Big Data Cultivation-Chapter 1956 - 1958: Momentum Like a Breaking Bamboo
Feng Jing is someone who has seen some scenes, but was still shocked by Yang Yuxin’s response.
"You mean... pushing Zhong Lijing to the forefront was to form an alliance with me?"
"That might not be the most accurate wording, let’s say it’s to express my goodwill," Yang Yuxin replied casually.
She truly doesn’t care about some trivial words; what she cares about is her grievances. She emphasized one point, "I have always kept a low profile in Luohua, never trying to make my presence felt, right?"
"That’s true," Feng Jing, being someone who is fact-driven, agreed, "Luohua focuses on the Cultivation Path, not concerned with mundane official posts."
"But that’s not a reason for you to bully me," Yang Yuxin said, not afraid of Feng Jun hearing, "If there’s something, we can discuss it nicely. Blocking me with three people, what’s the point of that?"
"That was our fault," Feng Jing admitted the mistake openly, while also stating, "We were a bit anxious; perhaps the method was wrong. This... I apologize on behalf of her two as well."
"You don’t need to be dragging me into this. I’ve said the fault isn’t yours," Yang Yuxin, who usually doesn’t have much presence, isn’t an ordinary character, "I’ve also handled a lot of external matters for Luohua, which you wouldn’t know if I didn’t say... but the boss knows it."
After a pause, she continued speaking, clearly a bit agitated, "I don’t know how long I can cultivate, but I still have a daughter, and she should be able to go further... Director Mei, you should understand, I don’t want her to be bullied either!"
"So I need, or let’s say my daughter needs, a somewhat suitable ally."
Feng Jing chuckled upon hearing this, since no one was around, and the Zhang Family Sisters were far away in Wudang, she wasn’t afraid to speak the truth, "In the end, you think Zhang Caixin is too assertive?"
But Yang Yuxin plainly stated, "Whether she’s assertive or not has nothing to do with me; Luohua’s second-in-command being assertive isn’t wrong, it’s expected... as long as it doesn’t infringe on my interests, but she and her sister are the second largest power in Luohua."
After a pause, she stated, "Actually, I don’t care how big their power is, but I think my daughter needs an ally, and Luohua should have diverse voices."
"Different voices?" Feng Jun couldn’t help it and directly released an intense statement, a bold declaration, "Luohua can only have my voice; if you can’t get used to it, you can leave!"
"Boss, focus on your Yoga," Yang Yuxin didn’t give Feng Jun much face, casually remarked, and then looked at Feng Jing, speaking sincerely, "I’ve given Zhong Lijing the Cultivation Technique, intending to divide you; if you add the Zhang Family Sisters, you’d truly be invincible..."
Feng Jing felt somewhat confused. With a wry smile, she stated, "Director Yang, actually Zhong Lijing and I just want to cultivate quietly, with no intention of scheming, you understand." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"I’ve already said that my understanding of you might surpass your imagination," Yang Yuxin responded with a smile, handing over a steaming cup of milk tea deliberately, "I believe you wouldn’t want to create trouble, but the old ones always said..."
"Outside the party there is no party, imperialistic thoughts; within the party, no factions, full of oddities; it’s inevitable to have close and distant relationships among people, even including differences in cultivation philosophies, forming camps like the ’Qi Sect’ and ’Sword Sect’ dispute..."
She paused then affirmed, "Luohua’s continued strength is inevitable; large trees have withered branches. I believe it’s necessary to plan ahead, to prepare to prevent undesirable divisions. This kind of arrangement is positive from an overall point of view."
"Understood," Feng Jing nodded, though relatively mild-tempered, she also disliked being led constantly. She showed a bit of sharpness and said, "You are willing to show goodwill, but if I don’t react, goodwill may sour, right?"
Director Yang didn’t mind, smiling, "It may not be as bad as you think indeed; after all, you are Xiao Zhong’s introducer, how could I replace your position? Of course, I don’t deny that some small troubles might arise, after all, I’ve helped her."
These words left Feng Jing somewhat speechless; she took a sip of milk tea and then shook her head with a wry smile.
"Thank you, Director Yang, for speaking frankly. I’m really curious, how do brains of people like you grow, effortlessly laying out such setups," she questioned, "I suppose you can call it family inheritance?"
Yang Yuxin answered blandly, "It has nothing to do with family education, and I don’t like scheming against people; actually, I don’t care about being bullied, but sensing a possible negative situation, I definitely need to do something for Xiao Hui."
Feng Jing thought it over and spoke clearly, "Let’s dispense with alliance talk; I will strive for fairness and justice. Actually, opening up some matters to talk wouldn’t be a bad thing, what do you think, Director Yang?"
"I support your view," Yang Yuxin replied with a smile, "Anyway, between the two of us, he can hear everything we’re saying. If he didn’t agree, he would have already reacted."
In this rainy night, the two reached a certain consensus, while most members of Luohua were still in Wudang aiding Li Shishi in strategizing on how to win the six matches—the elimination round of the top sixty-four, up to winning the championship, it’s just six matches.
The competitors from Kunlun amounted to only three: a Middle-Stage Martial Master, a High-Rank Martial Master, and a High-Rank mortal transformation stage, yet they all quietly reached the top sixty-four.
Li Shishi encountered her first opponent, an Early-Stage Martial Master. As soon as she came on stage, she added defense to herself; after several Thunderclap Talismans, a Water Dragon Talisman swept her opponent out of the arena smoothly.
The second opponent was quite tricky, a martial master at a high-rank, in his prime, with formidable strength. He endured the paralysis caused by the Thunderclap Talisman and insisted on pursuing Li Shishi.
With Li Shishi’s small frame, he didn’t need to exert much force; just a casual shoulder bump could knock her out of the arena.
In fact, this was exactly his plan; taking two talismans didn’t matter, as long as he won by touching her once.
Originally, he was somewhat concerned about whether his punches might be too heavy and injure Li Shishi, so he specifically informed Gao Qiang.
However, Gao Qiang indicated that this was the Dragon Gate tournament, and out of respect for the organizers and fellow daoists, Luohua wouldn’t be doing anything special; he could go ahead as long as it’s within proper means. Even if Li Shishi gets injured, Luohua wouldn’t hold him accountable later.
His agility was remarkable, and ordinary talismans could hardly hit him, while Li Shishi’s martial cultivation skills were mediocre. She was indeed hit by his punch, retreating several steps, her posture somewhat unbalanced.
Fortunately, she had a defense talisman, so there was no problem. The opponent felt the strange defensive power and felt reassured. Taking advantage of her unsteady stance, he charged forward, using his shoulder to collide.
His reaction was swift, with great force. In such a state, it was almost impossible for the opponent to cast any more talismans; he believed this would be enough to knock her out of the arena.
Then he was quite unfortunate; he felt like he had collided with a thick wall of tires, not particularly hard, yet a strong defense forcefully resisted his impact, followed by an equally tremendous rebound!
Since he had confirmed that the opponent had defensive measures, he didn’t hold back, aiming to strike the enemy in one shot. Thus, the retaliatory force he received was almost equal to his full impact.
He wasn’t lacking in techniques to diffuse force, but this strike was so unexpected that it caught him completely off-guard. Relying only on muscle memory to diffuse force, how effective could it possibly be?
His lower body was very stable, staggered out a few steps, and was about to counterattack.
However, it was already too late. Li Shishi had been unable to catch his form, hence unable to cast talismans. Seeing his body finally slowing down, she decisively triggered a series of Thunderclap Talismans, then swept him away with a Water Dragon Talisman.
Her techniques were nothing remarkable, bystanders found it somewhat dull, but those in the know couldn’t help but squint, "Hiss, is this... the long-lost Pan Shi Talisman?"
Li Shishi indeed used the Pan Shi Talisman, following the pre-battle plan, immediately using the Pan Shi Talisman after taking a hit. Though her posture was unsteady, enhancing herself was still feasible.
The defeated opponent came over to inquire, wanting to understand where he fell short.
The people of Luohua originally didn’t want to reveal their trump cards, but because this person had made prior arrangements and held back during the match, they adhered to the principle of reciprocity and told him.
——Actually, the Pan Shi Talisman is generally considered a relatively niche talisman, mainly used to assist in cultivation. It is rare to be useful in combat, so admitting it was no big deal.
Li Shishi’s third match was a round of sixteen against eight, facing a martial master at an initial stage from Wudang.
The Wudang disciple also knew she was purely a Dao cultivator and proposed using weapons for the contest, as he couldn’t do much to her barehanded unless he caught her without an active defense talisman. However, that would shame Wudang.
Therefore, he hoped to use weapons, increasing his chances.
Li Shishi responded that he could use weapons, but she wouldn’t—it’s not about looking down on him, mainly because she didn’t know how to use them.
This Wudang disciple felt provoked and said he was proficient with a knife. Since she wouldn’t use weapons, he would use a single mace; if she could withstand three strikes, he’d concede.
In fact, he was good with a spear too, but since she had the Pan Shi Talisman, there was little chance of tossing her aside with a spear. Therefore, using a single mace to directly force through with power, breaking her defense, he’d win. If he couldn’t, conceding wouldn’t hurt his pride.
As for the result, it goes without saying—not only did Li Shishi successfully advance to the quarter-finals.
Indeed, her consecutive wins already met Daoist Master Wenxu’s expectations, especially the tough second match, which prompted admiration. Luohua proved to be Luohua; even sending a young girl was so powerful.
As for her style of play... although it cannot be said to be ugly, regardless of the talisman’s effect or Li Shishi’s appearance, both were pleasing to the eye. Yet the problem was—it was truly too monotonous.
While everyone speculated whether she could make it to the semifinals, the news came: her opponent had forfeited.
(A serious recommendation of a good book, "I Have a Great World", featuring dual traversal between realms by a seasoned author. A friend of Feng Xiao for over ten years, lastly, summoning monthly tickets.)
