Chapter 75: Chapter 73: So Young, Yet Already a Grandmaster’s Bearing; Given Time... The Master Is No Match for the Disciple
A single, quiet question.
Yet it stirred a thousand waves!
Everyone who witnessed the scene took several steps back in unison, staring at the Martial Artist... as if he were a venomous snake!
Zhao Jiu’s lips twitched. ’Thank goodness I tried to stop him,’ he thought in relief. ’Otherwise, that madman might not have let me off...’
He forced a smile.
"Of... of course not. A duel between Martial Artists, a battle to the death, with so many witnesses... It can be considered an open and honorable affair."
"If Mr. Duan is willing... once the Divine Fist Sect’s golden sign is taken down, you can take its place at any time. Open your own hall and take on disciples!"
Duan Chenzhou flicked his sleeve, the empty half of his robe fluttering.
"That won’t be necessary."
"My sword is not so easily passed on."
CLANG.
Sheathing his sword at an angle, Duan Chenzhou walked away with calm composure, striding down the long street.
And in the instant he turned around...
CRACK!
The signboard hanging above the Divine Fist Sect split right down the middle of the character for "Fist." As if sliced by some unseen Vigorous Qi, it cracked cleanly in two and crashed to the ground.
And the dense crowd that had formed a tight circle...
In perfect unison, they either scrambled to the sides or retreated in a frenzy.
They parted to form a wide path for that lone figure.
"Lu... Lu Yu, what’s the story with that master Brother Ji is following?!"
Standing beside Lu Yu, Xuu Heng of the Chai Market stared, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how such a monstrous figure could be hidden away in a small, desolate courtyard on a humble corner of East Fire Kiln Street.
They hadn’t even seen the sword move, and Anning County’s renowned fist-fighting Instructor... was gone. Just like that.
"I... I have no idea!"
Lu Yu was just as dumbfounded.
He had served Master Duan for over two years, waiting on him hand and foot. He’d once seen rain fall without touching the man’s clothes and had assumed it was merely Outer Gang Attainment, the second step of Skin Refining. He never imagined... that Master Duan was this ridiculously powerful.
The small Anning County had never produced a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster.
’But even a Grandmaster couldn’t be much more than this, could they?’
At this thought, Lu Yu couldn’t help but look back at Ji Xiu, his eyes filled with irrepressible envy.
"Meeting Master Duan... Junior Brother, you must have accumulated a lifetime of good fortune to deserve this..."
He had originally thought that getting the Silver Bone Technique from Duan Chenzhou for five hundred Silver was a stroke of incredible luck—that he had managed to get the man’s most treasured secret.
But he never expected...
...that it was less than a drop in the ocean of Duan Chenzhou’s true power. A laughable, insignificant scrap was all it took to dazzle him, the Young Master Lu of Anning County, and make him miss out on the True Inheritance.
Seeing Ji Xiu temper his Spinal Dragon, forge an unbreakable Iron Bone, and, with a single sword, dismantle the Anning County branch of the Divine Fist Sect, Lu Yu couldn’t help but slap his thigh in frustration, overwhelmed with regret.
’If I had just been a little more diligent, a little more devoted...’ he thought. ’Even if my aptitude was poor and I couldn’t break through the Flesh Secret Treasure... seeing how devout I was, would Master Duan have let a little something extra slip through his fingers for me?’
’If a heaven-sent talent like my Junior Brother hadn’t been there, maybe there would have been a chance.’
As he lamented his fate, Lu Yu felt no jealousy, only deep regret. ’Sometimes, that’s just how fortune works,’ he mused. ’You can’t force it.’
As for Wei Zhi, she bit her lip, her heart pounding as she watched Duan Chenzhou’s departing figure.
’That master’s cultivation is so profound,’ she thought anxiously. ’He must have heard me gossiping about him. What if he’s temperamental and casually brings it up? Little Ji Hall Master’s impression of me will be ruined!’
’No.’
’I have to get Father to prepare a lavish gift. I’ll have to visit them, get on their good side, and apologize personally!’
...
On the Grandmaster’s Chair sat Divine Fist Sect Master Hex Shouyi. He had refined the Immortal Robe Skin, making him impervious to water and fire, yet a gaping hole pierced his chest where the sword had run him through. Blood still gurgled from the wound.
The Divine Fist Disciples and pupils, all of whom had been defeated by Ji Xiu’s long sword, gathered in small groups. They knelt and wept, but not one dared speak of revenge.
The other three Instructors from the other Martial Arts Halls who had come to watch exchanged glances and sighed.
Out of respect for their long-standing relationship, they began to disperse the crowd and tend to the body, hoping to preserve some of Hex Shouyi’s dignity in death.
An ordinary duel would never have drawn such a crowd.
If Hex Shouyi hadn’t let his Qi and Blood rush to his head, if he hadn’t been so incensed that he insisted on settling the score with Duan Chenzhou and his disciple, and if he hadn’t publicized it with such fanfare for fear that people might not know...
...he wouldn’t have ended up in such a difficult situation. In the end, he resorted to a master bullying a student, losing all face as a Martial Artist and utterly disgracing himself.
Wang Jun of the Overlord Spear and Liao Yuanhua of the Whale-Slaying Saber, both of whom had met Ji Xiu once before, stepped forward. They exchanged a look, a hint of shame appearing on both their faces.
"Years ago, Old Hex worked for the Post House of the Thirty-Six Professions in Jiangyin Prefecture. He was a Leader of the Escort for both sea and land shipments."
"Eight years ago, one of his clients offended Mr. Duan. He, alone on a small boat, rode the wind and waves, capsized their large ship, and plundered all the cargo. That’s how the grudge began."
"But..."
"But once you’ve entered the world of Martial Arts, offending people and making enemies in the pursuit of greater attainment is all too common."
"If you can’t defeat your opponent and they come knocking on your door, you have no one to blame but yourself if you end up dead."
"Master Ji, as the saying goes, ’When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.’ The remaining Divine Fist Disciples won’t amount to much. They pose no threat to you."
"We hope you can be merciful and spare them, to allow his legacy to continue. The other Martial Arts Halls will certainly keep them in check and forbid them from seeking revenge..."
The two men looked awkward and ashamed.
Wang Jun was fine; he was just overseeing the Medicine Hall on behalf of Huang Xuan and had only met Ji Xiu that one time.
But Old Liao of the Whale-Slaying Saber was in a wretched position. His current embarrassment was directly proportional to the arrogance he’d shown when he kicked down Duan Chenzhou’s gate, and the humiliation he’d felt when forced to pay compensation in silver and medicinal materials.
And this kid had witnessed it all. After showing his face again today, he felt he had lost every last shred of dignity. He wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole.
Ji Xiu, however, remained unfazed. After sheathing his sword, he looked toward the setting sun, contemplating the rise and fall of a sect, and sighed. Facing the two Instructors, he shook his head.
"Instructors, you exaggerate."
"As you said, the conflict between Master Hex and my Master wasn’t a deliberate feud."
"My challenging the Divine Fist Sect today is the same."
The evening glow cast its light on Ji Xiu, the hem of his martial attire rustling in the breeze.
He held his head high, his gaze calm as he looked at the disciples bowing their heads to collect Hex Shouyi’s body.
"If I had to put it simply, it’s a matter of two words: Dao obstruction."
"I passed the Martial Artist Barrier, and on the very day I mastered the Sword Skill, I understood this truth."
"In this world, heaven and earth are vast, but nothing is greater than one’s Dao."
"If they feel what I have done today has brought them shame, that I have blocked their Dao, then let them come seeking revenge. I, Ji Xiu..."
"...will face them all."
Every word was spoken with force, each one landing with immense weight.
Then, his voice softened.
"But when that time comes, it won’t be a duel or a challenge to my hall."
"If they seek revenge, they must be prepared to bear the weight of life and death!"
"Then..."
"...there will be no quarter given!"
The young man’s eyes blazed. Even with his sword sheathed, he seemed to have walked through a Sword Mountain and Fire Sea, on the verge of condensing a true Sword Stance.
When Liao Yuanhua, a man who had immersed himself in Saber Technique for half his life, saw this, his eyes glazed over. His heart felt like it was bleeding.
’Such talent, such raw talent...’
’If I had known about him three months ago, how could I have let Duan Chenzhou snatch him away!’
’He already has his own conviction at such a young age.’
’If he continues down this path and isn’t cut down early...’
’What kind of man will one day emerge from Anning County?!’
Hearing this, Lord Zhao the County Magistrate, who was standing to one side, had his eyes light up even more.
’What a fine prospect for a True Sect,’ he thought. ’I never expected my county to produce someone of such caliber. It seems those apocryphal tales of Human Immortals and Martial Saints aren’t entirely false.’
’True heroes really can emerge from the backwaters!’
Zhao Jiu’s eyes gleamed. He immediately began to scheme, ’What benefits can I offer to win over a talent like this?’
’Duan Chenzhou could be gone any day now. But this boy... if you placed him in Jiangyin Prefecture and gave him a few years to grow, he could easily make a name for himself in the Mansion Courtyard and earn the rank of Prefecture Official. He has great potential.’
’If I can recruit him to our side, my elder brother...?’
’Hiss... It’s a shame this place is such a poor backwater. We have nothing of value. Should I send a message back to the prefecture? Have the family prepare some Bone Tempering Secret Medicine and top-grade Treasure Materials?’
Lord Zhao the County Magistrate continued to deliberate.
Then, a flash of inspiration. The name "Tiger and Leopard Hall" came to mind, and he made his decision.
Meanwhile, Ji Xiu’s gaze swept over to Liao Yuanhua. Seeing the man staring at him like he was a precious treasure, he couldn’t help but smile.
"But Instructor Liao, you and I have become quite familiar with each other after all this."
"My Sword Skill has hit a bottleneck recently, and I was wondering..."
"...in the coming days, if I might be able to spar with the disciples of the other halls?"
"Don’t worry, it would be a friendly exchange, for mutual improvement. Nothing like what happened with the Divine Fist Sect."
He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the three other brightly lit Martial Arts Halls on the Inner Street.
This made Liao Yuanhua’s smile...
...slowly stiffen on his face.
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