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Chapter 32: Divine Flower Garden
Standing within the courtyard, Yong Meilin was incapable of determining what to do with her body. At first, she strolled around aimlessly within the courtyard but her impatience got the better of her. Eventually, she stood on the spot and tapped her finger on the robes she were wearing. Her face switched between beet red and deathly pale.
Waiting for a guy was something she had never experienced before. Every time she thought about the words he had said, she was strangely embarrassed. Although Yong Meilin was known to tease men and flirt shamelessly, she had never experienced any true relationship with men. Also, she had never met someone who was completely ignorant such as Xu Min.
Even today he had completely ignored her beauty and instead had been training hard. Hs body language showed no signs of caring about her. He even went as far as to tell her that he was going to take a bath while she was waiting for him! Knowing that he was taking a bath had made her even more restless and incapable of knowing what to do with herself.
After what seemed like an eternity to Yong Meilin but had been only around fifteen minutes. Xu Min arrived at the front door once more. This time, he dressed in his fine clothes and his hair was still damp from the bath. A breath of fresh flowers wafted out from the house itself and enveloped Yong Meilin. Her senses were assaulted by the scent and her mind was somewhat drawn aside. Shaking her head, she finally returned to her normal personality and within her eyes was a slight anger burning. This anger existed because she could not say no to her grandfather's order. It was also an anger aimed at herself as she was completely incapable of staying strong in front of this odd boy. She knew that something about her was excited. She was excited about being together with someone who was different and eager to get to know him even better.
Xu Min had no idea as to what went on within Yong Meilin's head. All he could see was her attempt to be friendly and a burning anger within her eyes. This made him to believe that she was doing something she definitely did not wish to do.
Xu Min personally did not dislike Yong Meilin but he did not like her either. The reason he went along with her request was mainly due to the man who had visited him the night before. He was fairly certain that it was this man who had ordered Yong Meilin to act the way she was doing.
Another reason to accept Yong Meilin's offer was for the protection that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion could give him. It could provide protection against the many cultivators who had already become hostile towards him after his display at the Hall of the Champions.
When he said the things he said, he had not intended to cause as much of a ruckus as he did. All he wished to do was to cause the smug and self-satisfied face of Yong Meilin to become a little bit forced. He wanted to trouble her just as much as she was troubling him. After all, he had not forgotten how the woman had tried to scam him earlier. Although he ended the trade with respectful greetings, it had only been achieved by not being fooled by her beauty.
"Took you enough time," Yong Meilin said with an indignant voice. As soon as she saw the young man and just as the words escaped her lips, she lifted her hands to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock as to how she had said her thoughts out loud. She looked tentatively at the young man as she feared his reaction.
Hearing the words did indeed make Xu Min feel taken aback, but not in a bad way. Laughter rung through the courtyard as the young man smiled a cheekily at the beauty in front of him.
"Sorry, sorry," he laughed. "I was certain you didn't wish to go with me smelling of sweat."
Hearing the reply, Yong Meilin let go of an harrumph but her mind was put at ease. She was supposed to be making sure that the young man did not leave; however, if she insulted him right away it was most likely going the wrong way.
"Well if you know, then let us get moving," she answered. Once again, her haughty personality shone through and she once more felt like kicking herself hard. The young man showed no signs of truly caring about her personality but instead started walking slowly and looking around at the surroundings.
When he first came to visit the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, it was in the middle of the night when the sun had set behind the city walls. The second time he had arrived when he had entered the Hall of Champions, it was once more during night time. Walking through this part of the city during the day was the first time Xu Min had seen the city in daylight. He was in no rush and the more people who saw him walking with Yong Meilin the better.
Yong Meilin was a well-known figure throughout the entire Ri Chu City. Today, her beauty was even more stunning than when she was selling items at the auction house. Every man who saw her instantly recognized her. They also saw the young man who was walking with such carefree and happy pace while Yong Meilin was matching him at his side.
Yong Meilin knew that everyone recognized her and saw how she was walking with a young man, but what could she do? It was an order given to her from her grandfather. There was simply no way she could say no. Instead, she decided to allow everyone to know that this man was protected by the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.
Deciding upon this, she turned towards her companion and smiled at him. Her smile made a chill run down Xu Min's spine. Although he smiled back, he suddenly felt a certain degree of danger.
"I was planning on bringing you to the Divine Flower Gardens. It is a part of the city where the temples are located and a beautiful flower garden is erected to see the beauty of life. Within this beautiful garden is one restaurant which I wished to bring you to. It is known to produce the most delicious delicacies of our city. I am sure a traveler like you would like to try out these delicacies with me."
Hearing the words, Xu Min was slightly taken aback as he was uncertain as to why they suddenly wanted to bring him around. He once more thought about how the elderly man's eyes had widened in surprise. It was obvious that they truly valued him based on his relationship with the green snake.
"I would love some delicacies; however, there is a slight problem," Xu Min said with a sigh. Hearing this, Yong Meilin looked confused at the young man and waited for the explanation.
Xu Min lifted his arm and on his arm a green snake appeared out of nowhere. This green snake looked at Yong Meilin with very curious eyes.
"This little fella likes to eat a lot," he said, "And I am not sure if beasts are allowed within the restaurant. If they are not then I am afraid I cannot go either. Wherever I go, he goes too."
Hearing the determination within Xu Min's voice, Yong Meilin was slightly taken aback but it needed more than that to shock her. She nodded her head, "Depending on who the guests are, beasts are allowed inside. You are allowed to bring the beast inside. I was told about your snake by my grandfather," she explained. Although she had not mentioned to her grandfather before, she had an idea that the two had met. If they had not met, it would make no sense why he would have known about the snake beast.
Hearing how Yong Meilin honestly answered and that she had thought about Cao Cao, Xu Min felt a slight gratitude towards her. Xu Min had never had anyone whom he could trust completely. From a very young age, the ones he thought he could trust had turned against him. But Cao Cao was different. Cao Cao was like a small child who had latched onto him and who was so honest that he would never betray him. Not to mention, they had been linked together by his father. The two of them depended on each other.
Following the woman, the two of them quickly came to what was the Divine Flower Gardens. It was a large park filled with flowers of various kinds. Some were medicinal herbs whileothers were simple flowers. All of them were beautiful in the sunshine that shone down.
The garden was large and small roads were crisscrossing within going to different locations. Some of them went towards the temples while others went towards gates for the city. Even some went towards the restaurant they were walking towards.
Everywhere they walked, gossip started to be spread. Both Yong Meilin and Xu Min were smiling and pretended not to notice that they were being gossiped about. Both of them were chatting together with smiles on their faces, their conversation boring about anything from the weather to the flowers they passed on their walk.
For anyone who was viewing them, they seemed like the perfect couple. They were smiling at each other and both looked stunningly beautiful in the sunshine surrounded by the blooming flowers.
Soon, they made their way towards the restaurant they saw in the distance. The two of them sat down and ignored the obvious stares. Their chatting was seemingly intimate. At first, Xu Min had just nodded and said yes and no. He was participating in the conversation but paying it no actual heed.
Having tried various subjects, Yong Meilin finally found one which the young man found interesting. Talking about cultivation sparked a gleam in his eye. With an eager voice, he participated in the conversation.
"Why would you train your body physically rather than just cultivate your inner energy?" Yong Meilin asked curiously as she looked at the young man in front of her. She was remembering the muscular but lean upper body she had seen earlier that day.
Although she did not see many men half naked, she had seen quite a few. She saw the guards and younger generation of the Yong family trained at the training facilities within the Yong family residence.
These men trained various martial art stances and how to refine the energy of the heavens and the earth into Qi. However, they were not doing any physical training to temper their body or to make the body capable of withstanding the excessive amounts of energy which had to travel through the body itself.
"Imagine Qi being this wine," Xu Min said as he raised a cup of wine which he had between his fingers. "The Qi is strong and the amount of Qi is what determines how strong a person is. However, Qi relies on your body just like this wine relies on the glass to contain it. Without the body, the Qi will dissipate and turn into nothing but essence of the heavens and the earth once more."
Thinking about it that way, Yong Meilin was slightly confused. She understood what Xu min meant, but she did not understand why it was important for him to keep doing physical exercise.
"The stronger your body is, the more Qi you will be capable of activating," Xu Min continued his explanation. "But strength can also be used without Qi. Every time you reach a higher star, your body will automatically enhance its strength. But if you can raise this strength manually, your body will become much more durable, tougher and stronger. You saw how I was capable of tossing around other humans as though they were nothing at the Hall of Champions," Xu Min continued. "That was because my strength is far superior to that of a One-Star Warrior."
Hearing this, Yong Meilin somewhat understood what he meant. She could not help but wonder as to why other cultivators did not do the same thing. Knowing what she was thinking about, a wry smile appeared on Xu Min's lips but he said nothing. He knew that only few cultivators had the patience to train their body physically as it slowed down the speed with which one would refine the inner energies. This was something that not many experts were willing to do.
Just as Xu Min was about to say something, a waiter arrived with trays filled with food. Suddenly, a green snake appeared coiled up around Xu Min's neck. He quickly slithered onto the table where he started eating one of the delicacies after another. This caused Xu Min to laugh at the lack of manners and Yong Meilin to be surprised by the carefreeness shown by both man and snake alike.
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Chapter 33: Mutual Benefits
As he watched Cao Cao eat, a happiness spread within Xu Min. Half of this was due to the shared soul with the beast while the other half were his own emotions. Cao Cao had saved his life more than once. He was always willing to help out as long as delicacies were shared with him.
Yong Meilin was stunned as she saw how the beast and man were reacting. She was relieved that she had ordered a separate booth for themselves so that they could get some privacy.
Xu Min was leaning against the chair as he laughed at the snake that rapidly made its way through all the food. Xu Min said nothing at all to Yong Meilin. It was as though he was deeply engrossed in something else. Looking at the young boy and the frequent nod or shake of the snake's head, she understood that the two were conversing.
Conversing with a magical beast required that the two had entered a bond of blood. It was increasingly rare to see this.
Having sat still for half an hour, Yong Meiling finally cleared her throat as the entire table had been cleared of food. Seeing this, Xu Min raised his arm and called over a servant.
"I'd like to order another set of these delicacies," he said as though it was normal to order two portions. At first, the waiter was about to comment but when he saw that Yong Meiling was in the booth, he said no more. Instead, he nodded his head as he scurried away. He rushed to deliver another set of delicacies to their table. He was wondering which of the two was eating as much as what he had seen.
As the delicacies had been delivered, Xu Min casually picked up a few samples and tasted them. The smirk constantly played on his lips as he knew he had the upper hand in his current relationship with Yong Meilin.
Sighing deeply, the woman decided that she would gain nothing from trying to seduce the man. The only other option she could think of was the truth and hoped that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was enough for the young man to wish to stay.
"My grandfather visited you last night and noticed your snake. He was astonished by your power that was able to defeat a Four-Star Warrior as easily as you did. He told me to ensure that you are to stay within the city for at least a month so that he can see you fight in the Halls of Champions."
The smirk on Xu Min's face grew slightly as he heard the words. He needed protection from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and that was something that Yong Meilin knew. Although she knew this, she did not mention it to threaten him. Instead, she brought in the grandfather who had offered to look after them. Seeing that Xu Min said nothing, Yong Meilin continued. "I am sure that you and I can achieve mutual benefits," she said, her voice slightly hoarse as she worried whether or not he'd decline. Being honest like this was a first for her and her heart was beating rapidly. Her mind cursed at how incredibly calm Xu Min was.
"You are not in any lack of gold coins and you also managed to get your hands on a high amount of medicinal pills. Currently, you lack almost nothing. However, what I will offer you is the right to battle the Yong family guards every day to help digest the medicinal pills. You are not allowed to kill them, but sparring matches should be better than nothing."
Hearing this, Xu Min raised an eyebrow. Battling against other warriors was definitely something that would be of great interest to him. Even if he had been offered nothing, he would still have stayed by her side. He had no intention of leaving Ri Chu City so soon as he was painfully aware of how weak he was. To stay within this city and to be backed by the Alluring Treasure Pavilion ruled the Yong family was important for him.
Waiting for a moment and trying to look as though he was contemplating, Xu Min looked at Yong Meilin before a wide smile spread on his face. "It seems as though your offer is hard to refuse," he started, his voice slow and every word clear. "I'll accept your offer as long as the Alluring Treasure Pavilion guarantees my safety. I am, after all, only a One-Star Warrior."
Hearing him speak like this made Yong Meilin almost snort in contempt. It was obvious that he was capable of dealing with the low ranked experts just fine on his own. However, he would indeed be in trouble if one or two Five-Star Warriors or higher came after him.
On the outside, the snort was never shown. Yong Meiling sipped her tea while looking at Xu Min. A beautiful smile adorning her face and made her eyes radiate as though they were made from the most beautiful black gemstones.
"It will be our honor to take care of your safety," she said with a gentle voice. She herself was not a cultivator and to keep her safe were four Six-Star Warriors who constantly followed her around. They kept her safe and sound from stalkers, very persistent men, random duels, jealous women, or anything else that could cause her to be in danger.
Now that she was moving around with Xu Min, it was obvious that these four warriors also had to look after him even if they disliked it.
The two finally finished their meal. Xu Min followed right by Yong Meilin's side as they made their way back through the Divine Flower Gardens, the upper class areas of the city, and finally to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.
During their walk back, more citizens had taken notice of them. One rumor after another started to flourish. It was anything from Yong Meilin being forcefully married to some young man that had stolen her heart to the gossip that they were likely to elope together. A rumor said that this young boy was her long lost brother. Others said that he was a secret member of the Yong family who finally was getting ready for his debut into the stage of the nobles within Ri Chu City.
While the gossip was floating within Ri Chu City, neither Yong Meilin nor Xu Min had heard about it as they were busy with other things. Yong Meilin had her entire schedules cleared. The only thing she could do was wait on the young man, stay by his side, and give him what he needed, within boundaries, of course.
Xu Min, having been told that he could spar against the guards of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, was ecstatic. As soon as they had returned to the premises of the Yong family residence, Xu Min rushed towards the house given him. He instantly went inside the house where he sat down on the bed and looked at the medicinal pills in front of him.
At first, he remembered how the energy had entered him the day before when he had first used it. He was slightly apprehensive once more as he knew it would be disastrous if he found no one to spar against afterwards. After recalling Yong Meilin's words, he calmed down further. He put aside the medicinal pills as he decided to use them in the middle of the night. He aligned the time where he had finished absorbing all the energy with the time the guards started their morning training.
Coming to this conclusion, Xu Min closed his eyes and started cultivating. He spent all his time on refining the essence of the heavens and the earth into Qi. He did it the same way he had been doing it for multiple years without pills.
One hour took another and as the night came to its peak, his closed eyes instantly opened. Xu Min picked up a small red pill which he popped inside his mouth.
The result was the same as last time. Energy flooded through his body and he struggled to keep up refining it all. His body was pushed to its limits and he quickly closed his eyes. He focused on nothing else but refining the energy flooding into his body.
As the morning broke, Yong Meilin once more stood in front of the small house and knocked on the door. Unlike last time, the door was opened by Xu Min who was smiling at her and jumping on the spot.
Looking at him, even Yong Meilin could see that he was different from how he had been the previous day. His skin almost glistened with small beads of sweat appearing on his forehead and an excited smile was playing on his lips.
"Pretty one, take me to those guards you spoke of," he said with a smile on his face. His smile made Yong Meilin's heart race and her face flushed red from being called pretty one. She mumbled a reply which no one could hear before starting to walk towards the training grounds.
As they walked around within the family residence side by side, many glances were shot their way. Many had heard about the rumors, but neither Xu Min nor Yong Meilin had paid it any heed. They kept moving together and were chatting with each other in a more friendly manner than before.
"You are a training maniac, has anyone ever told you this before?" she asked curiously while almost running to keep the same pace as him. Her breathing quickly became ragged and eventually her mood was too terrible. As a result, she stopped, came to a halt, and waited for the young man to follow suit.
Seeing Yong Meilin stop, Xu Min had no other choice but to stop up as well. He had no idea as to where the training grounds were. He slowly understood that he had been moving too fast in his eagerness to compete against the guards of the Yong family.
"Sorry, sorry," he said with a smile on his lips. "But you're right. I am indeed a training maniac. I need to grow much stronger as soon as possible," he continued, but the playful smile that had adorned his face vanished. A sinister expression appeared in his eyes and a killing intent emanated from the young boy. This killing intent was dense with hate and anger which he had collected over the years against the Zhong family. While thinking about what had happened, his killing intent always snuck out. This time it happened in front of Yong Meiling. The young woman felt frightened by the density of the hatred the previously cheerful young man hid inside.
"Don't worry too much," she said in a meek voice as she unconsciously grabbed one of his hands in her own. She looked at him with her deep black eyes and worry shone out from within, "You are already strong and a hard worker. You'll keep growing stronger every day."
Hearing the beautiful woman say such words and showing such care, Xu Min was taken aback. The feeling was not horrible and he ended up laughing out loud as he patted her head with his free hand. "You are not as cynical and cold as you seem to be," he said with laughter in his voice.
Without freeing his hand, he turned around to the direction they had been going from the start. With a gentle smile on his face, he looked at Yong Meilin, "I think you should bring me to that training ground soon or I will explode from internal energies rupturing their way through my body."
Hearing this, Yong Meiling dared not wait any further. While still holding the young man's hand, she rushed towards the training ground where the guards were going through their morning drills.
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Chapter 34: Training Grounds
Although Xu Min was over-dramatising it, he was indeed in some pain from the overflowing energy inside of him. He could not wait to let go of it in a sparring lesson.
Sparring was much better than fighting to the death. It was an exchange of pointers. What Xu Min needed right now was the opportunity to display his two martial arts and pour the overflowing energy into them. He wanted to let them shine as brilliant as the sun and burn out all the energy so that his body could slowly get used to the high amount of internal energies.
Yong Meilin grabbed Xu Min's hand and towed him towards the training ground. Her face showed a slight panic and her speed rapidly increased.
Seeing this, Xu Min could not help but laugh out loud. "Sorry, sorry," he said laughing. "I won't explode, it is just uncomfortable." He continued and an indignant expression appeared on Yong Meilin's face. On the inside, however, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She told herself that the reason she cared was because of the order she had been given by her grandfather.
Although Xu Min had laughed at her and told her that it was not true, the two still held hands together. The both of them felt natural as they moved through the family residence towards the training ground.Their behavior once more sparked life into the rumors about the two of them, but neither truly cared. The day before, they had come to the conclusion of benefiting one another. What others thought was left for them to think about.
Reaching the training grounds, Xu Min was ecstatic to see multiple sparring rings. All of which were placed on the grass close by each other. Many were already sparring with one another within the ring.
Every guard on the ground stopped as they saw their most revered Yong Meilin arrive. But, their eyes almost bulged out of their heads as they saw how she was holding the hand of an unknown youngster.
A hopeless smile appeared on Xu Min's face as he realised that he had just gained the hate of everyone who was present. Now, his eyes gleamed with excitement. He knew that these men would show him no mercy in their training fights. This was exactly what he wished for.
A few of the sparring rings were free. Xu Min took off the top of his robe which he handed to Yong Meilin. Now he wore only his pants and an undershirt. Wearing this. he jumped into one of the sparring rings and started stretching. His skin glistened with energy and his lean and strong muscles played beneath the tanned skin. Even Yong Meilin had her eyes fully glued onto the young man in front of her and she had to gulp slightly to wrest away her eyes.
As soon as Xu Min had jumped into one of the rings, a long line appeared on the outside of the ring. Everyone wished to challenge him.
"I'm only a One-Star Warrior," Xu Min said with a loud voice. "I only take on challenges from One or Two-Star Warriors. Early Stage Three-Star Warriors are welcome as well."
Everyone heard a One-Star Warrior was willing to take on not only a Two-Star Warrior but also a Three-Star warrior, albeit an early stage Three-Star Warrior that was still far above his strength. This was something that seemed both cocky and suicidal.
Hearing this, a majority of the guards left the line as they were too strong. Instead of continuing their training, they all stood around the ring instead, ready to see just how strong this young man was.
Xu Min relied heavily on his own physical strength in fights like these. Having the physical strength of a Second-Star Warrior meant that he was able to stand against martial art attacks done by a One-Star Warrior. He would also be capable of defeating them without wasting any of his internal energy But right now, his body was bursting with internal energies. Although he could defeat One-Star Warriors with physical attacks, he wished to go against higher ranked warriors as he wished to use the overflowing energy within him.
"The rest of you return to training," a large muscular man said with a satisfied smile on his face as he stepped into the ring. "I will deal with this pretty-boy and make sure that no woman will ever find him appealing again."
Hearing this, many of the guards around him started laughing out loud while others curiously watched Yong Meilin's reaction to the words that were said.
Looking at Yong Meilin, she showed no signs of fear nor did she show any kind of worry for the young man. If anything, she looked interested at the display in front of her.
She had personally seen how this young man had smashed the heads of multiple cultivators using strength alone. She was perfectly well aware that although the snake was not visible, it was most definitely around his throat, ready to attack should Xu Min truly be in danger.
The man who had stepped into the ring was a Two-Star Warrior. He was a warrior who trained his body well and had more internal energy than Xu Min had. However, Xu Min had never even once relaxed. His physical body was definitely as strong as the man in front of him. The only difference was that Xu Min's body was lean. He had trained every muscle within his body and trained for agile movements alongside strength and speed. The man in front of him had focused on strength alone.
Looking at this strong man, Xu Min instantly knew that he was being underestimated. A smirk appeared on his face as a satisfied feeling welled up inside him.
Xu Min closed his eyes and breathed out heavily before he took the stance needed for Shattering Palm. Without giving the other man time to truly prepare, a large and somewhat transparent palm was gliding down from the heavens and struck the muscular man.
Xu Min was completely well aware that the attack he had used required internal energy. His was weaker than that of a Two-Star Warrior; however, he did not truly aimto smash him down with the palm. The palm was meant to pressure the guard who had been completely taken aback by the sudden attack and while the he was pressuring forward. Xu Min suddenly stomped against the ground and picked up enough energy to shoot towards the larger man in front of him.
Although the guard saw Xu Min coming, he could do nothing to stop him as both his hands were tangled up in the Shattering Palm. Releasing his Qi, he created a protective barrier around himself. He only used a minimum amount of Qi as he knew that the young man in front of him was only a One-Star Warrior. The rest of his energy was used to enter his arms and was blasted through his palms. He shattered the massive Qi Palm that Xu Min had created earlier. A sly smile appeared on the face of the large man.
"Eat this," Xu Min said quietly as he gathered all the strength in his body into his right arm and hand. As swift as a tiger, the entire energy exploded as the impact hit the guards aside.
Being hit by the full force of a Two-Star Warrior was something which no one would do without protection. Even a full force hit of a One-Star Warrior was something which could prove fatal if one not have the right defences. This young guard had only used a very thin layer of Qi around his body. At the moment of impact, the immense amount of energy which Xu Min had collected within his hand erupted forward. It slammed into the higher ranked warrior who instantly was knocked so far that he flew out of the ring.
These sparring rings were in no way large. There were only around ten by ten meters large. The guard had been standing within the middle of the ring, only five meters from the railing. As soon as Xu Min released his full strength, he tossed a large man five meters as if it was nothing. This was possible especially since he was not prepared for the attack.
Silence filled the training grounds. The battle had been simple and swift. A martial art skill had been used to keep the guard occupied as a physical attack had been used to finish off the Two-Star Warrior. To lose like this to a warrior of a lower rank was embarrassing; however, there was no question as to whom the winner was.
"He was too focused on the martial art skill," someone mumbled. "He was so focused that he forgot to use a shield to protect him against the physical attack. It had to be like this."
"I saw him using a defense but it was too weak to block the attack of a One-Star Warrior. He was definitely underestimating the opponent." another low voice sounded out.
Eventually, everyone came to the conclusion that this warrior had lost because he had underestimated Xu Min.
The next warrior who stepped up was a One-Star Warrior. Although he was of a One-Star Warrior, he was in the late stage and was about to break into a Two-Star. He had won various battles against other One-Star Warriors and he was certain that he could defeat Xu Min with ease.
This took even less time than the previous sparring match as Xu Min simply grabbed the guy by the collar and threw him out of the ring. His strength was simply too outstanding.
Multiple One-Star Warriors showed up, but the results were the same. Every one of them was being tossed outside of the ring and this made them embarrassed. Although he had spoken big, they understood that this young man was truly capable of living up to the words he had spoken.
While Xu Min was having fun within the sparring rings, Yong Meilin had been standing by the side the entire time. The smile on her face grew slightly every time he had defeated an opponent. She soon saw how the previously glistening skin faded and instead returned to its usual tanned look.
After having beaten seven One-Star Warriors, no one else of that rank wished to fight him any longer. Instead, the Two-Star Warriors stepped forward. These fights took slightly longer and were more challenging. Xu Min's strength was something that no one was capable of completely understanding. He was indeed a One-Star Warrior but his actual strength was far superior than that. Although he had the strength of a One-Star Warrior, he had far too large a Qi pool.
Having beaten nine guards and not including the first one, Xu Min finally felt how his dantian was completely dried up. He had no more internal energy left. Although he heavily relied on his physical strength, he still needed the inner energies to make joint attacks, feints, and misdirections.
Standing still after the last person had been defeated, Xu Min had forced his inner reserves out and sweat was running down his upper body. His eyes were gleaming with excitement. Standing straight, he bowed towards the group of defeated warriors. None of them had sustained any serious damage. The Two-Star Warriors were almost untouched, but Xu Min had used his element of surprise to toss them outside the small ring.
Now that he could no longer could do this, he decided to stop for the day. After having bowed, he turned back towards Yong Meilin where he picked up his clothes before smiling tiredly to the girl. He showed his gratitude with a smile before he made his way back to the courtyard where he was planning on doing the physical training. He had not had the time to do it this morning. Shifting his trainings schedule slightly, Xu Min had planned the entire day as he did not have long to spare anymore. His eyes were only focused on increasing his strength.
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Chapter 35: A Storm is Brewing
"Well done little Meilin!" the old man seated behind a desk said as he saw Yong Meilin entering the room. "I heard that he trained with the young guards this morning. Without any help from the snake, he managed to defeat an overwhelming amount of opponents and even those stronger than him."
"This young man can be a great catch for our Alluring Treasure Pavilion. I heard that there are quite a few rumors going around about you and this young man. The majority of the rumors say that you and this young man have something together." As the elderly man said this, a smile appeared on his face.
"I want you to keep him here as long as possible. Make him a part of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, even if that means that you will have to act accordingly to these rumors." The grandfather continued with a serious expression on his face.
"I will not force you to marry him, but making him think that you are interested will have no harm done," a grin appeared on the face of the old man. Yong Meilin felt uncomfortable about this. She already had a lot of complicated feelings for this young man. He was unlike any other she had seen. She didn't have a persuasive method of convincing him to stay with them for a longer period of time.
"Grandfather," she started, getting ready to oppose the order. This was something that she had never done before. Before she had the time to continue, the grandfather lifted his hand. His gesture made her silent and kept the unsaid words inside.
"Little Meilin," he said with a sigh, "You are a woman. Women are good for two things: enticing men into spending more money and convincing them to invest their time in return for the company of beautiful women."
"You are far more beautiful than any other woman within our family and this young man is currently my highest priority to get hold of. Therefore, you will do what you have to do. For the family, you will make this young man fall in love with you. You will make him stay within the Alluring Treasure Pavilion."
Hearing her grandfather's words, Yong Meilin felt great pain. She knew that her success within the family was mainly due to her beauty. She could use it as a way to make the customers pay an extra amount of money just so that she would notice them.
As she considered her rank within the family, Yong Meilin was astonished to hear what her grandfather had said to her. To him, she was but a beautiful woman while Xu Min was a very important person. The young man was capable of defeating opponents stronger than him and possessed a small snake-like creature as a companion. Everything about him was mysterious, but his strength was true. To think he had reached the rank of a One-Star Warrior already, it was obvious that he had great talent. He had such overwhelming power which already promised a bright future. The Yong family leader did everything in his power to ensure that this young man stayed with their Alluring Treasure Pavilion, even if it meant that he had to sell out his dear grandchild.
While this conversation was going on, Xu Min had no idea how valued he was by the family leader. However, he was incredibly satisfied with the training he had gone through in the morning. His body and Qi pool had been pushed to their limits. Although he did not have sufficient Qi to take on more opponents, he was already pleased with the amount he took down. Now, it was time to train his physique.
Starting as usual with his vertical pushups on one finger at a time, he started counting. By the time he reached one thousand, he would switch to another finger. His arm and finger strength was astonishing. Although he was not bulky in any way, the lean and toned muscles beneath the skin were something not to be underestimated.
After having trained his fingers and arms, he went to strengthen his leg muscles before he continued with the stomach and the back. As the evening air started to become chilled, Xu Min finally finished his physical training. With an exhausted body. He went to the hot bath within the and soothed his tired muscles. With a sigh of comfort, he managed to stay in the water for an entire hour.
Having finished his bath, it was now time for a quick meal before Xu Min once more started refining the essence of the heavens and the earth. Looking at the medicine box, Xu Min quickly decided not to use a medicinal pill every single day. Doing so was likely to have the opposite effect. Although pills were beneficial, the body required a balance of energies.
Coming to this conclusion, Xu Min sat down on the bed. He closed his eyes as he started to breathe steadily and refined the essence of the heavens and the earth.
While Xu Min was completely focused on his training, he was unaware that the entire Ri Chu City had started to become abuzz because of him and Yong Meilin. Yong Meilin was the woman that any young master wished to marry. As they heard that she had already picked a young man whom no one knew anything about, they all felt cheated and wronged.
The rumors went as far as to say that Yong Meilin had walked hand in hand with the young man to.the Divine Flower Garden and gone to eat at their restaurant in a private booth.
The more rumors these men heard, the more agitated they became. They all wished to duel this young man and prove that they were far stronger, richer, and more handsome. Unfortunately, no one knew anything about this young man. Those who sent challenges to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion were told that Yong Meilin's love was something that could not be determined by a duel but her only feelings alone.
This reply made the young men grow even more desperate as to at least see this young man whom she had thrown her love towards. But, the young man had hidden himself within the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. Even the guards who usually sold information could only tell about the duel he had had against other guards. As the days passed by, no new information surfaced. It was as if the young man had completely vanished from the face of the earth.
Truthfully, Xu Min had not vanished. As a matter of fact, he was unaware of the many challenges which had been sent his way just as he was unaware that he and Yong Meilin had been recognised as a couple.
During the days, Yong Meilin usually fled to his courtyard where she would sit still and observe him train. Yong Meilin knew that this would increase the rumors, but she did not care. She was hurt that her grandfather only saw her as a woman, only usable to attract other men. She was partly blaming Xu Min for being too overwhelmingly strong.
That was the start; however as she ended up within his courtyard, she soon found that this young man was not just talented. The reason how he had managed to get this far was not due to a talent mixed with medicinal pills such as she had expected. No, this was due to the hard work Xu Min put into every waking moment of the day.
Seeing how hard he was working, Yong Meilin was thinking for a bit before she left the courtyard. She headed to the Yong family's library. What she was about to do was something she had never considered before. Seeing Xu Min work this hard and seeing how her grandfather valued an expert such as he, she decided to try out cultivating on her own.
Borrowing three books on the topic, Yong Meilin felt ecstatic as she rushed back to Xu Min's courtyard. As she arrived, she noticed that the young man had just finished one set of exercises. He was standing in the shade under a tree and wiped his bare upper body from sweat. At first, the young woman had found it incredibly embarrassing to see so much bare skin. As the days had gone by. it had turned normal. Now she even appreciated the sight.
Sitting down in the sunshine on a small patch of grass, the young woman looked through the books she had found. All of them explained the very basics of the breathing exercise needed to refine the essence of the heavens and the earth.
Taking the position the book recommended, Yong Meilin closed her eyes and slowly started breathing in and out. If someone were to refine the essence of the heavens and the earth, one had to completely empty their head and feel the air around them. Within the air, multiple energy ripples were constantly crashing against the skin of the cultivator. The veins, pores and meridians all absorbed the energies brought them into their bodies where they would constantly rotate it throughout. They rotated the energy through the meridians where all impurities would be breathed out until only the purest Qi was left behind inside the body.
Although she read the text, Yong Meilin was not able to fully understand it. While a few specs of golden light appeared around her, it was nothing compared to those that appeared around Xu Min while he was training.
The young man was doing some stretching as he had just finished training his legs. He was astonished when he saw Yong Meilin cultivate. She was fairly old to be starting her training, but Xu Min could not help but feel that it was admirable that she even attempted. Stopping his stretches, he moved towards her where he placed his hands on her shoulders.
At first she tensed up, but as he gently massaged her shoulders, a sense of calmness appeared in her. She soon felt comfort and lost herself in this feeling. Without noticing it, the golden specks around her increased in quantity and she managed to cultivate on her own. Seeing this, a gentle smile appeared on Xu Min's face as he returned to the shade below the tree. He started another set of exercises and trained his stomach and back muscles.
From time to time, Xu Min would walk over to Yong Meilin. With a tender expression on his face would he teach her how to cultivate.
At first, Xu Min thought that it was a fleeting idea the young woman had found. However, she appeared within his courtyard cultivating day after day. She appeared at dawn and did not leave before dusk. Every day spent on cultivating, the two youngsters stood together within the courtyard, both practicing hard in their own ways.
No one apart from Xu Min knew that Yong Meilin had started cultivating. Now, she had already started to feel a difference in her everyday life. Although it was only a little, the energy she absorbed managed to change her perspective on things. She became much calmer than she had been before. She also felt that things were much easier to handle now than ever before. She knew exactly how to deal with people and her entire personality changed from the haughty young woman to an elegant young lady.
Sensing the change in the woman, Xu Min could not help but smile as he too remembered how he had started training when he was just a small child. He recalled how the energy had changed his view on the world. He felt melancholic as he remembered how simple his life had been back then, especially when he remembered his cherished memories of him and Xu Wu.
While Xu Min and Yong Meilin spent their days together within his courtyard, the month quickly passed. The time that Xu Min had been banned from the Halls of Champions came to an end. The young man was ecstatic as he woke up. For once, he was not going to start the morning with physical training. Instead, he was going to eat a medicinal pill and prepare for the fights in the evening.
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Chapter 36: Challenges
The night was chilly and there was no moon. Only the light of the stars cascaded down towards the buildings. The majority of these buildings were dark and closed of for the night; however, one of these buildings was different from the others. One of the building was filled with lights and cheerful banter. Getting closer, one could see that it was a large hall-like building. Citizens were constantly moving both in and out. Some were cheerful and delighted while others were discouraged and downcast.
Making his way to this building, Xu Min and Yong Meilin slowly walked side by side. Their presence caused everyone around them to gossip and get out of their way. Their eyes looked at the two youngsters who were talking together in a comfortable and intimate way. They had gotten used to each other since they had trained by each other's side for a full month.
"Is it him?"
"He isn't as handsome as the young master from the Wei family,"
"Look at that, they are so intimate,"
"Young Lady Yong Meilin is as beautiful as ever."
"I heard that they have been spending each and every day together the last month from dawn to dusk."
Gossip was floating in the air, and for the first time ever were the two youngsters aware of the gossip which had flourished over the past month. While Xu Min found it rather fun, Yong Meilin was fully embarrassed as her face turned red.
While Xu Min found her reaction quite curious, he could not help but laugh gently as he patted her head. It was a habit he had learnt from the time when he had helped her train her inner energies.
"Ignore them," Xu Min said with a gentle voice as he looked around. He found both admiring gazes and eyes filled with hatred and jealousy. Most men were glaring daggers at Xu Min who managed to completely ignore it.
Yong Meilin slowly nodded her head. With a long sigh, she managed to once more control her emotions. Although she acted fully in control, her cheeks had gotten a red flush which suited her perfectly.
"So Xu Min, which one are you going to fight? The One-Star Warriors are not challenging enough, are they?" Yong Meilin asked curiously. She looked around the multiple arenas within the room and Xu Min shrugged carelessly.
He was filled with energy once more. The energy came from having eaten and digested a medicinal pill. He could not wait to try and see who he should battle. Thinking about it, he had to agree with Yong Meilin that the One-Star Warriors were not enough of a challenge.
The young man went to sign up. This time, he signed up for the Two-Star Warriors. As he did, a large group of people stepped up to the sign ups and quickly signed up. The group of Two-Star Warriors had grown to be the largest group in the entire Hall of Champions.
Many of the viewers went and stared at the rings for the Two-Star Warriors. Many of them were curious as to how dangerous this young man truly was. Many wished to be able to mock him, a One-Star Warrior who wished to fight the Two-Star Warriors.
"Come on! Let me deal with all those stupid humans who look down on you!' The snake around his neck suddenly said. Xu Min felt the killing intent rise in the small snake's mind and Xu Min gently patted the snake's head.
'If you can defeat four Two-Star Warriors then I'll actually approve of you a little more,' the snake said magnanimously. To be honest, the snake had long since approved of the young man. He was being spoiled even more now than he had ever been with his father. This young man clearly felt some kind of affection. Being petted by the young man, fed all these different foods, and never hearing any complaints made Cao Cao absolutely content. He had long since accepted the blood bond he had together with Xu Min.
Xu Min and Yong Meilin went towards the large wall which the matchups were shown. He was excited to see that he was fighting fairly soon. Looking at the surroundings, he could not help but laugh.
The last time he had been here, multiple warriors had challenged him because of some inappropriate words he had said about Yong Meilin. Yet only a month afterwards, he was at this arena once more, he one who followed behind him was Yong Meilin.
The young woman herself seemingly found it just as comical as a small giggle escaped her lips. She looked at Xu Min with a gentle smile on her face.
Although she had disliked Xu Min from the start since he was not easy to wrap around her little finger, she had found that this young man was hardworking but also sincere. When she did her best to train, he would gently and naturally assist her in doing it the most optimal way. He showed her a friendliness she had never expected before.
Thinking like this, she was now grateful to her grandfather for giving her this task. She had learnt a lot about herself and a lot about Xu Min. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had found a friend who purely cared about whom she was. He was not just wishing to become friends with her because of her popularity.
While Xu Min and Yong Meilin made their way towards the arenas, no one dared to attack him, Much like they had done the month earlier, everyone was tensed up as he walked past.
Many of the men within the Hall of Champions wished to attack him instantly. They wished to remove all notions of pride and attack in a group of people to ensure that he would not manage to escape once more. If he was gone, Yong Meilin once more belonged to no one. Belonging to no one was far better than belonging to one man.
Jumping into the arena, no one dared to openly boo at the young man. No one cheered either but when his opponent, a Two-Star Warrior most likely middle stage, stepped onto the stage, the entire hall cheered. This could not help but cause Xu Min to smile wryly.
He knew that he had caused the majority of the men within the city to dislike him. He somewhat understood why they were so upset. He had taken Yong Meilin to be an annoyance at first, but seeing her work eagerly towards a goal, he had been moved. Although she was beautiful, he soon learned that she was also a hard worker. She was someone who was used to not getting what she wanted easily and she did not complain even if it was slow training.
Seeing Yong Meilin train, Xu Min could not help but wonder what would have happened if his sister trained to become a Student Warrior as well.
Thinking like this, sadness swept over Xu Min. This sadness soon turned to a boiling hateful anger which fueled the flame of revenge inside of him. His eyes were no longer friendly and cheerful. Instead, they were filled with killing intent as he stared at the warrior in front of him. Defeating this guy would make him stronger, so Xu Min took the stance of releasing the Shattering Palm. He used the exact same tactic as he had done against the guards back at the Yong family residence.
These warriors had not witnessed him fight before and as the palm descended upon the warrior, Xu Min followed suit with a physical attack. He instantly knocked the opposing warrior out of the ring.
Standing back, Xu Min let go of a deep breath. Together with the air, golden specks of light appeared. These lights showed that this young man was training at the same time as fighting, Only few cultivators dared to do this. If their dantian were damaged during this kind of training, it was highly likely that they would never return to the life of a cultivator.
Seeing this, the opponents standing in queue to battle Xu Min all had faces filled with delight and excitement. The reason that Yong Meilin was interested in this guy was likely because he was special, either as a talent or because he was special in some way. It was obvious that Yong Meilin would not fall for a normal youngster. Thus, they all expected that once they had crippled the young man, it would be possible for them to make him less attractive and for Yong Meilin to dump him.
Thinking about killing him or crippling him, the opponent prefered crippling him as this would make him taste despair. Their plans were already spinning and their eyes filling with joy as ultimate ideas on to how to destroy the young man's pride swirled within their minds.
Xu Min was not dumb. He knew exactly what their thoughts were, but the only thing he did was snort in contempt. It was true that it was risky, but the riskier it was, the better benefits it gave. Xu Min was not worried. He had already agreed with Cao Cao that if anyone were truly likely to defeat him and if someone were able to kill him, then the snake was allowed to save his life.
Xu Min was very apprehensive and did not wish for the snake to take action. But he did not wish to die either, so he was just as stubborn as the young men who wished to defeat him.
Cracking his neck, Xu Min gestured to the opponent to enter the ring. A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"Don't you think that you are something just because you managed to defeat one puny little expert," a loud voice boomed through the entire hall. Everyone who was still battling stopped for a moment to glance towards Xu Min and the loud speaker. Yong Meiling giggling as she heard the words.
Although Xu Min was the one who was battling, Yong Meilin felt no worry at all. She had seen how hard the young man trained day out and day in. He never let himself relax and currently he was filled with the extra energy from the medicinal pill. In Yong Meilin's eyes, there was simply no way for Xu Min to lose. She was also aware of Cao Cao being coiled around his neck as the snake was ready to assist him whenever needed.
The man who had called out was a large man. He was at least two heads taller than Xu Min who was a good one hundred and seventy centimeters. The man's body was bulging with muscles. However, these muscles were still only of a Two-Star Warrior. His focus had been solely on strength.
Xu Min frowned slightly as he knew that this man was going to be much harder to deal with. The muscles were not only good for displaying strength, but they also managed perfectly well to protect the man. The tactic he had used so far would definitely not work on this man. Grumbling for a few moments, the young man returned to his mocking smirk as he looked at the super strong man. Strength might be a benefit when it came to defense and hitting the opponent. However, this man who focused solely on strength was not well versed in speed.
The moment the man appeared, Xu Min stomped the ground hard and sped towards the man who was taken by surprise. His eyes widened, but then he grinned loudly and spread open his arms.
Just as Xu Min was about to arrive, he stepped on the strong arm and borrowed the force from his strength to plant his knee into the face of the strong man. He broke his nose in a clean hit before he used the recoil to jump far back. He went back out of range of the large man who was shrieking with agony.
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Chapter 37: Silence before the Storm
Landing on the arena ground once more, Xu Min smirked as he saw that the large man who had been so loud previously was now screaming in agony as his nose had been broken. He was not the only one who was shocked. Everyone within the arena was astonished to see how he had moved around with such nimbleness. How he had managed to use the strength of his opponent to put enough force behind his attack to do some real damage was incredulous.
Unfortunately, this man was far tougher than any other opponent Xu Min had faced before. After having released a few agonizing screams, he glared at the young man in front of him. His eyes told that when he got hold of the young man, he would ensure that he did not make it out of the arena alive.
At the start, this large man had wished to show his prowess to Yong Meilin and some sort of real strength to this man who was rumored to be Yong Meilin's beloved. Now the young woman was nowhere within his mind. The only thing he could think about was to get revenge for the broken nose and redemption from having been wounded by a mere One-Star Warrior.
Yong Meilin lifted her hands to cover her face as she saw the attack Xu Min had made. Her eyes filled with disbelief. Although she knew that Xu Min's physique was far above the One-Star Warrior, she was instantly certain that he was at a disadvantage against such a physically strong man. To see how Xu Min managed to be the first to draw blood, she was shocked. Her eyes were now glued to Xu Min, waiting to see other surprises he had in store.
Xu Min was grateful that this man had appeared as soon as he did. Had he fought two or three more experts before this one appeared, then it was highly likely that he would not have had the stamina to deal with him. But, he was the second opponent and the young man held nothing back as he dashed around on the stage. He was abusing his speed to the limit and managing to dodge every single attack from the large man.
Although his opponent was far stronger than Xu Min, he had focused all his practice into becoming strong. Such strength was useless against a nimble and swift Xu Min. If he could not get his hands on the person, how was he to trash him?
Xu Min knew that he was only able to keep running so long before his stamina would be used up. By constantly glancing at the large muscular man, he quickly found that his gamble was paying off. The muscular man was getting more and more frustrated. His eyes were turning red and the blood from his nose kept dripping, He soaked both himself and the floor of the arena deep red. He left a metallic scent within the air.
Waiting for a bit longer, Xu Min glanced over the body of his opponent. For once, he swore at the Hall of Champions for not allowing weapons. Had he had his sword, the one he had been gifted by his teacher, he could easily deal with such a large man. He could force enough strength into the blade and catch enough momentum to thoroughly defeat this giant. However, it was not allowed and Xu Min had to find another way to deal with him.
Suddenly. his eyes were caught by the blood pool on the floor. A sinister smile appeared on his face as he once more charged towards the giant man. His focus was fully on the two arms and he expertly dodged the both of them before he twisted his body slightly and placed a foot behind his leg.
Having done so, Xu Min pushed his two hands forward. He borrowed momentum from his advance and the two palms heavily collided with the bare upper body. He released a slapping sound before the bulky man tripped in the blood. The large man was incapable of regaining his balance as a foot was placed behind the legs. This caused him to fall and his head banged into the stone flooring.
Once more, Xu Min retreated as far back as he could. His main goal was to stay alive and ensure that no one was allowed to reach his dantian so that it would be smashed.
Now lying on the ground, the man once more let go of a scream. Yet this time, it was not an agonizing scream. Instead, it was a roar of rage that he, who was clearly stronger, was incapable of defeating this youngster who was nimbly running all around.
Had this man used any sort of martial art skills instead of trusting one hundred percent on his physical strength, it was highly likely that Xu Min would have lost. Now the two of them were battling completely based on their physical strength. It was a duel where they ranked the same, but their strengths were different, In the end, Xu Min's speed was what determined the advantage he had gotten.
Standing tentatively to the side, Xu Min waited to see whether or not the opponent once more stepped up. He waited to see what he was going to do this time.
Coming to the conclusion that he could not wait without having at least an attack ready, Xu Min took for the Radiant Jade Shower. While his hands were reaching forward, a translucent mist left his body before it crystallized into thousands upon thousands of small jade shards behind him.
Waiting patiently for the large man to step up once more, Xu Min's senses were on high alert. He could see how countless men within the arena were staring at him in disbelief and jealousy visible in their eyes. Some of them even showed strong hatred.
Sensing the hatred which was aimed towards him, Xu Min did not care. He had been hunted before. This was nothing compared to the life he had led when he was on the run. Not to mention how he constantly had feared for someone to recognize him back when he moved to Honghe City.
Now he was in Ri Chu City and he knew that there was no need for him to fear his past sneaking in on him. Now, he was once more a hunted person because he had become close with the most beautiful woman in town.
Most men would have accepted the fact that Yong Meilin had found herself someone she loved. The cultivators had a hard time accepting this since accepting that he had been chosen meant that he was better than them in one way or another.
The man whom Xu Min was battling was in no way different from the others. He too had challenged Xu Min because he thought that he was a far better option for Yong Meilin. He found himself injured time and time again. This time when he had been knocked to the floor, he had heard a terrible cracking sound coming from his skull. Blood was flooding the stone floor once more and it did not take long before his entire world turned black.
Seeing that he had succumbed, Xu Min could only heave a heavy sigh of relief. Although he had the stamina to continue for a few more minutes, his speed was not unlimited. He could already feel how he was pulling on his reserves. This caused him to leave the arena after only two matches, still two away from the four that Cao Cao had told him to fight.
'You owe me a great meal,' Cao Cao said, his usual words as they left the Hall of Champions. Yong Meilin was by their side and many experts slowly making way for them to move through.
Although the higher ranked experts felt like attacking him, they knew that if they stooped to that level, they would have no face left to live within Ri Chu City.
Having shown that although he was only a One-Star Warrior, he had managed to defeat Two-Star Warriors and even the ones with physical strength. Everyone had to admit that this man was truly a talent amongst talents. They started to understand why Yong Meilin paid attention to him. However, this did not make them more prone to accepting the young man.
After having battled at the Arena, Xu Min and Yong Meiling went back to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion together holding hands.
"I never believed that you would be able to defeat that large loaf of muscles," Yong Meiling said with a giggling voice. "I actually expected that you would be the one to lose."
"Harumph," Xu Min pushed out his chest and made a serious expression on his face as he twisted his voice and said, "I am the great Xu Min. How can I lose to a bundle of muscle but no brain?"
Hearing the words, Yong Meilin's giggles increased and the two of them walked in comfortable silence.
"How long do you plan on staying within Ri Chu City?" Yong Meilin suddenly asked as she rose her head and looked at the sky above. Her brows were furrowed and her heart beating rapidly in fear for the answer.
Looking at the young woman, Xu Min could not help but sigh. He had become friends with her after all the time they had spent together. But even now, his heart was set on nothing more than getting revenge for his sister. To do that he needed to train, to gather strength. Although he could gain some of this strength within Ri Chu City, he needed to experience true life and death battles. He needed to pave a road for himself in the world, not just within the city's Hall of Champions.
The question Yong Meilin had asked required all her courage to ask. Her heart was pounding hard and a sadness welled up within her as she saw the complicated expression within Xu Min's eyes.
"I will stay here until I am strong enough," Xu Min finally said with a sad smile on his face. He dared not say how long that would be. He was unaware of how long it would be, but he did know that he was currently weak. The only reason he dared acting as arrogant as he had the previous night was due to Cao Cao. His revenge had to be taken by his own hands, not by Cao Cao stealthily attacking.
"Strong enough for what?" Yong Meilin asked as she furrowed her brows. It was true that everyone trained to be strong, but the young men within Ri Chu City were not training for any specific goal. For them, it was enough to be stronger than their peers; however, hearing him speak sounded as though he had a goal in mind. This caused her curiosity to pique.
Looking at the sincere and curious eyes in front of him, Xu Min felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. In many ways, Yong Meilin was like his dead sister as he got to know her and a melancholy overtook him. It swept him away in emotional struggles until he finally managed to calm himself. A sad smile was on his lips as he petted Yong Meilin's head.
"You don't need to worry your pretty head with my affairs," he said gently. Moments after he excused himself, he turned down a road heading for the courtyard he had been given.
Standing back in the dark night was Yong Meilin. Her heart was hurting and her eyes moist. Although Xu Min had smiled at her, that smile had contained a world of pain and sadness. The young woman finally gave up and accepted that she would do anything as long as he never showed such a sad face again.
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Chapter 38: Drums of War
That night, Xi Mun spent the entire time cultivating his inner energy. At first, his body had been rigid. He was filled with hate and pain as he once more remembered the scenes from his childhood where he was sitting on the ground and his beloved sister was dead in his arms. As the night progressed, his body got to relax and Xu Min thought about all the warmth he had received.
First was meeting Cao Cao. Although he had been scared witless by the father, Xu Min was grateful for the snake. It was the only reason that he had managed to survive the ordeal within the forest.
Having fought together like this, the two of them were comrades. Cao Cao had turned out to be very much like a little child and Xu Min enjoyed spoiling him. He fed him all the foods he could dream about and pet his small head whenever he could.
Cao Cao was not the only one who treated him with friendliness. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion and Yong Meilin had opened their home to him and allowed him to be safe for a while. At the same time, they ensured that he had everything he needed. Yong Meilin alone was spending all her time together with him. She was definitely the closest thing to a friend he ever had.
Thinking about these things, Xu Min slowly managed to let go of his anger. Once more, he buried himself completely in his training as golden specks appeared all over the room.
"Father, are you sure we want to do this?" Tang Jing asked curiously as he walked to his father's side in a humid dungeon. No one apart from themselves knew of their location. The dungeons below their Tang Manor was only known to the main branch of the Tang family.
On a day like today, five men had been led into a room within these dungeons. Tang Ye, the father, and Tang Jing, his young son, were on their way towards this underground room. Their faces were both serious and their steps were hurried.
"Don't worry about it, son," Tang Ye said with a frown on his face as his legs led him closer and closer to the underground room. "Had this young man not appeared, then we would not act. But now it seems as though we have lost our only way into the Alluring Treasure Pavilion."
Hearing the words spoken by his father, Tang Jing's gaze became hard and he nodded his head. At first, when it was only gossip, no one had paid it any mind. Upon seeing Yong Meilin together with the young man entering the Hall of Champions holding hands. It seemed that all the rumors were ground in some sort of reality.
"We cannot wait any longer; the Alluring Treasure Pavilion have been too full of themselves recently. They have a monopoly on all treasures that appear within our Ri Chu City. They should learn to share some of that glory." Tang Ye said as the two of them entered a round room far underground. Both of their faces were filled with sleek smiles and their arms opened up to welcome the five men who were seated within.
"Welcome to our Tang family's underground chamber," Tang Ye said with a friendly manner. "Today, let us discuss how we should convince the Alluring Treasure Pavilion to share some of the fortune they have taken from all us nobles of Ri Chu City."
"Newcomers like them think that they can do whatever they want to within our family," a man said, his voice deep and his body large. His face was hidden behind a mask. Even though it was hidden, everyone within the chamber knew that he was Lord Shiu Kang.
"This is hypocrisy." one man said. His words caused anger to flare amongst everyone present. None of them dared say a word as they waited for him to continue.
"Because that Yong girl has decided to find a lover, you want to start a war against the Alluring Treasure Pavilion? Everyone in here has been wooing her. What would you have done had my son won her affection? Would you then go against my family as well?"
Hearing the words, the other four men were slightly unsettled. They too had been wooing her, but no one had been successful. Had they been successful, would the Tang family then have gone against them? The thought was frightening.
"Lord Guo, I can assure you that I would not have gone against anyone within this room," Tang Ye said with a smile on his face and a easy voice. He was in no way insulted by the question; however, his eyes were lit with anger as he spoke. It was a detail no one failed to notice.
"We are all from Ri Chu City. To lose to one of us is acceptable, but now this youngster appears from out of nowhere. He is talented, that is certain, but he has no backing, apart from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. To hand over the prospects of such wealth to an unnamed talent is not acceptable! We will share the Pavilion six ways and give an even amount to each who participate."
Snorting, the masked man who was called Lord Guo stood up. "I don't want to be part of this, but don't worry, I won't tell the Alluring Treasure Pavilion about your plans. They are rubbing me the wrong way too. But to directly act, I see nothing that can justify it."
Looking around, the masked man's eyes landed upon the young Tang Jing. "You there," he said, while pointing at the young master, "Lead me out of these damned underground tunnels and make sure that I don't get lost. I'll leave the scheming to you guys."
Having said that, the man started walking and didn't give Tang Jing any time to consider what to do. He rushed out to the masked man and tried to show him respect as he humbly led the lord out.
Looking at the closing door, Tang Ye sighed deeply. The smile never vanished from his face as he turned around and looked at the four remaining masked men within the room. "Sorry about that, let us start discussing how we will deal with the Alluring Treasure Pavilion."
That night as Yong Meilin finally understood her own feelings, she was unable to sleep. Half of the night was spent filled with happiness and eagerness to see the young man the following day. At the same time, she was filled with worry. What if he did not share her feelings? What if she was acting weird? She knew that she was pretty, but was she to his liking? Having spoken with him as often as she had, she knew that Xu Min valued inner values far more than the outer looks. Was she good enough for him?
The rest of the night was spent pacing her floor as she switched between eagerness and happiness or sadness and nervousness. She could not understand her own emotions because she had never felt this way before. Should she tell her grandfather about this? Should she keep it a secret? Should she tell Xu Min or perhaps sneak it in the conversation somehow? Maybe asking him quietly about what he thought about her, but did she have the courage to do so? Thinking about all these things, her cheeks flushed red. She felt as though she was too hot within the room. As she opened the windows and looked out at the beautiful and starry sky, her mood was the best it had ever been. She knew that, under these stars, Xu Min was sitting still and cultivating. Although he was not thinking about her, she knew he was close by. It was a closeness that finally helped her calm down.
Xu Min was standing in his courtyard. Within his hand was his sword given by Wang Li. He had brought it with him for a long time, but he had never actually used it. Although he knew that this weapon was a fierce weapon because it was a large and could be used both defensively and offensively, he was unskilled with swords. Even holding it in his hand felt foreign. But after standing still for some time, his muscles tensed. One sword stroke was drawn through the air.
*Zhing*
As the sword swung through the air, a sound could be heard. The heavy sword required Xu Min to use his full strength to carry it, let alone swing it. On his face, a brilliant smile was visible. Not only would training with the sword familiarize himself with it, but also it would also help him with his physical training. He swung the sword again and again. The sounds resounded within the courtyard as sweat started to appear on his body. Wielding a sword this big was hard work, but it was also a rewarding experience for Xu Min. He was filled with excitement as he stood still and made the same swing again and again. He slowly opened the world of a swordsman.
Xu Min was so focused on training that he did not hear the knocking on his courtyard. Yong Meiling was not one who enjoyed waiting, so she entered through the gate even though no one gave her permission to go in. Her heart was beating rapidly and as she entered the room, red spots appeared on her pale cheeks. Her throat turned dry and she was incapable of saying anything. Her entire body was controlled by her emotions.
While Xu Min was training, Cao Cao was usually sleeping. However, the snake had noticed the strange behavior of Yong Meilin and slithered down to the ground. He drew close to Yong Meilin and slithered onto her arm where it observed her curiously.
Although Cao Cao could converse with Xu Min, the two of them conversed spiritually. For him to talk out loud was still impossible; thus, it was not possible for him to speak with Yong Meiling. However, the young woman had guessed as to why the snake had appeared, and with a trembling finger did she shush the small snake.
"Don't say anything," she whispered to the snake as she petted its head. "I'll give you the most delicious food as long as you promise me not to tell Xu Min anything."
Hearing the words "delicious food", Cao Cao was instantly sold as his eyes glistened. Drool could be seen on his small mouth as he snuck closer to Yong Meilin. Although Cao Cao was against most humans, he had gotten some kind of trust when it came to Yong Meilin. He was further tempted by the prospect of delicious food, so it was an impossible task to not accept the offer to him.
Looking with one long glance towards Xu Min, Yong Meiling quickly understood that the young man was simply too deeply immersed within his training to notice anything at all. A wry smile appeared on her face. She alone had gotten all worked up about visiting him today; however, he did not even notice her.
With mixed emotions and a final glance towards Xu Min, Yong Meilin stood up. With Cao Cao on her arm, she left the courtyard and moved towards the main mansion of the Yong family.
"I know someone who would be very honored to meet you," Yong Meiling said to the snake on her arm. Together, the two of them entered the main mansion and headed towards the office where Yong Meilin's grandfather worked on the matters that concerned the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.
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Chapter 39: Younger Generation Geniuses
"Grandfather," Yong Meilin said respectfully as she entered the door into the office where the elderly man was seated. She was currently looking at a scroll within his hand that made him frown slightly. The news he had received was anything but jubilous.
"Grandfather," Yong Meilin repeated, to ensure that he had heard her. It seemed as though the second call had managed to return the grandfather to the room. His mind no longer circulated about whatever information it was that he had read within the scroll between his hands.
"Little Meilin," he said with a gentle smile on his face. Looking at the young girl in front of him, the smile froze as his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw what was curled around the woman's arm looking completely comfortable and smug.
Seeing the snake, the elderly man stood up and slowly approached Cao Cao, who did not mind it at all as he adored getting a lot of attention. Instead, he slithered around and made himself look very big and important. Seeing this, Yong Meilin could not help but giggle at the young snake, but she still petted it gently on its head. Her beautiful face shook slightly with a gentle smile on her face.
"Grandfather. This is Cao Cao, Xu Min's companion." Yong Meilin said respectfully and the snake understood the cue and moved towards the elderly man. It slithered up his arm and resting gently on the shoulder.
"Grandfather, I promised to give Cao Cao a good meal. He adores the delicacies from Ri Chu City and I would have invited you to come with us," she said smiling, but the elderly man showed a depressed smile as he shook his head.
"We have received an invitation to a tournament held by the Tang family," he said. His voice was devoid of all emotions, making it impossible for Yong Meilin to determine whether or not this was a good thing.
"This is a tournament held by the young generation of Ri Chu City and we have also gotten an invitation."
"But Grandfather, we do not have any young cultivators who are suitable for such a competition," Yong Meilin complained and her grandfather nodded gently.
"Usually, we would have had no one in our family participating and we would not have been given an invitation. But it is obvious that they expect Xu Min to make an appearance on behalf of us." Contemplating for some time, the elderly man finally smiled.
"After you have given the snake some food, go to Xu Min's courtyard. Get him to come visit me, I need to talk with him about this offer."
Hearing this, Yong Meilin nodded and accepted the order given by her grandfather. Small butterflies started to appear in her stomach as she thought about going to visit Xu Min once more. Her entire mind was about the young man as she had changed severely over the past day after she had accepted her emotions. Without showing even the smallest change to her personality, Yong Meiling went towards the kitchens to get some food for the hungry snake.
While Yong Meilin and Cao Cao were enjoying food, Xu Min finally felt like he was getting the hang of his heavy sword. The sword kept creating energy ripples in the air every time it was swung. The ripples changed drastically from earlier when they were first impossible to control and followed the sword. However now, after having trained the exact same sword stroke all day, his control had increased tremendously. By turning the sword slightly, he could control the energy ripples, and even use them to attack the enemies in front of him.
Controlling the energy ripples was as hard as controlling the sword itself, but as the day was passing by, Xu Min kept training the same sword strike as before. He would continue to train until the day he had perfected it. Only then would he switch to another strike, another strike that he would then train until perfection.
As the sun was starting to descent in the sky, the gates to the courtyard opened and Yong Meiling stepped inside, bringing Cao Cao with her. The two looked at Xu Min who was still training and had sweat running down his entire body. He knew that using such a heavy sword as the one he used now was currently a disadvantage as it required too much strength. Instead, it would assist him when he grew stronger.
Although Xu Min knew this, he still kept training with the sword. Transcending his limits was what had allowed for him to become stronger physically than the average One-Star Warrior and this was the training he kept improving on. But it has to be said that although Xu Min was transcending his limits, he knew when to stop and relax. As the sun had completely gone down behind the city wall, Xu Min finally came to a stop. Looking around, a smile adorned his face as he saw both Yong Meilin and Cao Cao waiting for him at a grassy patch in the courtyard.
"Xu Min, my grandfather requested to talk with you," Yong Meilin said instantly, her voice serious. Although she wished to spend time with him, she wanted to ensure that her grandfather's task was handled first. Seeing her serious face, Xu Min lifted his arm and the snake slithered up his arm to coil around his neck. He camouflaged himself once more as Xu Min wiped his sweaty body and found a clean set of clothes.
Changing in front of Yong Meilin was no problem for Xu Min; however, the poor girl was completely astonished and embarrassed by it. Her hands covered her eyes as her face grew red, something that caused Xu Min to laugh out loud.
"Show me the way," he said after having finished dressing. A sly smile was sent towards the girl who still had red cheeks. She could not help but pout, making her seem absolutely adorable. Even Xu Min who for the most part was capable of ignoring her beauty had to admit that her pouting was incredibly attractive.
Clearing his throat and looking away, Xu Min started to walk in the direction he thought the office was. Not given any more time to pout, Yong Meilin quickly followed suit. She gathered her courage to pick up Xu Min's hand and lead him by hand towards the office in which her grandfather was awaiting them.
Knocking on the door, Xu Min stepped through the the opening. His bearings were not like a young man, but instead he managed to seem far taller than he was. His personal calmness was something which easily smote those around him. An aura of strength was what the grandfather felt when he looked at the young man.
"Young man, I hope you stay here at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. We are very grateful to be looking after you, and it seems as though my dear grandchild has taken a fancy to you," the man chuckled. His words were a way to tell him that he too approved of their connection, but he had never expected that Yong Meilin would turn beet red and her fingers fidgeting.
The smile on his face grew larger as he observed the two youngsters. He had expected that Xu Min would have turned embarrassed in some way, and at the same time happy. But the only reaction he got was Xu Min smiling slightly and his grandchild beet red and flustered.
"As you might have noticed, the Yong family does not have any young men who are strong enough to be considered a part of the geniuses of the younger generation within Ri Chu City. It turns out that the Tang family is holding a celebration tournament to celebrate the twenty-fifth birthday of their young master and they have invited us. We are not capable of producing such a genius to the tournament so I wondered if you were interested on joining? You will be heavily rewarded depending on how well you do."
Xu Min was contemplating for some time, his face not displaying any of his thoughts. He kept both the elder and the young girl holding their breaths as they were waiting for the answer.
"How strong are the opponents?" Xu Min suddenly asked, his question bringing some joy to the elder as he now knew the young man was seriously contemplating it.
"The strongest opponents will be Three-Star Warriors," the elder said, "But you only do one battle a day and the contest runs for a whole week. At the same time. There will be a festival within Ri Chu City, a festival to celebrate the birth of the city."
"Three-Stars, huh," Xu Min said to himself, his eyes were shining with excitement. "Are weapons approved of?" He suddenly asked. Defeating Three-Star Warriors without a weapon was an impossible task, unless he relied on Cao Cao. However, he saw no reason to do so for a simple tournament held within the city.
"Weapons are approved of, but killing is frowned upon. If you cannot control your strength then be aware that you are likely to be disqualified." The elder said with a neutral voice. He had not heard about the fights Xu Min had participated in so far. He had also not heard about him using a weapon making him slightly sceptical about the abilities belonging to this young man. He was already spectacular but if he could wield a weapon, it would be even more astonishing.
"When is this tournament?" Xu Min continued to ask questions until he felt like he had gotten all the answers he needed.
It turned out that the tournament would be held two months from now and that every major family within Ri Chu City would be participating within the tournament. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had never participated within a tournament before. Although they knew about the rules and such from watching the tournaments, this was the first time they dared step into the ranks of the big cities within Ri Chu City.
Xu Min finally understood that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was new to Ri Chu City. This was but a small branch of one of the largest merchant companies within the continent. In Ri Chu City, they had only just entered ten years ago.
Although they had arrived ten years ago, they had managed to pave out a road for themselves and they had become the richest of all the families within Ri Chu City, something which every other family hungered to become a part of.
Even though The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had managed to make a large amount of money and found a niche for themselves within the city, they were still looked upon as newcomers. The Yong family was not particularly successful when it came to cultivation. However, they were great at making a profit, something which caused many to envy them.
Everyone knew that the next in line to the position as a branch leader was Yong Meilin, which was another reason as to why the families had allowed their sons to woo her. Unfortunately, she had been known as an ice-queen who enjoyed to mingle within the younger generation. But as soon as it came to relationships, she would back away like a cat hit by lightning and never let herself be bound by one person.
The elder was aware that inviting Xu Min to this tournament was done for the sake of killing him and making it out as an accident. However, the elder felt that Xu Min would not die from such a simple tournament. The elder was aware that somewhere on Xu Min's neck was the snake Cao Cao, a beast who would keep him safe. Lost in his thoughts, a smile appeared on his face, "Join for us and we will reward you heavily. We can even find some medicinal pills for you, should you wish for stronger pills than those you got last time."
Contemplating the many different reasons for why he should join and not join, Xu Min came to the conclusion that a Three-Star Warrior was incapable of endangering him. He smiled towards the elderly man, "Of course I'll attend the tournament as your representative, but I will need to focus on my training in the time I have before the tournament starts. I am afraid that the way I am right now is not good enough."
Hearing the words, the elder's eyes were gleaming with excitement. He stood up and shook the hand of the young man, sealing their agreement.
"Well in that case, please excuse me," Xu Min said as he bowed towards the elder and then left the room. He headed back to the courtyard where he was going to train harder than he had ever trained before.
Staying back within the room, the elder looked at Yong Meilin. A large smile was his face, "Good job little Meilin, keep up the hard work!"
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Chapter 40: Mastering the Sword
Standing back in the courtyard, Xu Min thrust the sword forward. He maneuvered it in an elegant, but strong manner as he sliced through the air. One minute passed after another as Xu Min was fully focused on mastering the sword in front of him. His hands were slowly getting used to the feeling of the heavy sword within his hands.
Getting used to using a sword was not as simple as Xu Min had expected. The sword had to become an extension of the arm. He felt as though they connected together and every movement had to become fluent and graceful. Yet, the movements made by Xu Min were hard and jagged. There was neither grace nor any sign of Xu Min and the sword being connected in any specific way. Anyone who looked at the two would instantly be able to tell that this man was a new to the sword.
Using weapons was different from using martial art techniques. When using a technique one needed to take a specific stance and allow for the Qi to flow through the meridians at specific patterns. This activated specific points within the body and the Qi would slowly leave through the veins to form an attack made outside the body.
When one were to use weapons, one could either imbue the weapons with the Qi or use physical attacks. These physical attacks mainly relied on the physical strength mixed with the Qi one forced out and merged together. It did not require any specific stance as it just followed and increased the damage done by the body itself.
It was quite rare for people to focus on physical strength, but Xu Min had always focused on his body. Being gifted a weapon by Overseer Wang, Xu Min felt that the way for him to go was the way of an external energy expert, someone who focused more on his physical strength and his weaponry than the stances and techniques.
Many of the experts who focused solely on the internal energies were considered the most dangerous experts around. They were capable of using attacks at a range, killing the opponent before they even were to close in enough to wound them.
Xu Min was perfectly well aware of this, but at the same time he also knew that physical warriors had some strength which internal warriors did not have. Their speed was far superior to that of an internal warrior, alongside their defense. Although they were not masters of ranged combat, every warrior knew a few stances. While an internal expert had to stand still while making a stance for the technique, the external warriors were capable of constantly moving around and merged their Qi with their physical strength.
Saying that external experts did not use techniques was somewhat an error. What they did was become capable of merging the Qi with their physical attacks, allowing for them to create attacks on their own. But techniques such as the ones internal experts used were not something which an external expert excelled at.
Knowing all of this, Xu Min still decided to stay focused on his external strength. He was already far stronger than other warriors at his rank, and he had an astonishing weapon from Overseer Wang upon his leave. It was only now that he truly appreciated the weapon he had gotten, and truly understood how hard it was to fully master and excel at using a weapon.
Day out and day in, Xu Min made the same sword strokes. The first day, he spent every waking hour on making the exact same thrust over and over again. The following day, he focused on a specific slash, which he repeated from sunrise to sunset.
The days went by and each day was a new attack. Ever so slightly, the attacks became more and more graceful and the sword seemed to be a natural companion for Xu Min. The young man's face soon sprouted a smile as he was training in the art of the sword.
Every day while Xu Min had trained, Yong Meilin had stayed within his courtyard, looking at the sword strokes. She was surprised and amazed that this young man was capable of continuing the same stroke as many times as he did. Her eyes followed every single one of his sword strokes.
The first day, she had tried to convince him to take a break and eat some food as they reached the middle of the day. However, Xu Min had completely ignored her and paid no heed to the food in her hands and the pleading expression on her face. Cao Cao was the only one who paid attention to her. Although Yong Meilin was hurt, she quickly recovered as the young snake followed her to eat the food.
Cao Cao was bored when it came to Xu Min's training. The snake wished for Xu Min to be stronger so that he could approve of him as his boss much like his father had wanted. However, every time the young man was fully focused on training, Cao Cao would be bored and have nothing to do. Fortunately, Yong Meilin was the same and the both of them spent a lot of time together. Neither spoke as they just both observed Xu Min while Yong Meiling gently patted the snake's head.
When Xu Min first started training his sword skills, it had been two months until the start of the tournament. By the time he had fully familiarized himself with the sword in his hand, a month and a half had already passed.
Every hour during the day had been spent on practicing his swordplay. During the nights when he was incapable of training with his sword, he instead increased his cultivation level. He knew that if he asked for stronger medicinal pills, he would have been granted them without any questions. Instead, he had chosen to stick with the ones he had purchased from the trade with Yong Meilin back when he met her the first time. Xu Min did not wish to owe the Alluring Treasure Pavilion more than absolutely necessary. Right now, he already felt like he owed them a great deal for looking after him and protecting him. He understood that the foolish actions he had done to embarrass Yong Meilin had caused his reputation to plummet and made quite a few people wishing to kill him if they had the chance. Being disliked did not matter to him, but having a great place to train like this was something he truly valued.
Xu Min was not dumb as he was perfectly well aware that the majority of the city wished him dead. Some of these would have gone further than just wishing for his dead, yet he had never been told about how someone was trying to kill him. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had just looked after him without asking for anything in return except to participate in this competition.
Knowing that the competition was made from geniuses of the younger generation of Ri Chu City, Xu Min was aware that his chances of winning were definitely not high. However, his mind was determined and his soul unwavering. He had no intention of passing up first place to anyone.
This had resulted in Xu Min using medicinal pills once a week and refining the energy which he then balanced while training with his sword. As only half a month was left until the competition, Xu Min suddenly stood in front of Yong Meilin, a genuine smile on his face as he patted her head gently.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," he said with a gentle voice as he roused the woman from her sleep. The young woman was instantly embarrassed, her face filled with a red flush because she did not know what to say. Fortunately, Xu Min knew what he wanted to say, not leaving her in the awkward silence for long.
"I need to spar against some of your guards," Xu Min said with a serious expression on his face. "Please bring me to the same place as last time, I really need to try this sword in actual combat before the tournament starts."
Hearing this, Yong Meilin was taken aback but she quickly forgot her embarrassment. Instead, she nodded her head seriously. "If that's what you want, then please follow me," she said with her melodious voice. As she stood up, she gently removed the grass and soil from her beautiful red robes and with a hand from Xu Min did she stand up.
The two left the courtyard side by side, walking towards the training grounds. "Do you think that you are ready to battle those of a higher rank than you?" Yong Meilin asked worried, her voice was slightly trembling. A shudder ran through her body as she thought about the young master Tang versing Xu Min.
A wry smile appeared on Xu Min's face. Even after having relied on medicinal pills, he had still not broken into the ranks of the Two-Star Warriors. Instead, he was now a Late Stage One-Star Warrior, something which did not amount to much in the eyes of a Three-Star Warrior. An Early Stage Three-Star Warrior should have an easy time disposing a One-Star Warrior.
Fortunately, Xu Min had some benefits on his side which gave him certain advances. First off, it was obviously Cao Cao; however, Xu Min had told the snake not to participate in the battle unless they were trying to kill him. He wished to depend on himself and win on his own. He wished to prove to Cao Cao and himself that he was worth following. He also wanted to discover if he actually had a chance for revenge.
Cao Cao was not the only advantage as the second was Xu Min's physical strength. Having worked at the docks of the harbor for as many years as he did and doing exercises every single day, his strength was equal to that of a Late Stage Two-Star Warrior. This was something that increased his chances of winning greatly.
Lastly was the sword which Xu Min had been gifted by Overseer Wang. This sword was not an ordinary sword, but instead was a broadsword. Its length was a meter and a half, only thirty centimeters shorter than Xu Min himself. It was not only the length but also the thickness and width of the blade. The blade was five centimeters thick and forty centimeters wide. It was so wide that Xu Min could use it to protect his entire body.
Looking at the sword, Xu Min had been incapable of completely understanding what kind of materials this sword was created from. The sword seemed to have been created from a black type of metal. Its weight was incredible and at the same time, the metal shone with a blue-blackish light as the sunlight shone upon it.
The sword had a sharp edge, an edge that would cut through everything as though it was made of butter. This was the sword Xu Min had been given, and it was a sword which the young man had finally managed to master. Although he had not managed to create any physical attacks so far, he was capable of using the sword skillfully and each of his strikes could be imbued with Qi, making them stronger by tenfold. His speed was already incredibly fast and his reflexes were swift.
Adding all these benefits together, Xu Min would be stronger than the One-Star Warriors, slightly stronger than the average Two-Star Warriors, and only slightly weaker than a Three-Star Warrior when it came to physical strength.
When it came to Qi, the story was completely different. He was superior to a One-Star Warrior, but he was far inferior when compared to Two-Star and Three-Star Warriors. He had to rely solely on his increased strength and the energy to fortify it while learning how to use the sword to block techniques from other experts.
Following Yong Meilin, all these thoughts were swirling within Xu Min's mind but as they came closer and closer to the training grounds. The smile on his face grew larger and he held some promise and determination within his eyes. He was going to prove that he was capable of defeating Three-Star Warriors. If he could not do it now, then he would not be capable of defeating the ones at the tournament.
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Chapter 41: Physical and Internal Strength
It did not take long for Xu Min and Yong Meilin to once more reach the training grounds, the place where Xu Min previously had battled against the guards.
These guards, the ones who were currently fighting and training, were a mixture of Young family members and hired guards. This Young family was a side branch to the main Yong family. Although they were fairly new within the Ri Chu City, they had existed for a long time in the capital of the Hekou Province.
Now that they had brought the entire side branch of the sect with them to Ri Chu City and had set up an auction house of their own, the family had flourished and soon became one of the top factions within the city. One of the reasons that this was possible was due to wealth. The family had been given a handsome amount of money to set up the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. This had made it easy to become one of the leading factions.
The Alluring Treasure Pavilion was different from the other families and clans within Ri Chu City. They did not gain their fame through high ranked experts, tournaments, or talented individuals from within their families. For them, talent depended on how much money one managed to earn for the family. What they spent their time on was promoting the children that could take over and manage their auctionhouses. Those who were not talented on this behalf were the children who started focusing on cultivation. They would cultivate to as far as their talent allowed them to, and work their lives as guards for the Yong family and the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.
Family members were not enough to keep the blooming business safe and all the branch families had to spend coin to ensure that they managed to have enough safety for their auctions. With enough gold, experts could be bought to protect their business. For the Yong family, this was far more beneficial than risking cultivation materials and time to promote youngsters who were not certain to provide the safety needed for their auction house.
Making his way to the training grounds, Xu Min developed a smile on his face as he saw warriors of almost any rank and strength in front of him. The majority of the guards were ranked from One-Stars to Three-Stars. These were the cheapest experts to hire and also the rank most warriors managed to reach. It was the limit of their talent.
Some Four-Star Warriors and Five-Star Warriors were conversing at the back of the training grounds. Some Six-Star Warriors were shouting at a group of young men who were clearly Student Warriors currently undergoing training to become experts much like Xu Min did back at the Zhong family mansion.
"So, how is training going?" Xu Min asked casually as the two of them stood in the training area. His eyes swept across the many experts who were training and a whistle of respect was heard from his lips. These experts were indeed serious about their training.
Some were standing still, practicing specific stances while others were moving swiftly, practicing physical training. There were those who ran and others who were doing push ups. Some had Qi leaving their bodies in specific shapes above their head or behind their backs. They were preparing to strike. Some were attacking dummies, raining down kicks and fists against the straw-dolls. The heavy sound of the fighting resounded through the massive training grounds.
What caught Xu Min's eyes were not the ones training in various ways, but instead the arena that was located at the very back of the training grounds. On this arena, two warriors battled each other. One was a Two-Star Warrior while the other was a Three-Star Warrior. Looking at the two, one could truly see just how much difference there was between a Two-Star Warrior and a Three-Star Warrior. It was as though a cat was toying with a mouse.
The battle quickly ended. Soon after, another hopeful expert stepped onto the platform where yet another battle commenced. This time, there were two Three-Star Warriors who battled one another.
This arena was very simple. The winner was to stay until he no longer could fight. The longer one stayed in the arena, the bigger one's bonus would be that month. Staying in the arena meant that one was strong enough to be considered the elites of the guardsmen.
This was only for the Three-Star Warriors and below. Everyone above already got such a high sum of money protecting the Alluring Treasure Pavilion that even if the other families of Ri Chu knew about it, they would almost be choked in their tea by shock.
Xu Min made his way to the arena. Without much ado did he stand in the queue, waiting for it to be his turn. By his side, Yong Meilin was standing.
"You can battle the guards anywhere you wish," she complained as she saw how the man who never seemed to spare one moment of the day was suddenly just standing there, waiting for it to be his turn to battle.
"It's fine," Xu Min assured her. He knew how she wished to give him anything he wanted, not just because they were friends, but also because that her grandfather had ordered her to do so.
"I wish to battle these experts," Xu Min stated with a serious expression in his eyes. "These experts need to have won a battle to be able to stand up there on the arena and accept challenges from others," he started explaining as he saw how Yong Meilin looked confused. "These men are all higher ranked than I am. I might have an advantage against the Two-Star Warriors when it comes to my physical strength. But when it comes to Three-Star Warriors, I am in in a complete disadvantage. I do not have the same physical strength as them, and I definitely do not have even half of their Qi. So when it comes to battling them, I need them to have some kind of disadvantage. For instance, they had already battled in one or two fights and he been forced to use their inner energies beforehand. This makes it slightly more equal." Xu Min finished. A gentle smile was on his face as he patted Yong Meilin on her head as she was listening to him with complete attention. Her focus was solely on him, not paying any attention to the many guards around them.
While Yong Meilin paid no attention to anyone else, the guards paid quite a lot of attention to her and the young man by her side. They had long since heard rumors about how their family's ice-queen had taken a liking to a stranger who had appeared from out of nowhere. These guards had even been given information from the maids that the mysterious stranger had visited the family leader together with Yong Meilin. Could it mean that he had given them his blessing to have a relationship? They hoped not.
No one dared saying anything when they saw Yong Meiling laughing and smiling to the young man in front of her. Also, they didn't dare to say anything to the man who was smiling carelessly back at the woman. While a few felt content to see Yong Meilin this happy, others were anything but on her behalf. Instead, they were glaring at Xu Min.
These people, looking at the young man by her side, were grimacing as they noticed that the aura of this young man was only a One-Star Warrior. Although it was astonishing that he had reached this rank before the age of twenty, it was not all that unusual if he was a young master from a large family and had access to medicinal plants and pills.
While looking at this One-Star Warrior who was standing in the queue, many of the guards felt like laughing out loud. The queue consisted mainly of Three-Star Warriors and a few Late Stage Two-Star Warriors. None of them were One-Star Warriors, and yet here he was, a young man who was smiling leisurely as he chatted with the woman that all guards considered the goddess of the Yong family.
If this young man was that disillusioned that he thought he could battle these veteran guards of the Yong family, they would gladly welcome him. While they would not seriously wound him out of fear for their own lives, they would still give him a thrashing, one so painful that his ego would be slammed straight down into the ground.
None of the guards spoke a word, but as their eyes landed on one another it was easy to see that they all felt the same way. While these guards were busy planning. Xu Min was standing with Yong Meilin. The sword was hanging over his shoulders and his face was filled with a smile.
Standing on the arena was still a Three-Star Warrior. His breathing had started to become shallow after battling multiple opponents. His eyes stood unyielding but his power would soon to be completely deflated.
Seven people stood in the queue in front of Xu Min and the next man who went to the stage was a late stage Two-Star Warrior.
"I don't understand why he looks this happy," Yong Meilin said with a frown on her face as she saw how the Two-Star Warrior was grinning from ear to ear as he made his way to the stage. "He is only a Two-Star Warrior, yet he looks as though he is going to be the winner of this match."
Hearing the words Yong Meilin said, Xu Min could not help but to laugh out loud. After having met Yong Meilin, the once somber and serious Xu Min had learned how to laugh and feel happy. Yong Meilin was his very first friend, and somehow Xu Min had come to truly value her. Having her around made his life far more interesting than what it had been before.
"Look at me," Xu Min laughed at Yong Meilin, "If I, a One-Star Warrior, dare to go against a Three-Star Warrior, then why would a Two-Star Warrior not give it a try?" He asked gently as he once more patted the woman's head. Somehow, this action had become a habit for him and he greatly enjoyed it.
Hearing Xu Min's words, Yong Meilin pouted slightly as she said with a whispering voice, "You are different from the rest of them. It doesn't count."
Although she had whispered it, how could the rest of the queue not hear what she said? All of them were Two-Star or Three-Star Warriors. Their bodies were enhanced by constantly refining by the essence of the heavens and the earth. Their senses were improved by the constant influx of energy flooding their bodies. How could they not hear the whisper of Yong Meilin?
The guards were taken aback by the partiality which Yong Meilin was clearly showing the young man in front of her. Some started to take him serious and others still looking down on him. The only two who could not afford to listen in on the conversation was the two guards currently at the arena.
Although the Three-Star Warrior was exhausted, he was still a Three-Star Warrior. Even with almost no energy left, the Three-Star Warrior seemed to have the upper hand. His Qi was equal to that of the Two-Star Warrior; however, his physical strength was far superior to the lower ranked expert.
Having patted Yong Meilin's hair, Xu Min's eyes once more focused on the battle in front of him. He did not notice how everyone else in the queue was looking at him. They were determining whether or not he was worth putting in their eyes, or if they should keep on ignoring him. The majority of these guards ended up coming to the conclusion that this young man was not as simple as he seemed. Seeing how he was focused fully on the battle in front of him, his eyebrows frowned from time to time. His lips moved as he could not help but whisper a few remarks about the battle he was watching.
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Chapter 42: My Turn
As Xu Min was fully focused on the battle in front of him, Yong Meilin understood that now was not the time for her to speak. Instead, she clasped her hands on her back as she shifted her eyes between Xu Min and the battle in the arena. It was not that Yong Meilin did not enjoy watching battles, but the young woman was proud as she stood next to Xu Min. Her face could not help but smile and a warm smile was on her face as the butterflies in her stomach increased the closer they got to Xu Min's battle.
Yong Meilin did not like Xu Min because he was a talented cultivator unlike any she had seen before. No. Yong Meilin liked him because he was different from anyone else she had ever met before. He cared about her as a person, not as a trophy to show off. He was always there to answer her questions when she asked. This also meant that although she saw Xu Min train daily, Yong Meilin was truly worried as to whether or not he was capable of defeating experts stronger than him. She was completely aware that a One-Star Warrior should not be capable of defeating Three-Star Warriors or even Two-Star Warriors.
Yet Xu Min paid no attention to the worried Yong Meilin, but instead his eyes constantly roamed across the arena. He was picking up every single movement and every attack used. His eyes soon noticing how each of the experts attacked.
The Three-Star Expert was an internal expert. One stance after another was taken and Qi swirled around him. It took one shape after another, each internal attack hitting the opponent. As time went on, the Qi turned transparent and the attacks weakened in strength. Although the Three-Star Warrior was higher ranked than the challenger, the challenger had an advantage as the other was exhausted. As an internal expert, he relied solely on his inner energies to make him win battles. Having used it all, he had no ability to protect himself from the energies raining down upon him from the opponent.
"Look at this," Xu Min said with a smile to Yong Meilin who instantly looked at what was happening in front of them. "Both of these two experts are internal experts," Xu Min started explaining what was going on around them. "Although both are internal experts, the higher ranked warrior has already used the majority of his energy and he is unable to gather enough Qi to deal any serious wound on the challenger."
"The challenger, on the other hand, has more Qi than the higher ranked expert. But he will need to use a high amount of his internal energies to muster an attack that might cause the opponent to feel danger. If he does not, it will become a battle of attrition. In the end, neither will be able to defeat the other and the battle will drag out forever. If I were him, I would use the Qi to win. In the long run, that is the most beneficial as he will just burn it up the other way."
Hearing Xu Min explain what he was seeing made the battle easier to follow for Yong Meilin. Just as Xu Min had spoken, the Two-Star Warrior drew back and took a stance which seemed somewhat similar to the Shattering Palm. This caused Xu Min to raise an eyebrow.
The attack looked different to the Shattering Palm, but the Qi which gathered above the young man's head was similar to the Shattering Palm. A large hand appeared over his head, as he pushed his own hand downwards. The massive hand of Qi hovering above his head did the exact same action and the hand pushed downwards to the opponent, pressuring him to the ground.
"This is only a spar," Xu Min whispered to Yong Meilin as he pointed at the massive palm on the arena. "If he had truly wished to kill the opponent, he would have made a swift strike with his hand. A swift strike would have instantly crushed him to pieces; however, this attack seems to be slightly less useful than the Shattering Palm I own," pride appeared in Xu Min's voice as he analyzed what he saw in front of him. "The Shattering Palm requires a bit less Qi since I am capable of executing it. But this guy, an internal Two-Star Expert, has used around half of his Qi to deploy this one attack. He will need to use all his energy to stay there for one more battle, and after that he is unlikely to stay any longer." Xu Min continued to speak. This time, he calculated how the battles in front of him would happen. Instead of speaking clearly, his voice became lower until it was nothing but a mumble, impossible for Yong Meilin to hear what he was saying.
In front of him were three experts. Two of them were Two-Star Experts while the final was a Three-Star Expert. The battle was anything but beneficial to Xu Min. It was likely that the current champion would defeat the next challenger, but the likelihood of him beating a second warrior was low. The champion would be changed to another Two-Star Warrior who would definitely be defeated by the Three-Star Warrior.
As soon as the Three-Star Warrior had recharged his strength, he would be able to defeat the Two-Star Warrior without using too much of his Qi. If this guy was an external expert, then Xu Min would be at a loss. His only strength was the fact that he was a Late Stage Two-Star Warrior when it came to his physical strength. Mixed with the weapon and his limited Qi, Xu Min knew that his chances of winning against a Three-Star Warrior was less than forty percent. But he still wished to try it.
Around his neck, he felt the comfort of a resting snake, but his eyes were firm as he decided that this was his battle. Cao Cao was only allowed to participate if he believed that someone was able to threaten Xu Min's life.
But this was not the tournament and there were no guards around here who wished to take Xu Min's life. Instead, he could practice against the guards without having to worry about his survival. This was the perfect place to start practicing and he had half a month left!
The following battles transpired exactly as Xu Min had guessed. He could not help but smile wryly when he stepped onto the platform. Xu Min was the only One-Star Warrior in the entire queue and his courage was a show of recklessness. Others hoped that this young man truly had some secret powers which allowed for him to be arrogant enough to walk around with their Ice-Queen hand in hand.
Xu Min was almost facing the hardest possible situation. The Three-Star Warrior in front of him had only battled a Two-Star Warrior to become the reigning champion and the Two-Star Warrior had been low on Qi. This resulted in the man in front of him having almost full Qi. The only positive thing that Xu Min saw was the fact that the man was an internal expert. As long as he managed to escape the different stances and techniques, he should be having a certain degree of success.
There was obviously a reason why Xu Min dared to go against a Three-Star Warrior. Although the warrior should be able to beat him silly within moments, Xu Min still had his speed. This made it possible for him to avoid some of the attacks, but mainly he relied on his sword.
Xu Min had been gifted this broadsword by Overseer Wang. At first, Xu Min had expected that this was a very simple artifact; however, as the days went by, he came to understand it far better than what he had expected.
This sword was not an ordinary sword. It was a sword that was immune to Qi. Usually weapons were only used by external experts and they would be fortified by inserting one's Qi into the weapon itself which increased the damage done by the sword. However, this weapon refused to react on Qi, just as it was incredibly good at guarding against attacking Qi. If he managed to hit an attack head on, the attack would dissipate into thin air.
Xu Min had still not tried this out on anyone other his own Shattering Palm and Radiating Jade Shower. He ended up finding different results. The single target attack Shattering Palm was easily countered while the Radiant Jade Shower was far more troublesome. The attack consisted of thousands of small jade-like Qi pieces which rained down upon the opponent and the sword could only block so many of these attacks.
Stepping onto the stage, Xu Min started to smile as he prepared for his battle. His heart rate had picked up and his eyes were gleaming with excitement. It had been so long since he had been in a battle, even something as simple as a spar. Taking his place at the arena, he respectfully nodded to his opponent. Looking at this Three-Star Warrior, Xu Min noticed that although there was a look of disdain was on his lips, his eyes were filled with vigilance. It was clear that this Warrior had no intention of underestimating this young man in front of him.
The Three-Star Warrior in front of Xu Min had a tall and lean body type. His entire focus was clearly on refining internal energies. His body was neglected to a point where Xu Min was astonished that he could still control his energy with such a frail body.
As long as he managed to stay clear of the skinny man's attacks and get close enough to use one of his own, Xu Min should be fine. As soon as the battle started, the skinny man instantly took a stance. Qi quickly began to billow out from his body, gathering behind him in the shape of a long snake. The long Qi snake slithered around, tangling up the thin man. As he moved his arms, the snake started moving around and its speed was equal to that of the arm movements. Xu Min, who had trained his speed whenever he worked at the docks, skillfully dodged the large snake which moved around on the stage.
Seeing how nimble the One-Star Warrior was, many of the observers were instantly quiet as they knew that their own speed could not compete with his. Over two-thirds of the Warriors currently standing in the queue were all internal experts. For them to be slower than Xu Min was not that shocking. The external experts on the ground all narrowed their eyes. The explosive speed he had used to dodge the snake was definitely not something that a One-Star Warrior was capable of doing. One single thought ran through the whole surrounding area was clearly 'Is this guy truly a One-Star Warrior?'
Xu Min, on the stage, had no time to pay any heed to the ones staring at him. Instead, he let out a sigh of relief. He had feared that his speed had truly been too slow that he would have been crushed with the first exchange; however, he was still doing okay on the stage. With his eyes constantly on the slithering snake, he stomped the ground and ran around on the stage so quickly that he turned into a blur for the naked eye. Some of the guards had to strain their eyesight to truly catch a glimpse of this swift expert.
As Xu Min kept running around, he finally unsheathed his sword and as he did, in one flowing motion did it cut downward. The weight of gravity added to the heavy sword and as soon as it touched the snake closing in on him, Xu Min used all his strength to chop right behind the snake head.
*Boom!*
As the loud boom sounded out, dust rose on the stage and the snake was coiled up, slowly dissipating into thin air. Xu Min was panting slightly as he once more sheathed the sword on his back and took a defensive stance as he knew that the snake had only been to feel him out. The expert in front of him was far from being defeated.
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Chapter 43: Victory and Defeat
Seeing that his snake had been crushed from only one attack by the young man in front of him, the Three-Star Warrior raised an eyebrow in surprise. He was incredibly shocked but also excited. A smile appeared on his face and he retreated backwards, ended up directly into yet another stance. His body strung like a bowstring, and the sound of waves could be heard as Qi once more billowed out from the back of the expert. The Qi gathered in waves which swept over the stage, headed straight for Xu Min.
Seeing the wave, Xu Min was not panicking as he once more unsheathed his sword and pouring his Qi into the arms. "Hyaa!" Xu Min yelled out as he swung the sword in his hands against the tidal wave in front of him. As soon as the tip touched the wave, Xu Min's own energy attacked the wave and slow-moving ripples of energy disappeared. It opened a small pathway in the waves and allowed for him to safely get through without being crushed.
The wave clashed against an invisible barrier around the arena. Buhe young man had no time to look at this barrier because he was focused fully on the battle in front of him.
Having chopped down the snake and forced his way through the Qi wave, Xu Min could feel that he had used quite a significant amount of Qi. Although he was an external expert, someone who used far less Qi for each attack than the internal experts. However, he was currently against a Three-Star Warrior, someone who was far stronger than Xu Min and forced the young man to use all the power at his disposal. Twice he had gone against the opponent and twice he had gotten through the dangers which were opposing him. The price had been expensive as his Qi was already low, but his physical body was still bursting with energy. Xu Min launched himself towards the expert.
The most vulnerable time for an internal expert was when they had finished casting a stance and before they were capable of taking another one. If the stance had been broken through, much like Xu Min just had done now, the internal expert was standing with one very big decision to make. If he was going to back off, he needed to forcefully stop the attack happening which was the wave which he had casted out. Forcefully exiting a stance would cause injury to oneselves. The stronger the attack, the more damage it would do to oneself. Another problem was that when someone forcefully cut the link to the Qi attack, one would lose all the Qi that was within the attack. This did not allow for any of the Qi to return to the body. Instead, it would dissipate into the air, making the expert end in a less favourable position. The other option was to hope that the opponent was incapable of reaching him in time and let the attack die out on its own before he took on another stance.
Looking at the young man dashing towards him, the Three-Star Warrior gritted his teeth as he forcefully cut the link between him and the Qi he had sent out of his body. He allowed himself to jump backwards and instantly take another stance.
Although this expert was in no way an external one, he still had some speed which made it possible for him to dodge just far enough to avoid a hit from Xu Min's sword. Standing further back, the Three-Star Warrior was in a bad position as Xu Min had pushed him further back. He was so close to the corner of the arena that he was uncertain whether or not he was going to fall down. Currently finding a place to take a stance was in no way an easy feat.
Being in the corner, Xu Min constantly got closer and closer to the older man. The sword in his hand had been raised slightly, drawn back, and ready to attack. Before he could do this, the expert desperately took a stance causing even more of his Qi to come out. This Qi turned into gale winds, forcing Xu Min backwards and making it impossible for him to advance closer.
Lifting up the sword within his hand, Xu Min managed to block some of the wind and come to a standstill. Moving forward was still hard, but falling further back was now stopped and the two experts were caught in a standstill. Xu Min could not move further up, but the opponent could not stop wasting his Qi. He knew that as soon as he did, Xu Min could once more move closer.
Gritting his teeth, the opponent forced even more Qi out from his body. He pushed back the young man and observed the arena in front of him, calculating how far back he needed the young man to go to be able to put out another stance.
The entire surrounding area was quiet as no one said a word. Everyone was deeply shocked by what they saw in front of them. The majority had at first expected Xu Min to lose within one attack, especially as they saw the snake which had been slithering around the ground. But as soon as it had appeared, the young man who was clearly only a One-Star Warrior had decapitated it. Next, the Qi waves had appeared and once more the young man had managed to get through them without problems. Finally, everyone within the room had understood that the young man who had seemed arrogant actually had the strength to back up his persona. Even the opponent on top of the arena had understood that although he could look down on the majority of the experts below his rank, including many on his own rank, this young man in front of him was clearly different from the other ones he had battled before. To think that a young man who still had traces of childness in his features was this strong. He was clearly a young man with amazing talent.
Although he was thinking like this, the tall expert was aware that he had no time to waste. Instead, he stopped the gale wind of Qi and took another stance. A small stream of blood was leaking out from the corner of his mouth, showing that forcefully canceling his attacks had injured him internally. Although he was injured, his eyes were filled with determination and no signs of giving up could be seen. This was something that caused Xu Min to smile gently and happily as he stayed at a distance, waiting for the next attack.
Although it was risky for Xu Min to take on each attack, he simply had no other choice. To attack, he needed to force the opponent to cancel an attack and then use his own stance to force the opponent out of the arena.
The tall and lanky warrior was fully aware of how Xu Min thought. Although he hated the fact that he needed to follow the expectations of the young man, he had no other choice. If he did not make a stance soon, the young man was going to directly attack him. This left him no room to make a stance and protect himself.
Seeing this, the older man lifted both his arms and took a stance. A white cloud completely surrounded him that quickly rose in size until eventually the entire half stage was filled with this Qi flowing from the older man.
Seeing this, Xu Min gritted his teeth and the sword in his hand started humming as it slowly shot towards the Qi in front of him. This caused the young man to be astonished as the sword itself seemed to absorb the Qi that had filled half the arena.
As soon as the sword had touched the Qi, small snakes appeared and attacked the edge of the sword. As soon as it touched it, the Qi snakes were being absorbed by the sword itself, alongside the Qi filling up the entire arena.
Feeling this, Xu Min felt how the sword in his hands grew in strength. More and more power was sucked up and energy ripples were emitted from the sword; some of it was leaking through the handle and into Xu Min's arm which was filling his body with foreign Qi. This Qi which slowly went through his body and through the meridians to slowly merge with his own Qi. As this happened, the young man felt how the Qi which had been around the arena slowly made him climb closer and closer to the ranking of a Two-Star Warrior. After only one-third was left behind of the Qi that filled up the arena, Xu Min felt how his body started to tremble. Ever so slowly, his bones started emitting creaking sounds. The dantian inside his body swelled, Qi billowed through his body filling him with strength, and the fatigue he had felt before had completely vanished.
Although Xu Min had just broken into the ranks of a Two-Star Warrior, the sword seemed to not stop just there. It kept sucking up energy from the arena and this energy entered both the sword and Xu Min.
Everyone viewing what was happening were stiff in surprise. They could not understand why the Qi that was meant to attack and protect slowly dissipated like this. All of them were also astonished to see that during this critical moment, the expert was finally breaking through. No one apart from the opponent could feel or see that the Qi was entering Xu Min, strengthening him from the inside.
Who did know what was going on was the opponent who was still hiding within the mist of Qi that kept swirling around him. He could feel how his Qi was being sucked away from him, into something different. He also felt how he was constantly being weakened. Although he was not going lower in rank, the Qi he was losing was no small matter. He had released everything within his ability before the abnormal suction force appeared, sucking up the Qi that had left his body.
Finally, the Qi had gotten so transparent that the older man could see the sword tip which was touching the wall of the Qi. The suction force came from within this sword, something which shocked the taller man deeply. Seeing that his energy was being absorbed, the older man once more forced himself to break one of his stances. Instantly after he took a new stance, the rest of his Qi flew above him where it took the shape of a bow and an arrow. The arrow pointed straight at Xu Min who narrowed his eyes as he saw the weapon pointing his way.
Not wanting to waste time and give the young man enough time to actually prepare for the attack, the older man's hands made a gesture. As though he let go of an arrow, the Qi arrow instantly followed suit. The arrow rushed towards Xu Min who lifted the sword as a protective shield, hiding behind it. He smiled as he felt how the arrow was turning into splinters before another arrow appeared. Soon, arrows rained down upon Xu Min; however, he was now filled with energy on the inside. His sword hummed with strength and the young man slowly made his way towards the taller man.
Reaching him did not take too long as he managed to block every arrow. As he reached the opponent, it was easy to finish the battle. All he had to do was place the sword at the neck of the opponent who instantly nodded in forfeit.
The opponent had already lost more than four fifths of his energy to the abnormal suction force within the sword. He had used the remaining of his energy to execute the stance where he created a shower of Qi arrows. This ended up draining his last bit of energy, causing him to not even have enough energy to move away from Xu Min as he arrived with his sword.
Smiling, Xu Min went to the middle of the arena, his body bursting with energy. He was far stronger than he had ever experienced before. A smile was on his face as he knew that this had been the best luck he had ever experienced. Although he should know when to stop, Xu Min felt like he could afford to suck up Qi from one more person before he had to go back home to balance his energies. He wanted to continue to prepare for the upcoming tournament.
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Chapter 44: Stealing Energy
The entire room was silent. The ones who had been training and heard the unusual loud noises coming from the arena at the back all stopped their training to walk closer and see what was happening. Seeing that there was a One-Star Warrior fighting a Three-Star Warrior, everyone was perplexed as to how this youngster was capable of holding his ground against a superior opponent. Even more shocking was that the young man managed to make a breakthrough right there on the middle of the stage.
Although this young man had broken through, he was still only a Two-Star Expert. The opponent in front of him was a Three-Star Expert and still he had been incapable of defeating the Early Stage Two-Star Warrior. This proved that although this young man had shown his arrogance earlier, he was indeed capable of showing off as anyone would consider him a great genius of the younger generation.
By the side of the Arena, Yong Meilin was standing with a smile on her face and her hands clapping. Her laughter was like drops of fresh water falling into a small stream. Her joy was able to refresh anyone who listened to the sound, entrancing them as though she was a fairy. She was stealing away their lifeforce with nothing but her beautiful voice and astonishing appearance.
"Xu Min, you are as amazing as you said," the fairy said with her beautiful voice. The moment she said this, the spell had been broken. Everyone within the training ground came back to their senses, their faces turning sour as they saw the elated expression on Yong Meilin's face as she looked at the young man on the stage. Seeing how he only replied to her with a small smile, the many men felt so jealous inside. They were jealous that it was not them who were being looked at with such care.
Xu Min did not care about the jealousy as all he felt was the thrill when the sword in his hand started absorbing the energies from his opponent and depositing them inside himself. He was not completely certain how it worked. He knew that he had to practice it some more to truly understand what type of weapon his master had given him as a farewell gift.
"Who is next?" Xu Min's voice rung through the incredibly silent grounds and the next in line finally realised that it was his turn. His eyes turned serious and a sneer appeared on his face.
"You might be good," the opponent said as he climbed onto the arena, "But I am not as easy to beat as some internal expert. Let us see how well you will manage someone who is an external expert just like you!"
The expert in front of Xu Min was a Two-Star Warrior much like him. Xu Min's physical strength was equal to a late stage Two-Star Warrior and he also noticed that the man in front of him was a warrior of the same rank. Although, his internal energy was stronger than Xu Min's.
As an eternal expert, this man's entire body was filled with bulging muscle. His body was clearly focused on pure strength alone, especially since his arms had astonishingly large muscles beneath the somewhat tanned skin. Looking at this man, Xu Min could understand the major difference between the two. Although they both were external experts, they had gone down two different paths of training, and now they were waiting to see which way was the better one.
Xu Min trained his entire body and ensured that every muscle within his body had been pushed to their limits. He also specialised in speed while the man in front of him who focused purely on strength would not be as nimble as Xu Min. However if this man managed to catch Xu Min, the battle would be over. There was no way that Xu Min could hope to escape such a grip or be able to protect himself against the strong arms clamping down upon him.
Even though it was like this, the certainty of victory was evident on Xu Min's face. He even winked to Yong Meilin just as the battle was about to begin. This caused the opponent to become starling red as rage fumed within his body causing him to run towards Xu Min.
The strong arm shot out like a snake attacking, but although he was fast compared to other experts, he was nothing compared to someone like Xu Min. He had trained his entire body day in and day out. Xu Min trained in the docks at Honghe City and within the small room that belonged to Overseer Wang.
As the attack launched towards him, Xu Min took a step to the side and he gracefully avoided the punch which was coming his way. Seeing this, the older man felt his anger rise. As he was thrusting the arm forward, he swept it to the side in the hopes to catch the young man off-guard.
Seeing the arm change trajectory, Xu Min was not astonished in the least. Instead, he let go of a snort filled with disdain as he leaned backwards and once more managed to escape the double attack from the opponent. He avoided the attacks so skillfully that not even the corner of his sleeves had been touched. As he avoided the attacks so gracefully, Xu Min once again astonished the ones observing the battle. Yet, one thing was to avoid, but another was to attack. The man in front of him was filled with muscle in his upper torso. There was so much so that they managed to create an amazing defense, not allowing for any Qi to penetrate into his internals and cause him serious injury.
The man in front of Xu Min was a very well-known expert within the paid guards of the Yong family. He usually fought against the Three-Star Warriors as his body was protected by a large layer of muscle. This allowed for him to stand against the internal techniques and made it easier for him to win against the average Three-Star Warriors.
Usually, external experts were weaker than the internal ones. Once in awhile, experts would appear as opposites, the external experts which specialised against internal experts. Xu Min's current opponent was one of these experts.
"So you think that just because you can defeat Three-Star Warriors that I am an easy target?" Xu Min mumbled to himself, his brown eyes turning slightly chilled. Absorbing energy from an external expert seemed to be impossible for the sword as all the Qi was only floating around within his body and not outside it. The sword in his hands only seemed capable of absorbing the energy which was floating around within the air. This removed any chance of Xu Min draining the opponent's energy.
"It is a pretty cute weapon you got there," the tall bulky man said, standing on the other side of the arena. He reached his arm down from the arena and he too grabbed his weapon of choice.
Xu Min raised an eyebrow in surprise as he saw a massive axe within the arms of this external expert in front of him. It seemed as though things had just gotten much more complicated.
The two men were standing on the arena, neither of them took the initiative to attack first. Both were wielding their weapons in a posture so that they could both block and attack at any moment. The atmosphere was so tense that one could almost cut through it. The axe seemed dominant, as though it was capable of chopping through the young man in front of him. Although he was not as bulky as the man in front of him, Xu Min had a strong body and the sword in his arms was humming slightly. Energy ripples left the sword one after another much like waves crashing against the beach, rolling over land, and slowly vanishing into the sand. These energy ripples did just that. They left the sword and rolled into the air until it vanished into the air, dissipating to never be seen again. Feeling this much energy within the sword, Xu Min understood that he had most likely only gained half of the energy absorbed. The sword was simply filled with energy which did not belong to Xu Min himself.
"Prepare yourself!" The other man finally lost patience, having been affected by rage for too long. He was incapable of holding back for any longer and with a strong and outstretched arm, he swiped across the entire half of the arena. The sound of the air being split into two was sounding out. Although Xu Min had managed to avoid the first few attacks, many of the audience were looking at the arena with held breaths as they wondered whether or not he would be capable of avoiding this swift axe that only left a blur behind. The strength of the man's arm was even stronger than what Xu Min had expected. As he once more got ready to dodge, he was surprised to see how skillfully the axe was being moved.
At first, he had planned on running to the side, making a narrow escape. Now, this was not an option as the large axe was swiping past its range being half a circle. Xu Min retreated a few steps instead. He looked at the ground and saw that some black hair had been cut off, landing on the floor of the arena ground.
Seeing how close it had been, Xu Min raised an eyebrow on his forehead. The young man was suddenly unable to contain a grin which appeared on his eyes.
"My turn!" he said and with a kick on the ground he used the force to set off against the opponent. The sword in his hand was ready to strike. This was the first time that Xu Min was using his real speed. Speeding towards the man in front of him, a grin was evident on his face as he wielded the large sword as though it weighed nothing. Seeing this, the opponent's eyes widened in surprise.
Although he had planned to attack, he quickly got in a defensive stance. The muscle in his body swelled, and he grinned just as much as Xu Min was. Both men were Late Stage Two-Star Warriors, and both of them were capable of posing a threat to the other. Neither dared to be complacent as still both were completely certain that they would win.
This was an attack of pure strength. Looking at the two from outside, it would seem that Xu Min had no chance of winning. However, he gathered all the strength throughout his entire body, and poured it all into the already humming sword in his hands. As he brought down the sword, it collided with the opponent's great axe.
A massive boom sounded out and the entire ground shook. The arena was completely filled with a cloud of dust. From the arena, there was a large scar stretching through the entire training ground, disturbing anyone who tried to train.
The dust took forever to settle and as it did, everyone stared in astonishment when they saw an unconscious large man and an axe which had been cleaved into two parts in front of them. Xu Min was standing in the middle of the arena with a massive gash between his legs while holding a grin on his face that hadn't disappeared. The only change was that a fine layer of dust had settled upon his clothes, and he was now resting against the sword.
As the dust had settled completely, he shrugged his shoulders and looked at the long gash. It had spread beneath his legs, towards the edge of the arena, and even further away through the ground. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Sorry," Xu Min said as he sheathed his sword and went towards Yong Meilin, "I did not expect the last attack to be this damaging," he grinned and Yong Meiling could not help but giggle in return. It was none of her concern that the arena had been destroyed, someone ranked lower than her in the family would deal with getting it replaced.
"Well. Since you destroyed the arena, there is no real reason for us to keep hanging around here," Yong Meilin said with pursed lips as she reached out a hand towards Xu Min. Understanding what she wanted, the young man could not help but chuckle on the inside at the obviously cute behavior of the young woman. Jumping from the stage, Xu Min took her hand. With a shrug of his shoulders, the two of them together departed the training grounds, leaving behind one stunned expert after another.
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Chapter 45: Master Dong Liang
As Yong Meilin and Xu Min were leaving the training grounds, they saw a servant rushing towards them. In his hand was a sealed scroll which he humbly gave to Yong Meilin. His entire demeanor was that of a servant: he never once looked her in the eyes, he fell to his knee as he lifted the scroll above his head, and he dared not say a word. This behavior caused Xu Min to raise an eyebrow in surprise but he said nothing. Instead, he looked around waiting for Yong Meilin to finish reading so that the two of them could return to his courtyard and once more begin training. He found that he had gotten quite some enlightenment during the battles he had participated in, especially with the sword in his hands. He needed to test it more, to try to see if he could control the absorption or if it was automatic. In general, he needed a greater understanding of the weapon he had in his hands.
While Yong Meilin was busy reading the message she had been given, her brows frowned for a short while. She glanced at Xu Min who only had eyes for his sword, and a sigh escaped her lips. She had been with Xu Min long enough to know that training had priority for him, but she had been given an order saying that he had to follow her. "Xu Min," she called out and the young man by her side looked at her, curious as to what she wanted. "You need to follow me. There is a very important guest who wishes to see you and it cannot wait," she said with a trembling and low voice. She knew that Xu Min would prefer not to follow her but she had no choice other than make him. Knowing her dilemma, Xu Min sighed a small sigh and then nodded his head, "Let us go then. The sooner we go, the sooner I can train."
Nodding her head, Yong Meilin instantly took Xu Min by the hand and rushed towards the office belonging to her grandfather. Seeing where they were headed, Xu Min assumed that it had to do with the tournament which was only half a month away. He was also curious to hear what he had to say. Had he regretted letting a One-Star Warrior represent them? Although Xu Min just reached the rank of a Two-Star Warrior, the grandfather should now know about it. Thus, this was a very logical decision for him.
As they reached the office, Yong Meilin took a moment to calm herself. She smoothed her form-fitting dress and pinch her cheeks, making them seem healthy with a scarlet color on the otherwise pearl white skin.
Xu Min, looking at her, could not help but be curious. Her behavior seemed to be different from someone who came to visit their grandfather. He was now excited to see whom was waiting inside the room. Yong Meilin knocked on the door and moments after an elderly voice sounded out, "Come on in." Both Yong Meilin and Xu Min followed suit and entered the office.
As soon as they entered, the first thing Xu Min noticed was that there were blinds for the windows and the room itself was only lit with some candlelight. There was absolutely no sunshine inside the room. The second thing Xu Min noticed was an elderly man. He seemed to be around the same age as the grandfather, the leader of this Yong family branch. But, he was someone Xu Min had never seen before. In his hands was something he recognized though. In the hands of the elder man was the Yearning Sunflower that Xu Min had sold to Yong Meilin months before. Now in his hands, he gently caressed the stem as though it was the most valuable treasure he had ever seen. It was so astonishing that he could not help himself from caressing it.
"Welcome Xu Min, little Meilin," the grandfather said as he nodded to the two youngsters who had just entered through the door. The young man saw how Yong Meilin instantly curtseyed deeply to the stranger and to behave properly, so Xu Min decided to give the man a bow. He had been taught to be polite to strangers. Being polite usually got him further than being arrogant. Seeing Xu Min bow, the grandfather was pleasantly surprised and a smile played on his face.
"I assume that my dear little Meilin is fully aware of who our esteemed guest is; however, Xu Min, I doubt you ever had the possibility to work together with this astonishing individual before." he said as he complimented the stranger with as many words as he could. "This is Master Dong Liang, the best alchemist within the entire Hekou Province. He accepted the invitation to visit our humble abode and assist you until the tournament. He will be brewing some medicines to help your body regain strength quickly. He will be making herbal baths for you and a few special pills." The grandfather had a great smile on his face, but just as he looked at Xu Min, a frown was on his face, "I could have sworn you were a One-Star Warrior. Tell mechild, did you just have a breakthrough?" he asked deeply astonished and Xu Min nodded his head slowly. "I was fortunate to have a breakthrough during training," he confirmed. Finally, Master Dong Liang's eyes shifted from the flower he lovingly held within his hands. Looking at Xu Min, he too frowned. "How old are you boy?" the Master finally asked. Xu Min, who looked at him, contemplated the benefits of telling the truth. It was not only the Master who looked at Xu Min, but also Grandfather and Yong Meilin who were both looking at him with deep curiosity. They had dealt with Xu Min for a long time, but he had never mentioned his age. All they knew was that he was fairly young as his face still had a look of a child.
"I'm fifteen years old," he said and everyone's eyes widened in surprise. "Fifteen years old?!" the grandfather exclaimed shocked. "You are not just a One-Star Warrior, but a Two-Star Warrior at the age of fifteen?!" he continued. Xu Min was calm and collected as he nodded his head. The Alchemist was now looking at the young man with a completely different look in his eyes. He reached out his hand, "Give me your palm," he demanded and Xu Min did as he was told. Moments after, his old bony fingers touched the veins in his hands and he nodded his head, "He is indeed only a fifteen year old boy. To think I would see such a genius. Let us hope you are one of the few geniuses that manages to survive," he said with a sigh.
Xu Min understood what he meant. There were countless geniuses in the world, but not many of them survived to adulthood. Some were killed by intrigues while others from competing families. Some had been over-confident while others were incapable of adjusting to life away from their families.
Both the grandfather and Master Dong Liang sighed in unison as they both thought of geniuses they had seen die through the years. But looking at Xu Min, they both felt renewed hope. They hoped that this man was different from the other ones.
Yong Meilin was embarrassed. She was sixteen years old, older than Xu Min but she had always looked at him the way one would at an older man. To think he was actually younger was making her feel embarrassed.
Xu Min was excited as getting the assistance of such an amazing alchemist meant that he would, without a doubt, become quickly stronger than what he had expected earlier. Once more, he felt gratitude towards the Yong family. He had long since decided that he was going to use all his power to try and get the first price. Not for his own sake, but because it was obvious that this truly mattered to the Yong family.
"Let me not hold you youngsters any longer," the family leader said with a smile on his face. "I need to take our esteemed guest toward our stockrooms to find the herbs he is going to be needing for the herbal baths, pills, and medicinal concoctions. Stay within your courtyard and train. We will send a servant to fetch you when things here are ready for you," he said. Xu Min nodded his head and bowed deeply to both Master Dong Liang and the family leader before he turned around and left the room. Yong Meilin followed behind him.
As soon as the door was closed, Master Dong Liang looked at the family leader with slightly narrowed eyes. "I hear that the Tang family of Ri Chu City has invited Master Huang Zhen to assist their young master in preparation for the tournament that occurs every year. Something that occurs every year should not warrant such attention from the family leaders." Seeing that the family leader did not comment, Master Dong Liang scratched his chin while contemplating. "It is astonishing that two Yearning Sunflowers have been found within Ri Chu City so soon after one another. Even more astonishing is that both families who have gained these Yearning Sunflowers were interested in handing them out at the same time."
The family leader said nothing again, but he felt a little uncertain as to what the alchemist tried to say. The words caused sweat to appear on his forehead and he licked his lips nervously. Seeing the actions of the family leader, Dong Liang began to smile and shook his head, "It has nothing to do with me," he concluded. "I am here to help this young genius become even stronger than he already is, but do not expect miracles. Although I can help him increase his cultivation base, soothe his body when he has trained hard, and make some pills for him, I am incapable of making a major difference. He has just broken through into the rank of a Two-Star Warrior. Even if I spend all my skills, he will not be capable of breaking into the level of a Three-Star Expert before the tournament. Still, my skills will make quite a difference."
Although the family leader was aware of this, he hoped for a great miracle. He feared for the young man and his family's reputation, but he could only push forward. Nodding his head, he stood up and gestured for the esteemed guest to follow him. "Let me take you to the storage rooms and see which of the herbs you should be in need of." Together, the two older men left the room and closed the door behind them.
While the two elder men were talking, Xu Min and Yong Meilin made it back to the courtyard where the young man did not even wait a moment before focusing on the sword in his hands. At first, he examined it closely to see if any changes had been made to it. But it looked as it always did. With a harrumph, he found the medicinal pills he had gained from selling the Yearning Sunflower. He took one of the pills which restored his energy, rather than the ones increasing his cultivation base. Sitting down for a moment and breathing in and out, he felt how the energy rushed into his body. Only moments later did he stand up and take a stance he knew perfectly well. Moments after, a massive Qi hand appeared above his head.
Ordering the attack to wait in position, Xu Min unsheathed his sword. Moments later, he felt how the sword started humming again. With a suction force so strong, he felt how the energy he was controlling started to become impossible to control. The energy was becoming someone else's and Xu Min had to forcefully cut the link to his attack as the inner energies from his dantian was starting to be swallowed by the sword. Injuring himself was difficult, but Xu Min had to do this to understand his sword. A small stream of blood was running from the corner of his mouth, but a large grin was evident on his face. Xu Min felt the how energy rushed through his body and delivered directly to the sword in his hand.
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Chapter 46: Uncontrollable Sword
Repeating the same action over and over again, Xu Min injured himself time after time. He would summon the Shattering Palm, and then unsheathe his sword only to see how it would absorb the Qi. It would start by absorbing all the energy that was present outside of the body. As soon as it had sucked up the final bit of Qi, it would follow the connection between the expert and the Qi and start to absorb the energy inside the body of the cultivator. The only way to avoid this was to forcefully cut the connection between himself and the attack being swallowed up by the sword.
Another astonishing occurrence he found was that the sword kept around two-thirds of the energy within the blade. At the same time, it would send one-third of the energy to the holder's body which was Xu Min. He also found that no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible for him to insert Qi into the sword the way one usually would imbue their weapons. No matter how much he tried, it was an impossibility. The only way for the sword to gain strength was from absorbing it in the air.
"This might work as well," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he looked at the incredibly sharp sword by his side. Very carefully, he cut a small wound on his leg to allow for the tip of the sword to enter into his flesh. The sword was so sharp that he felt no pain, but as soon as the Qi was running through the wound, the sword instantly absorbed all the Qi Xu Min had left in his body. Unlike the outside energy, it was impossible for him to cut off the connection with the Qi inside of his body. The sword did not stop humming and absorbing until Xu Min was completely drained. For the first time in his life, Xu Min understood how it felt to be completely powerless. All the energy within his body had been drained down to the very last drop. He was breathing heavily as he allowed his body to fall down to the ground.
Seeing Xu Min collapse, Yong Meilin felt her heart quiver and instantly rushed towards him. Yet, what she found was a young man covered in sweat. Although he was looking weak, a large grin was spreading across his face. His eyes were closed and he seemed to enjoy the sun shining down upon him. He had found a way to absorb the energy of external experts as well.
There was, however, one thing which made Xu Min question the amazing ability of his sword which was how many experts it worked on. He could not believe that the sword would be capable of absorbing the energy of a Nine-Star Warrior or did he expect that it would be possible of snatching away the energy of a Seven-Star Warrior. But it had worked on a Three-Star Warrior just fine. Contemplating how strong the sword truly was, Xu Min once more sent a prayer of thanks to whatever god was looking after him. The weapon he had been given by Overseer Wang Li was anything but ordinary.
Although he was completely drained of energy, Xu Min slowly managed to get back on his feet and reach the box with medicinal pills. He took one of the pills that helped restore energy. Afterwards, he dragged his tired body into position and started meditating. He needed all his energy to return to him since he was not done training for the day. He had to test the sword's power against stronger opponents as he could not afford to be in the dark.
Two hours passed by and Xu Min did not move a muscle. His entire body was submerged in cultivation, and his senses had become one with the world around him. His mind was flowing from his body, feeling the wind that swept down in his courtyard. He heard the breathing of Yong Meilin and Cao Cao, and felt the closeness of the two beings. A feeling of calmness had completely overtaken his body. He felt the grass swaying under his body and parts of the trees reaching to the sun. Everything was one and he was a part of it. He had never before felt such a tranquil meditation. He never before been pushed so far as to become one with the earth. He was not even able to tell what was happening.
Finally after two hours, the young man opened his eyes. His dark black phoenix-like eyes were filled with surprise as he felt how the energy within him was stronger than it had been before. It was as though it had been refined more than what it used to have. It was as though he needed less of his Qi to get the results he wished for. Feeling like this, Xu Min had an enlightenment. He had never before used up every drop of energy and went directly to training. He had never before been so empty that he was able to become one with the world around him. Now that he did, he was astonished to see what had happened to him.
Standing up, he felt stronger than he had ever felt before. It was as though the Qi had been refined while his muscles, veins, and entire body had been cleansed. It was with great gratitude that he once more picked up the sword that had been laying by his side. While picking it up, he felt that the sword was alive. This was something he had not felt before. As to what had sparked this changed, Xu Min was unaware. Yet in his hand, he could feel a throbbing pulse coming from within the sword which was filled to the brim with Xu Min's energy. It had the energy it absorbed earlier that day.
"Meilin!" he called out and the young woman lifted her head from the book she had been reading. Her eyes questioned what was happening. Nevertheless, she stood up, dusted the dress, and moved towards the young man who had called for her. "What's wrong?" she asked. It was rare for Xu Min to call for her this late during the day. He usually prefered using all of the waking hours on his own, either on cultivation or practice for his sword techniques.
"I need to have a group of experts gathered. I need two internal and external Four-Star Expert. I also need both internal and external Five-Star Experts and Six-Star Experts. If you can find one of each for Three-Star, then I will be incredibly grateful." he said. He needed to fully understand his sword in the time for the tournament. The days were rushing by so fast that he had no other option than to ask Yong Meilin right away.
The woman had a confused expression on her face, but she quickly nodded her head and gently placed the green snake on the ground before she let herself out of the courtyard. She moved towards the barracks where the experts were living. She needed to find quite a few experts. She was worried whether or not the higher ranked experts were available but she hoped for the best.
It took Yong Meilin an hour to gather the experts that Xu Min had asked for. As she entered the courtyard, she saw that Xu Min was once more fully focused on training just one slash. Yet as soon as the door opened and Yong Meilin entered with the experts behind her, Xu Min felt a smile slip onto his face. He suddenly had the hope that if he could absorb the energy of a Six-Star Expert, then perhaps he could also absorb it from a Seven-Star Expert. If he could do this, then he did not have to wait long. He would already be ready to face off against the Zhong family leader. If he could absorb all his energy, then he could without a doubt get his revenge without waiting too long.
Yong Meilin had seen Xu Min get excited before. She had seen him like this whenever he spoke about cultivation or if he had just mastered a new attack or technique. She had seen his eyes filled with astonishment when he had seen the medicinal pills for the first time. She had seen him filled with determination whenever he had been training, but looking at him now she saw something that took her by surprise. Looking at the young man, she found that there was hope within his eyes. A heart-wrenching and painstaking hope that seemed to fill every fiber of his body. Seeing him like this, Yong Meilin could not help but wonder about what exactly had changed the young man to become what he was. For the first time, he seemed a boy his age. He did not have the aloofness that seemed as though nothing could faze him. Instead, he was now very human, filled with a naive hope for something that Yong Meilin could not understand.
"Thank you all for helping me out," Xu Min said politely as he bowed to the many experts in front of him. His actions caused all the guards to be slightly confused. They had not been told what it was that Yong Meiling needed them. Seeing the most hated individual within Ri Chu City in front of them was not making things easier.
Although they disliked Xu Min, no one said a word. This was a part of their job and they wished continue without any problems. "The internal Three-Star Expert, please step forward," Xu Min called and a young man stepped forward. Although he looked to be only around twenty years of age, Xu Min could easily guess that this man was at least double his age. Knowing that the man was older caused Xu Min to once more bow at the expert.
"I will need you to produce one of your martial art skills. Do not attack, just call forth the martial art skill." The expert frowned slightly but he quickly did as he was told. Xu Min unsheathed his sword and slowly touched the martial art skill with the tip of the sword. There were not sparring matches, but instead were experiments. He did not need to slash anything, but only be calm and collected.
As soon as the tip of the sword touched the outside Qi, the face of the expert changed drastically. Xu Min's face turned excited. The attack was slowly growing transparent and the Qi was being absorbed by the sword tip.
"I cannot cancel the suction force," Xu Min said apologetic, "You will have to forcefully cancel the technique," he said. The expert did not need to hear it twice before he forcefully cut off the link between him and the attack. Breathing out, the expert slowly went back to the group of experts. His face was pale and his eyes were filled with disbelief. It was not just him, everyone around him was shocked at the sight that had happened.
"The external expert, please come forward," Xu Min continued and a massive man appeared. This man was so strong and massive that Xu Min was taken aback by looking at him. "I am sorry but I need to make a small cut in your skin." he started, but the massive man shrugged. A small cut meant nothing to a great expert, "I am unable to stop the suction force from my sword, so in case it manages to suck up your Qi, then we have to wait until you are completely emptied. If that happens, I have a medicinal pill for you. You should sit down and cultivate right away. It will be very beneficial to you," he said after having experienced how well it went for him last time. The massive man nodded his head. "No worries, just go ahead," he said and Xu Min did just that. With a gentle hand, he made a one centimeter deep cut and allowed for the tip of the sword to sit in the flesh.
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Chapter 47: The Devourer
The moment the sword entered the expert's body, a humming noise and a shrill shriek sounded out from the external expert. He felt all of his strength leaving his body. The energy was not listening to his orders. Instead, the Qi was absorbed. This left the large burly man l feeble and weak.;an experience he had never known .
Silence filled the small courtyard. The famous external expert was reduced to nothing by the young man and his sword. Xu Min's smile grew wider and wider –his sword reassuredly did not fail him.
After this unexpected scene, the internal expert gulped, realizing t though he had been injured, there was a big difference from forcefully breaking off an ability than being sucked dry. He understood, now, that this boy, although incredibly disliked, actually had the right to be arrogant. Looking at the sword, he surmised that this young man must have a very important background.
After helping the external expert sit down to meditate, Xu Min handed him a medicinal pill. He then examined the remaining experts. Some of their faces contained uncomfortable expressions. They feared Xu min enacting the same fate upon them as he did the external expert.
"Next, the Four-Star Internal Expert," he called out. A rather slim looking young man sighed deeply and stepped forward. Again, the slim looking expert summoned an attack and awaited for Xu min's sword to touch it. Upon contact, a shiver ran down the spine of the internal expert. However, this time the sword was absorbing energy far slower. So slow that it seemed almost impossible for Xu Min to empty this expert's energy than the other two.
"Just cut it off now," he commanded while waving at the internal expert.Additionally Xu min noticed that the suction forced diminished significantly as well after he cut the external four star expert. Now, he could cut the suction force just by removing the weapon from the wound.
Since the first moment of the expert's appearance, Xu Min frowned. . Comprehending the situation, Xu Min understood his sword though wonderful was not capable of miracles; there were limits.
The sword could still devour some energy of the Five-Star Expert. Nonetheless, it absorbed such miniscule amounts It did not matter. His attemptto absorb energy from the Six-Star Experts was nearly impossible,.
Finished with his experiments, the sign of hope within Xu min's eyes disappeared..He was just testing the sword's capability, but truly believing the sword effective against a high ranked Seven-Star Warrior was plain idiotic of him.. He shook his head and mocked himself for his stupidity.
With the experiments at an end, Yong Meilin quickly made all the experts swear never to tell anyone their experience in the courtyard and followed them back to the barracks.
While walking away, Yong Meilin kept looking back towards the courtyard. She anxiously pressed her hand on her chest, mirroring her worried facial expression. Seeing the fear in Yong Meilin's eyes gave truth to the rumors the experts heard. They all sighed deeply,slightly disappointed, but deep down all wished the best for her.
Contrastly, Xu Min had already stopped thinking about the experts. His face seemed serious not so much because he was worried but rather from deep concentration.He was now cultivating and trying to absorb as much energy as he could. This would make his cultivation soar rapidly.. He needed strength but not just for his revenge. Soon, He would be participating in a tournament which he needed to prepare for. .
Taking deep breaths and releasing them, Xu Min completely cleared his mind for meditation.. The current cultivation would not be good if his emotions controlled him. However, the more Xu Min tried to be serene the more impatient he became in his goal to become patient. Forcibly collecting himself, he tried to enter into the state he had earlier that day, a state where his entire body had become one with the world around him.
Already succeeding once, Xu min entered the cultivation stance easier and managed to gain more energy than before. His immersion with the world even rivaled the medicinal pills he took before. Suddenly, exactly when Xu Min felt he was absorbing the energy, the sword in his hand started humming again. The heavens and the earth's essence swirled around him like they were specifically drawn to Xu Min. The sword absorbed the essence similar to its absorption of thee Qi earlier. Xu Min was so surprised that he withdrew from his cultivation stance.. The energy from the sword that was pouring into his body had been perfectly refined into Qi. Yet, not just regular Qi, but refined from the heavens and earth's essence acquired during his meditation.
Staring at his sword in disbelief but excitement, Xu Min finally understood the devouring ability was not solely meant for Qi. It contained unlimited possibilities. The energy absorbed from the sword was more powerful than his energy alone. Even if he were to cultivate for a full night, he still would not have possessed as much refined Qi as he had now with his sword.
Astonished, Xu Min slowly but surely stood up and started physical training. His body burst with energy. As soon as he imbued his hand with Qi, a white flame rose from his skin. The Qi was so powerful and vigorous that it turned into a flame. Normally, this did not occur until a was a Five-Star. However, it was happening with a Two-Star Warrior who did not specialize in internal strength but external, making it even more incomprehensible.
Even Xu Min was shocked. Just from holding the sword in his hand and summoning Qi to his body caused him to become numb. No matter where the Qi was gathered: arms, legs, or hands, the Qi kept transforming to flames. His strength was so outstanding that it could have easily rivaled that of Three-Star Warriors.
The Qi he collected also helped him to reach the peak of the Two-Star. The sudden boost in power was almost monstrous. Xu Min dared not believe it until he walked towards a set of large boulders placed within the courtyard. What their actual use was, Xu Min had no idea, but he quickly decided that their use was for the sake of training. With the white flame around his arm, he resolutely punched the boulder with all the force he could muster.
This Boulder was as tall as Xu Min himself and even wider than three of him standing together. With this image one can imagine how magnificent the Boulder was. Nevertheless, as soon as the flame covered palm landed on the surface, cracks appeared deep within the stone. Moments after, it shattered into a thousand pieces, a feat no other than a Two-Star Warrior could accomplish.
Contemplating for some time, Xu Min withdrew his energy once more. He took a stance he had repeatedly tried before; he wanted to see if there would be any change., A massive pearl white hand appeared in front of him. Thrusting his arm downwards, the pearl white arm replicated Xu Min's movement.. WhileXu Min's arm touched nothing, the pearl white hand slammed down directly onto the second boulder, causing a massive explosion. The ground trembled and the boulder, incapable of withstanding such pressure, turned into sharp stones shooting outwards. Some of them even grazed Xu Min, scratching and slighlty wounding him.
Xu Min grinned upon hearing loud voices outside the courtyard. One guard after another rushed towards the main house; they were wondering what caused such a loud tremor and if the Yong family was safe.. The attack was almost equivalent to a Three-Star Internal Expert. Feeling greatly satisfied, Xu Min decided not to cultivate any more tonight. He needed to stabilize his newfound strength. If he was too greedy, his hubris would come and take revenge, surely wanting too much would have its consequences.
A smile formed on Xu Min's lips as he closed his eyes and entered his unconsciousness. Deep within, he found his Qi to call forth and train. Flames appeared and disappeared on one part of the body before reappearing on another. Xu Min was doing his best controlling the extreme and ferocious energy flooding his meridians.
This newly acquired energy was strong, far stronger than before. As a result, he had issues rapidly switching energy from one limb to another. Xu Min understood he needed to control this new energy or it would be ultimately useless for him. Bent on mastering the energy, Xu Min hardly noticed the days passing.
While Xu Min trained, Yong Meilin spent her time within the courtyard. She would try to train a little on her own, read a book, ensure food and water was prepared for the young man, and entertain Cao Cao who was incredibly bored whenever Xu Min arduously trained.
Time rushed by and before Xu Min realized itt the tournament had arrived. However, what Xu Min did not know was that the tournament had been the talk of the city; everyone spoke of nothing else. The families holding the tournament was notified that Xu Min, the young genius from the Yong family, accepted the invitation.
Everyone knew Xu Min captivated the heart of the city's favorite Yong Meilin. Furthermore, everyone was curious as to the mysterious young man's skills. Was he truly a genius or perhaps just an arrogant young upstart?
No one truly knew anything, but everyone was curious. This tournament usually received a lot of attention as it allowed the city to find the younger generation geniuses. This time, though, it was even more interesting.
Yong Meilin aware of this did not feel any need to tell Xu Min. In her heart, he was invincible. He trained harder than anyone else and showed insane amounts of improvement just when she had watched him.. In her heart, he was already the champion.
Xu min was completely unaware of everything occurring while he was training. When he opened the door,he saw multiple guards were awaiting him, sternly staring at him.
Clearing his throat, Xu Min scratched his head awkwardly as he wondered what he was supposed to say. Fortunately, he did not have to say much as Yong Meilin's grandfather appeared on the road in front of them.
"It is time," he said quietly, "Do not let us down!" He mumbled something afterwards, but the train started moving with the three of them in the front. They began their journey towards the tournament.
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Chapter 48: To the Tournament
As the guards heard the family patriarch's words, they all glanced at Xu Min. However, none of them dared to say anything. Although all the guards had complex emotions towards the young man, they just silently observed him.
"Okay, let us set out!" The patriarch shouted. Right behind him was Xu Min, walking slowly without saying anything. Around his neck was the invisible snake and by his side was Yong Meilin. As well, Master Dong Liang walked beside the patriarch.
Xu Min felt quite comfortable with the present t situation. He was eager to battle; because his current strength equaled to three-star warriors and even his stances matched internal experts, he mainly wanted to fight the experts of the other families.
On Xu Min's back was his infamous sword, the sword which devoured the different energies of the world. With both Cao Cao and his sword by his side, Xu Min knew he almost impossible to defeat. Even still, Xu Min deep down desired to win only by his strength. He wanted to increase his personal strength. For him, he needed to know that he, alone, improved his strength. Nonetheless, this was just the first step down revenge's road.
Leaving the Yong family compound was quite easy. However, once they stepped onto the outside roads, many citizens were curious to see Xu Min. Only the city's elite families could attend the tournament since it was being held at the Tang family's family compound. Commoners were not allowed inside.
Seeing all the commoners astonished Xu Min. Now, he realized how important the tournament was to the city and victory for the Yong family. Understanding the gravity of his situation did not deter Xu Min. Smiling, he looked forward to the tournament even more. He knew the opponents there would not be easily beaten, but he also knew he stood a chance to beat them. His sword's strange devouring ability alongside his sudden boost in strength strengthened his certainty he could rank in the top three. Truly, though, Xu Min would only be satisfied with being first place and gaining the trophy.
Xu Min spent hours after hours advancing his swordsmanship. The master alchemist trained him, and he was allowed all the sparring partners he desired. As a result, Xu Min had been treated as though he was his weight worth in gold. Because nothing was taken away from him and everything was given to him, he felt the pressure of all the expectations which weighed on his shoulders.
'Don't worry Xu MinIf you can't handle it, just let me know. I can easily overpower these puny little human cultivators,' an arrogant voice sounded within his mind, which made a smile appear on Xu Min's face. 'Yes Cao Cao, if I can't handle them then I will be counting on you,' Xu Min answered the snake in his mind, 'Nonetheless, I should be able to deal with the humans on my own now.
How will I ever be able to defeat the Zhong family leader if I am defeated by these weak cultivators?
When Xu Min questioned his abilities, his insecurity froze him. This frigid yet fearful emotion Xu Min felt quickly appeared on his face; however, it lasted no more than seconds and then he was smiling again. Only those who were attentively observing Xu Min caught it; no one else but Yong Meilin noticed Xu Min's frigid expression. This sight filled her face with worry; yet, as soon as the smile had returned she could do nothing but sigh. She wished to know more about this young man, but no matter what she tried to do, she always felt a barrier around his innermost being. It seemed he refused to let anyone become close to him, anyone apart from Cao Cao.
Although Yong Meilin noticed Xu Min, the young man did not see the worry on her face. He was busy discussing with Cao Cao about the battles they were soon to experience since the snake was begging for a possibility to attack. He wished to become a part of the fights. After all, he was a fight crazed snake who regularly wanted to show off his superior ability.
The group forced their way through one horde of citizens after another. These citizens went mad gossiping as they saw Xu Min and the Yong family coming towards the arena. The patriarch had guessed the commoners would become overwhelming, so he brought guards with him from his family compound. The guards, this time, surrounded the Yong family group, using their force and batons they waved the commoners aside to keep them back. Because of the guard's action, the family could move forward.
Other competitors such as Xiao Lei, Han Shi and Wu Weisheng, young geniuses, who Xu Min previously met also experienced similar situations all over the city. Xu Min met them at the Challenger's Hall the first night he visited the place. These three experts were moving with their families towards the Tang family mansion. Specifically, Zhan Weishing, the inscriptor from Ri Chu City, accompanied W Wu Weisheng and his family. Zhan Weishing also happened to be Wu Weisheng's uncle; his mother named her son after her brother in the hope that her son somehow would manage to become as famous as the inscriber.
Apart from these families were the Wei family, the Shiu family, the Tang family, and the Guo family. Although the Guo family separated themselves from the Tang's family's devious plans, they still presented themselves at the tournament since they were one of the four strongest families in the city.
All over the city, people were cheerful and excited. Even the commoners so desired to join that they were willing to give their right leg to be allowed entrance into the tournament. Nonetheless, they had no ability to make that happen. Furthermore, none of the elite families would want a commoner bleeding and soiling the tournament's floor because they had no right leg. Although average citizens could not attend, there were still many others who were allowed in as spectators. Firstly, all the prestigious families were there, all the patriarchs of the twenty strongest forces of the city were invited, including a few members of their families, and the many guilds of specific standing were also invited. Beside Zhan Weisheng, a smaller more insignificant group of inscribers had been invited.
The city's alchemists were attending as well. Though these alchemists ranked lower than Master Dong Liang and Huang Zhen, they were still major players within Ri Chu City, selling medicinal pills that assisted the younger generation in cultivation. All the pills Xu Min received were from the alchemists' guild. The alchemists guild was the only guild, apart from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion who often sold pills on behalf of the alchemists guild that sold medicinal pills within the city.
Wealthy merchants were also invited because they sold items Ri Chu city's families needed. Even the leaders of the most prominent mercenary guild in town had been invited. Thus, anybody who was somebody was invited; nobodies stood outside.
The arena grounds in the Tang family were massive; the participating experts were surrounded by seats on all four sides. The arena could hold thousands of visitors; nevertheless, once the tournament would begin the whole arena would be packed., the seats would be completely filled.
Arriving at the Tang family's palace, they were met by a group of guards. The Yong family met with no show of respect or friendliness towards them by the guards rather they snubbed the patriarch as he comes walking by. Whereas, some of them looked at Yong Meilin with greedy, lustful eyes and licked their lips. Being treated like this was not below the patriarch's expectations. The families whose prestige and power was gained by sheer strength looked disdainfully down on the Alluring Treasure Pavilion who gained their fame and position solely through wealth only. Their experts were not experts of the family, but instead, commoners they had hired. Their way of doing things was so different from the other families and this difference often caused the families to butt heads.
Just the fact that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was participating in the tournament shocked everyone. Even more so, when they found out that the participate was not a part of the Yong family, but instead a traveler whom they took in. Furthermore, realizing the ice queen of Ri Chu City seemed to have fallen for this person was even more shocking. Xu Min was without a doubt the most discussed topic in the entire city.
The guards leading the Yong family into the Tang family's courtyard constantly glared at Xu Min. To everyone, it was clear that they wanted to start a fight, but Xu Min paid no attention at all; it was as if the guards did not exist, quickly frustrating the guards, the Yong family's guides. How could anyone endure the hostility these two guards showed him? Usually, young masters such as Xu Min should be filled with confidence in their ability and battle whoever instigated a disgrace or insult against them. Xu Min, on the other hand, was so level headed he did not even notice their glares against him.
After walking through the Tang family's ground, they finally reached the outskirts; this was where the arena was located. At this point, Xu Min walked away from the other Yong family members and towards a group of young experts while the Yong family seated themselves in spots reserved for them.
Upon seeing and standing with the group of experts, Xu Min realized he was far younger than all the other experts there. Rather, these experts were all around the middle of their twenties if not late twenties while Xu Min was merely fifteen years old. The younger generation geniuses were considered, the younger generation until thirty years old, and it was obvious that the older experts were the strongest. Therefore, these experts were the ones whose families sent them to fight.
"It's him."
"What is so special about him?"
"He is quite ugly."
"What? So all this drama was about a little boy?"
"Beating him will make us seem like bullies."
Many words were spoken about Xu Min and even though they were quite low, Xu Min heard every single word as walked towards them n. He heard all the malicious comments and gossip concerning him; yet, these hurtful words didn't affect Xu Min. He didn't care what others thought about him and looking at the many experts who had appeared in front of him, Xu Min just gave them a quick glance of acknowledgment but not respect.
Currently, thirteen experts had arrived. These were all more or less from the twenty most influential families within Ri Chu City. However, all of them were too weak to be considered equal to the four great families and the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.
Many of these experts were two-star Warriors. Now, reaching the rank of a two-star warrior before thirty years of age could be considered decent cultivating talent; nonetheless, regarding true geniuses, this was a far cry. All the participators were hoping to defeat each other and reach the top ten. Everyone knew that the top four spots were already taken.
At the same time, they knew that the top four was always occupied by the strongest families. Additionally, they also understood that the Yong family had never participated and even ranked. So, even though they had someone joining this year, everyone looked down and resented him. He was after all very young, and his rank did not seem to be higher than theirs.
It was a feat to reach that rank at such a young age, but he was still being silly believing he could beat others.
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Chapter 49: Let the Tournament Begin!
Xu Min sighed, seeing that the group of experts looked at him as though he was trash. His rank equaled their rank; but, due to their age, they had been second-star warriors for quite some time already. This age difference needed to be taken into account since this would make them stronger than someone who had just reached the rank of a two-star warrior.
Although Xu Min knew the experts' thoughts, he paid no heed to them. He knew that his strength could not be measured against the average experts' energy. Furthermore, with the benefit of strong stance and an outstanding sword, Xu Min had some advantages to balance his youthful appearance. If he were in a potentially fatal situation, Cao Cao would save his life, but he was very certain that reliance on his snake friend would not be necessary. The strongest person competing was a three star Warrior, and Xu Min easily remembered his fight against the three-star guards at the Yong family mansion.
Not only had the sword assisted him in defeating these experts, but it had also managed to devour and deliver their energy to Xu Min's body. In turn, the sword helped make him even stronger and grow at an unbelievable speed.
While exclusive experts joked amongst each other and disdainfully looked at Xu Min, the youngster stayed to himself. Suddenly, a clamor arose from the group of experts as two other young men walked to them. These two men were Tang Jin, the oldest son, and heir to the Tang family and Wei Ling, the oldest son and heir to the Wei family. Behind them, Guo Long followed. Interestingly, though, he was in the top three, he was not walking alongside Tang and Wei. Usually, the three geniuses stayed together, but now this was not a case. Maybe a disagreement had occurred between the three families.
These top three experts were the ones who captured Xu Min's interest. In the tournament, Xiao Lei, Han Shi, and Wu Weisheng were also three-star warriors like the three top masters; however, they were still not as powerful as the three geniuses.
Looking at these three geniuses, Xu Min furrowed his brows. He sensed a dangerous presence coming from Tang Jin. It seemed that he had successfully broken through into the fourth-star Warrior rank. Being nurtured by Huang Zhen greatly assisted Tang Jin, and every expert started praising Tang Jin.
"You are going to win this year's tournament even without having to exert any energy!"
"To think, the honorable young master Tang managed to become a fourth star Warrior rank before the age of thirty. Yes, no one is comparable to you."
"Young master, congratulations on your advancement! You are soaring to the heavens like a dragon, defeating any other genius on the way!"
Words of praise flooded the young master, and he genuinely smiled from all the compliments nodding and thanking the many experts; yet, he never corrected them or asked them to stop. Apparently, he felt like a divine prodigy, a peerless expert amongst the many geniuses in the world.
As Tang Jin basked in his acclaim, his eyes suddenly fell upon Xu Min. The young man stood separate from the group, a small smirk shown on his face and his dark eyes stared straight at Tang Jin, never blinking, nor lowering his eyes in fear, just staring directly into the eyes of each other.
The tension in the air suddenly rose. Everyone stopped speaking as the audience looked at Xu Min. Some were shocked that he dared to look directly at Tang Jin; others gleefully snickered because they expected him to be beaten up soon.
Tang Jin felt his hair stand on end. He had never met anyone who did not fear him, even if it was only a little bit Nevertheless, within this boy's black phantom eyes, no signs of fear nor signs of hesitation appeared. All there was was a keen interest in the battles.
Clicking his tongue, Tang Jin turned around and walked towards the entry into the arena with everyone following behind. At the very back of the followers walked Xu Min. Although he was very unassuming, he instantly drew the audience's attention who turned their heads to catch a glimpse at Xu Min. Their eyes stared at Xu Min; this youngster who filled the city with so much turmoil.
The experts lined up, and their faces radiated their pride; just to be allowed into this tournament, one had to be the most prominent expert in their family, and their family needed to have some standing within the city. In short, they were all the cream of the crop, and their pride was well earned.
Xu Min was the only one who seemed apathetic. His eyes roamed across the entire audience; his eyes never once shied away from those who stared back at him. The Xu Min's onlookers all felt a sense of discomfort, but they could not understand fully why. Maybe it was because he was an outsider or is absolute fearless scared them; they didn't know.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! It is our Tang family's great pleasure to welcome all of you to the one hundred and sixty-seventh tournament for young talents within Ri Chu City. For the first time, the Yong family from our Alluring Treasure Pavilion is joining the fighting households with a talent they have recently taken in. Every other spot filled is from the same families who have joined us for the last forty years."
"You all know the rules; each participant will fight another one at a time. Whoever manages to stay on the platform until the end will be the winner. At one time, only two individual experts will fight."
"Furthermore, a challenger may choose a particular participate. If the challenger does not accept, he will instantly be disqualified."
"Since we all know the rules now, let the fighting begin!"
The moment Tang Ye, the patriarch of the Tang family, finished speaking, cheering sounds could be heard from the audience. None of the experts, though, rushed to the stage, everyone wanted someone else to go first. This tournament was not where a fighter would first enter the stage, but who would stay there for the most rounds. It was only natural that no one wanted to be the first fighter.
Finally, one of the smaller family experts gritted his teeth, and with decisive steps walked to the arena. "I know I will not win anyways, but I can at least prove that I am better than the boy Yong Meilin has fallen for." he murmured. Although the audience could not hear what he had just murmured, every fighter on the ground heard him. Some started snickering while others seemed as though they wished they had thought of it first. Still no one moved towards the arena to battle the first expert. Suddenly his voice rung out through the entire arena area, "I challenge Xu Min from the Yong family!"
As soon as the words had been yelled, a collective gasp could be heard from everyone in the audience. The faces of the Yong family turned dark, everyone except Yong Meilin appeared and felt as if they had already lost. Yong Meilin, on the other hand, smiled knowingly. She had seen Xu Min train daily, and she had also witnessed his sword's devouring energy. She was certain that it did not matter whether Xu Min was first, second, or last. He would win no matter what. She felt an unnerving and never-ending faith in Xu Min; her feelings bubbled up in her heart. Her faith in him was unnerving and never ending.
Having seen that gentle smile on Yong Meilin's face, many of the experts questioned why she would smile at Xu Min's seemingly impending defeat. Only Xu Min knew the truth, and seeing her smile did he move towards the arena where his first opponent awaited him. Unsheathing his sword, he climbed onto the platform and looked straight at his opponent in front of him.
Xu Min was an external expert. Everyone realized this once he pulled out his sword, and the ones who had previously looked at him with disdain were no incapable of not laughing out loud, directly mocking him as they knew that external experts were far weaker than internal ones.
Everyone except the Yong family was laughing at Xu Min. However, the laughter quickly faded when they glanced at the Yong family's knowing smiles. Did they know something that the others did not know?
The judge didn't care. He already expected Xu Min to hide some secret attacks up his sleeve. He also knew that the Yong family invited Dong Liang to practice his cultivation skills much like the Tang family invited the Huang Zhen. Not only this, the Yong family were very far-sighted individuals. They were not desperate enough to show up with an expert who would be weak enough to lose the first round. Thus, the Judge would be very disappointed if Xu Min did not manage to at least defeat the first opponent.
Xu Min still retained his apathetic smile as he gently tapped the sword against the ground; each time it touched the arena floor a small cut could be seen. One could easily guess, from the cuts, how shockingly sharp this sword was, and how heavy it had to be to create such a cut from nothing more than a slight tap.
"Weapons are allowed,and let the battle begin!" The judge said, non enthusiastically. The first of many battles were deemed to be the lower ranked experts against each other, and, unfortunately, their fights were not sensational. If anything, these fights were all desperate battles with evenly matched opponents. Many wounds would be inflicted, and they would be severely injured before a victor would be decided. As a result, the fights were drawn long and tedious.
Seeing Xu Min was the opponent, everyone expected another boring and long battle, but they were soon surprised. Xu Min's opponent lifted his arm, and Qi poured from his body into an eagle behind his back. The eagle had released a silent roar before it rushed towards Xu Min.
Xu Min narrowed his eyes, but he did not move in the slightest. No Qi left his body; the only part of Xu Min which did move was his sword. He slashed horizontally right through the Qi eagle.The energy slowly vanished as the sword greedily absorbed it all.
The eagle was still controlled by the two-star internal expert; where the sword did what it did best, it latched itself onto the strands of Qi and forcefully absorbed the Qi from inside the body of the internal expert.
It did not take long before the internal expert collapsed on the ground. All the energy in the opponent's body had been drained. His eyes were listless and his body limp. The absorption of the Qi invisibly took place, so no one exactly knew what happened. The audience's expectations completely dismantled as the strongest one they thought would be victorious was defeated in one attack. Silence soon followed as everyone was stunned. He should not have been so quickly defeated from having his eagle destroyed, but something happened, something invisible. Nevertheless, no matter what it was, Xu Min released no Qi, no ripples of energy came from him, yet his opponent was still completely drained.
Not only the audience were shocked, everyone on the ground was shocked too. The experts remembered how they had laughed at Xu Min, but now that he had swiftly defeated one of their own, who was to say that he could not defeat two? Perhaps three? His ability was unlimited if he could deal with the two-star Warriors without the need for using his Qi. If this was the case, only the third and fourth-star Warriors were capable of dealing with him. The tournament had a dark horse participating, and this dark horse brought change.
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Chapter 50: The Dark Horse
Silence swept over the arena, everyone's eyes stared at the defeated Warrior. "He must have lost on purpose; I'm sure that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion paid him to lose! They can afford it, after all!" someone suddenly and loudly interjected. Since the comment was spoken in the silenced arena, everyone heard what was said.
The Yong family's faces filled with anger and veins could be seen throbbing in their foreheads. It was clear that they were forcing themselves to remain calm and unaffected.
Looking up, Xu Min noticed that the speaker satin one of the rows reserved for the weaker families attending the tournament. Xu Min abruptly laughed, a laughter which shocked everyone present.
"You accuse me that I need to pay to win?" he asked with a sinister smile spreading on his lips, "In that case, I challenge your family's expert. Let us see if your family too has been bribed to win."
While everyone thought this was a rash decision, three men knew otherwise. Xiao Lei, Han Shi, and Wu Weisheng knew of Xu Min's hidden strength. They then told their families about Xu Min's strength they saw at the challengers hall. None of their families though went to other families with the information. Although families might ally from time to time, the families were mainly loyal to themselves. All knowledge they had, they kept for themselves unless they benefitted from sharing it.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the stage. Many in the audience thought the Yong family conspired the first battle from their riches. This young fighter was different; this man had called them out. If they lost, didn't that imply they seemed unreliable too?
"You have the guts to challenge me?" An expert exclaimed, walking down the stairs leading to the arena. Unlike the previous expert, this man was without a doubt an external expert. His body was massive with tanned skin and bulging muscles. Looking at his appearance, Xu Min instantly understood that he focused fully on strength; thus, his speed was incredibly slow. The warrior's sloth-like slowness reminded Xu Min of a battle he had fought earlier, remembering how that fight had gone, he could not help but confidently smile.
Entering the arena, the external expert stretched his body, cracked his neck and looked menacingly at Xu Min. Comparing the two fighters, they looked ridiculous. Xu Min was a full two heads shorter than the bulky external expert. Furthermore, his body was small, lean, and agile; his body was swift. It resembled a wolf trying to kill a mouse.
The spectators watched breathlessly. This battle would prove if Xu Min were naturally strong as the Yong family led on or if he was just a young man they had picked up and exaggerated his strength. Everything depended on Xu Min now.
The fight was about to start. As soon as the judge dropped his hand, Xu Min's big opponent charged forward, with every step the ground shook. If a commoner, unpracticed in cultivation, saw this charge, they would be shocked by the speed. However, many experts felt that this large man was incredibly slow. Avoiding his attacks proved to be the easiest Xu Min had ever done, dodging and evading, he managed to dodge every single attack. The fists aimed towards him never even touched the corner of his clothes.
Everyone on the seats narrowed his or her eyes. Observing the fight, it was evident who was at an advantage and who was at a disadvantage.Although the large external expert was constantly advancing towards Xu Min, due to his snail-like slowness he was unable to reach him, making him at a disadvantage.
Xu Min was considering if he should just stop retreating and attack instead attack. Should he use his sword? Or should he use his fists? Uncertain if he used his sword he could finish the battle early while at the same time increase his strength because adding too much energy would cause his body to explode. The energy he received from his first was already quite a bit, absorbing more could be risky.
'Fine, let us go with the fists then,' Xu Min decided, 'I'll just use some of the energy I have already absorbed and then suck the next expert dry.'
'Hey! You should let me deal with him,' Cao Cao's voice suddenly resounded in Xu Min's ear. 'I owe that Yong family a lot. They gave me plenty of good food, so we cannot afford to lose this tournament. If I see you having problems, then I will personally make sure to step in so that you win.'
Hearing these words and the arrogance behind them, Xu Min couldn't help but snort. The spectators above and the fighters below noticed the snort, and they assumed it was a sign of disdain for the expert in front of him. Suddenly, all of them believed that the Yong family had not cheated. Perhaps, they truly had found a peerless genius.
Understanding this realization, many of the experts felt pity for the young man. To have such a great talent and then use him this year in the tournament was an unfortunate situation. He was under twenty years of age; thus, he could have joined the competition until another ten years. Nevertheless, he had joined, and only when he was a second-star student. Even if he were talented, he would be destroyed by the third-star Warriors, if not them by young master Tang Jin for sure since he was a four-star Warrior
However, the human being is complex, and though they felt pity, they were secretly pleased with this misfortune as well. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion was already a giant within Ri Chu City without having martial powers due to their money.
If this person truly had the chance to grow and become older and a higher-ranked expert, Then the other presitiges families and experts would have to pay even more respect to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. No one wanted that.
"Let us see if he can turn this around," some of the experts in their seats mumbled.
"Perhaps he only knows how to flee,"
"He is slower at defeating this expert than the previous one. They were probably correct about the Yong family paying the expert for losing on purpose."
"He is so young. Although he might have the advantage, if he cannot utilize his advantage then it doesn't even matter. He cannot have much experience in battle, so he is going to get beat anyway."
Many similar words were uttered. These murmurings could be heard by the audience from the experts seating down. No one blinked; rather, everyone looked at the arena, determining whether or not Xu Min could actually win.
The Yong family's faces soured, their moods fouled, and they could not help but grimace at the negative words about Xu Min that rained down upon them. The only one who seemed serene was Yong Meilin. A gentle smile was on her lips and her eyes glued to Xu Min.
Xu Min didn't even glance at the seats, but he knew that there was at least one person who did not doubt him. This assurance was all he needed deep within in his heart. Having been alone for such a long time, and then just being with Cao Cao, Xu Min was used to not dealing with other people. He didn't trust humans after Overseer Tian's infamous betrayal.
Nonetheless, Yong Meilin wasn't there, not doing anything specific apart from just being around him and he had found that he could relax with her by his side.
A gentle smile appeared on Xu Min's face. He abruptly came to a standstill. Instead of turning backward, Xu Min rushed forward; his sword was sheathed on his back, and Qi entered his fists. Although Xu Min was not as physically dominant as his opponent, he had speed at his disposal, and he punched his opponent squarely in his opened chest with Xu Min's Qi enhanced fist.The Qi poured into the opponent and sent a shockwave through his muscle, crushing his heart His opponent staggered backward, a stream of blood ran from his lips.
This man was far older than Xu Min and though he was injured he forcefully managed to stand his ground before he charged forward. Rushing towards Xu Min his fastest speed was like a snail in front of a cheetah. As a result, Xu Min had long since pounced backward far away from the muscular man.
Grinning Xu Min decided he needed to end this fight; he instantly pounced forward again, Qi glistening on his palm. He struck the shoulder, the abdomen, and the solar plexus in rapid succession before he once more retreated and the opponent was propelled backward.
The opponent falling to the ground was shocked to realize he could do nothing to stop the attacks. Additionally, his body had been severely damaged by these attacks. Trying to stand up once more, he fell to his knees and vomited blood. It was clear that he was fully unable even to fight back against the swift Xu Min.
Although everyone wanted to prove and say that Xu Min was not experienced enough, it was apparent he had won this battle. Because it was not a fight to the death, the Judge stopped it after the expert had vomited blood.
"The winner is Xu Min from the Yong family," he apathetically called out, causing surprise in the audience. When Xu Min had attacked, pouncing only twice had been enough to make this large muscular man submit. With the first expert everyone still had not figured out how Xu Min defeated him and now this?. Silence prevailed once again in the audience; finally, they understood that this young man might equal the others because of his inherent hidden strengths.
Although everyone knew that his power was real and not bought by the Yong family, they started, even more, to desire he would be defeated by the stronger competitors. They couldn't allow the Yong family to rise too much in the martial arts competition. It would place all of them in an unfortunate position.
Knowing Xu Min's unstable situation, the patriarch of the Yong family worried. He knew Xu Min would likely be severely injured by the young master of the Tang family or by the three-star Warriors, but he would have to still ask this young man to fight against the higher ranked cultivators. No matter what happened to Xu Min, later on, his time to shine was now, and his rank was what determined by how strong and prestige the Yong family became.
Knowing this, Xu Min stayed on the stage. He owed the Yong family a lot, and if not for anything else, he still would have participated due to his friendship between him and Yong Meilin. Unlike the Yong family patriarch, Xu Min did not think his future would end here. Xu Min exactly knew what his hidden strengths were like, and with Cao Cao around his neck he knew there was a fifty-fifty percent chance of winning. He was not sure how well he could do against the fourth-star ranked Tang Jin, but he did know he would do his best to bring fame for the Yong family. He needed to repay the kindness they had shown him before he had to move on, move on onto the road of revenge.
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Chapter 51: The Might of a Two Star Warrior
Silence surrounded the audience sitting and the experts standing. Everyone stared at Xu Min; they finally understood his strength was authentic. Acknowledging this reality, many of the two-star Warriors hesitated to accept a challenge since they knew they were not stronger than the two opponents who had already been defeated.
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Xu Min pointed at a random cultivator. This cultivator was an internal expert, and as soon as the battle begun, Xu Min once more wielded his Qi devouring sword. Similar to the first match, Xu Min's third opponent collapsed on the arena's floor without even putting up a fight. Xu Min's sword swiftly and efficiently drained all of his energy. Unable to stand up and walk, he needed assistance from the other experts to leave the stage.
A pattern developed. One person Hui Yue actually fought while the next opponent he would use his sword. Thus, he rotated between his sword and his physical strength. It didn't take long for many of the most skilled experts in the audience to understand Xu Min's sword had a draining ability. Many experts greedily looked upon Xu Min's now coveted sword; the older experts restrained themselves from charging down and forcefully stealing the sword from the young man. Their reputations would be tarnished, and they would appear unsightly; especially since they assumed it was a treasure the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had gifted him.
What these families did not know was that even the patriarch of the Yong family was shocked to see this important treasure in the hands of Xu Min. A peerless treasure, helping its owner defeat this many experts without relying on his Qi within.
The fights were quick and short. Xu Min kept on devouring as much energy as he possibly could.When he felt his body filled with energy, then he would use his external attacks and outstanding speed to deal with the rest.
All the two-star experts were swiftly defeated. None of them managed to hit Xu Min even once, let alone touch the corner of his robe. Xu Min defeated them in rapid succession of each other, and he never had to leave the arena. Looking at him, all the spectators were filled with disbelief.
Xu Min had been using some of his Qi here and there, but he never seemed low on Qi, not even when he fought the twenty experts in a row. In front of Xu Min, only six experts remained.
These six experts were Xiao Lei, Han Shi, Wu Weisheng, the young master Wei, young master Tang, young master Shiu and young Master Guo. All of them, apart from young master Tang Jin, were three-star warriors while Tang Jin was a four-star warrior.
Finally, the casual expression on Xu Min's face turned serious; he knew the easy fights had ended. Although the sword had managed to subdue third-star experts at the Yong family compound, this time, it was different.
These experts in front of him were the sons of influential families within Ri Chu City.
They had been raised far differently than the guards of the Yong family home. The families fed them medicinal pills and gave them anything they needed to enhance their training. They were the best, the most outstanding and dangerous youngsters in the younger generation. These experts should be able to quickly deal with the devouring effect of the sword, understand how it works, and counter its effects.
While Xu Min earnestly looked at the experts in front of him, the Yong family was already satisfied with the results Xu Min had achieved. In the tournament's history, this was the first time one person defeated twenty opponents in a row. Even a high-ranked fighter without a devouring sword would be limited by his or her Qi and after defeating twenty opponents would be definitely at their limits.
The record-setting young man did not seem to be at his limit at all. There was no sweat on his face, no fatigue in his eyes, and no exhaustion in his movements. He seemed as vigorous as when he first entered the arena. This sight alone shocked the spectators.
The experts on the ground were numb and worried since they were the ones fighting not the audience. After seeing one person getting defeated after another, they felt apprehensive. They all waited for Xu Min to reach his limit while he was fighting, but now looking at this young man he was far from his limit.
Looking at each other, the reality was clear; no one was interested in being the next person in the arena.
"Hahaha," suddenly a laughter rang out, "don't tell me that all of you have become scared of a mere two-star Warrior?" a voice mockingly interrogated. Everyone turned their heads to the speaker and Xu Min's eyes narrowed. It was Tang Jin.
"If not one of you dares to challenge an expert a whole level below you then allow me to demonstrate the large difference between the ranks, as if a two-star Warrior is capable of defeating me."
"You don't consider this bullying, do you?" Xiao Lei asked. However, his question only made Tang Jin laugh even more, "Bullying? He just bullied twenty experts; should we just let him do whatever he wishes to do?
True, I might be twice his age and twice his rank, but I will show him that he has been on stage far too long. I will prove to him he is not the only genius around here."
Hearing these words from Tang Jin, Xiao Lei said no more; but, he and Han Shi and Wu Weisheng all looked dismayed. It was evident they were displeased with what Tang Jin said, yet none of them dared to say more. They were young masters indeed; nonetheless, their families could not afford to insult the Tang family.
Xu Min was standing still, leaning on his sword and feigning interest. To him, it did not matter which one of them would fight him. However, if it truly were the young master Tang, then Xu Min would not be upset. He was fully energized to focus solely on this high ranked expert. Having the strength to fight Tang Jin made Xu Min feel somewhat excited even. Tang Jin reminded him of the young master of the Zhong family, and this comparison made Xu Min's eyes burn with anger and hungry to do battle. He wanted to prove he had become stronger, and a spoiled young master was now going to become his stepping stone.
Hearing that Tang Jin stepped forward, the young master of the Guo family cleared his throat. "The winner of the next match will be the winner of the entire tournament," he declared, "We cannot defeat Young Master Tang Jin; thus, if he wins we will all forfeit. If by any chance, this young man were to win against Tang Jin, then we will declare him the winner as he has managed to defeat the one fighter we could not defeat."
His words caused a slight displeasure, not only by the audience but also amongst the participating experts. The audience wanted as many battles as possible while the experts also wanted to battle Xu Min. After thinking and discussing the matter, they finally agreed. The chance of Xu Min winning was so slim.They knew it was not possible for them to fight him in the arena. After a few minutes, all the experts nodded their heads and left the arena floor, heading to some seats that had been set up for them. They contented themselves to be just spectators as well, ready to watch the final match of this year's competition.
The audience fell silent, seeing Tang Jin step onto the arena floor. Tang Jin was an internal expert. Most of the young masters were internal experts since they were considered the strongest and easier to train. However, internal experts did have some disadvantages, and Xu Min knew every benefit and drawback there was. He had a few stances he could use alongside his external strength.
"I will not kill you; I will only cripple you, so you better be glad," Tang Jin hostile and coldly said with a sinister grin, baring his teeth. Every expert heard his words, and many of them sighed, thinking this would be the end of one more rising star. With this in the mind of many of the spectators, Xu Min was deemed to become a cripple after today; but even so, the short while he fought he had shined. He had shined as the brightest star in Ri Chu City. He set new records for the tournament by defeating twenty experts and brought pride and honor to the Yong family. It was just a shame that he had to pay this high price by doing so.
Shockwaves appeared in the entire arena as Qi energy ripples started appearing around Tang Jin, encircling him like a snake does with its prey. Xu Min had seen this attack before, so it did not impress him; rather, he disdainfully looked at the snake Qi. He had met snakes many times before, and more dangerous than a snake made from Qi.Unsheathing his sword, a low sound could be heard before Xu Min took a defensive stance. Unlike the other defeated experts he had faced so far, Xu Min knew he would be able to devour some of the snake's energy, but his opponent was not easy. He could not only rely on his sword's devouring ability but had to fight using all of his strength. Everything he had within him needed to be used now.
The snake latched out like a whip. So swift it was almost impossible to see it, but Xu Min specialized in speed and with a simple sidestep he avoided the Qi snake. The snake shot right past him, yet it did not even touch the corner of his sleeve.
He then brought the sword down, with a clean cut, and a swishing sound the snake's head separated from its body. Xu Min's sword quickly devoured the Qi that made up the snake's head while the other body instantly retreated into Tang Jin's body.
Everyone including Tang Jin was shocked to Hui Yue quickly escaping the Qi snake. As well, Seeing that he could destroy Tang Jin's attack with one sword strike was even more shocking. Looking at the two experts, it did not quite seem they were two full star's a part.
Some of the experts in the audience started observing the Yong family. When they saw the serene expression on Yong Meilin's face, doubt welled up within them, doubt and a slight fear. They started praying Tang Jin would take the fight seriously; so, seriously he would trample upon this young genius. Allowing the Alluring Treasure Pavilion more strength was enough to frighten everyone present.
While the audience was busy in their thoughts, Xu Min was entirely focused on Tang Jin. Though he had managed to escape the attack, he had only done so because he correctly guessed when Tang Jin was going to attack. His focus on speed also allowed him to read his opponent easier, but there was a whole two-star difference between them. Although Xu Min could dodge and avoid, what was this worth if he could not attack?
Thinking while dodging, Xu Min and Tang Jin exchanged one attack after another. While Xu Min's attacks were completely useless against Tang Jin, the older and higher-level expert's attacks were not much more useful since none of them hit their target. It was evident both experts were in a desperate deadlock. A situation none of the experts assumed would happen. Their eyes bulged in surprise; their hearts raced, and none dared to breathe, blink, or move. They feared of missing that one mistake, which would determine the winner.
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Chapter 52: Young Master Tang Jin
Xu Min was doing his utmost to avoid every single attack thrown at him, and Tang Jin was not letting up. Since the battle had started, he had not moved even once. Tang Jin would consistently create one creature after another from Qi and send them after Xu Min, who would use his sword time and time again to decapitate the beasts.
Sweat started to pour down Xu Min's forehead. He knew t he couldn't just keep on dodging. At some point, he would judge wrongly, make a mistake, and not be able to dodge the attack. Once he got hit from a four-star Warrior, he would be in a dire situation.
'Leave it to me!' Xu Min heard Cao Cao's voice in the back of his mind, but he ignored it since his mind kept reeling with questions. "Which options did he have?" It wasn't until now Xu Min realized that although he had a trained for a long time, he was dependent upon his sword too much. The only reason he was still standing was solely from the sword's energy it devoured which resupplied his energy levels. Xu Min had long since used his energy, and the sword alone kept pushing him past his limits. However, no matter how much Xu Min tried, the physical attacks he tried to land on Tang Jin were easily deflected by a Qi armor that covered him.
Xu Min was not the only one growing frantic. Tang Jin felt his reserves were soon being used up from all the energy he kept pouring out. What frustrated him was Xu Min countered every attack. If a four-star Warrior, equal to him, countered his attacks he wouldn't mind. He had just reached the four-star just recently, but the person in front of him was no four-star Warrior. He was only a two-star Warrior, which seemed to continually dodge his attacks, surviving by a hairs breath every single time.
Anger arose within Tang Jin, but he did not allow his feelings to control him. Instead, he lowered his hand and returned all the Qi which was floating in the air back into his body. Closing his eyes for a moment and having a Qi armor protecting his body, he made himself breathe slowly, made himself forget the humiliation he had experienced so far, which made his demeanor completely changed.
"How unlikeable," Xu Min mumbled, realizing Tang Jin did not submit to his anger but instead calmed himself. 'I agree, but if he is too much of a threat, just let me help out,' Cao Cao's voice sounded in Xu Min's mind, but he replied just with smiling a little before shaking his head. This was the one fight he needed to win on his own. He could not afford to lose in front of the Yong family.
Stopping, Xu Min and Tang Jin stood in front of each other. Their eyes were caught in a dead-lock. Xu Min took a deep breath. There was one thing he could do. With a determined expression on his face, Xu Min took a stance, moved one foot and lifted one arm.
Shocked voices could be heard from the audience as they saw that Xu Min was capable of doing stances. Most external experts had not been giving any time for learning stances as they fully focused on using Qi as a supporter for their physical strength. However, here he was Xu Min, a young genius, who seemed capable of doing both internal and external attacks.
"How strong can the stance of an external expert really be?" Tang Jin mocked in his heart before looking at Xu Min whose face was serious and his eyes constantly watched the older man.
Behind Xu Min Qi suddenly started to leave his body and materialize into many arrowheads. They seemed to be made from jade although everyone knew they were created from Xu Min's Qi.
The Qi that had left his body gathered behind him. The shining jade arrowheads looked like a massive starry sky. The sharp tips of the arrowheads seemed dangerous, and even Tang Jin felt a shiver run down his spine. He once more summoned his Qi shield to protect him.
Although he saw Tang Jin's shield in front of him, Xu Min lowered his hand, following Xu Min's gesture the arrowheads shot forward towards Tang Jin. Seeing the arrowheads speeding towards him, a grin appeared on Tang Jin's face. Though there was a lot of arrowheads, his shield was big enough to protect Tang Jin's entire body. How could Xu Min believe that his two star Qi attack was able to defeat a four star expert in direct confrontation?
A snicker appeared on Tang Jin's face as the arrowheads headed towards him. Just before they came into contact with Tang Jin's shield, Xu Min clenched his fist and the many thousand arrowheads scattered in every direction. Some of them landed on the shield and loud 'dong' sounds appeared in rapid succession as many of the arrows still crashed into the shield.
No cracks could be seen in the shield even though it sounded like they severely damaged it. Clearly, the shield was easily strong enough to handle the arrowheads. The other half of these thousands of arrowheads were not hitting the shield. Instead, they evaded it before they once more focused onto Tang Jin. The young master felt frantic, seeing these sharp arrowheads heading for his body. Lifting up the shield, he managed to protect his head. Nevertheless, the arrowheads sharply embedded themselves into the lower body of the young master Tang Jin.
Blood started flowing, and the entire arena was completely still. Although the wounds were not incredibly serious, they had drawn blood. The first person in the battle to draw blood was Xu Min, the two-star Warrior, and not Tang Jin, the one person whom they assumed would cripple Xu Min within a few attacks.
The angered Tang Jin once more had to collect himself. He was so angered that he felt his veins throbbing in his forehead. He knew if let the anger control him, he would likely be defeated. This loss was something he could not afford. Thus, he forcefully calmed himself down once more before he snorted. The wounds stung but they were not deep, nor were they threatening. Channeling his Qi to the wound, he quickly managed to close the wounds up and took a stance.
This stance was nothing like the previous ones. Tang Jin was finally taking Xu Min seriously, and the attack he summoned was a massive spear created from Qi. The spear appeared as real as could be, and while one looked at the edge, one could easily guess how incredibly sharp it was.
The surrounding atmosphere became unusual. Shockwaves from the energy's ripples could be felt exuding from the spear. Xu Min knew this was the moment he had waited for. Now, he would fight Tang Jin with everything he had.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, Xu Min did not unsheathe his sword; instead, he too took a stance and lifted his arm. Qi poured out from his body and created a massive palm above his head, a palm which seemed as real as Tang Jin's spear in front of him. Looking at these two experts, it was easy to understand that both attacks were incredibly outstanding. However, no one could forget that one of the experts was a four-star Warrior while the other was a two-star Warrior. There was a great difference in strength between them. Nevertheless, Xu Min was not backing down.
The spear shot forward as the palm descended. A loud boom resounded in the arena and dust whirled from the ground, masking everything which just occurred. The experts sitting down were all astonished to see the colliding attack. Unfortunately, the dust made it impossible for them to see the result of this impact.
With the dust disappearing, everyone was shocked to notice that both experts were still standing on the stage. Xu Min had a slight trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. This was the first time Yong Meilin appeared worried. The expression quickly returned to being confident However, quite a few noticed the brief change in her expression and secretly felt happy.
Eliminating Xu Min became the earnest wish of many families present. Some families who were not supportive of the Tang family, but the Yong family, amongst these were the Guo family, the Xiao, the Han and Han and the Shiu families, were also somewhat uncertain in where their allegiance laid. Seeing this two-star Warrior expert standing up against a four-star Warrior was refreshing, they found themselves hoping Xu Min would prevail – albeit, they knew it was unthinkable.
Xu Min wiped the corner of his mouth as he unsheathed the sword on his back, 'Let me, let me, let me, let me!' Cao Cao repeatedly whined, but the young man kept ignoring the snake. Although Cao Cao wanted to attack, he knew Xu Min would not forgive him if he jumped in without being allowed to do so. Thus, the snake stayed behind, doing nothing, even if it meant Xu Min was in severe danger.
"Let us see how this works then," Xu Min mumbled. He twirled the massive sword in his hands before getting ready to meet the spear once more.
The palm attack done earlier had managed to push the spear away from Xu Min, but it did not manage to destroy it. Rather, the palm shattered the moment it successfully managed to push the spear away.
Tang Jin did not wait to let Xu Min calm down. He instantly shot the spear forward once more. Avoiding the spear by sidestepping, Xu Min swung down the sword. With a loud boom, the sword cut the spear in half. A shockwave appeared from the impact. Both Xu Min and Tang Jin were shot backward like a kite with a broken string. They landed heavily against the arena walls, coughing up blood.
Standing up, Xu Min felt wobbly. The world around him started to spin; he bit his lip hard enough, so the pain would sharpen his senses. Tang Jin was in a slightly better state but not much. His head had banged straight into the arena wall, and blood had started dripping from the back of his head. His eyes were filled with anger, and his body was jolting as he tried to force himself to calm down.
Tang Jin's strength was not something to trifle with. Now that he was on the edge of letting go of his anger, Xu Min could not help but smirk. If Tang Jin did let go of his anger, he was likely to win. Nonetheless, this lowly two-star Warrior did cause him to bleed twice. This was an undeniable humiliation the entire city's upper class had witnessed. Even if he had tempered his mind, he knew he could not afford to let anger control him. But, he had a hard time accepting the humiliation he had undergone today.
"You disgusting little shit, I am going to trample you! I am going to make you wish you were dead!" Tang Jin finally howled before rushing forward. He was not taking a stance; instead, his Qi flowed around him. He wished to crush Xu Min with his Qi alone. Smiling sweetly, Xu Min did not move. He had been waiting for this exact moment.
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Chapter 53: My Son!
Xu Min smirked as he saw the furious Tang Jin rushing towards him. All the Qi from within his body started to burst forward, laying itself like a dense blanket on the arena. The energy rushed towards Xu Min who was standing completely still, looking at the heavy energy coming his way.
Here was a four-star warrior releasing his Qi, intending to let it crush anything on its way; yet, Xu Min dared to meet it head on. It was a crude way to fight. Unlike a stance, releasing one's Qi like this was the most destructive way of fighting. Nonetheless, this technique was like a two-edged sword. A fighter would release all the Qi in their body; the moment the attack died out, they would be unable to continue fighting.
"So, you are finally going all out," Xu Min laughed at the desperate attack from Tang Jin. Tightening his grip on the sword handle, he prepared to cut the blanket of Qi. His face focused and a small smile could be seen.
The Qi moved swiftly. Within one moment of time, the energy reached Xu Min. He swung the sword down, managing to cut through the blanket of Qi, he saw Tang Jin's face suddenly turned pale.
No matter how hard he had tried. Tang Jin had been completely blinded by anger. He previously knew that it was possible for Xu Min to absorb Qi by his sword; however, the short moment he had acted upon his anger, he had forgotten all about this strange ability. Now, he was like a mouse locked in a trap with no way to get out of it.
Once the sword landed on the Qi, a humming sound could be heard, filling the entire arena. At the same time, the blanket of Qi was turning transparent. The more transparent the blanket became, the higher the humming sound was.
The Qi which the sword was devouring was the highest grade of Qi. Previously, when training with the sword, the experts had made various stances, and a stance could be cut forcefully. However, using a raw form of Qi to attack, it was impossible to disconnect the Qi from the sword no matter how much Tang Jin tried. The sword continuously gulped down more and more Qi.
Half of this Qi was being refined through the sword. It entered Xu Min's body, and his dantian was constantly quivering as more and more energy filled it up. It was so full that it was about to explode. Channeling the Qi from the dantian to his body, he managed to make sure he was not being crippled. The amount of Qi entering his body was so ferocious that Xu Min was almost in a worse position than Tang Jin who was being sucked dry.
The moment Tang Jin felt the suction force he backed away, but it was too late. The energy was being swallowed whole by the sword. While the Qi was pouring into Xu Min, he poured it out into the surroundings, making blanket of Qi similar to Tang Jin's. However, Xu Min's blanket was smaller than the previous one, and it was not as dense. Still, it was enough to be terrifying, especially for Tang Jin who had been completely emptied and now defenseless.
Having sucked up the final Qi from the atmosphere, Xu Min stomped on the ground and shot forward. The Qi blanket roiled around him, and shockwaves were constantly being emitted.
Moving forward, Xu Min's Qi blanket enveloped Tang Jin. Soon, blood-curdling screams could be heard. Although Tang Jin was a four-star Warrior, he was currently completely useless as all his internal energy was depleted. He had never physically trained his body, so there was no way for him to stand against the Qi which was crushing him.
His arms were raised for protection against the Qi, but these arms soon broke like twigs. His legs followed soon after, and blood started pouring from his eyes and his ears. His screams resounded through the silent arena until suddenly someone yelled out and a boom could be heard, "My son!" Tang Ye yelled and as he landed on the ground. Xu Min could feel an outstanding pressure behind him. Using the Sword to suck in the Qi, half of it returned to his body, and the Qi blanket on the arena vanished. With the Qi blanket gone, everyone was able to see Tang Jin had been crippled by the one Tang Jin said he would cripple. The two-star Warrior defeated the four-star Warrior, something completely unheard of.
However, Tang Ye, Tang Jin's father, was fuming with anger. His body trembled when he saw his son, his pride, laying there crippled. He would never again be able to advance once in the world of cultivators.
"He was going to cripple me! If I crippled him first, it's just too bad old man," Xu Min said honestly to Tang Ye. Xu Min was fully aware that the expert's power he could not defeat.
Retreating backward, Xu Min knew what Tang Ye was currently contemplating to do. His anger was clear. It was obvious he wanted to make Xu Min suffer, but the arena's audience was filled with Ri Chu City's top experts. Personally acting in front of all of them would cause Tang Ye's family to be disgraced, losing their position and respectability. This was a battle between the younger generation, and he had to admit Tang Jin had intended Xu Min to undergo a ferocious defeat. Thus, only Tang Jin was to be blamed.
Glancing towards his young son, his anger arose once more. He decided his son was worth more than his pride, and he strode towards Xu Min who wore a bitter smile on his face, beat the young one, and the older man would appear.
"That is enough old Ye! " someone suddenly called out as he joined the arena. It was a man Xu Min had never spoken with before; but looking at him, he knew that it was the patriarch of the Guo family.
"You don't want the city to know what I know," he said with a low voice. A voice he thought only he and Tang Ye could hear; however, the words were just loud enough for Xu Min to hear them as well.
"You have the skillful alchemist Huang Zhen as your guest in your mansion right now. Why don't you hope he can do something for your son. Rush to the medics now and see what can be done. His dantian is not shattered. It's just his arms and legs that have been crippled. Even if he cannot walk, he can still be an internal expert."
These words were loud enough for all to hear, and the audience all nodded their heads in agreement. What he had said seemed reasonable to the audience. It was just bad luck that it had been Tang Jin that got crippled instead of Xu Min. Everyone was shocked seeing Xu Min standing still in the arena while Tang Jin was a bloody mess. The judge finally stepped in, "Older generations of the Ri Chu City have no reason to be on this stage. The battle has finally finished, and no one has died. I declare Xu Min of the Yong family has won this year's younger generation tournament."
After his declaration, no one knew if they were supposed to cheer or not. The dark horse had proven to be a true dark horse all the way to his victory. It was the first time anyone had succeeded in battling twenty-one experts in one go, and, even more outstanding, being a two-star Warrior who defeated a four-star Warrior. What they did not realize was that Xu Min only won because Tang Jin lost control of himself due to his anger for a short moment, and this short moment allowed his demise. It gave Xu Min the one mistake he needed to win.
Had he fought the other experts, the ones who had willingly stepped down, then he would have likely lost? The only reason he could anger Tang Jin enough was that he was so over confident.His cockiness stopped him from crushing Xu Min from the very start.
Everyone was still shocked, even the Yong family. Even Yong Meilin was shocked, but her face was as tranquil as it had been almost the entire battle. Pride was shining in her eyes as a beautiful smile shone on her porcelain-white face.
As Xu Min stepped down from the arena, he was greeted by the experts who had stepped back from him at the beginning of the tournament. All of them tried to curry favor with him. However, Xu Min excused himself quickly, saying he had sustained internal injuries and needed to move back to the Yong family compound, but they could find him there later on.
The Yong family, alongside Dong Liang, had faces full of smiles as they looked at Xu Min. Seeing blood was still trickling down the corner of his mouth, Yong Meilin found a cloth tissue from her dress and gently wiped away the blood before she gently supported him. Together the two of them headed to the Yong family compound. Xu Min had not been lying, he had sustained internal injuries, and he needed to heal himself before continuing down the road of revenge.
'You did pretty good,' Cao Cao said, but his voice was sullen. It was clear he had wanted to battle the stronger expert himself. Understanding Cao Cao's disappointment's Xu Min chuckled in turn causing more blood to appear.
Yong Meilin who had been certain in Xu Min's victory greatly worried as she gently wiped his mouth again. She helped him back to his house where she placed him on his bed. He instantly fell asleep. The final battle had severely exhausted and injured him.
After a few moments, Dong Liang suddenly showed up He knocked on the door before he entered the room. A great smile was on his face as the Yong family's patriarch stood behind him.
"This young man won against the cultivator who was personally looked after by Huang Zhen. This is my victory," he cackled with laughter and reached into his cloak. He took out a small jade case which he opened, and a strong medicinal smell wafted out.
"This is a special pill. Even I only have around thirty percentage chance of succeeding in creating it, but it can heal any injury. Allowing me to win against Huang Zhen, I don't mind parting with one of these pills. Little girl, give this pill to him," he said as he reached out his hand and passed over the pill to Yong Meilin who took it gratefully. Tears were in her eyes while she quickly placed the small pill within Xu Min's mouth.
The energy in the room started rushing towards Xu Min, being absorbed by his body and slowly the sound of bones against bones could be heard. Grunts of pain escaped Xu Min's lips; but even so, he did not wake up.
Dong Liang sent a final glance to the two youngsters in the room before he nodded his head and turned around. "Take good care of him!" Was the patriarchs only words before he hurried after Dong Liang.
Looking at the two departing figures, Yong Meilin quickly went and closed the door. She once more sat down next to the bed; her eyes were glued to Xu Min's sweat covered face. She found some cold water and started wiping him down. She could not wait for him to wake up once more as healthy as he had been before entering the tournament. Yong Meilin wanted once more to return to the days where she and Xu Min would spend their time training together in the small courtyard, eating together and talking together and training together for their entire lives.
Although Yong Meilin wished for a daily life like this, she also remembered the cold expression on Xu Min's face when he thought of his past. She understood his future was not with her, but in the viciously competitive world. He would rise to fame and become a known figure who would reside in another world than her.
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Chapter 54: Departure
Tears streamed down Yong Meilin's eyes while she looked at the bustling road in front of her. This road was always busy with merchants, mercenaries and other adventurers, people who came and went. She had been standing there since morning with tears constantly falling from her eyes.
Many young men had tried to talk with her. Some had brought her tissues whereas others would try and make her look at them. Yet, no matter what anyone did, Yong Meilin ignored them all and kept looking at the road. She felt as if someone had shattered her heart and broke it into thousand of pieces. It seemed impossible for her to pick them up and put them together again.
It was now three months after the tournament's end. Xu Min had spent an entire two weeks healing before his body was back at his peak performance. Afterwards, he spent another two and a half months training. He had long since made up his mind of leaving. The question now was finding the right time and planning where he wished to go.
'If we are gonna leave, why haven't we left already?' Cao Cao repeatedly whined, but every time Xu Min just shook his head and replied, 'we cannot leave just like this. There is a lot of things we need to prepare first. Or, are you saying that you don't want to ensure we have enough food for the travel? You know I want to enter the Ruins of the Immortals, but I need to have some more information about this place.' The snake hissed a little when he heard about the food, but he still didn't believe Xu Min.
'You just don't want to leave Meilin!' the snake said with a smirk on his scaly face. Xu Min, shaking his head, decided not to argue any further. Rather, he wentinto the city where he had collected all the information possible about the Ruins of the Immortals.
The Ruins were a massive part of the neighbouring kingdom. It was a whole province where one could find both forests and plains. Scattered around the entire province were old cities that laid in ruins. All of them had been in their prime many years before, and they had all housed immortals. One could visit these sites and gain enlightenment in front of their ancient intricate inscriptions. Some of the ruins still controlled the elements and one could gain enlightenment in how to become one with the world.
Other ruins were inhabited by old magical beasts. Their strength were similar or stronger than Cao Cao's father. These ruins had gained the reputation of forbidden cities. No one dared entering them as they knew it would be impossible for them to return.
Even now, millenias ago, after the immortals had left the province, new cities would sometimes surface. These cities had previously been placed within pocket dimensions that were scattered around the Ruins of the Immortals. After countless of years these pocket dimensions had broken down and the cities were sent back to the world from which they originated. These cities were often the target of treasure hunts.
Xu Min had acquired all the information he was able to get. He had even used the Yong family's reputation and the power it offered to obtain maps. These maps were filled with dots, showing where they should go and should not go.
It had taken Xu Min three months to feel as though he was ready to leave the city, and even so, he was shocked to find himself still hesitating. In these three months, Yong Meilin had only left his side during the night. Every other moment during the day, morning and evening, were spent together with the young man. Xu Min easily felt the worry and dread growing in her heart.
Just as he was about to leave, Xu Min looked around the courtyard and the house which he had been living in all these months.He sighed deeply. He had the option of beginning a new lifeHe could stay with the Yong family. He could live an easy and happy life together with Yong Meilin. However, every time he thought about this happy life a face appeared in front of his eyes. It was the face of his beloved sister smiling at him, only to be engulfed in flames.
Even though he did have this opportunity, he understood deep down that it was not a possibility for him. He would never be free to enjoy life before he had gotten revenge. He was forced down the road of revenge, forced to walk a desolate road where he alone could pressure himself time and time again. This understanding made it possible for him to reach the limits of his talent. When he reached high enough rank, he would return to the small valley within the forest and mountains. This small village where the Zhong family lived their daily lives. He would return and make them regret what they had done to his sister.
Just as Xu Mi made his decision of leaving, he looked at Yong Meilin by his side. Impulsively acting, he moved towards her, swept her up into his embrace, and gave her a long hug before he slowly pulled her backwards and placed a soft and gentle kiss on the her lips.
Yong Meilin had become stiff as a wooden plank at first but soon tears started falling from her eyes as she gripped onto the Xu Min's robe. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried her heart out.
"Wait for me," Xu Min said gently as he stroked her hair, "I have something I need to do. Something that makes it impossible for me to enjoy life, but as soon as I am done I will come back to you, I promise." His words were low, no one could hear them apart from Yong Meilin, but the words soothed her broken heart, and she slowly stopped crying. Wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, she looked at Xu Min with pride in her eyes as she nodded her head.
"No matter how long I have to wait, I will always be Xu Min's woman– the most talented youth within Ri Chu City." she whispered back. Her voice still slightly trembled, but her eyes were filled with a fire that no one could extinguish. "When you can, return to find me. I will always be waiting for you here." She promised herself to Xu Min. Looking at her, Xu Min smiled,and he once more dragged her into his embrace.
Xu Min had buried his feelings ever since his sister had died. Although he had lived with Overseer Wang, he had never allowed himself to become emotionally attached. Overseer Wang was his teacher, but neither were gentle and caring towards one another. They just shared their days with each other. Yet, even now, Xu Min felt gratitude towards Overseer Wang. Especially because this man had given him a treasure such as his devouring sword. Nonetheless, Overseer Wang and Xu Min did not share any emotional ties.
When Xu Min had reached Ri Chu City, he had been as emotionally dead as before. Although he had warmed up to Cao Cao, he still did not trust any humans yet., However, Yong Meilin had forced her way into Xu Min's life. She had never expected anything from him. All she wanted was to be close to him, and soon she had entered his heart. In the beginning Xu Min had refused to acknowledge this, he knew deep down that one of the reasons that he had a hard time leaving Ri Chu City was because of her.
Sighing deeply, Xu Min took Yong Meilin's hand. Hand in hand, the two of them had left the Yong family compound moving towards one of the city's gates. Many experts, including the patriarch, all stopped what they had been doing. A group of high ranked experts all followed Xu Min through the city. All of them felt unhappy thatXu Min was leaving. Nevertheless, all of them assumed it would happen sooner or later.
It was not only the Yong family who followed behind Xu Min, everyone who was of a major power in the city as well, came to bid him farewell. Everyone apart from the Tang family who still hated Xu Min more than death itself.
Reaching the gate, Xu Min stopped for some time and looked at Yong Meilin. A sad smile was on his lips as he gently stroked her hair. Such an obvious gesture of love was enough to make many of the experts present sigh with jealousy, but no one said anything. All of their hearts clenched when they saw the most beautiful woman in the city having tears stream down her cheeks.
If anyone had ever doubted the rumor about a relationship between these two youngsters, no one questioned it any more.
"I'll wait until I die, so you better come back as soon as you can," Yong Meilin said. Her voice was not lowered.She intentionally said it loud, so everyone could hear her declaration. She, who had been the ice queen, had her heart stolen by this unknown youngster. She felt pride in being able to call herself his woman and she knew that in her entire life no other man would ever have her heart.
"I will return," Xu Min promised with a smile on his face before he nodded to all the patriarchs present. He then turned his back and slowly walked out the city gate. He followed the road in front of him– the road which led him towards the Ruins of the Immortals.
Standing back in the city one patriarch left after another, leaving only Yong Meilin behind. Her tears did not stop, and her hands clutched together in front of her heart. Following Xu Min's back into the distance, she continued to look out even after he had vanished into the horizon. The entire day she stood there, looking towards Xu Min's direction before she finally wiped her eyes once more and left to go back home.
As soon as she returned home, she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep. She slept long and deep and when she woke up her eyes were filled with determination. Her back straight and her head held high. She went towards her grandfather's room and knocked on the door with her hand.
"Enter," the grandfather's voice sounded out through the door.Yong Meilin entered the room. Her entire demeanor had changed. "Grandfather, I wish to take over the spot of the next patriarch of the Yong family here within the Ri Chu City," she said with a hidden power in her voice.
"I might not be the highest ranked expert, but I am the best salesman. I have the best connections and I am willing to do what has to be done for the Yong family to flourish."
"Does this have something to do with the youngster Xu Min?" the patriarch asked curiously. Yong Meilin nodded her head, "He will go and fight the world. He will become strong, and while he fights, I need to improve so that when he returns I will be able to be his pillar of support." She was completely honest and didn't hid anything from her grandfather.
Sighing the old man started rubbing his forehead as he considered what to say. "I see," he finally said after a long time, "Well, if you prove that you can keep the rank as the best salesman within our company and if you truly manage to get us some good business than I do not mind granting you the rank of the next Patriarch," the Grandfather said with a smile on his face. "Work hard, you will need to be very outstanding if you want to stand by his side. He is talented enough to become an immortal."
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Chapter 55: Ruins of the Immortals
Having traveled for around four months, Xu Min finally found himself entering the area known as the Ruins of the Immortals. The place he arrived at was the easternmost area. Looking at his map, Xu Min realized he would soon reach a city.
The Ruins of the Immortals was a far larger province than the one Xu Min had come from. The city he was about to enter was double the size of Ri Chu City. Even though it was large, it was not considered one of the major cities of the Ruins. The major cities of the Ruins of the Immortals existed since the ancient times whereas this city Xu Min soon would entered had not. Moreover, considering that the Ruins of the Immortals was a place where multiple experts came to train, to find a treasure which would allow them to live a comfortable life, or to undergo the trials of becoming an adult. People came to this province from all around the world, and the promise of treasure had drawn in experts since long ago.
During his journey, Xu Min did not travel on the main roads but instead entered through forests, plains, lakes, and rivers.Thus, his advance was greatly hindered compared to traveling on the easier paths. This detour tempered his temperament and body.
At first, he had felt rather sad leaving Ri Chu City. Nonetheless, every time hardship arose all he had to do was imagine his sister's face and the rage within him would burn once more. There was no way he could get any peace of mind before he could achieve his revenge.
To not constantly dwell on Yong Meilin and his sister, Xu Min blindly launched himself into the forests, fighting one magical beast after another. When trouble would come, Cao Cao assisted him. However, as they moved further and further through the wilderness Xu Min had to rely less and less on Cao Cao. This lessening of help was something Cao Cao often complained about.
Now that Xu Min and Cao Cao had reached the Ruins of the Immortals, Xu Min knew that it was best to enter a city to obtain some information about the area. Although he had acquired as much information as he possibly could from the Yong family, their information was not from the area itself but rather from books. It was impossible for them to have updated information, and they needed to be updated information.
Deciding he needed to enter a city, Xu Min slowly joined a broad, dusty road. He followed many other people marching onwards towards a large wall surrounding the city. Xu Min was in no rush. As well, he was not moving faster than any other ordinary person would.He did not want to draw attention towards himself. Wearing some plain, peasant clothes, which were dusty and worn from his long travels, and with his sword sheathed behind his back, Xu Min resembled an average adventurer.However, upon a closer inspection, his persona changed in the onlookers' eyes.
No one paid any mind to the young man, at first. Everyone was busy dealing with their matters. The merchants, especially, entirely avoided all interaction with mercenaries or adventurers. Strong guards patrolled their caravans. Even though they had power, they preferred not to insult or interfere with anyone. One never risked insulting a person that was prestigious or powerful.
Xu Min followed this same mentality. He did not annoy anyone, and, in return, no one annoyed him.
The sword, however, managed to grasp people's attention. Because of Xu Min's sword, they instantly understood this young man was an external expert. His rank was not easy to guess, and no one would ever guess he knew some stances as well. However, examining Xu Min's body, he did not seem as powerful as most external experts. As a result, they all assumed he was a low ranked expert. If he had reached the ranks of a Warrior, he was at most a one-star warrior.
Even so, no one desired to insult him. His sword was mighty, and his person seemed calm but also slightly aloof. If he had reached the rank of a Warrior at such a young age, everyone assumed that he was from one of the major factions within the Ruins of the Immortals, sent out on a trip to prove his worth.
A real expert would be somewhere near looking after this young man if he was one of these young masters. No one knew whether he was an adventurer or a young master, but either way, he was someone they did not wish to deal with.
This lack of interference was a great benefit to Xu Min who could observe everything around him. From time to time, he would talk with Cao Cao since the snake was shocked by a number of humans, and the size of the city they were going to.
'How can so many people live within a single city?! I just don't understand.' Cao Cao exclaimed time and time again. 'Although I know that there are numerous beasts in forests, it is nothing compared to these cities.' he continued. His eyes were round from staring at everything and his tongue constantly slithering next to Xu Min's ear.
'This is the largest city I have ever seen.' Xu Min stated, agreeing with Cao Cao, 'but this is considered one of the more average cities within the Ruins of the Immortals.'
'Here is the plan. We will enter, get some information and then determine which place is best for training. I prefer if we can find a forest ruin to examine. Although we won't discover any treasures since they have been explored by thousands of people, I still believe that we can gain some training, and I can see what the actual ruins are like. One day, I wish to become an immortal as well.'
Cao Cao just hummed an answer while his face constantly turned from side to side, looking at the many different experts.
' I have some gold coins, but I don't think I can be considered wealthy.' Xu Min continued to ponder. 'I wonder how much we need to pay for a room and food in this city? Not to mention, how much it will cost to get the information we need.'
'We need food!' Cao Cao said adamantly. 'We can get the information slowly from random people, but we should not go around without food!'
Hearing the desperation in Cao Cao's voice Xu Min gently laughed before he patted the snake head. 'Don't worry; I won't let you starve.' he assured Cao Cao while his eyes were glancing across the massive city in front of him.
At first, it had been possible to see the start and end of the city wall. The closer they came towards the city, the more the walls enveloped the horizon. This made it difficult for Xu Min to see everything. No matter which way Xu Min looked, all he could see was the wall of the city. He could not help but feel his heart beating rapidly, and his eyes filled with disbelief. A city this large was considered an average city within the province? That was unfathomable for someone who came from a small area like Honghe and Ri Chu City.
Xu Min was on high alert because of the largeness of the city. Although he knew it was highly unlikely that anyone would fight him right outside the wall, he still felt worried.
The gate was in front of him, and following everyone else he made his way into the city. Everywhere he looked houses were taking up the entire view, some of the houses were multiple stories while others were single story. The single story complexes were not in as great shape as the others. Alleyways were visible on the side of most of the houses. They lead into a world of darkness.
Within these alleyways were scents of urine and blood. Clearly, only the brave dared to enter. Ignoring them, Xu Min kept moving through town until he found an inn which did not look too high class but not too low class either.
Entering in the inn, he went to the desk. "I'd like to book a room, please." he gently requested. His hand brought forth a jade card. As soon as the card was seen by the shopkeeper, he instantly showed more respect towards Xu Min, "Young master, how long do you wish to stay?" He asked while bowing slightly. Contemplating for some time, Xu Min was uncertain how long he would stay, but eventually, he decided to stay a week.
"Seven days? Okay, please hand me your jade card, and I will deduct the amount from your card."
With the card in the clerk's hand, he instantly took out a black stone.He then swiped the card; moments after, the jade card was delivered back to Xu Min.
"Breakfast is included in your fee. If you wish to eat lunch and dinner those will be extra." the shopkeeper automatically said before he found a key and handed it over to Xu Min. "This is the key to your room. Your room is on the third floor, room seven."
Hearing this, Xu Min nodded his head as he accepted the key and turned around. Looking at his room, he observed many experts were eying him. Some of them with greed in their eyes, while others had curiosity in their expressions. Seeing the different expressions, Xu Min did not think too much about it. He was quite certain that none of the experts present were stronger than Tang Jin. As long as they were weaker than him, they would be easily disposed of.
Though he had a few problems when he fought with Tang Jin, that battle was almost half a year ago. Presently, Xu Min had increased his combat ability since then. He fought one beast after another and became much more skilled in life-and-death battles. He had learned to let go of the hesitation and aim straight for the kill, and he now knew how to use his strength most efficiently.
Even if someone who was present was stronger than Tang Jin, Xu Min should still be able to win since he had Cao Cao who had slowly but steadily grown stronger as well.
Xu Min did not avert his eyes, but instead looked into the eyes of everyone present causing the experts to be shocked. The experts speculated Xu Min was without a doubt only a two-star Warrior, but even so, he still seemed confident in dealing with them.
It was not before now these cultivators also reached the conclusion he was a young master who was being protected by an unknown expert in the shadows. Knowing that he was so confident, no one wished to battle him. The specialists in the inn were not willing to gamble on Xu Min's supposedly watcher not being there and perhaps lose their lives for a single jade card.
Looking at these hesitating experts, Xu Min went up the staircase to their room. Here, he picked up a lot of food and handed it to Cao Cao. During their fights with wild beasts much meat had been dried and although it was not as delicious as fresh dishes Cao Cao enjoyed gnawing on the dried meat of magical beasts.
Xu Min looked tenderly at the snake while he was eating. Then he quickly wrested his attention from the eating snake; and instead, he looked at the room he was currently within. After a few moments, he changed his clothes, leaving the worn clothes in a cloth bag. He put on his black robe with the golden embroideries.
"Time to get some information," he said to Cao Cao. Cao Cao agreed by instantly nodding his head and quickly grabbing another few mouthfuls of wild beast meat. He slithered onto Xu Min's shoulder where he coiled around his neck. Everyone could see this food-gorging snake was content with his current life.
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Chapter 56: Uninvited Guests
Leaving the inn, Xu Min and Cao Cao walked around the city for some time. Both observed everything around them. Most of the things they saw were different kinds of shops and stalls. Some of the shops sold medicinal pills while others sold armor and weapons.
Small stalls were selling food and drink to any of the passersby willing to buy them. A few traveling merchants, on the other hand, had made small stalls in their carriers, calling out what they sold and their incredibly low prices.
Many experts were moving within the town. Some were wearing elegant clothes with guards following behind them, and some were in tattered clothes, trying to beg for some coin or food. Mercenaries were laughing out loud while bragging about the monsters they had killed or the treasures they had found. Guards from the city lord's mansion would patrol the streets to ensure that no one started any trouble.
Commoners could be seen here and there. Some were maids running errands for their masters while others were citizens working in the various shops. Everywhere Xu Min looked hordes of people were moving around. They were apparently used to the city being this crowded.
However, Xu Min was not used to this many people in one place, and he quickly found that he could not move forward unless he started using his elbows and power to push his way gently through the many people.
While pushing his way through all these people, he tightly held his jade card in his hand, ensuring that no one had the possibility of stealing it.
Xu Min moved further and further away from the center of town. The further out he went the fewer shops he found, and the easier it became to move. Xu Min was not looking for any physical items within these shops, but to find someone who was familiar with the Ruins of the Immortals and get some information.
Just as Xu Min was about to head down an alleyway to look for a poor person who would be willing to sell knowledge for money, he suddenly saw a massive shadow appearing from above. Looking up, he could not help but swallow deeply.
In the air, a massive ship was hovering. Four pairs of pearl white wings were on the side of the ship, con flapping, keeping the ship in the air.
"Everyone! We are an envoy from the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins! We will be taking over this city. Should you wish to do battle, then expect your entire city to be dyed in blood. You have one hour to surrender. If you do not, then we will attack at full force!"
The speaker's voice rang throughout the entire city. The streets which had been bustling with life were so quiet now. It was so still that even a needle being dropped on the ground would be heard. The silence had lasted for a full moment before everyone heard a person scream. After the scream, everyone woke up from their trance; the merchants instantly packed up their items and started pushing their way out of the city.
Xu Min was standing still; he was pondering on what to do. Many citizens had already started returning to their houses, to the mansions they belonged to or the gate. They were trying to escape alongside the rest of the merchants.
Xu Min had all his items with him, so he did not return to the inn. He did not get ready to move either. He did not know what the Snow Mountain was, but he did know what the Dragon Ruins were.
The Ruins of the Immortals was a province filled with many ruins. These ruins had been cities back in their prime, and each one of them was a thousand times thousand kilometers wide. While the entire region was named Ruins of the Immortals, each of the ruins had different names. The Dragon Ruins were a set of ruins fairly close to the area where Xu Min had entered the region.
Xu Min guessed the Snow Mountain was some faction that originated from within the Dragon Ruins. Although these factions were about to do battle, Xu Min felt that it had nothing to do with him. He was an adventurer who had just arrived in the city. If there was a battle, then he would find a place outside the battle and just observe. It did not matter to him who won.
Deciding not to be drawn into the battle, Xu Min jumped on top of a building. He sat down and looked up at the ship in the air. Xu Min had never seen, nor heard, about a ship capable of flying in the air and looking at it it was at least several hundred meters long and fifty to hundred meters wide. One could hear the many experts marching on top of it. While the four sets of wings were flapping in a calm and controlled manner, which kept them hovering over the middle of the city.
The city's street had emptied. There was not even one citizen out anymore. Xu Min was all alone looking at the ship. An hour quickly passed, but no soldiers had emerged from the city lord's mansion nor had anyone announced surrender either. Looking at the reaction of the city lord's mansion Xu Min was puzzled, but he did not have time to wonder for long.
Abruptly long ropes were thrown from the ship, and experts climbed down. A few of them jumped straight over the side of the ship and landed on the ground, causing tremors to run through the city as though there was a line of earthquakes. To be able to jump from the ship one had to be at least a six-star Warrior, and looking at these warriors, Xu Min was taken aback. There was at least a hundred experts of the sixth rank and above while the weaker ones were climbing down the ropes.
Once the experts landed down on the ground, they instantly started slaughtering everyone around them. They ruthlessly entered houses, inns, shops, and stalls. Not caring at all, they killed everyone they came across.
Xu Min's heart grew cold, watching this merciless carnage, and he was filled with anger as he saw how the children and women were being killed right in front of him. His eyes exploded with anger. He had not expected these experts would kill helpless and weak citizens who were incapable of protecting themselves. Murdering citizens was enough to thoroughly anger Xu Min; he then jumped from the tall building he had been seating on. He looked at the many experts pouring into the roads.
"Kill them all! Let blood run in this city. Let the City Lord know that we have no intention of backing down. They can hide and barricade themselves within the mansion, but they will be forced to join the battle sooner or later!" A yell sounded out in the entire city. The flame of hate that always burned within his chest suddenly burst open, and Xu Min looked at the road behind him. It was a small alleyway, but a lot of women and children were hiding within it. All of them were citizens. None of them were cultivators, and they were filled with fear.
It was clear that they were giving up their lives, hugging one another with tears fell from the eyes of the adults while the children constantly asked what was happening. Looking at this pitiful scene, Xu Min was reminded of his sister who was killed for no apparent reason. He placed himself in front of the entrance and unsheathed his sword from his back.
'Sorry Cao Cao,' he whispered, 'I am afraid that we are going to be in a tight situation. I cannot accept these experts to kill wantonly like this. I am not strong enough to protect everyone within this city, but let me fight for the ones who are standing behind us. You can go mad and kill as many as you want to, but as long as they are soldiers of the Snow Mountain.'
Hearing what Xu Min said, Cao Cao did not disagree. Instead, he solemnly nodded his head. He was rarely serious. Yet, today he was aware that there was nothing funny about their current situation. He stopped relying on the Shroud of Shadows which usually hid him from the eyes of humans. Thus, the snake suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
The two of them stood leaning against the house which led down the alleyway. Hidden in the shadows, both had their senses completely sharpened. They attentively listened to the footsteps that were coming increasingly close.
Tightening his grip around the sword, Xu Min's eyes went cold. They were filled with killing intent. At his neck was a small green snake which also emitted a strong a killing intent; both were ready to jump at the first person who appeared in front of them.
Behind them, the children and women became completely quiet. They gazed at Xu Min with hope in their eyes; a hope tinged still with agony. Even if they were to survive, they would stand to lose a lot, and none of them could afford to do so.
'I don't know if I regret going to this city.' Xu Min casually sent to Cao Cao, 'although it would have been easier in another city these people would not have had a chance at all. I wonder if this means that they are lucky or not?' he contemplated for some time until he heard footsteps so close to them t he had to concentrate fully on the battle at hand.
Slithering down the body of Xu Min, Cao Cao looked out at the main road before he slithered back. 'We are in luck. It is a group of four, but all of them are three-star experts. I am sure they are far below the quality of the likes of Tang Jin, so you should be able to deal with them on your own. However, I will lend you a hand. This is a battle of attributes, and although the sword can help us a big deal, you still need to be careful. We saw six-star warriors after all. The absorption is not very powerful against them.'
Nodding his head, Xu Min acknowledged what Cao Cao said. His expression was serious as he readied himself to advance. On the ground was Cao Cao, ready to entangle and poison some of the experts.
Although Cao Cao had told Xu Min to watch his energy, this was also the case for the small snake. He had a lot of poison in his glands, but he also had a limit to how much poison he could use. Without poison, though he could strangle opponents, it was far from as efficient as the poison.
Man and beast were standing still. They waited for the footsteps to be right in front of them. Once the footsteps stood squarely before them, Xu Min's sword flashed slashing the enemy. Only the afterimage of a sword could be seen; yet the exact moment the blood sprayed from the chest of one expert,h the other expert who was standing by his side had also received a part of the sword attack. Though the first expert was severed from the top to his lower body, the second expert only had a superficial wound.
Seeing the shock on the Snow Mountain Warriors, Xu Min did not wait another moment. With another flick of his hand, the sword danced around, cutting and slicing, chopping and stabbing, instantly getting rid of the four experts.
Sighing deeply, Xu Min immediately dragged the corpses into the alleyway. There was much blood on the ground, but not many of the warriors would worry about this. However, seeing lifeless bodies of their comrades is a different story. They would instantly become worried. Getting rid of the corpses could allow for Xu Min to use the element of surprise once more. The more he could surprise, the less energy he needed to use, and the more he could kill while keeping the children and women behind him safe.
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Chapter 57: Hero
Xu Min looked behind him and saw the women holding the children; they covered their eyes so as not to let them see the corpses. The eyes of these women, previously filled with despair and hopelessness, were now filled with a slight tinge of hope.
All the women were doing their absolute best to make the children quiet while they observed Xu Min from time to time. The young man had just changed from being a rogue cultivator to a hero for the small group of people.
Although Xu Min wished to pay more attention to the women, he suddenly heard the sounds of loud voices which were laughing and joking between one another; three voices could be heard, but Xu Min was unaware of whether or not there were more experts than that. There might be some quiet people within the group. He knew that he could not afford to be complacent. If he wished to keep these people alive, then he had to keep battling.
Keeping his eyes on the road in front of him, Xu Min soon saw the shadows coming his way and gritted his teeth. There had been a few quiet people in the group. 'Cao Cao, I'll need you to deal with two of them. I'll deal with the rest.' He called out, and the snake nodded his head. Usually he would have joked about saying that he would take care of all of them, but this time, it was serious. The citizens behind them depended on their strength, and they could not afford to screw up.
As the experts moved in front of the alleyway, Xu Min's eyes locked onto the first person and with a stomp on the ground, he shot forward with lightning speed. With the sword in his hands, he chopped down upon his first target. Stumbling backward, the first expert Xu Min had locked onto opened his mouth, but no sound was emitted since his body was split into two. A green flash appeared by his side, and two of the group's members plummeted to the ground as the snake once more returned to his neck.
Xu Min, being grateful that Cao Cao took care of the two others, instantly changed his direction and sliced through the neck of another opponent.
"Quick sound the alarm!" one of the surviving people ordered through gritted teeth. His hands wielded a battle axe while the other surviving member was wielding a one hand sword.
'More than expected, Cao Cao you take care of one while I'll get the other,' Xu Min called out. Without waiting for an answer, the snake around his throat once more turned into a streak of green light which caused the axe-wielding man to collapse.
"I should have brought the alarm!" The last surviving person complained as he turned tail and tried to run away. But, how could Xu Min let him run away? If he escaped, multiple experts would be coming this way in a few moments. So, Xu Min chased after him and quickly ended the expert's life.
'We can't keep going on like this,' Xu Min complained. 'We will die ıf we stay within this alleyway. I need to get them out somehow.'
Taking all the corpses and stacking them in another alleyway, Xu Min made sure to take all the valuables on the corpses, including a small emblem which clearly was the alarm they had spoken about before. Breaking this emblem would cause multiple experts to come rushing to the location.
Moving back to the alleyway where there were many women and children, Xu Min moved towards them; some seemed scared while others appeared hopeful.
"I need help if I am to get you all away from here alive," he said quietly, "We cannot stay within this alleyway. We will be noticed, but I also know that we cannot exit through the gates. I am not strong enough to jump the city walls with you on my back, so I need to know if there is any way to exit this city without going through the entrances?"
The question was reasonable. Many mansions were likely to have hidden exits as well as other places scattered throughout the city. These young women and children were clearly working as maids or something similar, so they should know of at least one way, but no one said a thing.
Sighing Xu Min was about to give up when a girl who seemed to be no more than fourteen years of age stepped forward.
"The trickster's lair has an exit." she said hesitatingly, "I am quite sure that the trickster and his friends have already left.I don't think that the soldiers as well should have too much of interest in a lair down in our quarters of the city. It smells too much, and it is poor. If we move through the alleyways we should be able to make it out within an hour," the girl explained. Xu Min was excited to hear this.
"That is what we will do," he said with a nod. Some of the other poor exchanged glances. They were clearly uncertain whether or not they should follow, but soon all of them had determined expressions on their faces. They were not going just to wait for their death. If they were to die, they would die trying to escape.
Xu Min was satisfied as he saw the change in the women. He and the young fourteen-year-old girl went to the front. "Show me the way but stay close behind me. Although we are moving through the alleyways, we might run into groups of warriors."
The young girl nodded her head. Walking just behind Xu Min, she pointed out which alleyways they should go.
Since they were traveling through the alleyways, they did not encounter many mercenaries. However, they often had to stop and wait for patrols to walk past if they crossed the main road. Screams could be heard throughout the city. The smell of charred corpses and metallic blood wafted through the entire city. This scent was accompanied by the sounds of shouts and a horrendous laughter from the soldiers.
Lifting his arm, Xu Min made everyone stop. Even the children who had been previously sobbing were now completely quiet. It was as if they had understood how important this was, so they dared not utter any sound. The group concealed themselves in the shadows of the houses. These alleyways were made for the sake of throwing grime and sewage into, and a foul stench masked their movements. No expert wished to enter these back alleyways. Furthermore, they didn't expect anyone to be hiding within them. Even if they were hiding, they had to come out sooner or later. Going into the grime was something these exalted killers would never think of.
"Okay stop for a moment, everyone," Xu Min whispered, "we need to cross the main road to be able to get to the next set of buildings." His face was ugly to behold as he inched closer and closer to the main road. One patrol of Warriors after another moved in front of their hiding place. He could not help but frown.
Crossing the road, Xu Min realized he needed to battle a group of Warriors. However, even though he needed to battle these Warriors, there was a limit for how long they could battle before a new patrol would walk by. Even Xu Min could only deal with one group at a time.
Waiting for the perfect time, Xu Min saw only one group of Warriors walking past, and he instantly flew into action. His sword was unsheathed, and Qi was swirling around Xu Min's body which fortified his strength.
"A Warrior is coming our way!" a young man called out. He was wearing the soldier uniform and had three stars embroidered upon the shoulder. He was a three-star Warrior, and looking at Xu Min, he could easily sense that this incoming Warrior was weaker than him. "Don't call for reinforcement. Let us deal with this guy on our own. There has been a lack of cultivators, and all we have found are old people and women. I wonder if all the experts spent their time running away."
The other experts grinned. All of them rushed to fight with Xu Min. 'Cao Cao take care of the three on the right, and leave the others to me,' Xu Min ordered before he turned around and rushed towards the left side. Sword in hand and Qi strengthening his arms making the chop he made as powerful as if Xu Min was a three-star warrior, he engaged the men in battle. Whereas with Cao Cao, a green flash appeared and his three targets collapsed on the ground.
The speaker who wanted to fight alone suddenly clutched an emblem in his hands, but before he had the time to break it his hands went limp. He fell on the ground. Getting rid of the other Warriors was as easy, and the first and he quickly returned to
Xu Min gestured to the women and the children to cross the street. They all rushed past the usually very trafficked road and into another set of alleyways. "We need to hurry now," Xu Min stated. He led them deeper and deeper into the maze of backstreets and alleyways towards the trickster's lair.
This time, it had been impossible for him to hide the corpses, and he knew that soon they would be pursued by Warriors. It was only a matter of who would move the fastest. Xu Min's eyes turned serious as he gently hurried the common women and children further and further to the edge of town.
"We need to make one more turn, and then we will be free," the young woman hopefully said, anticipation resonating in her voice. All the women behind Hui Yue were also filled with hope. However, Xu Min was silent. He felt as though it had all been too simple, too easy, but he dared not say anything. Perhaps these women and children were all innocent and blessed by the heavens with good luck.
Just as he was about to reach the mansion, he finally heard the sound of experts rushing their way. Stopping, Xu Min looked behind them; his action instantly caused the hope within the women's eyes to become fearful once more.
"Don't worry, and keep moving forward. I will hold the guards here. Get as far away as you can and don't stop before you are in another city or found a village that will take you in. If anyone tries to threaten you, tell them that you are under the protection of Xu Min, a cultivator who will catch up with you soon." Xu Min asserted He then handed the alarm he had stolen to one of the women. "If they are harming you break this emblem. The Snow Mountain's Warriors will come instantly."
Hearing this, the woman was frightened, but she nodded her head and accepted the emblem. "Hurry go now!" Xu Min ordered. The women and children then rushed forward leaving Xu Min behind. The fourteen-year-old looked back. Her eyes were filled with gratitude, but she did not linger and rushed forward, entering a back door into the trickster's lair.
As to who the trickster was, Xu Min did not know, but he knew that the women were finally safe. Turning around, he unsheathed his sword. 'This time, we are in for it, my friend,' Xu Min said to Cao Cao. 'I'm sorry, but I need you to go all out. We don't know how many we are up against, but we need to hold out until the women and children have escaped. Only then can we escape as well.'
'Don't worry about it!' Cao Cao said with a smile on his snake-face. 'I have wanted an all out battle for some time. Let us show them how strong we are! There is no way we can allow these weak Warriors to overpower us!'
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Chapter 58: Escaping the City
Cao Cao left the neck of Xu Min and slithered to the ground. Standing side by side, the two friends looked once more at one another before their eyes went towards the road in front of them. Steps came closer and closer before suddenly the first person could be seen rushing towards them.
Having moved through the roads for as long as they had, Xu Min and his followers had left behind them many footsteps and a few corpses here and there. They were doomed to be noticed at some point. Though Xu Min had hoped they would have been slower, he could only thank that they had not been noticed previously. If anything, he was happy that the group of women had gained the possibility of running away.
"I wonder how many people will be coming?" Xu Min said between his gritted teeth. "I had not had a serious battle since before I met you," Xu Min said. His heart was beating rapidly, "ever since meeting you, I have had a cushion which could defend me. Even in the tournament you and I were never in any danger as you could move any time necessary." Xu Min mused as the figures in front came closer and closer. The sword on his back became unsheathed. "This time we will have to go all out," he stated. The adrenalin was pumping in his blood. Looking at the snake on the ground, he also noticed that Cao Cao's eyes had turned red; a grim smile appeared on the scaley face.
A grin showed on Xu Min's face, as well. He could not afford to die here, but looking at the people appearing, more and more experts were turning towards them. "Let us begin!" Xu Min yelled out loud as the first opponent reached him. The sword flashed in the dim light within the alleyway. With a downwards sweep, the sword cut through the chest of the first person reaching him.
The alleyway was a perfect place for Xu Min to battle. It was narrow and tight. He was standing at the far back with a large wall against him, ensuring that no one could sneak behind him. In the front, two, at most three, experts could stand side by side, but even if they did stand side by side they would be incapable of wielding their weapons; thus, only two experts could launch an attack at a time.
Cao Cao was rushing through the people, biting right and left. Bodies fell to the ground in his wake, but new experts jumped on top of these fallen comrades. They did not even show the slightest hesitation to stop. This made it easier for them to move forward since they did not step in the mud which would have slowed them down.
Although Cao Cao was an arrogant snake, he dared not move too far ahead. Instead, he moved just in front of Xu Min, catching every second expert. The others were left alone as they rushed towards Xu Min who was twirling, slashing, stabbing, striking and thrusting the sword in one expert after another, killing them almost instantly. Every time he cut through the expert he felt the Qi being poured into his body. He was soon at the maximum of how much energy his dantian could contain.
'Cao Cao come back!' Xu Min called out while slashing the last expert. He jumped back so that his back was right against the wall. Without hesitating, he took the stance of Radiant Jade Shower. Qi started swirling around him before it quickly crystallized into shards as sharp as swords and as beautiful as jade. It resembled the starry night sky; the little light within the alleyway made the attack dazzling, stunning the advancing experts.
Seeing the thousands upon thousands of Qi shards being ready to launch, the experts started backing away. Terror was in their eyes yet how could they rival the speed of the Radiant Jade Shower which rushed through the sky and embedded themselves within the bodies of the experts.
Previously, Xu Min had been able to unleash the strength of the Radiant Jade Shower, but now he could even control the Qi which had left his body. He used all the Qi possible to make the embedded Qi jade shards explode within the bodies of the experts, causing severe damage to the closest ones had gotten hit.
Seeing that Xu Min was done with the internal attack, Cao Cao once more rushed through the human wave of experts coming their way. His fangs bit time and time again, and Xu Min wielding the sword, allowed for the Qi to once more float into his body and dantian.
'This is never ending!' Xu Min yelled to Cao Cao, and the snake could only grit his teeth and agree. Biting one last person, he turned back to Xu Min and slithered up onto the neck 'I am out of poison,' He complained as he comfortably laid on the neck, but Xu Min felt the pressure. Previously, he had only needed to deal with half the experts. Now, he needed to deal with them all.
Closing his eyes for one second, Xu Min calmed himself within. When the eyes were opened again, he was filled with determination. He would not allow himself to die here. The sword dance even swifter than before. Unfortunately, he was also injured. One of the opponents had cut his thigh; another grazed his shoulder. One stabbed his arm; another nicked his forehead.
None of the attacks were lethal. However, blood had started to flow, and Xu Min had to use his Qi to close the wounds. The current situation was bad for both of them.
'I think we need to accept that we cannot win this,' Cao Cao said with worry in his eyes. Xu Min could only nod in agreement, but he was not in a position where he could run away. Experts kept charging towards him. The wounds he sustained became increasingly more serious, and the fighting became more and more frantic and desperate.
'We need to escape now!' Cao Cao urged him, but Xu Min nodded his head. Pouring the Qi into his legs and with a high jump did he manage to land straight up on top of the building before he started running from one building after another before they finally reached the city wall.
Looking down, Xu Min swallowed his saliva. It was far down, but even so, he decided to jump. A cracking sound could be heard as he landed coming from his leg followed by a sharp pain. Even so, Xu Min quickly stood up and started running as fast as he could away from the city.
Looking back, he found that the experts were not following him. Instead, they stood on the city wall looking at him; their eyes filled with anger, yet none of them showed any signs of jumping down to the ground. Seeing this a stone left his heart; he felt relieved. Looking at the ground, he found that he was moving on a group of footsteps, clearly steps from the women and children who had escaped the city earlier.
Xu Min did not know even closely to enough information about the Immortal Ruins. Thus, he quickly decided to follow these footsteps. Moving at his highest speed was virtually impossible. He had a broken leg and many wounds on his body. Some were very serious while others were not so much. He could at most keep the pace of a normal commoner.
It took him three hours before he finally reached a large village. This was clearly nowhere near as big as the city, but it was big enough to house all the women and children whom he had help.
The city had massive stone walls surrounding it while this village had a three-meter tall wooden fence and only one entrance into the village. In front of this village was four guards, clearly cultivators, yet they were at most experts with the strength of the third-star Warrior.
"Begone pest!" one of the guards yelled. They were aware of the trouble which had transpired in the major city. Consequently, they quickly guessed that they had gotten new overlords. In turn, accepting someone who might be an enemy of this new overlord was not a good idea. It could bring misfortune to the entire village.
"Stop!" a female voice suddenly rang through the air. The guard instantly stopped speaking. "Miss," he called out and bowed deeply, however, the moment the woman reached them, Xu Min collapsed on the ground. The final Qi left his body, and the world turned black.
Everything was black when Xu Min opened his eyes. Looking around, he found himself in a corridor, but feeling around there was no way to find light. The moment his hand touched a wall, he kept holding on to it as he moved forward.
Suddenly a flash of white appeared in front of him, but it vanished just as swiftly. Seeing the light, however, made Xu Min excited and he sped up his pace, no longer moving slowly but running down the dark corridor hoping to catch up with the flash of white.
Moving further and further into the dark corridor, he from time to time saw the flash of white which kept him moving, constantly rushing forward.
The black corridor slowly became lighter and lighter, and suddenly he reached a large room where everything was light.
Just as he reached the room, his eyes opened up, and he sat up with a jolt. Looking around, he found that there were four women within the room he was placed in. He was sleeping on a bunk bed, and he could feel a cool piece of cloth on his forehead.
The women were as shocked as he by the sudden awakening. However, they soon regained their composure. Looking at the four women, Xu Min instantly recognized them as the women from the city.
"Thank you, mister," one of the women said quietly, "you will be safe here for only a few more days. The Snow Mountain will soon have taken full control of the city. Once they have all our small villages, we will have to submit to them. Having you living within our city when you fought against them will not be possible.." The woman was apologetic. She knew that she and her friends had been saved by this man, but they were unable to save him in return.
"Don't worry about it," Xu Min said with a smile on his face. After having slept his body was refilled with vigor, and his wounds had almost healed. Cao Cao was sleeping on his side, but he was using the shroud of darkness. No one was capable of seeing him; only Xu Min would notice him.
"Thank you for looking after me," Xu Min said smilingly as he stood up. In his backpack, he found a clean set of clothes which he quickly changed into before he decided on moving forward once more. Picking up his things, he quickly left the room.
Looking around he found many of the women and children he had saved. He was relieved to see that all of them had been received with great friendliness. These women, although no longer living in town, now had a new lease on life without being mistreated.
"We owe you our lives," the woman who had been there when he woke up. "I am but the daughter of a small village chief. However, if you ever need shelter come back here, and I will help you. Even if it costs me my life, I will gladly help you," she swore as she looked at him
Laughing Xu Min waved his hand, "You just got your life back. Why don't you cherish it some more?"
Having said the words, Xu Min left the village. He walked away from the city the Snow Mountain experts had just conquered. He needed to find another city where he could get information about the Immortal Ruins. It seemed that something major was happening in the area. aA change in the powers was happening just as Xu Min had entered the area. Already dangerous ground had just become even more dangerous to traverse.
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Chapter 59: City of Thousand Stars
Upon leaving the small village, Xu Min did not stay in the wilderness for too long. He needed interaction with numerous people so that he could acquire more information on the Ruins of the Immortals. In short, he needed a city. His last experience in a city did not quite go the way he planned. Instead, a faction called the Snow Mountain had gotten in his way, leaving him with hardly any knowledge at all.
As to whether or not these experts from the Snow Mountain planned on taking over more than one major city, Xu Min had no idea. However, to do so, they would most likely need time to readjust. If Xu Min entered another city, he was sure the same thing would unlikely happen again.
Xu Min sped towards the next city. He traveled thousands of kilometers a day, running at the fastest speed he could maintain. The Ruins of the Immortals was a vast area of land. Even though he was traveling on the main road, all he had met were caravans that were also heading for a city in the distance. He traveled for full nine days before he finally saw a city rising in the distance.
While getting closer to the city, more and more caravans, carriages and commoners appeared. This proximity with other travelers made it impossible for Xu Min to keep moving forward with the speed he had maintained beforehand. Now, he was forced to slow down. Xu Min quickly found a hat which he wore; he needed to dimly hid his appearance Although he did not know anyone within the Ruins of the Immortals, he had caused quite a stir in the first city he arrived. He was not willing to make the same mistake this time.
The city's wall was an astonishing twenty meters tall; the gate itself was ten meters tall, and on top of the city wall strode black clothed Warriors who were patrolling. In front of the gate was another four guards. All of them casually observed the many experts and commoners who were constantly entering the city.
The moment Xu Min reached the gate, one of the experts warily looked at him. What seemed like an eternity, the expert finally decided Xu Min was not worth investigating.
Feeling a cold sweat break on his back, Xu Min bowed his head and quickly walked into the city. He did not stop until he had reached a small inn, which was located in a poverty-stricken looking area.
While Xu Min was roaming through his bag, he found some gold coins. He tossed one of the coins to the innkeeper. "I need a room, if possible," he said. The innkeeper, whose eyes filled with greed from seeing a gold coin, instantly clutched it to his chest while looking around the room, making sure no one saw him.
Fortunately, this inn was not very active during the day. No one seemed to have noticed the gold coin. Nodding his head, the innkeeper found a key which he handed to Xu Min; he led the young man up the stairs towards a room at the far back.
"Here no one will ask questions about you as long as you don't ask questions about others. The pay is enough for a full month. Welcome to the City of Thousand Stars." he explained before bowing deeply. He then turned around and left.
Holding the key in his hand, Xu Min quickly opened the door and stepped inside after which he locked the door once more. Sighing, he removed the hat from his face. Once more he revealed his face, a face clearly contemplating on what to do next.
"As long as I don't ask questions, no one will ask questions about me," he murmured to himself while he paced back and forth in the room. He was not willing for someone to start interrogating about him; but, on the other hand, he did need to ask questions about the city, about the current strength and build of the different factions within the Ruins of the Immortals, and alongside where one should train if one wished to improve.
"Well, let us calm down first, at least," Xu Min decided. He sat down on the creaking bed. "We are not in any rush for information at the moment. Fortunately, those people from the Snow Mountain did not get my name and the few who saw my face all died. Otherwise, I would have to fear for my safety while traveling amongst these Ruins of the Immortals." Xu Min mused to himself. A grin slowly spread on his face as he gently stroked Cao Cao. He was completely submerged in his thoughts of just how amazing this trip had become.
'Even though this innkeeper said if we start gaining information on others, other will gain information about us, I am certain there is some place where we can acquire some information. The information that we seek is readily available in the entire area, so I don't think we need to fear about others. If we use a fake name, no one will know.' Cao Cao's tongue slithered in his mouth as he spoke, and Xu Min nodded his head.
Standing up, he picked up his hat and placed it on his head. He left his room and locked the door behind him before he slowly made his way down the stairs.
The inn was still as empty as it had been before; only the innkeeper noticed that Xu Min left. However, he paid a good price for the room, so the innkeeper had no interest in offending the young man by asking him where he was going.
'First, let us look around the city,' Xu Min decided as he started moving, 'it seems even bigger than the previous one. I fear an entire day would not be enough to reach the end of this city.' he said laughingly. He was moving towards the center of the city. The place where all the stores and marketplaces were located.
In the beginning, Xu Min could move around quickly. The roads were not filled with people; only a few were within sight. As they were coming closer towards the center, it became more difficult to move. Xu Min had to slacken his pace. Many people were gathering on the roads. The city came alive on the streets with the movement of people.Xu Min was excited to see this. It was harder to move forward now, but he was happy that he had reached the place where he wanted to be.
Unlike Ri Chu City, this place was mainly filled with experts. Even the people who were selling items were Warriors; the commoners walking around also seemed to be experts. Xu Min's eyes were shining with excitement. He had never seen a city which had mainly experts living within it. He instantly understood that this place was suitable for him.
"Look at that man wearing a hat like that. He looks silly!" a haughty female voice suddenly boomed through the air, clearly reinforced by her internal energy. Hearing this voice, Xu Min could not help but sigh internally. He didn't want to be noticed nor did he want to show his face; obviously, the hat made that clear. Nonetheless, there was always someone who wished to insult and cause strife in every city.
"He is completely ignoring you, Shui Wu. It seems he does not know who you are, Master Bu Huang's favorite disciple." Another voice sounded out this time. It was an arrogant voice of a young man, and Xu Min realized their intentions now. There was a group of young experts who had decided on insulting him. Most likely, they wished to anger him so that he would battle them. Thus, their names would become more widespread if they defeated a cultivator in the middle of town. However, Xu Min would not play their petty games.
Sighing, Xu Min was a little perplexed by the sudden attention he was getting. Although he was slightly annoyed, he decided that it was better to just ignore the group.
Xu Min continued walking on the road. Xu Min, however, had long since guessed the intention of these experts. Instead of being insulted and lose his temper, he focused on his destination. To the dismay of those taunted, insignificant voices, he did not stop. . While walking the sword was visible on his back. Exposing his sword made it obvious for anyone to guess that he was an external expert. He was an easy target to pick on if one was an internal expert.
Though the hat covered his face from the outside world to see him, it also made it hard for him to see what was going on. Cao Cao, on the other hand, could see everything that was ongoing, and he was far less cool-headed than Xu Min; he kept swearing at the young experts that had spoken out. Fortunately, Xu Min was the only person who could hear the foul words, and he could not help but smirk; Cao Cao's profound words were truly insulting.
Suddenly the smile on Xu Min's face froze, he felt an attack coming his way. Many of the experts walking near him had already backed away. The attack looked like a snake created from Qi, and it was bursting right towards him.
In one gliding movement did he unsheathe his sword, turn around, and decapitate the snake. Xu Min sheathed his sword seconds after the attack and turned the way he had been walking before. His swift move caused many of the present experts to gasp in awe. It was clear that he had not used any Qi to fortify his sword, nor his arms, yet he was still capable of decapitating the Qi snake with one gliding movement. All of Xu Min's movements were t as light as a butterfly and powerful as a pouncing tiger.
The youngsters who had been obnoxious and laughed turned suddenly quiet. They understood that this person, though, he was an external expert, he was without a doubt an expert that knew how to battle.
Again the haughty, feminine laughter could be heard booming throughout the street. It wanted to chase down Xu Min's ungiven attention. "Who cares if he could decapitate the snake, so what!?" the brazen female boldly stated. Xu Min swore he heard some denial in her voice as well. He could not help but shake his head. Some people were not very smart.
"Shui Wu! What are you doing?!" A powerful voice abruptly sounded out, a voice which caused even Xu Min to feel some pressure. He instantly backed away. The sudden movement caused the surrounding experts to understand that this targeted expert was quite aware of who to battle and who to run away from.
"Shui Wu, I told you not to battle unknown experts in town! You are causing a huge ruckus, and one day you will meet an expert even stronger than you!" he scolded his disciple in front of everyone. While many of the spectators had fun seeing this, Xu Min tried to use the time to escape and leave without anyone noticing where he had gone.
Unfortunately, things would not go as he had wanted it to. He sighed deeply when he felt the pressuring energy come closer and closer to him. Eventually, he could feel this expert right behind him, and with a sigh did he turn around. "Greetings senior," Xu Min greeted. As he spoke a rough hand suddenly grabbed his hat and removed it from Xu Min's head.
Sighing deeply, Xu Min knew he could not use his disguise again since now everyone had seen his face. A massive man was in front of him. He was at least two meters tall and wore a beautiful white robe.Behind him was a young woman who seemed to be one or two years older than Xu Min. The woman's face was shocked when she saw the young face revealed underneath the hat.
"Oh, we have a quite skilled youngster here! And if I am not mistaken, you have some relationship with the old fox Wang Li! That sword seems very familiar." the large burly man said. His words now stunned Xu Min. He unconsciously blurted out, "You know Master Wang Li?!"
This large man known as Bu Huang was surprised as well. "Wang Li is my sworn martial brother!" He laughed out loud, "He was certain he would never get a disciple, and thus he left the Ruins of the Immortals to find his place in the world. To think, one day I would meet his disciple, how fortunate I am!" The large burly man had a rough laughter, but the pressure Xu Min had felt earlier slowly retracted.
"Come with me, I want to hear how that old fox Wang Li is living now!" the man rejoined. Without having a choice, Xu Min nodded his head and followed behind this extreme expert.
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Chapter 60: Master Bu Huang
Upon noticing the change in the grand master's demeanor, Xu Min was assured Master Bu Huang indeed knew his Master Wang Li. There was no hostility left in his recent acquaintances, only friendly curiosity.
Master Bu Huang did not wait for Xu Min's answer whether he wished to tell about his master's current lifestyle or not. Instead, he instantly started to move, and Xu Min had no other option than to follow.
He walked straight behind Bu Huang, side by side with Shui Wu, the woman who had previously tried to cause strife. Now, however, she was as docile as a kitten. Although she was calm, she walked with a haughty air around her; her nose was high in the sky. She did not look around her. Rather, her entire focus was with the master in front of her.
Xu Min, on the other hand, was observing everything he could get his eyes on. He soon discovered that anywhere this Master Bu Huang moved, others would move away, ensuring he had free passage even if the street was incredibly crowded.
"Who is this young boy?"
"Has the exalted Master Bu Huang taken on another disciple?"
"Do you think he is in trouble? Look at Miss Shui Wu's face; she is clearly not impressed by him."
Mumbling voices could be heard by Xu Min while they walked past the crowds. Rather than answering back or reacting to these people, Xu Min kept a smile on his face as he slowly moved forward.
They walked through the entire center of town and finally reached an area filled with beautiful mansions, guards patrolling everywhere, and beautifully dressed experts and nobles. Magnificent demonic beasts pulled ornate carriages; everywhere affluence, wealth, and beauty could be seen.
Although Master Bu Huang was not currently riding in a carriage, the pace he moved at was as swift as any carriage they had come by; both Shui Wu and Xu Min followed closely behind.
After following Bu Huang for some time, Shui Wu could not help but look at Xu Min for a swift moment. She never expected that this two-star warrior would be capable of keeping up with them at the same speed.
"Why are you so surprised Shui Wu?" she mumbled to herself, "he is an external expert. Of course, he is better at moving than us internal experts." Although her voice was extremely low, a subtle smile appeared on Xu Min's face. However, he just kept following behind Bu Huang not saying a word.
They finally reaching a white marble mansion. On their arrival, Bu Huang also finally slowed down. Once he appeared in front of the guards at the gate, the guards bowed deeply while calling out, "Welcome back, Patriarch!" "Welcome back, Miss Shui."
Looking at Xu Min, the guards were clearly confused as to who this young man was. Since they did not know his name, they did nothing but nod their heads at him. They were unaware of his rank, name, and reason to be here which perturbed them.
As they entered the house, Master Bu Huang waved his hand, "Little Wu go and play but do not cause any more trouble," he said gently. The young woman nodded her head before she turned around and left.
"You, boy, follow me to my study. I have a lot of questions I want to ask you." the large man requested and, again, without waiting for a reply did he continue walking; Xu Min followed right behind him.
The mansion was enormous., Moving down one corridor after another, through halls and chambers, the two of them met multiple servants, maids, and guards on their way alongside young talents, older cultivators and members of the Bu family.
They had walked for around an hour before they reached the innermost part of the mansion, which was exclusively used by the patriarch.
Bu Huang opened a door and gestured for Xu Min to enter an office-like room. The walls were filled with shelves, and on these shelves were everything from jade bottles, parchment scrolls, inscribed hides, and runes engraved on metal plates.
In the middle of the room was a large table made from a golden kind of wood, a wood called Celestial Wood. It was incredibly rare. Celestial Wood was a mutation that one out of hundred trees would undergo when turning two hundred years old.
Celestial Wood was as hard as metal and as precious as gold. It was the best material used for bows and arrows, and it was also used as City Gates for major cities. To see Bu Huang had a desk made from Celestial Wood, Xu Min could easily understand just how wealthy the man in front of him was.
Two leather chairs were visible within the room; one behind the desk and one in front of the desk. "Sit down," Bu Huang said.Xu Min quickly sat down on the chair clearly designated for guests. He felt incredibly small within this room made for the large man.
"So tell me about your story. How did you become Wang Li's disciple? The old man swore to never take on a disciple. So for him to change his opinion, you must be a natural treasure." Bu Huang said laughingly and looked at Xu Min.
"Unfortunately, at a young age, I was forced to leave my home," Xu Min said hesitantly. He was not going to delve into details about his past too much. "When I reached the city, I found Master working at the docks as an overseer." Xu Min continued. There was no reason to hide this fact. Anyone going to Honghe city would know that Wang Li was the foreman of the harbor.
"I asked him for work, and he took me in. He also started training me and thus became my master. When I reached the rank of a one-star Warrior,he sent me out to experience the world."
Bu Huang asked numerous questions concerning Xu Min's time in Honghe City and about the life Wang Li was living. All the while, he paid great interest in Xu Min's cultivation base, and the apparent fact he was so young at this rank level already.
Silence descended upon the room for a moment before the master sighed. "You answered all the questions I asked you. Now, it is my turn to answer your questions. Being a new person within this city, I am sure you have many questions."
Looking surprisingly at Bu Huang, Xu Min was shocked to hear what he had been searching for all this time. Nonetheless, he quickly recovered and nodded his head. "I do indeed have a few questions. First, I need to know about the power struggles within the Ruins of the Immortals. Secondly, I'd like to know where I most suitable for training." Xu Min asked. Although he had tons of questions, these two were the most urgent ones and also the ones he had been thinking about the most.
Slightly baffled, the older man nodded his head, "If that is what you want to know, then I will gladly answer you."
"Within the Ruins, there are three major factions. The first one is the oldest. It is known as Snow Mountain. Though the oldest, Snow Mountain is only ranked third in strength. The second strongest is the Thousand Sword Sect. This faction differs from Snow Mountain by leadership. Unlike Snow Mountain, a family does not lead it. Instead, it is experts of unknown origin who usually enter the sect and direct it. The Thousand Sword Sect has great headhunters who go and recruit more and more experts. It is due to these geniuses that the sect has grown as strong as it is."
"The strongest faction within the Ruins is the Demon Core Family. They are newcomers within the Ruins, arrived merely a hundred years ago. However, when they came, they instantly established their strength, managing to take over the position as the top faction."
"In the last fifty years, there has been peace between the three factions. Nonetheless, two months ago, the Snow Mountain attacked ground belongings of the Thousand Sword Sect. They have taken over four of their cities so far. The Thousand Sword Sect has tried to retaliate, but it has not gone very well. On the other hand, the Demon Core Family has done nothing either, so the Snow Mountain is allowed to run wild for now."
"And, this city belongs to?" Xu Min asked curiously. He hoped he was not going to meet the Snow Mountain troops again anytime soon.
"Don't worry; no one will attack this city. We are under Demon Core Family's powerful protection. If the Snow Mountain were to attack this city, the Demon Core Family would not let them escape. It is one thing to attack the Thousand Sword Sect; it's a whole other thing to fight against the Demon Core Family. There is a whole level difference between the two."
"As well, one has to remember that although the Demon Core Family might not be visible within the city, they are here, waiting for the time when the city will be in danger. This is possible for the Demon Core family as it is a family and everyone follows the lead of their patriarch. The Thousand Sword Sect is different. Their followers and members are all experts who, although talented, are not interested in something as boring as patrolling a city. They are strong when they gather all their forces, but they are horrible protectors of what they win."
Being quiet for some time, Bu Huang looked into the sky. "As to your second question, the best place to train within the Ruins of the Immortal depends on which year it is. Usually, you would be told to go to the Thousand Sword Forest. This forest contains many demonic beasts. The further you go, the stronger the beast you will meet. Humans are also a big challenge in these forests.You are lucky, though."
"This year the Immortal Valley will be open. It is a long but fairly narrow valley deep within the innermost core of the Ruins. This valley is filled with treasures. There are treasures everywhere, and there is also a lot of demonic beasts. These beasts either protect the treasures or just roam the valley to find opponents."
"Every ten years, this valley will be opened. However, a person can only enter it if they are below twenty-five years of age. Additionally, there is a competition associated with this family. Many families enter their young. The ones who manage to come out with the most beast cores, or the ones of the highest quality, will be ranked the winner of this Immortal Valley."
"Every family will acquire a lot of treasures which will be pooled together as a reward for the winner. There is only one winner; the rest are losers. There is no second place."
" Only a third of the ones who enter come out alive if it is a good year. If it is a bad year, only one in ten will survive."
"Each family is allowed to send in ten of its young members. Since you are the disciple of my brother Wang Li, I would like to hand you one of the spots." He said with friendliness in his voice. His whole demeanor was gentle and friendly, something which made Xu Mi fairly worried. He was not used to experts giving him something without wanting something in return. On the other hand, joining this Immortal Valley competition sounded like a great opportunity. Thus, he nodded his head.
"Fantastic! We will be leaving in three months. Until then, you will be my honored guest here in my mansion. If you need anything make sure to ask Shui Wu, she'll be there to assist you with whatever you might need."
"Now, follow me, and we will find a room for you," the large man said as he stood up and gestured for Xu Min to follow behind.
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Chapter 61: Training the Sword
While Bu Huang was leading Xu Min through the mansion, everyone treated Xu Min with the utmost respect. The maids, servants, and guards all bowed deeply, but not for Xu Mi it was really for Bu Huang in front of him.
"You there!" Bu Huang suddenly called out for one of the maids by his side. She swiftly stood still, bowed deeply and stayed bowed, awaiting for her master's orders.
"This is my honorary guest Xu Min. Prepare a room for him close to Shui Wu's room, so that she can assist him with any question he has. I will be busy, but if he wishes to see me, lead him towards my study instantly," Bu Huang ordered. He then turned around and looked at Xu Min.
"You can stay in my mansion for as long as you wish. I will keep a spot open at the Immortal Valley for you. Should you have any more questions or problems you do not understand, speak with Shui Wu. If you have any concerns or apprehensions, find me. I will give you special treatment because of that old fox Wang Li, but even so, you will have to rely on your strength when it comes to the Immortal Valley."
With this said, Bu Huang nodded to Xu Min and left the stunned young man in the hallway with all the attendees staring at him in bewilderment. Xu Min was uncertain of what to do until the maid in front of him cleared her throat.
"Young master, please come with me." the maid requested. The maid led Xu Min through various halls and corridors once more. They finally reached a hallway filled with chambers on both sides. One of these chambers had been quickly prepared for Xu Min while the others belonged to certain members of the Bu family or were disciples taken in by Bu Huang.
Xu Min was an honorary guest; he was treated equally in comparison with the disciples of Bu Huang. The room he had been given was drastically better than the inn he had been staying at. Here, he could at least get all the information he had wanted to know.
Excitingly, Xu Min accepted a key from the maid, a key which only he had a copy of, and stepped into his room. Only the manservant of Bu Huang had a copy of this key, so no one was going to enter his room without permission.
The room was massive.Xu Min had enough space to train, so, always looking for an opportunity to enhance himself, he instantly started training. So focused on improving his skills, he forgot to close his door. He spent hour after hour on his swordplay.
Unbeknown to Xu Min, at first only one maid noticed his swordsmanship. She only looked into the room to let the young man know his door was opened. However, after looking for some moments, she was mesmerized by the beauty of his training. It was slow and steady, but at the same time, swift and fierce. It resembled a small stream while other times a strong gust of wind. It was as though she saw a beautiful dance appear in front of her.
As time passed, more and more servants and maids gathered outside Xu Min's door. His door resembled a black hole once a person walked by they were sucked in by Xu Min's intense energy. They became completely engrossed in watching this young man train. It is true; they had often watched the guards train or the young generation of the Bu family and the disciples train together, all of them, though, were internal experts. They would never move their body since they relied fully on their internal energy to make various stances and attacks. Xu Min, however, was both an external and internal expert; he needed to train his body. Consequently, the maids saw every move Xu Min, and their jaws dropped down in amazement.
Shui Wu had been seated in her room for some time. She was thinking about her experience earlier that day when the sword had effortlessly cut through her Qi snake; it cut through it like hot knife slices through butter. Secretly, it had shocked her because she knew exactly how dangerous that Qi snake was. Even more shocking, t her master Bu Huang had taken in this young man to their mansion.
"Why do I keep wasting my time on this young man," she sighed to herself. Standing up, she left her room. "He might be a friend of the master, but he has nothing to do with me."
As she left the room, she was stunned when she saw all the maids and servants congregating. All of them were looking into a room with wide open eyes and dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
Shui Wu came from a humble origin, but her latent talent had managed to make her an outstanding member of the younger generation. Admittedly, she was haughty and hard to approach by most people. However, she would never be rude to commoners, at most she would pretend that they did not exist. But to see them, all standing hypnotized in front of a door, was unnerving. She was already feeling rather dismayed. What could have happened which caused all these maids and servants to forget about their daily chores to look into a room?
Her curiosity had been sparked. As she came closer, she found that it was not only the maids and servants who were standing and looking into the room, a few guards and disciples were also standing there. Fascinated by this odd occurrence, she managed to press her way to the front.
The people who had been pushed by Shui Wu were all seemingly awoken from their trance. Their eyes focused and their mouths closed up. They looked around seeing if anybody noticed them before slowly returning to their previously jobs.
By the time Shui Wu had reached the front of the door, her own eyes had widened in shock, and her mouth opened slightly. Xu Min was training his speed at the same time he was training his sword. It appeared as if four Xu Mins were dancing around together within the room. They never collided, but they were constantly moving themselves and the sword: slashing, stabbing, cutting and thrusting. It was clear that the training method used by Xu Min was incredibly profound. No matter how Shui Wu looked, she was incapable of understanding his type of cultivating style.
She had never paid any attention towards external experts. They were known to be slightly weaker than the internal experts because they needed to come into close quarters before they were capable of doing any danger. Whereas, internal experts could stand at a safe distance and release their attacks.
Shui Wu understood this fact since she was small, and why she had chosen to become an internal expert. However, now looking at Xu Min, she had an epiphany. She had been mistaken; a true external expert was equally dangerous as internal experts, if not even more. Studying him, she feared him. She knew he was dangerous, and all he was just training.
Suddenly three of the four of Xu Min's shadow experts had vanished, and Xu Min was standing alone in the middle of the room. Sweat was dripping from his forehead; his eyes were closed, and he was gasping for breath. He had forced himself to his absolute limits and had transcended them. He discovered a speed so swift he had never before experienced anything like it. While at the same time, the sword felt as though it was a part of his arm. Where the sword began, his arm ended. Everything felt as natural to him as if he had no weapon in his hands.
A smile formed on his lips. Opening his eyes, he finally saw the commotion outside his doorway. He was surprised, looking at his door where around twenty maids, guards, and disciples stood. All of them stared at him unabashedly and with admiration; even Shui Wu was filled with reverence. She had not fought him, but she already knew he was stronger than her.
"Master decided rightly by making him join us for the Immortal Valley," she thought to herself.For her, only the strongest could accompany her on this important trip. She would be ready to accept any skilled and strong person as long as they treated Bu Huang with reverence.
"Everyone go back to your work!" She ordered as she clapped her hands. The trance was broken. Every expert left shaking their heads, completely stunned about what they had seen. The maids and servants felt that they had seen something beautiful.
"Miss Shui," Xu Min said with a bow of his head as he looked at the woman in front of him, "I apologize for the uproar I caused. I thought I had closed my door."
Waving her hand, Shui Wu turned around, "Master has already told you to find me if you have any questions. My room is four chambers to the left. Find me if you have questions. You ought to take a bath, you stink,"
Hearing the sudden friendliness, Xu Min smiled. He entered his room again, closed the door behind him. Going to the jointed bathroom, he heated up some water and stepped into the bath. Relaxing under the warm, sooth pressure of the water, Xu Min closed his eyes. He enjoyed how the warm water soothed his tired muscles.
His training had been successful. He had managed to make a breakthrough when it came to his speed. The sudden feeling of being one with the sword was also a satisfactory experience. He could not help but smile widely. He needed to be as strong as possible if he wished to dominate the Immortal Valley.
"Where is he?!" a young man yelled out. His eyes red in fury; his voice filled with hatred. "Shui Wu, he is a foreigner! He is not from this city. How could Master give him my spot at the Immortal Valley?! I am far more suited than some traveler who suddenly peaked master's interest! We have prepared for this for ten years!"
"I know it is not what you want but never doubt Master's decision!" Shui Wu answered. Her eyes darkened with her increasing anger. No one should doubt the orders of her master. If he was doubted, then she was willing to fight to the death for him.
"So, you like this new young man too? I bet he is good looking, and you were deceived by his appearance, but I will prove to you that he is just a pretty boy, not capable of fighting at all! Let me battle him, and I will prove that I am stronger!" the red-eyed young man continued shouting. With a sigh, Shui Wu shrugged. If that was what he wanted, then she was certain Xu Min would win. After witnessing his training, she venerated this new young man who was the student of her master's martial brother.
"If that is what you require," Shui Wu said with a shrug, "he is in the room that is four chambers from mine. Go on an invite him to a battle at the guard's outdoor space. If he says no, respect it. He is here as the honorable guest of our Master." Shui Wu stated., The red-eyed youngster n gritted his teeth and only acknowledged the information he wanted to hear. His anger was still burning within him. He did not speak back tot Shui Wu, Bu Huang's favorite disciple.
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Chapter 62: Secret Weapon
Xu Min had finished his arduous training and enjoyed his warm bath. He was now sitting on the bed in a lotus position, cultivating his inner energy. He focused fully on everything from his breathing pattern to the streams of energy which entered his body, the golden specks of light that were hanging in the air around him, and the constant swelling of the energy within his dantian.
Because Xu Min was concentrating so intensely, he jolted up when he heard someone knock on the door. The knocks were hard and fast. Clearly, it was someone who was in a rush.
Standing up, Xu Min made sure to have his sword on his back before he opened the door. Even though he was an honorary guest in the house, he knew most likely there would be some trouble. He always seemed to attract trouble to him.
He knew instantly, upon opening the door, which the person in front of him felt hostility towards Xu Min. He also sensed he was not a big threat. He was but a three-star internal expert, and although his demeanor was filled with great arrogance, he was nothing but a stepping stone to Xu Min. Only four-star warriors and above could threaten Xu Min.
"How can I help you?" Xu Min asked calmly while looking into the arrogant eyes of the man in front of him. Xu Min understand he needed to stand his ground; though he was not in any way impolite, he was not humble either. He knew the entry spot into the Immortal Valley was priceless and to get this spot he had to prove his prowess.
"I challenge you to a battle at the guards' outdoor space. If you win, you can have my spot, and I will accept this change. However, if you cannot even defeat me, then I will take my spot back from you!" he said. Although he felt arrogant and great hostility against this foreign upstart, the young man was not impolite either. He knew that as an honorary guest of their patriarch Master Bu Huang he would most definitely be punished if he was impolite to him.
All Xu Min did, was shrugging his shoulders and said one word: "Sure."
He perfectly comprehended many felt insulted by the fact that he, an unknown person from God knows where had suddenly appeared and easily given a spot that was meant for the outstanding geniuses of their family.
He needed to show he was far superior to this person who originally had the spot. He did not wish to be dragged into the internal affairs of the Bu family, but he knew this was necessary for him to keep his position. Many elders would disagree with having some random person taking a spot unless this person was stronger than the other person.
"Follow me then," the young man said. He led Xu Min towards the training grounds outside. "My name is Bu Wei," His eyes filled with pride while stating his name. He was a true heir of the Bu family. A person who would one day become an elder and pillar of support. He was the grandson of the first elder of the Bu family. Most importantly, though, he had always been raised with the belief that he was an outstanding genius.
Reaching the guards' training ground, many experts were already standing there; they were patiently awaiting the two experts and their battle.
Everyone was curious about this new expert from nowhere. Bu Huang had not mentioned why he had chosen him nor had he explained their relationship. All he had done was tell everyone Xu Min was an honorary guest, and he would take over the tenth spot of the group going to the Immortal Valley Rankings.
They moved to a small battle arena, each stood opposed from each other. Xu Min looked at the guy in front of him and casually unsheathed his sword. Rolling his shoulders, he cracked his neck. He had no intention of showing him any mercy, but he was not going to kill him either.
'I could defeat him instantly,' Cao Cao snickered, but Xu Min only rolled his eyes. Of course, Cao Cao could easily defeat him since anyone bitten by Cao Cao would die instantly.
'If we kill a direct descendant of our host, that would be quite bad for us,' Xu Min warned Cao Cao even though he laughed internally, 'but don't worry, he is but a three-star Warrior. I am going to rely on my devouring sword to increase my strength and to ensure that no one can say deny me this given position.'
Cao Cao sighed and rolled his neck once more. He decided just to observe everything around them. If need be, he would be ready to attack anyone was behaving inappropriately.
"The rules are simple. We are not allowed to kill one another; neither are we allowed to attack with are most sinister attacks. Serious injuries are not acceptable either. This is only a sparring match not a real battle." the young man explained as he took a stance. "Now, let us begin!"
Qi began to float around the young man; it took the shape of a large eagle behind his back, the eagle turned golden before reaching its full height of a four-meter wingspan. With a loud screech, the eagle soared into the sky towards Xu Min.
Xu Min admitted the eagle was impressive. It emitted a large wave of energy.Xu Min stood completely still with his sword in his hands. A wry smile appeared on his face. It was clear; he planned on meeting it head on.
The young man, when seeing Xu Min did nothing to avoid the soaring eagle, smiled boastfully. He knew the strength of his eagle contained the full power of a three-star Warrior.
Xu Min kept smiling as well as the eagle reached him. When Xu Min could see the eyes of the eagle, he swiftly sliced the eagle in two.
After contact with Xu Min's sword, the eagle turned into an indistinct Qi which the sword greedily absorbed into it and Xu Min. Xu Min could feel the Qi flow into his body; his dantian rapidly being expanded, and all the Qi made his body full of energy.
While Xu Min's face energized more and more, his grip on the sword strengthened. The eagle completely vanished, and the young man who controlled it felt a sucking force. This force devoured all the Qi within him. He tried to cut it off, but it was no longer possible since the force had already entered his body.
To everyone's eyes, the battle appeared lackluster. The young man had created a Qi eagle, and Xu Min cut it. This was all, but now, it seemed as though the young man was incapable of creating another stance, and then he abruptly collapsed to the ground. It seemed every drop of his Qi had been drained, but how? No matter what he tried, he was simply incapable of putting up any resistance. What enraged him more was inability of understanding how Xu Min had managed to drain him of all his energy.
Everyone went silent; no one said anything while Xu Min sheathed the sword in the scabbard on his back. Looking down at the young man, Xu Min reached out his hand. He offered it to the young man who had been beaten in one attack.
Xu Min had no idea whether or not his defeated opponent would accept his hand, but he knew he was absolutely no threat to him. Thus, he offered him his hand. He was somewhat shocked when the young man accepted it, allowing Xu Min to help him stand. His legs were visibly shaking.
Everyone was stunned, but no one dared to say anything. Looking at each other, they saw all their stunned expressions. Xu Min was only a two-star Warrior; yet, at the same time, this unknown expert had defeated one of their experts and with only one attack.
"I admit my defeat," the young man said. Though he was an arrogant expert of the Bu family, he was not foolhardy. He understood that this young man in front of him possessed some hidden strength. Xu Min was absolutely stronger than him. The young man acknowledged this; in turn, the arrogance had vanished from his face.
"Honestly, I don't think any of the young experts here in the Bu family home would be able to easily deal with you. My defeat was not a disgrace." he nodded his head, and on shaking legs, he left the guards' training grounds.
Everyone expected t he would be unable to accept a loss since he was so affronted and adamant about repairing the wrong he suffered in losing he spot in o the Immortal Valley Rankings. Consequently, when they saw his sudden defeat followed by his humble reply, they felt something was completely wrong.
All the audience saw was the Qi dissipating, but what the audience did not know was Xu Min's sword devoured the Qi. The spectators were unaware this could be possible.
Even Shui Wu was shocked. She had been present because she wanted to ensure that Bu Wei did not act unjustly, injuring or insulting the honored guest. Who would have imagined that Bu Wei lost in less time t it took an incense stick to burn. Then, humbly accept his defeat!
"Apparently, the Master knew what he was doing when he invited this young man," Shui Wu thought.
Before he departed back to his room, Xu Min nodded to the many people present. He had absorbed a massive amount of Qi, and his body was bursting with energy. He knew he needed to train once more, but this he would close his door.
It did not take long before the rumor of the battle started to spread in the Bu family and into the city. Bu Wei was popular among the city's younger generation. Thus, to be defeated by a newcomer, in such short time no less, was quite some news.
"We should try and see how good he is! If he comes back into the city, make sure not to let him return without examining his strength!" one family said to their young generation.
"He must be a secret weapon t Bu Huang hid somewhere. I wonder if he is stronger than all the other experts.He might even be stronger than Shui Wu as well. Don't forget! Make sure to test him if you ever get the chance," another family commanded their youngsters. Within no time, every member of the young generation had been told to test his strength while, of course, ensuring that no one got injured.
In the Bu family, many also started to believe Xu Min was a disciple which Bu Huang had hidden and trained just for the sake of the Immortal Valley Rankings. Nevertheless, no one said anything out loud, and no one else tried to challenge Xu Min to a fight.
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Chapter 63: Younger Generation Geniuses
Pressured by their parents and trainers to watch out and test the foreigner's skill level, many of the younger experts felt at a loss. They had no idea what his physical features were. The only hint they had was the fact that he often carried with him a massive sword on his back.
The city swarmed with many of these younger generation experts who were on the lookout for a single expert with a large sword. A week passed by without finding him, no one had seen him. It was like he was only a rumor, not a reality.
In actuality, Xu Min had not gone to town these days. He had been staying at the Bu family compound and focused on his training. He understood that this ranking was serious. Since experts came from all across the Ruins of the Immortals, he would be in a bad position if he didn't focus on training. He did have his devouring sword and Cao Cao to assist him, but they could only do so much.
Xu Min had to focus on his own strength. He knew he needed to train as much as he could. He even went so far as to use some of his medicinal pills and then get rid of the surplus of energy. This energy was getting used by training with the sword time and time again.
After the first day he trained in his room, Xu Min made sure to close the door whenever he was training. His days in Bu Huang's mansion were lived in leisurely peace. He could not ask for anything more. Already, he felt the rapid improvement he was undergoing.
Every time he took a medicinal pill, his dantian would swell up. So much so, it was close to bursting, but Xu Min would use strand after strand of Qi to ensure that his dantian would not explode and cripple him.
It was a painful and rather a tedious way of training. Nonetheless, once Xu Min looked at his dantian, he smiled in satisfaction. In just a week his dantian had increased to the point he felt the threshold of the third-star level. His goal was to break into a third-star Warrior rank before the competition began. To do this, he stayed in his room, working hard to accomplish this.
Shui Wu would come by once a day, ensuring that he ate some food. After accomplishing her assigned task, she would leave. She too was spending all waking hours, apart from the ones taking care of Xu Min, on training. As the best disciple of Bu Huang, her pride had been challenged unintentionally by Xu Min easy defeat of Bu Wei. Asking herself, she was certain that she could not defeat him with just one slash of a sword.
"Are external experts really that strong?" Shui Wu asked herself for the umpteenth time. Doubt was apparent in her eyes. She had always been taught that external practice was for poor cultivators and commoners who did not have access to the internal expert's stances. External experts mainly became guards for major families or perhaps mercenaries hunting down demonic beasts in the wilderness.
High ranked families would never let their younger generation become external experts. Meeting Xu Min, Shui Wu could not help but wonder if she, and everyone else, had been mistaken.
Losing her assurance and foundation, Shui Wu found herself often going to her master's office; she stood in front of the door, hesitating slightly.
"Come in!" A loud voice boomed out. The girl dared not stay outside any longer and rushed inside.
"Why have you come to see me, my dear disciple?" Bu Huang asked as he leaned back in his chair behind his desk. His eyes observed his disciple with a fondness one only found in parent's looking at their children.
"Master, please excuse this disciple of yours, but I am unable to understand this honorary guest of yours. He is an external expert and only a two-star Warrior, but he was able to defeat Bu Wei who is a three-star Warrior and internal expert. How could this be?"
"Xu Min is an extraordinary youth. His talent is far stronger than what you guys can comprehend." Bu Huang laughed, "he is not only limited externally, but he also has access to internal stances as well.I assume, though, he prefers not to use them."
"Moreover, he has had some fortunate encounters. His master is my martial brother, and my martial brother always said that he would never take a disciple. Here he is, the disciple of that old man. To change my brother's mind, he must be incredibly skilled, but also possess something which emotionally moved Wang Li."
"I don't mind why he has been taken in by my brother, but the fact that he has makes him important. Because he has a connection with my brother, I will do what I can to protect or assist him. That is why it is important that you look after him and ensure that he has what he needs."
Shui Wu was shocked listening to her master. She never knew her master had a martial brother until now. She was even more surprised that he would tell her about it now.
"Don't worry about it too much. I am certain that you will not tell anyone about him. Even if you did, I doubt that anyone would be able to harm him. He is far stronger than I am, so I pity anyone who targets him."
"Overall Shui Wu, I need you to understand why Xu Minis important to me; To me, he is like my brother's son and someone I consider my own son too. You need to make sure that he is ready for the Immortal Valley Ranking. He will not only be a great benefit for our family, but he will also benefit greatly from entering the Valley."
"When you enter the Valley, you don't need to follow him around, just make sure that before the competition no one disturbs him. If we assist him too much in the Valley, then he will never improve on his own."
"I understand master," she affirmed while bowing deeply in front of the older man.
The door opened at the wave of Bu Huang's hand. Shui Wu instantly understood that she was dismissed. With one more bow, she turned and left, thinking about all the information Bu Huang told her.
"I better check up on the guest," she mumbled to herself. When she reached Xu Min's room and knowing a few times she suddenly had a bad feeling. The young man was not present.
"Miss, the young guest, has gone to town," a maid said, seeing Shui Wu standing still in front of the door. Shui Wu's face color vanished as she heard this news. The usually calm and collected young woman could not help but emit some foul words, words which caused the maid to believe a devil had possessed her.
Xu Min was unaware about the information Bu Huang gave Shui Wu. Even more so, he was oblivious to city's intentions on using every young member to test his strength. None of them dared to cause any damage to this young man since he was under the protection of Bu Huang, the strongest expert in town. If he proved to be far stronger than any of the city's young expert, now, then they would plot on getting rid of him.
Xu Min had gone to town because he needed to purchase some things to prepare for the Immortal Valley Rankings. He wanted to buy some medicinal pills which caused injuries to heal faster. Additionally,he needed to obtain an extra set of clothes and food and drink provisions.
Though it would be hard to find the right shops, since he was new to the area, he would rather spend extra time finding what he needed than to trouble his hosts. He already felt that the Bu family was doing a lot for him, asking them to be his guides would be too disrespectful.
The moment Xu Min left the Bu mansion the city's messenger boys who had been guarding the entrance started running towards their masters with the news that a young man with a large sword had appeared.
Ironically, as soon as they saw Xu Min, the messenger boy ran with all their speed to alert their masters. Nonetheless, they were but commoners, with no ability to cultivate and thus they were incapable of keeping up with Xu Min's speed. By the time they reached their master's locations, Xu Min had already arrived at the first marketplace where he had entered calmly and looked around.
This place had everything from rich merchants selling expensive, coveted objects to homeless people selling what few items they had left. Walking past the rich merchants, everyone called out to him. "Look at this necklace! It will be beautiful on the neck of your beloved!"
"Ignore that scammer and come look at my wares, the finest silk in the entire world."
"Who needs to buy presents for women? Look at my armor and weapons. I am sure I have the perfect item for an expert such as yourself!"
Xu Min looked at the items. While examining the beautiful green necklace, he was instantly reminded of Yong Meilin. A sharp pain ached in his chest, but he quickly shook his head. He had not said goodbye to her forever; he just swore he would become immortal and get revenge from the Zhong family. When he achieved his revenge, he would return to Yong Meilin's side and enjoy life once more.
Tearing his eyes from the necklace, Xu Min knew the price would be extravagant. Even though he had some wealth, he was not willing to waste it especially, since he was on a mission, a mission to prepare himself for the important Immortal Valley Rankings.
Moving from stall to stall, Hui Yue finally reached a stall which sold dried food. He spent quite some coin here but was satisfied. During the trip to the Valley who knew if there was anything which could be eaten or if it was poisonous; as a result, possessing his own food was important The same went for the water, so purchasing drinks was also a necessity.
Purchasing drinks was no real issue, and soon all he needed was the medicines to help him heal quickly and some clothes.
Clothes were easily purchased as well, but the medicinal pills seemed to acquire. It took him an hour before he finally found a shop selling medicinal pills. He did not notice when he entered the shop that behind him was one group after another waiting for him to come out.
The pill purchase was simple; Xu Min handed over almost all the remainder of his coins while he in return was given twenty lustrous purple pills. These pills were what he sought, and he was excited to have gotten as many as he had. Although he had almost exhausted his jade card, he had obtained all he needed.
Walking out from the shop, Xu Min came to a stop as he looked in front of him. Three groups were blocking his way. Each group were ten men strong and in front of them were three young men, all around twenty years of age. They looked at Xu Min with curiosity and slight hostility within their eyes.
"What can I do for you guys?" Xu Min asked with a smile on his face, a smile which did not resemble his hostile, cold eyes.
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