Beneath the stage…
"Zhang shi, this is what that was on your note... You managed to discern this much?"
Pavilion Master Kang and the others stared at the young man before them with widened eyes.
He was well aware of his own student's capability.
He couldn't even tell what battle technique Qin Lei executed previously, and yet, his disciple was able to utter logically deduced facts that left the entire crowd stumped. Unless Zhang shi was involved, there was his disciple could be capable of this.
"That's right!" Zhang Xuan admitted.
"But... Qin shi had only driven his zhenqi and lifted his palm, how in the world were you able to discern so much?" Even after hearing the words of affirmation from the person in question, the crowd still found the matter too difficult to believe.
Ruohuan gongzi did manage to provoke Qin Lei by pouring meat soup on him, but in the end, a fight didn't break out, and both sides hardly made any moves... Yet, to make such an in-depth analysis under such circumstances, are you for real?
What kind of eye of discernment is this?
"But... what kind of battle technique did Qin Lei cultivate? To think that there would actually be a battle technique in the world that would lock one's soul and prevent one from achieving a breakthrough!" Su shi couldn't help but express his shock.
A 4-star pinnacle master teacher possessed astute senses surpassing that of ordinary cultivators. How could Qin Lei possibly cultivate a battle technique that would seal his soul without realizing it himself?
"I've no idea as well..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.
"You don't know? Then..." Everyone frowned.
If you don't know what battle technique it is, how do you know what kind of sensation would be induced by stimulating the respective acupoints?
The Bihai acupoint corresponds to the soul whereas the Qinzhen acupoint is the point connecting the body to the soul.
These were common facts that all Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle experts know of. Under normal circumstances, the triggering of these acupoints with zhenqi should nourish one's souls... Given that such anomalies happened, it would be hard to believe that there was nothing wrong with the other party.
But... if you don't even know what battle technique the other party cultivated, how in the world do you know that his Qinzhen acupoint is closed and his soul is wounded?
"It's a lie!" Zhang Xuan replied calmly.
"A lie?" Everyone froze.
"The cultivators of the White Helios Sect cultivates the White Helios zhenqi, which is a type of zhenqi possessing yang attribute. Back then, when Bai Kaizhi came to attack my residence, my teacher told me about it!" Zhang Xuan said.
"Un..." Pavilion Master Kang and the others nodded their heads.
The White Helios Formula that most members in the White Helios Sect cultivated was indeed a yang attribute cultivation technique. Upon mastering it, one's attacks would be augmented with immense destructive force.
Having suffered a tragic defeat against them, they went to investigate the other party, so they were well aware of the basic information surrounding them.
"The food provided by the Alliance Head Residence consists mainly of food that seeks to revitalize, such as spirit beast meat and medicinal herbs. Am I right about that?" Zhang Xuan asked.
In truth, the Alliance Head Residence also provided the same food to the members of the other sects and empires as well.
Spirit beast meat, savage beast meat, and even precious medicinal herbs rich in spiritual energy were used in the cooking so as to nourish and energize the exhausted participants.
"That's right!" Zhao Feiwu nodded her head.
She was involved in the choosing of the ingredients for the food, so she was well aware of this matter.
"What would happen if a cultivator practicing a yang attribute cultivation technique consumes extremely nourishing food?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"His cells will become lively, and his flow of zhenqi would hasten..." Pavilion Master Kang replied.
It had a similar effect to consuming stimulant. After all, if a person rich in 'hot energy' were to consume nourishing food, his body would surely be overflowing with energy, resulting in physical restlessness.
Just that... wouldn't that simply put him in a better condition for battle?
"Under normal circumstances, it would only induce positive effects to the cultivator. However, you've neglected an ingredient used in the brewing of the soup. If I'm not mistaken, there is 'Jade Yin Grass'," Zhang Xuan said.
"There's indeed Jade Yin Grass. Even though that grass is known for its cold yin properties, it has the effect of cooling one down and boosting one's cognitive capacity. On top of that, it is a famous delicacy as well..."
Halfway through her words, Zhao Feiwu suddenly realized something, and her eyes widened.
"It's indeed a famous medicinal herb, but the problem lies exactly with its cold yin properties. Given that we are still in the midst of the tournament, Qin Lei is likely to be filled with excitement. On top of that, his yang zhenqi and the nourishing food he had consumed left him practically brimming with energy... And at such a moment, a soup containing yin energy was poured over him. I believe even if I don't explain this, you should understand the consequences of the matter!" Zhang Xuan smiled.
"The abrupt collision of yin and yang; to protect itself, the body would automatically shut its acupoint... If all of his acupoints are closed, that explains why his soul is locked in his body... Y-you actually designed this senario?"
Coming to a realization, the faces of Pavilion Master Kang, Su shi, and the others paled in frenzy.
They thought that Zhang shi had incredible capability to be able to analyze so much regarding Qin Lei; they didn't expect that it was all a huge ploy set up to trap Qin Lei from the initial pouring of the soup.
Not only was each chain of the plan linked tightly to the next, leaving little room for failure, there was also very little evidence to trace back the matter. If Zhang shi hadn't explained the matter, they would have probably never realized it. As the person standing in the center of everything, Qin Lei was unlikely to be any wiser than them... His loss was already fixed from the moment Zhang shi's help was engaged!
This was... way too formidable!
"I just happened to think of it!" Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
In truth, the entire plan lay upon a single fact-Qin Lei had attempted to achieve a breakthrough to Consonant Spirit realm and failed, causing his soul to be damaged. Without this laying the foundation for all the latter theories, it would be impossible to convince the other party of this hoax.
This was how humans worked, as well as a common ploy used by fortune tellers. With a single fact to set the foundation, the parts that came afterward would seem much more believable.
Not to mention, it was based on solid theories known by all 4-star pinnacle master teachers. On the contrary, it would be hard for him not to believe those words instead.
"Since it's a lie, then... Ruohuan said that he has a solution..."
Suddenly, Pavilion Master Kang recalled what Ruohuan gongzi had just said, and a premonition suddenly struck him.
If this was all a lie, what kind of solution could Ruohuan gongzi offer?
"Just watch on..."
Zhang Xuan gestured to the stage.
The group hurriedly turned their sights over.
At this moment, Qin Lei, after a long internal struggle, sighed deeply and said, "I admit my defeat. I beseech you to impart me the solution to my problem!"
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He was already in the top sixteen. Even if he were to fail now, he could still vie for the last two placing of the top ten.
But if his problem wasn't resolved, his cultivation would be unable to advance any further. Just the thought of it was completely unacceptable to him.
Weighing the pros and cons, he decided to admit defeat and accept the other party's guidance.
In any case, it was just a matter of time before he killed this fellow. What harm was there to give a little glee to a dying man?
"Admit defeat? Qin shi actually admitted defeat?"
"It seems like Ruohuan gongzi's words were spot-on!"
"Impressive! We weren't even able to recognize the battle technique and yet he had managed to see through even the flaws in Qin shi's cultivation. When did Ruohuan gongzi become so impressive?"
"I think I saw him consulting Zhang shi just a moment ago. Do you think that it's possible that this is all Zhang shi's doing?"
...
Qin Lei admitting defeat was huge news that generated an enormous uproar amongst the crowd.
One must know that there was a huge disparity in the capability between Ruohuan gongzi and Qin Lei. This huge reversal had sparked thoughts in the minds of many.
Many of them had seen Ruohuan gongzi seeking Zhang shi's pointers during the break previously.
"Since you've admitted defeat, I'll help you then!"
Hearing the other party admit his defeat, Ruohuan gongzi began trembling in agitation, knowing that he had gotten into the top eight. "Actually, the solution is simple. Your Qinzhen acupoint is only sealed temporarily due to some external stimulus. As long as you rest well tonight, you'll be fine tomorrow..."
"Rest well tonight?"
Qin Lei widened his eyes in shock. His vision went dark, and a mini explosion occurred in his head.
If he still couldn't tell that he had been played a fool, he would be unbefitting as a 4-star pinnacle master teacher.
"I'll kill you..."
Howling furiously, he prepared to charge over angrily.
"Alright, a loss is a loss. On top of knowledge and physical strength, the Master Teacher Tournament also seeks to assess one's adaptability. It's due to your own ignorance that you were deceived, you shouldn't pin the blame on anyone else!"
Hong shi flicked his sleeves, and Qin Lei immediately stopped with a stagger.
Given that Qin Lei had willingly admitted defeat after being duped, there was no one he could blame for it.
"I..."
Since even Hong shi was speaking up, Qin Lei knew that there was nothing else he could do at this point. His teeth bit tightly on his lips out of rage, and fresh blood regurgitated at the back of his throat, threatening to spill at any moment.
What the heck was this. He had marched onto the stage so confidently, only to be fooled by someone else... and not to mention, he actually willingly admitted defeat!
Damn it... Jun Ruohuan, if I can't kill you, I'll abandon my name!
Qin Lei howled furiously inside.
...
The results were out, Ruohuan gongzi had successfully advanced to the next round. As soon as he got off the stage, he immediately turned to look at Zhang shi in agitation.
In truth, when he first read the content on the paper, he thought that he would surely be beaten to death. He never thought that he would actually succeed!
Top eight of the Master Teacher Tournament... This was a result he never thought would be possible!
"Thank you, Zhang shi!"
He clasped his fist respectfully.
It was still a while ago that he still tried to compete with this young man over everything. But at this point, such a notion vanished completely from his mind.
This fellow may seem a little dense on the surface, but if one were to try to compete with him, one would only end up utterly defeated.
"There's no need to stand on ceremony. Given how badly Qin shi was scammed, he will surely apply for a Life-and-Death Duel against you. For now, you should think of how you would face him first!" Zhang Xuan said.
"Un!" Ruohuan gongzi nodded in response.
If two master teachers had an irreconcilable grudge, they could apply for a Life-and-Death Duel to resolve the matter once and for all.
Given how badly Qin Lei was humiliated before such a huge crowd, there was a good chance that he would apply for one right after the tournament. If the headquarters were to give their consent, Ruohuan gongzi would have to face him.
But still, the headquarters rarely consented to Life-and-Death Duels unless in extreme situations. And even if it did, Ruohuan gongzi wouldn't necessarily lose to the other party.
In truth, the paper that Zhang shi gave him contained major flaws on the other party's cultivation and battle techniques, and he had already memorized them all. As such, it was impossible to tell who would be the one destroyed in a Life-and-Death Duel.
Putting aside the matter, Ruohuan gongzi warned with a grave expression, "Zhang shi, your opponent for this round is Wei Changqing of the Zijin Sect. I've heard that this fellow is extremely formidable, so you must be careful later on!"
The lots were only drawn at the initial phase, and the matching would follow by a certain fixed format afterward. The person Zhang shi would face was Wei Changqing, a formidable genius of the Zijin Sect.
"You've heard of him?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.
"Even though he's not in the top ten of the list of contenders, it doesn't mean that he's incapable... His greatest flaw is only his lacking cultivation; just like you, he's a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle cultivator! To be able to get into the top sixteen despite his lacking cultivation, I'm sure you can imagine how talented he is in other aspects!"
Ruohuan gongzi's eyebrows shot up. "I spectated his previous match, and he used his supporting occupation as a blacksmith to force his opponent to admit his defeat!"
"Un!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
He had seen the match too, and honestly speaking, that fellow was indeed impressive.
Without true capability, it was nigh impossible for a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle to triumph over a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan in smithing.
As smithing wasn't one of Zhang Xuan's supporting occupations, it would be impossible for the other party to challenge him in this field... But if the other party were to challenge him in a duel of pill forging... that may prove to be a little troublesome.