Chapter 168: Fatal

　　The peak that the imperial residence was built on wasn’t considered high compared to the other peaks, but it wasn’t too low either.

　　Five water dragons emerged from the foot of the mountain. In the blink of an eye, the dragons dashed up to the stage.

　　The overflowing river surged up and swept everything away with it. Within no time, the whole stage was overtaken.

　　“Five Dragons Playing with the Pearl!” A spectator stood up abruptly and shouted while pointing at the stage.

　　This caused an uproar in the tents.

　　Five Dragons Playing with the Pearl – a unique skill of the Heavenly Sea Pavilion that all disciples who had reached the Spirit Realm would acquire. Who would have expected Kou Wei to have already perfected it?

　　No wonder he was the best disciple of the Heavenly Sea Pavilion.

　　The spectators lamented. There was nobody who still doubted Kou Wei’s ability. This attack, no matter who he was against, would get him a win.

　　Among the Harmonization Realm, only Wei Chunqiu could possibly defeat him, or perhaps Lin Wuxia. But who knew for sure? Lin Wuxia disliked competitions or disputes, and her momentum was already weaker than Kou Wei.

　　There was no need to continue watching this competition; there was no doubt that Lu Mingshu would lose.

　　The queen was watching the match from her seat. She shook her head and sighed. “That child worked hard to get here.”

　　The King of Zhongzhou smiled and nodded. “No wonder you had your eyes on her.”

　　Even under the temptation of the New Ranking, she still held onto her aspirations and the original meaning of a martial artist, which even some Spirit Realm martial artist couldn’t achieve.

　　In this mundane world, it was hard for one to remain pure at all times. The more powerful a martial artist was, the more fame and benefits would start rolling in. As time passed, they would drown in the materials and live by them, losing the original intention of a martial artist.

　　For example, the New Ranking; how many, in her shoes, would be able to resist the temptation? For just a day, if she let Kou Wei and Wei Chunqiu overtake her on the rankings, then she would get third place for sure.

　　It had only been a year since she entered the Harmonization Realm and yet she could be placed third. After the Qilin Festival was over, she would gain much fame.

　　However, she chose to continue competing. In doing so, it was possible that she would drop out of the top ten, and everything would go down the drain.

　　Lu Mingshu was clearly aware of that, but she was clear about what she wanted.

　　Very clear. It wasn’t that the New Ranking had a false reputation, Lu Mingshu just had the true essence of a martial artist.

　　The King of Zhongzhou thought about it before smiling. “Who said she’s stupid? She’s smart! She knows what appeals to you.”

　　The queen smiled thinly. If Lu Mingshu got into the New Ranking, the queen would obviously value her a lot more. However, she wouldn’t admire Lu Mingshu as much as she did now.

　　What was rare was that Lu Mingshu wasn’t going out of her way to please the queen, which made her feel gratified.

　　If it wasn’t because of Xing’er’s stubbornness, I would have let her have her way. Or maybe I would treat her better in the future. After the Qilin Festival ends, I’ll request the Nine Jade Palace to let her stay in the Seventh Truth Platform and provide her with all the resources she needs. With her talent, she’ll be able to break through to the Spirit Realm in less than ten years….

　　The queen was deep in thought when the king awakened her with a gasp.

　　She paused for a moment before looking toward the stage.

　　Unfolding in her eyes was the scene of the water dragons bursting like firecrackers after sword energy shot through them.

　　A golden light shone in the direction of the sword-light. Everyone thought it was mystic light at first, but something seemed out of place….

　　“Talisman! That’s a talisman!”

　　The five water dragons nearly swept Lu Mingshu away with them, but a talisman light suddenly fused with her sword-light and coiled around the dragons like a chain.

　　The sword-light dissolved immediately due to it not being strong enough, but the talisman remained, and it was surprisingly stronger than a real chain.

　　Kou Wei stood rooted to the ground.

　　No wonder he saw Lu Mingshu throwing something out. He thought that she dropped something, but the sword immediately lit up after she threw it out, and there was something infused in the sword-light.

　　Talisman! She is skilled in talismans!

　　But what did she throw out? A normal talisman couldn’t have been so powerful.

　　A small cry could be heard, and his five dragons were unable to move. The talisman hung in the air and shone brightly.

　　“A spiritual tool!” Kou Wei shrieked.

　　At that moment, Lu Mingshu’s sword-energy was already at Kou Wei’s face.

　　Kou Wei had no choice but to block the attack with his fan.

　　The spectators were shocked to see the dragons intertwined together and locked by the talisman.

　　“What’s going on?” The incident was too quick for the spectators to react.

　　In the Nine Jade Palace tent, An Tongchen’s face fell.

　　That spiritual tool was the one that he had given to Lu Mingshu, so he would obviously recognize it. However, that wasn’t how one should use it.

　　He got it a long time back, and after a lot of experimenting, the most effective way to use it was as a defensive tool. When it activated, it would congeal the mystic light and turn into a shield to block the attack.

　　The spiritual tool was rare, but it wasn’t precious since it was useless for anyone in the Spirit Realm. Because of this, An Tongchen gave it to her, but he never expected her to use it in such a way.

　　What did she combine with it? It’s so powerful that it can reduce Kou Wei’s ability and constrain his dragons?

　　“Is that a spiritual tool? How come it’s so powerful?”

　　There was another uproar in the tents.

　　A spiritual tool was indeed rare, but many spectators had seen one, and other competitors had used one too. However, their spiritual tools were all weaker compared to Lu Mingshu’s; they could block one attack at most.

　　Lu Mingshu was completely focused on the match and ignored everything around her except her opponent, Kou Wei.

　　She seized the chance and launched an attack.

　　Kou Wei’s face turned pale when he blocked the attack.

　　He took a long time to become skilled in this technique he was using, and his mystic force right now was mostly in the dragons, but Lu Mingshu managed to cut the link between him and the dragons, reducing his power to about 30%.

　　Realizing this, Kou Wei sighed and blocked her sword with his fan. “I concede.”

　　Lu Mingshu didn’t hear it. She was just figuring out how to get her sword out.

　　Between the silence, Lin Zixin came out.

　　He then announced the result. “Kou Wei from the Heavenly Sea Pavilion surrendered. Lu Mingshu from Nine Jade Palace wins!”

　　He then turned to Lu Mingshu. “Miss, you have to recall your spiritual tool.”

　　Lu Mingshu came back to earth and recalled her spiritual tool.

　　The dragons were finally freed. Kou Wei waved his fan, and the dragons dispersed into the air.

　　“Senior Brother Kou,” Lu Mingshu stammered. “I didn’t mean to…”

　　Kou Wei didn’t seem happy, but he still remained gentlemanly. “I surrendered, so that means I lost. Miss Lu need not worry. I will take it as a lesson.”

　　He gave her a stiff smile before going back to his tent.

　　Lu Mingshu stood rooted to the ground.

　　She really didn’t expect to win, she just focused entirely on Kou Wei and wanted to give it her all. Who knew that Kou Wei would surrender?