Chapter 291: Chapter 290: Shi Xiaole’s Goal
"Think you can just walk away?"
The three of them seemingly had arranged this beforehand. Just as Lin Shaoyi finished speaking, they moved into a triangle formation, surrounding Shi Xiaole and Lin Shaoyi in the middle.
The middle-aged man with the beard couldn’t keep up and stood outside the triangle, watching the two in the middle, with a triumphant snicker.
The three people he had invited were his friends from his time in the Martial World. Although at his level, he couldn’t get to know those experts of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. But these three were at least eight-tier of Xuan Qi, and it was more than enough to take on Shi Xiaole.
In fact, if it weren’t for Lin Shaoyi being there, any of them alone would be more than enough.
The commotion instantly attracted the other martial artists hiding in the dense forest. However, no one stepped forward. One must tread carefully in the Martial World; those who put themselves on the frontlines seldom had good outcomes.
Moreover, as an outsider, how would you know who is right or wrong?
"I heard that you killed Brother Mo’s Senior Sister and stole her possessions. You’re quite ruthless and cruel despite your young age. Cut your own throat. It’ll save you some agony," said a burly man with a full, bushy beard. He spoke calmly, treating Shi Xiaole as if he were already nailed down.
"Aren’t you going to ask about the whole story?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
"The reason isn’t important. Brother Mo is our friend, that’s all there is to it."
Another man, one with a long face, smiled as if mocking Shi Xiaole’s ignorance.
Shi Xiaole nodded. "I understand, so no matter what your friend does, if we offend him, we deserve to die?"
"You’re not as stupid as you look," the long-faced man laughed even louder.
"Quit wasting time, let’s get to business. I’m still waiting for Brother Mo to treat us to drinks at Yingchun Court," the bearded man apparently had no patience. He stomped his foot, charged towards Shi Xiaole like a wild tiger, and threw a heavy punch.
"Hundred Steps Divine Fist."
Lin Shaoyi also punched out, blocking in front of Shi Xiaole.
As the two forces collided, it was like the clash between the tip of the needle and the edge of the wheat. The shockwaves spread out explosively, sending both men retreating three steps.
"You indeed live up to your reputation as ’Drunken Fist’ Lin Shaoyi. But we are not here for you today. May I suggest you not wade into this muddy water."
The bearded man was taken aback for a moment and shook his hand.
He was not afraid of Lin Shaoyi, but behind Lin Shaoyi stood Leisure Cloud Villa, a rather famous second-tier force in the Martial World. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to directly confront Lin Shaoyi.
"What? He is Lin Shaoyi?" the onlooking martial artists exclaimed in surprise.
Those who could pass through the Silver Bull Horn, even just the first level, would be remembered by most martial artists to avoid unnecessary troubles in the future.
Lin Shaoyi had quite a reputation among the young generation, but it seemed like he had run into some trouble. The bearded man had the advantage of cultivation, his skills were not weaker than Lin Shaoyi’s, plus there were two other men watching eagerly.
"To kill Shi Xiaole, you’ll have to kill Lin Shaoyi first."
Lin Shaoyi did not retreat.
"Then I would like to see what you got, Lin Shaoyi. Snake Crane Eight Steps!" The bearded man clenched one fist and opened the other, as if a snake and a crane were walking together, launching high and low attacks at Lin Shaoyi’s vital points, not giving him a chance to dodge.
"Hundred Steps Ground Breaking."
Lin Shaoyi punched out, and the massive punch landed on the ground. With a rebound, it gathered the shadows of the snake and crane like an umbrella cover, crushed and shredded them.
"Heaven Locking Hand."
"Divine Immortal Split."
Taking advantage of the gap when Lin Shaoyi was fighting the bearded man, the other two men charged towards Shi Xiaole, each using their unique moves.
They had learned from the middle-aged man with the beard that Shi Xiaole was more talented than Lin Shaoyi, but his combat power was weaker because of his low cultivation level.
"Hundred Steps Sky Bombardment!"
With the assistance of the fist intent beyond the entry-level, two streams of fist force attacked the two men. Lin Shaoyi moved in front of Shi Xiaole and shouted, "Go!"
"Lin Shaoyi, dare you meddle in our business?"
The three men were furious. If not for the worry about the Leisure Cloud Villa, they would have killed Lin Shaoyi along with Shi Xiaole.
"Lin Shaoyi never goes back on his word, if he says he is going to protect someone, he will do so even at his own risk. I bet those three wouldn’t dare to make the kill. No wonder they say Lin Shaoyi is the friend everyone wants to make. That young man in blue is quite lucky."
An old man in the distance laughed and sighed at Shi Xiaole’s good fortune.
"It’s not necessarily so. Lin Shaoyi can only hold back two people, and the remaining one can’t be stopped no matter what. Unless that young man in blue has the strength to resist, but it seems like he can’t do it from Lin Shaoyi’s point."
There were also some who disagreed.
"Brother Lin, you really don’t need to worry about me. With just those three, they are in no position to harm me."
Seeing the bearded man and the other two discussing their strategy, Shi Xiaole stepped out from behind Lin Shaoyi and spoke.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to make a move to show off, but that Lin Shaoyi always blocked the attacks for him, making Shi Xiaole feel somewhat helpless and somewhat moved.
"You?"
Lin Shaoyi looked at Shi Xiaole in surprise.
He didn’t deny the other’s talent, but half a month ago, the latter was only at the middle stage of the third tier of Xuan Qi. It was impossible for him to have a substantial breakthrough. Could it be that he had hidden some trump card before?
Whoosh. Whoosh.
In the blink of an eye, the bearded man and another person teamed up and rushed towards Lin Shaoyi, trapping him. The long-faced man let out a sinister laughter and launched an attack on Shi Xiaole.
Clasping his hands in a circle, with a pull and a push, an invisible surge of Qi suddenly descended from the sky. It split open in both directions as if intending to tear Shi Xiaole into two halves.
"Continuous Dart Rain."
Although the middle-aged man with a mustache was less skilful, he wanted to let off some steam. Crossing his hands and sweeping outwards, he suddenly shot out dozens of poisoned darts.
He believed that even though this kind of attack couldn’t harm Shi Xiaole, it would certainly hinder him. With the long-faced man’s finishing move, killing Shi Xiaole would be almost guaranteed.
The tearing internal power and poisoned darts attacked without precedence. If it were in the past, Shi Xiaole would have had to struggle to resolve the assault. However, now, with his vastly superior sense of perception, he easily found the flaws in both attacks.
Clang!
The sword Qi swept across, the poisoned darts collided with each other like disordered bowling balls, scattering in disarray. They even rebounded back towards the long-faced man, causing him to be delayed.
"Damn."
The expression of the long-faced man changed. He wanted to alter his attacking technique, but Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship was faster. With one step ahead, he forced the man into a state of panic.
Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship seemed to harbor a spirit of its own. Like the wind, it came naturally. It also resembled a snake coming out of its hole, each strike hit at the most vital point, forcing the adversary into a corner.
"Divine Immortal Fall!"
Reduced to purely defending without being able to retaliate, the long-faced man bellowed angrily. His body fell straight down like a Weeble. With a spin, he miraculously evaded Shi Xiaole’s sword attack.
However, before he could counterattack, Shi Xiaole’s sword moved faster than him by half a beat and thrusted towards him with a forceful "shred" sound, slicing a bone-deep gash on his hand.
"You’re courting death, Divine Immortal Shatter!"
The long-faced man was horrified. He felt as if he’d been deceived.
Where was Shi Xiaole’s cultivation of the third tier of Xuan Qi? It’s clearly the fourth tier! Moreover, forcing him into such a state, Shi Xiaole’s strength wouldn’t even be considered weak among high-level cultivators of the eight-tier Xuan Qi.
The long-faced man continuously slapped his hands down. With each slap, an explosion echoed through the air. The overlapping internal power seemed like chaotic currents, instantly engulfing Shi Xiaole.
Facing the surging flood, anyone who couldn’t find their bearings would be swept away and ultimately lose their lives.
Shi Xiaole didn’t try to find the flaw in this attack, even though he could. It would be too troublesome to crack within a short period. Skilfulness was one thing, but being too obsessed with defeating the enemy by skill would put him at a disadvantage.
What Shi Xiaole really cared about was the result.
With his long sword held high, Shi Xiaole swiftly launched a death-claiming sword Qi.
The sound of fabric ripping suddenly rose, and a figure flew out from the chaotic internal force. Midway, the body suddenly split into two halves.
"So fast..."
This was the long-faced man’s last words, filled with endless regret and shock.
Those with the same shock included others present at the scene.
"This kid?!"
The middle-aged man with a mustache felt a shiver run down his spine. His first reaction was to turn around and run as far away as possible. This kid was too bizarre. How could he advance so quickly in just a half month? He swore never to mess with him again.
But unfortunately, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t give him a second chance.
From a distance, a sword Qi streaked across and the head of the mustachioed middle-aged man shot into the sky. Due to inertia, his body ran forward a dozen steps before finally collapsing.
The bearded man and his partner were also scared stiff. It wasn’t them who trapped Lin Shaoyi this time, but Lin Shaoyi who trapped them. When Shi Xiaole showed up, after dozens of moves, both men were beheaded successively.
After taking a deep look at Shi Xiaole, Lin Shaoyi returned to the spot under the tree to drink his wine.
He suddenly remembered Shi Xiaole’s action of going back to the Ghost Fortress; could he have gained an opportunity in there that allowed him to progress so much?
But no matter how Lin Shaoyi saw it, besides cultivation, Shi Xiaole’s combat skills were clearly much more advanced than before, and this wasn’t something that could be achieved just by luck.
This man was truly a hidden dragon.
"This man’s swordsmanship is so powerful, and he seems to have touched the very depths of the Sword Heart Realm."
"Killing enemies across four tiers, could this man have passed the third level of the Silver Bull Horn? But he doesn’t match the image of those prodigies."
"Perhaps he’s from other states."
The martial artists around were discussing in shock. Despite being two tiers lower, Shi Xiaole’s strength was not weaker than Lin Shaoyi’s which was quite amazing.
"Now with my strength, defeating a master of the eighth tier of Xuan Qi is not a problem. But to confront a master of the ninth tier of Xuan Qi, I may still be a little deficient."
The previous battle allowed Shi Xiaole to have a clearer understanding of his current strength. If considering Soul Transfer Great Method, even facing a master of the ninth tier of Xuan Qi with slightly weaker willpower, he may still have a chance to win.
Of course, if he could completely comprehend the Sword Heart, Shi Xiaole had a feeling that slaying enemies across five tiers would not be difficult.
"My Sword Heart has stayed at 97% for quite a while, I wonder when I can make further progress."
In the martial world of Qingxue State, the earliest record of realizing the Sword Heart was at the age of thirty-six. And according to Lin Shaoyi, the record in Great Cold State was twenty-nine. However, this might soon be broken.
This is because in recent years, several swordsmanship geniuses have appeared in Great Cold State. There are those who have almost achieved the Sword Heart at under twenty-five years old.
But Shi Xiaole’s ambition was greater than anyone else’s. His goal was to comprehend the Sword Heart at the age of eighteen this year so as to lay a solid foundation for the future.
