Chapter 539 - 535: Sparring
The suffocating Grandmaster’s might in the hall slowly dissipated, allowing everyone to finally break free from the feeling of being as insignificant as ants gazing up at the sky.
Yan Wuji stood before the steps with his hands behind his back. His simple, ancient-looking face was devoid of expression, and his gray cloth robe remained perfectly still in the light filtering in from the doorway.
Merely by standing there, he resembled an unshakeable mountain, inspiring a primal sense of awe in all who beheld him.
Qi Zhen turned to the side and gestured, leading Yan Wuji to the long table at the head of the hall.
Yan Wuji took the seat of honor, with Qi Zhen and Yang Yuan sitting on either side of him.
Once the three were seated at the head table, disciples of the Tiejiang Gang began to move between the tables, refilling wine and serving dishes.
’A Grandmaster has really appeared!’
Fang Han pulled his gaze away from Yan Wuji and let it fall upon the celadon wine cup before him.
The clear liquid reflected his stunned face.
The Tiejiang Gang... they had actually produced a Grandmaster!
The reason the Seven Sects could stand above all other powers in the county wasn’t because of their vast number of disciples or their businesses spread throughout the land. It was because of one thing—Grandmasters.
Each sect had a Grandmaster presiding over it. This was the true foundation of the Seven Sects’ unshakeable authority.
In terms of foundation, financial power, and the number of disciples, the Tiejiang Gang was among the top major powers in the county. But compared to the Seven Sects, the gap was plain to see.
But now, that gap had been completely erased.
A Grandmaster.
As long as a Grandmaster was present, the disparities in foundation, wealth, and disciple count were no longer disparities at all.
A single Grandmaster was enough to uphold the prestige of a top-level power.
’Even the Seven Sects will have to acknowledge the Tiejiang Gang’s status now!’
Fang Han’s expression was grave.
After today, the Seven Sects would have no choice but to recognize the Tiejiang Gang’s position in order to appease Yan Wuji, this new Grandmaster.
This was because a Grandmaster without the baggage of a sect, who need not fear any consequences, could become a devastating enemy. If such a person decided to target a sect, hiding in the shadows to sabotage their businesses and assassinate their traveling Elders, not even one of the Seven Sects could withstand such losses.
Such was the weight a Grandmaster carried.
It wasn’t a matter of whether you wanted to acknowledge it; you were forced to.
The leaders of the various powers present maintained a basic level of courtesy and composure, but inside, their hearts were in turmoil.
The balance of power in Qingyang County, with the Seven Sects standing together, had persisted for several hundred years. Today, it would be shattered.
The silence in the hall lasted for a long time before it was finally broken by a rough voice.
"Grandmaster Yan, there is a matter I do not understand. Might I ask for your guidance?"
The speaker was seated at the third table on the left. He was powerfully built, with a tiger’s back and a bear’s waist. His square face was sharply defined, and beneath thick eyebrows, his eyes shone brightly. It was none other than the Sect Leader of the Overlord Blade Sect, Lei Pojun.
He stood up, clasped his fists in a salute toward Yan Wuji at the head table, and his deep voice echoed throughout the hall.
Yan Wuji raised his eyes. His gaze, cloudy yet profound, fell upon Lei Pojun. He nodded slightly, his voice old and flat.
"Sect Leader Lei, please speak."
Lei Pojun straightened up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally returning to Yan Wuji’s face. His voice carried a hint of deliberation.
"As we all know, reaching the Grandmaster Realm requires a Grandmaster Technique as a foundation to break through the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit."
He paused, a probing tone entering his voice.
"I wonder, where did the Tiejiang Gang acquire its Grandmaster Technique?"
The moment he spoke, the hall fell silent.
All eyes fell upon the long table at the head of the hall, waiting for an answer.
This was the question on everyone’s mind, but Lei Pojun, with his straightforward nature, was the first to ask it.
Yan Wuji did not answer. He simply lifted the teacup before him and took a small sip, his posture calm, as if Lei Pojun had asked about some trivial matter.
Qi Zhen set down his wine bowl. His eyes swept over the crowd, and the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips.
"A good question, Sect Leader Lei."
His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
"My Tiejiang Gang’s Grandmaster Technique was obtained from... the Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County."
As soon as he said this, a low murmur of discussion rose from the hall.
The Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County.
This was a name familiar to everyone present.
Some time ago, news of the discovery of a Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County had spread. Many powers in Qingyang County had been tempted, and some had even secretly sent people to try and get a piece of the pie.
However, Songquan County was another county’s territory, after all. Its top-level powers were extremely wary of outsiders, and the slightest misstep could trigger a conflict between sects.
After weighing the pros and cons, most powers had chosen to give up, treating it as a spectacle on someone else’s turf, something to watch from afar.
Who would have thought...
Not only had the Tiejiang Gang gone, but they had also emerged as the biggest winners.
"The Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County..."
Lei Pojun repeated in a low voice, a complicated look flashing across his square face.
He didn’t ask any more questions. He just clasped his fists toward Qi Zhen, sat back down at his table, and took a large gulp from his wine bowl.
Abbot Kudu of the Vajra Temple put his palms together and softly chanted a Buddhist mantra. No emotion could be seen in his half-closed eyes.
Valley Master Hua Nishang of Baihua Valley raised her wine cup, took a delicate sip behind her sleeve, and set it down. The lazy smile on her lips remained, but deep in her eyes, the faintest ripple flickered and vanished.
Sect Leader Xie Changkong of the Lingyun Sword Sect tapped his fingers twice on the table before pulling his hand back, his face maintaining its usual indifference.
Tower Lord Shen Tinglan of Tingyu Building lowered his eyelids, his lashes casting faint shadows in the candlelight, his thoughts unreadable.
Pavilion Master Ling Wuyuan of the Netherworld Pavilion raised his wine cup and swirled it gently. The liquid inside reflected the candlelight, glowing with an amber luster.
No emotion could be seen on his face, but a glint of coldness flashed through his deep eyes and was gone.
Chen Tianyuan lifted his teacup for a small sip. His movements were still composed as he set it down, but his fingers gripped the cup a little tighter than usual.
’They actually got it from the Grandmaster’s Tomb in Songquan County!’
Fang Han lowered his gaze, recalling the forger he had encountered in Songquan County.
That person had used a fake manual as bait, throwing Songquan County into chaos. The power behind them remained a mystery to this day.
The Tiejiang Gang had obtained a genuine Grandmaster Technique from the affair, becoming the biggest winner in all the chaos.
’Was it a coincidence?’
’Or...’
The murmurs gradually subsided, and the atmosphere in the hall shifted from its initial tension to a more relaxed state.
After a few rounds of drinks and several courses of food, people began to move between the tables to offer toasts, and the atmosphere grew livelier.
Qi Zhen put down his wine bowl. His gaze swept over the crowd, and he suddenly stood up, clasping his fists in a salute to all around him.
"Fellow martial artists."
His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
"Today’s Grandmaster banquet is a joyous occasion for my Tiejiang Gang. I have a proposal, and I wonder what everyone thinks of it?"
All eyes fell upon him.
Qi Zhen smiled and continued.
"Many of Qingyang County’s young talents are here today. Why don’t we let the younger generation have a friendly spar to liven up the atmosphere?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the young faces in the hall.
"We’ll stop before anyone gets hurt, to keep things friendly. How about it?"
As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the hall shifted slightly.
A spar.
He called it livening up the atmosphere, but in truth, it was a display of their foundation.
Although the Tiejiang Gang had produced a Grandmaster, the powers present weren’t necessarily convinced of their strength.
Qi Zhen was using the younger generation to prove to the major powers that the Tiejiang Gang not only had a Grandmaster, but its next generation was just as formidable.
Lei Pojun put down his wine bowl and grinned, a hint of interest appearing on his rough face.
"That’s a fine proposal, Patriarch Qi. The young ones should indeed spar more often."
"If that’s the case, then let’s do as Patriarch Qi suggests."
Chen Tianyuan spoke up, his voice calm.
"It’s a good idea to let the younger generation exchange pointers."
Ling Wuyuan also nodded, the smile on his lips deepening slightly.
The other sect and faction leaders also voiced their agreement one by one, accepting the proposal for a spar.
Qi Zhen glanced at Yang Yuan beside him and gave a slight nod.
Yang Yuan stood up, gave Qi Zhen a fist-and-palm salute, then turned and walked toward the area in the center of the hall that had been specially cleared to serve as an arena.
Her steps were unhurried. Her light-blue martial attire shimmered with a cool light under the candlelight. A sharp claw weapon hung from each side of her waist; the bodies of the claws were silver-white, their blades glinting with a cold, sinister light.
Reaching the center of the cleared space, she stopped and turned around. Her gaze swept over the young faces at the tables as she offered a fist-and-palm salute, her voice clear and bright.
"Yang Yuan of the Tiejiang Gang. I ask for your guidance."
Fang Han’s eyes fell upon her figure.
’Twenty-fifth on the Celestial Pride List.’ Compared to the top few from the Seven Sects’ younger generation, that rank wasn’t exceptional.
But his perception from the Thousand-Mile Soul-Lock told him her aura was reserved and steady, far exceeding the level expected of someone ranked twenty-fifth on the Celestial Pride List.
’This person is hiding her true strength.’
A young man in brown martial attire stood up. He clasped his fists toward the elder beside him and, after receiving a nod of approval, strode toward the open space.
Fang Han recognized him from a portrait he had seen before. He was a disciple from a major power in Qingyang County named Han Wei, ranked thirty-third on the Celestial Pride List.
Han Wei walked to the center of the clearing, gave Yang Yuan a fist-and-palm salute, and announced in a resonant voice:
"Han Wei of the Copper Elephant Sect. I ask for your guidance, Miss Yang."
Yang Yuan nodded slightly and raised her hand in a "begin" gesture.
SWISH!
Han Wei wasted no time. Pushing off with his feet, his body shot toward Yang Yuan like a brown bolt of lightning.
He used a pair of Iron Palms. The Palm Wind was fierce and powerful, and every strike whistled through the air. A flurry of palm shadows enveloped Yang Yuan, targeting her vitals.
Yang Yuan’s expression didn’t change. With a slight turn of her body, she dodged Han Wei’s first palm strike.
Han Wei transitioned attacks with extreme speed. He pulled back his left palm and swept his right palm upward, aiming straight for Yang Yuan’s chin.
Yang Yuan’s toes tapped lightly on the ground, and her figure floated back several feet, causing Han Wei’s strike to hit empty air.
Han Wei pursued relentlessly, unleashing a chain of palm strikes. The Palm Wind howled, each strike faster than the last.
CRACK—
Yang Yuan no longer retreated. She shot out her right hand, her five fingers slightly curled, and seized Han Wei’s incoming right wrist.
Han Wei felt his wrist tighten, and his entire right arm instantly went numb and sore. The Palm Force he took such pride in dissipated in an instant.
Greatly alarmed, he quickly struck out with his left hand, trying to force Yang Yuan back.
Yang Yuan gave him no such chance. With a pull of her right hand, Han Wei stumbled forward two steps against his will, his left palm striking empty air.
Immediately after, Yang Yuan extended her left hand and gently pressed her five fingers against Han Wei’s chest.
The press was exceedingly light, as if she were merely brushing dust from his lapel.
But Han Wei’s body suddenly stiffened. He stumbled back several steps, falling out of the arena before he managed to regain his footing.
He looked down at his chest, then back up at Yang Yuan, his young face filled with disbelief.