Chapter 348: Chapter 347: Establishing Prestige
Upon hearing his words, everyone in the hall fell silent, and half of the people present, although didn’t respond, were visibly extremely displeased.
Some lowered their gaze, quietly thinking to themselves what a brash remark the Holy Young Master had made!
Those who remained in the village were not ordinary. Even within the same realm, any one of them could fight against ten opponents. Also, with the intense cultivation of the FengYu Clan, who would dare to belittle them within the eight neighboring Martial World states?
Yet, the Holy Young Master arrogantly acted as if managing to withstand his three moves was a great accomplishment. Even if you had already trained your Devouring Demon Skill to perfection, there’s no need to be so arrogant, right?
"Well, do you dare to or not?"
Said Shi Xiaole, impassively.
This remark was like pouring oil into a fire, instantly causing the anger of many people to flare up. Even if this person was the destined Holy Young Master, he could not provoke them like this!
"Hmph, I’d like to exchange a few moves with you, Holy Young Master."
Amidst the silence, a woman with wheat-colored skin stood up, glaring at Shi Xiaole.
"Zizhi, don’t be rude!"
Lan Ye quickly reprimanded.
"Grandfather, it’s the Holy Young Master who wants to compare skills with us, Zizhi doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with it."
Lan Zizhi was twenty-nine years old this year and had reached an astonishing Spiritual-Passage Fifth Tier Realm. Coupled with her having already trained the Pouring Rain Divine Skill of the Rain Demon Clan to perfection, and the Great Achieved Palm Intentions, her strength was nothing to scoff at compared to the usual Spiritual-Passage Eighth Tier experts.
If the Holy Young Master was still in the Spiritual-Passage Sixth Tier, Lan Zizhi would admit she’s not his match. But now that he was at a crucial juncture of his Devouring Demon Skill training, his strength had greatly diminished, she didn’t believe she couldn’t even stand up to three of his moves.
And it wasn’t just about withstanding three moves. Deep in Lan Zizhi’s heart, she even had a faint eagerness to directly compete with the Holy Young Master.
"You..."
Lan Ye wanted to reprimand, Shi Xiaole waved his hand, "Chancellor Lan, there’s no need to be like this. Since your granddaughter wants to spar with me, I will naturally oblige. Let’s limit it to three moves."
Many people sneered in their hearts, looking forward to a good show.
Lan Zizhi was universally acknowledged as a genius by both the Lan and Huang families. Her talent was even on par with the Sunset Little Sword Marquis of Cold State. With a two-tier advantage, it wasn’t a problem to fight with the Holy Young Master for hundreds of moves.
"Don’t smash your own foot by lifting a rock."
The long-faced young man sneered secretly, anticipating the scene to come.
The other steady young man didn’t say anything, his eyes were very calm.
Lan Tian and Huang Rong exchanged a glance, after which Lan Tian said, "In that case, Zizhi, be mindful!"
"Yes, grandfather. Holy Young Master, please let us proceed outside for the battle."
Lan Zizhi gestured with her hand in an inviting manner.
"There’s no need, the battle will end quickly, there’s no need to go out."
Shi Xiaole didn’t care.
Lan Zizhi gritted her teeth in anger, immediately channeled the Pouring Rain Divine Skill to its limit. Numerous tiny raindrops swirled around her as she rushed towards Shi Xiaole.
"Continuous Rainfall!"
Shi Xiaole’s eyes flashed.
This woman had actually mastered the Great Achieved Palm Intentions.
The Great Achieved Palm Intentions were equivalent to the initial realm of the Sword Heart. But even with the same initial realm, there was a big difference.
For example, a person who has just become aware of the Great Achieved Palm Intentions and a person who has understood it for ten years would definitely demonstrate different levels of accumulations and naturally, their strengths would be world apart.
Shi Xiaole easily figured out that this woman’s Great Achieved Palm Intentions had reached an extremely proficient stage, showing that she had mastered it long ago.
With a sudden flash of his body, Shi Xiaole retreated, both hands behind his back, weaving through the rain.
"Enveloping Rain Mist!"
Without holding back, Lan Zizhi simultaneously slapped out with both hands. The raindrops parted and instantly transformed into a pervasive mist of rain, covering Shi Xiaole.
She realized Shi Xiaole’s light agility skill was not bad, hence immediately used a wide-ranging killer move.
The pervasive rain mist seemed dreamy, but in reality, it was made up of countless palm forces. Ordinary people, once they were touched by it, would instantly be shattered by the palm forces, resulting in a spray of blood and instant death.
"Second move."
Shi Xiaole leaned his upper body backwards until he was almost lying flat. His feet left the ground as he contorted his body fluidly in the direction of the wall, leaving no trace behind.
"Pouring Rain!"
Changing her expression, Lan Zizhi immediately used the killer move from the Pouring Rain Divine Skill. Countless raindrops the size of soybeans crisscrossed each other, crackling around haphazardly.
"Third move."
Shi Xiaole finally made a move. His right hand stretched out and pressed forward abruptly.
A spectral palm imprint, as if it was carved from jade, carried an overwhelming aura of evil energy and a sword edge capable of cutting everything. It came crashing down hard. The raindrops that splashed on it were immediately obliterated by the Sword Qi, ground into dust.
bam!
Ripples appeared in the void, Lan Zizhi retreated ten steps, her face filled with horror as she looked at the already retracted palm of Shi Xiaole.
"Demon Sky Hand!"
A series of gasps rang out within the hall.
As the lethal martial art signature of the Black Divine Monarch, the infamous Demon Sky Hand, even during the martial arts prime era six hundred years ago, left a lasting impression.
Countless peak Spiritual-Passage lords perished under this hand. Now that it reappeared, it stirred the hearts of everyone present, as if they were witnessing the glorious glory days once again.
"Zizhi, how dare you compete with the Holy Young Master, kneel down quickly!"
Lan Tian urgently reprimanded her at once, Lan Zizhi was in a daze, unsure of what to do.
"There’s no need; I merely wanted to spar with the young lady.",
Shi Xiaole waved his hand and smiled.
Lan Zizhi bit her red lip and said quietly, "Holy Young Master, your martial prowess is impressive. Zizhi stands no chance." Embarrassed, she retreated back into the crowd.
She had truly lost in three moves.
And who couldn’t see that Shi Xiaole had merely been dodging in the first two moves? If he wanted to, he could have defeated her in a single strike. This power, even on a lower tier, was simply astonishing!
At this moment, Lan Zizhi truly felt that he was unreachable.
The others also looked stunned. Their gaze towards Shi Xiaole changed. They no longer viewed him as reckless, but instead deeply praised his extraordinary talents.
Shi Xiaole silently thought himself lucky.
Devil Path martial arts had a mutually restrictive effect with other Devil Path martial arts; the imitation of Demon Sky Hand’s Demon Jade Hand clearly countered the Pouring Rain Divine Skill.
Moreover, Shi Xiaole found that when he used Devil Path martial arts, it seemed inherently augmented, the power was far greater than originally!
"Does anyone else wish to spar with me?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
No one spoke.
Seeing the atmosphere was just right, Shi Xiaole seized the moment. His eyes suddenly became sharp, filled with a strong passion. As his gaze swept over the crowd, his voice echoed through the room.
"In the unfinished grand task of propagating righteousness, we face formidable adversaries. I sincerely hope each of you will train hard and strive to be the best you can be."
"I cannot do it alone; I need your support and your best efforts."
"I look forward to the day when the names of the Divine Monarch, the Fengyu Clan’s twin demons, reverberate through the martial world once again. This time, we will let not only the Cold State but the whole Martial World and the entire Flying Horse Dynasty know our names!"
"Are you willing to follow me? To overcome hardship, defeat enemies, and make every inch of the martial world echo with our legends?"
His voice lingers.
Lan Tian and Huang Rong’s lips tremble, their faces are flush with excitement. Both bow in salute, solemnly declaring, "This old Lan Tian (Huang Rong) is willing to follow the Saint’s Son wherever he leads, risking life and limb, and eliminating all enemies!"
"Risking life and limb, eliminating all enemies!"
Led by the two elders, everyone kneeled in synchrony, their voices thundering.
Those outside the hall were aware of what was happening inside; their blood boiled with excitement. They shouted in unison, expressing their honest hearts.
The loyalty ingrained from a young age made them less instinctively resistant to the Holy Young Master. Coupled with Shi Xiaole’s demonstrated qualities, wisdom, and martial arts, he fit the image of a wise ruler, thereby creating this effect.
Shi Xiaole let out a sigh of relief, knowing he has passed this hurdle. Nevertheless, he realized the tasks were not over.
To make this group wholeheartedly loyal, he needs to do even more to further engrain their impression of him. Luckily, he had an initial plan for this.
...
"Holy Young Master."
The largest Devil Path organization in the Great Cold State was the Demon Sky Sect, which was convening a meeting.
The Demon Marquis sitting at the head of the table crushed the paper in his hand, a smile upon his face.
"This Holy Young Master is said to be the descendant of the Black Demon Divine Monarch. If his emergence is leaked, the whole Devil Path will be bustling."
Red Charm Demon rubbed her knuckles, a sly smile on her lips.
The most loyal subordinates of the Black Demon Divine Monarch were undoubtedly the Fengyu Clan, but many others who also served under him have been in hiding over the years, perhaps waiting for the appearance of the Divine Monarch’s offspring.
One can imagine that if he ever gains significant momentum, it would greatly undermine the Marquis’s rule.
"Love Demon, the three assassinations were your plans, why did none of them succeed?"
The Moon Demon looked at the indifferent Love Demon.
"The Fengyu Clan is really cunning, and I suspect there’s a mole within who leaked our plans."
Love Demon said coldly, exuding an aura of murderous intent.
"Nevermind, it’s not Love Demon’s fault."
The Demon Marquis shook his head.
After all, the target was the Holy Young Master. The Demon Sky Sect couldn’t overtly act, or it would be attacked by the Devil Path. Naturally, the high-ranking fighters they could use would be limited.
The Demon Marquis asked, "Do you know who the mole is?"
"Less than ten people in the Demon Sky Sect knew the plan, each of them is suspicious. I will investigate each one."
Love Demon coldly stared at the others in the room. Even Red Charm Demon and Moon Demon felt a chill, fearing they were also suspected.
...
Inside a brothel.
"You’ve disappeared for over a year, Xie, and you finally show up."
The speaker was a middle-aged woman, who burnt the note in her hand in the candlelight. Muttering to herself, she said, "Where have you been during this time? Have you managed to rid yourself of the Gu poison? Hmph, for delaying the Saintess’s grand plan, you must pay the price!"
...
Shi Xiaole took up residence in the Lan family household, secretly observing his surroundings.
Thanks to Lan Tian and Huang Rong’s hints, he knew that a mole from the Demon Sky Sect was present. However, what he was really looking out for was another faction, the Sky Edge Pavilion.
The Sky Edge Pavilion had been in hiding for countless years. If they could find the Black Demon’s arm, how could they not find the Lan family’s hidden residence?
It’s probable that information about his appearance was relayed out not long after his arrival.
