"Who are you? We have no beef, why are you attacking me!?"
Qian Wantong failed to grab his saber and felt like he was sinking into a mire. Suddenly, with a cracking sound, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, making his whole body spasm. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Right now, Qian Wantong was terrified deep down.
The black-clothed man got this close and he didnât notice a thingâmeaning this guy was stronger than him, by a lot. Only two kinds of people could pull this off.
Either, unmatched Lightweight Skill.
Or, strength surpassing the peak of First-classâan actual Martial Arts Grandmaster!
But he had always been careful and always stuck to the rules; how could he have provoked a Grandmaster?
As far as he knew, only the Royal Family or major sects like the Liuyun Sect or Golden Saber Sect had Grandmasters!
"Qian Wantong, you sent disciples to kill meânow youâre asking who I am?"
Lin Changâshengâs voice sounded ice-cold.
"Ah...."
Qian Wantong realized everything in an instant, fear on his face. "Senior, this is all a misunderstandingâdefinitely a misunderstanding! Those two disciples acted blindly; they deserve to die! Junior just wanted to suppress Tiger Roar Martial Arts Hall!?"
"IâIâm willing to make it up to you, senior! Iâll compensate for your losses!"
Hearing Lin Changâshengâs words, Qian Wantongâs eyes darted about, his tone instantly becoming pleading.
He understood.
Against someone this strong, to survive, he had to give inâthen pay a hefty price!
The fact that this senior hadnât killed him immediately meant there was still hope.
"Show me your sincerity."
"Iâm running out of patience. Otherwiseâdie!"
Lin Changâshengâs tone was frosty as his aura locked onto Qian Wantong.
"Okay... okay!"
Enduring the pain, Qian Wantong hobbled to the corner, moved a cabinet, opened a hidden compartment, and took out three books and a stack of silver notes. With a respectful expression, he presented them to Lin Changâsheng. "Senior, hereâs the 25,000 taels Iâve saved up over the yearsâplus these three secret manuals. Theyâre all yours. Please, just spare my life!"
Qian Wantong dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly. In the process, he "accidentally" knocked over a porcelain bottle on the cabinet. The bottle smashed on the ground, liquid spilling out!
"Qian Wantong, youâre looking for death!"
Murderous intent burst out from Lin Changâsheng. Qi Force surged through his whole body as he chopped his palm onto Qian Wantongâs headâcrack!
"Ah...."
Qian Wantongâs skull shattered instantly, his eyes frozen wideâdead and unavenged!
A master at the peak of First-class, head of a martial hallâjust died like that.
"Hmph!"
Lin Changâsheng snorted coldly, snatched up the silver notes and secret manuals, and left the room in a flash!
He had just noticed: even as Qian Wantong begged for his life and kowtowed, heâd deliberately knocked over the porcelain bottle. The liquid inside evaporated alarmingly fast!
As a Martial Arts Grandmaster, Lin Changâshengâs perception let him sense the shifting air, the moving mist around himânothing could get past him.
He set Qian Wantongâs bed ablaze with a flick of fire.
Lin Changâsheng turned into a shadow and melted into the night.
......
South City.
Lin Changâsheng sat in a rented loft.
Laid out before him were three secret manuals.
They were: [Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique], [Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces], [Gale Saber Technique], plus a pile of silver notes.
"This was a hell of a haul!"
Looking at his new loot, Lin Changâsheng was more than satisfied.
This trip was totally worth it.
Techniques, saber arts, lightweight skillâtime to mix them together.
Lin Changâsheng started with the Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique.
This method worked by smoothing the five organs and six bowels, regulating inner qi, and nurturing the meridians with inner strength. Over five thousand characters, plus tons of notes.
Lin Changâsheng buried himself in reading.
[Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique detected. Spend 20 taels of silver to simplify?]
By his third pass through the Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique, a red prompt popped up on his interface.
"Simplify!"
Lin Changâsheng hit confirm right away.
[Great Dao is Simple: Simplifying Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique... Success! Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique == Rubbing Your Belly!]
As soon as he confirmed, another notification appeared.
"Huh? Rub my belly?"
The prompt made Lin Changâshengâs eyes light up.
Rubbing his belly would now give him experience points for the Five Internal Organs Guiding Techniqueânot bad. He could do this anytime, anywhere, and didnât need to spend silver on extra stuff!
He gave it a try, massaging his stomach.
He checked the panel again.
[Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique (Entry Level 2/1000)]
"Nice, not bad. Once this and the Minor Circulation Breathing Method reach Perfection, maybe I can blend them with the Sun and Moon Breathing Technique. Wonder what kind of technique Iâll get then?"
"If I collect enough Martial Arts Techniques, could I maybe fuse a Cultivation Immortality Technique one day?"
The thought filled Lin Changâshengâs eyes with anticipation.
[Great Dao is Simple: Simplifying Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces... Success! Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces == Stepping on Snow!]
[Great Dao is Simple: Simplifying Gale Saber Technique... Success! Gale Saber Technique == Blowing in the Gale!]
Lin Changâsheng rubbed his belly while flipping through the Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces and Gale Saber Technique books, and after three hours, both were simplified.
"Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces... now just stepping on snow? But itâs still autumnâunless I head to the Land of the Far North, thereâs no snow yet. Iâll have to wait until winter for that one."
"Blowing in the gale? I could just find a mountaintop, sit and enjoy the wind, grind out experience points!"
He eyed the simplified manuals, muttering to himself.
Tomorrow, he would head to Jade Box Mountainâplenty of high cliffs there. Camp up top for a few days, and Gale Saber Technique would reach Perfection.
By then: Minor Circulation Breathing Method equals breathing.
Gale Saber Technique equals blowing in the wind.
Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique equals rubbing your belly.
Breathe, rub, and catch the windâtriple threat cultivation.
.......
The next day.
South City.
Zui Meiwei Restaurant.
The place was packed.
"Heard the news? Last night, Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall caught fire. Qian Wantong the hall master burned to death, and the vice masters and disciples split off to form their own halls! Guess when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."
"I heard it was a vendetta? Qian Wantong was a peak First-class masterâhow could he die in a fire?"
"You got a point. No one knows who did it!"
"......"
Lin Changâsheng sat by the window, eating a generous breakfast, listening to all the chatter in the restaurant. He smiled carelessly. As he was about to get up, he felt a gaze sweep over him.
At his current Martial Arts Grandmaster level, no oneâs attention could escape him.
"Hmph!"
He glanced in that direction, got up, grabbed his bundle and some food for the road, left the restaurant, and headed for Jade Box Mountain.
.......
Jade Box Mountain.
Stretches for hundreds of miles.
Thereâs a main peak surrounded by dozens of smaller peaks, sheer cliffs everywhere, thick forest and high mountains.
Lin Changâsheng, carrying the Dawn Blade and Iron Embryo Bow, unleashed his Body Technique, heading to a cliff fifty miles out.
Up here, the wind was fierceâa gale for sure.
Not long after,
Lin Changâsheng reached the base of the cliff, set his things down, turned slowly to the path behind, and said coolly, "Come on out. Nice mountains, pretty watersâthisâll be your final resting place."
"Tch! Tch tch!"
As soon as he finished, three pitch-black beads shot toward him from thirty feet away!