Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 225 - 190: The Wisdom of the Human Race

December 28, 2017

In the deep night, the Lu Family Mansion was still brightly lit.

In the conference room, the Lu Family Elders sat around a round table with serious expressions. At the center, an Image Talisman played footage of the third day, fourth round main competition of the just-concluded Cyan Cloud Grand Competition.

"The match begins!"

On the screen, a vividly colored referee, with a body proportion of 2 heads tall, announced the start of the match in a childish voice.

Then, a pink little feline girl dashed forward like lightning. This feline girl also had a 2 heads tall body proportion, with sharp cat ears on her head and a pair of eyes exaggeratedly large, reflecting the image of her opponent inside, growing rapidly larger as the distance closed.

The feline girl's opponent was a similarly 2 heads tall Half-Wolf Demon. Though humanoid, it had a completely wolfish head, with much smaller eyes. Seeing the feline girl's charge, the Half-Wolf Demon immediately raised its two disproportionately small forearms, thicker than its upper arms, to block in front of its chest.

The next moment, the delicate pink cat paw collided with the wolf claw, and with a muffled bang, a burst of multicolored liquid splattered like a rainbow.

After the collision, the Half-Wolf Demon staggered back hundreds of feet before barely steadying its footing. Its two robust, heavily furred arms had been forced inward. On the other side, the feline girl's entire right arm was obscured by a blur of mosaic, further covered by three parallel black bars, while colorful drops continuously dripped to the ground. As the droplets hit the ground, a patch of flowers and grass rapidly sprouted, filling the arena with a dreamlike, fairy-tale atmosphere.

The feline girl, having succeeded in her strike, didn't hesitate for a moment as she stepped forward again, launching an even more powerful punch with her intact left arm. The Half-Wolf Demon gritted its teeth, charging forward in retaliation, taking the feline girl's advance head-on. Its arms, used as a shield, were simultaneously forced apart, exposing a gaping vulnerability at its chest.

The feline girl was spun into a lovely pink top by the counterforce, her left arm severed in the furious spin, transforming into a shower of petals and morning dew, scattered across the field...

At this point, someone finally couldn't hold back and asked, "What on earth is this!?"

Lu Xin, with a weary expression, sighed and answered, "A recorded image of Shen Qingming and Kong Wu, rushed out by Happy Tree's overtime work, revised to an all-age version by organizations like the Parents' Council."

"All-age... How can anyone see anything like this!?"

Lu Xin said, "No choice. Without modifying it to this extent, it wouldn't pass those organizations' reviews."

"This... even so, you are a senior member of the Cyan Cloud Grand Competition Organizing Committee. Can't you bring back an original version?"

Lu Xin said, "Of course I could, but if it got out that the Lu Family Elders gathered late at night to watch a heavy-taste video of a 14-year-old girl and a Wolf Demon, imagine the consequences yourselves."

"... How would the contents of this confidential meeting leak out?"

Lu Xin glanced at that person and said, "If you're willing to divorce your wife, I'd believe the stuff in this conference room wouldn't leak out."

The questioning person immediately fell silent. So many secrets spread unspoken beside the pillow; how could such things be stopped...

"That damn Ma Qingyu, are we really going to let her run rampant like this!?" An elder spoke bitterly, gritting his teeth.

Lu Xin said, "Of course, we won't let her run rampant. I've already communicated with the higher-ups of a few other families. After this competition ends, we'll mobilize public opinion to spread negative news about her, have Master Li Jinglun and other figures write critiques, investigate her procurement records, assert that Ma Qingyu and certain organizational leaders are misusing public resources, engaging in corruption. If need be, we'll start a war with the southern barbarians, switch Qingyun City to wartime governance, and directly dissolve those trivial committees."

The elders around the round table listened with approval, praising Lu Xin for being indeed the chief manager of the Lu Family, handling such deceitful tactics with such adeptness.

"Alright, stop wasting time on idle talk, let's return to the main topic."

With these words, Lu Xin reached out to cover the Image Talisman on the table, extinguishing the projection in the center of the room.

He then turned to face the solemnly-faced cousins Lu Feiyu and Lu Fangchen, asking, "Well, any thoughts?"

Lu Fangchen closed his weary eyes, shaking his head to indicate he hadn't thought of anything yet.

Beside him, Lu Feiyu shrugged lightly and said, "Happy Tree's people must have worked to the point of hair loss to make the footage like this, right?"

"I didn't ask about the footage effects! I asked if you have any way to deal with this Shen Qingming!" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Lu Feiyu smiled and said, "If I say I do, would you believe me? Honestly, it's not just against Shen Qingming; even against that Half-Wolf Demon, I might not even have a thirty or forty percent chance of winning. The gap in strength is obvious, so why harbor false hopes?"

The Elders remained silent, the atmosphere gradually brewing with tension.

Everyone understands the reasoning, but now that we've reached the top eight, only three matches away from the championship, who wouldn't want to give it a fight for a chance?

At this moment, Lu Feiyu said, "However, although it's impossible to defeat Shen Qingming, I might be able to make her uncomfortable. I just need your support, uncles."

Lu Xin said, "You've already made it to the top eight, and winning one more round would put you in the top four. How could the family not support you?"

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking: Although Shen Qingming has had a winning streak, displaying extremely astonishing strength, no matter what, her true self is only in the Wind-Rising Realm, relying on Immortal Treasures and Secret Techniques to gain a powerful burst of energy in a short time, which allows her to win continuously. We've all noticed that after each match, although she wins, she's often more injured than her opponent. This is the obvious side effect. And such bursts can't last. So in the next match, I want to delay the fight as much as possible, dragging it as long as possible, even if it means surrendering immediately. It doesn't matter if I use the Yin Yang Pupils or not. I just want to see how she would react if I did everything to delay the time."

Lu Xin frowned and said, "A war of attrition? It's a good idea, but you're not the only one who thought of it. That girl's burst power is so strong that even the Half-Wolf Demon couldn't block it. How do you plan to drag it out?"

Lu Feiyu said, "I certainly can't do it alone, but if I effectively use some tools, there might be a chance."

"Tools?"

As Lu Xin and the other Elders were puzzled, unable to guess what tools could help Lu Feiyu turn the match into a war of attrition on the Cyan Cloud Grand Competition's field, Lu Fangchen's eyes suddenly lit up, clapped his hands, and praised, "Brother Feiyu, you're so smart! With that move, there's indeed some hope, but the preparations are quite troublesome. I'll go get the materials for you now."

After speaking, Lu Fangchen got up and left the venue, leaving a group of elders ever more bewildered.

Lu Feiyu watched Lu Fangchen's receding figure and sighed slightly with a sense of loss.

That tactic was something he had painstakingly pondered over for half a day and finally thought of with the guidance of an anonymous well-wisher's letter. Yet Lu Fangchen, after only hearing the beginning, understood it thoroughly. This gap in understanding might be something he could never hope to bridge in this lifetime.

However, ten years ago, he had already seen this clearly and had made up his mind in his heart. That clear-eyed, pure-hearted Lu Fangchen was not only the family's promising genius but also the younger brother he should protect.

Next, let me, this unaccomplished brother, pave the path for you to win the championship.

——

The next day, on the morning of December 29th, the fifth round of the Cyan Cloud Grand Competition officially began.

And in the first match, the much-anticipated dark horse contestant Shen Qingming and the rising star of this competition, Lu Feiyu, were arranged to compete.

Amid the enthusiastic cheers and shouts of the audience, Zhang Zhixi, from the commentary desk, recited her commentary script in a sweet voice.

"Speaking of contestant Lu Feiyu, many in the audience might find him a bit unfamiliar. In Cyan Cloud City, he has always acted gently and low-key, making people aware only of the prodigious talent Lu Fangchen among the young disciples of the Lu Family, but rarely paying attention to Lu Fangchen's older brother by two years. In fact, his cultivation talent and combat ability have been fully demonstrated in this competition, advancing to the top eight after overcoming many formidable opponents. I believe today's match is sure to bring us surprises."

Zhang Zhixi's words prompted sneers from many in the audience.

Since the top thirty-two round, when the Organizing Committee provided commentators, the combination of Zhang Zhixi and Li Jinglun had explained over 20 matches, making them the most popular pair among all commentary duos. And many of the nuanced details in their scripts had been thoroughly understood by people.

Generally, the scripts were written by Li Jinglun before the match, and then Zhang Zhixi would add her own enhancements.

If Zhang Zhixi used phrases like "expecting xx to bring surprises," it basically meant that the theorist Li Jinglun had little confidence in that person, and barring a miracle, the outcome would likely be a quick defeat.

Indeed, from the previous rounds' performances of Lu Feiyu and Shen Qingming, the gap in strength between the two was obvious. Under Shen Qingming's fierce burst, for Lu Feiyu to last more than the time it takes to burn an incense stick would be a miracle.

But Lu Feiyu gave everyone a surprise right at the start.

As the referee loudly announced the start of the match, Lu Feiyu snapped his fingers. The next moment, three towers, each more than three zhang high and entirely white, rose from the ground, surrounding Lu Feiyu in the center. On top of the towers, Divine Wind Crossbow Cannons, Crystal Light Prisms, and Elemental Magnetic Coils stood densely in formation...

This guy had actually brought the defensive structures of Cyan Cloud City here!