Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 47: Enemies at the Foot of the Mountain
Shen Daoxing began to run around Shi Lin, though it was more like walking than running.
The pressure was simply too immense.
"Faster, faster, faster!"
Lin Haitao shouted, "Circulate the Profound Nether Sword Body I taught you and resist this pressure!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Daoxing secretly circulated his Profound Nether Sword Body. Primordial Energy surged through him, continuously tempering his muscles, bones, and flesh.
After just one lap, Shen Daoxing felt as if his body was about to fall apart.
But at the same time, he could feel his physical body had grown slightly stronger.
"Again!"
Without Lin Haitao having to say a word, Shen Daoxing took a deep breath and continued his training.
After the second lap, Shen Daoxing was completely drained.
On the third lap, his face turned pale and his steps grew unsteady.
On the fourth lap, he relied solely on his immense willpower, nearly collapsing several times before barely managing to stay on his feet.
Seeing this, Lin Haitao was inwardly astonished. ’What terrifying willpower!’
He had taught dozens of disciples, all of them top-tier prodigies in whom he had placed great hopes. Yet, not a single one had ever managed to endure four laps on their first attempt.
"Again!"
Shen Daoxing gasped for a breath or two, preparing for his fifth lap.
’He’s going for another one!?’
Lin Haitao froze. In that brief moment of shock, Shen Daoxing was already trudging forward.
’A madman. This kid is an absolute madman.’
As Lin Haitao watched that determined back, a bright light shone in his eyes.
His admiration for Shen Daoxing was growing by the second.
’As a student of the Sword Institute, how could one shoulder the responsibility of facing Celestial City Academy without this kind of fanatical devotion to training?’
THUD!
With every step Shen Daoxing took, it felt as if his flesh and blood were being ground down by a giant boulder, the pain spreading through every nerve in his body.
’Push through. I have to push through!’
Shen Daoxing bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to stay conscious.
One step after another...
After what felt like an eternity, Shen Daoxing finally completed his last lap and collapsed to the ground. He was completely drenched in sweat, utterly and completely spent.
Lin Haitao walked over and asked, "If I had told you to do eight or ten laps, would you have kept going?"
Gasping for air, Shen Daoxing replied, "Yes."
Lin Haitao shook his head and muttered, "Such a stubborn kid."
After a short rest, Lin Haitao grabbed Shen Daoxing by the collar and tossed him into a pre-prepared medicinal bath.
The effects of the medicinal bath were miraculous. The next day, not only did Shen Daoxing feel no soreness, but he was also refreshed and invigorated. The strength of his entire body, flesh and blood, had been greatly enhanced.
「Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.」
Shen Daoxing’s Profound Nether Sword Body was beginning to show results. His body was now brimming with vitality, and he was already no weaker than Zhang Chaoyang, the Body Refining genius of Celestial City Academy.
He Ku looked down the mountain and whispered, "Daoxing, have you heard? The three great academies are holding their joint tournament these last few days. That Jiang Chen from Celestial City Academy is really causing a stir."
Although Shen Daoxing hadn’t left the mountain, he had Ying Er gathering intelligence for him, so he knew the situation below like the back of his hand.
Every year, the three great academies of the Martial Kingdom would hold a joint martial tournament.
The disciple who took first place would make a name for themselves in the imperial city, becoming one of the Martial Kingdom’s new elite.
However, the champion was typically a student from Celestial City Academy; it was rare for a student from Divine Wind Academy or the Royal Academy to pull off an upset.
This year was no exception. The winner of the tournament was Celestial City Academy’s newest genius, Jiang Chen.
The imperial city had been bustling for the past few days, and Jiang Chen’s name was on everyone’s lips.
It was said that many great families, and even Princes, were trying their hardest to recruit Jiang Chen.
Even the Prime Minister of the Martial Kingdom wanted to betroth his daughter to him.
But Jiang Chen refused them all.
Shen Daoxing shook his head. "What does that have to do with us?"
"Of course it does."
He Ku said, his face etched with worry, "This Jiang Chen is said to be a genius Swordman who comprehended Sword Intent at seventeen. He was admitted to Celestial City Academy at eighteen, and now he’s even won the three-academy tournament. This Jiang Chen is much more formidable than Zhang Chaoyang. Many people are saying that next year, it won’t be the Four Heroes of Celestial City Academy, but five heroes vying for dominance."
"Geniuses at Celestial City Academy are a dime a dozen, with new prodigies emerging endlessly. But at the Sword Institute, you’re shouldering the burden all on your own. I’m just worried about your future."
"You haven’t been down the mountain lately, but you might not know this—people from Celestial City Academy have been watching the foot of the mountain, lying in wait for you. You can stay up here for now, but what about the future? You can’t just stay on the mountain forever."
Ever since Shen Daoxing killed a student from Celestial City Academy at the West City Gate, the academy’s students have been burning for revenge. Someone has been guarding the foot of Desolate Mountain constantly.
Shen Daoxing shook his head and sneered to himself. ’We’ll see who’s waiting to be caught.’
He Ku sighed. "If Jiang Chen, who’s just below the level of the top heroes, is already this formidable, I can’t imagine how talented the actual heroes are. And then there’s Xia Junze on the Martial Arts Ranking... he must be a complete monster!"
He himself had once been a famous genius in his village. At eleven or twelve, he could beat grown men in a fistfight. By fourteen or fifteen, men from all the neighboring villages would turn and flee at the very mention of his name.
But now, here in the imperial city... forget about a top institution like Celestial City Academy; even an ordinary student from Divine Wind Academy or the Royal Academy was stronger than him.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of crushing defeat.
With this thought, He Ku headed for the kitchen.
’How does one drown their sorrows? Only through gluttony!’
...
At the foot of Desolate Mountain, a student from Celestial City Academy stared at the summit, frowning. "That Shen Daoxing is a real coward, hiding in his shell. Hasn’t he been up there for two or three weeks now?"
Ever since Shen Daoxing had publicly killed one of their students, all of Celestial City Academy had been in an uproar. It wasn’t just the students; even the instructors hated him to their very bones.
As long as Shen Daoxing lived, the brand of this humiliation would be seared upon everyone from Celestial City Academy.
Everyone at Celestial City Academy wanted him dead.
Only his death could restore the academy’s prestige!
Just then, a cold voice cut through the air. "If he won’t come down, then we’ll go up to him."
The speaker was none other than Jiang Chen, the champion of the recent three-academy tournament.
The eyes of the Celestial City Academy students lit up.
"Jiang Chen is right!"
"Let’s go up the mountain together and challenge Shen Daoxing to a duel! Surely that Old Man Lin can’t stop us?"
"Let’s go!"
...
Immediately, dozens of students from Celestial City Academy charged up Desolate Mountain.
Lin Haitao stood under a tree, watching the aggressive mob of Celestial City Academy students approach.
Seeing him, Jiang Chen cupped his fist. "I have come up the mountain today to challenge Shen Daoxing of the Sword Institute. We will not only determine who is stronger, but also decide who lives and who dies!"
In the Martial Kingdom, a duel to the death was the most common way to resolve an irreconcilable conflict.
Besides, Celestial City Academy and the Sword Institute had held countless such duels over the centuries. It was only due to their complex web of interests that the two sides hadn’t completely dropped all pretenses.
Lin Haitao said, "The life-and-death matches are less than a year away. Are you really in that much of a hurry?"
Jiang Chen tilted his head back. "That is a matter for the future. I, Jiang Chen, live only for the present!"
’For centuries, the Sword Institute has been trampled beneath the feet of Celestial City Academy. Now, someone from the Sword Institute has dared to fight back, even killing one of our students in public. If we don’t avenge this, we’ll become a laughingstock.’
Lin Haitao turned away and said in a distant voice, "I have no reason to stop you."
"To the summit!"
A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Chen’s cold eyes as he bellowed.
The genius Swordman’s aura was coiled and ready to strike, his edge on full display.
’Today, I will use Shen Daoxing’s blood to become the fifth hero of Celestial City Academy!’
