Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Bloody Hand Lian Tu
The morning sun had just begun to rise, casting a brilliant red glow across the vast sea of clouds.
Beneath an ancient pine, at the edge of a cliff adjoined to the sea of clouds, Shi Xiaole in his green robe practiced swordsmanship.
The grand competition of Huajian Sect had ended half a month ago.
With Yuan Qiuwei’s absence due to injury, the main suspense of the competition revolved around who would secure the fourth position.
In the end, Shi Xiaole indisputably emerged as the champion with a flawless victory. Xiao Yuanbo and Mao Wenjing took the following two spots, while the fourth was obtained by an ordinary sixteen-year-old member of the Sect.
Compared to half a month ago, Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship had become significantly more refined. It flowed naturally as if heaven-created, effortlessly transitioning between the Miao Family Sword Technique and Huashan Sword Technique and then onto the Taiyue Three Green Peaks.
He practiced diligently for over a 2-hour period, before stopping, drenched in sweat.
"My comprehension of the principle of risk seems to be solidifying, a shame that I’ve only grasped this one concept."
Not every martial artist could realize a concept at the end of their journey. Besides personal aptitude, compatibility also mattered.
For instance, Shi Xiaole had been practising the Miao Family Sword Technique for a long time but was yet to see a hint of understanding. In someone else’s hands, perhaps, they might have already grasped the concept.
Conversely, while some people may struggle to grasp the Huashan Sword Technique, Shi Xiaole had mastered the principle of risk.
Therefore, the understanding of principles was dependent on individual talent as well as affinity with the martial technique.
Having tasted the sweetness of principles comprehension, Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but seek more. He was not aware that for ordinary martial artists, being able to understand one was already a great blessing, let alone yearning for more.
Although he had hit a bottleneck in his understanding of principles, Shi Xiaole did not go empty-handed.
Perhaps due to the shared origin, he had discovered the principle of risk inherent in the Huashan Sword Technique’s also surfacing while practicing Taiyue Three Green Peaks!
This made Taiyue Three Green Peaks more formidable, even proving astonishing to Shi Xiaole himself several times.
Earlier, Shi Xiaole had defeated Zhao Nanxing by using Taiyue Three Green Peaks coupled with the Huashan Sword Technique. Now, he felt that even the mere mention of Taiyue Three Green Peaks would make Zhao Nanxing surrender.
Moreover, the killer move Shi Xiaole had created sometime ago based on Huashan Sword Technique had also reached near completion. But, its actual effectiveness remained to be tested.
After resting for a while at the edge of the cliff, Shi Xiaole descended to the nearby waterfall, stripped to his waist and dived into the river.
The season was transitioning from spring to summer, and his excellent physical fitness offered ample resistance against the risk of catching a cold.
Most importantly, this was a rare relaxation time for Shi Xiaole amidst his intense training.
"Ah, who’s that person? How shameless!"
"We were planning to bathe in the river, but he beat us to it."
In the bushes nearby, several blushingly furious young Huajian Sect females stood half undressed. They had been outpaced by someone hasty, and their feelings of mortification were hard to describe.
Now, they dared not make a sound.
That infuriating guy was swimming back and forth in various positions in the river. What if he were to discover them hidden in the shrubs?
Hence, the frustrated Huajian Sect females, as they held their breath in an embarrassing draft of shock, were stuck watching in anger.
After a satisfying swim, Shi Xiaole stood up and dressed. He then heard sparse sounds of clothing rustling in the bushes behind him, followed by an angry shout.
"You thief, prepare to die!"
Cleverly sidestepping the sword in the nick of time, Shi Xiaole snatched the sword from his assailant with a swift swipe. Just as he prepared to counterattack, he heard several female voices in startled exclamations.
"Shi Senior Brother, is that you?"
A round-faced girl blushed, stomping her foot in embarrassment.
Shi Xiaole observed the girls and spotted Mao Wenjing among them. Seeing her strange expression, he wondered if she pretended not to recognize him on purpose.
"Junior sisters, I apologize if I have offended you in any way."
Shi Xiaole apologized even though he wasn’t sure what he could have possibly done to disturb them.
Saying it was alright, the girls waved their hands as if their previous teeth-gnashing anger never existed.
Except, Mao Wenjing calmly said: "Junior brother, you kept us waiting for long. Will a mere apology suffice?"
It was clear that she was the central figure in this little group; no one else spoke out when she did.
"Elder sister, what do you mean?"
"Lack of sincerity, never mind."
Mao Wenjing shook her head, turned around and prepared to leave.
Shi Xiaole thought to himself, how could me taking a bath offend them? Unpredictable indeed are the ways of women and the petty. Yet, aloud, he said, "Please wait, sisters. I have a set of sword techniques at hand. If you are interested, could I offer it as a gift to make up for any offence?"
At this moment, Shi Xiaole had a sudden idea. What if he taught the Miao Family Sword Technique to these women? Would any of them comprehend a principle?
Anyway, it was only a mediocre sword technique compared to others, and it was becoming increasingly less useful to him. Might as well treat it as an experiment.
The female disciples were overjoyed at the offer, including Mao Wenjing, who couldn’t conceal the small grin at the corner of her mouth.
Many were aware that Shi Xiaole had seized an opportunity to learn several formidable martial arts outside the Sect, which the Sect Master had chosen not to investigate. Under these circumstances, one wouldn’t miss a chance to learn something new, right?
At that moment, Shi Xiaole demonstrated the Miao Family Sword Technique, noted every key point, and patiently instructed the women until they understood, it was then that he took his leave.
"Brother Shi is truly a rare talent. The sword technique he taught us is clearly only a third-rate middle-tier, but after his explanation, it seems stronger than the Painted Plum Sword Technique."
"Brother Shi is not only talented, but also generous and handsome. Who knows which woman would be lucky enough to win his heart?"
Watching Shi Xiaole’s retreating figure, the women felt a twinge of longing.
However, Mao Wenjing felt a sense of frustration. Throughout the entire affair, the young man didn’t spare her a glance, as if her charm was ineffective in front of him.
The waterfall incident was quickly forgotten by Shi Xiaole.
One day, realizing his internal power was completely consolidated, he subsequently absorbed the remaining Mystic Crystal Stones, elevating his internal power state to the mid-stage of Hidden Qi Realm.
Thus, Shi Xiaole’s skill had reached its peak at his current state, and it would be difficult to make any further progress in the short term.
The martial arts practice field was bustling as usual.
"This Bloody Hand Lian Tu is too arrogant, claiming to be invincible in the Hidden Qi Realm?"
"He is definitely arrogant, but he does have genuine strength. Since seven days ago, more than twenty skilled martial artists from the righteous path have fallen under his hand, including disciples from authentic martial arts forces. Looking at this trend, it’s hard to imagine anyone dousing his fiery arrogance!"
A group of disciples gathered on the eastern side of the stone wall, reading the information posted there.
A little over a month ago, a martial artist claiming to be Bloody Hand had arrived in Emerald Feather City, immediately setting up a challenge platform and declaring that he accepted challenges from any martial artist in the Hidden Qi Realm. As long as someone could defeat him, they could receive ten taels of gold.
Greed has always been a human weakness. Coupled with Lian Tu’s arrogant demeanor and his claims of being unmatched at the Hidden Qi Realm, it naturally provoked many skilled fighters to take him on.
However, the outcome for all challengers was the same - most couldn’t even withstand a single punch.
The fame of Bloody Hand Lian Tu grew.
In the later stage, martial artists in the Hidden Qi Realm who heard about this flocked to Emerald Feather City. Solo practitioners, heirs of family clans, and masters from various sects all arrived.
Regrettably, Lian Tu, who fought three battles a day, maintained an undefeated streak. None could quell his momentum, including the top disciples from the Light Sword Sect, the Iron Fist Sect, and other skilled young fighters.
Who could defeat Bloody Hand Lian Tu in the Hidden Qi Realm had become the hottest topic in the nearby Martial World.
"This Lian Tu is rumored to practice a type of devil path martial arts. His claim that all the righteous path martial artists are not up to his level is outrageous. Can anyone really defeat him?"
"That’s hard! Whether it’s his inner power realm, technique realm, battle experience, and so on, Lian Tu is definitely a peak-tier Hidden Qi Realm character with almost no weaknesses. How do you think he won that many battles?"
The disciples of the Huajian Sect engaged in heated discussions.
Despite knowing Lian Tu’s strength, they couldn’t help but fantasize about themselves being the ones to defeat him, gaining instant fame and affirmation.
"Lian Tu?"
Shi Xiaole, standing on the outskirts of the crowd, looked at the information posted on the wall.
Beep.
"Wielding a sword, bearing wine, fame and glory await! Task four is released: The host is required to defeat Bloody Hand Lian Tu within three days and end his undefeated streak in the Hidden Qi Realm."
"Task difficulty: Two stars."
"Task reward: One random third-rate martial art skill draw or unlock system’s killer technique function, reward value of 500 points."
"Failure punishment: The ability of two small realms and one third-rate top-tier martial art of the host will be erased."
"May I ask the host, do you accept the task?"
A long-dormant system suddenly began to buzz incessantly in Shi Xiaole’s head.
"Looks like this Lian Tu is indeed tricky, otherwise, the difficulty wouldn’t reach two-star level."
Shi Xiaole hesitated for a moment, assessed his own strength, and the task’s difficulty level. Then, he gritted his teeth, "Accept the task."
The two-star task was indeed a bit dangerous for him right now. However, the rewards were also enormous.
Furthermore, he had successfully completed the two-star task of escorting Miss Zhang last time. Now his martial arts had improved, he had no reason to fear.
"Huh? Seems I just saw Brother Shi. What do you think, does Brother Shi have a chance against Lian Tu?"
After Shi Xiaole left, a disciple on the outskirts of the crowd came to his senses and suddenly spoke.
"I think it’s unlikely. Although Brother Shi is the top disciple of Mountain Luyan, don’t forget, disciples from the Light Sword Sect, the Iron Fist Sect, and others, their strengths are no less than the Four Jades of Mountain Luyan. Brother Shi is at most on par with them. If even they were defeated, how could Brother Shi win?"
"That’s true. Sigh, I wonder how long Lian Tu will remain so arrogant."
After leaving the martial arts practice field, Shi Xiaole went back to his courtyard first to fetch his belongings. Without notifying anyone, he took the path down the mountain and left the Huajian Sect.
Half a day later, Emerald Feather City came into view.
This time, Shi Xiaole had greatly increased his strength, and he was no longer wary of the Black Evil Gang. So, he entered the city confidently.
Whether by coincidence or design, Bloody Hand Lian Tu’s challenge platform was just across the street from the Black Evil Gang’s headquarters. When Shi Xiaole arrived, he saw Lian Tu extend his hand and send a peak Hidden Qi Realm martial artist flying with one punch.
