Chapter 47: Narrow Victory, First Place

"Gengjin Divine Thunder!"

Golden lightning burst forth, and another 7,200 damage figure popped up, blasting the Divine General away in the process.

Three consecutive lightning strikes instantly wiped out a third of Ding Lingyu's remaining health—21,600 hit points.

"From Reality to Illusion!"

The Heavenly Ghost transformed from a physical entity into nothingness, causing the Divine General's punch to hit nothing but empty air.

The next second, shifting from illusion back to reality, its twin claws pierced straight through the Divine General's torso. Immediately following this, Ding Lingyu countered by pressing a Taiyi Divine Thunder against its chest, causing his health to plummet in an instant, leaving him with just a little over five thousand hit points.

Knocked flying, the Heavenly Ghost once again turned from physical to ethereal, dashed back up into the air, and pressed down with three consecutive palms:

"Guishui Divine Thunder!"

"Binghuo Divine Thunder!"

"Gengjin Divine Thunder!"

The cooldown for the Five Elements Divine Thunder techniques derived from the Heavenly Ghost Transformation art is 5 seconds. However, since he had now mastered three types of Five Elements Divine Thunder, he could use them in rotation. A round of three strikes once again blasted away the majority of the Divine General's remaining health, leaving him with only 14,600 hit points.

The next second, the Divine General charged through the triple barrage of lightning and fire, gathering lightning into a spear and hurling it down in a single blow that pierced straight through the Heavenly Ghost's chest.

Of the 5,120 health points, 4,800 were wiped out, leaving a mere 320.

Without missing a beat, the Divine General counterattacked with a backhand blow, shattering the Heavenly Ghost into pieces.

A flash of pure light transformed him back to Su Yu's true form. Wielding two sword auras, he swung them immediately to draw Ding Lingyu's attention. Fully prepared, Ding Lingyu raised both hands, forcibly grabbed the two sword auras, pinned them down firmly, and brought his head down in a vicious headbutt.

However, it missed. Su Yu's reaction was just as fast as his opponent's. After swinging the sword auras to grab the Divine General's attention, he flipped backward through the air to put some distance between them, and the Sun-Hiding Blue Sparrow shot up into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, it lunged right before the Divine General's eyes, weaving back and forth around his neck in a flurry of intersecting slashes, instantly sending a string of damage numbers soaring.

The point-blank strangulation pushed the output to the absolute maximum. Both swords went all out, each dealing eight stages of damage and instantly wiping out 8,600 health points. With only 6,000 health points left, he could no longer withstand another round.

At this juncture, life and death hung in the balance. Ding Lingyu could no longer afford to suppress the sword auras in his hands and lunged straight at Su Yu.

"Too late!"

With a single thought, Su Yu directed the sword auras to wrap around the Divine General's waist. With a point of his sword-finger, the Sun-Hiding Blue Sparrow once again wove back and forth to slash at his neck. Ding Lingyu was forced to parry, locked in a contest of strength against both the Sun-Hiding Blue Sparrow and the twin sword auras, unable to advance even an inch.

With two tier-6 flying swords and two sword auras flying simultaneously, the Divine General—whose combat skills were already inferior—flailed about in a panic, trying to block everything while failing to cover all fronts, and was struck by swords over and over again.

In the spectator stands, everyone stood up, craning their necks to watch the arena.

Everyone knew that the outcome would be decided in this very split second.

-468
-620
-459
-625

The two flying swords crossed back and forth, continuously adding wounds to the Divine General's body.

5000
4000
2000

Without any suspense, Ding Lingyu was suppressed from start to finish by the double swords and double sword auras, left with no room to fight back. In a mere three seconds, all his health was shaved away. Every wound on his divine body ruptured, seeping golden light as the divine form began to crumble apart.

"Right now!"

Just as the divine body was on the verge of shattering completely, Su Yu decisively activated the Taibai Light-Splitting Swords, which he had refrained from using until now. Each of the two flying swords split into thirty sword qi beams, slashing directly into the disintegrating divine body.

Ding Lingyu, who had just reappeared in his true form, had no time whatsoever to deploy defensive magical treasures, nor even time to raise the protective qi barrier derived from his Qi Refining mental cultivation method. Sixty streams of sword qi coupled with two sword auras had already blasted down upon him.

The defensive qi barrier attached to his dharma robe flickered into existence and was instantly extinguished. The remaining sword qi slammed directly into his chest, and a transparent light screen materialized, immediately teleporting him away.

"Ooh!"

A uniform gasp of astonishment swept through the spectator stands, and everyone let out a collective breath of relief.

"Contestant Number Two, Su Yu, wins!"

The host's voice rang out right on cue:

"In this year's third preliminary examination, the ultimate winner is Contestant Number Two, Su Yu. Let us congratulate him."

A moment later, applause broke out in the stands. Starting as sparse claps, the sound gradually swelled, quickly merging into a roaring wave.

"I finally won!"

Su Yu also let out a long breath.

He felt an immense surge of joy, mixed with a lingering sense of fortune.

This victory was a desperately narrow one. It is fair to say that had Ding Lingyu prepared just a fraction more thoroughly, taken the match slightly more seriously, or had his movements been even a split second slower, Su Yu would never have won.

After expending such monumental effort and pulling out all his tricks, he had only managed to narrowly defeat a divine avatar.

And Ding Lingyu possessed far more than just this transformation art; he was exceptionally powerful in his own right.

Given his background, he surely had access to sect-suppressing transformation techniques. Would it be hard for him to acquire an exquisite-grade or higher Qi Refining mental cultivation method? Would it be hard for him to secure one or two high-grade magical treasures?

Had Ding Lingyu reacted just a hair faster, raised his protective qi barrier to hold out for a single instant, and then deployed a defensive magical treasure, the loser would have been Su Yu.

At this moment, Su Yu was already completely spent; taking even a single hit would have meant defeat.

Space shifted, and he found himself back in the resting area. As far as the eye could see, there were only looks of utter shock. Wei Xia, He Shoucheng, and Gu Zhiqiang were looking at him now as if he were some kind of monster.

"Brother Su, you're the absolute man!"

He Shoucheng gave him a thumbs-up and said, "I never expected you to actually pull Ding Lingyu off his pedestal. You're insanely awesome!"

"Haha, just average, average. Third best in the world."

A brother's praise is the highest form of mental validation. At this moment, Su Yu felt on top of the world, and all sorts of messy thoughts were instantly cast aside.

No matter how nail-biting the victory was, the fact remained that he had won, and he was fully qualified to bask in the glory for a moment.

Looking at the sheer disbelief of his peers and the astonishment of the middle and upper management of various guilds, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably.

It wasn't until the guild bigwigs began the award ceremony that he finally reined in his joy and put on a solemn expression.

Accompanied by a retinue of guild heavyweights, Vice President Ding Hao walked up to him and said with a smile, "You've done very well. Keep up the good work next time!"

"Thank you!"

Ding Hao then produced a storage pouch and handed it over; the prize was inside.

50 taels of gold, 1,000 guild contribution points, and 5 opportunities to listen to teachings given by guild patrons.

After distributing the prize, Vice President Ding Hao immediately walked over to the next person—Ding Lingyu—offered a routine word of encouragement, handed over his reward, and moved on to the next.

It was evident that Vice President Ding Hao was not in a great mood at the moment.

Having very swiftly handed out the rewards to the top eight contestants, Ding Hao returned to the front of the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"The grand examination of this year will be held at the end of the year, determining the top one hundred rankings."

"Places 51-100 will be rewarded with 10 taels of gold, 500 guild contribution points, and 2 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons."

"Places 21-50 will be rewarded with 20 taels of gold, 1,000 guild contribution points, and 3 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons."

"Places 11-20 will be rewarded with 30 taels of gold, 1,500 guild contribution points, 5 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons, and a choice of any tier-5 magical treasure or flying sword."

"Places 4-10 will be rewarded with 50 taels of gold, 2,000 guild contribution points, 7 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons, a choice of any tier-5 exquisite magical treasure or flying sword, one quota as an outer sect disciple of the Danxia Sect or Qingcang Sect, and a promotion to a guild elite member."

"3rd Place will be rewarded with 80 taels of gold, 3,000 guild contribution points, 10 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons, a choice of any tier-6 magical treasure or flying sword, one quota as a formal disciple of the Danxia Sect or an outer sect disciple of the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect, and promotion to a guild elite member."

"2nd Place will be rewarded with 100 taels of gold, 4,000 guild contribution points, 15 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons, a choice of any tier-6 exquisite magical treasure or flying sword, one quota as a formal disciple of the Danxia Sect or an outer sect disciple of the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect, and promotion to a guild elite member."

"1st Place will be rewarded with 150 taels of gold, 5,000 guild contribution points, 20 opportunities to listen to teachings by guild patrons, a choice of any tier-6 precious magical treasure or flying sword, one quota as an elite disciple of the Danxia Sect or a formal disciple of the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect, and promotion to a guild elite member."

Having finished these announcements, Vice President Ding Hao turned and left directly, followed by the rest of the guild bigwigs.

The atmosphere visibly relaxed a little, and people began to chat in low voices.

"I didn't expect the rewards for the top spots in the grand examination to include these."

Su Yu recalled the promise Chu Xinyue had previously made to him—that she could secure him entry into Qionghua Peak of the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect's inner sect to become a formal disciple. This reward seemed to overlap.

"No, it doesn't quite count as an overlap."

"Commander Chu can only get me into Qionghua Peak, but Qionghua Peak mostly has female disciples and isn't skilled in sword dao, which doesn't really suit me."

"If I can win first place in the grand examination and secure a formal disciple quota, I can completely choose an inner sect peak that suits me, without wasting years transferring peaks later."

The more Su Yu thought about it, the more viable it seemed.

"This opportunity is worth fighting for."

Right at that moment, Ding Lingyu suddenly turned around and walked up to him. Su Yu snapped out of his thoughts to hear Ding Lingyu say in a deep voice:

"I didn't expect you could actually defeat me. It was my carelessness. In the year-end grand examination, I won't give you another chance."

Su Yu smiled slightly and accepted the challenge without hesitation:

"My victory in this battle was extremely narrow, and I certainly took advantage of your carelessness. However, since I could win against you this time, I can win against you next time as well."

"See you in three months!"

"See you in three months!"

With those words, Ding Lingyu turned and walked away.

No sooner had he left than Gu Zhiqiang walked over and asked in a low voice, "Brother Su, what did he say to you?"

"He just wants to fight me again in three months."

"Oh, so he's still unconvinced." Gu Zhiqiang immediately put on an expression of sudden understanding.

Su Yu laughed and said, "It's normal for him to be unconvinced. He definitely let his guard down in this match. In terms of true strength, he's still the better fighter."

At this moment, He Shoucheng also walked over. Hearing these words, he nodded and said, "In terms of true strength, he is indeed superior. You beat him so fast he didn't even get the chance to deploy his magical treasures. But a loss is a loss; slow reaction time is itself a flaw in one's strength. Since you could win this time, you can win the next."

Su Yu smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go get something to eat."

Gu Zhiqiang laughed heartily and said, "Let's go. This definitely calls for a good celebration."

"Call Zhuang Zhuo and the others too."

The group left the arena chatting and laughing, flying toward the southern district of the city.

halfway there, Su Yu received a message from Chu Xiaoyu:

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"I never expected you to actually beat Ding Lingyu. I've already told the young miss, and she wants to see you when she returns to the city tonight."

"What time tonight?"

"Dinner time."

"Alright."

Su Yu closed the communication interface. Before he could exchange a few more words with the others, a new message popped up. It was from Fu Ping, the new recruits' instructor for the guild, also congratulating him on his victory over Ding Lingyu.

After that, his notifications didn't stop. People he had known previously kept reaching out to congratulate him.

"The impact of this battle is a bit huge!"

Still, it was entirely expected. Ding Lingyu's performance had always been at a crushing level of strength, pulling far ahead of them early on. Everyone thought that among the recruits of his cohort—and even recent cohorts—no one was his match, not even close.

Who could have imagined that someone would suddenly emerge and defeat him head-on? Naturally, it caused a wave of shock.

This feeling was exhilarating and allowed him to rapidly accumulate reputation.

However, this kind of reputation was still unstable, prone to drifting away like fluff in the wind. Only by defeating Ding Lingyu once more in the year-end grand examination would this reputation truly solidify.

With sufficient reputation and the title of cohort champion, when he eventually returned from his training in the sect, he would immediately be able to ascend once again to become a core member of the guild.

This was crucial and extremely important.

Core members of the guild represented the highest tier of membership, qualified to hold any position within the guild. From mid-level officials up to the commanders of the three major assault groups and even the vice presidents, all belonged to core members. In theory, one could leap straight to becoming a vice president in a single bound.

Of course, that was only in theory; in reality, it was impossible.

As a newly promoted recruit who hadn't contributed a single achievement yet, how could you possibly step straight into a position of absolute power?

Regardless of seniority or whether one held actual power, the status of a core member was right there.

Moreover, one could choose not to hold any official post, freeing oneself from responsibilities and going wherever one pleased.

Take, for instance, Sword Immortal Liao Fusheng from the guild—a guild patron akin to a sect elder. He not only enjoyed all kinds of welfare benefits from the guild but also remained free and unfettered, able to go wherever he wished without needing to return even for most major guild affairs.

Su Yu's own career plan for the future was precisely this kind of path.

While he was lost in thought, the group had already arrived in the southern district and found a well-known restaurant to celebrate properly.

Two hours later, the group dispersed one by one, and he returned to his residence and went straight to sleep.

When he woke up again, it was already dusk, and the sky outside was growing dim.

He opened his communications and saw a message left by Chu Xiaoyu, detailing a time and location.

He yawned, checked the time, and casually replied:

"Be right there."

After a simple wash-up, he stepped out and flew toward the location Chu Xiaoyu had sent.

It was the same place as before: the Tranquil Heart Cottage.

When he arrived, Chu Xinyue was already there. He stepped forward, cupped his fists, and saluted:

"Commander!"

Chu Xinyue's pretty eyes shifted to look at him. A trace of sharp light flashed through them, and a smile appeared on her face:

"It truly exceeded my expectations. You've done very well!"

Su Yu smiled slightly and said modestly, "A narrow victory. I almost lost."

Chu Xinyue nodded as well. "It truly was a narrow victory. Had he been even slightly more careful, you would have lost."

"And if your strength doesn't see a massive improvement in these three months, you will definitely lose three months from now."

Her eyes lifted slightly, and she said calmly, "You won't stand a chance."

Su Yu was slightly stunned, wondering if she was exaggerating.

Chu Xinyue saw right through what he was thinking and chuckled softly. "Don't think it's impossible. Even if his cultivation base doesn't improve by a single thread in these three months, he has ways to easily defeat you."

"Uh..."

Chu Xinyue knew he wouldn't be convinced, but she had no intention of explaining. Instead, she changed the subject and asked another question:

"What level is your sword technique realm currently at?"

Su Yu immediately opened his panel to check and replied, "Entering the Chamber, progress is 42/100."

"A bit too far behind."

"Tomorrow, you're coming out with me to meet someone."

Su Yu immediately guessed something and asked curiously, "Is Sword Immortal Liao back?"

"He's not coming."

"???"

Chu Xiaoyu, who had been sitting on the side brewing tea for them all this time, puffed out her cheeks and explained, "Patron Liao replied not long ago, explicitly refusing the invitation, so the young miss had to find someone else."

"Oh!"