"Oh? A match made in heaven? What makes you say that?" With that, Mo Mo waved his hand lightly, and the imposing aura of the Li Shan Sword Sect leader that had made others breathless instantly vanished.
Seeing Mo Mo calmly dispel his oppressive aura, the sect leader of Lishan Sword Sect couldn't help but shudder. A solemn look flashed in his eyes as he said, "Qiushan has the bloodline of a true dragon, and You Rong has the bloodline of a heavenly phoenix. Everyone knows that dragons and phoenixes bring good fortune, and only a true dragon can be worthy of a heavenly phoenix. Isn't this a match made in heaven?"
"Auspicious dragon and phoenix? Only a true dragon can be worthy of a celestial phoenix? Go ask a dragon or a celestial phoenix. It's already a miracle that these two divine beasts at the top of power don't fight when they meet. A match made in heaven? A dragon is a dragon, and a phoenix is a phoenix. Go ask which dragon's parents aren't dragons? Go ask which phoenix's parents aren't phoenixes? You have no common sense at all, and you call yourself a sect leader? You're a disgrace."
Seeing that this person didn't even know that a dragon was born of a dragon's mother and a phoenix was born of a phoenix's mother, Mo Mo kindly gave him a vivid lesson in common sense. The sect leader of Lishan Sword Sect will never forget this scene for the rest of his life.
"You, you..." The sect leader of Lishan Sword Sect couldn't get anything out of you after a long time, and finally stormed off in anger.
As the sect leader of the Lishan Sword Sect reached the top of the stairs, Mo Mo kindly called out to him, "Little Sword, remember this: dragons are born from dragon mothers, not phoenix mothers. They are different species, and they might even be of the same sex."
Upon hearing Mo Mo's words, the sect leader of Lishan Sword Sect stumbled and nearly tumbled down the stairs. Although he managed to regain his footing in time, he was still unsteady on his feet. It wasn't until he reached the corner of the stairs that he was able to stand up completely, which showed how powerful Mo Mo's words were.
Seeing this, Chenliu Wang smiled awkwardly and said, "The sect leader of Lishan Sword Sect was unwell and passed away first. Now that the Green Vine Banquet continues, Gou Hanshi, why don't you quickly invite your senior brother to take his seat?"
Gou Hanshi then realized what was happening and hurriedly tried to pull Qiushan Jun away. Qiushan Jun also came to his senses, bowed to Mo Mo and the Prince of Chenliu, and turned to walk towards the stairs, clearly not wanting to stay in this sad place any longer. Seeing this, Gou Hanshi could only helplessly return to his seat, and the Green Vine Banquet continued.
However, the topic of discussion among the crowd was no longer the upcoming Azure Cloud Ranking, but rather Qiu Shan Jun and Xu You Rong. Of course, Mo Ming and the sect leader of Li Shan Sword Sect were also present. Meanwhile, the people from Saintess Peak secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they hadn't caused trouble for the National Academy, otherwise, they would have been the ones to lose face. After all, Mo Mo didn't even give face to the sect leader of Li Shan Sword Sect, one of the six current Saint Realm experts, let alone Saintess Peak, which didn't have any Saint Realm experts present.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the main event of the Green Vine Banquet was about to begin. This banquet was set up for the younger generation of talented young people to learn from each other and it was related to the ranking of the Azure Cloud Ranking. The farce that just happened at the Lishan Sword Sect was just an interlude in the banquet.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 189 The Astonishing National Academy
When the banquet was almost over, the person from Saintess Peak who had come in and started picking a fight with the National Academy stood up, walked in front of Mo Mo and the others, bowed to Mo Mo first, and then shouted loudly: "Saintess Peak, Yueyi challenges the National Academy."
"Yueyi? It seems you really admire them. However, while admiring and yearning for the strong is a good thing, one shouldn't be too obsessed. I suppose you admired her a lot before. Well then, Qingyue has been managing the National Academy these days, so they can be considered half of Qingyue's disciples. I'll show you how you differ from them." After a pause, Mo Mo continued, "Yourong, don't get involved. If you go up there, it'll just be bullying."
Upon hearing Mo Mo's words, Xu Yourong, who was excitedly eager to try her luck after resolving the Qiushan-jun matter, immediately frowned. She pouted somewhat unwillingly, turning her grief and indignation into appetite, and directly brought all the food on the table to her and began to eat, not even letting go of Mo Mo's glass of wine.
Looking at the empty desk in front of him, Mo Mo shook his head helplessly, then turned around and gestured for Chen Changsheng and the others to accept the challenge.
Upon receiving Mo Mo's signal, Xuan Yuanpo stood up excitedly and said, "National Academy, Xuan Yuanpo accepts the challenge." He had been looking forward to this moment for a long time. During his time at the National Academy, not only were his meridian problems resolved, but he also had an abundance of various pills, which greatly improved his strength. He was no longer the Xuan Yuanpo who had just arrived in the capital.
The competition was held in the very center of the entrance hall on the first floor. The hall on the first floor was much smaller than that on the second floor. There were staircases on both sides leading to the second floor, and three statues were placed near the middle of the staircases on both sides, which made the competition area even smaller, leaving only a space about five or six meters long and wide.
At this moment, Xuan Yuanpo and Yue Yi stood facing each other, both with solemn expressions on their faces. Although Xuan Yuanpo's strength had greatly improved during this period, Yue Yi, as a disciple of Saintess Peak, was also quite strong. Moreover, to be honest, although Yue Yi had a bit of a temper, she was quite good-looking, at least 85 points. In addition, her petite figure gave people a soft feeling.
At this moment, the two stood facing each other. Xuan Yuanpo, as a member of the bear clan of the demon race, was naturally tall, while Yue Yi was rather petite. When the two stood together, a sense of visual conflict between beauty and beast arose spontaneously.
As a member of the bear clan among the demon race, he is naturally incredibly strong and not suited to using a sword. Moreover, Xuanyuan Po is poor and cannot afford good weapons, so he has always been unarmed. Although he has now joined the National Academy and Mo Mo can give him a good weapon, he has already used it empty-handed. Giving him a weapon now, especially if he is not familiar with it, is more likely to backfire.
As for Yueyi, aren't all the students in these academies and sects swordsmen? The two bowed to each other and then quickly engaged in battle.
It must be said that Yueyi's idolizing Qingyue and Qingyi and taking them as her role models has indeed worked well. Her mastery of the Saintess Peak sword technique is so skillful that it forced Xuanyuan Po to retreat step by step and had to adopt a defensive stance.
However, Yueyi didn't gain any advantage from Xuanyuanpo either. Every time Xuanyuanpo struck her sword, she would be forced back a small step, creating a slight opening. Although she made up for it time and time again with the exquisite swordsmanship of Saintess Peak, her true essence and physical strength were being consumed rapidly, and she couldn't hold on for much longer.
The two exchanged blows, having fought for over a hundred rounds. Xuan Yuanpo's clothes were torn in many places, making him look extremely disheveled, but he had no injuries on his body because he had dodged all the attacks at the crucial moments. On the other hand, Yue Yi from Saintess Peak, apart from her breathing becoming slightly heavier, had not even her hair being too disheveled. In the eyes of others, it was only a matter of time before Yue Yi won this fight.
However, true masters understand that if this match continues to drag on, Yueyi will undoubtedly lose. The two on the field also understand this principle, so Xuanyuanpo is not in a hurry to attack. Instead, he adopts a defensive stance and secretly accumulates strength. As soon as Yueyi shows a weakness, that will be the moment for him to end the match with a thunderous strike.
Yueyi understood that Xuanyuanpo was waiting for her to reveal her true weakness. At this moment, she didn't have much true energy left in her body. If she continued to waste it, she would have no chance to turn the tide.
With a gritted clenched lip, a resolute glint flashed in Yueyi's eyes. As her sword was struck by Xuanyuan Po once more, she released her grip on the sword, instead forming a sword incantation with her hands, and charged forward.
The moment Xuan Yuanpo struck Yueyi's longsword, he sensed something was wrong, because there was no force on the sword. Although the missed punch made him feel quite uncomfortable, he still managed to steady himself. At that moment, Yueyi's sword finger was less than twenty centimeters away from his throat.
Despite the critical situation, Xuan Yuanpo remained calm and focused. He gathered his true energy in his mouth and let out a roar. Yue Yi, who was opposite him, was caught off guard and was hit squarely by Xuan Yuanpo's roar. However, Xuan Yuanpo's roar was not a sophisticated sonic technique; it only slowed down Yue Yi's movements by a beat, but for Xuan Yuanpo, that was enough.
He knew that avoiding Yueyi's sword finger was impossible at this moment, and the only way to win was to fight to the death. Amid the gasps of the crowd, Xuanyuan Po neither dodged nor evaded, but directly used the method of fighting to the death, raising his fist to strike at Yueyi.
A moment later, Yueyi's sword finger stopped at Xuanyuanpo's throat, while Xuanyuanpo's fist stopped above Yueyi's head. After a pause, the two took a step back and stood facing each other again. At this moment, Chenliu Wang, the referee of the Qing Teng Banquet, spoke up: "Yueyi of Saintess Peak and Xuanyuanpo of the National Academy are evenly matched. This round is a draw."
Although somewhat unwilling, Yueyi still bowed to the King of Chenliu to acknowledge the result. Xuanyuanpo followed suit and bowed as well. They had been preparing to watch the show on the second floor with Momo and the others. After Xuanyuanpo and Yueyi from Saintess Peak returned to their respective groups, Qijian from Lishan Sword Sect stepped forward and said loudly to Momo and the others with a cold face, "Qijian from Lishan Sword Sect challenges the National Academy."
No sooner had Qi Jian finished speaking than Luo Luo stepped forward and retorted sharply, "Bai Luoheng of the National Academy, accept the challenge."
Just as the two were exchanging blows, trying to overwhelm each other with their imposing manner, Mo Yu, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, stood up and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has instructed that you are not allowed to participate in any competitions. If anything happens to you, we will have difficulty explaining to Emperor Bai."
Bai Luoheng bit her red lips lightly and retreated somewhat unwillingly. Tang Thirty-Six stepped forward and said, "Tang Tang of the National Academy, accept the challenge."
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 190 Strike
Tang Tang, also known as Tang Thirty-Six, is the only young master of the Tang family of Wenshui. He is handsome and has been doted on by his grandfather since childhood, which has led to his somewhat willful personality. However, he is kind-hearted, loyal, and willing to go to great lengths for his friends. The Tang family is a renowned weapon-making family, and many weapons in the capital are made by them. As the only young master of the Tang family, Tang Thirty-Six is very wealthy. Moreover, the Tang family is never short of weapons. At this moment, he is holding a superior weapon, the Wenshui Sword, made by the Tang family.
Qi Jian is the junior brother of the Li Shan Sword Sect. In terms of appearance, he is no less handsome than Tang Tang. Moreover, Qi Jian's appearance is more gentle than Tang Tang's. The two elegant and handsome young men standing with their swords are much more pleasing to the eye than the beauty and beast scene between Xuan Yuanpo and Yue Yi.
After exchanging a bow to each other to indicate that they were ready, the two drew their swords and immediately began to fight. It must be said that Tang Tang's time at the National Academy had greatly improved his skills. At this moment, he was using the Wen Shui Three Styles and the Tang Family Sect Sword with great skill, and he was now fighting Qi Jian with great flair. The two sides exchanged blows, making for a very exciting battle.
The most surprised people in this are undoubtedly Qi Jian and the people from Li Shan Sword Sect. You should know that Li Shan Sword Sect is famous for its swords, and its swordsmanship is basically unquestionable. However, Tang Tang, who is only ranked thirty-sixth on the Qingyun Ranking, was able to fight Qi Jian to a standstill. Although Qi Jian did not use his full strength, his strength is ranked in the top fifteen of the Qingyun Ranking, which is nearly twenty places higher than Tang Tang. Now, he cannot defeat Tang Tang quickly, and he even has some difficulty suppressing her, let alone defeating her.
After passing each other again, the two stood facing each other once more. Qi Jian raised his sword and pointed it at Tang Tang, saying, "I didn't expect the National Academy to have some skill. But if that's all you've got, then you can only go so far."
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say,” Tang Thirty-Six retorted without backing down.
After saying that, the two clashed again. However, this time Tang Thirty-Six was clearly at a disadvantage. Although he had brought his Tang family's swordsmanship to its limit, their understanding of swordsmanship was not on the same level at all. Seven's swordsmanship was clearly much better than his.
At this moment, Qi Jian truly unleashed his full power, instantly suppressing Tang Thirty-Six. Tang Thirty-Six's swordsmanship was also unable to flow smoothly. Every time he tried to change his moves, Qi Jian would seize the opening and attack him, making him extremely frustrated. Whenever he found an opening between Qi Jian's moves and tried to seize it, he discovered that Qi Jian had already prepared another move for him.
Fortunately, he was good at adapting to situations and was always able to unexpectedly block the attacks of the seven, but it was only a matter of time before he was defeated.
Just as Tang Tang and Qi Jian were locked in a stalemate, Chen Liuwang suddenly spoke up: "Qi Jian has mastered the Li Shan sword technique to perfection, making it effortless for him. He can execute each move with ease. Although Tang Tang's cultivation is comparable to Qi Jian's, her sword technique is far inferior. I'm afraid she won't be able to hold out for much longer."
"Your Highness is wise. Qi Jian's swordsmanship is indeed far superior to Tang Tang's. After all, Tang Tang's personality is what it is; he is not a well-behaved person at all. He would never practice diligently normally. I am already very surprised that he has been able to persist for so long without being defeated. I believe Old Master Tang would be very happy to see this." A teacher surnamed Zhuang from the Heavenly Dao Academy followed up with his own opinion.
Just as they were talking, a sudden change occurred in the fight between Tang Thirty-Six and Seven below. Tang Thirty-Six suddenly changed his moves, using three moves that were completely different from before, forcing Seven to retreat step by step.
"Wen Shui Three Styles! Tang Tang has used all her trump cards. It seems the competition is almost over."
As soon as the King of Chenliu finished speaking, Qi Jian, who had been retreating steadily, suddenly stopped. Taking advantage of Tang Tang's exhausted moves and the fact that his old strength was depleted and his new strength had not yet been generated, Qi Jian gently placed his long sword on Tang Tang's sword, and with a twist and a deflection, he deflected Tang Tang's sword. Then, taking advantage of Tang Tang's wide-open defense, he went straight for Tang Tang's throat. By the time Tang Tang regained his footing, Qi Jian's sword was already on his shoulder, less than an inch away from his neck.
Feeling the chilling sensation on her neck, Tang Tang lowered her hands and sighed with some disappointment, "I lost, but I will definitely not lose to you again next time."
"I'm available anytime." With that, Qi Jian turned and left decisively, while Tang Tang returned to the crowd at the National Academy.
After Tang Tang and Qi Jian returned to their respective places, the Prince of Chenliu said with a smile, "Qi Jian of the Lishan Sword Sect wins this round. Who else wants to challenge?"
After Chen Liuwang finished speaking, several other colleges launched challenges, but they were all inferior to the previous two. Xu Yourong was already drowsy from watching. If it weren't for the fact that there were other people around, she probably would have fallen asleep on Mo Mo's shoulder.
In a hazy state, she suddenly felt someone calling her. She opened her sleepy eyes, tilted her head, and looked at Mo Mo beside her with some confusion. Because she had just fallen asleep, she had no idea what had happened. She hoped that Mo Mo would tell her what had just happened and who was calling her.
Seeing Xu Yourong's bewildered expression, Mo Mo gestured to the side with her chin and whispered, "Someone has challenged you."
Just then, the voice came from the side again, "Guan Feibai of the Lishan Sword Sect challenges Xu Yourong of the National Academy."
Xu Yourong finally heard clearly again. She winked at Mo Mo, as if to say, "He challenged me on his own initiative, not that I wanted to bully him."
Mo Mo nodded and agreed to let Xu Yourong fight, but he couldn't help but remind Guan Feibai, "Your name is Guan Feibai, right? I advise you to choose someone else. Even if you're going to challenge someone, you should find someone of similar strength. Your strength and Yourong's strength..." Mo Mo shook his head as he spoke.
"Thank you for your concern, senior, but this is my own business. Please do not interfere. As for my strength, we will only know after we fight." Guan Feibai confidently rejected Mo Mo's kindness, and his tone was quite imperious.
"Since you insist, then so be it." With that, Mo Mo gestured to Xu Yourong that they could get ready to begin.
After receiving Mo Mo's approval, Xu Yourong jumped down from the second floor. Guan Feibai followed suit. After they landed, Guan Feibai bowed to Xu Yourong and said, "Although I like you very much, you have really hurt me today. Even if you blame me afterward, I will make sure you know that our Lishan Sword Sect is not so easy to bully."
Hearing Guan Feibai's words, Xu Yourong's pretty face also turned cold, and she said with a faint sarcasm, "How boring. Does he like me, so I have to accept him? Does it make me a heinous crime to refuse his proposal if I don't like him? It's utterly ridiculous. I've never said I like him. On the contrary, I've always emphasized to him that there's no possibility between us. He's the one who keeps bothering me and disturbing my cultivation. Now he's presumptuously coming to propose to me. Is it wrong for me to refuse the proposal of someone I don't like? In the end, it's all your Lishan Sword Sect's own fault. Now I'm the bad guy and you're the victims. It's really laughable."
"I won't waste my breath arguing with you; let's settle this with our swords." With that, Guan Feibai drew his longsword and pointed it at Xu Yourong.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 191 The Green Vine Banquet Comes to an End
"After all that rambling, in the end it all comes down to fists, doesn't it? Master was right. If your fists are strong enough, you're right even if you're wrong. But if your fists aren't strong enough, being right is useless. Some people won't reason with you; they'll only talk about fists. And the only way to get them to reason with you is for your fists to be stronger than theirs. I think Master is talking about people like you."
Guan Feibai was furious upon hearing this and said, "Draw your sword! I will fight you to the death!"
"Draw your sword? You're not worthy." Xu Yourong's eyes were filled with disdain.
Provoked by Xu Yourong, Guan Feibai completely lost his composure and directly swung his sword at Xu Yourong. As expected of Guan Feibai, who was ranked third on the Qingyun List in the original drama, his sword strike was impeccable in terms of angle, speed, and power. If one did not have a certain level of strength, it is estimated that this one sword strike would have determined the outcome.
However, he chose the wrong target. The Xu Yourong at this time was not the Xu Yourong in the original drama who had not yet entered the Tongyou Realm. After Mo Mo's teachings over the years, and although most of the time was spent refining and purifying the Heavenly Phoenix Essence Blood in her body, she had also reached the Juxing Realm.
With a slight shift in her footing, Xu Yourong effortlessly dodged Guan Feibai's thrust. Then, she thrust her sword forward with one hand, placing the scabbarded blade against Guan Feibai's throat. The entire exchange was seamless, as if Guan Feibai had willingly offered his neck to Xu Yourong's sword after she stepped back. In the blink of an eye, the contest was over, leaving many people still reeling from the shock.
Xu Yourong casually sheathed her longsword and said indifferently, "My master was really doing this for your own good. Now you should understand the difference between us, right? Oh, by the way, I was just following my master to watch. My master didn't actually want me to participate. I didn't know at first, but I do now. Because if I were to make a move, it wouldn't be a competition, but bullying. By the way, I've already reached the Gathering Star stage."
When everyone present heard Xu Yourong's words clearly, they were all taken aback. This level of skill was rare, not to mention among the younger generation, even among the older generation. No wonder Guan Feibai lost so decisively, because the two were not even in the same league, but several levels apart.
The cultivation realms of Zetian are divided into Marrow Cleansing, Self-Illumination, Penetration of the Netherworld, Gathering of Stars, Becoming a Saint, and Divine Concealment. Guan Feibai has only achieved Self-Illumination and is still some distance from Penetration of the Netherworld, while Xu Yourong has already reached Gathering of Stars, which is a higher realm than Qiushan Jun's Penetration of the Netherworld. Guan Feibai's choice of Xu Yourong as his opponent is like a toddler trying to challenge the world record holder in sprinting. There is no room for him to fight back.
Guan Feibai returned to the crowd of Lishan Sword Sect somewhat dejectedly. Although his fellow disciples comforted him, he still couldn't cheer up. Although losing to a Gathering Star Realm expert wasn't shameful, it was incredibly shameful when that expert was younger than him. How could someone younger than him, yet two major realms higher, be so unbearable for someone who always considered himself a genius?
And Guan Feibai wasn't the only one suffering a blow at this moment. Not to mention the young talents of the younger generation, many of the older generation here were only at the Tongyou Realm, one realm lower than Xu Yourong. Although everyone knew the power of the Heavenly Phoenix Bloodline and understood that being personally trained by a Saint Realm expert could save one from many detours, no one expected Xu Yourong's strength to be so formidable. No wonder she rejected Qiushan Jun's marriage proposal. A Juxing Realm expert who was not yet twenty years old, and who would surely become a Saint in the future, could indeed disregard the True Dragon Bloodline, because she had the right to do so.
After Xu Yourong and Guan Feibai's battle, the scene quieted down for a while. However, no one present was an ordinary person, and they quickly came to their senses. But the pressure Xu Yourong put on them was too great, so no one else issued a challenge.
"Any more challenges? If not, today's Green Vine Banquet will have to end here." Chen Liuwang's words broke the silence once again, and with his words, the young talents who longed to be listed on the Green Cloud Ranking finally couldn't help but raise their voices in challenge.
Challenges erupted from various academies and sects, including Saintess Peak, Lishan Sword Sect, Heavenly Dao Academy, Ancestral Temple, Qingyao Thirteen Divisions, and Zhaixing Academy. However, with Xu Yourong in charge, no one dared to challenge the National Academy.
The challenge didn't end until the sun was setting. Just when everyone thought the Green Vine Banquet was about to end, Gou Hanshi from the Lishan Sword Sect suddenly walked up to the National Academy and loudly proclaimed under everyone's gaze, "Zhuang Huanyu from the Heavenly Dao Academy challenges the National Academy."
"Chen Changsheng of the National Academy, accept the challenge." Chen Changsheng, who had been watching the show from beginning to end, finally stepped forward. The Green Vine Banquet was about to end, and he couldn't help but want to test his progress over the past period. After all, he had made the most progress among the group.
Seeing Chen Changsheng accept the challenge, a hint of joy flashed in Zhuang Huanyu's eyes. He was betting that Chen Changsheng would be the next one to accept the challenge from the National Academy, because apart from Bai Luoheng and himself, everyone else from the National Academy had already accepted the challenge. He had been displeased with Chen Changsheng for a long time.
As for why Zhuang Huanyu was unhappy with Chen Changsheng, it was actually quite simple: he had fallen in love with Bai Luoheng at first sight. Since meeting Bai Luoheng that day, he had liked her and pursued her. However, Bai Luoheng was not interested in him and instead had a close relationship with Chen Changsheng, which made him very unhappy.
Both of them understood that this might be the last battle of the Green Vine Banquet, so they stopped talking and got into a fight. They exchanged blows for several rounds in no time. The more Zhuang Huanyu fought, the more alarmed he became, because the scene he had expected, where he would quickly defeat Chen Changsheng, did not happen. Instead, the two fought to a standstill.
"How is this possible? When he first came to the capital, he hadn't even undergone the Marrow Cleansing Ceremony. How could he become so powerful in such a short time? He must have already reached the Ascension stage. This kid must have been hiding his cultivation before. He's really cunning. I must expose your hypocritical face to Luo Luo. Luo Luo is mine."
Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Zhuang Huanyu's eyes. He created an opening to lure Chen Changsheng into attacking, while his hand behind his back was secretly gathering palm power. However, although Chen Changsheng's cultivation had increased rapidly in a short period of time and he could not fully control it, he was well-versed in the Three Thousand Daoist Canons and his eyesight was extremely sharp. He saw through Zhuang Huanyu's hidden move at a glance and did not fall for it at all.
Zhuang Huanyu noticed that Chen Changsheng had discovered his subtle movements, so he subtly dispersed his palm strike and secretly accumulated power, waiting for Chen Changsheng to reveal an opening so he could deliver a fatal blow. However, the more Zhuang Huanyu did, the more alarmed he became, because he discovered that Chen Changsheng was improving rapidly. At first, he could suppress Chen Changsheng, but now the two were evenly matched, and Chen Changsheng was still improving at a high speed. He believed that after a while, he would be suppressed by Chen Changsheng, which was not what he had originally intended.
Zhuang Huanyu knew she couldn't delay any longer. A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she poured all her true energy into her longsword. A sword technique as fast as lightning shot out towards Chen Changsheng, while her left hand behind her also glowed faintly under the light of the sword technique.
(End of this chapter)