vstars Chapter 91 Three Spirit Puppets
Chapter 91 Three Spirit Puppets
The bell rang again.
Du Zhong stood up, silencing the commotion: "The first alchemy assessment, Zhang Lin, is currently in first place with forty points."
"The second spell begins with drawing lots."
The skills assessment follows the previous rules, but instead of target stakes, it uses human targets.
The human targets are spirit puppets condensed by the deacon using magic. There are three of them, each corresponding to the defensive capabilities of the early, middle, and late stages of Qi Refining.
The spirit puppets are not inanimate objects. Contestants must use magic to destroy all three spirit puppets within thirty breaths. The faster the contestant, the higher the score.
The moment the rules were announced, the waiting area erupted in uproar.
"In previous years, we could take shortcuts when hitting the target, but this year they're really going to do it for real?"
"Spirit puppets are already tough and resilient; if they also have protective true energy, wouldn't it take a third-tier spell to break through a spirit puppet at the late stage of Qi Refining?"
Du Zhong raised his hand and pressed down lightly. After the noise subsided, he continued, "Spirit puppets are not wooden stakes. They can dodge, block, and even counterattack on their own."
"Within thirty breaths, use magic to destroy all three spirit puppets. The faster you are, the higher your score."
"Mistakenly damaging other areas will result in point deductions at each level; being hit by a spirit puppet will also result in point deductions."
The disciples below the stage all changed their expressions.
Someone complained in a low voice, "This isn't fair. We usually practice shooting at stationary targets. Who has ever practiced shooting at moving targets?"
Du Zhong said calmly, "On the path of cultivation, enemies are alive. Our Danxia Sect's combat strength outside is already ridiculed as being at the bottom. You all still don't know how to improve. If you have any objections, you can abstain."
No one dared to say another word.
The participating disciples all looked solemn, but Zhang Lin remained calm.
He closed his eyes slightly, mentally simulating the possible actions of the spirit puppet. It was nothing more than a magical creation capable of evasion, with even fewer variables than a living person.
Even living people have weaknesses that can be exploited; the trajectory of a spirit puppet will only be simpler.
After the draw, Chen Boyuan was the first to go on stage.
He took a deep breath and walked to the center of the ring.
With a wave of his sleeve, the steward Du Zhong caused spiritual light to gather on the north side of the arena, condensing into three humanoid puppets.
The first statue is pale white, the second is silver-gray, and the third is dark blue.
The three spirit puppets spread out in a fan shape, with a distance of three zhang between them.
After landing, they bent their legs slightly, assuming a position that would facilitate movement.
Chen Boyuan's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his expression was solemn.
"Begin," Du Zhong commanded.
The first spirit puppet moved first. Its body swayed and it moved three feet to the left like a ghost, its speed was astonishing.
Chen Boyuan gritted his teeth, used the Golden Blade Technique with his left hand, and three golden blades shot out from the air.
But the spirit puppet moved much faster than expected. The golden blade grazed its shoulder, slicing off only a wisp of pale white spiritual light.
The second and third golden blades followed closely behind.
The spirit puppet moved horizontally continuously, its form unpredictable, like a leaf falling in the wind.
Chen Boyuan repeatedly urged his golden blade, chasing after the shadow of the spirit puppet, and more and more beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The fourth golden blade finally struck.
The spirit puppet shattered instantly, turning into specks of spiritual light that dissipated.
Chen Boyuan had already used five breaths to refine the spirit puppet to the early stage of Qi Refining.
He dared not stop, and turned to the second spirit puppet, casting a fireball spell.
The silver-gray spirit puppet had more defensive spells than the first one. It no longer just dodged, but raised its hand to condense a spiritual energy shield, blocking Chen Boyuan's fireball.
The fireball exploded on the shield, but the spirit puppet remained motionless.
Chen Boyuan's face turned pale as he unleashed a barrage of fireballs, one after another, bombarding the spirit puppet like a machine gun.
The spirit puppet retreated while parrying, and the cracks on its shield multiplied until it finally shattered under the sixth fireball.
The fireball, still carrying considerable force, slammed into the spirit puppet's chest.
The silver-gray spirit puppet trembled violently, its light dimming considerably.
Chen Boyuan seized the opportunity to fire a follow-up shot, shattering it.
Fifteen breaths had passed by this time.
Chen Boyuan, panting heavily, turned to the third statue.
The dark blue spirit puppet stood with its hands behind its back, not taking the initiative to attack, but simply standing there quietly, as if waiting for him.
This spirit puppet was half a head taller than the previous two, and its body was filled with flowing spiritual light, as if it were alive, faintly forming a protective aura.
Chen Boyuan gathered his true energy, and a fireball nearly twice the size of his usual size condensed in his palm, with magma faintly flowing on its surface.
This is the second variation of the fireball technique he learned, the second-tier lava bullet, which is twice as powerful as a regular fireball.
The lava bombs roared out.
The dark blue spirit puppet finally moved.
It did not block or dodge; it simply raised its right hand, its five fingers loosely clenched.
An invisible force field condensed in front of it. When the fireball collided with it, it was as if it had hit an invisible wall. It paused in mid-air for a moment before exploding with a bang.
The flames subsided, lava splattered, but the spirit puppet remained motionless.
The magic could not break through the defenses, and Chen Boyuan turned pale upon seeing this.
The dark blue spirit puppet gave him no chance to breathe. It flashed forward and pounced on him, its five fingers like claws, aiming to grab Chen Boyuan's face.
Chen Boyuan was shocked and hurriedly dodged to the side.
The spirit puppet's claws grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his Taoist robe and revealing the skin underneath.
One point was deducted from Du Zhong's evaluation book.
Ignoring the heartache, Chen Boyuan unleashed a barrage of fireballs.
However, the third spirit puppet, at its peak late stage, was far more agile than the first two. Its figure moved like a ghost on the arena, dodging left and right, and only three or four of the ten fireballs hit its target.
"Time's up," Du Zhong said.
The third spirit puppet ceased its actions and remained intact.
Chen Boyuan walked off the stage with a pale face and a dejected expression. He smiled bitterly at Zhang Lin and said, "The third one is too difficult. He can dodge and fight, and he also has protective true qi. I can't break through his defense at all."
Zhang Lin said calmly, "Not bad. Your proficiency in spells is better than many people's; you've broken at least two."
Several more disciples then went up on stage, most of them barely managing to shatter the first statue before collapsing in front of the second.
Only a few can shatter the second one. As for the third one, apart from Luo Yuan defeating it with his third-tier Flame Dragon Technique, there has been no second one so far.
Some people were slapped away by the spirit puppet, some were forced to run around the arena, and some were chased and beaten by the spirit puppet for a full ten breaths, looking disheveled and causing bursts of laughter from the audience.
Those who were chased by the spirit puppets all turned ashen-faced when they left the stage.
When it was Zhou Mingyuan's turn, he strode onto the stage with a calm expression, showing no fear whatsoever.
"start."
The moment the first spirit puppet moved, Zhou Mingyuan made his move.
Eight golden blades flew out from behind him, not shooting straight at him, but spreading out in a fan shape, blocking all of the spirit puppet's escape routes.
The spirit puppet charged left and right, only to collide with a golden blade and be cut in two.
Take a breath.
Someone in the audience whispered, "So fast!"
Zhou Mingyuan's lips curled slightly as he turned to the second person.
As before, the silver-gray spirit puppet retreated while simultaneously condensing a shield.
Zhou Mingyuan used both hands simultaneously, a golden blade in his left hand and a fireball in his right. The golden blade cracked the shield, and the fireball destroyed the remaining defenses.
He changed his hand seals again, and a blazing fireball condensed into shape. This fireball was nearly twice the size of an ordinary disciple's, and its surface had faint golden patterns flowing around it.
A knowledgeable disciple in the audience exclaimed in a low voice, "It's actually the Fireball spell with the rare trait, Flame Bullet! Its power is comparable to many third-tier traits!"
The flaming bullet struck the second spirit puppet in the chest, exploding violently. The spirit puppet trembled violently, and its light dimmed by more than half in an instant.
Zhou Mingyuan snorted coldly, and the second flame bomb followed immediately, shattering the second statue.
Twelve breaths have passed by now.
The third dark cyan spirit puppet had already approached, its right hand clenched, an invisible force field condensing in its palm, and it pushed towards Zhou Mingyuan.
A tremendous force rushed towards him, causing Zhou Mingyuan to freeze and stagger back three steps.
Instead of confronting it head-on, he used the momentum to retreat, creating distance between himself and the spirit puppet, while eight golden blades rose up behind him.
Then, in mid-air, they coalesced into a giant golden blade, about ten feet long.
This was his trump card: the Golden Blade Technique, a third-tier skill with the characteristics of a giant golden blade, which was somewhat similar to Zhang Lin's greatsword but also different.