Chapter 33 Jiang Churan: It Was Clearly Me Who Came First

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“What...?”

Wu Shan was momentarily rendered speechless, sweat pouring down his back as he struggled to come up with a response. Instinctively, he turned toward Qi Xingyu, who stood in the corner.

After exchanging a glance with the latter, Wu Shan took a deep breath and changed the subject.

“Junior Brother Li, if I remember correctly, you claimed at the very beginning that you could instruct anyone in any martial technique, didn’t you?”

Li Wudao remained perfectly composed. “That’s right. Is there a problem?”

“Of course there is!”

Seeing him take the bait, Wu Shan revealed a triumphant sneer.

“Junior Brother Li, I know your comprehension is extraordinary. But merely instructing Lin Yan, a good-for-nothing, in a trifling Yellow-grade martial technique proves nothing...”

“Besides, who knows whether the two of you colluded beforehand? Am I right, everyone?”

At that, he shouted the last sentence at the top of his lungs, drawing quite a few voices of agreement.

“Indeed. Lin Yan is merely an utterly useless outer disciple. He hardly represents the standard of the other disciples.”

“Although True Disciple Li probably has no intention of extorting money, his actual ability remains open to question.”

“That’s right. He only joined the sect recently. How profound could his attainments in martial techniques possibly be? If someone trusted his advice and suffered cultivation deviation, it would be too late for regret.”

“Judging from the current situation, I don’t think he has the qualifications to instruct us.”

By this point, although the many disciples were no longer hostile toward Li Wudao, they still regarded him with suspicion.

There was no helping it. Li Wudao was merely a newcomer. Without some tangible display of ability, it would be difficult for him to win everyone’s confidence.

Listening to the doubts coming from all sides, Li Wudao remained calm. He leisurely regarded Wu Shan and said with a hint of amusement, “So how would you like me to prove myself?”

He was in no hurry. In fact, he was faintly expectant. Since this man had deliberately targeted him, how could he pass up such a perfect opportunity to humiliate him?

If the man was so eager to be beaten, then he could hardly blame Li Wudao.

“That’s simple. I’ll provide a martial technique. Junior Brother Li, choose someone and instruct them on the spot. If they can comprehend even a portion of it within two hours, you’ll have proven your innocence!”

Wu Shan spoke with absolute confidence.

“Not bad. That’s a good idea!”

“This proposal is excellent. It ensures fairness while proving whether he truly possesses the ability. Brilliant!”

“...”

“Junior Brother Li, what do you think of my proposal?”

With everyone praising and echoing him, Wu Shan’s confidence grew stronger by the moment.

“Two hours, is it...? Fine. But you must agree to one condition as well.”

Li Wudao pretended to ponder, adopting a slightly troubled expression.

Inside, he was practically bursting with laughter.

His passive ability, a hundredfold increase in comprehension, was active at all times. No matter what kind of technique they brought him, he could master it without the slightest pressure.

“What condition?”

Seeing that the young man was about to fall into his trap, Wu Shan pressed him eagerly.

“If I fail to prove myself, I will voluntarily relinquish my position as a True Disciple and submit to whatever punishment the sect decrees, without so much as a frown.”

The corners of Li Wudao’s lips curved slightly, a chill gleaming in his eyes.

“But if I succeed, I will cripple your cultivation on the spot. Do you dare accept?”

Even a clay figurine had three parts fire in it. Did Wu Shan truly think Li Wudao was weak and easy to bully, someone anyone could provoke?

Those who dared challenge him would have to pay a painful price!

A commotion erupted, sending waves through the entire arena.

Everyone widened their eyes and clicked their tongues in astonishment. True Disciple Li was being far too ruthless.

Wu Shan lost his composure as well. A chill crept up his spine, and he did not dare meet Li Wudao’s gaze.

He shrank his neck and cast Qi Xingyu a questioning look.

His cultivation was at stake. He did not dare gamble with his own future.

“Your Highness, this fellow wants to wager my cultivation. I’m afraid...”

He forced himself to remain calm and transmitted his words secretly, his tone hesitant.

Qi Xingyu’s expression turned cold as he cursed inwardly.

“What are you afraid of? The martial technique I gave you is a unique, priceless manuscript. The Profound Heaven Sect doesn’t possess it at all. No matter how high his comprehension is, there’s no way he can understand it in such a short time, much less instruct someone else.”

After saying this, he analyzed the situation calmly.

“Don’t forget, the crux of this wager is that the disciple he instructs must gain some understanding. Do you think anyone could learn a Heaven-grade martial technique within two hours?”

After Qi Xingyu’s reassurances, Wu Shan regained his confidence.

“Your Highness is absolutely right. I’ll accept his terms at once.”

Little did he know that every one of his furtive movements had fallen within Li Wudao’s field of vision.

Following Wu Shan’s gaze, Li Wudao spotted the Seventh Prince among the crowd.

“Qi Xingyu... Could it be him...?”

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In an instant, Li Wudao grew suspicious. It was highly likely that Wu Shan had been sent by Qi Xingyu to make trouble for him.

After all, there was ample precedent. That man’s resorting to underhanded schemes was only natural.

“I accept your condition.”

Wu Shan spoke with renewed confidence.

He then produced the Heaven-grade martial technique he had prepared in advance.

Li Wudao took it and casually flipped through several pages.

The Greenwood Vine Palm.

It was a wood-element palm technique, and its rank was by no means low. It should belong to the lower tier of Heaven-grade techniques.

“This martial technique doesn’t seem to come from the Scripture Pavilion. May I ask where Senior Brother obtained it?”

He asked casually, letting his gaze rest on Wu Shan’s face as he tried to discern something.

During these past few days, every cultivation method in the Scripture Pavilion had been imprinted in his mind. He had no recollection whatsoever of this particular wood-element technique.

It was precisely because of the foundation he had accumulated that he dared claim he could instruct anyone in any martial technique.

He had not expected Wu Shan to be so devious as to produce a Heaven-grade technique from outside the sect.

Clearly, he had come prepared and intended to make Li Wudao suffer a crushing defeat.

“Well... I obtained it by chance.”

Wu Shan’s eyes flickered uncertainly, and his expression grew tense.

“Earlier, Junior Brother Li boldly claimed that you could instruct anyone in any martial technique. Don’t tell me this is the one technique you can’t handle?”

“No problem. I can teach it.”

Seeing the other man’s evasive manner, Li Wudao found the matter increasingly strange.

Wu Shan was clearly acting suspiciously.

He secretly activated the Heaven’s Eye and examined him.

[Name: Wu Shan]

[Age: Twenty]

[Talent: Lower-grade Profound Rank]

[Realm: Blood-Tempering Realm, Perfection]

[Special Constitution: None]

[Fortune: Mid-grade Yellow Rank, Rather Poor]

[Assessment: Simple-minded and unable to distinguish good from evil. Frequently used as someone else’s pawn. A difficult future awaits him.]

[Recent Event: Incited by another, he is attempting to make the host lose face.]

After reading the information, Li Wudao immediately understood.

This fellow truly had a problem.

“May I ask Senior Brother’s name and which peak you come from?”

He had already identified the likely culprit, but outwardly remained calm as he probed indirectly.

Wu Shan froze. He glanced around before answering through clenched teeth, “Wu Shan, from Blazing Sun Peak. Is there a problem?”

There were too many disciples present, and someone would certainly know him. He could not lie even if he wanted to.

“Blazing Sun Peak...”

Li Wudao murmured, his brows drawing together slightly.

If he remembered correctly, Qi Xingyu was also a disciple of Blazing Sun Peak.

The next moment, he turned and stared directly at Qi Xingyu. Their eyes met by coincidence.

Qi Xingyu hurriedly looked away and raised his head toward the sky, displaying the unmistakable guilt of a thief caught in the act.

“So it really is you!”

Li Wudao’s brows knitted together, and his gaze grew colder by the moment.

That fellow had repeatedly provoked him during the entrance examination, yet Li Wudao had not had the time to settle the score.

He had never expected Qi Xingyu to seek his own destruction again today, jumping out to make trouble for him.

Once he learned that Qi Xingyu was the mastermind, Li Wudao quickly pieced together the entire sequence of events.

It was nothing more than the Seventh Prince coveting Jiang Churan’s beauty, resenting her relationship with Li Wudao, and trying to suppress him so that he could take his place.

Apart from that, Li Wudao could think of no other reason for Qi Xingyu’s repeated provocations.

He had to admit, the Seventh Prince was exceedingly sinister.

Heaven-grade martial techniques were obscure and difficult to understand. If an ordinary disciple tried to study one on his own, it would be difficult to even begin without a year or two of effort.

To say nothing of learning it in a short time and then teaching it to someone else. That was practically impossible.

If anyone else had been in Li Wudao’s place, they would probably have been thoroughly ruined.

Unfortunately for Qi Xingyu, Li Wudao was a cheat.

To Li Wudao, an unfamiliar Heaven-grade cultivation method was no different from a Yellow-grade one. It would not delay him for long.

Suppressing his anger for the moment, Li Wudao focused his mind and began studying the Greenery Vine Palm.

Since he had only two hours, he had to comprehend it as quickly as possible, leaving himself enough time afterward to teach someone else.

Throughout the martial arena, the disciples whispered among themselves.

“How long do you think it will take True Disciple Li to comprehend it?”

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“Hard to say. It depends on the rank of that martial technique. If it’s Yellow-grade, it should be manageable. But if it’s Earth-grade or even Heaven-grade, then he’s in trouble.”

“Judging by Wu Shan’s confidence, it’s probably at least an Earth-grade technique. True Disciple Li may be doomed. How could he possibly comprehend it within two hours?”

“In just two hours, he has to comprehend the technique and teach it to someone else. Those conditions are impossibly harsh. No one could pull it off!”

“Alas, Wu Shan is clearly trying to embarrass Junior Brother Li. I wonder what sort of grudge they have against each other...”

Because neither Wu Shan nor Li Wudao had mentioned the rank of the technique, the crowd could only speculate among themselves, unaware of the truth.

Even so, most of the disciples were secretly anxious on Li Wudao’s behalf.

An hourglass later.

Li Wudao closed the martial manual and turned his gaze toward Wu Shan, who was watching the spectacle.

“You provided the martial technique. It’s only reasonable that I choose the disciple I’ll teach, correct?”

He deliberately acted as though he would not yield an inch.

Wu Shan had no grounds to object and could only agree.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, he was certain to win this wager. There was no need to push Li Wudao too hard.

Li Wudao said nothing more. He began strolling around the arena, sweeping his gaze across the disciples below.

The sight immediately sparked a wave of discussion.

Many disciples looked astonished. Could True Disciple Li have already comprehended the technique?

“After only an hourglass, the technique Wu Shan brought clearly can’t be very high-grade. It’s probably merely a Profound-grade cultivation method.”

“Exactly. He’s only an inner disciple. What kind of impressive cultivation method could he possibly produce?”

Many disciples were disappointed. They had thought Wu Shan possessed some real ability, but in the end, he could not even produce a decent cultivation method.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, Li Wudao walked back and forth, his gaze passing over one disciple after another.

He spotted Jiang Churan and felt a moment of temptation. With the girl’s talent, comprehending this martial technique would certainly pose no difficulty.

Just then, however, a familiar figure appeared in the corner of his eye.

Qiu Zishi stood beside Wang Zhao, watching him with evident concern.

Suddenly, Li Wudao’s heart stirred.

He vaguely remembered that Qiu Zishi possessed a Wood Spirit Constitution, allowing him to cultivate wood-element techniques with twice the results for half the effort.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Greenery Vine Palm was practically made for him.

After weighing the matter carefully, Li Wudao still felt that Qiu Zishi was the more suitable choice.

As the Chosen Daughter of Destiny, Jiang Churan certainly lacked for neither cultivation methods nor martial techniques. This particular technique would be of little consequence to her.

But for Qiu Zishi, cultivating a wood-element technique might not enable him to defy heaven and alter his fate, yet it would at least give him a clear direction in cultivation and make the road ahead much smoother.

After their brief interaction the last time they met, Li Wudao had formed a favorable impression of him. Qiu Zishi seemed like a decent person worth befriending, and Li Wudao was more than willing to do him a favor.

With that thought, Li Wudao raised his head and called out, “Brother Qiu, come up here for a word.”

“Huh? Me?”

Qiu Zishi pointed at himself, unable to believe that Li Wudao had chosen him.

In terms of talent, he was not even as gifted as Wang Zhao, who stood beside him.

“Indeed, Brother Qiu.”

Li Wudao smiled and nodded.

You’re the one, Qiu Zishi!

Once the candidate had been chosen, everyone turned to look with curiosity.

After making inquiries, they learned that Qiu Zishi was merely the tenth-ranked True Disciple among the newcomers, and they were all astonished.

This choice was rather hasty.

Although Qiu Zishi was a True Disciple, his aptitude was only average. How could he possibly comprehend the technique in such a short time?

Everyone sighed. Li Wudao was certain to lose. He had not the slightest hope of winning.

At that moment, no one was more perplexed than Jiang Churan.

In terms of talent, she ranked first among the new disciples.

In terms of familiarity, she was the person closest to Li Wudao.

She had already prepared herself to step onto the stage, intending to use the opportunity to repay at least a little of the favor she owed him.

Yet he had not chosen her.

Jiang Churan stared blankly at Li Wudao’s faintly smiling face. Her red lips pressed together, and an inexplicable sense of disappointment welled up inside her.

Why?

Wasn’t she obviously the best choice?

Wasn’t she the one who had come first...?