Chapter 255 - 130: Here’s Your Label
At Zhao Rui’s behest, Daoist Yu immediately summoned one of his disciples and gave him a few instructions.
He then led the group toward the Martial Arts Arena outside the sect’s mountain.
Along the way, aside from Lin Han, who wore a cold expression and remained silent, everyone else chatted calmly about the scenery of Qingcheng, as if completely unconcerned about what had just happened and what was about to happen.
Daoist Yu played along with their pleasantries, but he knew their thoughts were nowhere near as carefree as they appeared.
For one, Lin Han’s intentions were glaringly obvious, and the others must have given their tacit approval.
After all, the influence a major, established sect wielded in its own territory was something no outside sect could match.
If Qingcheng showed signs of weakness, the other sects would naturally adjust their dealings with them accordingly in the future.
In the end, it was all about self-interest.
However, Qingcheng’s resistance to this probe was clearly stronger than anticipated, which made everyone start to have second thoughts.
’Do they have another ace up their sleeve?’
For another, the Emei Sword Sect had gained a new expert, which was not good news for the other sects.
The name of the Emei Divine Sword resounded throughout the martial arts world, and every master of Sword Intent was a potential Divine Sword Holder.
This meant that the Emei Sword Sect would gain at least one more Divine Sword.
In this era of great conflict, with Demons from the Demon Dao appearing frequently, which sect wasn’t trying to build up its strength?
The Court had increased its investment in university Martial Arts Teams and provincial youth martial arts training squads in recent years, and it was hard to say if there wasn’t some ulterior motive.
Everyone present was a prominent figure in their respective sect; how could they not understand the current situation?
The Qingcheng Sword Sect was naturally aware of this, which was why they had spent years trying to use the Crystal Stone Pool to produce a few more masters like Yun Hao.
Unfortunately, their luck had been terrible. Not only did they suffer heavy losses, but they also faced the calamity of a Demon invasion.
The sect was almost completely wiped out!
Thinking of this, Yu Zhengnan couldn’t help but feel a wave of gloom.
The Martial Arts Arena wasn’t far from the Sword Sect, and the group arrived at their destination after a short walk.
By then, some Qingcheng Disciples had already swept the grounds clean.
Upon arriving at the Martial Arts Arena, Lin Han, who had been bottling up his anger the entire way, could no longer contain himself. He leaped into the open field and yelled at Zhao Rui, "Kid, get up here!"
Lin Han glared at Zhao Rui with cold eyes. He wished he could strike down the man who had made him lose face right then and there.
The contest to be one of the three heirs of Kongtong had reached a fever pitch. He had fought hard for this chance to offer condolences, intending to use the weakened Qingcheng Sword Sect to display Kongtong’s divine might.
He needed to increase his prestige in the eyes of the masters from the various sects.
But in the middle of his plan, some brazen young Daoist had made him lose face several times.
How could he not be furious?
Beside the arena, hearing Lin Han’s furious shout, Zhao Rui unhurriedly turned his head to the Master leading the Emei delegation. He shook his head slightly and said, "Master, look at this. I acted as a Guardian for one of Emei’s disciples, and now I’m in this mess. Aren’t you going to do anything about it?"
The Emei Master’s expression stiffened. She quickly put her palms together and recited a Buddhist chant before saying, "Emei will engrave this benefactor’s kindness in its heart! We invite you to visit Mount Emei in the future. Our sect will welcome you with open arms."
"Don’t tell me Emei is afraid of Kongtong?"
Zhao Rui continued to needle the Master. Emei didn’t like him anyway, and if it hadn’t been Bai Xuening who’d had the epiphany, he couldn’t have been bothered to get involved.
"Amitabha Buddha. After this humble nun returns to Emei and reports to the Sect Leader, a decision will be made. I appreciate your kind intentions," the Emei Master said, remaining completely implacable.
"Fine, fine! I was being a busybody!"
Zhao Rui knew the nun was all talk, so he stopped teasing her and leaped into the arena.
"Kid, I hope your skills are as sharp as your tongue."
Lin Han sneered, his face twisting into a ferocious expression. He looked nothing like a virtuous master.
This just goes to show that the level of one’s Martial Arts has no direct correlation with one’s character.
"Kongtong is so formidable! Even the Emei Sword Sect gives way and doesn’t dare to offend you! Truly impressive!" Zhao Rui called out with a loud laugh.
Hearing his words, the Emei Master, who was watching from the side, lowered her gaze and closed her eyes, feigning ignorance. Fortunately, as a monastic, she was detached from worldly matters. She simply swept all the unfavorable words into her mind’s Bright Mirror Platform, leaving it untroubled.
"Stop spouting nonsense! Do you have any idea who the Master is? She would never be swayed by your tricks!"
Without giving Zhao Rui a chance to reply, Lin Han lunged forward and launched an attack.
"Oh, so you’re saying the Master is afraid of you? That nothing I say matters!"
Zhao Rui used a set of the Celestial Master’s Duster Hand techniques he had previously copied in Qingcheng, instantly blocking Lin Han’s assault while still finding time to throw out a couple of taunts.
Seeing how easily Zhao Rui dealt with his attack, Lin Han’s eyes narrowed. He knew this seemingly ordinary young Daoist was not to be underestimated.
If he wasn’t careful, he could suffer an unexpected defeat.
He immediately stopped holding back and directly used his sect’s ultimate technique, the Seven Injuries Fist, to attack Zhao Rui.
’Seven Injuries Fist copy progress: one percent...’
Zhao Rui’s eyebrow twitched. ’Perfect,’ he thought. ’I love it when they use their big moves.’
"I’ve heard your Seven Injuries Fist has a nasty drawback. Something about how practicing it inflicts seven kinds of injuries on the user! Is that true?"
"If your Inner Strength hasn’t reached the Transformation Realm and you practice it too much, your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all get damaged. Tsk, tsk. How can you call that an ultimate technique? It’s more like a Divine Skill of self-mutilation!"
"Kid, stop running your mouth! The Kongtong Divine Fist is not for the likes of you to criticize!"
A cold glint flashed in Lin Han’s eyes. This kid had a venomous tongue. Who knows where he’d heard such nonsense, but now he was bad-mouthing the Seven Injuries Fist.
"Today, I’ll let you taste the power of the Seven Injuries Fist!"
Because of Zhao Rui’s taunts, he now used no other Martial Arts, attacking solely with the Seven Injuries Fist.
The two dodged and weaved, their fists and palms clashing. In just a few moments, the ground around the Martial Arts Arena was covered in pits and craters.
