Chapter 30: Incident VI

Mingde had a high reputation in the Clear Wind Taoist Temple for many years, and he was counted among the extremely small number of experts in dozens of towns throughout the Outer City. His status, influence, and authority might not even be matched by veteran members of the Three Great Powers who had been Summoned for many years.

His status was far superior to Lin Hongzhen‘s cousin, let alone those who hadn’t even gone through the Summoning like Lin Hongyu.

Theoretically, after a successful Summoning, one would inevitably reach the Internal Force Realm level of strength like Mingde eventually. However, this still involved factors like combat experience, on-the-spot performance, and the martial arts techniques used.

In reality, after the Summoning, it generally took several years before one could achieve parity with Internal Force Realm strength.

Thinking of this, the vague sense of crisis Lin Hui had felt before lessened significantly.

After confirming the teacher-student relationship, he returned to his spot to continue watching the matches. At this time, it was Senior Sister Mu Qiaozhi‘s turn to step onto the stage and spar with the Second Senior Brother, Zhao Jiangan.

Their movements were as fast as lightning; their figures were completely blurred. Only the sparks erupting from their clashing swords could be seen, and only the dense, rain-like explosions of sound could be heard. Nothing else was visible.

Mysterious sword marks occasionally appeared on the platform ground and the railings.

Their attack speed consistently remained slightly weaker than Lin Hui‘s Light Body special effect speed, yet it was extremely stable. After easily passing a hundred moves, neither showed any sign of exhaustion.

Lin Hui watched from below, marveling, trying to estimate how long he could hold out if he went up.

Relying on the Light Body special effect, he might be able to achieve a draw, as his speed was faster than theirs, but his sword technique was too poor.

However, without activating the special effect, he wouldn’t last more than ten moves.

Soon, Mu Qiaozhi was defeated. Finally, the Senior Brother stepped onto the stage and easily struck Second Senior Brother Zhao Jiangan down in a dozen moves.

Both looked calm, clearly having anticipated this result.

The Senior Brother’s strength was clearly at a level that created a complete gap.

Although their speeds were similar, his understanding of the stances was on a completely different plane.

After the Dabi, the prizes were announced.

First, the top ten reward: a customized Heart Protection Inner Armor for each person. The material was stripped from a Mist Monster hunted down by Daoist Baohe himself.

Next was the five-consecutive-win reward. Only Lin Hui received this.

It was a piece of material called Tranquility Incense (宁香).

“This item can be lit when entering the Mist Zone to ensure safety within a ten-meter radius. It can dispel the mist’s corrosion of the human body,” Huishen whispered as he delivered the prize to Lin Hui.

He clearly wanted to mitigate his previous change in attitude.

He hadn’t expected that after the Lin family’s misfortune, Lin Hui, having lost a Summoner backer, would actually manage to climb up on his own and even directly be accepted as a disciple by True Man Mingde, showing extraordinary potential.

This made Huishen inwardly regret his overly swift change in demeanor before.

“Thank you.” Lin Hui took the Tranquility Incense and examined the object.

It was an amber-colored object the size of a fist, with an irregular shape. It felt warm and gentle to the touch and carried the scent of pine.

He guessed it might have been made from pine resin.

After quickly measuring his size for the customized inner armor, Lin Hui walked around with Chen Zhishen, chatting for a while, before seeing him off.

The sky gradually darkened, the spectators left, and vehicles and pedestrians dispersed. The Clear Wind Taoist Temple returned to its previous relative quiet.

After the crowd dispersed, he was summoned by Mingde to his residence.

Two other disciples were already gathered there: a man and a woman, ranked eighth and ninth in the latest rankings.

“Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Wang Yun. She is one rank above you. Her family is in the timber business,” Mingde introduced the girl with a chuckle.

The girl had short hair, a strong build, and somewhat masculine features. It was difficult to tell she was female without looking closely.

Hearing the introduction, she nodded at Lin Hui in a friendly manner.

“Junior Brother Lin, just call me by name. If you need to borrow money, come find me anytime.” This person clearly wasn’t short on money; her tone was bold.

“Senior Sister Wang‘s family is a major timber merchant spanning three towns, and they also have a branch in the Inner City—extensive connections. I’m different; I’m a lone wolf,” the other man laughed, introducing himself. “My name is Deng Mingchao. I’m ranked second among Teacher Mingde‘s disciples.”

“Greetings, Senior Sister Wang, Senior Brother Deng,” Lin Hui respectfully saluted the two.

“Father, what about me?” At that moment, a graceful, attractive woman walked out of the inner room. She looked barely twenty, but her appearance was captivating, her legs were long, and her waist-to-hip ratio was astonishingly perfect. A form-fitting black-purple leather outfit perfectly highlighted her mature curves.

“This is my daughter, Weiwei. She also practices martial arts but is not listed on the temple’s official register. You can call her Third Senior Sister,” Mingde said helplessly.

“Greetings, Third Senior Sister,” Lin Hui saluted again.

“Mh-hm, not bad,” Weiwei smiled in satisfaction. “I admit I misjudged you before. Your potential and aptitude are good, and your luck is decent. If you study under my father, your sword technique will definitely catch up quickly!”

“Thank you, Senior Sister,” Lin Hui nodded.

Weiwei had been somewhat resistant to Lin Hui before, but now seeing him polite and well-mannered, she was less repelled.

However, she was still somewhat bothered by the matter of the sword gifted earlier.

After the introductions, Mingde took a piece of yellow paper from a drawer and handed copies to the three disciples.

“I summoned you here today because I have a beneficial opportunity for you. You can choose for yourselves,” he paused, continuing, “The town’s Security Office wants to expand its Emergency Response Team. Six people have already been selected. Now they are looking for three more. Which of you is interested?”

“I won’t go. I’ll let them have the spot,” Senior Sister Wang Yun said casually. Her family didn’t lack this benefit, and she didn’t value the execution authority. She practiced martial arts mostly as a hobby.

“Alright, what about you two?” Mingde looked at Deng Mingchao and Lin Hui.

“I am willing!” Deng Mingchao agreed immediately. “One mission is worth at least ten thousand qian, and sometimes thirty thousand. It would be a loss not to go. Not to mention the temporary execution authority.”

Lin Hui quickly understood what the execution authority was and decisively agreed.

Setting aside the generous salary, the execution authority alone made it worthwhile to join.

“Very well. I will submit the names now for the Security Office to select from.” Mingde smiled and noted down the names.

Just as he dipped his pen in ink and began writing.

BANG!

A muffled thud suddenly drifted from the temple gate outside.

It was immediately followed by a loud shout.

“Song Zhanlong of Xingdao, I challenge Daoist Baohe to a duel!”

The sound was loud and echoing, cycling repeatedly through the temple.

Mingde‘s expression changed. He put down the paper and pen, flashed, and went to the door, pushing it open to look toward the temple.

The others quickly followed.

The temple instantly buzzed with commotion. The many disciples who had just finished dispersing emerged, looking toward the lone man standing at the main gate.

Daoist Baohe was already standing in the front courtyard, his gaze solemn, fixed on the challenger.

Behind him were Minchen and Minxiu, and a crowd of front courtyard disciples.

Everyone looked at the man at the gate.

He had red hair and an ice-cold face. He was thin and tall, a man in black, appearing to be in his forties or fifties.

He wore a massive black metal claw on his right hand. The claw’s tips were sharp and gleaming coldly. Barbs sprouted from the joints, and intricate patterns were carved into the fingers and palm. It looked more like an ancient artifact than a weapon.

“Daoist Baohe, do you dare to accept the challenge?” Song Zhanlong said again, his voice ringing out.

“Why would I not dare? Friend, what is your name?”

Baohe took a deep breath. Standing in front of so many disciples, if he dared not accept the challenge, the reputation of the entire Clear Wind Taoist Temple would be ruined.

So, he had to accept, whether he wanted to or not. It was an unavoidable path. The opponent was counting on this, which was why he had chosen to challenge him during the busiest, most crowded time of the year.

“I am but a nameless person, not worth mentioning.” Song Zhanlong‘s expression was unmoving. He walked step by step into the temple’s training ground.

“Clear the area.”

Soon, everyone cleared a large space for the two to fight.

Mingde and the four disciples also stood far away, watching the match with worried expressions.

The snow fell more densely, hitting the ground and making faint sounds. In this silence, where even the falling snow could be heard.

Song Zhanlong and Baohe approached each other and stopped, their eyes meeting.

“I had long heard that many people from the Xingdao urban area were causing trouble everywhere. I was hoping I was lucky and wouldn’t be challenged. Now it seems…” Baohe said with a bitter smile.

“Challenge the strong ones first, then the periphery. That is our custom,” Song Zhanlong said casually. “Make your move. I can let you have three moves.”

“You are being quite arrogant, sir. Are you truly that confident?” Baohe raised an eyebrow.

“I allowed the Flying Cloud Fist Master three moves before. You are on par with him. If you don’t want the concession, that’s fine too,” Song Zhanlong smiled.

Immediately, he stepped forward. His right claw rose, and his robes fluttered without wind. A faint, pale light appeared on his skin and face.

“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance!”

Chii!

He suddenly rushed forward. His figure was like a black python, striking at Baohe like lightning.

Clang!

Baohe simultaneously struck with his sword, precisely stabbing the opponent’s forehead, but it only emitted a crisp clang.

Not only that, the sword blade flashed and rapidly struck the opponent five times in an instant, but each only resulted in the sound of clashing metal.

In a flash, the man closed in. The black claw transformed into a blur, engulfing Baohe.

His speed was not fast, but his moves were steady and heavy, and he did not defend at all. He even closed his eyes, relying solely on his hearing to strike.

Bang bang bang!!

In an instant, three heavy bursts of impact erupted.

Baohe grunted and retreated, executing his movement technique. In a flash, three illusory figures appeared around him, attacking Song Zhanlong in three directions simultaneously.

But it was useless. The sword tips of the three illusory figures struck the undefended Song Zhanlong, only emitting a crisp impact.

And with one casual swing of his claw, Song Zhanlong unleashed a black, blurry shadow that sliced across a large area, instantly extinguishing the sword shadows.

Bang!

His claw shadow scraped the stone wall of the training ground, easily smashing a face-sized, palm-deep pit.

Wherever the black claw passed, whether it was the metal weapons on the weapon rack or the hard, heavy decorative rockery, everything broke like tofu, unable to withstand the strike.

Seeing this, everyone felt a sense of foreboding.

But before anyone could fully process it, after less than a dozen moves, a miserable cry rang out.

Daoist Baohe flew backward, heavily crashing onto the training ground, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood.

The treasured sword in his hand still emitted a faint white glow, weak yet conspicuous, but it was meaningless now.

“I concede!” Song Zhanlong retracted his claw, said casually, and turned to walk out of the main gate with an expression of boredom. Before long, he boarded a black-purple carriage parked outside the gate and sped away.

The entire Clear Wind Taoist Temple was silent. Only Daoist Baohe‘s Taoist children and the three Ming Generation Masters quickly reacted, rushing forward to help Baohe up.

But Baohe had already fainted. His figure was completely shielded by the people surrounding him.

Lin Hui and the others could only see the bright red blood secretly staining the white snow on the ground through the gaps in the crowd.

And only now did everyone, all the disciples, realize what had happened.

Daoist Baohe had lost.

And he had lost terribly.

The challenger hadn’t even suffered a minor injury. This meant the difference in strength between the two sides was considerable.

Daoist Baohe, as the strongest person in the Clear Wind Taoist Temple, had now collapsed, and the consequences would undoubtedly be immense.

Lin Hui watched as people carried Baohe into the side room to check his injuries, a deep sense of suppression rising in his heart.

He had a premonition that the Clear Wind Taoist Temple was about to face a huge upheaval.

No, listening to Song Zhanlong‘s words, perhaps all the martial arts halls in the surrounding towns were about to face a similar fate…

(End of Chapter)