I Can Replicate Martial Arts

When the bald Shaolin monk made his move, it was truly extraordinary. His technique was identical to the one those monks used back when they besieged the Illusionary Sound Old Demon.

’Could it be that the reinforcements Nun Lejing sought back then were the Martial Monks of Shaolin Temple?’

Zhao Rui had always assumed they were experts from the Emei Buddhist Sect.

With the Shaolin monk’s intervention, Lin Han finally broke free from Zhao Rui’s lightning-fast assault.

"How outrageous!"

Disheveled and his face flushed crimson, a resentful Lin Han channeled his Seven Injuries Fist. After catching his breath for a moment, he charged at Zhao Rui again, ready to risk it all.

"Grand Monk of Shaolin, this kid isn’t showing you any respect, so don’t blame me for roughing him up!"

Zhao Rui chuckled and, executing the Wandering Dragon Step, met him head-on.

The two clashed once more.

"Ah!"

"SMACK!"

"You..."

"SMACK!"

After no more than two dozen exchanges, Lin Han halted, clutching his cheek, his face a mask of astonishment and fear.

He had discovered that he was no longer a match for Zhao Rui.

Even without using that ultimate skill from Qingcheng, relying on fists and kicks alone, Zhao Rui had already overpowered his Seven Injuries Fist.

"Go on, try and pin another label on me. I dare you. So young, and already full of bad habits. What, you think you’re tougher than an Emei Master or a Shaolin High Monk?"

"Or do you think the leaders of the Provincial Martial Arts Association have to take orders from you?"

"You..."

Zhao Rui’s words left Lin Han both furious and anxious. He was furious that Zhao Rui had turned the tables on him, giving him a taste of his own medicine by pinning labels on him.

He was anxious because, in that last exchange, he could clearly feel that Zhao Rui was like a completely different person, overpowering him at every turn.

Forget counter-attacking with his Seven Injuries Fist; even when he just used it to parry, Zhao Rui would find a momentary flaw in his technique or Cultivation and land an "Electric Cannon" on him!

That was what made his defeat so utterly frustrating.

’Should I keep fighting?’

Lin Han froze, hesitating.

"Amitabha Buddha. You two Donors, for the sake of this Grand Monk’s humble reputation, please cease your fighting."

It was the bald Shaolin monk who spoke again.

His voice carried the power of the Lion’s Roar Divine Skill, and the sound of it surged through the mountains like a tidal wave.

’This Monk’s Power is incredibly profound.’

Everyone present was stunned. As expected of the sect that led the Martial Arts world.

Just a single Elder possessed such skill.

Daoist Yu felt a surge of worry, afraid that Zhao Rui, in his youthful hot-headedness, would offend the Grand Monk.

’To be honest,’ he thought, ’our Qingcheng is weaker than Kongtong, but not so weak that we’re completely defenseless.’

’But Shaolin Temple...’

’The Monks are too powerful to defeat, and too cunning to provoke.’

’A thousand-year-old temple doesn’t earn its reputation for nothing.’

"Your reputation isn’t humble at all, Grand Monk, it’s massive! Our Qingcheng Sect is small; we wouldn’t dare offend you. You say stop, and we’ll listen. How’s that? We’re showing you plenty of respect!"

"And since our Qingcheng Sect is showing you such respect, shouldn’t you uphold justice for us, Grand Monk?"

Zhao Rui’s eyes narrowed slightly. He leaped out of the Martial Arts Arena and landed before the bald Shaolin monk.

He spoke with a smile playing on his lips.

’He wasn’t some reckless fool,’ he thought. ’Given the Qingcheng Sword Sect’s current pitiful state, with barely a handful of members, it’s best not to get too cocky.’

’Beating up the Kongtong Sect a bit to vent some frustration was good enough.’

"Amitabha Buddha. What the Donor says is reasonable. This duel was merely a misunderstanding to begin with. Now that you have fought, why must you damage the peace between you? Donor Lin, this time, you were indeed in the wrong..."

The old Monk smiled as he looked at Lin Han on the arena grounds, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Lin Han’s earlier defiance had already displeased him.

His words now carried the clear weight of a final verdict.

Seeing this, Lin Han seethed. ’What a fine Grand Monk! When I was acting as your pawn, you all kept quiet. The moment you see I’m losing, you step in to administer "justice"!’

’Fine! Just fine!’

’Once I get back, absorb that Exotic True Qi, and master the Kongtong Supreme Divine Skill, I will crush every single one of you under my heel to avenge today’s humiliation!’

"I was too rash!"

"We have matters to attend to on Kongtong Mountain, so I cannot linger. Farewell!"

With that, Lin Han strode down the mountain. He moved so quickly that in the blink of an eye, he was already dozens of yards away.

The Kongtong Disciples who had accompanied him saw this and scrambled to follow, the whole group vanishing from sight in a flurry of movement.

"Donor, you have great skill. With you at Qingcheng Mountain, you can surely deter troublemakers and soon restore the sect to its former glory... If you ever have the time in the future, please visit us at Shaolin. Our humble temple will welcome you with open arms."

The bald Shaolin monk spoke in a clear voice, and everyone present understood the implication. This was a tacit acknowledgment that the Qingcheng Sword Sect could continue to operate in the Jianghu as a major sect.

At least, for the time being.

The crowd couldn’t help but look at Zhao Rui, all thinking that the Qingcheng Sword Sect had incredible luck.

To have such a young prodigy come to their aid in their time of decline.

It seemed the rumors about them vanquishing that Demon weren’t baseless after all.

If they had the Support of a few experts like Zhao Rui, it wasn’t impossible that the old Sect Leader could have sacrificed his own lifespan to forcibly increase his Power and take down the Demon.

The crowd chimed in, echoing the Grand Monk’s words of praise.

Yu Zhengnan let out a sigh of relief.

His own Power was only at the Grandmaster Realm, True Essence Second Level. He had rarely participated in Sect affairs in the past, so suddenly being put in charge of the Qingcheng Sword Sect’s daily business was putting him under immense pressure.

Take this incident, for example. He hadn’t realized beforehand that the other sects were using it as a pretext to probe their strength.

He only became aware of it after everything had already started.

Fortunately, with Zhao Rui here, they had managed to stumble their way through and defuse a crisis for the Sect.

This crisis had been subtle, but it was far more insidious than the Demon’s assault on their mountain.

"Mount Emei owes me a favor. Grand Monk, you have to bear witness for me!"

Zhao Rui couldn’t be bothered to listen to the crowd’s empty chatter. He looked directly at the Grand Monk and spoke.