Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 444 – The Sword Is Like the Person (I)

Just like that, Chen Changsheng’s sword effortlessly pierced into Zhou Ziheng’s stomach, as if that Star Domain had never existed.

Those who understood what the Star Condensation Realm signified were all incredibly astonished and shocked beyond belief.

Chen Changsheng wasn’t surprised in the least. He was very calm. Just as Xue Xingchuan and those powerful figures had shockingly surmised, from the very start of this battle, the tempo had always been in his hands.

To human cultivators, being able to condense a Star Domain was the most important development. Only by successfully entering Star Condensation and obtaining this incredibly powerful defense could one battle on equal terms against the demon experts with their almost flawless bodies. In the human world, there was this deep-rooted way of thinking: a cultivator who possessed a Star Domain was in a naturally invincible position when facing a cultivator without a Star Domain. Thus, when Zhou Ziheng revealed his Star Domain, everyone believed that Chen Changsheng would definitely lose. They all believed that he continued to attack solely as a means of soothing his soul. It was merely a willful attack.

Zhou Ziheng also thought this way.

However, Chen Changsheng had never thought this way. He had learned the sword on his own and so he had no laws or beliefs. Perhaps it could be said that he did not know that a sword of lower cultivation could not break through a Star Domain.

In fact, his later tutelage under Su Li was so lawless that the first sword Su Li had taught was for the purpose of breaking through the Star Domain of a Star Condensation cultivator.

Of course, this was the first sword he had learned from Su Li in the wilderness: the Intellectual Sword.

A few days ago in the early morning, Tianhai Ya’er had come to the gate of the Orthodox Academy to yell and curse while Zhou Ziheng silently stood by his wheelchair. The next few days repeated this scene.

Chen Changsheng had done nothing. Everyone believed that he was being patient, waiting for the Li Palace to appear. Later on, they believed that he was waiting for Tang Thirty-Six to emerge from the Mausoleum of Books.

Yes, he truly was waiting, but he was also preparing, especially after he learned that the two Sacred Hall archbishops were targeting the Orthodox Academy in bringing up the matter of the All-School Martial Exhibition.

For this single attack, he had prepared for many hours. Through Priest Xin, he was able to obtain all sorts of information about Zhou Ziheng. When those filthy words were being yelled out without end in front of the Orthodox Academy, he had been in the library studying. He had been studying the history of the Hall of Subjugation, the story of the Temple Seminary, as well as the sword style called Stormswept Solitary Boat. He knew of Zhou Ziheng’s life history, of this person’s coldness, his avarice, his selfishness, his good name. He had found reports of seven battles which Zhou Ziheng had engaged in and had figured out that his left arm had once been heavily injured. He knew that this person’s favorite food was the crab from Clear Lake Restaurant.

Countless matters concerning Zhou Ziheng were all in Chen Changsheng’s mind. It could even be said that in certain aspects, he knew more about Zhou Ziheng than Zhou Ziheng himself.

This information was all gathered in his mind, then it began to be sorted and classified. Lastly, he began his calculations and deductions.

He needed to find the weakness in Zhou Ziheng’s sword style, and it was even more vital that he find the weakness in Zhou Ziheng’s Star Domain in advance.

The true domain of the stars in the night sky was incessantly moving, on occasion revealing gaps—the Star Domain of a human, even more so. Back then in the wilderness when he was facing off against Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang, even when his sword was almost at their bodies, he had still been able to find the weak points of their Star Domain. This time, he had spent such a long time calculating and deducing in the Orthodox Academy that breaking through Zhou Ziheng’s Star Domain was not interesting at all. On the contrary, it would have been truly strange if he had failed to do so.

So he found it, and then he broke through it.

The Intellectual Sword was not a sword, it was a fighting method involving calculation and analysis. The previous period of silence; yesterday’s sudden agreement; the Stupid Sword he had used just now; his retreat to the stone steps; and then that emerging of the morning before the birdsong, the downpour of rain before the swallow could fly low—all this was part of the Intellectual Sword.

The actual sword technique he had used was one of the most ordinary techniques of the Orthodoxy. It was called the Vexing Night Rain.

Zhou Ziheng’s Star Domain seemed magnificent, but it was actually not strong.

This was the weakness that Chen Changsheng had identified through his calculations.

As for the specific position of the weak point, it was in front of his feet.

The Vexing Night Rain, the sword falling like the rain, had directly pierced through the blue gown below Zhou Ziheng’s knee, but it had not yet stabbed completely into his stomach.

With a squelch, blood spurted out.

Zhou Ziheng’s face was pale, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

With a howl, he transformed into a storm and swiftly retreated into the depths of Hundred Flowers Lane.

Chen Changsheng’s sword had not been able to completely stab into his stomach. He believed that this was because his opponent’s true essence was lacking.

Although he had suffered severe injury, he still had the strength to fight. As long as he could break away from Chen Changsheng’s sword, he had the chance to counterattack.

There was a sudden gale as Zhou Ziheng, confronted by the specter of death, exploded with an unimaginable power. Forcefully crashing through the spell array of the Li Palace priests, he retreated into the main street.

It must be known that the distance from here to the gate of the Orthodox Academy was over a hundred zhang!

And yet, he still could not escape from the sword in Chen Changsheng’s hand.

Zhou Ziheng suddenly realized that he had forgotten something.

Before this test of swords, the Tianhai clan had prepared for him all sorts of information. Although he had only glanced over it out of self-confidence, he still remembered that this youth, through some sort of lucky chance, had actually learned the Yeshi Step of the demons. Although it wasn’t the real and complete Yeshi Step, it let his opponent increase his speed to a terrifying level.

If this were any normal time, then Zhou Ziheng would have had countless ways to respond to this, but at present, he could only swiftly retreat in panic. How could he possibly have time to think of these counters?

Zhou Ziheng was just like a boat in the middle of a vast ocean, bobbing up and down and incessantly retreating.

Chen Changsheng was like the water of this ocean, always following and not letting him get even one step away.

With panicked shouts, the crowd scattered and then retreated to the ends of the street.

As the winds calmed, Chen Changsheng and Zhou Ziheng stood in the middle of the street.

Several powerful figures under the awning emitted their Qi in order to prevent the Qi from the battle from injuring the crowd.

But there was no more need.

Chen Changsheng’s sword had already penetrated through Zhou Ziheng’s chest.

Blood flowed down from the sword and continuously dripped onto the ground.

Xue Xingchuan in his teahouse was once more struck speechless.

Zhou Ziheng’s judgment was not wrong. The amount of true essence that Chen Changsheng could use was too little, so the sword energy was not forceful. Xue Xingchuan could naturally understand this point as well. Consequently, even though he had confirmed that Chen Changsheng’s swordplay had really come from that man, he did not believe that the sword would have much strength after breaking through Zhou Ziheng’s Star Domain.

Chen Changsheng’s sword had once again overturned the so-called common sense. It was clearly not powerful, but it still easily pierced through Zhou Ziheng’s body.

Why?

“It’s not that sword technique he used in Xunyang City where he exploded his life and true essence.”

At one end of the street, inside a gloomy carriage, an official was quickly jotting something down on a piece of paper.

Viewing the scene from the window, he thought a bit more, then wrote another sentence on the paper.

“There is possibly something strange about that sword.”

There was soft and tiny sound.

Chen Changsheng withdrew his sword.

Grasping his stomach, Zhou Ziheng collapsed onto the street.

There were already people from the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green waiting on the side. They hurried over to treat his wounds.

Zhou Ziheng was in terrible pain and also very perplexed. He asked, “This…what sword is it?”

The street was very quiet.

The surrounding crowd, the people under the awning, and Xue Xingchuan in the tea house were all waiting for Chen Changsheng’s answer.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the sword in his hand. Blood continued to flow down the edge and drip to the ground. Not a single drop remained behind, and the body of the sword once again shone, unstained by dust.

This dagger had been given to him by Senior Yu Ren. At the moment, it contained the sword soul of Chen Xuanba’s Dragoncry Sword.

But in the end, he was not Chen Xuanba. In the end, he possessed his own sword intent.

From the Garden of Zhou to the snowy plains, from Xunyang City to the capital, his sword intent had finally matured.

Therefore it was also time for this sword to have its own name.

Chen Changsheng pondered this, then finally said, “Let’s call it…Stainless.”