Chapter 313: Chapter 268: Backlash
Bian Chenpei indeed had reason to be proud.
His father was the Deputy Envoy of the Judicial Cardinal of Taihao Mountain. He himself, at just over fifteen years old, possessed a High Order Cultivation of the Rain Listening Realm and was only one step away from the Cloud Patrol Realm.
Such cultivation speed was outstanding, even among the talented young generation of Taihao Mountain.
Bian Chenpei gazed at Li Ang in the audience, a cold smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. What use is so-called lofty prestige, revered and extolled by the world? Is he not merely in the Body Concealing Realm, without even the qualification to stand on the arena?
In Bian Chenpei’s view, strength was paramount.
A Cultivator without Cultivation, no matter how unparalleled their intellect, could only depend on others. How were they different from those lowly craftspeople trapped in their trade generation after generation?
Li Ang was the Academic Palace Top Scholar of the third year of Zaiqian. However, he was still stuck in the Body Concealing Realm, presumably due to his rumored Innate Spiritual Veins defect. This meant he was destined never to reach the Candle Cloud Realm in this lifetime.
And without reaching the Candle Cloud Realm, one was destined not to hold positions such as Mountain Master, Sacrificial Officer, or Master. His future would inevitably be like that of Su Feng, the Doctor of Science, obediently staying in the Chang’an Academy as a teacher.
All personal achievements ultimately served those in power.
"Heh."
Bian Chenpei smiled faintly, turning his head to look at his opponent.
"HUFF, HUFF."
The Turkic girl named Ashina Galuo was stretching her muscles below the arena, breathing regularly. She was a member of the Ashina family.
Bian Chenpei’s face showed little expression. Although the Blue Turkic were immensely illustrious in the Northern Territory, they meant little in his eyes.
Firstly, the Ashina family had many members, so they weren’t considered precious. Secondly, even the Turkic Khan himself had to follow the dictates of Eternal Heaven and, even higher, the supportive decrees of Haotian.
Historically, Yu Country had several times considered launching a military campaign to annihilate the Turkic, or at least to split them, when their own power was dominant.
Certain forces within Taihao Mountain secretly exerted pressure. They manipulated Jing Country and Zhou Kingdom to deploy troops on the border. This forced Yu Country to abandon its plans to annihilate the Turkic, thus preserving them and maintaining the status quo.
The authority of the divine always trumped imperial power.
Accompanied by the commentator’s voice, the two climbed onto the arena.
Ashina Galuo’s weapons were still the Kite-shaped Shield and the Crescent Moon Scimitar, but these were her own personal ones. As for Bian Chenpei’s weapons, he raised his hand to lift the hem of his robe at his waist, revealing a belt that bore some resemblance to those used in Yu Country.
The belt was hung with various items, such as daggers, small iron balls, syringes, thin ropes, and more.
"All kinds of martial arts, this is Telekinesis," Bian Chenpei said with a faint smile. "Have you thought about how you’re going to lose?"
"I haven’t thought about it," Ashina Galuo honestly shook her head. "But I think a guy who casually lifts his own clothes upon first meeting must lack morals. Do you do this at Taihao Mountain too?"
"You!" Bian Chenpei’s smile froze. His eyes narrowed, and his tongue flicked across his teeth.
That time Ashina Galuo rode a human-powered aircraft, soaring over Qujiang Pool... The image resurfaced in his mind.
If it weren’t for this Turkic woman, the incident of Bian Chenpei losing his bet to Li Ang so badly wouldn’t have spread throughout Chang’an City in such a short time. It spread so fast that even the forces of Taihao Mountain couldn’t secretly suppress the news, making him the butt of city folk chatter for months.
It might even be recorded in an ignominious light thousands of years later.
His resentful gaze flashed by for an instant. Bian Chenpei took a deep breath, his smile returning, and quietly waited for the referee’s signal.
CLANG—
The gong sounded. Ashina Galuo fiercely stomped on the ground, then her toes tapped quickly and lightly, creating dense ripples on the Arena Restriction like a falcon skimming water.
She maneuvered skillfully, her movements unpredictable as she quickly closed the distance to her opponent.
In battles between Martial Artists and Telekinesis Masters, most Martial Artists needed to close the distance to within twenty paces. The exceptions were the few skilled with bows, who could snipe from afar using specially made longbows and arrows.
Once close, Martial Artists could unleash their vital energy to disrupt their opponent’s Telekinesis, then strike for a kill with Martial Arts in a single blow.
"Hmph."
Bian Chenpei watched Ashina Galuo rushing towards him. He stood his ground unflinchingly and calmly lifted both arms, crossing them in front of his body. The backs of his hands pressed together, his fingers forming a special hand formation.
BUZZ—
The High Order Telekinesis of the Rain Listening Realm was unleashed. The Dagger on his waistband slipped from its sheath, slicing through the air straight toward Ashina Galuo.
CLANG!
The Dagger collided with the scimitar in midair, creating clear sparks. Ashina Galuo’s forward charge faltered slightly. She pivoted on her toes, using her waist to twist her body and dissipate the Dagger’s impact. Simultaneously, she twisted her wrist, turning the scimitar blade to slash heavily at the Dagger.
A Telekinesis Control Device is linked to a Telekinesis Master’s Heart Thought. The more attuned the device is to the master’s Heart Thought, the stronger the feedback—or backlash—experienced by the Telekinesis Master when the device is attacked.
In Ashina Galuo’s estimation, her opponent would either fear injury and use Telekinesis to recall the Dagger, buying her time to charge, or he would be unable to retrieve his weapon in time. If the latter occurred, he would be struck by her scimitar, and his mind would be thrown into disarray.
Either outcome would be advantageous to her.
However, Bian Chenpei never considered dodging as an option.
His gaze hardened. The Dagger’s whistling sound intensified as it accelerated again, colliding head-on with the scimitar’s blade.
CLANG!
The harsh clang of gold and iron made Ashina Galuo’s palms tremble slightly.
Bian Chenpei thrust his arms forward powerfully, like a battering ram. The syringe on his waistband opened automatically, ejecting countless Mind Needles. These Mind Needles were crafted from a special metal, pointed at both ends and thicker in the middle, shaped like shuttles—slender, sharp, and heavy.
Dozens of Mind Needles rained down like a storm towards Ashina Galuo. The Turkic girl’s expression grew stern. Her shield waved, and her scimitar transformed into a streak of light, blocking all incoming Mind Needles and the Dagger.
"One Heart, Twenty Thoughts?"
From the spectator stands, Qiu Feng’s mouth fell slightly open, his expression one of disbelief.
In the Dao Path of Mind Study, the number of Heart Thoughts one could divide was a crucial metric of a Telekinesis Master’s strength.
That was why the Academic Palace encouraged Mind Study Disciples to learn extensively and integrate Telekinesis into their daily lives.
A junior Telekinesis Master at the Qi Sensing Realm could typically split their attention into three to five Heart Thoughts for different tasks. Those at the Body Concealing Realm could manage about seven or eight. Rain Listening Realm practitioners averaged just over ten.
One Heart, Twenty Thoughts! And each Heart Thought could be commanded as effortlessly as one’s own limbs, possessing equal strength, accuracy, and control. Bian Chenpei’s practical combat level was even higher than that of students of the same realm in the Academic Palace.
Li Ang squinted his eyes. The Mind Study of Taihao Mountain indeed has its merits, he thought.