Chapter 249: I Am The Lightning—five Thunder Technique At Expert Level! Different Ways To Save Two-foot! Ranking Results?
On the spacious arena of the venue, powerful yet simple spell Onmyōdō erupted.
It was already the turn of more than thirty seeds, and it seemed that in less than half an hour, or even ten minutes, it would be his turn to take the stage.
Watching all the way, Shangshan Che discovered that each branch of Four Paths and Five Elements had different seeds excelling in it, along with many seeds’ sword technique schools, and even the weapons they used were completely different.
Wanting to specifically target them one by one would still be very difficult.
So, he needed to change his approach…
Shangshan Che was thinking when he noticed a faint thread drifting hazily in front of him.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and recognized that this thing was Sword Principle.
—Whose kid was randomly releasing Sword Principle in a public place?
Shangshan Che turned his head to look again and found that the entire venue was filled with similar Sword Principles, but they were just floating in mid-air without touching the competitors or the audience.
Facing Sword Principle that was at least basically polite, Shangshan Che first focused his attention to study it, trying to analyze it with the Eye of Interpretation.
—After all, before his Sword Principle progress reached 10%, he wouldn’t have been able to see these delicate Sword Principles.
This showed that its master had at least surpassed him in perception of Sword Principle.
Your perception is good, but it will soon be mine.
Thus, under the vision of the Eye of Interpretation, the swaying speed of the Sword Principle slowed down amid the trickle of time passing.
Finally, in Shangshan Che’s eyes, it was nearly stagnant.
Several minutes passed in a flash, and Shangshan Che didn’t even pay attention to the two seeds who had just taken the stage.
“So that’s the feeling…”
Shangshan Che murmured to himself in his heart, feeling as if only an instant had passed, but he didn’t see any prompt for new Sword Principle progress improvement.
Probably because this speck of perception hadn’t yet reached 1%.
Under Nanjo Emi’s strange gaze, Shangshan Che changed various hand gestures, laboriously rubbing his fingers for a long time but producing nothing.
The first attempt to manually rub “visible Sword Principle” based on the previous understanding had failed.
But—
Shangshan Che reached out and pinched the unfamiliar Sword Principle swaying back and forth in front of him.
It was possible to do it by directly pinching it with his fingers.
Qi Barrier erupted from his fingertips, shifting this strand of Sword Principle, which originally wouldn’t deviate due to matter.
“Hm?”
Not far away, the boy dressed in dōgi, who had been dozing off, suddenly jolted awake from his nap in a daze.
He looked around in confusion, then paused his gaze upon seeing Shangshan Che, and his eyes suddenly became clear.
“Shangshan Che?” The boy from Katori Shinto-ryu smiled, “I was wondering who it was that could directly move my Sword Principle.”
Shangshan Che, sensing the gaze, looked toward him.
The next instant, relevant information emerged.
—Kitada Kei, the chief disciple of the Katori Shinto-ryu dojo in Tokyo’s Kuzuha District, and also the number one seed in Kuzuha District.
Nineteen years old this year, yet he had already obtained the Mastery Certificate qualification, and it seemed he had embarked on the path toward the title of Sword Master.
Likewise, he was a strong contender for the top three in this Seed Battle.
However, there was little intelligence on Kitada Kei’s combat battles, even pitifully so.
Unfortunately, he had completed the preliminaries before Shangshan Che arrived…
The last recorded battle of his opponent was winning the national U16 kendo tournament five years ago.
—At that time, most of his opponents were still normal people.
Soon, Shangshan Che saw the awakened Kitada Kei quickly retract the Sword Principles that had floated throughout the venue.
So, these Sword Principles weren’t intentionally released by Kitada.
Shangshan Che guessed that the other party had probably only recently condensed Sword Principle, so he couldn’t yet control them as freely as Lili Zi, or even form a “Sword Domain”.
“So, my next stage should also be to first condense ‘tangible’ Sword Principle?”
This stage corresponds to 20% Sword Principle progress?
“—Shangshan Senior, long time no see! No wonder Nanjō Great Officer just told me to buy three cups of iced smoothies!”
Hearing someone call him, Shangshan Che looked up and saw a somewhat unexpected person.
He opened his mouth in slight astonishment: “Akechi Yuya?”
Akechi Yuya, holding three cups of iced smoothies, grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: “It’s me!”
Shangshan Che glanced at Nanjo Emi and saw her nod casually.
—Arakawa Ward’s second seed was actually Little Brother Akechi Yuya?
He had originally thought it would be the exceptionally calm Makiya Hitomi, who also had high talent in Onmyōdō, or Hattori Ayako, who had contracted the three-star shikigami Sea Anomalous Light early on.
Because from the True Sword Match, this little brother was indeed a bit lacking.
But now…
Shangshan Che took the grape-flavored iced smoothie, scooped a spoonful, and nodded secretly.
After some time apart, this Akechi little brother had indeed become much stronger.
Not only had he established Qi Circulation, but even his footwork and some details proved that his sword technique had made considerable breakthroughs.
Overall, his strength should be above three-star.
Unfortunately, he was still far from touching three-and-a-half star, and very likely couldn’t even beat Kuzuha Chihaya from the True Sword Match, let alone compare to those previous monsters.
After exchanging a few words of greeting and encouragement with Akechi Yuya, and waiting for him to say he was going backstage to warm up, Shangshan Che smacked his lips and sighed: “Arakawa Ward’s fresh blood isn’t up to par.”
Nanjo Emi took small sips of her iced smoothie, as if afraid to finish it: “Arakawa Ward is so small… with not many people in total, it’s already pretty good to have two or three three-stars emerge.
Besides, isn’t there still you?”
She pointed at Shangshan Che, saying in an almost contemptuous tone: “With Arakawa Ward’s number one Shangshan Che here, aren’t all the other seeds just stinking fish and rotten shrimp?”
“No, no, no!”
Shangshan Che immediately raised his hands, signaling his distance from Nanjo Emi under the curious gazes from those around.
……
Not long after, Little Brother Akechi Yuya took the stage.
The result was not much different from what Shangshan Che had guessed.
Because his own strength only slightly exceeded three-star, Akechi Yuya even showed some strain when facing the puppet.
Just this alone would make the Ghost Gods watching the arena shake their heads and rank him in the lower tiers.
“Sorry, Nanjō Great Officer.”
After stepping down from the arena, Akechi Yuya lowered his head and panted slightly laboriously.
He had naturally watched many seed competitors act before, so he understood even more the gap between them.
“No need for self-blame; you’ve already done very well.” Nanjo Emi said flatly, “Guilt and frustration won’t narrow the gap between you and them—motivation will.”
“Also.”
Nanjo Emi poured the remaining iced smoothie mixed with grape water into her mouth, swallowed it all, and then lifted her chin slightly.
“Shangshan Jun, it’s your turn.”
“—Let them see with their own eyes the strength that matches your reputation.”
She pursed her lips: “Otherwise, there’ll be trouble again.”
“That definitely won’t trouble Sister Nanjo.”
Shangshan Che waved at her, hung the Hannya Mask and Four-tailed Fox Jade Token properly, then slowly walked onto the arena, facing the puppet dozens of meters away that hadn’t activated yet.
He exhaled helplessly and drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, which was buzzing and trembling in anticipation of its debut.
—Haven’t chopped anything for days; my bones are getting rusty!
As he stared at the patterns on the puppet’s surface gradually lighting up, Shangshan Che subtly assumed the stance for Three-stage Thrust.
Actually, without this ranking rule and the previous seeds showing off their abilities, Shangshan Che hadn’t planned to reveal much strength in front of so many people.
Barely managing to beat the puppet would have been fine.
But since the atmosphere had come to this, he had no choice but to join in.
Viscous pale substance enveloped the blade tip of Kaga Kiyomitsu but didn’t drip to the ground.
Fine purple-black lightning and blazing Qi Barrier blended like milk and water, all swirling around the silver-white pristine blade.
Zap, zap!
The lightning grew brighter, the Qi Barrier more surging.
Though the things swirling around the blade remained the same amount, the oppressive pressure on the seeds watching from outside grew ever stronger.
“High-intensity compression.”
Kitada Kei couldn’t help but clap and praise: “What exquisite spiritual power and Qi Barrier manipulation technique.”
At the same time, the audience in front of the live stream screens held their breath as the puppet’s eyes gradually lit up.
“Fine swordsmanship.”
In the kitchen, Lili Zi, who had just put on an apron to cook rice, smiled and commented before the blade had even struck.
Under the gaze of millions in the live stream, the puppet’s pupils fully lit up.
Turning a uniform crimson!
In that instant, the triune purple-black blade light flashed across the puppet’s neck.
“Roar…”
Decapitation.
Words and head fell together, but before touching the arena floor, they turned into invisible particles due to the lightning and Sorrow of Parting.
Scattering with the wind.
In front of countless screens, tsunami-like cheers erupted.
In the stands, some Ghost God level existences showed undisguised appreciation in their eyes and began whispering discussions with colleagues, while other Ghost God levels looked pensive, lost in thought.
Nanjo Emi could tell at a glance that Shangshan Che hadn’t used much strength and was still holding back.
All old tricks from the True Sword Match period, just with slightly improved stats.
—Judging solely by this sword, high ranking or even top ten should be no problem, but going further might be difficult.
Buzz!
Amid Kaga Kiyomitsu’s cheerful light hum, Shangshan Che sheathed the blade and slowly walked past the staff at the edge of the arena.
“Shangshan Ge Xia!”
The staff, stunned again, hurried over and said to him: “The preliminary ranking results will be discussed and voted on by multiple committee members, and the results will be announced in the next few days.”
“Thanks, got it.”
……
Another dozen minutes later, the preliminary rankings for Tokyo District 23 seeds officially ended.
The related recordings were immediately released by the official account, and various clips and edits began circulating on video platforms.
Shangshan Che’s name spread once more.
Of course, this time along with many seeds.
Soon, videos with covers reading “XXX Preliminary Ranking Results” and titles like 《Shangshan Che, Minamoto Shizuka, Tsuchimikado Ran, Saito Ryuichi, Kitada Kei… have concluded today!》 appeared.
The comment sections quickly filled with fans of various people and rational analyses of competitors.
—On the way home, Shangshan Che took out the small black iron piece he had received and examined it.
According to the staff, after the official ranking results were out, the sequence number would appear on the otherwise blank front of this badge.
At the same time, the subsequent schedule would be released, and the meaning of this ranking sequence would be explained.
“They call it a dog tag.”
After toying with the iron piece for a bit, Shangshan Che stuffed it into his pocket.
Putting it in the Storage Bag might prevent its original effect from working, which would be another hassle.
Checking the weather forecast on his mobile phone, Shangshan Che saw there would be thunderstorms tomorrow night.
But that was tomorrow’s problem.
For now, head home for a meal.
—The door wasn’t locked; Shangshan Che pushed it open and smelled the aroma of rice wafting from upstairs.
Shangshan Che’s face lit up, thinking Lili Zi was truly a peerless good roommate.
Without her, he’d probably have to order takeout… no, buy cheap bento to heat up for dinner.
Eightfold Fence activated, and Shangshan Che bounded upstairs in three steps.
On the spacious dining table sat two large bowls of egg fried rice.
“I cultivated a bit late today, so no time for complex meals.”
Lili Zi, already digging into her rice with puffed cheeks, mumbled unclearly.
“No time where?” Two orbs of water flowed in his palms and evaporated; Shangshan Che immediately sat down, picked up his chopsticks, “Lili! You’re practically my long-lost righteous father!”
Amid the aroma of egg fried rice, Lili Zi’s intermittent voice came: “By the way, that sword of yours today has three points for improvement.”
“Listening.”
Shangshan Che, huffing down his meal, nodded to her.
So, Lili Zi explained her insights in exhaustive detail while eating.
When Shangshan Che set down his empty bowl, he was surprised to see Natural Reason School proficiency had risen by about ten points.
“Got it all?”
“How could I not, with it chewed up and fed straight to my mouth?”
Lili Zi smiled: “Alright then, I’ll wash the dishes.”
“Sure thing.”
Shangshan Che happily moved to the sofa and pulled out his mobile phone to open the pile of messages from Huijue that had accumulated during dinner.
【Huijue: Shangshan Benefactor, the wish power on the Ksitigarbha Statue’s surface has been removed. These wish powers have been stored in the local temple’s Buddha statue, a mutually beneficial matter.】
【Huijue: Actually, even after removal, they should have been returned to you. But since this monk needs to check the temple documents, I have to pay a bit… protection fee? Tribute? Or rent? Anyway, that’s the idea.】
【Huijue: Then, in the documents these past few days, this monk found specific, highly feasible solutions—two of them.】
Shangshan Che, about to send a “hard work” emoji, instinctively sat up straight and scrolled down.
【Huijue: First, after empowering the Ksitigarbha Statue with a special secret method, throw it into the “malevolent thought aggregate” body. In about one or two months, the wish power inside will automatically flow out.
This way, it will restore your shikigami to its original state, and you’ll get a malevolent thought that has become a Buddha.
For the special secret method, this monk can perform it, or I can teach it to you, Shangshan Benefactor, to do it.】
【Huijue: The second method… is for Shangshan Benefactor to personally send your thought deep into the Ksitigarbha Statue and have your shikigami actively absorb the wish power.
Due to the seal, the wish power remains stationary and can be gradually refined and absorbed by your shikigami bit by bit.
However, this requires powerful state of mind cultivation and an extremely deep connection with the shikigami itself, as once inside, Shangshan Benefactor, you will fall into a very realistic illusion of the shikigami itself.
If not careful, even you, Shangshan Benefactor, have a high chance of getting lost and sinking in this illusion.
Lili Zi Benefactor’s state of mind is fully qualified, but this monk doesn’t know her relationship with this shikigami.】
【Huijue: The choice is yours to make, Shangshan Benefactor.】
【Huijue: In a few days, this monk will return to Tokyo and then return the Ksitigarbha Statue to you, Benefactor.】
【Moon Sand Sauce: Thanks Master（serious.jpg）.】
……
The next day at noon.
On the rooftop, amid the early thunderstorm, Shangshan Che, with his entire skin charred black, opened his eyes brimming with surging deep purple.
【Five Thunder Technique · Qi Union（Expert 5/5600）】
【Effect: Master lightning.】
【—At this moment, I am the lightning.】
