Among the various cultivation systems, the one that feared close-quarters combat the most was undoubtedly Confucianism.
With no time to dwell on his shock, Murong Yu hurriedly resorted to his trump card Confucian technique.
“Net of Heaven and Earth.”
Countless black ink strokes drifted out from the folding fan in his hand, character connecting to character, weaving together into an inescapable, sky-spanning net.
“Break for me!”
The moment he threw his punch, Chen Ning immediately sensed something unusual.
Even the invisible barrier of Drawing a Prison on the Ground could not withstand a single punch from him, yet under this strike, the seemingly soft, pliable net showed not the slightest trace of tearing.
Right at that moment, the Net of Heaven and Earth abruptly tightened, trapping Chen Ning within.
“Not good, that net seems a bit strange!”
Qing Yan could not help but knit her delicate brows.
The net seemed frail, but in truth, it utilized the Confucian principle of overcoming hardness with softness.
Unless one found its weak point, no matter how immense their strength, it would be exceptionally difficult to break it through brute force alone.
“Condemn by Word and Pen.”
Having nearly allowed Chen Ning to close in just now, Murong Yu dared not slacken in the slightest; without pausing, he retrieved a brush pen from his robes.
As the pitch-black character for “Sword” was penned in midair, the written word instantly transformed into over a dozen sharp swords, tearing through the air to pierce toward Chen Ning, who was still trapped within the Net of Heaven and Earth.
Yet in the very next moment, all the blades suddenly ground to a dead halt in midair!
No, rather than halting, it was that they simply could not advance even a fraction of an inch!
Only then did Murong Yu realize that Chen Ning was quietly shrouded in a two-colored halo.
The outer layer was Purple Qi Protection, while the inner layer was golden merit light.
The dozen-plus flying swords converging from all directions had merely pierced the surface of Chen Ning’s skin.
Far from dealing him any serious injury, this minor wound had completely awakened the long-dormant Divine Phoenix Bloodline.
Within Chen Ning’s body, the faint golden blood boiled scalding hot like magma, the terrifying residual heat even warping the surrounding space.
Murong Yu had already unleashed all his ultimate moves, his stamina gradually waning.
In contrast, Chen Ning’s fighting spirit soared, his blood and qi surging at their peak.
“Break for me!”
Like a dragon coiling and churning, like a roc soaring into the sky.
As if reborn from fire, Chen Ning’s churning blood and qi erupted completely at this instant.
Boom!
In the next moment, the Net of Heaven and Earth shattered instantly, scattering down as countless broken characters.
Chen Ning stepped out from within, his speed skyrocketing.
“Worlds Apart in a Single Step!”
Realizing things were amiss, Murong Yu hurriedly attempted to retreat, using his Confucian technique to appear a hundred meters away in an instant.
Yet even with such a technique, Chen Ning’s speed was far too terrifying.
A distance of a hundred meters was likewise crossed in the blink of an eye for him.
In the next second, Chen Ning had already appeared right in front of Murong Yu.
The fist seemed to contain the might of Nine Heavens thunder crashing down, howling as it shattered space and closed in.
“Wait!”
Murong Yu hurriedly raised his hand, speaking so fast it was as if he were debating a hall full of scholars:
“I am a Noble Scholar of Water Cloud Academy, and I harbor no malice toward Young Master Chen whatsoever!
The reason I came looking for Young Master Chen is that the poem you wrote during the examination shocked numerous Grand Confucians the moment it arrived at the academy!
That was why I was ordered to search throughout the Imperial Capital, and meeting you today by chance, I merely wanted to test Young Master Chen’s strength!”
This seemingly lengthy explanation was blurted out by Murong Yu in a mere two seconds.
The moment his last word fell, the fist finally came to a safe halt right before his face.
Yet the mere gale of the whistling fist directly blew away Murong Yu’s headscarf.
Thinking of what might have happened if this punch had landed on his body, Murong Yu could not help feeling a chill run down his spine.
That was close!
If his tongue had moved even a fraction slower just now, that group of Grand Confucians in Water Cloud Academy who had egged him on might have had to collect his corpse.
Back then, those old men had solemnly assured him that anyone capable of composing such an earth-shattering poem had to be an elegant, amiable person destined to become a generation’s Grand Confucian, telling him he could test him without worry.
And the result?
He was indeed quite elegant and amiable—except he could also easily punch an ox to death...
【Defeated a Fourth-Rank Noble Scholar Realm Confucian Cultivator. Reward obtained: Noble Qi * 200.】
【Obtained Divine Abilities: Worlds Apart in a Single Step, Condemn by Word and Pen.】
At the same time, the system’s notification chime sounded in Chen Ning’s mind.
Although Murong Yu had used quite a few Divine Abilities, the only ones recognized by the system were Worlds Apart in a Single Step and Condemn by Word and Pen.
“Rest assured, I knew all along.”
Chen Ning slowly withdrew his fist.
In truth, even if Murong Yu had not spoken up, Chen Ning had long sensed that this man harbored no killing intent toward him.
Otherwise, as a Fourth-Rank Noble Scholar Realm practitioner, Murong Yu’s true strength would certainly not be limited to just this.
Murong Yu was taken aback:
“Young Master Chen could tell all along?”
“Since you didn’t go all out, there was naturally no need for me to use full strength either.”
Chen Ning smiled faintly.
Hearing this, Murong Yu burst into hearty laughter:
“It seems that just as the old scholars in the academy said, Young Master Chen is indeed an interesting person!”
Murong Yu retied his headscarf, bowing slightly with hands cupped and a respectful expression:
“Then allow me to properly reintroduce myself.
This humble one is Murong Yu, a Noble Scholar of Water Cloud Academy.”
Worthy of being a Noble Scholar of Water Cloud Academy, once he turned serious, his every gesture and movement exuded an aura of extraordinary elegance.
“This humble scholar is Chen Ning, having traveled from Ning'an Village to the Imperial Capital for the imperial exams.”
Chen Ning likewise cupped his hands.
As the saying goes, friends are often made through a clash.
Though they had only just met for the first time, they surprisingly found themselves quite kindred in spirit.
Before long, they were conversing quite pleasantly.
“So, in such a vast Imperial Capital, how did you find me?”
“I happened to hear Young Master Chen’s name while passing by Wutong Street, so I waited nearby.”
Murong Yu let out a long breath:
“Though I suppose it wasn’t entirely a coincidence.
After all, because those old scholars in the academy were desperate to find Young Master Chen, I’ve been wandering aimlessly around the Imperial Capital for a good half-month...”
Chen Ning smiled and said:
“Going by that, doesn’t it mean the poem I sent to Water Cloud Academy passed?”
“Far more than merely passing!”
The scene that had unfolded when that poem arrived at Water Cloud Academy was still fresh in Murong Yu’s memory.
“Every year, a massive volume of letters is sent to Water Cloud Academy from across the dynasty.
With so many letters, Water Cloud Academy naturally cannot evaluate them one by one.
Thus, we rely on the Confucian Stone passed down through generations in the academy.
That massive Confucian Stone has been bathed in Confucian poetry and literature for ages and possesses a degree of spirituality.
One need only place a poem upon the stone, and the Confucian Stone can perceive its quality, radiating seven progressively ascending colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
Water Cloud Academy’s evaluation standards are exceptionally high.
Only poems that reach blue or above are considered passing.
Yet over all these years, poems reaching blue have been exceedingly rare, and purple has never appeared even once.”
“Strict, just as the rumors said.”
Chen Ning asked curiously:
“What color was my poem? Blue?”
Murong Yu shook his head.
“Could it be purple?”
“Not that either.”
“Hmm? Then what was it...?”
Murong Yu remained silent for a good while before saying with an embarrassed look:
“There was no color, because... the stone cracked.”
Chen Ning: “...”
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