Chapter 436 A verification of one’s own cultivation!

"If that's true, it would be really interesting. I wonder if they will cooperate better in tomorrow's final?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, looks like there will be more to watch in tomorrow's game!"

At the same time, the captain of Tiandou Royal Academy, who was sitting on the other side, heard these discussions and his eyes flickered slightly. He looked at Lu Yu not far away, thinking.

"Interesting..." he muttered under his breath.

The day before the finals was destined to be turbulent. The curiosity and speculation of the audience brought the Tiandou Royal Academy competition to a higher level of attention.

In the arena, the cheers of the audience rose and fell, like waves hitting the entire space. Lu Yu still stood in the center of the venue, smiling calmly, looking calm, his eyes fell on Dugu Yan standing opposite him.

"Lu Yu, you are quite confident," Dugu Yan smiled, with an ambiguous arc on the corner of her mouth, but her cold eyes revealed a bit of provocation.

Lu Yu retracted his gaze and said calmly: "Sister Yan's poison skills are no joke, how dare I underestimate them. But, I have to try it before I know, right?"

Dugu Yan was slightly startled when she heard this, then she sneered and said in a low voice: "Really? Then you'd better be careful." She raised her hand slightly, and a light purple soul power condensed in her palm, and the faint fishy and sweet smell of snake venom spread around.

Yu Tianheng stood aside, watching the two interacting quietly, frowning slightly. He did not interrupt, as if he did not want to disturb the scene, but a complex emotion surged in his heart. He could see that the communication between Dugu Yan and Lu Yu was not an ordinary exchange of ideas, but a relaxed and familiar feeling, a feeling he had never seen in Dugu Yan before.

"Yan'er," Yu Tianheng finally spoke in a low and steady voice, his eyes sweeping over Dugu Yan, "Don't forget that this is the academy's competition venue, don't go too far."

Dugu Yan turned her head and glanced at Yu Tianheng, her expression was unusually cold, even a little impatient: "Don't worry, I know my limits."

Yu Tianheng moved his lips, wanting to say something, but he finally sighed and swallowed the rest of his words. His eyes wandered between Lu Yu and Dugu Yan in a complicated way, and his heart seemed to be pressed by a huge rock.

"Brother Tianheng, do you not trust Sister Yan, or are you worried about Lu Yu?" Shi Mo on the side interjected jokingly, breaking the delicate silence.

Yu Tianheng smiled bitterly and said reluctantly, "No, how could it be."

Dugu Yan ignored the conversation between the two and looked directly at Lu Yu: "Are you ready? I don't want people to say that I bully newcomers."

Lu Yu shrugged, smiling: "I'm at your service anytime."

The two of them confronted each other for a moment, and Dugu Yan took the lead. She flicked her slender fingers lightly, and a purple poisonous mist entangled Lu Yu like a snake. Lu Yu dodged sideways and swung out a soul power with his backhand, directly dispersing the poisonous mist.

"Not bad," Dugu Yan smiled with a playful look on her face, "It seems you have some skills."

Lu Yu smiled faintly: "Sister Yan's praise is not common, should I feel honored?"

Duguyan raised her eyebrows and was about to retort, but she heard a faint whisper from the audience. She subconsciously turned her head and saw a girl in a black dress in the corner of the audience staring at herself and Lu Yu. Her eyes were deep and dark, as if hiding some complicated emotions.

Dugu Yan was slightly startled, then retracted her gaze and said to Lu Yu in a cold voice: "Focus."

"Yes, Sister Yan is right." Lu Yu smiled, his tone still relaxed.

Yu Tianheng stood on the sidelines, his eyes following Dugu Yan involuntarily. He could see that Dugu Yan's condition today seemed a little off, especially in her interactions with Lu Yu, from time to time she would reveal some emotional fluctuations that he had never seen before.

"Brother Tianheng, what are you looking at?" Shi Mo couldn't help but push him.

Yu Tianheng came back to his senses and shook his head to cover up: "Nothing."

However, his eyes still unconsciously swept towards the girl in the black dress in the corner. The girl had a delicate face and pale skin. She leaned against the wall with her arms folded, and her eyes were calm and a little scary. But just as Lu Yu avoided another poisonous fog attack from Dugu Yan, the girl's eyes trembled obviously, then she lowered her head and turned away.

"Who is she?" Yu Tianheng asked in a low voice subconsciously.

Shi Mo followed his gaze and frowned, saying, "Who knows, he should be a student from some class. But he looks a little strange."

Yu Tianheng did not ask any more questions, but a vague sense of uneasiness arose in his heart.

The battle on the stage continued. Lu Yu's movements seemed to be easy, but he always maintained a moderate restraint in his attacks on Dugu Yan. He neither seemed too passive nor had any real intention of counterattacking.

"Are you letting the water go?" Dugu Yan finally couldn't help it and asked coldly.

Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Sister Yan's poison is so powerful, how dare I let you go? It's just that I feel that your condition today is not right, so."

"So what?" Dugu Yan narrowed his eyes and his voice became even colder.

Lu Yu pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "So I want you to enjoy yourself a little more."

Dugu Yan heard this, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, and then he snorted coldly: "Lu Yu, you are really self-righteous."

Lu Yu did not respond and still maintained a faint smile.

"That's enough. The game ends here." Yu Tianheng suddenly spoke, with a tone of unquestionable majesty. He took a step forward, his eyes swept back and forth between Lu Yu and Dugu Yan, and said in a deep voice, "This is a college competition, not a place for fun. Since neither side has used their full strength, let's end it here."

Duguyan frowned, as if she wanted to refute, but in the end she said nothing and turned to leave the venue. She looked a little hurried, even with a bit of deliberate indifference.

Lu Yu shrugged, watched Dugu Yan leave, then turned to look at Yu Tianheng, and said with a smile: "Brother Tianheng, aren't you meddling too much?"

Yu Tianheng did not respond, but just looked at Lu Yu quietly, his eyes deep. His Adam's apple moved slightly, but in the end he said nothing and turned away.

The atmosphere on the sidelines was a little dull for a while. Shi Mo patted Lu Yu on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, don't mind it. Brother Tianheng is just like that."

Lu Yu smiled faintly: "I understand."

At the same time, in the corner of the audience seats in the distance, Dugu Yan was leaning against the wall, looking coldly at Yu Tianheng's back, with a hint of sarcasm and indifference in her eyes.

"Yu Tianheng, what are you thinking about?" she murmured in a low voice, then turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

In the dazzling arena, Lu Yu easily defeated all opponents with amazing strength. No player could last more than three moves in front of him, as if his every move had an irresistible force. Every time he swung the sword in his hand, the air was shaken, as if the world opened up for him. Each of his attacks was accurate, simple but deadly. After such a winning streak, Lu Yu stood on the stage of the finals, quietly waiting for the arrival of his opponent.

In the audience, everyone was talking about the upcoming final. People's eyes swept towards Lu Yu from time to time, their hearts full of admiration and awe for him. However, the air before the final was unusually quiet, even a little depressing. Lu Yu's breath was as steady as water, as if he did not feel any pressure for the upcoming duel, but instead had a kind of thoughtful tranquility.

At this time, the conversation between Prince Xuexing and Meng Shenji on the high platform attracted everyone's attention.

Prince Xuexing was wearing golden armor, with a slender figure, handsome face and extraordinary demeanor. He kept his eyes fixed on Lu Yu in the audience, and seemed to be full of interest in this young genius. Meng Shenji beside him lowered his head slightly, with a solemn expression, as if thinking about something. The conversation between the two began.

"Meng Shenji," Prince Xuexing's deep voice broke the silence, "Do you know where that young man named Lu Yu came from?"

Meng Shenji raised his head and glanced at Prince Xuexing calmly, with a deep light flashing in his eyes. He spoke slowly, his voice clear but with an authority that could not be ignored: "Lu Yu is indeed a very special existence. He is not an ordinary player in this competition, but a genius I brought back from Nottingham."

Prince Xuexing was slightly stunned, obviously a little surprised by Meng Shenji's answer. His deep eyes could not help but stare at Meng Shenji, as if he wanted to see something from it. After a moment, he asked: "Notting City? That's a remote place, isn't it? Could the people brought back from there have such amazing strength?"

Meng Shenji's gaze lingered on Lu Yu's figure for a while. After a moment of silence, he replied: "Notting City, on the surface, is an inconspicuous small town, but it hides many unknown secrets. Lu Yu is a genius who has emerged in that land. His talent is very rare even in my opinion."

Prince Xuexing frowned slightly, as if he was somewhat puzzled by Meng Shenji's evaluation. He turned around and stared at the finals venue again, his eyes sharp. "Then how could he reach such a level at such a young age? What is so special about his training?"

Meng Shenji smiled slightly, his expression was still indifferent, but his eyes could not hide a trace of approval. "His cultivation is different from that of ordinary people. Lu Yu has an extremely rare understanding of 'ruling by doing nothing'. He does not force himself to the limit through violent cultivation methods, but naturally improves himself through the understanding of the way of heaven and earth. This realm is not something that ordinary people can understand."

Prince Xue Xing was slightly surprised, and a barely perceptible look of astonishment flashed across his face. "Rule by inaction? You mean, there is almost no external interference in his cultivation? That's impossible."

"You may not understand," Meng Shenji smiled lightly, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes, "but this is the fact. Lu Yu's practice is to follow the way of heaven and let nature take its course. Every step he takes seems to be a dialogue with heaven and earth. Every move and every style is his fusion with the laws of nature. His swordsmanship is not only the use of force, but also the control and mobilization of the airflow and spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

Prince Xuexing was silent, obviously shocked by this explanation. As a king, he knew that cultivation was difficult and long, and every step of improvement required great effort and sacrifice. For most practitioners, the growth of strength is often accompanied by pain and the price of breakthrough. Lu Yu's way of cultivation obviously deviated from the conventional path, giving people an extremely mysterious feeling.

He looked at Lu Yu on the stage again, his eyes full of doubt and interest. "Could it be that Lu Yu's swordsmanship is really as you said, able to merge with the power of heaven and earth?"

"His swordsmanship," Meng Shenji's tone became more serious, "is extremely good. He can quickly capture the opponent's flaws in battle and deliver a fatal blow in an instant. Even when fighting against some strong men, he can handle it with ease and without any pressure."

Prince Xuexing raised his eyebrows slightly, obviously not just out of curiosity. His tone became more calm, "If that's the case, then he should be able to easily win in this final, right?"

Meng Shenji nodded slightly, "That's right. Although Lu Yu is young, his strength has surpassed many of his peers. Every match he has fought was almost effortless. Perhaps, before this final, he had not suffered any consumption. It can be said that his physical strength and condition have been maintained at the peak."

"Interesting." Prince Xuexing smiled gently, with a smile on his face. "It seems that this final will be a one-sided situation."

A hint of indifference flashed across Meng Shenji's eyes. "Perhaps, but we cannot underestimate our opponents. Lu Yu is indeed powerful, but the other players should not be underestimated either. Especially some of the hidden masters, whose strength is often underestimated."

Prince Xuexing waved his hand lightly, as if he no longer wanted to discuss this issue, his eyes still fixed on the audience. "In any case, Lu Yu was able to stand out and become the finalist of this competition, which has proved his extraordinaryness. Next, let's see how far he can go."

Meng Shenji nodded slightly, his eyes focused on Lu Yu again. "Yes, everything that happens next depends on how Lu Yu responds."

Offstage, Lu Yu still stood quietly, seemingly unaware of everything around him. He looked far into the sky, as if thinking about something. At this moment, he was completely immersed in the upcoming finals. For him, this game was not only a challenge, but also a test of his own cultivation.

There was no tension or fear in his heart. All emotions were left behind, leaving only endless calmness and concentration. He understood that the real confrontation often did not come from external enemies, but from one's own state of mind.

The morning sun shines through the gaps in the leaves and falls on the ground, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance of plants and trees. Dugu Bo stands by the lake, his eyes narrowed, staring at Lu Yu who is sitting cross-legged not far away. The young man is concentrating on practicing, and the soul power around him fluctuates regularly like the tide. Every time he absorbs soul power, it can cause a weak energy resonance between the surrounding heaven and earth.