Beifang reminded him. “When I fought him, I felt as though there were many pairs of eyes staring at me, like a cub being stared at by a predator. It was very uncomfortable!”

Swish~

Everyone turned to Sun Mo, awaiting an answer.

“Helian has forced out his opponent’s trump card, but I won’t tell you guys anything about that yet. Xuanyuan, go and experience it for yourself!”

Sun Mo wanted the combat addict to temper himself and grow through combat.

‘When the surrounding people heard this, they immediately rolled their eyes.

Was this not whetting their appetites?

But this fellow was truly arrogant!

For the other participants, in order to advance higher, they would want nothing more than to dig out all the information of their opponents. However, Sun Mo actually knew about it but refused to say anything.
Could this be confidence?

Qin Yaoguang moved to Sun Mo’s side and pressed her index finger to her lips before whispering. “Teacher, why don’t you tell me secretly? I guarantee I won’t tell anyone else.”

Sun Mo naturally wouldn’t speak of it.

At this moment, the audience below the platform also regained their senses and started booing.

They were anticipating a huge battle, but in the end, Helian Beifang had conceded before the climax. How outrageous.

“Teacher!”

Helian Beifang’s countenance was somewhat unsightly.

“Ignore these gazes. When living in the world, how many criticisms from others would you hear? If you place them all in your heart, the weight of their nonsense would crush you to death sooner or later.”
Sun Mo consoled him. “You just have to care about your own path. Success is the best reply to those who doubt you.”

Bzz~

Priceless Advice activated.

Golden light illuminated the surroundings, and its glow spread through the entire place.

‘At this moment, everyone was moved.

“That is Great Teacher Sun, right? As expected, he has the face of a gigolo.”

“Isn’t the range of his halo a little too large?”

“IL really want to listen to a lecture conducted by Great Teacher Sun!”

‘The audience broke out into discussion. With no exception, everyone revealed looks of envy.

Right now, the status of Sun Mo’s personal disciples was so lofty and valuable that they were priceless!