Chapter 54: The Final Battle (Part 2)

  At this time, the Confucian scholar Hao Yun was chatting with Xuan Yu. Meanwhile, Dan Qing, a swordsman, smiled and said to Zi Yang: "Old friend, didn't I tell you so? Back then, I said that your disciple had a broad mind and would surely bring honor to Yi Garden in the future. Now, isn't it just as I predicted? If he wins this afternoon's battle, Yi Garden will rise to the top of the Six Institutes' rankings and be renowned throughout the land."

  Ziyang Zhenren heard this and looked at Lu Yun not far away, excitedly saying: "His performance is truly beyond our expectations, it's something none of us thought would happen. My Yangyuan has never had an outstanding talent, I didn't think that this time, he would become the most outstanding person in Yiyuan for many years. I'm really too happy. Regardless of whether we win or lose this afternoon's battle, he is still a pride of our Yiyuan."

  Outside, at this time, the figures of everyone in Feng Huang Academy finally appeared. Only to see Cang Yue and Yu Wu Shuang walking side by side, their beautiful faces calm and serene, not a hint of injury visible. On the contrary, Yu Wu Shuang's beautiful face looked dull and lifeless, her eyes without luster. It was clear that Yu Wu Shuang had paid a huge price to let Cang Yue fight for first place.

  Li Changchun's gaze swept over the four people present, including Xuan Yu Zhenren and Lu Yun from Yi Garden, as well as Yu Wushuang and Cang Yue from Feng Huang Book Academy. He spoke in a soft voice, "Now that everyone is here, let us begin this final round of competition. As for this time's three-person contest for first place, it will still follow the usual convention, where the three participants decide among themselves whether to withdraw. If none of the three people withdraw, then according to the usual rules, a draw will be held to determine which two people compete first, with each pair competing once, for a total of three matches. In order to ensure fairness, after each match, the participants will have one day of rest time. That is to say, after today's competition, the next match will not take place until tomorrow afternoon, allowing them to recover their strength and produce their best results. Now, please ask the three participants to come forth and decide among themselves whether to withdraw from competing for first place and instead compete for second place."

  Xuan Yu Zhenren and the owner of Yi Garden, looked at Lu Yun with encouraging eyes, silent blessings emanating from each person's gaze. Lu Yun smiled calmly at everyone, appearing very casual, and turned to walk towards the center of the arena. As Lu Yun arrived at the center, Cang Yue and Jian Wu Chen also happened to arrive at the same spot. For the first time, the three met here, with an inexplicable charm between them.

  Jian Wucheng's expression was calm and composed, with a hint of arrogance between his eyebrows. His entire body shone with dazzling five-colored light, exuding an air of mystery. He glanced at Lu Yun with a slightly cold demeanor, before shifting his gaze to Cang Yue's stunning face. A thread of admiration flashed in his eyes, accompanied by unparalleled confidence and pride, as he gazed quietly at Cang Yue.

  Lu Yun's expression was calm and serene, seemingly oblivious to Jian Wucheng's impertinence. He gently shifted his gaze to Cang Yue's face. As he looked at Cang Yue, Lu Yun's eyes sparkled with a hint of a smile, revealing a thread of admiration from those bright eyes. A faint, gentle smile, carrying a hint of intimacy, quietly presented itself before Cang Yue.

  At this time, Cang Yue was facing the attention of two people, her expression seemed calm and natural, without a hint of unease. After glancing at Jian Wu Chen, Cang Yue's gaze shifted away calmly and landed on Lu Yun. Looking at Lu Yun's handsome face with a faint smile and admiring eyes, made Cang Yue's peaceful heart lake slightly ripple.

  Perhaps it was a past event that left an indelible mark on her heart, causing her to smile faintly at Lu Yun in this moment, with a hint of soft light in her eyes.

  Jian Wucheng's eyes were slightly cold, and he fiercely swept a glance at Lu Yun before moving his gaze away. In this invisible competition, Lu Yun had an obvious advantage, so he secretly won by a margin. But could Lu Yun win again in the upcoming real test? At this moment, no one could guess.

  Li Changchun walked up to the three contestants, looked at them and said: "Now, the three contestants, please voluntarily declare whether you want to quit or let me ask one by one. If you don't want to take the initiative, I'll ask one by one." After finishing speaking, he carefully looked at the three people, wanting to see the answer from their eyes.

  However, after a careful look, seeing that the three of them had not spoken up, Li Changchun couldn't help but say: "Since it's like this, I'll ask each of you one by one then. Wucheng, you answer first, if you were to fight against Lu Yun, would you choose to give up?"

  Jian Wuchen gazed coldly at Lu Yun, his voice low and even: "I won't. Since I'm standing here, I won't give up." Li Changchun's eyes revealed a hint of a smile as he continued to ask: "Then when you face Cangyue, will you choose to give up?" Jian Wuchen glanced at Cangyue, pondered for a moment, and said: "I still won't. No matter who I'm facing, I won't give up in this battle."

  Li Changzhen glanced at him and then shifted his gaze to Lu Yun, asking: "Lu Yun, what about you? If you encounter Jian Wucheng, will you choose to give up?" Lu Yun calmly looked at Li Changzhen and Jian Wucheng, a smile in his eyes as he said: "As he said, since I'm standing here, what I want is that first place among the six strong, so I won't give up."

  Guai looked at him with a strange gaze, Li Changchun shifted his eyes to Cangyue and continued to ask: "Lu Yun, you and Cangyue fought each other, but you won't choose to give up, right?" Lu Yun heard this, looking at Cangyue, a faint smile appeared in his eyes as he said softly: "Yes, between us, there will always be one person who emerges victorious."

  "Cang Yue, what about you? Are you going to compete against Jian Wucheng or give up?" Li Changchun asked softly, looking at Cang Yue. Now that the other two weren't backing down, it all depended on Cang Yue's decision.

  Cang Yue's gaze swept over the three people beside her, then moved to Master Yu Wushuang's face in the distance. Seeing Master Yu Wushuang's slightly sighing eyes, Cang Yue understood her master's concern. Actually, when they came here, Yu Wushuang had already instructed her that if she encountered Jian Wucheng, she would automatically give up. The only hope was to compete with Lu Yun for second place, because that way there was still a glimmer of hope.

  She glanced at Li Changchun, and Cang Yue said: "I want to ask Lu Yun something first, can I answer this question?" Her gaze shifted from Li Changchun's body to Lu Yun's, and Cang Yue looked at him quietly like that. In her calm eyes, there were a few strands of color that ordinary people couldn't understand.

  Li Changchun and Jian Wucheng both looked at Cangyue, slightly puzzled in their hearts. After glancing at Lu Yun, Li Changchun said softly, "Alright, you can ask first. After you've asked, I'll answer this question."

  Cang Yue nodded slightly, her eyes scanning the surroundings before stopping on Ao Xue's face for a moment and then falling on Lu Yun's. The two exchanged glances in mid-air, and for a while, neither of them spoke, the silence between them was palpable.

  Everyone around was watching the two of them, and everyone was guessing what Cang Yue would ask. Yu Wu Shuang looked at Cang Yue with a hint of strange color in her eyes, and let out a silent sigh. And Ao Xue looked at Cang Yue and Lu Yun, and also vaguely understood what she would ask.

  The surroundings were quiet, with everyone's eyes fixed on the two of them, waiting for the unknown outcome. Cang Yue's lips parted slightly as she calmly asked, "If I withdraw, what will you use to defeat him?" Looking at Lu Yun, Cang Yue wondered what he would use to win against Jian Wu Chen.

  Outside, everyone was stunned and did not expect Cang Yue to ask this question. At the same time, everyone was also considering this issue. If Cang Yue withdrew, only Lu Yun and Jian Wu Chen would be left. Then, what could Lu Yun use to defeat Jian Wu Chen in this battle?

  What powerful and unparalleled skills does Yi Garden have that can surpass the Tianjian Academy's Tianjian Jiu jue? This is a question that everyone wants to know, including all the people in Yi Garden, as well as Li Changchun and Jian Wuchen.

  Lu Yun looked at Cang Yue, a faint smile appeared on his face, and a hint of confidence flowed from his eyes. Suddenly, Lu Yun's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly: "I will defeat him with determination!" The short sentence was not loud, but in Cang Yue's ears, it was full of power.

  Looking at Lu Yun, Cang Yue said softly: "I hope you keep your word, good luck to you." After finishing speaking, she didn't say another word and turned around to walk towards Yu Wu Shuang.

  Looking at Cang Yue, everyone understood her choice at this moment. Yu Wu Shuang let out a light sigh and asked: "Why did you give up on competing for the second place? You should have had a chance against him."

  Cang Yue said calmly, "There are many things about him that you don't know. In terms of cultivation, he is stronger than me. Among the six institutes, he is the only one who has a chance to surpass Jian Wucheng, otherwise Ao Xue wouldn't have withdrawn voluntarily." Yu Wushuang sighed softly, "I hope your judgment is correct, or else I would have wasted my efforts in vain."

  Li Changchun glanced at Lu Yun and said in a low voice, "Since Cangyue has withdrawn, the first place of this session will be contested by you two. Do your best. Now go down and prepare, the competition is about to begin." After finishing speaking, he gave Xian Wucheng a signal with his eyes and took him away.

  Standing quietly there, Lu Yun gazed at the horizon, a hint of arrogance in his eyes. The crucial battle had finally arrived, and it was unclear who would emerge victorious, but Lu Yun was determined to defeat Jian Wucheng.

  Gazing indifferently at the vast sky, a majestic and powerful aura suddenly emanated from Lu Yun's body. At this moment, Lu Yun seemed to be laughing maniacally at the heavens, as if saying, "Watch me, see how I, Lu Yun, will surpass the Six Institutes and shake the entire Cultivation Realm."