Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Lin Cheng stood frozen in place, his expression shifting.

"I studied the sage’s books my whole life, yet I can’t even protect my family’s legacy. Master Xie, with just a single blade, took but a moment to scatter those monkeys."

"The Martial Dao... a Grandmaster... that bladework..."

But Lin Zhen paid no mind to her brother’s muttering. Her large, tear-filled eyes were fixed on the direction Xie Yuan had departed, her gaze shimmering as she stared in a daze.

Xie Yuan left the estate, quickly mounted his horse, and hurried toward the gates of Yunzhao County. ’I got a bit delayed... but thankfully, I cut through the mess quickly, so it wasn’t too long. When I saw what was happening, I just couldn’t ignore it!’

The greedy clansmen were just a disorganized mob and posed no real threat to Xie Yuan. However, they all shared the surname Lin, and it would have been improper for him to act rashly before Landlord Lin’s memorial.

He revealed his bladework and, by using the "visitation" from Landlord Lin, resolved the matter with just a few words. It was a fitting solution.

Setting aside the bladework itself, his consummate saber techniques possessed a sublime level of control, making it trivial to intimidate a few members of the Lin family who knew, at most, some basic boxing and kicking.

As for the dancing spirit money and the landlord’s "visitation"... that was simply Xie Yuan noticing the wind and having a flash of inspiration.

His Inner Strength had just broken through, leaving him with an abundance of internal breath. By coordinating it with his Blood Qi, he could faintly project it from his body to disturb the airflow, naturally keeping the spirit money at bay. If his power were to reach a much higher realm in the future, his Inner Strength alone could make him impervious to blades and swords.

None of the Lin family were skilled martial artists, so they didn’t understand the principle behind it. Xie Yuan’s bluff worked perfectly, achieving a great result with little effort.

The only pity was that the landlord had truly returned to dust, ashes to ashes, without making any spiritual appearance.

Seeing "Yunzhao" inscribed on the low watchtower of the city wall ahead, Xie Yuan flicked the reins and galloped away.

「West of Yunzhao County City, the Vajra Sect.」

The gatehouse, which took up half the street, had been completely repaired. One could no longer tell that it had been split in two by a single strike from Shen Longteng just a month ago.

However, the gatehouse was brand new, its color still slightly different from the surrounding buildings. A closer look revealed that it had been recently built.

But even without looking, the memory of that strike lingered in the minds of Yunzhao’s people, refusing to fade.

A martial arts hall had its sign shattered. As long as the Longteng Escort Agency and the Vajra Sect both existed, the incident would be brought up again and again.

No matter how large or grand the gatehouse was now, it was still one that had been cleaved. Even if the physical scar from the blade was gone, its impression was seared into the heart of every member of the Vajra Sect.

Today, many passersby still couldn’t help but glance at the gatehouse as they went by.

Not only that, but the teahouses, taverns, restaurants, and even the rice and cloth shops across from the Vajra Sect were all packed with people. It was as if half of Yunzhao County had converged on this street, their gazes, whether intentional or not, all drifting toward the Vajra Sect.

The arena duel between the Vajra Sect and the Longteng Escort Agency was set for today, right inside the Vajra Sect’s headquarters.

Although outsiders couldn’t get in, they could still wait by the entrance to be the first to know the outcome of Yunzhao’s biggest recent event. Whether it was to react immediately or to have something to brag about later, it was an excellent opportunity.

"The people from the Longteng Escort Agency are already inside, right?"

"Where have you been? The four great Darts Masters arrived at the crack of dawn with a troop of elite Darts Masters. But Chief Shen wasn’t with them."

Some idlers who knew each other were chatting while cracking melon seeds.

"The Chief isn’t even coming?"

"I heard, and this is just a rumor, mind you, that he’s having tea at the yamen. He and the County Captain are basically a trade-off. If he actually showed up, what would be the point of the Vajra Sect even competing? They might as well kowtow and surrender."

"If the Chief isn’t coming... didn’t they say they had five great Darts Masters? Why did only four show up?"

"Four is more than enough to give the Vajra Sect a hard time. They lost an old one and promoted a new one a while back. The new one probably isn’t skilled enough, so it doesn’t really matter whether he comes or not."

"True. Four Darts Masters... how many instructors does the Vajra Sect even have? Only their Sect Leader is at the Fourth Training, while the Longteng Escort Agency has three at that level alone. In this competition, the Vajra Sect has no chance."

"I wouldn’t be so sure. Do you know who proposed this arena duel in the first place? The Vajra Sect. Would they just be asking for death? They must have a plan. Look, they even chose their own martial arts hall as the venue, where no outsiders can watch! This move... this is called home-field advantage, trapping a turtle in a jar!"

The Vajra Sect’s gatehouse loomed tall, its main doors shut tight. The heavy wooden doors exuded a stern and mysterious aura. No matter how much the outsiders guessed, not a sound came from within.

「Inside the gates.」

The gatehouse took up half the street, and the martial arts hall inside was even more spacious.

The entire hall was no smaller than the Escort Agency’s headquarters. It had several training halls alone, each as wide as the Escort Agency’s training grounds.

And in the largest martial arts hall in the very center, a three-story-high building had its floors completely opened up, creating a vast space that could easily accommodate several hundred people.

A new, elevated platform had been constructed inside the hall—the arena for this competition.

And upon that arena, two Martial Artists were already standing face to face.

Peng Jie, Sect Leader of the Vajra Sect, and Wei Zhen, a Darts Master from the Longteng Escort Agency.

The two men had been rivals for decades, and as they took the stage, they dispensed with all pleasantries.

Wei Zhen said coolly,

"The death waivers have been signed. Fists, feet, and blades have no eyes. On this stage, life and death are left to fate. Hmph. I suppose now if I beat you to death, your dear junior brother won’t be able to use the laws of the Great Li to touch us."

Peng Jie replied with a calm expression,

"Wei Zhen, I think you’re delusional. Enough pointless talk. Let’s see who’s truly stronger when our fists do the talking."

Seeing Peng Jie’s calm expression, Wei Zhen frowned slightly.

’Where is this guy getting his confidence from?’

The Escort Agency had racked their brains for a month but still couldn’t figure out what trick the Vajra Sect had up its sleeve. But when Peng Jie insisted on holding the duel on his home turf, they didn’t refuse. They just made sure that no one would eat or drink anything inside the Vajra Sect’s hall, and everyone carried detoxification pills.

’Whatever plots and schemes they have, I’ve made my own preparations. I’ll meet soldiers with generals and floods with earthworks. In the end, it all comes down to raw power!’