Chapter Fifty-Four: One-on-One Duel

After stretching lazily, I turned to the few people in front of me and said, “Let’s go out for a walk.” With that, everyone grabbed their weapons and followed me out the door.

It was noon and there were hardly any students on the playground. On the way, Chen Chen told me about the current distribution of power in the school.

“Ever since the number of people dwindled, all the major groups have claimed their preferred residences. The security room at the south gate is the closest to the main entrance, and that’s where Hua Ling stays. But he’s been unusually quiet these past few days, so I’m not sure how many followers he still has. The cafeteria on the east side is led by Jiang Yuan, and he probably has the most people—over a dozen for sure. Then there are some scattered individuals, but among them are some real experts, just well hidden…”

I nodded in understanding, and just then, my phone rang.

“Students, let’s play another game,” came the familiar voice of the Ghost King.

Surprisingly, his words didn’t stir up much of a reaction this time. In fact, hardly anyone even replied to him.

“Very well. Today’s game is quite simple. We’ll return to the red envelope grab to select participants for the game.”

He sent a large red envelope of three hundred yuan to our group chat.

I glanced at it with disdain, but still, I was the first to grab it.

“Congratulations to Lin Yao and Zou Bao for participating in this round,” the Ghost King announced.

“The two of you will have a one-on-one duel on the basketball court at 2 p.m. this afternoon. The winner takes all, and the loser loses everything—even their life. There’s no reward. The rest of the students are welcome to watch.”

I let out a long sigh. The Ghost King had said “congratulations” to me again, which meant my luck was terrible…

With that, I lost any desire to continue wandering. There was just over an hour left before the game, so I decided to return to my dorm and find something to occupy myself.

I’d reached the second tier of the Spirit Leaf realm, and all my abilities had improved several times over. As long as my opponent wasn’t at the third tier, I believed I could win. However, I hadn’t yet mastered any real swordsmanship. I’d have to ask my second uncle if he had any books on the subject.

Back in my room, I took out the ancient book I’d found in the small pouch the other day.

The cover was already yellowed and felt rough to the touch, but the handwriting inside was still legible.

The book had a bold, resounding name: “Heavenly Path Finger Technique.”

Mentioning finger techniques, the first thing that came to my mind was Taoism. Legend has it they possess two great skills—finger techniques and talismanic arts. Over time, finger techniques branched into many different schools, and the Heavenly Path Finger Technique was one of them.

But these were things I’d only heard about later.

I opened the book and, as with all such ancient tomes, there was no table of contents.

The very first line amazed me: “Heavenly Path Finger Technique can unleash boundless power!” It was signed simply by someone with the surname Zhang, no full name given. The handwriting was neat and bold, matching that of the main text, so I assumed this Zhang must have been the author.

I then turned to the first page of the main section. Instead of words, it was filled with simple illustrations. Of course, below were still lines of text. I thought they might be some kind of secret, but the author wrote:

“Practicing finger techniques is extremely difficult. Only through decades of perseverance can one gain the power to pierce the void.”

I smiled wryly and turned to study the finger technique.

Unlike talismanic arts, which in my understanding were used specifically to deal with spirits, finger techniques were versatile and effective against both people and spirits.

I laid the book on the ground and clumsily mimicked the hand gestures in the diagrams.

After a while, I realized how challenging these techniques actually were. Some awkward movements took ages to get right, and the sequence felt anything but smooth. If I wanted to fully master the finger techniques, my hands would need to be much more agile. Otherwise, it would be impossible to perform effective, precise gestures in a short span of time.

Rubbing my sore fingers, I kept practicing.

The first technique was called the Spirit Gathering Formula—a basic offensive finger technique.

This one seemed infinitely simpler than whatever followed, with no particularly difficult moves, but it still took me about an hour to study and gradually become familiar with it.

The techniques were hard, but the advantage was that they could be used anytime, anywhere, and didn’t require much spiritual energy.

Satisfied, I nodded, thinking I’d try it out on Zou Bao soon.

I’d been so focused on practicing that I hadn’t noticed the group chat had exploded with ninety-nine new messages.

I opened it, and sure enough, it was full of classmates eager to watch the drama unfold.

“Wow, it’s going to be a one-on-one! I heard this Zou Bao is really tough…”

“Doesn’t matter, neither of them are any good. Good riddance to whoever loses…”

“I’m going to watch. Who’s coming with me?”

“Count me in…”

I raised my eyebrows. Was my reputation really this bad now? No matter. None of my classmates were worth trusting anymore.

I carefully put the ancient book back into my ring. Seeing that the time was nearly up, I stood and headed for the door.

As I walked, I asked, “Are you coming to watch?”

“We are,” the three replied in unison.

I smiled lightly and strode confidently toward the basketball court.

There were still more than ten minutes before the match, yet the court was already packed.

From a distance, I saw that Zou Bao had already arrived.

Among the spectators, I spotted a few familiar faces—Hua Ling, Jiang Yuan—they were all there.

“Look, the other main character is here!”

“Trying to act tough, bringing people with him.”

“Don’t underestimate him. He’s strong…”

Aside from the idle chatter of some loners, the other leaders remained silent, probably wanting to see what I was truly capable of.

Now the entire crowd’s attention was focused on the two of us. As I entered the court, people even made way for me.

I’d already noticed that Zou Bao possessed first-tier strength, evidenced by the fully saturated leaf on his forehead, as if he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

But I knew the difference between first and second tier. Unless he had a heaven-defying treasure, he stood no chance.

I walked slowly to stand opposite Zou Bao, waiting for the Ghost King’s order.

He looked at ease, joking with his friends as if he didn’t care about me at all.

The people watching seized the opportunity to gossip.

“Looks like Zou Bao isn’t paying Lin Yao any attention.”

“Yeah, maybe Lin Yao isn’t as strong as him.”

…

As the phone ringtone sounded, the atmosphere reached its peak. Someone shouted from the sidelines,

“The Ghost King says you can start!”

I glanced at Chen Chen and the others, then assumed a defensive Bajiquan stance.

Zou Bao, ruthless as ever, swung his fist at me.

But while he had brute strength, his speed seemed like slow motion in my eyes.

I dodged all his attacks with ease, which only made him angrier.

He backed away, then drew a broad-bladed machete from behind his back.

Still, I didn’t draw my own blade, maintaining my stance.

Furious, Zou Bao gritted his teeth and charged at me with wild, uncoordinated slashes.