《From Beast Abilities to Sect Grand Master》 Chapter 1 Beast Abilities An Xiang Vige. In the still of the night, few vigers ventured out onto the dirt street. Fear of being attacked by beasts from the nearby mountains had kept the vigers in the safety of their houses. At the end of the street, outside the dpidated wooden hut, a soft murmur could be heard. A teenage boyy on the dirt path outside the hut. Even though he was skinny and frail, the teenage boy still retained hints of the handsome appearance he might have had if he were healthy and well. "What happened... I was saving that kid from drowning..." Lin Fan opened his eyes and tried to make sense of what he was experiencing. "Argh..." His head suddenly throbbed with pain; shes of unfamiliar memory invaded his mind. When it all subsided, Lin Fan realized he had transmigrated. He, a sessful businessman from Earth, had transmigrated to this world with powerful sects and demonic beasts into a fourteen-year-old teenager with the same name. This teenager lived in this vige with his dad, but his dad had died recently, and he wasn''t able to find food and money to survive. From the teenager''s memories, Lin Fan could still feel how cold the teenager''s rtives were to him. No one had offered to help him. Lin Fan felt anger at the indifference. But there was no belly of fire. He could only feel hunger. The teenager hadn''t eaten for days and passed away from hunger. That''s when Lin Fan transmigrated and took over. "I need to find something to eat..." To thrive in this world, he must first survive. He got up with much effort and slowly staggered back into his wooden hut. Inside the wooden hut was nothing but a table and chair. Lin Fan rummaged through all corners of the hut but there was nothing. Not a single grain of rice. "Maybe I can borrow some food from the neighbors." Lin Fan thought about it but didn''t do so. His neighbor, Uncle Liu, had tried to help him as much as he could. However, Uncle Liu wasn''t doing great himself, as he had his own family to take care of. "Liu, if you dare try to help that kid again, don''t evere back! Your son needs the food." "But Lin Fan is helpless and alone, all by himself..." Just as Lin Fan was thinking about it, he could hear Uncle Liu quarreling with his wife about helping him. This affirmed Lin Fan''s decision not to borrow food from the neighbors. The only option left for him was to go hunting for food. Lin Fan looked out through the window and saw that it was near dawn. If he was lucky, he might be able to catch some wild rabbit or other small preying out for food before the sun rose. Lin Fan picked up the axe used for chopping wood before venturing off into the woods. It was the only form of weapon he had in the hut. He wielded the axe and hacked into thin air to familiarize himself with it. Lin Fan had always believed in being cautious and being prepared. When he feltfortable enough with the axe, he left the hut. As he set foot out of his hut, a mechanical sound rang inside his mind. [Ding!] [System detected the host''s courage and determination to survive and thrive.] [Congrattions on activating the Beast Ability System.] [Kill any beasts and you will be rewarded with their ability.] [Earn vengeance points by killing any malevolent forces who want to harm you.] [Use vengeance points to upgrade your abilities and physique.] [Current Beast Ability: 0] [Current Physique Level: 1 (100 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 0] Lin Fan was intrigued by the system''s reward. What does it mean to have a beast''s ability? What about upgrading the physique? "Guess there''s only one way to find out." Lin Fan held the axe tighter as he said to himself. He then slowly made his way to the edge of the woods, a few kilometers away. On his way there, fellow vigers starting their day were surprised when they saw Lin Fan. Most of them thought he wouldn''t make it through the night and were prepared for the worst. He didn''t bother with them, smiled and nodded, carrying on with his journey. "Is he going to the woods to hunt?" "I think so. It''s dangerous with beasts roaming around at this time of the year." "Yes, Liu had a near miss with a fire wolfst month. I haven''t dared to hunt for food for the past few weeks." "Look at him, so thin and frail. I don''t think he has any other choice." Vigers gossiped about Lin Fan''s journey to hunt as they saw him heading towards the woods. When he reached his hunting ground, an open field by the woods, hey prone and waited for his prey. He patiently waited. A few moments passed before he saw any wild rabbits. At first, when he tried to get close and pounce onto the wild rabbitsing out of their rabbit hole for food, the rabbits would always run away before he got close. The result was the same as he tried several times with the same tactic. Next thing he tried was to throw the axe at the wild rabbits. The speed of the axe thrown wasn''t fast enough against the rabbits with their enhanced hearing and speed. "There must be another way." Lin Fan sighed and looked up at the sky.@@novelbin@@ A falcon was soaring in circles. It was also hunting for rabbits. That gave Lin Fan an idea. Wait for the falcon to strike and he can prey on those wild rabbits being stunned by the attack. So, he followed the falcon as it circled. Whoosh! The falcon then came down like a bullet and pounced onto the unfortunate wild rabbit. Other wild rabbits nearby scattered and ran for their lives. One of them came towards Lin Fan and then St. Lin Fan''s axe hacked into the wild rabbit''s head. The wild rabbit twitched its legs for a moment before ity motionless on the ground. A familiar sound then erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Wild rabbit terminated.] [Initiating Beast Ability: Wild Rabbit.] Chapter 2 Uncle Liu [Rabbit''s Hearing Acquired ¨C Listen to sounds within 500 meters.] [Swift Foot Acquired ¨C Agility in dodging attacks.] [Magnificent Leap Acquired ¨C Leap distance of up to 50 meters.] [Current Beast Ability: 1] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Current Physique Level: 1 (100 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 0] Lin Fan, seeing all the information in the system''s panel, got excited. He closed his eyes and activated the Rabbit''s Hearing. In an instant, his ears filled with all sorts of sounds previously inaudible. Rustling of the grass, birds chirping, and even faint chatting of vigers on their way to tend to the fields. He tried to concentrate on what they were chatting about, but suddenly it all stopped. Lin Fan could feel the energy being sucked out of his body. He quickly sat on the ground as he didn''t even have enough energy to stand. [Wild Rabbit''s Hearing deactivated.] [Host''s physique can only support 30 seconds of usage.] "I need to level up my physique to prolong the usage of the beast abilities. "But how do I earn those vengeance points? "Guess I''ll have to wait and see. But for now, food is more important." He thought about the vengeance points for a while as he nned his next course of action. Lin Fan rested for a few moments, letting whatever strength he had left in his bodye back to him. When he was able to do so, he picked up the dead wild rabbit and walked back to the vige. "Lin Fan... Good to see you. Up so early?" Vigers with their sickles in hand, not expecting to see Lin Fan, greeted him. They secretly stole nces at the dead wild rabbit. Lin Fan saw it and held up the dead wild rabbit. "I was up early to hunt for rabbits. Only managed to catch one." Lin Fan decided to show the vigers the trophy of his hunt. It would be better for him to condition the vigers for a ''new'' Lin Fan. This was not the helpless Lin Fan anymore. The vigers swallowed a mouthful of saliva when they saw the rabbit. It had been ages since they had any meat. They silently thought to themselves, what a lucky bastard. This Lin Fan was near deathst night. But look at him now. "You be careful; the woods aren''t so safe at this time of the year." "We have to get on with the harvest; don''t want to be punished with hardbor if I can''t pay the autumn harvest tax." They muttered to Lin Fan as they went along their way. "Autumn harvest tax..." Lin Fan heard this phrase and recalled what it was about from his memory. In this Quan Dynasty he is in right now, everyone will have to pay autumn harvest tax to the emperor. Those who fail to do so shall be punished with hardbor. Few ever came back from hardbor. Lin Fan''s household of one would need to pay 100 kg of grain or the equivalent of one tael of silver. No matter, he thought to himself, I just need to slowly work hard and change my circumstances. Lin Fan went back to his hut and carefully got the rabbit skin separated from the meat. He nned to sell the skin for moneyter. Lucky for him, only the head of the wild rabbit had some damage; it could fetch a much better price. Clonk. After clearing the intestines, Lin Fan piled up some firewood and started a fire to roast the rabbit meat. Lin Fan''s stomach growled at the sight of the meat turning into a nice crisp golden brown. His stomach wasn''t the only one to growl. A little kid came up next to him. It was Uncle Liu''s kid, Liu Han. The smell of the meat roasting had attracted Liu Han to it. Liu Han, with his big round eyes, stared hard at the rabbit. "Little Han, you want some?" Lin Fan patted Liu Han''s head and asked. Liu Han bit his lips, agonized for a moment, and said, "No, daddy says nothing is for free in this world. We must earn it." "It''s all right. Your daddy helped me a lot. It''s time for me to pay back." Lin Fan replied and went into thoughts about how his dad had passed away. And how Uncle Liu on and off gave him scraps of food to get by. "I can really have some?" Liu Han asked hesitantly. "Definitely, here." Lin Fan smiled and cut some meat for Liu Han. As he was doing so, a voice shouted, "You rascal, what have I taught you!" The owner of the voice was Uncle Liu, Liu Tian Ming.@@novelbin@@ A well-built middle-aged man. As one of the hunters in the vige, Uncle Liu carried his bow and arrow wherever he went. "Don''t be too hard on little Han. I forced him to ept my offer." "But still..." Uncle Liu walked up and pulled Liu Han away. Lin Fan didn''t care and stuffed half of the rabbit into Uncle Liu''s hand. "Keep it please, it''s for all the help previously. On top of that, I''ve got a favor to ask." Uncle Liu looked at the meat in his hand then at Lin Fan, hesitated for a while but finally epted it. "I heard the vigers talked about you and came to check on you. Thank God you are fine now. If it''s within my ability, I will certainly help you." "Thanks, Uncle Liu. I need your help to sell the rabbit skin." Lin Fan showed Uncle Liu the rabbit skin. Uncle Liu looked at it and said, "I can offer you one copper coin for it." "Great! Would you be able to take in more if I am able to supply them?" "Sure. Winter ising, and all the fur and skins are in demand at the hunter''s market." Lin Fan thanked Uncle Liu and sighed in relief at the prospect of having a steady ie stream. Just as he was in a celebratory mood, a familiar sound rang in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 10 vengeance points.] Chapter 3 Big Haul "Well, well. I see you are having a great time here." A man with a long mustache, wearing nice cotton and silk clothes, came up to Lin Fan. He had two chestnuts in his hands which he kept twirling non-stop. This man is Housekeeper Lee from the Tan family, the richest family in the vige. "I don''t think you were invited," Lin Fan replied. He wants nothing to do with Housekeeper Lee. Especially when the system had shown this man to have ill intentions towards him. "Don''t be so defensive. Hope you''ve made up your mind about selling thisnd of yours. "Think about what you would have to endure if you can''t pay the autumn harvest tax." Housekeeper Lee patted Lin Fan on his back, pretending to advise Lin Fan withpassion. Lin Fan shrugged away and said, "Thanks for your concern. Don''t worry about me; I can take care of myself." Housekeeper Lee''s smile disappeared for a moment before it appeared again. "I see you''ve grown up a lot. If you need anything, just let me know." With that, Housekeeper Lee turned and walked off with his minions following suit. When they got far enough, one of the minions asked, "Housekeeper Lee, why don''t we beat the crap out of this Lin Fan? He certainly can''t say no by then." "You think I don''t want to? The vige head Ho Fu, who was Lin Fan''s father''s friend, still wields some power in this vige. The Tan family has a reputation to keep." Housekeeper Lee stopped, handed some silver bits to the minion, and said, "Here, let those without a reputation to keep do the dirty work for us." The minion received the money and quickly scurried away. Meanwhile, Lin Fan and Uncle Liu were done feasting on the rabbit meat. Liu Han sucked whatever grease and meat scraps off his fingers. Uncle Liu shook his head at this sight. He thought to himself, he needs to send Liu Han to school in the future. It is better for him to try for the imperial examinations than follow in his footsteps as a hunter. Speaking of which, there''s also Lin Fan to think about. "Here, one copper coin for the rabbit skin." Uncle Liu handed one copper coin to Lin Fan. Lin Fan took the coin and thanked Uncle Liu. He is not one to care about all the formalities. Always do more and talk less. Uncle Liu and Liu Han left after that to go on with their day. When Lin Fan regained his energy, he didn''t waste much time and got to work again. Housekeeper Lee must be up to no good. Lin Fan had a hunch that his father''s death has something to do with this Housekeeper Lee. He needs to quickly upgrade his physique. Lin Fan first went to the vige''s cksmith to procure some arrows and a bow. Trying to catch prey with his axe wasn''t the best option. nk! nk! Sounds of iron being hit echoed in the cksmith''s shop. The heat and steam made the air unbearable. "Lin Fan? What do you want?" The cksmith asked when he saw Lin Faning into the shop. "I''m here for some arrows and a bow." The cksmith''s eyes opened wide, surprised at Lin Fan''s change. "Over there." He pointed to the corner of the shop where arrows and bows were stored. Lin Fan went over and picked up the cheapest looking one. "How much for this?" "That... I''ll charge you one copper coin for it. Grab those arrows by the side while you''re at it." The cksmith, seeing that Lin Fan is now all alone without any help, thought for a moment and decided to give Lin Fan a discount. "Thanks! I''ll pay you back soon, since now I can hunt for prey." "No need for that; it''s hard to survive out here as it is." The cksmith shook his head and sighed. What is this kid thinking about? He is lucky to even be able to get some sparrows.@@novelbin@@ ... Afternoon, open field by the woods. Lin Fan wiped the sweat off his forehead as he watched for movements in the grass. When he saw movements, he activated the Rabbit''s Hearing for a split second. With his hearing, he was able to pinpoint exactly where the wild rabbit was. He would then shoot in that direction. Initially, he always missed by a few inches. As he got more used to it, he was able tond the shot on the wild rabbit. By the time he ended, he was exhausted and hungry from using his energy due to activating his ability. Looking at his haul of five wild rabbits, he felt that it was worth all the work. Wasting no time, Lin Fan bound the wild rabbits with a string and headed back to the vige. By the time he reaches the vige''s edge, it''s already evening. Out of nowhere, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 5 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate all people with malevolent intent for 50 vengeance points.] Lin Fan wasted no time and activated his Wild Rabbit''s Hearing. "That thin, frail-looking guy is our target?" "I think just one of us can take him on." "Yeah, not sure why you need five of us." "Shut up, Housekeeper Lee will not be pleased if you mess it up." "Wait, he stopped. You think he found out?" Lin Fan stopped in his tracks. He didn''t want to continue walking; they might have booby trapsid waiting for him. Without hesitation, he turned back and ran towards the woods. The thugs waiting in ambush, seeing that he ran, looked at each other. "What are you waiting for? Go after him." The minion under Housekeeper Lee hit the thugs on their heads in frustration. They then shouted at Lin Fan and gave chase. "Stop running. You''ll be sorry if I get hold of you." Lin Fan couldn''t be bothered by them. He wants to lure them deep into the woods to finish them off. When he got into the woods, he disappeared into the shadows and thick foliage of the woods. Chapter 4 Prey and Predator The few thugs stood at the edge of the woods, looking at each other. Waiting for someone to make the first move. The minion under Housekeeper Lee kicked one of them on his ass and shouted, "You are paid for the job. Now go do it." The thugs grumbled among themselves and slowly approached the woods. Even though it was evening, the thick canopy of the woods blocked out most of the sunlight. Their expressions changed from cocky to wary as they held their breath in the dark and menacing woods. Distant howls and beasts'' roars made them more and more nervous. Lin Fan, hiding behind the thick tree trunks, seeing that they hade in, shouted, "Come and get me, you cowards." His voice echoed in the woods, confusing the thugs as to where the voice came from. "You, check over there. And you, go to this side." The minion drew out his knife and shouted instructions at the thugs. The thugs also drew out their knives and went on their way. Lin Fan targeted one of the thugs and slowly followed him. When he got close enough, he activated his Magnificent Leap ability. Wham! Lin Fan gave the thug a kick in his back. With his leap that had enough force to cover 50 meters, his kick broke the thug''s back. The thug twitched on the ground for a few seconds before hey still. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 10.] [Current Vengeance Points: 10] Finally, some vengeance points. Lin Fan wasted no time and began rummaging through the thug''s body for any valuables. As someone who cares about recycling, it is better not to waste these valuables. Not bad. The thug had a string of copper coins on him. Lin Fan kept the string of copper coins and then shouted, "Please let me go. I have some taels of silver hidden. You can have it all if you let me go¡­" When the remaining thugs heard him, they cursed and started to furiously sh aimlessly at the foliage. All they could think of in their minds was the silver, and that the guy who had apprehended Lin Fan had better not keep the silver for himself. Lin Fan took the chance to slowly creep close to the thugs. "Argh¡­" Before the thug could say anything. Lin Fan had stabbed his arrow into the neck of the thug. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 10.] [Current Vengeance Points: 20] This time, the thug didn''t have much on him. "Two down, three more to go." Lin Fan then hid in the darkness to regain some energy first. "Come gather around me! He wants us separated." The minion had realized what Lin Fan was trying to do. Get them separated and finish them off one by one. The remaining two thugs calmed down and slowly backtracked. After a few minutes, the three of them were back together. They stood in a small clearing in the woods with not much foliage around. No way would they venture into the dark and be ambushed by Lin Fan again. Lin Fan looked at where they were and started toe up with a n. He took a deep breath, armed his bow with an arrow, and then ran towards the three of them. Thud! Before they could react, one of the thugs got shot in the head by the arrow. Lin Fan then activated his Magnificent Leap and dealt a knee blow to the minion''s head. "Argh¡­" The minion fell back and immediatelyy still. "Damn you!" Thest thug shed at Lin Fan. Lin Fan was waiting for this and activated his Swift Foot ability. He sidestepped, and with his ability, he was so fast that he turned into a shimmer and got to the thug''s back. Before the thug could turn, Lin Fan plunged an arrow into the thug''s neck. The thug held onto his wound and made a bubbling sound as he tried to gasp for air.@@novelbin@@ When it finally ended, Lin Fan gave out a huge sigh of relief. He felt tired and drained, but it was not time to rest. Hurriedly, he searched for more things to reuse and recycle. He found a few more strings of copper coins. To his surprise, the minion had some silver bits on him. Not bad for half a day''s worth of work. Lin Fan started digging to try and bury the corpses but stopped when he heard beasts growling. Run! His instinct told him that he was no match for the beasts. Lin Fan picked up his belongings and leaped out of the woods with his Magnificent Leap ability. Rustling sounds were heard as he got further away. Most likely the sound of the bodies being dragged away by the beasts. When Lin Fan got back to the vige, he washed up at the vige''s well. All the blood would make the vigers suspicious. With the coolness of the night, he turned on the system''s interface in his mind. [Current Beast Ability: 1] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Current Physique Level: 1 (100 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 50] He just needs 50 more vengeance points to upgrade his physiques. ¡­ "What do you need? I''m closed for the day." The cksmith said when he saw Lin Fane into his shop again. "I caught some rabbits. Please take one for the arrows and bow." Lin Fan lifted his hand and showed him the wild rabbits he had caught. "I can''t help you with much, you know¡­wait, you caught some rabbits?" The cksmith was shaking his head, giving his prepared speech before realizing Lin Fan''s actual purpose. He stopped and looked at what Lin Fan was holding. Lin Fan really did it. That helpless kid just picked up a bow and arrows, went hunting, and caught some rabbits. What are the odds? "Thanks. You be careful out there; the beasts in the woods are not to be trifled with." The cksmith hid his astonishment, took one of the rabbits, and said. "I will." With the debt settled, Lin Fan went over to Uncle Liu''s ce. Chapter 5 Village Head "Lin Fan, what are you doing here?" When Lin Fan entered Uncle Liu''s ce, Uncle Liu''s wife Mei Fong wasn''t too pleased. "I''m here to sell my rabbit skin to Uncle Liu. I can''t eat all the meat; I was thinking we could finish them together." Lin Fan lifted his hand and showed Mei Fong his haul of three wild rabbits. When Mei Fong saw the wild rabbits, her eyes opened wide with surprise. This Lin Fan was on the verge of dying just recently. Now he is able to hunt and provide for himself. Mei Fong looked up and down carefully at Lin Fan, trying to figure out what had changed. She couldn''t figure it out. Other than looking much livelier, with Lin Fan''s white and pale face now gone, he was still looking just as thin and frail. Her thoughts were then interrupted by a cheerful voice. "Wow! More meat!" Liu Han jumped around and eximed with excitement when he saw the rabbits. "Liu Han, behave yourself. Lin Fan, you take a seat first, I''ll make some rabbit stew and process the rabbit skin for you." Mei Fong shooed Liu Han away and softened her attitude toward Lin Fan.@@novelbin@@ She doesn''t really hate Lin Fan, just that it was tough on her own family when Uncle Liu helped Lin Fan. "Lin Fan, you are here. You''ve got more rabbit skins for me?" Uncle Liu asked when he entered the house. "I''ve got three today." "Three? You are getting better at it. Here are three copper coins for the skins." Uncle Liu smiled and passed three copper coins to Lin Fan. He was genuinely happy for Lin Fan. If Lin Fan continued this streak, he would be able to get a wife and settle down soon. When dinner was ready, they sat down together and feasted on the rabbit stew with some porridge. "Eat slowly, don''t drop the food all over the ce." Mei Fong wasn''t pleased as she hit Liu Han''s hand with her chopsticks. Uncle Liu sighed, shook his head and said, "If I make enough money, I will send him to school. It''s the only way out for us poor folks." "Only way out, there''s no other way?" Lin Fan asked. He has vague memories about powerful sects, but the teenager living in this vige couldn''t know much. Uncle Liu was startled when he heard Lin Fan ask his question. He paused for a few moments, then proceeded to reply, "You can join a powerful sect, learn their techniques and be one of the respected martial art fighters." "Martial art fighters... how powerful are their techniques?" Lin Fan pondered and asked. "I don''t know much; heard they can destroy a rock as tall as me with one punch. You can ask the vige head''s son, Ho Ming. He is preparing to join one of the sects, Qing Feng sect." "Thanks, Uncle Liu. I will ask Ho Ming about the sects." Uncle Liu, seeing Lin Fan''s enthusiasm, wanted to persuade Lin Fan out of it. He looked at Lin Fan seriously and said, "Lin Fan, it''s better to just settle down, have a family. Being a martial art fighter is dangerous, it''s not something we can do as lowly vigers. Not for us to fight our destiny." Lin Fan nodded silently. He wasn''t so keen on having a family and living happily forever. From what he has experienced so far, this ce isn''t for the weak. The only way to ensure survival is to be strong and terminate those who stand in your way. Right now, he already has Housekeeper Lee to deal with. His next step is to upgrade his physique and get into the Qing Feng sect. That should get Housekeeper Lee off his back, and he can learn the techniques from the sect to be stronger. ... Next day. Lin Fan didn''t go straight to the open fields. He ventured into the woods where the thugsy to rest. Best for him to ensure that no bodies were left around. Without any incriminating evidence, Housekeeper Lee can''t pin the disappearance of the men on him. Lin Fan doesn''t really know how powerful the Tan family is, better for him not to go all out against them for now. "Looks like the beasts had a great buffet." Lin Fan sighed out in relief. There were no traces of the thugs left. He quickly left for the open fields. It wasn''t a good sign that the beasts have ventured so close to the borders of the woods. Winter ising, these beasts must have been desperate for food to sustain themselves through it. Lin Fan decided to inform the vige head about it, and make use of this chance to ask Ho Ming about joining the Qing Feng sect. The hunt for the day went well, Lin Fan was able to catch four wild rabbits. With the haul of the day, Lin Fan went back to the vige. On his way back, he noticed there were small groups of people wandering towards the vige''s edge. These people, scantily dressed, were skinny with ribcage bones showing. They eyed the rabbits in Lin Fan''s hands with hunger. Lin Fan drew out his axe to warn those with bad intentions and hastened his pace. None were brash enough to try. "They must have run away from their vige, unable to pay for the autumn harvest tax." Lin Fan thought to himself as he left the wanderers behind. ... "Vige head, are you home?" Lin Fan shouted outside the vige head Ho Fu''s house. The house was much bigger with white walls and green tiles. A vast difference from Lin Fan''s wooden hut. A few momentster, an old man with a pipe in his hand opened the wooden door. Seeing that it was Lin Fan, he smiled and motioned Lin Fan toe in. To Lin Fan''s surprise, Ho Ming was also in the house. Ho Ming, with his stout figure, closed his eyes, sat down with his legs crossed. Lin Fan figured Ho Ming must be practicing some techniques he had learned. "Why are you here?" The vige head asked. Chapter 6 The Wolf "Vige head, I''ve hunted some wild rabbits. I can''t finish them all. Please take one." Lin Fan lifted his hand and showed the wild rabbits he had hunted. The vige head took a puff off his pipe and smiled. Ho Fu had felt apologetic towards Lin Fan. Even though he was friends with Lin Fan''s father, Lin Ye, he couldn''t help much. The only help he could render was to report Lin Fan''s household as one head; if he were a corrupt vige head, he could have reported it as two, counting Lin Fan''s dead father in. All his fortunes had been spent on buying pills and elixirs for Ho Ming. If Ho Ming can sessfully be a martial art fighter, the Ho family can be lifted to the next level. "Did I hear rabbit? Haven''t had meat for such a long time." Ho Ming chimed in when he heard Lin Fan. "Yes, I can''t finish all of them, better to share them with friends." Lin Fan handed one of the wild rabbits over to Ho Ming. "Yeah, we are definitely good friends. "Next time if anyone bullies you, let me know, I will take care of them for you. "I will be invincible after I get into the Qing Feng sect." Ho Ming patted Lin Fan on his back and took the wild rabbit. "Qing Feng sect? How do I get in?" Lin Fan asked, not wanting to waste the opportunity. "Get in? Simple, pay up one tael of silver and pass through the qualification tests." "Qualification tests? What do they entail?" Lin Fan asked. Ho Ming flexed his biceps and said, "They test for your innate talent and abilities. I''ve prepared and taken so many pills and elixirs to prepare for it." Lin Fan nodded and thought about this qualification test. He is making some money now, but it might not be enough to get the pills and elixirs. One possible way is to bet on it; maybe the ability of his system could help him get in. "When will you be going to join Qing Feng sect? I want to go too." Lin Fan made his decision and asked. "Next spring. Are you sure you want to go?" Ho Ming looked up and down at Lin Fan with an unconvinced look. Even though Lin Fan is the same age as him, Lin Fan''s build certainly doesn''t look to be very tough. Whatever. Will have to try and help him when the timees, Ho Ming thought silently to himself. "By the way, I saw some beasts venturing to the borders of the woods. On my way back, there were groups of people wandering, most likely running away from the autumn harvest tax." Lin Fan turned to the vige head and reported what he had seen earlier. Ho Fu frowned and took a big puff off his pipe when he heard Lin Fan. This winter is going to be a tough one. "Thanks for the information. "I will go to Feng Shou town to ask for help in clearing the beasts. "As for the wanderers and vagrants, I will organize the vigers to set up a defense force." With that Lin Fan bid farewell and went back home. At home, Lin Fan took out all the copper coins and silver bits he had ''recycled'' from the thugs. He counted and he had enough to pay for the autumn harvest tax. At least that''s one burden off his chest. Now he just needs to work hard and earn enough for the entrance fee to Qing Feng sect. ... Next day. "Lin Fan, you look better now." "Going hunting again? Be careful of the wanderers and vagrants outside the vige." Vigersmented on Lin Fan looking healthier when they met him. The few days of rabbit meat had replenished much-needed nourishment to his growing body. "Yes. You folks be careful out on the rice fields too." Lin Fan smiled and greeted them back. Being a sessful businessman from his past life, all these formalities are very much a skill of his. When he got to the open field, he sensed something different. After waiting for over an hour, no wild rabbits were in sight. It''s like they disappeared overnight or decided to stay inside their burrow for the day. Then the familiar sound rang in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 1 soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Wolf with malevolent intent for 50 vengeance points.] Wait, a wolf for 50 vengeance points? Looks like the stronger the enemy, more points would be rewarded. Lin Fan armed his bow with an arrow then activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability. Rustle.@@novelbin@@ Sounds of grass rustling came from Lin Fan''s left side. "There!" He turned and shot the arrow at the location. A shimmer of grey shed to the right. Lin Fan missed. "Grrr..." The wolf showed itself, baring its teeth and growled at Lin Fan. Lin Fan noticed something peculiar at its forehead, a small protrusioning out. This wolf is on the verge of turning into a demonic beast! Lin Fan took out his axe and gripped it hard, waiting for the wolf to make the next move. Whoosh! The wolf leapt at Lin Fan, aiming for Lin Fan''s throat. Lin Fan sidestepped with his ability, shed at the wolf with his axe. The axe went into the wolf''s back. "Grr..." The wolf ignored the pain, turned and snapped at Lin Fan''s waist. Lin Fan had to let go of his axe and gave the wolf a punch at its throat. The punch made the wolf miss but it came at Lin Fan again. He thought for a split second and decided to go with the wolf''s force and fall back. The wolf on top of Lin Fan took a bite at his throat again. "Damn you!" Lin Fan activated his Magnificent Leap ability and kicked at the wolf''s abdomen. The force of his kick erupted the wolf''s abdomen, and its intestines spilled out. It cried out in a whimper and tried to get away from Lin Fan. Lin Fan wouldn''t let it; he kept at it until he exhausted all his energy. [Ding!] Chapter 8 Hero Lin Fan saw a few shadows outside Granny Lim''s house. He slowly crept towards them. As he got closer, he saw Granny Lim on the ground desperately holding onto a gunny sack. On the other end of the sack were three frail, scantily dressed men, kicking at Granny Lim, trying to get her hands off the gunny sack. Precious grains of rice dropped out onto the ground. The wanderers and vagrants finally couldn''t stand it and resorted to robbery. Finally, Granny Lim couldn''t take the shock and abuse anymore.@@novelbin@@ She fainted and fell to the ground. "Useless old fool. It could have been so much easier." The wanderers and vagrants cursed Granny Lim and started to pick up the grains on the ground. When Lin Fan got closer, one of the men saw him. "Look boss, someone''s here." The men looked in Lin Fan''s direction and sized him up. In the dark of the night, they could faintly make out Lin Fan as a teenage boy. The leader of the group drew out his knife, pointed at Lin Fan, and warned him, "Go back to your ce. It''s none of your business, boy." Lin Fan shrugged and slowly bent down, preparing himself. When the men saw him do this, they sniggered at Lin Fan. "You think we would let you go if you knelt down?" "Hehe, such a typical coward." "Give us your grain and money, then we might let you go off." Lin Fan couldn''t be bothered by them. [Ding!] [Detected 3 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 30 vengeance points.] When Lin Fan saw the system''s notification, he knew it was time to act. He took a deep breath and activated Magnificent Leap. Crack! In a sh, Lin Fan''s knee came upon the leader''s head, cracking his skull. The leader fell and died immediately. Before the other two men could react, Lin Fan activated his Iron w ability, shing at one of them. His fingers went into the person''s neck like going through butter. Blood squirted out of the person''s neck. Seeing this, thest vagrant cried out in fear; he turned and started to run. Lin Fan didn''t kill him, silently following him behind. The vagrant ran without looking back. When it got too dark for Lin Fan to see where the vagrant went, Lin Fan activated Hunter Instinct. Immediately, the footsteps of the vagrant illuminated brightly inside Lin Fan''s vision. Finally, the vagrant stopped at the abandoned temple on the outskirts of the vige. "Has it been done?" a person in the temple said. "No, there was someone..." The vagrant stopped halfway as he panted non-stop to try and catch his breath. "What do you mean there was someone? Housekeeper Lee paid; you''d better deliver." "The person just appeared and killed two of us in an instant. It was not part of the deal. You said there would be no one to stop us." The vagrant protested at Housekeeper Lee''s minion. "Hmm... Let me report back to Housekeeper Lee. You better lie low for the time being." The Housekeeper Lee''s minion then left the temple. With the vagrant left alone in the temple, Lin Fan stepped into it. "You..." When the vagrant saw Lin Fan, he stammered and pointed his finger at Lin Fan, too scared to move an inch. "Tell me, what was Housekeeper Lee''s instruction?" Lin Fan asked. "You promise to let me go if I tell you..." "I promise," Lin Fan put down his axe on the ground and raised both his hands up to show that he was sincere. "Housekeeper Lee wanted us to make life difficult for the vigers. Best if we could make the vigers be wanderers and vagrants like us." "That''s all?" "That''s all that I know of. Can I go now?" Lin Fan smiled and said, "Go ahead." The vagrant wanted to move but he couldn''t. It was like someone was controlling his mind. He then walked up to the axe and picked it up. "Wait... No..." The vagrant tried to stop himself but couldn''t do so. Slowly, the vagrant''s hand lifted shakily and ced the axe upon his neck. "Argh..." The vagrant shed his own neck and blood spurted out non-stop. Lin Fan shrugged and said, "I kept my promise. Not sure why you would kill yourself." "You..." The vagrant let out hisst word and closed his eyes. Lin Fan had used the Leader of the Pack ability on the vagrant. "This ability uses up too much energy; I will need to be careful about when to use it." Lin Fan thought to himself as he felt all his energy drained out of him. He sat down to regain his energy and tried to piece everything together. Housekeeper Lee wants the vigers out of the vige. But for what? Land? The Tan family is rich enough to take over all thend if they wanted. There must be something else they are going after. Lin Fan took note of this and decided to investigate more into it. He summoned the system''s information panel and checked out his status. [Current Beast Ability: 2] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Wolf Ability Level: 1] [Current Physique Level: 2 (200 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 30] Killing the three vagrants earned him 30 vengeance points. He needs a lot more to be able to level up his physique to level 3. After he had regained his strength, he walked back to the vige. Some vigers had gathered around Granny Lim''s house. Granny Lim was telling them what had happened. How the vagrants came in and tried to rob her and she had fainted when tussling with the vagrants. When she woke up, the assants had miraculously died, and her rice was still there. "Some hero must have killed the vagrants." "Who can be so brave to do so?" "I can''t think of any, maybe Liu or Ho Ming?" "Yeah, most likely the two of them. One''s a hunter, the other a martial arts fighter-to-be." The vigers discussed who could have killed the vagrants without knowing the person responsible was just right in front of them. "Silence! I shall organize the vige defense force tomorrow. These people are getting desperate." Ho Fu, the vige head, puffed and said. Chapter 9 I, Alone "Lin Fan, what are you doing out here?" "It''s not safe for a teenager like you." "Let the adults take care of everything." When the vigers noticed Lin Fan, they advised him to stay back home. What was this Lin Fan thinking, they thought to themselves silently. Lin Fan just shrugged and replied, "I just wanted to check out what themotion is all about. Thank God Granny Lim is all right." "Everyone, nothing more to see here. "Go back to your homes and be alert. "You two take care of the bodies and you there, help Granny Lim back to her ce." Ho Fu shooed everyone away, turned to Lin Fan and said, "I''ll try to team you up with Liu for the team roster. That''s the least I can do for Lin Ye." "It''s all right, vige head. I''m already a pretty good hunter by myself; I can handle the vagrants." Lin Fan didn''t want to make things difficult for Ho Fu. He is someone who appreciates the goodwill from others. "Don''t worry. Just let me handle everything tomorrow." Ho Fu took a puff off his pipe and bid farewell to Lin Fan. "Guess it''s going to be a long day tomorrow," Lin Fan said to himself as he watched Ho Fu slowly getting further away. ¡­ Next day. Everyone had gathered outside the vige head''s house. All except for the Tan family; they''d only sent a representative, Housekeeper Lee. The Tan family refused to contribute their house guards to the defense team. With their power and influence, Ho Fu couldn''t do much. Ho Fu stood in front of everyone. He had organized all the able-bodied males in the vige into three teams. Each team consisted of ten people. As Ho Fu had promised, Lin Fan was put into the same team with Uncle Liu. "All right, if there''s no objection, let''s get to work and drive the wanderers and vagrants away from our vige." "I object," Lin Ke, Lin Fan''s uncle, raised his voice. "Why did you put Lin Fan into the same team as Liu? So that he can leech off Liu and not put in any effort?" Lin Ke continued with hisints, on and off stealing nces at Housekeeper Lee. Lin Fan noticed this action of Lin Ke.@@novelbin@@ Just as he thought, this Housekeeper Lee was up to something. "I agree, vige head. We shouldn''t burden our best," Housekeeper Lee chimed in. "No, I don''t agree with you and Lin Ke. Lin Fan is as capable as all of you," Ho Fu refuted. "Huh, capable? Who was the oneing to me begging for food a few days ago? I''m his uncle; I know what he is made of," Lin Ke lifted his chin, as if he was proud of himself for not having helped Lin Fan. "Lin Ke has a point¡­" "I remember Lin Fan was on the verge of dying." "Let him out of the team; I wouldn''t want to get him out of trouble when the action begins." "Maybe he is fitter now?" "In a few days? Stop kidding yourself." The vigers started to discuss among themselves. Most of them didn''t want anything to do with Lin Fan. In their minds, Lin Fan was still that thin and frail teenager. Housekeeper Lee, seeing things going his way, stroked his long mustache and said, "Even though Master Tan can''t spare the manpower to contribute to the defense team. "His heart is with everyone; he is willing to pay everyone five copper coins for your help. "However, I might not be able to get him to pay up if the team is not at its best." Upon hearing this, the vigers got riled up. The notion of getting five copper coins had made them lose their minds. With the autumn harvest tax pending, any money helps a lot. "Ho Fu, I think a wise man like you would make the right choice. As the saying goes, never offend or go against the majority," Housekeeper Lee said with a sneer. Ho Fu looked at Lin Fan apologetically. Lin Fan shook his head at Ho Fu, then turned to the vigers, smiled and said out loud, "I thank everyone who is so concerned about my fate, especially my dear uncle Lin Ke. "I assure you I''ll repay in kind. "Lastly, I''m all for going out there and dealing with the wanderers and vagrants alone." He looked at all the vigers, burning the faces of those who''d ridiculed him and wanted him out into his mind. Lin Fan always pays back; it''s just a matter of when. "Are you sure about it?" Uncle Liu came beside Lin Fan and asked him. "Don''t worry, Uncle Liu. I can take care of myself; I''ve be stronger with my experience these few days hunting," Lin Fan looked Uncle Liu in the eyes and replied with the utmost serious look. "All right then, since you are so sure about it. Remember, if anything happens, run ande looking for me," Uncle Liu said. "That settles it then. The kid says so himself. Ho Fu, I think the open field is familiar to the kid; maybe it''s best for him to go and clear the area there," Housekeeper Lee said. "You¡­cough¡­cough¡­" Ho Fu got so angry that he choked on his pipe. Lin Fan walked up to Ho Fu and patted him on the back. He whispered something to Ho Fu, then assured Ho Fu that the open field was his yground. Ho Fu squinted his eyes and then nodded his head. With that, the teams picked up sickles, sticks, and knives, and went on their way to drive the wanderers and vagrants away from the vige. Lin Fan stared at Housekeeper Lee as he left with all his minions. This troublemaker must be dealt with soon. But first, he had the open field to deal with. Lin Fan went back home and picked up whatever weapons he had. His bow and arrows, axe, and knife. Any idiot would know that this Housekeeper Lee had something waiting for him at the open field. Chapter 10 Dark Lotus Sect Tan Mansion. In the big mansion with its high walls and beautiful garden, a plump old man in silk clothesced with gold threads sat in his redwood chair. He took a sip of tea from the teacup in his hands and then put the teacup down on the table. A maid standing by his side, seeing this, quickly used her handkerchief to wipe the old man''s mouth. "So how did it go?" the old man, head of the Tan family, asked. "Master Tan, I''ve made the necessary arrangements as per your instructions," Housekeeper Lee lowered his head and replied. Master Tan then turned and looked at the dark corner of the room. In the darkness, a man with a ck mask and dark robes stood. "Well done. The Dark Lotus sect shall gift your remaining reward as we promised, when you sessfully drive all the vigers away from this vige." The man in the ck mask said and threw a ck colored bottle at Master Tan. Master Tan caught the bottle with his hands, thanked the masked man profusely, "Thank you, Dark Envoy. I shall relentlessly aplish what the Dark Lotus sect asks of me." Whoosh! In a sh, the Dark Envoy disappeared from the dark corner. "Master Tan, are you sure these Nine Turn Qi Concentration pills really work?" Housekeeper Lee looked at the bottle in Master Tan''s hand and asked. "They''re supposed to let anyone without Qi Concentration abilities be capable of doing it. "The ingredients are very taboo and rare; it''s my ancestor''s good deeds that enabled me to chance upon the Dark Lotus sect. "As for whether it works, there is only one way to find out..." Master Tan popped the bottle''s red-colored stopper off, took out a ck-colored pill. Instantly, the room filled with the smell of something rotten and sweet. Housekeeper Lee had to try his best to hold it in and not puke. The maid by the side couldn''t do so and started to vomit. "Useless piece of shit," Master Tan looked at the maid with disgust and gave her a kick. The impact made her tumble across the room and faint immediately. Master Tan then turned his focus back to the pill. He put the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.@@novelbin@@ Housekeeper Lee turned away as he couldn''t bear to see what would happen next. A loud scream then erupted from the Tan Mansion. ... Meanwhile, Lin Fan with his weapons finally arrived at the open field. A familiar sound rang inside his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 5 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate 5 persons with malevolent intent for 100 vengeance points.] 100 vengeance points? Lin Fan was surprised to see this many vengeance points. This meant that these people waiting to finish him off weren''t ordinary thugs or vagrants. He quickly activated his Rabbit''s Hearing, pinpointing the location of them hiding in the tall grass. Every breath they took, every little micro-movements making noises against the grass was audible to Lin Fan. When Lin Fan knew where they were hiding, Lin Fan shot two arrows to his right side. nk! A white sh appeared and one of the arrows got deflected away. "Argh..." The other man wasn''t as skillful and got shot in his thigh. "Damn you!" Those in ambush stood up and charged at Lin Fan wielding swords in their hands. Lin Fan shot another arrow at the person nearest to him. nk! The person swiped away the arrow with his sword. Within a passing moment, Lin Fan could see that there was a translucent white-colored force enveloping the sword and then disappearing the next moment. These men know some form of techniques from one of the sects! Lin Fan didn''t have time to think; a sword came at him, stabbing him from the left side. He turned to the left, used the Iron w ability and sliced at the sword. "What the hell?" The sword was sliced to pieces. Before the man could react, Lin Fan immediately side-kicked him. Sounds of bones cracking echoed in the air, and the man tumbled across the open field, leaving a trail of dust rising from the ground. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 20.] [Current Vengeance Points: 50] Great, one down and four more to go. By this time, another man hade close to Lin Fan. Lin Fan drew out his knife and hacked at the maning at his face. The man''s sword had that white-colored force appear again, and he side-swiped Lin Fan''s knife. nk. Lin Fan''s knife broke into two. The man took the chance and swiped again with his sword at Lin Fan. Lin Fan suddenly disappeared from the man''s sight. He squatted down and charged up for his Magnificent Leap. Lin Fan jumped up and used his knee to strike the man''s head. St. The impact was so great the man''s jaws got squashed and blood sttered all over. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 20.] [Current Vengeance Points: 70] Seeing what Lin Fan did, the other three men hesitated to attack. "What is he? Is he even human?" "How can an ordinary teenager defeat martial art trainees like us?" Lin Fan didn''t let them have time to find out. He used his Magnificent Leap and appeared in front of one of the men. The man hurriedly used his sword to stab forward. Lin Fan used both of his hands with Iron w and sliced it into pieces like paper. He then thrust both of his hands towards the man. The man crossed his arms trying to block Lin Fan''s hands. But it was not enough. Lin Fan''s fingers went through the man''s arms and plunged into the man''s chest. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 20.] [Current Vengeance Points: 90] One of the remaining two men turned and ran. When he passed by the man shot by Lin Fan earlier, the injured man pulled out the arrow in his thigh and stabbed it into his neck. "Argh... You..." The Leader of the Pack ability worked like a charm. Lin Fan then came and finished off the remaining injured man. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 40.] [Current Vengeance Points: 130] Chapter 11 The Rice Fields "70 vengeance points to go before I can level up my physique." Lin Fan looked at the system''s information panel and said to himself. He breathed in hard, panting from the exhaustion of using the abilities. The air in the open field is now filled with the sweet and metallic smell of blood. A smell he had now gotten familiar with. After Lin Fan caught his breath, he started to check for stuff to ''recycle'' while he waited to recover some of his energy. As an educated person from Earth, he must continue with the great virtue of caring for the environment and not let anything go to waste. Rummaging through the bodies of these men, he found a few strings of copper coins, and a manuscript titled ''Flowing Cloud Sword Style''. "This must be the sword technique these men were using." He kept the manuscript just in case he could start cultivating or simply sell it for money. When all was done, Lin Fan decided to leave. Clunk. Before he left, Lin Fan stepped onto something on the ground. A ck-colored wooden b with a lotus carved onto it. "Must have dropped from one of the men when we were fighting," Lin Fan thought to himself. He picked it up and kept it as it might be important information as to who these men were. The only thing he can confirm right now is that these men were sent here by Housekeeper Lee to ambush him. Lin Fan then ran and tried to get back to the vige as fast as possible. If his hunch is right, Housekeeper Lee must have something else ready for the vige''s defense team. ... In the rice fields not far away from the vige. All the rice for autumn has been harvested and what''s left are fields of barren mud. From afar, many wanderers and vagrants can be seen squatting down, scouring through the mud, trying to look for pieces of rice grain that might have been missed by the vigers. Those wanderers and vagrants without any strength left just sat in the mud with their hands supporting them upright, looking up into the sky, as if asking the heavens for mercy. "All of you get out of our fields!" An angry shout erupted, startling the wanderers and vagrants in the fields. The two defense teams, made up of twenty men from the vige, approached the rice fields with weapons in their hands. "Lin Ke, what are you doing? The vige head told us to wait for his order." "Ho Fu? Forget about that old man. Look at them, with nothing much on them. All thin and frail. We can take care of them." Lin Ke, as the team leader, didn''t want to wait and decided to make the first move. "At least wait for Liu''s team toe. I feel safer if he was here." "Yeah, I think so too." When he heard them say Liu''s name, Lin Ke sneered at them and said, "You stupid fools. It''s obvious that Ho Fu is being biased towards that Liu, trying to keep him out of harm''s way." "Come to think of it... Lin Ke, you may be right." "Gosh, how could we be so stupid." "That Ho Fu. Let''s ask for justice and fairness after we drive these wanderers and vagrants away." The others were convinced by Lin Ke and decided to listen to him. They gripped the weapons in their hands tight, took a deep breath, and ran towards the wanderers and vagrants to drive them away. Unbeknownst to them, Uncle Liu''s team had been tasked to make a detour and go around the wanderers and vagrants. So that they coulde at the wanderers and vagrants from behind. Lin Ke''s decision had now spoiled Ho Fu''s n and put the two defense teams at risk. "Get out of our fields." Lin Ke waved the stick in his hand at the vagrant in front of him. The vagrant turned and looked at him and smiled. "Stop smiling, you..." Before Lin Ke could finish, the vagrant pulled out a knife hidden in the mud and shed at him.@@novelbin@@ Lin Ke held the stick with both of his hands, cing it in front of him to block the knife. Crack. The stick couldn''t withstand the sharpness of the knife. "Argh..." The knife caught Lin Ke''s chest, and his cloth slowly got wet with his blood seeping through. Lin Ke stepped back and he fell on his back. The vagrant didn''t waste this chance and hacked down at Lin Ke. Lin Ke quickly rolled and dodged the attack in the nick of time. "Stop. My nephew has quite a bit of money, I know where he hides it. Let me go and I''ll let you have it." With his face now full of mud, Lin Ke begged the vagrant to spare his life. The vagrant stopped and said, "Or I can just kill you and still have the money. Hahaha." Seeing that the vagrant wouldn''t let him go, Lin Ke tried to crawl away from the vagrant. Luckily for Lin Ke, a viger came to his rescue. The viger charged at the vagrant and knocked him out cold, lying unconsciously on the ground. "Lin Ke, are you all right?" The viger asked as he pulled Lin Ke up on his feet. "You could''vee earlier. Where are Ho Fu and that bastard Liu!" The viger shook his head. This Lin Ke is always droning on about how others have wronged him, one way or another. He started to doubt everything Lin Ke had said about Lin Fan. Maybe Lin Fan was really desperate and helpless. Not the ungrateful nephew this Lin Ke portrayed him to be. But now they had other things to worry about. "Argh..." "Someone, help me!" "Ouch... My arm." All around the field, there was chaos. The wanderers and vagrants with their surprise attack worked. They now had the advantage. "Die!" A vagrant held up the knife in his hands, stared at the viger on the ground, ready to decapitate the viger. Whoosh! The sound of an arrow breaking through the air whistled by. The vagrant now froze, with the arrow in his neck. Blood then started to squirt out of the vagrant''s neck. "Hang in there everyone. Here wee!" Uncle Liu''s voice echoed in the air. Chapter 12 More Vengeance Points In an instant, he killed two more vagrants. Uncle Liu, with his archery skill, immediately shifted the advantage to the vigers. His arrows,ing out of nowhere, made the wanderers and vagrants scared. The wanderers and vagrants stopped tussling with the vigers and retreated fifty meters away. Both parties then stood staring at each other in a standoff. "Liu, what took you so long?" "Thank God you''re here. I feel safe already." "Liu, teach these robbers a lesson they won''t forget." The vigers grumbled at Uncle Liu''ste appearance but still appreciated his presence and ability. "You weren''t supposed to start until the vige head gave you the order. "We were on our way to nk from their back and surround them. "Who let you start the operation?" Uncle Liu wasn''t pleased and wanted to know the answer. The vigers from the two defense teams took a nce at Lin Ke. Uncle Liu stared at Lin Ke. If he could, he would go up to Lin Ke and give him a beating, but right now he had other fish to fry. He turned and shouted at the wanderers and vagrants, "Give up and leave our vige, now." The wanderers and vagrants didn''t say anything. Those standing at the front retreated, revealing a man standing at the back. It was obvious this man wasn''t like the wanderers and vagrants. He was well-built and looked healthy, holding a sword in his hand. "Who are you?" Uncle Liu armed his bow with an arrow, aiming at the man. The man wasn''t bothered and ran towards Uncle Liu. Whoosh! Uncle Liu shot his arrow. nk. To everyone''s surprise, the man swiped away the arrow with his sword. Before Uncle Liu could react, the man leaped and appeared in front of Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu immediately gave the man a side kick. The man didn''t even dodge and let Uncle Liu''s kicknd. Thud! "Argh¡­", Uncle Liu cried out in pain. He felt like he had kicked a piece of stone. The pain made Uncle Liu fall to the ground. When the vigers saw this, their hearts sank. Uncle Liu was the strongest among them. If he couldn''t deal with this man, then no one could. They would most probably die if no one came to their rescue. The vigers held their breath as they saw the man turn his sword downwards and thrust it down onto Uncle Liu. Wham! Out of nowhere Lin Fan appeared. Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap and did a flying kick directly at the man. His kick hit the sword, and the impact made the sword bend. All the way to the man''s chest, and then ''thud'', the man went tumbling across the field. "What happened?" "Who was that?" The vigers were surprised at the turn of events. When they saw who saved Uncle Liu, they were even more surprised. "Lin Fan?" "It''s really Lin Fan!" "But wasn''t he on the verge of dying a few days back?" "Who cares? At least now we don''t have to die." The vigers eximed with excitement at what they''d witnessed. "Uncle Liu, are you all right?", Lin Fan asked as he helped Uncle Liu to his feet. "I''m all right, just a bruise to my shin bone." Uncle Liu had a lot of questions to ask Lin Fan, but it was not over yet. The man had stood up and wielded his sword in a circle. His sword then had a translucent white force surrounding it. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 30 vengeance points.] Lin Fan took note of the vengeance points, 10 more than those he had dealt with earlier. "All of you take on the vigers, I will handle the young boy." The manmanded the wanderers and vagrants. The wanderers and vagrants looked at him hesitantly. Seeing that no one moved, he pulled the nearest vagrant to him and his sword sliced through the vagrant''s waist. Then the man was left holding the upper part of the vagrant''s body. Seeing this the wanderers and vagrants had no other choice. "Ch.. charge!" The wanderers and vagrants shouted and charged at the vigers. Both parties shed again. Lin Fan didn''t get involved. He''d remembered these vigers'' faces earlier. They were the ones wanting him to go alone to the open field. The only person that mattered to Lin Fan was Uncle Liu. "Watch out!", Uncle Liu shouted. The man with his sword came at Lin Fan, thrusting it at Lin Fan''s head. Lin Fan turned into a white shimmer and appeared again at the man''s side.@@novelbin@@ The Swift Foot ability was too fast for the man. With the man''s side exposed to Lin Fan, Lin Fan plunged one of his hands into the man''s waist. "Argh!" The man cried out in pain as Lin Fan''s fingers with the Iron w ability went through his waist like tofu. Lin Fan subsequently plunged the other hand into the man''s chest. He could feel the warmth of the blood, and the throbbing of the man''s heart. Lin Fan held it and tightened his grip. The pain caused the man to struggle and thrash around aimlessly. Slowly the thrashing stopped, and the man was lifeless and hung like a piece of meat in Lin Fan''s hand. With the man dead, the wanderers and vagrants couldn''t take it anymore. They dropped their weapons, turned and ran away. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 30.] [Current Vengeance Points: 160] "We¡­We did it!" The vigers cried out in joy. While the vigers celebrated, Lin Fan was already busy trying to ''reuse and recycle''. He picked up the sword and decided to keep it. The sword''s endurance was good; it might be able to fetch a pretty good price. While Lin Fan was busy scavenging, a familiar voice boomed. "Why were you sote? Did you know we could have died!" Lin Ke pointed his fingers at Lin Fan,shing out at his nephew. He then turned and looked at the other vigers, expecting them to chime in. No one bothered with his antics. They had all seen through this man. What sort of man would leave his nephew to fend for himself and then me his nephew? Lin Fan didn''t even look at Lin Ke. He was busy tending to Uncle Liu''s injury. Piak! Suddenly, Lin Ke got pped. The p was so forceful, one of his teeth flew out of his mouth. "Lin Ke!" Chapter 13 Outburst The pnded so hard that Lin Ke''s right cheek was immediately swollen. Red finger marks could be seen clearly on his cheek. "What did I tell you? Did I not instruct you to wait for my order before proceeding?" The vige head, Ho Fu, fumed and pointed his pipe at Lin Ke. Lin Ke held his hand to his cheek, spat out some blood from his mouth. He turned and started to shout at Ho Fu, "You old fool! "You think I don''t know what you''re up to? "Letting us wait here and be cannon fodder while you allow Liu and my precious nephew to stay away from danger. "Speaking of which, you¡­" Lin Ke walked up to Lin Fan, pointed at the injury on his chest and then continued, "You unfilial nephew. Your own uncle is injured yet you are tending to someone else." The vigers all shook their heads at Lin Ke. What was he even talking about? Didn''t he instigate Lin Fan to go to the open fields alone? They''d only seen Lin Ke say bad things about Lin Fan, like how Lin Fan was always trying to cheat money from him, but when they thought about it, Lin Fan didn''t exhibit those behaviors. Thest time they saw Lin Fan say anything to Lin Ke was when Lin Ke refused to help Lin Fan with food. Lin Ke had used a broom to chase him out of his house. Other than that, nothing. When they recalled all the things Lin Fan had gone through, they looked at Lin Fan pitifully. What a misfortune to be rtives with someone like Lin Ke. "Hmph." Lin Fan couldn''t stand it anymore. Sometimes when a mosquito keeps buzzing at you, you have to swat it to death. If not, it will keeping at you for more. Lin Fan stood up, patted his clothes and dusted off the dirt on him, then he looked at Lin Ke, "Unfilial? "Well, if you''re so sure, why don''t we let the folks judge for themselves whether I''m unfilial. "When grandpa died, you begged for him to let you have his bigger house and fertile fields. "My father, seeing that you had a bigger family, agreed. "And what did you do? "You spent time enjoying yourself, asking my father to help tend your fields. "And what did my father get in return? "No help from you when he got terminally ill. "When I was hungry and asked for your help, you refused. "Seeing that I did better all by myself, you even had the gall to spread lies about me trying to cheat you." Lin Fan''s outburst shocked all the vigers and Lin Ke. "You¡­You liar!" All Lin Ke could do was stammer as he couldn''t find the words to refute Lin Fan. The vigers moved away from Lin Ke, not wanting to have anything to do with him. They then started to chastise Lin Ke. "Yew. Lin Ke, I didn''t expect you to be so rotten." "How do you even face your father after what you''ve done?" "Your ancestors would be ashamed of you." Lin Fan smirked and shook his head at the vigers. They were all such gullible folks without a mind of their own. How they behaved throughout this event made Lin Fan much more convinced he must join one of the Sects and get stronger. It was the only way for him to transcend and get away from all these gullible folks. "Enough!" Ho Fu stopped everyone. He rubbed his temple and then said to Lin Ke, "Get out of my sight now. Don''t let me see you bothering or spreading lies about Lin Fan again." Lin Ke, seeing that everyone was now against him, turned and ran away, cursing out loud as he got further and further away. "Those who can, help those injured back to their homes. "I will need to report back to the magistrate in Feng Shou town. "Lin Fan, help Liu back to his ce then meet me at mine after that." Lin Fan nodded and helped Uncle Liu up on his feet. Uncle Liu, with his hands over Lin Fan''s shoulder, could feel how muscr Lin Fan was. All that power and strength hidden underneath the oversized cloth. Uncle looked at Lin Fan and asked, "When and how did you get to be so powerful? Answer me honestly." Here it came. Lin Fan expected this. Luckily, he already had an answer to it. First, confess to a lie, then start your next lie; this had always worked for Lin Fan. "I lied to you when I told you that wolf had died, and I found it. "It was me who finished it off. "All this because I found this manuscript." Lin Fan took out the manuscript titled ''Flowing Cloud Sword Style'' and passed it to him. "Maybe I got lucky trying out the cultivation techniques written inside," Lin Fan said. "You what? Keep this manuscript, don''t let anyone know. And since you have the talent for cultivation, try and get into the Qing Feng sect with Ho Ming." Uncle Liu motioned Lin Fan to keep the manuscript a secret. He was d that Lin Fan had talent in cultivation. This was going to be such a life-changer for Lin Fan. "I will work hard and get into the Qing Feng sect with Ho Ming," Lin Fan nodded and replied. "That reminds me, next time, keep more meat for yourself.@@novelbin@@ "You need all the nourishment to prepare for the ability test. "I heard Ho Ming had been on pills and elixirs getting himself ready. "If only I made enough money¡­", Uncle Liu sighed at the difficulty of getting into cultivation as amoner. As the saying goes in Quan Dynasty, a Martial Arts Fighter is born out of money and pills. "Don''t worry about me, Uncle Liu. I can take care of myself; you have Lin Han and Aunty Mei Fong to worry about," Lin Fan appreciated the kindness from Uncle Liu. When they got back to Uncle Liu''s ce, Mei Fong screamed at the top of her lungs. Chapter 14 Feng Shou Town Mei Fong panicked when she saw her husband being helped by Lin Fan, limping along with only one leg. "Aunt Mei Fong, it''s all right. Uncle Liu most likely bruised his shin bone." "Yeah, it''s just a slight bruise. Nothingpared to what I''ve suffered before." Lin Fan and Uncle Liu both tried to downy the seriousness of his injury. Mei Fong didn''t buy it. She went into the bedroom, rummaged through her clothes, and finally found what she was looking for. A white-colored handkerchief made of cotton andced with silk tied up in a bundle. She opened it and inside were some jade pendants and earrings. Mei Fong spent a few moments looking at these pieces of jewelry she had brought over as her dowry. She couldn''t bear to part with them, but they wouldn''t be able to pay the autumn harvest tax if she used the money they had to ask the sensei to heal her husband. She bit her lips, made her decision and got out of the bedroom. Mei Fong said to Uncle Liu, "I''m going to get the Sensei over to look at your injury. You better stay put." "Sensei? There''s no need to do so." Uncle Liu tried to quickly limp towards Mei Fong to stop her, "See, I''m all right and able to start hunting tomorrow." He put down both of his legs and tried to take a step towards Mei Fong, but the pain struck him like lightning. "Ouch!" He cried out and had to sit on the ground. "Are you all right?" Mei Fong hurried over and checked on Uncle Liu.@@novelbin@@ When Uncle Liu saw what Mei Fong had in her hands, he tried to take all the jewelry away from her. "What are you thinking? These are your dowry¡­the only thing to remind you of your family." "What else can I do? The autumn harvest tax ising¡­" Mei Fong''s eyes started to fill with tears. Little Liu Han, seeing what happened, started crying out loud. "Daddy''s going to be all right!" Lin Fan didn''t expect this sudden turn of events. He said to Uncle Liu, "Let me go to Feng Shou town. This sword seems to be valuable; I will try and sell it. Whatever it fetches can be used for the sensei." "But you might need the sword when you join the Qing Feng sectter on¡­" Uncle Liu said. "Let me do it, Uncle Liu. I''m not really interested in sword fighting techniques. It''s the least I can do for you," Lin Fan started to walk out, not giving Uncle Liu a chance to reject his help. "Aunt Mei Fong, take care of Uncle Liu and wait for my good news." Lin Fan assured Mei Fong, then smiled and waved at Liu Han and left. Mei Fong sighed as she watched Lin Fan leaving. She felt ashamed of herself. What was she thinking back then, seeing Lin Fan as a burden, leeching on Uncle Liu? How wrong she was. Lin Fan walked along the dirt path and all along the way, he could hear simr conversations about finding money for healing. This whole charade with the wanderers and vagrants had dealt a huge blow to the vigers. Winter was going to be hard to endure. When Lin Fan reached the vige head''s house, the vige head and Ho Ming were already waiting for him outside. "Vige head, I think Housekeeper Lee from the Tan family had a hand in what happened. "When I reached the open field, there were men waiting in ambush for me. "I''ve found this, too bad it can''t prove Housekeeper Lee sent them." Lin Fan handed over the wooden b with a lotus carved into it. Ho Fu took the wooden b, carefully looked at it. He wasn''t sure what the wooden b signified. He would have to check with the magistrate in Feng Shou town. "I''m not sure what this is. "I will let the magistrate handle it. "As for Housekeeper Lee, I agree with you, he is involved somehow. "But we will have to try and get evidence before I can do anything. "The Tan family is waiting for me to make a mistake ande in for the kill." Ho Fu took a puff off his pipe and said. Lin Fan nodded and thought about how to nail Housekeeper Lee down. "Stop looking so serious. This must be the first time you will be in town; let me show you around when we get there," Ho Ming said and patted Lin Fan on his back. "You are right, let''s go then," Lin Fan replied. ¡­ Feng Shou Town. The town was organized in a square shape. In the center was the Yamen, where the town''s magistrate worked and lived. Leading out from the Yamen were straight streets and along the streets were rows upon rows of shop houses peddling their wares and goods. These houses with their distinct sloped tiled roofs were more than a notch better than the wooden huts in An Xiang vige. The streets were bustling with people, each going on with their daily routines and the hustling of the hawkers. A far cry from the sparsely popted An Xiang vige. "Both of you stay out of trouble. Find me at the Yamen after one hour," Ho Fu passed some copper coins to Ho Ming and made his way to the Yamen. "You know where I can try to sell this sword?" Lin Fan asked Ho Ming. "Wow. This sword looks expensive. We can try our luck over at the weaponry shop." Ho Ming led Lin Fan through the streets and then stopped at the corner shop. The shop had tough-looking men with their scars and tattoos guarding outside. They tried to stop Ho Ming and Lin Fan from entering but let them in after Ho Ming showed them his copper coins. When he was inside the shop, Lin Fan was having an eye-opening moment. There were swords, knives, long spears and even axes on disy for sale. Lin Fan went closer and looked at all the well-crafted weapons. "How can I help you?" a shop assistant came up to him and asked. "How much can I sell this for?" Lin Fan said and lifted the sword in his hand. The shop assistant opened his eyes wide when he saw the sword. Chapter 15 Weapon Levels Lin Fan held the sword tighter, ready for any moves from the shop assistant. A momentter, he rxed, releasing his tension. He''d realized that the system hadn''t prompted him that the shop assistant had any ill intentions toward Lin Fan. "I''m Pei Tong, shop assistant for this He Xian Weapons shop," the shop assistant introduced himself, ncing left and right to check if anyone was looking at them, then continued, "Please sheathe your sword ande with me." Lin Fan lowered his hand with the sword and followed Pei Tong. "Here,e with me," Pei Tong ushered Lin Fan through a door behind the counter and into the back of the shop. In the back, there were old men holding weapons in their hands, carefully looking at them, periodically taking down notes as they did so. "These men are trying to put a value on the weapons for sale. Different levels of weaponsmand different prices," Pei Tong exined when he saw Lin Fan looking at the men. "Different levels?" Lin Fan asked. "You don''t know about them? There are the Mortal, Spirit, and Mystic levels of weapons that I know of. There are more above the Mystic level, but I''m not privy to that information." "What''s the difference between these three levels?" Lin Fan probed further, trying to learn more about this world. "Mortal level weapons, which is what we mostly have here, are used by normal people and low-level cultivators. They''re usually made ofmon materials like iron or steel and don''t have special attributes. "Spirit level weapons are forged and used by low-level cultivators. They have increased sharpness, durability, and minor elemental attributes like lightning-charged broad knives. "Mystic level weapons, usually used by mid-level cultivators, are made from rare materials, enhanced with runes or inscriptions. They possess inherent abilities like self-healing and even limited sentience." Pei Tong exined the different levels of weapons patiently to Lin Fan. "What level is this sword?" Lin Fan asked. "Ah, your sword. "You are very lucky, you know. "That sword belongs to the Flowing Cloud Sect, and you clearly aren''t a disciple from the sect. It will attract unwanted trouble to yourself," Pei Tong replied. "Flowing Cloud Sect..." Lin Fan mumbled to himself as he thought about the sect. "They suddenly disappeared one year ago. Hence, you will be in trouble from their enemies or the sect members, carrying that sword and walking around like that." "Thanks! I didn''t know that. So how much can you offer for it?" Lin Fan asked. "I can only offer you fifty copper coins for it. I can''t sell this sword out in the open. I''m buying it because I love collecting weapons from the different sects." "Deal," Lin Fan didn''t need to think much and agreed on the spot. The price was already more than enough for Uncle Liu''s injury. And Pei Tong was not a bad guy; Lin Fan wanted to be on cordial terms with him. He needed to build up awork of trustworthy folks to help him.@@novelbin@@ Past life experience told him that no one could reach the top with just enemies alone. "Here, a silver bit equivalent to fifty copper coins," Pei Tong handed a piece of silver to Lin Fan. Lin Fan took it and pocketed it. "Now that you have the money, are there any weapons that are to your liking?" Lin Fan thought for a moment, then said, "I want something not so prominent, hidden, and deadly out of nowhere." "I have just the thing for you. Wait here..." Pei Tong walked out into the shop and returned with a belt in his hand. "This is a belt?" Lin Fan pointed to the belt. "This is a belt sword..." Pei Tong pressed on the belt buckle and then drew out a sword from the belt. The sword, from being curved, immediately straightened when it was drawn out. "Here, try it," Pei Tong passed the sword to Lin Fan. Lin Fan wielded it around. It felt not as durable as the Flowing Cloud sect''s sword, but it had that element of surprise. Lin Fan preferred to be able to lie low and surprise the enemy when necessary. After all, Lin Fan''s real trump card was his Beast Abilities. When he was satisfied, Lin Fan asked, "How much for this?" "It''s free for you. I''ve been looking to collect the Flowing Cloud sect''s sword for a very long time. This is the least I can do for you," Pei Tong replied. "Thanks," Lin Fan bowed with his hands sped together. Pei Tong immediately bowed back. "Lin Fan, where are you?" Ho Ming, engrossed in the weapons, started to look for Lin Fan when he realized Lin Fan was nowhere to be seen in the shop. "That''s my friend looking for me. I should get going," Lin Fan walked back out to the shop. "There you are," Ho Ming sighed in relief when he saw Lin Fan. "I''m done. Let''s go to the medicinal hall." Ho Ming then led Lin Fan to the Chang Shou Medicinal Hall. Inparison to the weapons shop, this medicinal hall wasn''t crowded. The customers inside the medicinal hall looked like wealthy merchants and nobles. They waited for their prescriptions with their servants. When Lin Fan approached the counter, the shopkeeper looked at Lin Fan with a side-eye and covered his nose when he saw Lin Fan wearing coarse clothes and hemp fabric. But when he saw Ho Ming beside Lin Fan, his face immediately changed to a smiling one. "Ah, young master Ho Ming. Are you here for the Qi Concentration Pills?" "Yes. The usual number, please." The shopkeeper turned around to the big wooden cab behind him. The wooden cab spanned the length of the shop. There were drawers with writings of what was contained inside. The shopkeeper pulled one of the drawers and took out a white bottle with a red-colored stopper. He then passed the bottle to Ho Ming, and Ho Ming paid him twenty copper coins. Lin Fan was surprised at how much it cost; twenty copper coins could sustain a family like Uncle Liu''s for half a year. Ho Ming shrugged and said, "That''s the way it is. Anything to improve the chances to join the Qing Feng Sect. I hope you can pass the abilities tests without any pills to enhance your foundations." When the shopkeeper heard Lin Fan wanting to try to pass the abilities tests without any pills and elixirs, he couldn''t help but snicker out loud. Chapter 16 Smile "Hehe... Excuse me, I couldn''t help it. I have never heard of anyone getting through the abilities tests without having our pills and elixirs to solidify and enhance their foundations." The shopkeeper continued to snicker. Other customers also raised their eyebrows, looked at Lin Fan with their chins up, and tried to hold back theirughter. Ho Ming wasn''t too pleased; he pointed his finger at the shopkeeper and said, "You better..." Before Ho Ming could finish talking, Lin Fan tapped on his shoulder and motioned him to stop. "But this guy..." "Ho Ming, let me handle it." Lin Fan then walked up to the shopkeeper with a stern look on his face. The shopkeeper, sensing something wasn''t right, nced to his left. The shop''s guard standing on the left acknowledged the shopkeeper, putting his hand onto the saber''s handle at his waist. The other guests also tensed up, thinking to themselves, what a stupid young fool trying to create trouble in Chang Shou Medicinal Hall. Didn''t he know that all the town''s cultivators had good rtionships with the hall? They held their breaths as they saw Lin Fan raise his hand. "I think that..." Lin Fan then mmed his hands on the counter. The guard drew out the saber. All the other customers in the Medicinal Hall stood up and prepared to run. They didn''t want to be coteral damage if anything happened. "...it''s a goodugh too. What was I thinking? Please continue to have a goodugh about it," Lin Fan''s expression changed to a sheepish smile. "Damn it, this young man scared the hell out of me." "And I thought he had the balls to confront the shopkeeper." "Next time, just recognize the fact that you''re a nobody earlier." The customers grumbled at Lin Fan for giving them a scare. The shopkeeper stood up, his face red, flustered with anger at how Lin Fan had teased him. "You fool, how dare you... Ha ha ha ha..." the shopkeeper didn''t finish his sentence and started tough. Everyone except Lin Fan and Ho Ming then joined in andughed. "Ha ha ha ha..." A few momentster, they stoppedughing. However, the shopkeeper continuedughing. At first the customers just thought that maybe the shopkeeper felt that it was really funny. But theughter just went on and on. After a few minutes, the customers finally sensed something amiss. Why was the shopkeeperughing so hysterically? They looked on with worried expressions. The guard came over and patted the shopkeeper''s back to ask if he was all right. "Ha ha ha..." It didn''t help in any way. The shopkeeper keptughing. His face was now scary, with his eyes opened wide in horror, but his mouth was uncontroblyughing. Tears started rolling down his cheeks. What''s happening? Why can''t I stopughing? All the different possibilities went through his mind, but he couldn''t figure out what was happening. Is it due to this young man with Ho Ming?@@novelbin@@ But that''s not possible. He doesn''t seem like a cultivator, and from Ho Ming''s conversation with this young man earlier, he hasn''t even joined any sect yet. Maybe he has a secret Master somewhere who witnessed what I''ve done. That''s right, I must have angered the secret Master. The shopkeeper thought and finally concluded that he had angered Lin Fan''s secret Master hiding somewhere. Thud! The shopkeeper immediately knelt on both knees and kowtowed to Lin Fan while stillughing uncontrobly. "Since the shopkeeper is having a good time, let''s go," Lin Fan tapped Ho Ming''s back, pulled him along, and walked out of the shop. When Lin Fan and Ho Ming disappeared from sight, the shopkeeper stoppedughing. He furiously took deep breaths; the constantughing just now had nearly caused him to ck out due tock of oxygen. "Huh huh..." while panting, the shopkeeper was convinced that he was right¡ªthe secret Master of Lin Fan had let him off after his kneeling and pleading. Next time I''d better try to be on good terms with the young man. ... "What the hell was that?" Ho Ming was perturbed by what had transpired. He had never seen the shopkeeper behaving this way. "I''ve heard a certain type of illness makes youugh and lose your mind slowly. It''s called rabies or something. Usually caused by a dog bite infected with it." Lin Fan thought of an excuse and exined it to Ho Ming. "Wow, I''ve never heard of such a thing. But I''m sure the sensei at the Medicinal Hall will be able to cure it," Ho Ming said. "I''m hungry, let''s get some food," Lin Fan said. The usage of his Leader of the Pack ability had made him lose his energy; he needed to replenish it. "If you''re hungry, I know of an interesting ce," Ho Ming replied. They then went to a big restaurant named Quan Wei Xuan. It was a two-story building, with borate decorations like wood-carved panels. On the first floor, Lin Fan could see that the tables were full of dishes. Customers chatted, ate, and drank with joy. The waiters were carrying tes of delicacies and moving to and fro like dancers, skillfully weaving through the crowd without spilling anything. It was a far cry from what Lin Fan saw in An Xiang vige. A meal with more than two dishes would already be considered a luxury there. With the restaurant so crowded, Lin Fan and Ho Ming had to wait for a while to get a seat. While waiting, Lin Fan peeped at the second floor of the restaurant. It was more or less empty. Only a few patrons were eating on the second floor. "Why don''t they let more people onto the second floor?" Lin Fan asked. It just seemed so weird to leave it empty. "I could only wish, but the second floor is reserved for imperial officials, sect disciples, and cultivators. Commoners like us can''t go there," Ho Ming then continued, "That''s why my father wants me to join the Qing Feng sect so badly. It will be a huge leap in our family''s destiny." Lin Fan nodded silently; he had finally witnessed the disparity in status between sect disciples or cultivators and others. "Then I must be one of them, one of the best, when I join the Qing Feng sect," Lin Fan said to himself silently as he looked up at the second floor. Chapter 17 Cultivators When it was their turn, the waiter led Lin Fan and Ho Ming to a table in the corner. The waiter took the towel hanging from his shoulder, wiped the table, and then asked, "What would you two like to have today?" "Give us two bowls of noodles and tea," Ho Ming said. "That''s all? It''s getting cold. We are out of rabbits, but there are snakes or venison to warm yourselves if you''re interested?" the waiter tried to introduce more dishes to Lin Fan and Ho Ming enthusiastically. "Rabbits? If you need them, I could supply them for you, and if I''m lucky, even venison meat," Lin Fan asked. It would be a great opportunity for Lin Fan to earn more money if he could supply Quan Wei Xuan rabbit meat. After witnessing how much the Qi Concentration pills cost, Lin Fan was now aware of how important it was to make more money. Lin Fan took a copper coin and stuffed it into the waiter''s hand. His past life as a sessful businessman had provided more than enough experience to know about Guan Xi and greasing the wheels. "Hmm..." the waiter thought for a while. "Let me check with the innkeeper." "In the meantime, just wait for your noodles." The waiter turned and shouted their order to the kitchen and walked over to the counter and chatted with the innkeeper. The innkeeper lifted his head and checked out Lin Fan, giving an unsure look. The waiter then kept at it in persuading the innkeeper. A few minutester, the innkeeper relented and nodded. The waiter then came over to Lin Fan''s table again. "The innkeeper agreed. He is willing to pay one copper coin for each rabbit, ten copper coins for venison. Just bring them in as and when you have them," the waiter smiled and said. "Deal," Lin Fan lifted his teacup and, with a toasting gesture, finished the tea. After he put the teacup down on the table, Lin Fan took out another copper coin and stuffed it into the waiter''s hand. The waiter tried to refuse very ceremoniously initially. He finally epted the copper coin most apologetically after Lin Fan insisted for a few minutes. The waiter was all smiles as he turned away. "Waiter! Prepare the Wang Jiang Ge on the second floor. I want all the specialties served as soon as possible. If you make my guest unhappy, I will make you pay for it." A loud voice boomed as a middle-aged man entered Quan Wei Xuan. The man had thick, bushy eyebrows and a bushy beard. He was wearing a red-colored constable uniform with a ck-colored belt and shoes. Behind this man were two young men and a woman. They were wearing grey-colored cultivator''s robes. The woman, who looked to be the eldest among them, was good-looking with smooth skin and big round eyes. The other two young men were most likely the woman''s junior martial brothers, carrying all the belongings and swords. When the guests saw them, all the noisy chatter suddenly died down. Some even pulled their benches away from the path, scared to get in the way of the cultivators. The waiter scrambled and got to the constable''s side, bowed down, and apologized, "So sorry for the dy, Constable Cai. Please follow me to Wang Jiang Ge." Constable Cai and the three cultivators then followed the waiter''s lead. These must be the team tasked to help clear the woods, Lin Fan thought to himself. That would mean the vige would be able to get through a safe winter if they were able to clear the woods. Back in Lin Fan''s mind, something was not adding up. Housekeeper Lee and whoever was behind the disturbance of the wanderers and vagrants weren''t done yet. When Lin Fan and Ho Ming were done with the meal, it was time for them to meet up with Ho Fu. Along the way, Ho Ming treated Lin Fan to the street food along the way. Candied hawthorn skewers and onion pancakes were something Ho Ming liked and shared with Lin Fan. Looking at Ho Ming happily with his candy skewers, it reminded Lin Fan that they were just teenagers. But fate would have it that Ho Ming would need to shoulder the fate of his family at such a young age.@@novelbin@@ "What took you so long? Had too much fun and forgotten all about me?" Ho Fu said to Ho Ming and took a deep breath from his smoking pipe. "It''s because of me, vige head. I asked Ho Ming to show me around. I need to sell off the sword for Uncle Liu''s medical fees," Lin Fan said. "Hmm..." Ho Fu puffed out a mouthful of smoke and motioned them to follow him. "The constable and the demonic beasts clearing team will be at our vige a few dayster. The constable will investigate Housekeeper Lee, while the team will go and clear the woods." "That''s good news," Lin Fan said. "Hmph.... Good news? The tax officials wille with them to collect the autumn harvest tax. Let''s hope no one is going to be sent to hardbor this year." Ho Fu shook his head and sighed. Three of them then hurried back to the vige before nightfall. ... "I''m back, Uncle Liu," Lin Fan said as he entered Uncle Liu''s home. Uncle Liu was lying on the bed and Mei Fong was making dinner. When Mei Fong saw Lin Fan, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and poured a cup of water for Lin Fan. She passed the cup to Lin Fan. Lin Fan saw her bite her lips, hesitate for a moment but then keep quiet. "Don''t worry, Aunty Mei Fong. Here''s eighteen copper coins, more than enough for Uncle Liu''s sensei and medicine." Lin Fan took out the copper coins and put them on the table. "Lin Fan, thank you so much," Mei Fong''s eyes watered up as she looked at all the copper coins on the table. "No, Lin Fan. We can''t take it all," Uncle Liu tried to get up but couldn''t; his leg was now swollen and too painful to move. "You''ll have to. I have bad news..." Chapter 18 Fire Deer "What bad news?" Uncle Liu and Aunty Mei Fong asked in unison. "The tax officials will being over the next few days. Better to have more money just in case," Lin Fan said. Uncle Liu and Aunty Mei Fong looked at each other, then lowered their heads. They were aware that Lin Fan was right. The tax officials weren''t angels to deal with; they would sometimes sh open the grain bags, let some of the rice flow out, then ount for those as lost in transit. If you didn''t have enough rice when the grain bag was put on the scale, you would have to pay up in copper coins. Uncle Liu, as a hunter, only needed to pay up in silver and copper coins, but you could never know what the tax officials would have up their sleeves. "Thank you so much. I will try to return your money next spring," Uncle said. Lin Fan drank the cup of water and smiled, "It''s all right, Uncle Liu. Your help back then is worth more than these copper coins. I could''ve died back then." "At the most,e join us for dinner every day. It''s the least we can do," Mei Fong said. "Great! I can''t cook, and I''m already getting sick of having roasted rabbit every day," Lin Fan replied. "When springes, I will find the matchmaker and help arrange someone suitable for you. You need someone virtuous to take care of you."@@novelbin@@ "Matchmake?!" Lin Fan nearly spilled the water in his cup. "Aunty Mei Fong, I''m not interested." He was not looking for any wife. His life focus now was to join the Qing Feng sect and be one of the best. Uncle Liu saw Lin Fan''s response andughed, "He still doesn''t know what a woman is. I''ll teach him when I have time." Uncle Liu looked at Lin Fan and said sheepishly. "You dirty old man," Mei Fong''s face flushed red at what Uncle Liu had said. "Then this dirty old man will have to rest for the next few nights," Uncle Liu teased Mei Fong further. "I don''t want to talk about this anymore," Mei Fong walked away and went into the kitchen to bring out the dishes for dinner. "Are you sure you won''t regret it?" Uncle Liu continued teasing. Liu Han looked at everyone with a confused look, not knowing what they were talking about. Lin Fan smiled, happy to be part of this precious moment with the Liu Family. ... Meanwhile at the Tan Mansion. Housekeeper Lee knelt on the floor with both of his knees. His head looked down at the ground. A small puddle had appeared as his sweat dripped onto the ground. In front of him no longer sat Master Tan. A huge screen with silk etching of a lotus now stood where Master Tan had sat. "How could you fail?" Master Tan''s voice boomed out loud from behind the screen. "Ho Fu, that old fox, had something up his sleeves. And that Lin Fan... I think there''s something with him. He was able to kill the helpers the Dark Lotus sect had sent." Housekeeper Lee said with a shaky voice, his body trembling. "Lin Fan, isn''t he just a helpless teenage boy?" Master Tan asked. "He miraculously survived and became strong. He might have had some encounters in the woods as he started hunting; a cultivation Master must have taken him as a disciple or something." Master Tan thought for a moment about his chance encounter with the Dark Lotus sect. "Take this and then kill Lin Fan. If you can''t finish him off, then I will kill you myself. Remember, I control the life and death of ves like you." nk. nk. A ck-colored bottle rolled and appeared in Housekeeper Lee''s vision. Housekeeper Lee had no choice but to open the bottle, take out one of the ck-colored pills, and pop it into his mouth. Then, a loud scream erupted from the Tan Mansion. The other servants in the mansion used their fingers and closed their ears. The scream was too scary and unbearable to them. ... Next day. After breakfast, Lin Fan carried all his weapons, bow and arrows, ax, and belt sword, then went to the open fields to hunt for wild rabbits. He was still short of money for the entrance fee to Qing Feng sect, and winter was approaching soon. The thing for him to do now was to try and earn as much as possible. Once he started to supply his rabbits to Quan Wei Xuan, he could double his ie. He had waited in ambush for at least an hour, but no rabbit was in sight. "Something is not right," Lin Fan thought to himself as he activated the Rabbit''s Hearing ability. Nothing. He couldn''t hear the movements of any rabbits. When he was about to give up, he heard something at the edge of the woods. He pinpointed the location and slowly moved toward it. As he approached nearer, an orange sh caused him to cover his eyes. A deer was rubbing its antlers against a huge tree trunk. But this deer was different. The antlers on the deer emitted mes when it rubbed against the tree trunk. A demonic beast! Fire deer, to be exact. Its close presence to the open field must have caused the wild rabbits not toe out of their burrows. Lin Fan thought for a moment whether he should try and kill this fire deer. What if the fire deer was too strong for him? After careful deliberation, Lin Fan decided he had no choice but to try. He would stay and shoot at the fire deer from as far as possible; with his system, he should be able to know how many vengeance points this deer was worth. If the points were too high, then he had some distance as a head start to start running. With his n ready, Lin Fan shifted his distance to fifty meters away from the fire deer. It was the maximum range of his bow. He aimed at the deer, took a deep breath, held it, and then, woosh! The arrow tore through the air, turning into a small dot from Lin Fan''s view. When the arrow came near the deer, the deer''s ears lifted like a radar, and it jumped aside. Thud. The arrownded at the tree trunk, with its end wobbling for a few moments before stopping. [Ding!] Chapter 19 Getting Stronger [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Fire Deer with malevolent intent for 40 vengeance points.] Lin Fan saw the 40 vengeance points and now felt more confident about facing the fire deer. The fire deer turned, looked at him, and bellowed. It then lowered its head, with its antlers pointing at Lin Fan. Lin Fan shot another arrow at the fire deer''s head. nk. The deer shook its head vigorously, and the arrow was deflected by its antlers. Angered by Lin Fan''s provocation, mes appeared on the fire deer''s antlers. The fire deer then charged at him. When the fire deer got close, Lin Fan felt a heat waveing toward him. He sidestepped, turning into a shimmer as he used the Swift Foot ability. Lin Fan raised his hand with his axe and hacked down at the fire deer''s neck. Thud. The axe stopped as it hit the antler. The fire deer had turned its head in the nick of time. Lin Fan then got into a tussle with the fire deer. His axe was now entangled with the fire deer''s antlers. Beads of sweat slowly rolled down Lin Fan''s forehead. The fire deer tried to break free but couldn''t. It bellowed in anger and then released several bursts of mes. Boom! The antlers shot out mes with a few short bursts ofbustion. Lin Fan quickly let go of his axe, gritted his teeth, and braced for impact. He felt the shockwave go through his body, and the pain felt like someone had jumbled up his internal organs. "Argh!" Lin Fan let out a shout to release the trauma from his body. Before he could react, he saw something starting to form between the antlers. It was a fireball. Slowly, the fireball grew bigger and bigger, from something only as big as his thumb into something as big as his head. Whoosh! The fireball came toward Lin Fan. Lin Fan jumped to the side of the fire deer using his Magnificent Leap ability. He brushed past the fireball as he jumped. mes caught onto his sleeve as his left hand came too close to the fireball. He didn''t bother with it and used the Magnificent Leap again. Thud! His knee struck the fire deer''s body. But it wasn''t enough to knock the fire deer over. The fire deer felt the pain, and its eyes turned red with its blood pumping hard due to the adrenaline. Lin Fan, with his Iron w, sliced at the fire deer''s neck. St. Blood began to burst out from the fire deer''s neck. The fire deer tried to turn away from Lin Fan, leaving a circr trail of blood like a red flower''s blossom. It didn''t go far, only managing to get a few steps away from Lin Fan before lying down on the ground. Its four feet kicked and thrashed around for a few seconds, and then all stopped. The fire deery motionless as its life force ebbed away. With the immediate danger gone, Lin Fan felt his energy drain. He quickly sat on the ground and took deep breaths to catch his breath. When his breathing returned to normal, he sighed with huge relief. I did it, he thought to himself. First encounter with a demonic beast and he had won. However, he didn''t let his joy get ahead of himself. "It was a pretty close shave," he said silently to himself. He now knew how much more difficult it was to deal with a demonic beastpared to normal ones. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 40.] [Current Vengeance Points: 200] [Host''s level is currently too low to gain Demonic Beast''s abilities.] [Minimum Level Required: 5] When Lin Fan saw the notifications, he wasn''t too surprised. He had expected his current physique to be too weak to take in the much more powerful abilities of demonic beasts. So now he had to quickly level up his physique. Lin Fan summoned the system''s information panel in his mind to check his status. [Current Beast Ability: 2] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Wolf Abilities: 1] [Current Physique Level: 2 (200 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 200] [Upgrade Physiques: Y/N] "Yes," Lin Fan said silently to the system, and the upgrading process started. Suddenly, he could feel all the energy in the air. The energy then slowly seeped through his skin and into his body. All the energy started creeping into his muscles, organs, and meridian points. His Dantian this time felt like a volcano, with the energy gathering in it, and when it reached the brim, the energy exploded throughout his body. The energy then made his internal organs feel renewed, and his muscles gained mass and became stronger. This went on for a few cycles, each cycle making Lin Fan''s physique better and better. When it was all over, he looked at his body. His oversized clothing was now stretched. He now had a much more muscr body. All his energy had been replenished. [Ding! Congrattions on upgrading your Physiques.] [Your Physical strength/endurance x 2.] [Usage of abilities x 2.] [Current Beast Ability: 3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Wolf Abilities: 1] [Current Physique Level: 3 (400 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 0] Lin Fan frowned when he saw that he needed 400 vengeance points to upgrade to the next level. It was going to be much tougher going forward. He walked over to the fire deer''s body, squatted down, getting ready with the most optimal posture to lift the fire deer. Lin Fan took a deep breath and held it. "3...2...1... go!" To his surprise, the fire deer''s body felt... light. No, it wasn''t the fire deer''s body that was light. He had gotten much stronger.@@novelbin@@ To confirm, he put down the fire deer''s body and walked over to a twenty-meter fallen tree nearby. He squatted down, scooped his hands under the fallen tree trunk, and then 3...2...1... and the tree was now held over his head. Chapter 20 Supplying Quan Wei Xuan Lin Fan suppressed his excitement to try out his newfound strength further. He had more business to attend to. Selling the fire deer to Quan Wei Xuan. If he was lucky, the fire deer might be enough to earn him the Qing Feng sect''s entrance fee. Without wasting any time, Lin Fan gathered his axe, bow, and arrows. He then carried the fire deer''s body on his back. This time, he didn''t even go back to the vige. He headed straight for Feng Shou town. Previously, it had taken him and Ho Fu, empty-handed, an hour''s journey to reach Feng Shou town. This time, despite carrying the fire deer''s body, it only took him half an hour to reach Feng Shou town. When he reached Quan Wei Xuan, it was bustling with guests as usual. "Wee. Let me lead you to your seat..." The waiter recognized Lin Fan and stopped when he saw the deer''s body on Lin Fan''s back. "I''m not here for lunch today. I''m here to sell this," Lin Fan turned his head and pointed with his chin to the deer''s head beside him. "Great! Come with me." The waiter then led Lin Fan through the alley by the side of the building. At the back were the kitchen and where all the fresh produce suppliers were queuing up to sell their produce. "Just wait in the queue for your turn. Pardon me as I need to get back to the dining hall." The waiter bid farewell and walked back toward the front of Quan Wei Xuan. Lin Fan followed his instructions and joined the queue. In the queue, there were suppliers with all sorts of produce. Vegetables, poultry, beef, rabbits, and hunters with deer like him. Initially, everything was going smoothly; suppliers weighed their produce and got their copper coins. When it was the turn of the person in front of Lin Fan, amotion ensued. The person selling beef had just finished weighing it and had carried it over to let the kitchen staff inspect it. The kitchen staff looked at it, squinted his eyes, then put his nose closer and smelled it. "How dare you!" the kitchen staff from Quan Wei Xuan banged on the table and stood up. He then picked up the cleaver by his side, sliced the piece of beef in half, and threw it onto the floor. Maggots were crawling inside the piece of beef. When the person selling the beef saw this, he quickly knelt down and pleaded, "Forgive me! It was unintentional. The beef must have gone bad during the journey here." The kitchen staff wasn''t having any of this; he looked at the guard beside him. The guard took his cue, gave the beef seller a beating, and then dragged him away. "Stupid fool. Now he will be barred for life and taken to the yamen for cheating." "The magistrate? I heard they will beat you until you confess." "Yeah. I''ve never seen anyonee out unscathed from the yamen." "My neighbor had to borrow and beg toe up with three taels of silver to get his father out alive." The other suppliers chatted among themselves about what this beef seller would face. "Next," the kitchen staff shouted, and Lin Fan stepped forward. "Put the deer onto that scale over there," the kitchen staff instructed. Lin Fan obliged and put it there. The helpers at the scale looked at the result and froze for a moment. They shook their heads and reweighed the deer again. "What''s taking you so long?" the kitchen staff wasn''t happy. "We are not sure..." "What are you not sure about?" the kitchen staff fumed. "It''s saying 400 lbs, but the heaviest we have seen is 200 lbs." The kitchen staff walked over to confirm. When he reweighed it, he got the same result. The kitchen staff subsequently tried to lift the deer but couldn''t do so. "Come help me." One helper came, no dice. The next one joined in, same result. Finally, they were able to move it with four people. "400 lbs? Impossible."@@novelbin@@ "That young man carried 400 lbs without breaking a sweat?" "Maybe he is one of those with natural Qi foundation?" "People like that would be snatched up by the sects long ago. He doesn''t look like a sect disciple." All the suppliers marveled at Lin Fan''s strength and chatted excitedly. While they chatted, the kitchen staff carefully inspected the body of the deer. After a few moments, his eyes opened wide, and he looked at Lin Fan. "You..." he pointed to Lin Fan but couldn''t get the rest of his words out. The suppliers all held their breath. Had this young man tried to sell a rotting carcass to Quan Wei Xuan too? Or had he stuffed things inside the deer to make it heavier? What a waste of a young life. All of them thought about what could happen to Lin Fan. "You... wait..." the kitchen staff stammered and ran inside the kitchen calling for the innkeeper. Lin Fan wasn''t sure what the kitchen staff wanted, so he put his hand on the handle of his axe and stayed on high alert. "There he is!" the kitchen staff''s voice boomed a few momentster. This time, the kitchen staff came back with two more people: the innkeeper and the woman cultivator Lin Fan had seen before. "Cultivator?" "What has this young man done?" "I definitely don''t want to be a part of this." The suppliers, when they saw the woman cultivator, stepped back from where they stood, getting further away for fear of bing coteral damage. What they expected, however, didn''t happen. The woman cultivator walked over to the deer and inspected it. "You are right. It''s a fire deer," the woman cultivator''s face was pleased when she finished. She proceeded to say, "Whose deer is this? I would offer two taels of silver for it." "Fire deer? Isn''t that a Demonic Beast?" "Forget about the beast part, did I hear two taels of silver?" "Yes, you heard it correctly, it''s two taels of silver." Chapter 21 Jade Pendant The other suppliers were shocked at the price of two taels of silver. One tael of silver was more than enough for a family of five tost a whole year. This young man in front of them had just been offered two taels of silver. They were jealous and cursed at the good fortune of Lin Fan. This jealousy heightened when they saw Lin Fan''s face. He had a nonchnt look about him. Was two taels of silver not enough for this young man? They would be down on their knees thanking the heavens right now if they were getting those two taels of silver. Lin Fan finally had a change of expression; he smiled and said, "Deal. But I have a proposal to make." "Go on," the woman cultivator replied. "I will take one tael of silver, on the condition that you tell me why this fire deer is worth two taels of silver," Lin Fan said. He wanted to know more about the use of demonic beasts for cultivators. What made them so valuable to them? The woman cultivator, upon hearing Lin Fan''s proposition, was surprised. This young man was not a simple man. She thought for a short moment and finally made her decision. "I''m Zhao Rui from the Qing Feng sect. Pleased to be able to make the deal with you. One tael of silver and the reason why I''m willing to pay for it." She took out a tael of silver, handed it to Lin Fan, and continued, "These demonic beasts'' meat has precious attributes that enhance our Qi concentration abilities. "Our sect will prepare meals with it for the disciples to help them get stronger. "The meat is, however, not the most important part. "There''s the beast core that can be used to make elixirs to help cultivators break through their current level of cultivation. "I''m at that stage, on the brink of breakthrough currently; this fire deer will help me achieve that." Lin Fan bowed and sped his hands together at Zhao Rui and said, "Thank you so much for sharing the information." Zhao Rui was pleased with his manners and hunger for knowledge. She took out a jade pendant and handed it to Lin Fan. "If you ever get into trouble, show this jade pendant, and if there are friends of Qing Feng sect around, they will be more than willing to help you." Lin Fan could feel the jade pendant radiating warmth into his hand. He took a nce at it. Around the jade pendant were intricate carvings of clouds with a celestial crane and the words ''Qing Feng Sect'' in the middle. "This gift is too precious; I can''t ept it," Lin Fan tried to reject the jade pendant. Zhao Rui didn''t let him; she pushed away Lin Fan''s hand and said, "It''s all fate; have trust in Tian Dao. We shall meet again very soon; I assure you of that." With her parting words, she turned and walked back into the kitchen. Seeing Zhao Rui leaving, the innkeeper shouted at his men. "All of you, what are you waiting for? Carry the fire deer back into the kitchen!" He quickly instructed his men to take care of the fire deer, and he quickly followed Zhao Rui back into Quan Wei Xuan. Lin Fan, with the jade pendant in one hand and the tael of silver in another, kept them and went about his way back to An Xiang vige. The other suppliers could only look at Lin Fan''s disappearing back and be jealous of what he had gotten. A tael of silver and the jade pendant from the Qing Feng sect. Other than the tael of silver, the jade pendant could be a lifesaver if you met with any dangers. Disciples and allies of the Qing Feng sect with their powerful techniques could definitely get you out of harm''s way. "Does anyone know where this young manes from?" "Anyone got his name?" "Damn, I was just standing behind him. Should have chatted with him and tried to be friends with him." The suppliers grumbled amongst themselves at their missed opportunity to be friends with Lin Fan. Next time if they ever met Lin Fan again, they would not let him get away. Some of them were already thinking of marrying their daughters off to Lin Fan. What could be a stronger bond than marriage? ... It was already evening when Lin Fan got near the vige''s edge. The rice fields were empty, and not too far in the distance, you could see smokeing out of the vigers'' houses.@@novelbin@@ Everyone was already making dinner. The setting sun with its orange-red hue had painted long shadows of everything onto the ground. Lin Fan could see on the ground a long shadow in front of him, leading to a familiar figure fifty meters away. Housekeeper Lee! "Good, saved me all the time and effort to find you," Lin Fan said silently to himself. "Housekeeper Lee. What do you want?" Lin Fan took out the bow slung across his chest and armed it with an arrow. From his aim, he could see that there was something odd about Housekeeper Lee. Housekeeper Lee''s eyes looked nkly at Lin Fan. He was drooling, and his saliva had caused his long mustache to stick to his neck. The clothes he was wearing were now messy, revealing scratches on his chest. All the scratches looked old with dried dark red blood and pus oozing out of them. What had happened to Housekeeper Lee? Lin Fan didn''t have time to find out as he saw Housekeeper Lee raise his head and give out a loud growl into the air. "You... it''s all because of you... look at me now..." Housekeeper Lee stared at Lin Fan and started to talk hysterically. He growled again and started to run toward Lin Fan. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 50 vengeance points.] Lin Fan was surprised when he saw the vengeance points. 50 points? How could it be? Housekeeper Lee was just a normal person like all the vigers a few days ago. How did he get to be more powerful than a demonic beast? Chapter 22 Duel Whoosh! Lin Fan shot the arrow armed in his bow at Housekeeper Lee. Thud! Housekeeper Lee didn''t even dodge and let the arrownd in his left arm. "Grr..." Housekeeper Lee growled loudly at Lin Fan. He used his right hand and yanked the arrow from his left arm. The arrow, with its inverted triangle shape, tore out a chunk of meat from the arm. Housekeeper Lee didn''t even flinch, as if he couldn''t feel any pain. He took the arrow and threw it at Lin Fan. Whoosh! The arrow came at Lin Fan with incredible speed. What inhuman strength. Lin Fan, with his level 3 physique, could clearly see the arrowing; from a tiny dot, it slowly became the familiar tip of the arrow. nk. Lin Fan swiped away the arrow with his axe. By this time, Housekeeper Lee was now two steps away from Lin Fan. Housekeeper Lee punched at Lin Fan''s face. To Lin Fan''s surprise, Housekeeper Lee''s fist had a ck aura or dark force around it. Unsure of what the dark force could do, Lin Fan delivered a front kick with his Magnificent Leap, but it only made Housekeeper Lee take a few steps back. Housekeeper Lee steadied himself and came at Lin Fan with a side punch to Lin Fan''s waist. Lin Fan blocked with his arm. Thud! Even with Lin Fan''s level three physique, Lin Fan stepped to the side to absorb the force of the impact. Lin Fan felt the dark force prating through his skin and flesh, all the way into his bones. It sent chills wherever the dark force burrowed in his arm. Housekeeper Lee had used some form of technique. But where had he learned to do so, and how, in such a short period of time? Lin Fan didn''t have the luxury to think further. In the next moment, Housekeeper Lee punched at his face again. Lin Fan drew his axe and hacked it at Housekeeper Lee''s fist. The axe didn''t do any damage and its handle broke. The top part of the axe flew away into the distance. Lin Fan quickly used the Iron w ability and with his fingers grabbed Housekeeper Lee''s fist. The Iron w ability protected his hand from the prating dark force. Both of them got into a standoff with Lin Fan''s hand clutching onto Housekeeper Lee''s fist. Housekeeper Lee tried to push Lin Fan, but Lin Fan was too strong for him. He growled and tried again. Lin Fan pushed back. Housekeeper Lee moved backward, even though his feet didn''t.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan''s sheer force made Housekeeper Lee shift, leaving two trails from his feet in the dust path. To break this quagmire, Lin Fan squeezed his hand, trying to use his Iron w to get through the dark force. His fingers tussled with the dark force. At first, the dark force was able to withstand the Iron w ability. But slowly, the dark force turned thinner. Lin Fan''s fingers then managed to break through. His fingers went through the flesh and bones of the fists. Blood mixed with pus dripped onto the ground. "Grr..." Housekeeper Lee growled and pulled his arms back. It caused his hands to tear off at his wrist. Housekeeper Lee, now free from Lin Fan''s grip, lunged at Lin Fan trying to bite him. Immediately, Lin Fan threw the mangled fist from his hand, reaching for his belt. Click. Lin Fan pressed the contraption at the belt buckle, which disengaged, and Lin Fan pulled out the belt sword. The belt sword straightened, and Lin Fan swiped it at Housekeeper Lee''s neck. Blood seeped out and a straight red line appeared at Housekeeper Lee''s throat. Housekeeper Lee stopped motionless. His head slowly slid down and dropped to the ground. Blood spurted out of the exposed neck, and the body also copsed after a few moments. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 50.] [Current Vengeance Points: 50] Lin Fan slowly slumped down onto the ground. This was one of the hardest battles he had since getting the system. Something must have happened for Housekeeper Lee to be so powerful in such a short time. Had Housekeeper Lee be a cultivator? Are cultivators as powerful as Housekeeper Lee, Lin Fan thought. The only thing he was sure of was that those behind Housekeeper Lee were now desperate. He had better report to the vige head about what happened. But before that, time to salvage and reuse. He came up next to Housekeeper Lee''s body. The body had such a stench that Lin Fan nearly puked. Pus, blood, and saliva. All the myriad smells mixing together formed a nasty, putrid smell. Lin Fan used his fingers to cover his nostrils and rummaged through the body. He found a few strings of copper coins, a few pieces of silver bits, and the familiar wooden b with the lotus carving. Other than that, nothing else. No clues as to how he got so powerful. Tolerating the stench, Lin Fan carried the body over to the woods. He made sure the beasts dragged Housekeeper Lee''s body away before making his way back to the vige. Back in the vige, Lin Fan headed straight over to the vige head''s house. When he entered, Ho Fu was having dinner and Ho Ming was in a lotus position, meditating. Or at least, pretending to be. Ho Ming opened one of his eyes and peeped at Lin Fan when he saw Lin Fan enter. He quickly stood up and greeted Lin Fan. "Lin Fan, are you here for dinner?" Ho Ming walked to the side of Lin Fan, patted him on his back and said. "Who said you could stop?" Ho Fu stood up and tried to use his pipe to whack Ho Ming. Ho Ming looked at Lin Fan with a pleading expression. Seeing Ho Ming''s plight, Lin Fan blocked the vige head''s pipe and said, "Vige head, I have something important to report." Ho Fu stopped and asked, "What''s it about?" At the same time, Ho Ming silently walked away, sped his hands together as a gesture of appreciation to Lin Fan. He then tiptoed away and scurried into his bedroom. Out of the corner of his eye, Ho Fu noticed Ho Ming trying to get away. He turned and yelled at him, ''Hmph! Useless fool. All this training is for your own good. Lin Fan didn''t let Ho Fu drone on; he quickly said, "Housekeeper Lee attacked me on my way back." "Are you hurt? Where''s Housekeeper Lee now?" Ho Fu asked and took a puff from his pipe. "He fled away. But during our fight, he dropped this," Lin Fan handed the wooden b over to the vige head. "Hmm. This is bad. Let the Constable investigate tomorrow when theye." Chapter 23 The Tax Man Next day. Lin Fan woke up and went over to Uncle Liu''s ce to check on how he was doing. Uncle Liu''s family was having breakfast when he entered. Sitting at the table, with his head barely higher than the table, Liu Han was blowing at the steam rising from the bowl of porridge in front of him. The porridge was too hot for him. "You''ve been blowing at the porridge all morning. Just eat it." Mei Fong, with her hands on her hips, yelled at Liu Han. This kid hadn''t had a mouthful of porridge for the past hour. She knew the porridge didn''t have any taste, but that''s all they could afford. Salt and seasoning were luxuries formoners like them. When she saw Lin Fan enter, she said, "Lin Fan,e join us for dinner. Let me get you a bowl of porridge." Then, she turned into the kitchen. "Come join us. The buns will be ready soon," Uncle Liu also invited Lin Fan to join in. "Well, if you insist," Lin Fan took a seat and asked, "Uncle Liu, how''s your leg? Feeling any better?" Uncle Liu lifted his leg and showed Lin Fan the bandages around his shin, and the empowering smell of herbal medicine slowly filled the air. "See, the swelling is gone. A few more days and I can start hunting again," Uncle Liu said. "I think it''s best for you to rest first. The woods are getting more dangerous." Lin Fan recounted his encounter with the fire deer but didn''t let Uncle Liu know that he had killed it. Mei Fong overheard what Lin Fan said as she was putting a bowl of porridge in front of Lin Fan. "You heard what Lin Fan said, you''d better stay put and wait for next spring. What will happen to Liu Han and me if anything happens to you?" Uncle Liu wanted to speak but kept quiet. He had seen what Lin Fan went through after his father died. Even Lin Fan''s rtives like Lin Ke didn''t even lift a finger to help him. He didn''t want the same fate to befall Mei Fong and Liu Han. "Uncle Liu, don''t worry. I will try to hunt for some rabbits these few days; the open field should be safe." Lin Fan assured Uncle Liu and started to slurp a mouthful of the porridge. "Liu Han, start eating. Lin Fan is already eating, so don''t give me the excuse of the porridge being too hot," Mei Fong twisted Liu Han''s ears, and Liu Han had no choice but to sulk and eat his porridge. Gong! Gong! Gong! "What''s that noise?" Lin Fan put down his spoon and asked. Uncle Liu sighed, shook his head, and nced at Mei Fong, "Mei Fong, take out the money. It''s time to pay the autumn harvest tax." "Lin Fan, you go and get your money ready for the taxes too." ¡­ When Lin Fan and Uncle Liu''s family arrived at the vige head''s house, the vigers had gathered outside, standing in a queue. Outside of the vige head''s house, there were two tax officers in Quan Dynasty imperial uniforms in their ck official gowns sitting on a bench, with a table in front of them. On the table was the vige''s registry. Every household and the family members in the household were listed in the registry. They would have to pay the tax ording to the headcount in the household. Lin Fan''s household of one would need to pay a hundred KG of rice grain or the equivalent of one tael of silver. Most of the vigers would be paying in rice grain as they were mostly farmers. Families like Master Tan''s with rtives in one of the sects didn''t have to pay the autumn harvest tax. Which was why Ho Fu was willing to spend so much to try and get Ho Ming into the Qing Feng sect. Standing beside the two tax officers were soldiers in their armor and sabers, ready to arrest those unable to pay the tax for hardbor. Lin Fan and Uncle Liu joined the queue and waited for their turn. The other vigers were all solemn-looking. No longer in their usual chatty and gossiping mood. "You are short of ten KG of rice! Take him and chain him up!" The tax officer shouted at the viger in front of the queue. Soldiers took one step forward. When the viger saw the soldiers moving, his legs trembled. He knelt and said, "My Lord, I''ve double-checked just beforeing here. There must be a misunderstanding somewhere." "What misunderstanding? Either youe up with ten KG of rice or pay ten copper coins for the shortfall." The viger knew what was going on when he heard thetter part of what the tax officer said. There was no misunderstanding; they just wanted to extort money. "Yes, I will pay for it," the viger had no choice but to take out whatever he had in his sleeves and hand it over to the soldier who was now in front of him. The other vigers quickly checked if they had extra money with them. Those who didn''t quickly ran back home to try and salvage whatever valuables they had. "Next." "My Lord, I¡­"@@novelbin@@ "Don''t waste my time. Just pay the tax." This time, the viger in line couldn''t pay for the tax. "My rice field got destroyed by the vagrants who came earlier; all my harvest was gone. Please, I beg you," the viger knelt and kowtowed with his head banging hard on the ground. It was of no use; the tax officer just motioned for the soldiers to get to work. The soldiers grabbed the viger, and when he struggled, gave him a kick that made him fall to the ground. "Help me. Please, someone, anyone help me." The viger looked at the others in the queue and pleaded for help as he was dragged away by the soldiers. Everyone looked away, avoiding eye contact with him. "Uncle Liu, do you have enough for the tax?" Chapter 24 The Letter Lin Fan was indifferent to the other vigers'' plight. He cared only about Uncle Liu. "I should have enough," Uncle Liu replied. "Thank God for Lin Fan''s help with the sensei fee," Mei Fong had her hands sped to her chest. It was too much for her. Had Lin Fan not helped out earlier with the medical fees, it would have been Uncle Liu who was dragged away. She would have had to beg and steal to try and survive with Liu Han. "Next!" Finally, it was Uncle Liu''s turn. The tax officials, when they saw Uncle Liu''s muscr body, hesitated for a moment. They looked at each other, nodded, and demanded the correct amount for the tax. To survive long enough, they had learned to pick their victims. Uncle Liu wasn''t one of them. A hunter with fit physique, not someone you want to mess with, especially if they feel they have nothing to lose. Mei Fong was all smiles as she weed Uncle Liu back. "Next." Finally, it was Lin Fan''s turn. When Lin Fan walked up to the tax officials, they checked him out. Even though Lin Fan wasn''t as tall as Uncle Liu, he was surprisingly just as fit as him. The only difference was that Lin Fan was just a teenager. "Lin Ye household, headcount of two. That will be two taels of silver." The tax official on the right tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for Lin Fan to pay up. Tap. Tap. A few moments passed. Before Lin Fan could protest, the other tax official quickly said, "Guess there was a mistake. Your father''s passing wasn''t reflected in the registry on time." "What are you¡ª" "You fool. Look at his chest!" The tax official who had demanded more money then looked at Lin Fan''s chest. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw the pendant on Lin Fan''s chest. Especially when he saw the word carving of ''Qing Feng Sect''. "Yes... yes, I''ve made a mistake," the tax official with his trembling hands updated the registry. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead even in the chill ofte autumn. He shuddered to think what would happen to him if he had offended the Qing Feng sect. Being a lowly tax official wouldn''t be enough to save his skin. From his experience, the emperor would always pick the side of the sects. With the constant pressure of demonic beasts and all the evil sects trying to invade the Quan territory, the emperor needs the sects to work with him. How could I be so careless? the tax official thought as he rubbed his neck to check whether his head and neck were still intact. "Hope you aren''t offended. You''ll only need to pay one tael of silver," the other tax official said, smiling at Lin Fan. Seeing the change in attitude from the tax officials, the vigers waiting in line were perturbed. Why did these two officials change their tune? Lin Fan was bing an enigma to them. What other secrets did he hold? They could only look at each other, trying to figure it out. They didn''t even dare make a sound, fearing they might anger the tax officials. "Here is my one tael of silver," Lin Fan didn''t know what had transpired, but he was not one toin. "Lin Fan!" Just as Lin Fan wanted to turn away, Ho Fu''s voice boomed. With his pipe in his hand, Ho Fu emerged from his house with a man beside him. Constable Cai from Feng Shou town. "Come over and tell Constable Cai what happened with Housekeeper Lee."@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan walked over, sped his hands together, and bowed to Constable Cai. "He also found this on Housekeeper Lee," Ho Fu handed the wooden b to Constable Cai. Constable Cai frowned as he looked at the wooden b. "This wooden b is for the disciples of the Dark Lotus Sect." "They indulge in dark and evil cultivation methods." "His majesty had ouwed them long ago." "Hurry, bring me to where this Housekeeper Lee stayed." "Tell me what happened on the way." His expression turned serious when he saw the wooden b. Any mistakes in this case and his head would roll. Ho Fu, Lin Fan, and Constable Cai hurriedly went on their way to the Tan Mansion. ... Tan Mansion, main hall. The servants poured tea for Lin Fan and the rest. After they were done, they bowed and hurriedly left. Lin Fan took note of their behavior; it was as if they were afraid to be in this hall. Inside the hall, in front of them was the huge screen. Master Tan''s voice emerged from behind the screen, "I''m so sorry, Constable Cai. I caught a cold and can''t see you face to face." "I understand, Master Tan," Constable Cai took a sip of the tea and said, "May I check the room where Housekeeper Lee stayed? I suspect he was in cahoots with the Dark Lotus sect, a crime punishable by death." "Go ahead," Master Tan coughed and said. Then he pped, "Xiao Fang, show them the way. Please excuse me, as I''m tired." Constable Cai nodded. With his hand on his chin, Lin Fan was perturbed. He didn''t expect it to be so smooth. What was Master Tan up to? Was Master Tan innocent? Lin Fan continued to think about all the different scenarios. He needed to be prepared for any possibilities. "Pleasee with me," Xiao Fang''s voice stopped him in his deep thoughts. When they got to Housekeeper Lee''s room, Constable Cai started searching. The room was well decorated, with furniture made of yellow rosewood, vases and porcin from famous kilns. Constable Cai didn''t care; he rummaged through without any regard. He left no corner unturned, and finally he found a letter under Housekeeper Lee''s bed. "Is this Housekeeper Lee''s handwriting?" Constable Cai showed the letter to Xiao Fang. She looked at it and nodded. Constable Cai proceeded to read the content of the letter. "Hmph! These bastards!" after he was done reading, he burst out in anger. Chapter 25 Blood Pool Ho Fu was concerned and asked, "Constable Cai, so is he guilty?" "As a disciple of Dark Lotus Sect, he wanted to drive the vigers away to create chaos, so that the Dark Lotus sect could attack Feng Shou Town when the magistrate is distracted." "So, what do we do next?" Ho Fu was shocked at what he heard. He looked at Lin Fan and was even more grateful Lin Fan had stopped Housekeeper Lee. When chaos ensued, no one knew what could have happened. "I will get back to Feng Shou Town, get him on the wanted list and start to interrogate Housekeeper Lee''s contacts." Ho Fu nodded and took a puff of his pipe, happy to see the case investigation going so smoothly. However, Lin Fan felt something amiss. Everything went too smoothly, he thought to himself. It was as if someone wanted this to happen. There was no obstruction in having ess to Housekeeper Lee''s room. Out of all ces, the letter was left in such a prominent ce. Why would anyone dealing with an evil sect be so careless? And Xiao Fang coincidentally knew how to read and identify Housekeeper Lee''s writing. Lin Fan would bet hisst piece of silver that this was all staged by someone. That someone was most likely to be Master Tan. Keeping quiet, Lin Fan didn''t want to voice his concern. He had his own n. "Come, let''s make a move. Time is of the essence." With the letter in his hand, Constable Cai was satisfied and couldn''t wait to leave. They went back to the main hall, tried to bid farewell to Master Tan, but he was already asleep ording to the servants. So, they left the Tan mansion shortly after. Along the way, Lin Fan turned to Ho Fu and said, "Vige head, I paid my taxes so I will go back home first. Last few days left to hunt." Puff. While smoking his pipe, Ho Fu nodded. "You be careful, don''t go into the woods; the clearing team will be here soon," Ho Fu said. "Don''t worry, vige head. I will," Lin Fan said and went on his way. The vige head didn''t think much of it and went back together with Constable Cai. Rustle. A gust of cold autumn wind blew, sending golden leaves falling from the trees. Ho Fu shivered from the chill and looked up at the sight of falling leaves. This autumn was turning out to be a tough one to get by. ... Lin Fan walked at a normal pace initially; when he was out of sight from Ho Fu and Constable Cai, he stopped his pretense and ran back toward the Tan Mansion. Houses by the side, slowly going past him, started to be a blur, streaking by as he started to increase his strides and gained speed. He chose to stop a hundred meters away from the Tan Mansion. Looking around, he found a great spot to hide: tall grass growing by the side of the dirt path. With no one around, Lin Fan quickly took cover inside the grass patch. Lin Fan activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability. Noises from the surrounding environment came into his ears. The insects and birds. Chatters of house guards discussing what had happened. Servants sighing with relief as they left the main hall. Then the voice of Master Tan. And a voice Lin Fan had never heard before. "Has it been settled?" the Dark Envoy asked. "Yes, I''ve done as you instructed." "The Constable is on his way; he didn''t suspect a thing." "We should be able to execute our ns when they leave after getting nothing out of the investigations." "These Quan Dynasty officials aren''t really known to be hardworking," Master Tan replied. "Hurry, we don''t have time left after being forced to expose our presence." "Dear Dark Envoy, I will make sure it gets done," Master Tan replied. After that, Lin Fan could hear footsteps; the Dark Envoy was leaving. Lin Fan thought for a while, rubbed his temple with his fingers. Finally, he decided to follow this Dark Envoy. What was this n they wanted to execute? He needed to find out and be prepared for it. Right now, there were close ones like Uncle Liu and Ho Fu he didn''t want harmed in any way. So, he''d better follow this Dark Envoy. With his Hunter Instinct ability, he could see the footsteps illuminated in his vision,ing out from the Tan Mansion''s back door. Carefully keeping his distance, Lin Fan followed the Dark Envoy. The tracks slowly led to the river. From afar, Lin Fan could see the Dark Envoy in his dark robes and ck mask, stopped by the riverside. A few moments passed and a small boat appeared from the river upstream, inching slowly toward the Dark Envoy.@@novelbin@@ On the boat was an old man with a straw hat covering his face, rowing his oar to bring the boat to the riverside. Seeing that they were about to talk, Lin Fan quickly activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability. "Hall Master isn''t happy with the dy," the old man said. "The officials are on my tail; I need to shake them off first. "When it''s time, the vigers will be ughtered in time for the blood pool. "No one has yet to suspect a thing about the blood pool in the woods." The Dark Envoy replied. Being pleased with the answer, the old man nodded and threw a bottle at the Dark Envoy. "Here''s thest bottle of Nine Turn Qi Concentration pills." With that, their conversation ended; the old man rowed the boat and slowly disappeared down the river. The Dark Envoy subsequently turned back. Lin Fan quickly used his Magnificent Leap ability to get as far away as possible. Without any knowledge of how powerful this Dark Envoy was, he''d better stay clear. Better to let the professionals handle it, he thought to himself. Now the important thing was to find out where this blood pool was. Lin Fan wasted no time and went straight over to the vige head''s house. Chapter 26 Crimson Woods Lin Fan didn''t like any of this. The feeling of being a pawn on someone else''s chessboard. Imperial officials, Beasts, Master Tan and Dark Envoys... Damn all of you. There was only one way for Lin Fan to get above all of this. Get into the Qing Feng sect, learn to cultivate and be a Martial Arts Fighter. With this determined thought, Lin Fan ran and got back to the vige head''s house. By this time, the tax collections outside were already over; the vigers queuing up with their anxious looks were nowhere to be seen. Inside the house were Ho Fu, the tax officers, and two men seated in the living room. Lin Fan recognized the two men. They were with Zhao Rui when he first saw them. "Please, let me substitute this tea and have a toast with you," the tax officials offered to toast with the two men from Qing Feng sect. Their attitude toward them was so demure, a far cry from their holier-than-thou attitude when dealing with the vigers. The men from Qing Feng sect smiled awkwardly, took a sip from their teacups, and didn''t engage any further with the tax officials. "I..." Being experienced officials, the one who proposed the toast knew better than to keep his mouth shut. "Lin Fan,e in. I was about to find you." Ho Fu waved his hand and motioned for Lin Fan toe join them. "This is who I was talking about, one of the hunters in the vige. The other experienced hunter is still recovering from an injury, so this young man, Lin Fan, will be your guide in the woods." The two men from Qing Feng sect turned and had a good look at Lin Fan. One of them saw the pendant, was pleasantly surprised and said, "Pleased to meet you. "I am Bai Qiao, and this is my younger brother Bai Ti. "You must be the hunter who sold the fire deer to our senior martial sister. "With the fire deer, she was able to have her Breakthrough Elixir, and now she is in her breakthrough process from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation. "She will join us when she sessfullyes out of her breakthrough process." The tax officials, seeing how Bai Qiao talked with Lin Fan, took a sip of their tea, and it somehow tasted bitter. Bai Qiao had a clean look and face with gentle features like a schr. On the other hand, Bai Ti, with his stout figure, looked much more like a butcher, especially with his bushy eyebrows. His personality was also what you''d expect. "Enough of the chat and stop wasting time on this young boy. Let''s just go to the woods, do what we have to, and call it a day," Bai Ti said impatiently. Bai Qiao wasn''t pleased and said, "Bai Ti, don''t be rude." "It''s all right. Let me grab my stuff from home and we can set off to the woods," Lin Fan said. "Then, we shall wait for you here." Lin Fan sped his hands and bowed to Bai Qiao, turned to grab his stuff at home. "Breakthrough process...Foundation Establishment...Core Formation..." On his way back, Lin Fan silently repeated all these new terms he had just encountered. ... Inside the woods, it was not how Lin Fan remembered it to be. No sunlight could get through. The leaves of the trees should have turned yellow and withered onto the ground by now. What he saw in front of him wasn''t the case. A sea of red when he looked up. Dark crimson red to be precise, reminding Lin Fan of blood that had dried out, leaving a smudge of death up in the sky. Red-colored mist also filled the air. A very strong smell of decay and rot forcefully entered his nose, causing him to gag. The three of them used their hands to try to fan away the smell. It didn''t do much. The stench was everywhere. Was this change due to the blood pool mentioned by the Dark Envoy? "Was it always like this, or is this something new even for a local like you?" Bai Qiao asked. "No, it''s never been like this. Maybe the Dark Lotus Sect has something to do with it, trying out evil cultivation or something." Lin Fan couldn''t tell them about the blood pool directly and could only try to give out hints. Bai Qiao frowned; he didn''t expect to be facing something unfamiliar like this.@@novelbin@@ Even Bai Ti was now on full alert, holding his sword tight in his hands. "I''ve heard about an evil cultivation method called the blood pool. "Blood from human sacrifices will be drained into this pool. "Demonic beasts will then be put inside the pool to kill each other. "Thest survivor of the demonic beasts will be harvested for its core, meat, and blood. "The Dark Lotus sect must be desperate to try and do this. "It is easily discovered due to the sheer number of human sacrifices needed. "And yet, here we are..." Bai Qiao exined what the blood pool was all about. Scanning around for dangers, he had made his decision: withdraw and call for backup. This was something out of his hands. The mission that Qing Feng sect had received was just to clear beasts roaming near the edge of the woods. They didn''t expect to deal with Dark Lotus sect and blood pool. "Let''s get back to the vige first. We need backup," Bai Qiao said as he started to take steps back. Bai Ti nodded; he was hotheaded but not dumb. "Shh..." However, Lin Fan didn''t move; he pointed to the front then took out his bow and armed it with an arrow. Inside his head, a familiar sound had erupted. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate demonic beast with malevolent intent for 50 vengeance points.] Lin Fan looked at the 50 vengeance points. The highest out of all the enemies he had to deal with. Suddenly, a huge roar erupted, and the birds flew away from the crimson red canopy. Chapter 27 Boulder Bear Tan Mansion. Inside a dark room, the luxuriously decorated interior now seemed to have lost its luster. The windows, closed and boarded up, blocked out all the light and with it any hints of life. Master Tan sat at the table in the middle of the room. Sounds of bones cracking could be heard as Master Tan munched on his meal. Blood dripped down his chin, making a muted sound as it hit the silk tablecloth. The chewing stopped when Master Tan''s face had a red glow on it.@@novelbin@@ A red-colored stone in the middle of the table had started to glow, radiating throughout the room with its dark crimson. Master Tan''s face turned to anger. Someone had disturbed the blood pool in the woods. How dare anyone disrupt his n! With anger, Master Tan put down the chunk of meat in his hand, picked up the glowing red stone, and stood up. Thud! The doors to the room burst open as Master Tan left like a gust of wind. Light finally shone into the room, revealing Xiao Fang''s head with her expression of agony on the table. ... In the woods. "Huhu¡­" The beast''s powerful roar sent soundwaves reverberating through Lin Fan''s chest, causing him to draw short breaths. His adrenaline had instantly kicked in. This is not the time to panic, Lin Fan told himself silently. He took a deep breath, held it in, and aimed at the beast appearing out of the woods. A huge shadow slowly cast upon Lin Fan. Before him was a bear with a bloodshot eye on the left and the right eye gone. The bear had rocks on parts of its head, neck, and back instead of fur. Its right paw was also gone, and tissues on its shoulders seemed to indicate that the paw had been torn from its body. Blood trickled down the open wound where the front paw should have been. This was a demonic beast, the Boulder Bear. With the injury and pain, it was in a rage; anything that stood in front of it deserved to die. Whoosh! Lin Fan aimed at its remaining eye and shot at it. ck. The arrow was swatted away like a fly by the Boulder Bear''s front paw. Roar! This angered the Boulder Bear, and it charged at Lin Fan. Before Lin Fan could arm another arrow, Bai Qiao, standing a meter away from Lin Fan, raised his hand and pushed his palm toward Lin Fan. Lin Fan could feel a strong gust of wind blow at him, and within the wind, he felt a powerful force. The force was strong enough to send Lin Fan flying ten meters away. Qi! Bai Qiao must have used some technique to put Lin Fan out of harm''s way. He had to take a few steps to walk off the remaining force after hended. When he was safe, he raised his head and looked up at Bai Qiao, thinking to himself that he must join the Qing Feng sect. "Run and keep yourself safe!" Bai Qiao shouted as he dodged the Boulder Bear''s pawing down at him. His brother, Bai Ti, lunged in with a flying kick at the Boulder Bear''s back. Thud! The kicknded on the back of the Boulder Bear. It did nothing as the Boulder Bear stood still, as if Bai Ti had hit a mountain. Bai Ti somersaulted as he was repelled by the Boulder Bear. "Go away and don''t be a nuisance to us," Bai Ti gave Lin Fan a side eye as he joined in the battle again. The Boulder Bear now had its attention on Bai Qiao. Strangely, the Boulder Bear turned its back to face Bai Qiao. Bai Qiao quickly used his sword and thrust at the Boulder Bear even though he was five meters away from it. A gust of wind twirling like a tornado came out of the sword''s tip and shot at the Boulder Bear''s back. Leaves on the ground were sucked up, partaking in the strike at the Boulder Bear. Roar! The Boulder Bear roared out when the thrust hit the rock on its back. A few cracks appeared on the rock; the twirling wind strike didn''t manage to do much. Then the Boulder Bear struck back. Fragments of the rock on its back tore off and shot at Bai Qiao. "Brother, let me help you!" Bai Ti, standing by the side of them with his sword, shed out in the shape of an X. Crack. Crack. The rock fragments got sliced into small pellets and dropped onto the ground. Thud. Tree trunks finally caught the force of the sh, pieces of the trunks flew off, leaving the mark of an X in its wake. So far, it was an even match between the Bai brothers and the Boulder Bear. Lin Fan, looking from afar, marveled at the techniques the Bai brothers were using, but at the same time tried to figure out a way to finish the Boulder Bear. Right now, it was tough as a rock and packed all the power to destroy and maim in one package. Perfectbination of attack and defense all in one. What''s the weakness of such a perfect demonic beast? Weakness¡­ Yes, weakness! Inspiration hit and Lin Fan quickly shouted, "Attack the beast''s wounds! Attack from where the beast lost its eye!" When the Bai brothers heard Lin Fan, they wanted to p their foreheads. How could they not realize this sooner? This Lin Fan is not a simple young man. The Bai brothers wasted no time and immediately acted upon Lin Fan''s advice. Both of them jumped to the beast''s right where the eye was gone. Bai Qiao thrust at the Boulder Bear''s open wound on its shoulder. Not to be outdone, Bai Ti shed with his X strike at the Boulder Bear''s head. Roar! Pain coursed through the Boulder Bear''s body as its open wound got drilled into by the twirling wind strike. Flesh and blood sttered all over. The wind sh left a mark of an X on the Boulder Bear''s head, and bits of its skull could be seen. In a frenzy, the Boulder Bear wielded its paw aimlessly, but it was enough to force the Bai brothers to dodge. The next moment, it made use of this chance toe at Lin Fan. Chapter 28 Hunter The Boulder Bear had identified Lin Fan as the weakest among the three of them. "Run!" Bai Qiao''s voice echoed in the woods as he desperately tried to get Lin Fan out of harm''s way. His brother Bai Ti, a man of action, threw his sword at the Boulder Bear. Thud. He missed, and the sword thrust into a tree trunk, leaving it wobbling left and right as the sword handle swayed. By this time, it was toote to do anything; the Boulder Bear was right in front of Lin Fan with its paw raised and its ws extended, ready to swipe down at Lin Fan''s face. Bai Qiao had already started to feel guilt rising from his gut. His heart sank as if a ton of weight was put on it. First mission for Qing Feng sect and he was screwing it up. Lin Fan''s young life with so many good years ahead of him would be stopped today, all because of his ipetence. How would he face Lin Fan''s close ones? Bai Qiao couldn''t bear it and turned away as he saw the Boulder Bear''s pawing down at Lin Fan. His brother Bai Ti didn''t give up, leaping at the Boulder Bear. With his head turned away, Bai Qiao heard a loud roar, followed by sounds of skull cracking and flesh sttering all over. Plop. Plop. Plop. Next thing he heard was the sound of blood dripping onto the ground. Every sound it made was like Lin Fan prodding his finger at him, asking him, why did you let me die? It got to him, so he gritted his teeth, turned, and looked. The scene in Bai Qiao''s imagination of the Boulder Bear towering over Lin Fan, looking at his bloodied body, didn''t happen. Instead, the Boulder Bear had an arrow stuck in its head, stabbed through the eye socket of the missing eye. Blood was dripping down from the Boulder Bear''s head. "Huhuhu¡­" Lin Fan was lying on the ground panting, exhausted as his energy was all gone from using his Leader of the Pack ability. The Boulder Bear, being a much more powerful demonic beast than the Fire Deer, had used up all his energy with only a few seconds of control. As hey down, he tried to steady his breathing, daring not to take deep breaths as the stench still permeating in the air would make him gag and puke. A familiar sound then erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 50.]@@novelbin@@ [Current Vengeance Points: 100] [Host''s level is currently too low to gain Demonic Beast''s abilities.] [Minimum Level Required: 5] 100 points, 300 points short for the next level, Lin Fan mentally calcted how many more vengeance points he needed for the next level. Still a long way to go. "Thank God. You''re alive. What happened?" Bai Qiao walked over, put his hands on Lin Fan''s shoulders, and checked the status of Lin Fan. Bai Ti retrieved his sword from the tree trunk, came over, and gave a kick at the Boulder Bear''s body; the body slowly toppled down like a falling tree. Leaves on the ground flew up and slowly came back down. Bai Ti couldn''t hold his disgust, spat, and cursed at the Boulder Bear''s body, "Good riddance." "I think i just got lucky. When I saw the Boulder Bear swiping at me, I nked out, and the next thing I knew was that I''d struck an arrow through the head of the Boulder Bear." With his hand scratching his head, Lin Fan pretended that it was a stroke of luck that he was able to kill the Boulder Bear. Although Bai Qiao seemed like an upright person, Lin Fan wasn''t going to disclose his secrets with anyone. Bai Qiao rubbed his chin with his hand and thought about what Lin Fan had said. After a few moments, he nodded to himself and said, "There are cases where non-cultivators were able to make use of the Qi surrounding them when they were in dire situations. "It''s rare, and these people''s abilities and physiques are suited to be cultivators. "The dire situation somehow triggered their potential. "If you are willing, why don''t youe join the Qing Feng Sect? "I think you can get through the test for innate talent and abilities easily. "I will write a rmendation letter when we get back to the vige." Lin Fan opened his eyes wide at what Bai Qiao offered to do for him. "I''ll be d to; I was nning on going during next spring." Bai Ti patted Lin Fan''s back, giving him an approving look. This young man didn''t run for his life, stayed, and was able to deal a crucial blow to the demonic beast. He was someone worthy of his respect. Cough. Lin Fan coughed from the ''strikes'' dealt to his back by Bai Ti. Suddenly, the palm striking his back turned into a w clutching his cloth. Lin Fan nearly fell from the sudden tug. Turning around, he saw Bai Ti''s leg had a ck-colored tentacle grabbing onto it. The tussle with the tentacle made Bai Ti seem to float in the air. "Argh!" Bai Qiao shed his sword at the tentacle, but it only went through, as if the tentacle was not a physical thing. Whip! Another tentacle then came out from under the leaves and whipped at Bai Ti''s hands; the pain made Bai Ti release his hands from Lin Fan''s cloth. The next moment, the tentacle grabbing onto Bai Ti''s leg snapped back, dragging him into the woods. "Bai Ti!" Seeing this, Bai Qiao shouted and gave chase. Lin Fan followed suit. Bai Ti was dragged left and right, winding through the tree trunks in the woods. They chased at their top speed; Lin Fan could feel all the sticks and branchesing at him, but it was not enough. Bai Ti was soon out of sight. Bai Qiao stopped to check where Bai Ti had been dragged away to. There was no sight of him. "Damn!" Bai Qiao shed aimlessly in front of him. It was the first time Lin Fan saw him lose hisposure. Lin Fan tried to calm him down and said, "Let me track him down. We hunters have our ways." ------------------------------------- Starting tomorrow the 1200HRS (SGT TIME) release will be at 2350HRS and 2355HRS for the next. The afternoon release is giving me too much stress to finish on time. Thank you for your kind understanding. Please give review,ment and powerstone if you like this book, it lets me continuing writing it. Chapter 29 Showdown at the Pool With the Hunter Instinct ability activated, a trail illuminated in Lin Fan''s vision. Lin Fan waved at Bai Qiao and said, "Come, follow me." In his state of anxiety, worrying about the fate of his brother Bai Ti, Bai Qiao followed suit. To his astonishment, Lin Fan''s pace was unusually fast, much faster than an average hunter. At first, they could only see a line etched in the soil, most likely made by Bai Ti''s sword while trying to slow it down. After a hundred meters, they could see leaves slowly floating down, as if something that unsettled them had just left. They were getting closer and closer. Rustle. A few secondster, the sounds of leaves rustling ten meters in front of Lin Fan and Bai Qiao could be heard. Finally, they could see Bai Ti right ahead. From where they were standing, the trees had be sparse, leading up to an open area that was about a hundred meters wide. In the borders of the area, eight stilts were erected in the corners like a Bagua, red-colored ropes coiled around the stilts and connected them together. Attached all over on the ropes were ck-colored talismans with scriptures written in blood on them. Right in the middle of it was a pool, ten meters wide, filled with blood. Bits of carcasses, body parts from dead beasts, randomly popped up and floated in the blood pool. Strewn around the pool were bodies of vagrants and wanderers. All of them looked pale white and their skin wrinkled, with their blood gone from their bodies. Standing between the pool and Lin Fan was a man with dark tentaclesing out of his body. "How dare you trespass! Now, let your blood be a sacrifice to the blood pool." The man shouted and his voice echoed loudly in the air. Lin Fan recognized this voice from before. Master Tan! But somehow, his looks had changed, totally different from what Lin Fan could gather from his memories. From a plump old man with an abdomen as big as a ball, he was now muscr and fit, contours of his six-pack abs showing through his thin silk robe. His gray hair had turned ck, the wrinkles from his forehead and face were gone. Now, he looked just like a thirty-year-old man. Four dark tentaclesing out of his body, dipping into the blood pool and smudging dark crimson bloodied marks on his body, gave him an aura of death. However, Lin Fan didn''t have much time to figure out what was behind Master Tan''s transformation. Bai Ti, with one of his legs being held by Master Tan''s tentacles, was lifted, with his chest facing toward Master Tan. Master Tan raised his hand, shaping it as a w, ready to strike at Bai Ti''s chest. Lin Fan jumped to Master Tan''s left, trying to get a better angle to shoot at him. He immediately armed his bow and aimed at Master Tan. Sensing his aim, Master Tan turned and stared at him. A familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 100 vengeance points.] Lin Fan was shocked at the vengeance points, two times higher than the Boulder Bear. However, it was toote now for Lin Fan to back out. Whoosh! Lin Fan let go of the bowstring, the arrow flew at Master Tan''s head. A tentacle immediately shot at the arrow, deflecting it away. The tentacle continued its trajectory, and the next moment it was already in front of Lin Fan''s face, striking at his forehead. Swoosh! With his Magnificent Leap, Lin Fan jumped further to the left by fifty meters. "You, Lin Fan! I remember you now. Disrupting my n for so many times! You shall die here today." Master Tan, recalling what Lin Fan did earlier, started to get agitated and focused his anger at Lin Fan. The rest of his three tentacles all shot toward Lin Fan. Bai Ti, hanging upside down, with his face now red due to the blood flowing to his head, threw his sword at Master Tan. Master Tan flicked it away and got frustrated with Bai Ti. He gave Bai Ti a palm strike and using his tentacle threw Bai Ti aside. Bai Ti tumbled across to Master Tan''s right side, like a stone skipping on water, and finally stopped. Dust filled the air along the trail Bai Ti left. "Damn you!" Bai Qiao lunged at Master Tan and thrust his sword at him with his twirling wind strike. Tentaclesing for Lin Fan snapped back and covered Master Tan''s body. Dust formed like a tornado sucked in by the twirling wind strike, but it was not enough to prate the tentacles covering Master Tan. It all died down after a few moments and the tentacles came at Bai Qiao one after another. Bai Qiao leaped and the first one missed. But the next tentacle was already waiting. It shot through Bai Qiao''s right arm. "Argh!" Bai Qiao cried out in pain and dropped his sword. The other two tentacles aiming at Bai Qiao''s head shot at his head. Suddenly, the tentacles stopped. Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap and carried Bai Qiao away. In the next moment, the tentacles moved again and missed. One second was all Lin Fan could control with his Leader of the Pack ability for someone as strong as Master Tan. Both of them fell onto the ground when theynded. Lin Fan was now out of energy. The usage of his abilities had drained him out.@@novelbin@@ Bai Qiao wasn''t any better; his arm was bleeding and the flesh around the wound had turned ck. The tentacles were poisonous. Sensing his consciousness slowly going away, Bai Qiao took out a bottle, popped it open and swallowed a pill from it. He subsequently passed a pill from it over to Lin Fan. "Take it, it''s the Blood and Qi restoration pill." Lin Fan swallowed the pill without hesitation; he needed his energy back to use his abilities. Chapter 30 Zhao Rui Lin Fan felt a burning sensation as the pill went down his throat. The sensation went into his stomach, then his dantian as the pill slid down and got absorbed. Like a furnace, warmth from his dantian radiated through Lin Fan''s whole body. He could feel strength in his limbs again. His energy came back. Not fully, but at least three-thirds of it. Bai Qiao used his fingers and pressed on the acupuncture points on his shoulder, and his bleeding stopped. Piak. Tentacles came whipping at Lin Fan and Bai Qiao again. Both of them ducked and rolled to the side. "Pass me your jade pendant," Bai Qiao said and pointed at the pendant on Lin Fan''s chest. Lin Fan ripped off the string holding the jade pendant and threw it to Bai Qiao. Bai Qiao held it and chanted some words, and it started to glow brightly. "Now try to stay alive until senior martial sister arrives." The jade pendant was used to summon Zhao Rui toe and help them. Bai Qiao turned to face Master Tan and checked the status of Bai Ti. Bai Ti had now woken up and was coughing out blood. The blow from Master Tan had caused internal injury to Bai Ti. However, Master Tan didn''t bother with Bai Ti; he had his focus solely on Lin Fan.@@novelbin@@ "Come here!" Tentacles aimed at Lin Fan''s legs came shooting toward him. Lin Fan quickly jumped and got out of the way. Bai Qiao with his left hand straightened his index and middle fingers, shaping them like a sword, and thrust at Master Tan. Without his sword, the twirling wind strike was substantially weakened. Master Tan didn''t even dodge and let the strike twirl and rip his silk robe off. After the strike had settled, Master Tan just dusted the dust off his body as if it were nothing. Lin Fan assessed the current situation: Bai brothers were no threat to Master Tan. No one knew how long Zhao Rui would take to arrive. He had to make a gamble. With his decision, he took a deep breath and lunged at Master Tan. "Since you''vee to seek death, I shall oblige you." Master Tan with his palm was ready to strike at Lin Fan. Unknown to him, Lin Fan had activated his Iron w ability and aimed for Master Tan''s chest. "Fool." Master Tan smirked when he saw Lin Fan trying to hurt him with bare hands. "Argh..." Blood came out of Lin Fan''s mouth when Master Tan''s palm struck his chest. But when Lin Fan''s fingers came to Master Tan''s chest, they went in like cutting into tofu. Lin Fan clenched his fingers and shed down with them. "Damn you!" Master Tan cursed at Lin Fan and gave Lin Fan a front kick. Lin Fan saw the scene in front of him turning, the horizon spinning as he tumbled along the ground. St. Immediately, Lin Fan coughed out blood. The first thing he felt was pain; his internal organs felt like they had all been jumbled up. Master Tan wasn''t any better. Ten long wounds from his chest went all the way down to his abdomen. Blood and pus were trickling down onto the ground; Lin Fan''s Iron w ability had dealt some serious damage to him. With his injuries, the tentacles slowly disappeared. Master Tan was now too weak to be able to wield them. Lin Fan breathed in deep, trying to conjure up whatever energy he had left in him. Before he could make the next move again, a familiar voice shouted, "Today''s your death anniversary for hurting Qing Feng sect''s disciples." Zhao Ruinded from her huge leaping in from the woods. "Senior martial sister!" The Bai brothers shouted at the same time. Zhao Rui stared at Master Tan, drew out her sword, and thrust it five times at him. Five twirling winds shot at Master Tan. Master Tan, sensing the force within the twirling wind strike was much more powerful than Bai Qiao''s, quickly jumped to the side. However, he wasn''t fast enough, and the twirling wind strike drilled into his left arm, tearing his flesh and bone off. Soon his left hand was dangling from his shoulder. "Argh....." Master Tan gritted his teeth and tore the dangling arm off. He tried to lunge at Zhao Rui, but Zhao Rui shed her sword in the figure of an X. A gust of wind went right through his leg, and his leg broke off. Lin Fan immediately went in for the kill. He leaped and with his knee hit Master Tan''s jaw, and the force got him off his feet. Pressing on his belt buckle, he drew out his belt sword and swiped it at Master Tan''s neck. It couldn''t cut through his skin. Lin Fan then quickly used the Iron w ability and pierced his fingers through Master Tan''s neck. Blood oozed out of his artery; gasps of air mixed with blood could be heard. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 100.] [Current Vengeance Points: 200] When Lin Fan saw the vengeance points in the bag, hey down on the ground and looked up at the sky. He did it! He survived and bagged those 100 vengeance points. "Are you all right?" Zhao Rui''s head popped into Lin Fan''s vision and asked. Lin Fan nodded his head; he was too weak to speak. "Let''s get you back to the vige. But first..." Zhao Rui tended to Bai Qiao and Bai Ti. She gave Bai Qiao pills for the poison and bandaged his wound. Same thing for Bai Ti; Zhao Rui gave him pills and helped regte his Qi in his body. When they had recovered their energy, they carried Lin Fan back to the vige. Upon reaching Lin Fan''s wooden hut, they were surprised at how little it had. Only a table, chair, and a bed. That was all he had. After putting Lin Fan on his bed, Bai Qiao said to Zhao Rui, "Senior martial sister, I think we should be able to help this young man." Chapter 31 Skin Puppet Diao Lin Fan, with his mind nk, could feel a fire burning in his body; slowly the sensation of being burned from the inside subsided. Pain from his internal organs subsequently disappeared. Recing the pain was a cooling sensation, like iced water poured down onto his internal organs. Bit by bit, his consciousness came back. Sounds of chatter getting louder. Chairs being dragged on the floor. Tea being poured into teacups. His eyeballs rolled left and right, and he opened his eyes. "Finally, you are awake. How are you feeling?" Zhao Rui asked. Lin Fan, still in his grogginess, turned toward the source of this voice. Out of his blurry vision, he couldn''t make out who it was. So, he squinted hard to let his vision get back into focus. Zhao Rui was standing beside his bed, and beside her were Bai Qiao and Bai Ti. "I feel great," Lin Fan replied. Hearing that he was all right, Zhao Rui sighed in relief and said, "You''ve been out for only an hour; the Ying and Yang restoration pill is certainly more effective than the blood and Qi restoration pill." "You''ve done well. Didn''t expect you to be so brave," Bai Ti nodded approvingly at Lin Fan. "And we have great news for you," Bai Qiao chimed in and looked at Zhao Rui. "I''ve spoken to senior martial sister Zhao Rui; she agreed to write a rmendation letter for you to join Qing Feng sect. With that letter, you wouldn''t have to pay the one tael of silver." "Thanks. I am so grateful..." Lin Fan tried to get off the bed and thank them for the help, but Bai Ti held him down onto the bed and said, "Forgo the formalities."@@novelbin@@ Zhao Rui nodded her head and added, "Your fire deer''s demonic core helped me in my breakthrough. We should be the ones thanking you instead." To show his thanks, Lin Fan sat up straight on the bed after some struggle, sped his hands together, and bowed at Zhao Rui. "Here is a bottle of Qi concentration pill and the rmendation letter. Take the Qi concentration pill to help solidify your foundations and heal your internal injuries." Zhao Rui handed a porcin bottle with a red stopper to Lin Fan; inside was the Qi concentration pill to help Lin Fan get ready for the abilities test. Being worth more than one tael of silver, Lin Fan carefully handled the letter in a brown-colored envelope with caution. After all, if he ever got into Qing Feng sect, he would need lots of money for weapons, manuscripts, pills, and elixirs. "What about the blood pool? Will the vige be safe?" Worried about revenge from the Dark Lotus sect, Lin Fan asked about what was going to happen next. "Those bastards! The very mention of their name makes my blood boil," Bai Ti blew hot air out of his nose, raised his fist, and shook it as he grumbled. Bai Qiao shook his head and put his index finger on his lips to gesture him to stop. When Bai Ti stopped, Zhao Rui exined, "We will ask for backup to clear up the blood pool. Don''t worry about the vige; we will have manpower searching from the imperial court and Qing Feng sect to kill all the remnants of the Dark Lotus sect." "You were so brave and strong. I see a great future ahead of you when you join the sect." Having witnessed what Lin Fan did, Bai Qiao was impressed. Lin Fan was already so much stronger than an average hunter; how much stronger would he be when he became a cultivator? Having seen so many people with all sorts of abilities in the sect, Lin Fan''s abilities stood out as some of the best. "Thanks. I will try my best. Hope I don''t let you down," Lin Fan replied. Bai Qiao nodded and gave him an approving face. Satisfied with Lin Fan''s recovery, Zhao Rui and Bai Qiao bid farewell to Lin Fan shortly after. Time was of essence for them to report back to Qing Feng sect; Bai Ti would stay to protect the vige in case of any attacks from Dark Lotus sect. ... In the woods. Beside the blood pool stood two men. One was the Dark Envoy, and next to him was an old man. This old man was skinny and bald, with scriptures in red smudged all over his forearms and body. The peculiar thing about him was that his skin seemed to be sewn together with different patches of skin from different people and beasts. "Hehehe... what a pity. This blood pool formation array all gone to waste. The Dark Lotus Lord wouldn''t be too happy." The old man spoke in a high-pitched voice. With his hands crossed on his chest, the Dark Envoy gave the old man a side eye and said, "Skin Puppet Diao, just clean this ce up as instructed. I will investigate and make sure the culprit who killed all the guards here pays for it." "Hehehehe..." When Skin Puppet Diao heard the Dark Envoy speak about the guards, heughed louder. The Dark Envoy just stared at him. Sensing that he couldn''t get any more response from the Dark Envoy, Skin Puppet Diao got to work. He took out a bell from his robe and rang it. Around ten men who were standing behind them started to move upon hearing the bell''s ring. These men''s faces were mangled or, to be precise, sewn together with different patches of skin. With their expressionless faces, they cleared the stilts, ropes, and filled the blood pool with soil. Bodies that were strewn around were carried away. Skin Puppet Diao walked up to Master Tan''s body, squatted down, and looked at it. "This one''s a good specimen; I shall add him to my collection. Hehehehe..." The Dark Envoy just looked down in silence. With his failure at the blood pool, the Dark Lotus Lord wasn''t too pleased with him; Skin Puppet Diao would take over. I will make sure it wouldn''t go smoothly, the Dark Envoy thought to himself. Chapter 32 Hot Cake "Lin Fan, are you feeling any better?" Ho Ming was grinning widely when he entered Lin Fan''s house. By now Lin Fan was all better and was picking up his bow, getting ready to go hunting. "I''m all good now," Lin Fan replied. "You''re going hunting? It''s prohibited now. There are troops and people from the Qing Feng sect going through the woods for remnants of the sect." Ho Ming said this as he walked over to Lin Fan''s only table, lifted the teapot, poured and gulped down the tea inside. "Why are you here? Shouldn''t you be preparing for the abilities test?" Cough. Ho Ming choked on the tea when he heard Lin Fan say the words "abilities test." He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "Don''t remind me. My dad only allows me toe visit you; other than that, I can''t leave the house." Lin Fan patted him on his back and thought to himself that the vige head must have heard good things from Zhao Rui and the Bai brothers. He must have wanted Ho Ming to be on good terms with Lin Fan, making ns for his son. After what the vige head did for Lin Fan, he was more than happy to reciprocate. It was also safer for him to have someone going to the sect along with him. Even though Zhao Rui and the Bai brothers seemed decent, one would never know what the others in a big sect like Qing Feng sect were like. So even if the vige head''s motives weren''t exactly pure, Lin Fan was happy to go with it. Ho Ming, on the other hand, wasn''t so appreciative of his father''s effort. "Thank God I could visit you and get away from my old man. Since you can''t go hunting, let''s go fishing instead." "Fishing? The water is cold now, and I don''t know how to fish." "Don''t worry. Leave it to me. If you didn''t know, they call me the king of fishers in An Xiang vige." Ho Ming patted his chest and boastfully said this. Hearing this, Lin Fan rolled his eyes but still went with it. They were, after all, only teenagers, and Ho Ming needed to be himself. Most importantly, Lin Fan had something he wanted to test out. ... By the river, it was still but cold inte autumn. Two teenage boys were wading in the river with spears in their hands. The spears were crude, crafted by Lin Fan using his axe. "Lin Fan, that fish over there! Get it!" Lin Fan, with his enhanced physique, aimed at the fish, and whoosh¡ªhis spear shot into the water. When Lin Fan lifted his spear out of the water, a big fish was thrashing around. A familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Fish terminated.]@@novelbin@@ [Unable to initiate Fish abilities, host level too low for one more ability.] [Level 10 required for initiating one more ability.] As he had thought, at his current physique level, he couldn''t have another ability. He had nned to try and get some ability that could protect himself. A tortoise ability with its shell or the newt''s ability to regrow and recover. No matter, I will have to take it one step at a time. With this thought, Lin Fan lifted his spear and smirked at Ho Ming, "King of Fishers, look what I''ve got here." "You got lucky, I tell you. Don''t waste it; let''s quickly gut it and roast it." Ho Ming quickly gathered sticks from the surroundings and set up a fire. When Lin Fan was done removing the fish''s innards, he ced his spear over the fire, roasting it. Ho Ming gulped down mouthfuls of saliva when the aroma of the fish reached his nose. When it was cooked, Lin Fan passed the fish to Ho Ming. "Thanks, I will just take a small chunk of it," Ho Ming said as he took out a small knife and cut out only a mouthful. "That''s all you want?" Lin Fan asked. "My father always tells me, if you didn''t work for it, then you don''t deserve it." Looking at Ho Ming blowing at the steaming hot fish, Lin Fan nodded. Wee aboard, he thought to himself. ... When they finished slurping up the fish, they went back to Lin Fan''s ce. To Lin Fan''s surprise, his house had a few visitors. Granny Lim and several vigers were waiting for his return. When they saw him back, Granny Lim waved at him and said, "Lin Fan, I''ve got some dried vegetables for you, please take them." "For me? Why?" Lin Fan asked. Granny Lim got close to Lin Fan and whispered next to his ear, "You must be that hero who saved me the other time. I know you are too shy to take the credit, but please take my token of appreciation." Lin Fan shook his head and tried to deny it. "That''s not me." Granny Lim just grinned and patted Lin Fan on his back, arched her brow, and gave him an "I know" look. The other vigers were here for the same purpose. But they were here trying to get on good terms with Lin Fan. What he did with Zhao Rui and the Bai brothers had spread throughout the vige. They weren''t going to miss a chance to be close to a future Martial Arts Fighter. In their hands were dried food and salt. All essentials to tide over the winter. "Lin Fan, I''ve always known you have a bright future ahead of you." "Yes, that''s what I thought too." "Nonsense, I was the only one to see his potential. In fact, my daughter is willing to be his wife." When one of the shameless vigers said this, the rest of them burst out in loud chatter. This shameless Ah Gou, already thinking ahead. Those with daughters chimed in with their proposals for marriage with their daughters. Seeing that thepetition was high, those without daughters started to think about their nieces or distant rtives. Widow Xiu even attempted to get married to Lin Fan. When she was chastised by the other vigers at her age old enough to be Lin Fan''s Grandma, she responded, "It''s all true love." "How can all of you be so shameless!" A voice boomed loudly, and the chatter went silent. Chapter 33 Sword Cultivation Root Uncle Liu stared at all the vigers as he entered Lin Fan''s wooden hut. "Where were you when Lin Fan was starving and helpless on his own?" "To think you have the gall toe today and try to get on Lin Fan''s good side." Uncle Liushed out and gave the vigers a piece of his mind. With her hands on her hips, Mei Fong was standing right next to Uncle Liu, giving him support. The vigers looked down at their feet and didn''t dare to make any noise. They knew it was wrong, but in this chaotic Quan Dynasty, they didn''t have much choice. Lin Fan raised his hand and motioned for Uncle Liu not to say anymore. He didn''t hate these vigers, just felt nothing for them. Why would a lion turn its head when a dog barks at it? "All right. Thank you, everyone, for your gifts. It''s cold, and my wooden hut is not warm enough for all of you. Go back to your homes now." The vigers, hearing that Lin Fan didn''t reject their gifts, were pleased. Without much fuss, they chatted among themselves and left Lin Fan''s wooden hut. Granny Lim turned back and bowed to Lin Fan as she left. She was now even more convinced Lin Fan was the hero who had saved her life from the vagrants. "Good riddance," Uncle Liu said and turned to Lin Fan. "Come join us for dinner." "Sure, Uncle Liu." Lin Fan was more than happy to have dinner with them. It was the closest thing resembling family to Lin Fan in this world. And as the days passed by, there weren''t many days left for him to indulge in this peace and warmth. After dinner, Lin Fan dug up the things he had hidden outside his wooden hut. It was all the ''recycled'' items he had gotten from his fallen adversaries. One tael of silver, a few silver pieces, thirty copper coins, and the manuscript titled ''Flowing Cloud Sword Style''. The money was crucial for the journey to Qing Feng sect¡ªto get things done in the Quan Dynasty, you needed to grease the parts to have things moving. Lin Fan predicted that Qing Feng sect wouldn''t be an exception to it. Putting aside the money, Lin Fan picked up the manuscript as it was what interested him most at the moment. Reading the opening chapter, it was about how to regte his breathing, meditate, and have an inner view of himself to check which type of sword cultivation root he was. Those most suitable for this manuscript would be those with the cloud sword cultivation roots. Others might be of fire, water, or ice sword cultivation roots. In the worst scenario, you would see no sword cultivation root, and you were most likely not suited to be a sword cultivator. Lin Fan followed the instructions. He breathed in and held his breath, bringing attention to his dantian, trying to direct Qi from the surroundings to it. But he was unable to do so; no Qi could be felt, and all it did was make him dizzy from theck of oxygen. Not giving up, he recalled what he had experienced during his upgrade of his physique level. How Qi was directed into his dantian, and how it helped to strengthen his body with it. Lin Fan tried again. This time he could feel a pinch of Qi prickling on his skin, but it was gone in a sh. What did I do wrong, Lin Fan thought to himself as he read the instructions again. After he corrected his posture, Lin Fan tried again. Finally, he went into a meditative state. His focus from his mind expanded. The insects chirping and noise of the night went away. He could now feel the movement of air brushing against his skin, and with it, the Qi prickling at it. This was the status the manuscript wrote about. Lin Fan quickly did an inner view of himself, eager to know what sword cultivation root he was. In the dark and void inside of him, he had... nothing. If anyone had a sword cultivation root, they should see something inside. For Lin Fan, there was nothing, only darkness and emptiness. Lin Fan stopped his meditative state, opened his eyes, and sighed. Either he didn''t follow the instructions correctly, or he was not suitable to be a sword cultivator. He thought that it was thetter. No matter, there must be other forms of cultivation technique in this world for him.@@novelbin@@ One that would match his Beast Abilities much better. With this discovery, he had to prepare for it. His belt sword wasn''t cutting it anymore. It couldn''t get through Master Tan''s neck. He would be a sitting duck if he fought with other cultivators with his belt sword. Time to upgrade his weapon and get something new. ... Feng Shou town. He Xian Weapons shop. "Wee. Nice to see you again. What can I help you with today?" Pei Tong was all smiles when he saw Lin Fan and Ho Ming enter the shop. "I need something better. Strong enough to be able to deal with Martial Arts Fighters." "Hmm... Only spirit level weapons would be able to do so, but it will cost you¡ªa tael of silver at least." When other customers in the shop heard what Lin Fan said, they turned and looked at him. What is this? A young teenager speaking about dealing with Martial Arts Fighters? With his ragged clothes, he didn''t look like a young master from some powerful family. They snickered at Lin Fan, not knowing he had already dealt with and killed some of these cultivators. Lin Fan couldn''t be bothered, but Pei Tong shooed these customers out of the shop. "Go away if you are not buying," Pei Tong pushed them out with his guards ready to help him. "What''s wrong with you?" "Yeah, he is just a nobody." "Stop, I will leave by myself." The customers were stunned at the change of attitude in the usually friendly Pei Tong. Chapter 34 Winter Fall These customers didn''t know, but Pei Tong, as a merchant, had eyes and ears all over. He had already heard what Lin Fan did, and how the cultivators from Qing Feng sect had thanked him. Pei Tong was not about to let this potential Martial Arts Fighter be pissed off with him. As the future owner of He Xian Weapons shop, he had the ambition to make it grow, opening one outlet after another throughout the kingdom. "Sorry about the nuisance. Come, follow me," Pei Tong straightened his attire after all the tussle and led Lin Fan into the back of the shop again. Pei Tong whispered to the workers inside, and they wheeled out something on a cart. It was too heavy for the two workers to carry. "I have just the weapon you need." "A pair of hammers¡ªit''s top of the Mortal level, inching close to Spirit level, with iron made of precious Dark Steel." "If you start cultivating, when you inject Qi into it, it will be bigger." Lin Fan looked at the hammer. The upper part of the hammer was Dark Steel molded into a form with eight sides. Its handle, made of precious red sandalwood, gave off a dark purple hue. Picking it up, he swung it around and tested it out. The two workers couldn''t believe their eyes. The pair of hammers was around 150KG each. Yet, the teenage boy in front of them was swinging them around as if they were a pair of chopsticks. Pei Tong was all smiles; the information he had received could now be confirmed to be true. "Lin Fan, I didn''t know you were so... strong." This was the first time Ho Ming saw up close what Lin Fan was able to do. No wonder. Now he understood why his father kept telling him to be friendly with Lin Fan. "Great, just the weapon I need," Lin Fan thought about it¡ªcultivators at a certain level and above seemed to be able to withstand cuts and shes from normal weapons. Since cutting wouldn''t do, why not go with kic energy? He might be able to dish out deadly blows with his hammer. In any case, he most likely wasn''t meant to be a sword cultivator. "That would be one tael of silver. Since you are spending so much, whatever your friend wants shall be free." Lin Fan looked at Pei Tong with high regard. In one stroke, he had let Ho Ming feel goodwill toward Lin Fan and, on the other hand, made Lin Fan feel happy to have a ''discount'' from his purchase. "Ho Ming, pick up any weapon you like." "Thanks! Lin Fan, let''s go for a treat at Quan Wei Xuanter. The money my father gave me for the weapon can be put to better use." Ho Ming happily epted Lin Fan''s offer. After careful consideration, he had gone with a sword, as the main branch of cultivation in Qing Feng sect was sword cultivation.@@novelbin@@ .... When Lin Fan went back home, he tried out the hammers, but all he could do was bash them around. Without any other options, he followed the strokes in the ''Flowing Cloud Sword Style'' manuscript, using his hammers in ce of a sword. Some strokes worked well, and some didn''t. Lin Fan had to improvise to amodate a pair of hammers. One of the strokes he liked was the ''Beheading Cloud'' strike. A swipe at the feet with his left hand and then, with a sudden twist of the body, the right hand would swipe across the enemy''s neck. Even though he didn''t have the Qi to be able to perform all the strokes to their maximal power, with his level 3 physique, his stroke would cause a fair amount of damage with his kic force. Time passed by quickly with him fully focused on practicing. One day while practicing, Ho Fu came and visited him. With his pipe in his hand, he marveled at Lin Fan and how much stronger he had grown. Who would''ve thought this teenage boy was thin, frail, and on the verge of dying not too long ago? "Vige head, anything I can help with?" Lin Fan asked as he poured a cup of tea for the vige head. "It''s about the Tan family..." He took a drag of his smoke pipe, puffed out the smoke, and continued, "Master Tan was one of the outcasts from the Tan family since he couldn''t cultivate." "However, he is still family to the Tan Family, and you helping Zhao Rui to finish him off made them pretty angry with you." "I''ve caught wind they are up to no good when you get into Qing Feng sect." "They have some family inside holding influential positions, ready to give you hell." "You''d better be careful." Lin Fan nodded and said, "Thanks, I will be careful joining Qing Feng sect." He looked at the bits of tea leaves inside his teacup, floating and twirling around. If only he was powerful enough, they wouldn''t dare to think about finding trouble with him. "As for the help, my son Ho Ming..." Even before the vige head could finish, Lin Fan quickly replied, "Don''t worry, vige head. It''s all right if Ho Ming goes his own way¡ªbest to keep him safe." Ho Fu chuckled, shook his head, and said, "No, I meant for you to help take care of him." "Ho Ming isn''t the brightest, but he is a good boy." "As for the Tan family, don''t worry too much about them." "I have my own influences in the sect too." Lin Fan nodded; he had even more respect for the vige head now. Even though having Ho Ming on his side would bring danger upon him, Ho Fu still chose to do so. Satisfied with Lin Fan''s answer, Ho Fu drank his cup of tea, and as he looked out of the window, white tiny spots floated down from the sky andnded on the ground. Snow. It was finally winter. Chapter 35 Night at the Inn Winter was a time of sce and rest. Lin Fan stayed at home, perfecting his strokes with the pair of hammers. The other vigers also recuperated in their homes from the toils throughout the previous spring, summer, and autumn. They needed to get ready when next spring came again, as another cycle would repeat itself. nting the crops, tending them, and finally harvesting them for paying the autumn harvest tax. That was the life of a viger without any hope of getting better. ¡­ Days passed by very fast with the short days and long nights. When Lin Fan saw the tiny sharp green sprout of grass poking through the thin snow, he knew that it was time. Spring, a new beginning, starts. Time for him to get enrolled in Qing Feng sect. Before setting off, the vige head invited him and Uncle Liu''s family for dinner. On the table were roast chicken, vegetables, and fish soup. All hard-to-get dishes near the end of winter. Lin Fan, surprised at the sumptuous meal, felt the warmth as he enjoyed the dishes. "Ho Ming, I wouldn''t be around to keep you out of trouble. I want you to listen to Lin Fan and do whatever Lin Fan says." Ho Fu, with his smoke pipe, tapped on the table to grab Ho Ming''s attention. With a roast chicken leg in his mouth, Ho Ming nodded in agreement. The smoke pipe in Ho Fu''s hand went up; Ho Ming instinctively tried to dodge. "Ai¡­", Ho Fu sighed when he saw Ho Ming''s reaction, and he put down the smoke pipe. "I''m old, and you are your own man now. Remember what I''ve taught. Your entrance to the Qing Feng sect means a lot to the Ho family." "I... will...", Ho Ming put down the roast chicken leg and silently replied. This was the first time Ho Ming had heard his father talk to him in this manner. The realization that he would be on his own going forward finally hit him. Seeing the mood turning somber, Lin Fan said, "Don''t worry, vige head, I will take care of Ho Ming. I promise." Uncle Liu also joined in and said, "Lin Fan is very capable; he will ensure Ho Ming''s safety." Then he went on to recount how Lin Fan had gone from near death to bing a sessful hunter. When the dinner ended and Lin Fan was ready to leave, the vige head handed a bottle to Lin Fan. "There are Qi concentration pills inside; take them to increase your chances." Lin Fan tried to push back Ho Fu''s hand. "Vige head, I can''t ept this. Let Ho Ming have it." Ho Fu insisted; with a pleading look, he looked at Lin Fan and said, "Please ept it. Take it as payment for your help in looking after Ho Ming." "All right. Thanks.", Lin Fan took the bottle and kept it. With the pills settled, Ho Fu took out a scroll and unrolled it. "Here is a map of how to get to Qing Feng sect. "Go north from Feng Shou town; it''s two days'' journey away. "There''s an inn in between; you can stay for a night. "Lots of those going for the enrollment will stay there, so it''s rtively safe." After looking briefly at the map, Lin Fan rolled it back and kept the map. Then it was time to bid farewell to the vige head. With his stomach full from the hearty meal and warmth from the firece, Lin Fan had a good night''s sleep. ¡­ Next day. Before the sun rose, Lin Fan was already up. In the dark, with only a dim candlelight, Lin Fan packed his belongings and his weapons. Everything except the manuscript. He wouldn''t want to be mistaken as a spy from the Flowing Cloud sect. By the time he was done, Ho Ming was already waiting outside. With his dark rings around his eyes, Ho Ming greeted Lin Fan. Lin Fan noticed but decided not to say anything about it. "Come, let''s go. We have a lot of walking to do." Silently, Ho Ming just nodded. When they made their way out onto the edge of the vige, Ho Ming turned back and stopped for a moment. He then took a deep bow. After that, he stood up and patted Lin Fan''s back. "Time for us to see the world." By noon, they arrived at the inn. There was already a crowd when they got there. Some of them in their luxurious clothes and servants were having their warm meals.@@novelbin@@ Having traveled on horse carriages, they looked fresh and without a hint of fatigue. These were the heirs of the rich families. The others, like Lin Fan, were in their ragged coarse linen clothes. Walking all the way from home, they were tired, hungry, and thirsty. "Stay alert and be cautious," Lin Fan told Ho Ming as they entered the inn. When it was their turn, the waiter greeted them and asked, "Two of you? Just having a meal or staying overnight?" "How much for staying overnight?" Lin Fan asked. The waiter kept looking over Lin Fan''s shoulder at the rich young lord approaching the inn and impatiently replied, "That will be ten copper coins." Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, and after some consideration, he gritted his teeth and paid the copper coins. They could have camped in the wilderness for one night, but he didn''t want Ho Ming to be affected by theck of rest. After all, no one knew what the criteria for the abilities test were. With a wide grin, the waiter took the copper coins and led both of them to their room on the second floor. After Lin Fan and Ho Ming put their stuff into their room, they came down for dinner. The guests were enthusiastically chattering among themselves. "Have you heard? The abilities test has been changed." "Changed? I just bought a cheat sheet forst year''s test!" "I heard there were some selected ones with rmendation letters." Everyone cried out in envy when they heard about the rmendation letters. Chapter 36 Assassins All sorts of misinformation were going around in the chatter. Lin Fan didn''t bother much; he was busy scanning around the room, taking note of hispetition. When his eyes passed by one of the rich young lords, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 10 vengeance points.] Malevolent intent out of the blue? Lin Fan quickly looked back at the rich young lords again, memorizing their faces. He didn''t need to figure much. The malevolent intent must being from one of them, who was from the Tan family. Guess there''s work to be done tonight, Lin Fan thought to himself. "If you all are looking for one with a rmendation letter, here is one. Let''s have a toast for young master Tan Rui here." One of the rich young lords stood up and proposed a toast. The table with all the rich young lords raised their cups and joined in. When the other diners heard what the rich young lord had said, they gasped and continued their chatter. "Damn, I heard having the rmendation letter lets you have a higher chance of enrollment." "Really? If it''s true, this Tan Rui would have such a bright future ahead." "Hmph. Nothing to be envious about. He is rich and powerful while it''s impossible formoners like us to get it." One of the diners wasn''t too impressed and caught the attention of the rich young lord. The rich young lord nced over to his servants. And the servants dragged the poor man outside for a beating. "That is for ndering the honorable Qing Feng sect." After witnessing what had happened, the chatter died down. Everyone just focused on their meal. Lin Fan took a hard look at this Tan Rui. He was a young teenager like him, with a rounded face, sparse eyebrows, and wearing a bright red robe. Instinctively, Lin Fan didn''t like him as he had some resemnce to Master Tan. "Brother Lim, let''s not spoil the mood for everyone. Dinner is on me tonight." Tan Rui stood up, gave an apologetic smile to everyone in the dining hall, stopping for a moment when his nce passed by Lin Fan. Hearing the announcement, everyone got excited again. "How magnanimous of young lord Tan Rui." "That guy is just jealous of lord Tan Rui." "Let us give young lord Tan Rui a toast." While everyone was curry favoring Tan Rui, Lin Fan didn''t bother; he was already busy ordering from the waiter. Never waste resources, especially when they''re from your enemy¡ªthat was his motto all along. Lin Fan poured two teacups full of tea, ced one in front of Ho Ming and said, "Ho Ming, eat more. Get yourself prepared for the test tomorrow." "I will," Ho Ming replied. When their dishes arrived, Tan Rui walked over to Lin Fan''s table with a big bright smile. Tan Rui tried to introduce himself, but Lin Fan focused on his meal and tucked in, not even batting an eyelid at Tan Rui. "Ho Ming, have more of the chicken drumstick." "Thanks." Both of them kept talking among themselves, not giving a chance for Tan Rui to enter the conversation. Tan Rui felt the awkwardness, gave a fake smile, and walked back to his seat. On his way back, he started thinking. Did that Lin Fan notice something? It can''t be; he can''t possibly know that I want to kill him. Now his n to be seen as friendly with Lin Fan is spoiled. Whatever, so what if they suspect me. No one would make much fuss about a deadmoner. When he got back to his seat, his friends were angry at what they saw. "How dare thatmoner leave you in a lurch; let me teach him a lesson!" Tan Rui pulled his friend back and, with a sly grin, whispered into his ears. His friend nodded, and slowly his expression turned into an evil grin. When Tan Rui was done, both of them burst outughing. Unknown to them, Lin Fan had activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability and knew what had transpired. Lin Fan shook his head when he heard their n. Taking hisst bite of the chicken drumstick, he motioned for Ho Ming to leave. He also asked for paper and a brush to write with from the counter before going back to his room. The night is just getting started. ¡­ Nightfall. All the guests had retired early after taking their Qi concentration pills and doing their daily meditation. Everyone wanted to ensure they were in the best possible optimal state. Lin Fan and Ho Ming did the same. With their beds opposite each other, they said goodnight and slept. Soon, loud snoring noises emerged from their room. Creak. Out in the empty corridor, the wooden floor made creaking noises. With knives in their hands, men in ck masks and ck clothes slowly approached Lin Fan''s room. The man nearest the door took a deep breath and slowly pushed it open. nk. A flowerpot was ced behind the door; it cracked and made a loud noise when it toppled over. "You..!" One of the masked men was angry at the carelessness. "What? Who are you..." Lin Fan got up from his bed and gave the men a frightened look. This emboldened the men. "Go in and kill him!" the manmanded. They streamed into the room, raised their hands, and shed down at Lin Fan. Thud! Their knives hacked at the nket and wooden bed board, giving out a muted thud. In the blink of an eye, Lin Fan had jumped out of the bed and gotten out of harm''s way. Before the men could turn and face him. Lin Fan pushed them from behind, and they fell onto the bed. "Get his friend!" the man standing at the backmanded. The other men followed the instruction and went at Ho Ming''s bed. Thud! Ho Ming wasn''t at his bed. "He is making a fool of us; get him!"@@novelbin@@ All the men then came rushing at Lin Fan. Lin Fan faked a scared expression, turned to the open window, and jumped out of it. Chapter 37 Brother Lim Seeing how Lin Fan ''ran'' away, the men in ck gave chase. Those nearest to the window didn''t think much and jumped out of the window as Lin Fan did. Thud! "Argh..." A fewnded and sprained their ankles, groaning out in pain. Lin Fan stood ten meters away, looking and shaking his head at them. This got them very angry. How dare thismoner shake his head at us! They picked up their knives that had dropped onto the ground when theynded and came running at Lin Fan. The other men in Lin Fan''s room, with their heads popped out of the window, seeing how those hadnded in pain, decided to take the door, run to the first floor, and give chase. "Stop! If you don''t, I will make you regret it when I catch hold of you!" The manmanding shouted as they gave chase. Lin Fan controlled his pace, not too fast and not too slow. He wanted to lead them somewhere. Through grass patches, then through some woods, Lin Fan finally stopped by the side of a ravine. The ravine was at least fifty meters wide to the other side and a hundred meters down. When the men in ck chasing Lin Fan caught up, they snickered as they saw he had no other way to run. The man inmand, panting furiously, kicked one of the men forward, shouting, "What are you waiting for! Kill him!" With this, they lunged forward at Lin Fan. Lin Fan drew out his pair of hammers from his back. Finally, it was time to test if all the hard work would pay off. The man nearest to Lin Fan hacked down with the knife in his hand. Dang! Lin Fan raised his right hand, and the hammer blocked the knife. Without any hesitation, his left hand swiped at the man''s feet. The man looked down and raised his feet to dodge it. When he looked up, a shimmer of yellow light came at him. St! The man''s head burst and sttered flesh, tissues, and pieces of brain all over.@@novelbin@@ It was as if Lin Fan had used his hammer and burst a watermelon. The other men stood still, shocked at Lin Fan''s raw power. A few strands of hair stuck onto the hammer; sticky and gooey blood slowly dripped onto the dirt ground from Lin Fan''s hammer. With the pale moonlight and darkness surrounding them, Lin Fan now looked like a menacing devil to them. Unconsciously, they stepped back. But it was toote for them. Lin Fan would not allow them to get away after they''d witnessed what he was capable of. Now the prey bes the predator, and the hunt begins. St! Lin Fan swiped at a man''s waist, and the hammer went through it. The man''s body broke into two halves. "Damn you!" A knife came shing at Lin Fan''s neck. Lin Fan squatted down and activated his Magnificent Leap. With his hammer, he wielded it upwards. Another ssh could be heard. Lin Fan didn''t stop; he quickly used his Swift Foot ability, got to the three men on his right side. He raised his right hand and bashed down at the rightmost man''s shoulder. The man used his knife to block, but the hammer just went through it, bending the knife, and the kic force just followed through; his hammer went through the shoulder and stopped at the man''s chest. Not waiting for their turn to die, the other two men on Lin Fan''s left shed at him, one from the top at his head, another from the side to his waist. St! The knifeing at his head stopped as Lin Fan threw the hammer at the man''s head. When the knifeing for his waist came near, he used the iron w ability to slice the knife into pieces, and then plunged his w into the man''s chest. The man inmand shook uncontrobly. This was not happening. My servants are selected from some of the finest. I am supposed to join the Qing Feng sect tomorrow and be a cultivator. Carrying on the line of prestige and power for my family line. Not to die here without anyone knowing. That Tan Rui! How dare he make use of me. While the man inmand was in deep thoughts, Lin Fan took down the rest of the men effortlessly. In terms of power and ruthlessness, they were no match for Lin Fan. Caw. A crow cawed as it flew by with the full moon shining behind. Now there were only Lin Fan and the man inmand. Lin Fan thrust his hands to the side, and all the blood, hair, and tissue stuck onto the hammer flew off the hammer''s surface and sttered on the ground. He then walked toward the man inmand. "Let me go. I can forgive you for killing my servants and put in good words for you. The Lim family will help you get into Qing Feng sect." "Hmph." Lin Fan shook his head. Even when begging for their lives, these young lords still had that smug attitude with them. When the man inmand heard Lin Fan''s response, he upped the stakes, "I can gift you a hundred taels of silver and ves, plenty of them..." To his horror, Lin Fan stared at him, and he couldn''t speak anymore. Lin Fan stood emotionlessly as he handed the man a piece of paper and brush. The man wrote on the paper, and when he was done, took out his seal and pressed it onto the paper. When it was all done, Lin Fan took the piece of paper, and then with a swipe of his hammer, burst the man''s head. Without the Leader of the Pack''s ability, Lin Fan wouldn''t have risked it tonight. Lin Fan kept the piece of paper, and a familiar sound erupted in his head. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 50.] [Current Vengeance Points: 250] Lin Fan still had a long way to go to level up his physique level. But now, he had other things to do, like reuse and recycling. Chapter 38 Lim Ka Tong Lin Fan searched through all the bodies for anything valuable, and there was lots of it. Especially from the young lord''s body. All in all, three taels of silver, fifty copper coins and some Qi concentration pills. After he had kept them, Lin Fan got to work. With their faces all mangled up or gone from the hammer''s strikes, Lin Fan just threw them into the ravine. Caw.@@novelbin@@ Caw. When Lin Fan left, he could hear the crow calling out for itspanions. Ready to feast on the bodies lying deep inside the ravine. ¡­ Lin Fan went back to the inn as fast as he could with his abilities. The first thing he did was to release young lord Lim''s horse carriage, letting it run away. Next, he went up to where Ho Ming was waiting for him. He had instructed Ho Ming to keep an eye on Tan Rui if he made any move. "Lin Fan, d you are back." Ho Ming was outside Tan Rui''s room with sweaty hands gripping tightly on his sword. Lin Fan patted him on his back, "Well done, help me slide this piece of paper into Tan Rui''s room." Time was of the essence; he still had many things to do. He went back to his room, changed into new clothes, wiped his hammer clean. With all that done, he went down to the well and washed himself up. When he got back to his room, Ho Ming was done sliding the paper into Tan Rui''s room. "Lin Fan, those men¡­", Ho Ming asked as Lin Fan entered the room. "Don''t worry. All taken care of, it''s either them or me. You better get used to this; it''s not going to end soon." Ho Ming nodded, thinking to himself, he''d better not screw up now. As his father had said, no one was around to clean up his mess anymore. "Try and go to sleep. It''s going to be a long day ahead." Lin Fan said and went to sleep. ¡­ Next morning. When the slight warmth of the winter sun hit the ground, the inn began its day, oblivious to what had happenedst night. The inn was a whole charade of noises. With the innkeeper shouting at the waiters to clean the tables, and cooks in the kitchen chopping meat and vegetables, their monotonous chopping sound set the tempo for their day. Yawn. Tan Rui woke up to a satisfying sleep. Grinning to himself. Thatmoner should have been buried somewhere by now. Or maybe buried in a variety of ces. All thanks to Lim Ka Tong, Brother Lim. When he thought about Brother Lim, he couldn''t help butugh out loud. That sheltered spoilt brat. Just some incitement and he''d gone on to do the dirty work for him. He stood up, changed his clothes and sat at the table in his room, waiting for his servants to bring the water to wash up for the day. Creak. The door to his room opened. When he turned and looked, he noticed a piece of paper on the ground. "What''s that?" he pointed at it. The servant bent down and picked it up, passed it to him. He took it and read the writing on the paper. At first, he was perturbed with his sparse eyebrows frowning and as he read on, his frown turned into an intense stare, his face filled with anger. Bang. Tan Rui mmed his hand onto the table. "That coward!" Young Lord Lim had written on the paper that he chickened out and couldn''t find the guts to kill Lin Fan. He had decided to leave with his servants and forgo the enrollment to Qing Feng sect for this time. Tan Rui double checked, the seal was authentic, it was Brother Lim''s. "Go and check whether Brother Lim and his servants are still around." "Yes, young master." Tan Rui''s servant bowed and went out. A few momentster, the servant came back and confirmed that Brother Lim and his servants were not around. Even their horse carriage was gone. They must have left the inn in the middle of the night. Tan Rui thought for a moment, he asked the servant to bring him paper and brush. He wrote a letter to the Lim family asking whether Brother Lim had returned. "Here, deliver this letter together with this to the Lim family. Hurry." Tan Rui handed his letter and the piece of paper to the servant. Tan Rui had to check, the Lim family at Hong Feng city though not as powerful as the Tan family, weren''t pushovers. If something happened to Brother Lim, then he could make use of them to kill off Lin Fan. "Lin Fan¡­" Tan Rui murmured as he tried to figure out if it was true, how Lin Fan took on so many people alone. His view of Lin Fan as just a hunter started to change. ¡­ When Lin Fan and Ho Ming woke up, they washed up and went down for breakfast. The dining hall was full of chatter as usual. After all, today would be the day when they arrive at Qing Feng sect. A precious chance for them to ascend into higher social status and change their fortunes for their family. "Today I shall be best to pass the abilities test." "Are you sure? You don''t even have a rmendation letter." "It''s because I have this." The man put a bottle of pills on the table. Another then eximed that he knew what it was, the pills rumored to enhance their abilities by two times. Guaranteed to let you pass the abilities test. Lin Fan shook his head at the obvious ploy to peddle fake pills and make money. When Lin Fan saw Ho Ming''s longing eyes on the fake pills, he snapped him out of it. "It''s most probably fake. These peddlers are just making use of their anxiety to make money." "I know, it''s just that the weight on my shoulders..." "Don''t worry. You will make it," Lin Fan patted him on his back. Suddenly, the dining hall erupted in a huge roar, "Young master Tan Rui!" Chapter 39 Qing Feng Sect Entrance All of those in the dining hall stood up and greeted Tan Rui. Tan Rui was all smiles and greeted them back, as if nothing had happened. When he walked past Lin Fan, he also just gave him a smile and a nod of his head. Lin Fan didn''t bother with him and continued to feast on his breakfast of buns and porridge. Silently taking note of Tan Rui''s ability to keep it in and not be rash. As the saying goes, don''t fear those who shout in anger; fear those who can still smile at you. Those people will wait for years and suddenly gut you in the back when they finally seize a chance. With that thought, Lin Fan quickly munched down on his meal. When he''d finished, Lin Fan and Ho Ming packed up their belongings and left the inn. They still had half a day of walking ahead of them. "Ah Shi, this is the second time you are trying for the abilities test. Tell us more about it." "There is a test for different aptitudes: strength, endurance and your cultivation root." Fellow travelers chatted about the abilities test; Lin Fan listened intently to find out more information about it. "Cultivation root? What''s that?" "You didn''t know? There are different cultivation roots that you might have natural aptitude in, like sword, alchemy, artifact, formation and physiques." "Which cultivation root is the best?" "For Qin Feng sect, sword cultivation root is the best." All of the travelers nodded in unison; Qing Feng sect was best known for their Qing Feng Sword Style, after all. Even the current sect master was from the sword peak. "What is the physiques cultivation root about?" "Physiques cultivation root? The worst cultivation root you can get. They train their body and use brute techniques." "How crass of them." When Lin Fan heard the conversation about the physiques cultivation root, he became intrigued. It sounded awfully simr to his system''s leveling up of physiques. But why did these travelers look down on it with such contempt? "What do you mean they are crass!" A teenage girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail stood with her hands on her hips, fuming, staring at the traveler who made the remark. She continued and said, "Don''t you know how much pain and suffering they have to go through cultivating their body?" "And don''t you know, if they breakthrough to the Great Ascension level, even with just a drop of blood left, they can fully restore themselves?" Her big round eyes stared intensely, puffing her cheeks, which ironically made her look cute. The traveler realized by now he had spoken wrongly, bowed, and apologized to the teenage girl. "Hmph, that''s better. Next time, don''t let me catch you doing that again." "Yes...yes..." The traveler, not knowing her background, didn''t want any trouble and quickly scurried away. As she wanted to give chase to the traveler, she turned and nced at Lin Fan. She walked up close to him, marveling at his fit and lean body. "I''m Zhang Xi from the physiques peak. You muste to our peak. With your fitness right now..." Zhang Xi pped Lin Fan hard on his back. Piak. "Ouch..." She cried out in pain as her palm hurt. When she looked at her palm, it had gotten red and swollen from Lin Fan''s hard back. "Thanks, but we must get going," Lin Fan replied and hastened his pace. "Don''t worry, I shall see you soon," Zhang Xi mumbled to herself silently as she watched Lin Fan and Ho Ming''s backs. As Lin Fan continued his journey, he thought to himself, "What an interesting girl." This was the first time he''d encountered someone so outgoing. But he didn''t want to engage with her any further; he couldn''t be sure about who she really was. With his instinct to preserve himself, Lin Fan felt it was safer to get away first. After two hours of traveling, they finally arrived at the foot of Qing Feng sect. When Lin Fan looked up, he could see five mountain peaks, partially covered by clouds, in the background. In front of him was a huge flight of white-colored stairs, leading up to the central square of the sect. Two disciples in their gray-colored Daoist robes, with their arms crossed and swords in hand, stood guard at the foot of the stairs. When Lin Fan tried to go up the stairs, the two disciples motioned for them to wait. "They must be waiting for everyone to arrive first," Lin Fan said as he took out some buns and passed them to Ho Ming. He sensed that the test was going to start soon. It was better to replenish some energy. Ho Ming, already hungry, didn''t wait and picked up one of the buns, then took a big bite out of it. With a mouthful of the bun in his mouth, he said, "Now I feel the anxiety. Hope I can make it into the sword peak. My father had wanted me to do so for years." "Don''t worry, you will be able to. I will help you in any way I can." Lin Fan gave him some encouragement. And Lin Fan meant it when he said he would help. Having Ho Ming in the sect would be beneficial to him as well. Information gathering, resource sharing, and even helping Lin Fan to kill. So many possibilities of when Lin Fan would need help. As they waited, more and more people arrived. Including those young lords in their horse carriages. When Tan Rui stepped down from his carriage, he was, as usual, all smiles. His servants quickly took out two barrels from the carriage and offered tea to those who were thirsty.@@novelbin@@ "Young lord Tan Rui is such a considerate young man." "I think he rightfully deserves a ce in Qing Feng sect." "Thank God for this tea. I shall always remember his kindness." Those seeking enrollment to Qing Feng sect started to praise Tan Rui for his gesture. Lin Fan wasn''t impressed; he instinctively knew this Tan Rui was up to no good. Suddenly, a loud voice of an elderly man boomed in the sky. Chapter 40 Rolling "Wee to Qing Feng sect. I''m Tan Fei from the alchemy peak, chief organizer for this year''s abilities test. I invite you toe up through the stairs to meet me at the central square." The voice came from nowhere, and everyone looked up to see who was speaking but couldn''t. Is this one of the powers of a cultivator? they wondered. "Come, let''s go," Lin Fan said and walked toward the stairs. Ho Ming followed suit. For the first few steps up, Lin Fan didn''t feel much. But as he climbed up the stairs, he could feel his energy slowly draining away. It was not from exhaustion; something was sucking the energy out of him. It had already started. He immediately figured this was part of the abilities test. "Ho Ming, hurry. The stairs are taking away our energy; we must make it to the top as soon as possible." "I''ll try my best. Don''t worry about me." Both of them immediately started to quicken their pace. The other enrollment seekers didn''t think much of it, chatted and took their own time to climb up the stairs. "Look at those two jumping up the stairs like monkeys." "Heck, maybe they think they will be enrolled if they reach first." "From their coarse clothes, they must be from some vige; that exins the uncivilized behavior." When they saw Lin Fan and Ho Ming jumping up the stairs, they mocked both of them. Such uncouth behaviorpared to young lord Tan Rui. They turned and checked on Tan Rui when they thought about him. Their eyes went wide open with what they saw. Tan Rui was taking big steps up the stairs. When it wasn''t enough, he resorted to jumping up as Lin Fan did. "Young lord Tan Rui, why are you in such a hurry?" Tan Rui went past them without any response. His usual smile was gone; he didn''t even bat an eyelid when they asked him what was happening. "Why is young lord Tan Rui also in such a hurry?" All of them felt perturbed and looked at each other. Then it hit them. They felt the energy in them disappearing. Some of them started to sit down on the stairs. Slowly those sitting could only lie down on the stairs. When this happened, disciples wearing the gray Daoist robes came and carried them away. "Damn it! There''s something about the stairs; we better hurry up." "Wait for me." "Ah Si, don''t leave me behind; this is myst chance." The enrollment seekers started to rush up. Those with not much energy left started to grab onto those who still could, pleading with them for help.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan looked back, saw Tan Ruiing up and othersgging behind him. "Ho Ming, can you keep up?" Lin Fan asked. He could see the end of the flight of stairs not far away. Ho Ming, by this time although exhausted, replied, "Yes, I can." Memories of Ho Fu forcing him to take the Qi Concentration pills and training came flooding into his mind. All the preparation was not for nothing. Ho Ming''s strength and endurance were now above most adult males. Lin Fan turned and wanted to continue on his way. However, when he nced at Tan Rui, he could see Tan Rui pointing his chin at Ho Ming. He was signaling to a man behind him. The man nodded and with a step, he leaped past Tan Rui. Lin Fan sensed something wrong. This man seemed older, much older than all the teenage enrollment seekers. A cultivator. Lin Fan quickly came back down. "Help me, I feel tired," the man said. When he came close to Ho Ming, he grabbed his ankle. Ho Ming immediately reacted and kicked at his hand and shouted, "Get away from me." The man didn''t let go. He was too strong for Ho Ming. When the man saw Lin Faning, he reached out his other hand and tried to grab him too. But when he saw Lin Fan''s eyes staring at him, he froze and released his grip on Ho Ming. As if he had gone out of his mind, the man stood up, then rolled down the stairs. "Damn!" Tan Rui cursed as he dodged the man''s body rolling down. Others behind him weren''t as lucky. Some of them who couldn''t get out of the way in time got caught and also rolled down the stairs. Sounds of bones cracking and patches of blood spilled on the stairs. "Enough!" That voice boomed in the sky again. This time, Tan Fei''s voice was filled with nothing but anger. Disciples then appeared and with a stroke of their swords blew a gust of wind and cushioned those who were tumbling down. While thismotion was going on, Lin Fan and Ho Ming had continued on their way and finally reached the top. A cool breeze blew and made it more bearable with their clothes now wet with sweat, sticking to their skin. "Yes, I did it. Father, I did it!" Ho Ming eximed in joy with what he had aplished. Lin Fan patted him on his back and said, "No time to celebrate; there''s more toe." While trying to catch their breath, they looked at what was in front of them. A huge square with over fifty disciples standing in a line waiting for them. There was a table and a disciple sitting at it, and he was waving at them. Lin Fan and Ho Ming walked toward the table. The disciple handed them a pill and said, "This is a Qi restoration pill; it should replenish all the strength you''ve used up earlier. After you are done, wait around for the next instruction." The pill emitted a nice and sweet smell, enticing those who held it to eat it. Seeing that the system didn''t warn him of any malevolent intent, Lin Fan swallowed the pill. Warmth came from his dantian after the pill went down his stomach. Slowly his strength came back. After that, he moved aside and waited for the next instruction. "Stop him! That cheater!" Chapter 41 Qing Yang Zi It was Tan Rui, pointing his finger at Lin Fan as he approached. Behind him were the other enrollment seekers who had seeded in reaching the top of the stairs. Only two-thirds of the enrollment seekers made it to the top. Lin Fan didn''t even bother with Tan Rui; he just looked away. This nonchnt attitude triggered Tan Rui. How dare he get to the top of the stairs before him! Taking away all the limelight from him. If they weren''t in Qing Feng sect, he would''ve killed Lin Fan on the spot. "What do you mean by cheated? How and what did he do?" The disciple giving out the Qi restoration pill asked. "He helped his friend and pushed one of the others down." "What did you say, you liar?" Ho Ming wasn''t pleased with what he heard. "The man fell down on his own! He must have lost all his energy." "Nonsense, the man looked all right; he suddenly fell." "Yeah, you guys must have pushed him somehow." "But I heard the man say, ''Help me, I''m tired'' before he fell." Chatter began as the enrollment seekers gave their own opinions. Everyone but Tan Rui. Tan Rui bit his lips as he knew it was impossible the man would lose his energy; the man was a cultivator from the Tan family. He''d better go with the point of Lin Fan pushing the man down. "Silence! You will all be disqualified if you squabble any more. Let the chief organizer decide." The disciple put up both hands and stopped the chatter. Not far away from the square was a pavilion. Sitting in the pavilion, two men in their Daoist robes and Zhang Xi were seated inside. One of them, the sect master, Qing Yang Zi, with gray hair, long beard and small eyes that turned into a line when he smiled, was drinking his tea. The other, Tan Fei, with his stout figure and viinous thin, sharp-ended mustache, rubbed his chin. When Qing Yang Zi finished his tea, he put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Tan Fei, you are the chief organizer this year; you decide. Remember, the Dao must be harmonious for everything to work. We mustn''t do things to the extreme to stir the Dao." Tan Fei squinted his eyes and thought to himself, "You sly old fox, telling me I''m in charge but still reminding me that I shouldn''t go too far." "Sect master, that Lin Fan did help his friend. As for that person falling, we might have to ask for witnesses." After careful consideration, Tan Fei replied. Upon hearing this, Zhang Xi wasn''t too happy. Even though she was here as a representative for her dad, as he was in secluded cultivation, she wasn''t afraid to speak her mind. "As the assistant organizer this year from Physique peak, I disagree. Qing Feng sect disciples have been taught to help each other in need; if we penalize him, it shall make the disciples deeply disheartened." "Hmm... Little Zhang Xi, I can see that your dad, Zhang Yi Nian, has taught you well," Qing Yang Zi nodded and picked up his teacup for another sip. "I know what to do now, sect master," Tan Fei wasn''t too pleased; his thin mustache fluttered from him blowing hot air from his nose. He stood up and his voice boomed in the air, "Lin Fan exhibited qualities that a Qing Feng sect member should have, helping fellow disciples. Therefore, he can continue onto the next test." "What about the man pushed down the stairs by him?" "Yes, what about that?" "You must get to the bottom of this." "Get that man up here and confront Lin Fan."@@novelbin@@ The crowd wasn''t pleased. Lin Fan was fit enough to be the first to get to the top; he was a threat to their enrollment chances. By now they would try anything to get him disqualified. Tan Rui, however, kept quiet. If the man was brought to question, his cover would be blown as a cultivator mixing in with the enrollment seekers. "Young lord Tan Rui, don''t keep mum; say something." "Don''t worry. We will stand by you and stand for justice." Uncharacteristically, Tan Rui kept quiet, and his eyes darted around. He thought furiously in his mind, what stupid fools these people are. Can''t they see they are not helping? Finally, he nced at Tan Fei in the pavilion with a pleading look for help. Tan Fei pointed to his close guard standing outside the pavilion and said, "Go check on the man who fell; get him here to confront Lin Fan. Make sure he recovers well." "Yes, Master Tan Fei." The close guard nodded and went on his way down the stairs. Moments passed as everyone waited eagerly for the close guard''s return. Lin Fan didn''t bother; sat down on the ground, took out buns, and shared them with Ho Ming. They started to feast on the buns, getting ready for the next test. "Eat more; if the first test was about endurance, the next must be about power." Ho Ming nodded. "Master Tan Fei, the man is... the man is dead from exhaustion, all his energy gone." When the close guard arrived, he reported to Tan Fei. Tan Fei shot a nce at Tan Rui and said to the crowd, "That closes the case. The next test starts soon." He had asked his close guard to finish off the man. The sect master isn''t some senile old fool; getting the man here would mean trouble. And if he pursued it any further, the sect master has his way of digging out memories from dead men. "Well done, Tan Fei. Always remember, it''s all about maintaining the harmony in the Dao." Stroking his long gray beard, Qing Yang Zi gave Tan Fei hispliments. "Sly old fox," Tan Fei smiled at the sect master but muttered silently in his mind. With the sect master''s words in mind, Tan Fei stood up and announced, "Now that it''s over, time for the next test." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I want to thanks all my readers for their Golden Tickets and Gifts. It means a lot to me. Chapter 42 Flying When he heard the announcement, Lin Fan stood up in anticipation. He was all ready for the next test. The other enrollment seekers looked at him with side eyes. There wasn''t much they could do other than look on. They had passed the first test barely scraping by. Deep down inside, they knew they didn''t have the ability to try to get Lin Fan out. Lin Fan had gotten up the fastest and hadn''t struggled, while most of them were on their knees at the final few meters. "Everyone,e over here." A familiar voice could be heard shouting at them; Lin Fan turned and saw Zhang Xi. She was walking over to them from the pavilion and pointing her hand to the left of the central square. This test looked like it would be handled by Zhang Xi. She wasn''t lying about her identity, Lin Fan thought. He looked to the left and saw a big, burly man in a brown Daoist robe standing there. "That is senior martial brother Sun Hai, core formation level from the Physiques Peak." "All you need to do for the next test is to make him move a little with all you can muster." "Senior martial brother Sun Hai shall limit his powers to Qi Refining level." Zhang Xi exined what they had to do for the next test as she introduced Sun Hai. Sun Hai, with his bald head and missing eyebrows, was tall, fit, and muscr like a bull. "Look at him, such strength! Do join the Physiques Peak if you pass the test! You shall not regret it." The enrollment seekers tried very hard to keep theirughter in. Who in their right mind would want to be that? Uncouth,pared to the gentleman''s sword. Lin Fan shook his head at Zhang Xi''s attempt to get disciples to join. She must be very desperate. "Who wants to go first?" Zhang Xi asked for the first person to attempt the test. Initially, everyone looked at each other. After a few minutes, someone finally walked up to make the attempt. The man pushed Sun Hai with all his might, but it was like hitting a brick wall. Seeing that it wasn''t working, he ran back and threw his whole body at Sun Hai. Thud. The man''s shoulder hit Sun Hai''s chest, and he fell to the ground. Rubbing his shoulder, the man looked at Sun Hai''s feet. To his disappointment, Sun Hai hadn''t even moved an inch. "I give up," the man bowed toward Zhang Xi and left. He looked at Sun Hai and sighed as he left. Now that he had failed, he would have to wait for next year to try again. With the first man failing, the other enrollment seekers started to take it very seriously. The next few men who came up to try also failed. Some even punched at Sun Hai to vent their anger. In the end, all they got were broken knuckles as Sun Hai''s body at core formation level was too hard for them. Finally, Tan Rui stood up and said, "Since they''ve all failed, I think it''s time for me to motivate everyone." He waved his hands as the other enrollment seekers cheered for him. Tan Rui''s image was now that of a righteous young lord in their minds, as he had tried to report Lin Fan for cheating earlier. After he walked up to Sun Hai, he held his palm in front of Sun Hai''s chest and took a deep breath. "Huh!" Tan Rui spat out the breath, with one leg in front of the other, and pushed with his palm. At first nothing happened, then Sun Hai slowly shifted a little. "Wow, he did it!" "Finally, someone''s strong enough to do it."@@novelbin@@ "Among all of us, I knew it had to be young lord Tan Rui to seed." "I bet no one can move him more than Tan Rui did." Tan Rui bowed at Sun Hai as the crowd cheered even louder at his sess. As they wondered who would be the unlucky one to be next, Lin Fan stood up. They raised their eyebrows at Lin Fan. Did he do this on purpose? Wanting topare himself with young lord Tan Rui? What a stupid fool. They would not spare theirughter if Lin Fan failed. Lin Fan stood ten meters apart from Sun Hai. From his battle with Master Tan, he knew he could easily move Sun Hai at this distance if he kept his powers to Qi Refining level. Master Tan was definitely at a higher level than that. Best not to get too close to hurt senior martial brother Sun Hai. "Is he nning to start from there?" "After the previous attempts, he still thinks it''s easy?" "Fool, I tell you." The enrollment seekers jeered at Lin Fan. Lin Fan sped his hands and bowed at Sun Hai, and said, "Do be prepared." The other enrollment seekers couldn''t hold it anymore. Just when they thought he was a fool, he''d outdone himself. Who did he think he was? They cussed at Lin Fan for his arrogance. Zhang Xi watched with intense interest; Sun Hai didn''t think much of it. The afternoon sun shone intensely above. An eagle soared and with its high-pitched screech, echoed in the central square. Whoosh! Lin Fan jumped at Sun Hai with his Magnificent Leap ability. He immediately appeared in front of Sun Hai. Thud! Sun Hai felt the impact and his eyes turned wide open. Instinctively, he increased his Qi level to Foundation Establishment level. Still, he could feel the force from Lin Fan reverberate within his body. All the enrollment seekers'' jaws dropped and their eyes opened wide when they saw Sun Hai move. One step, two steps... He finally stopped after stepping back ten steps. "What happened?" "Did I hallucinate?" "It can''t be, Sun Hai must be..." Before the enrollment seeker could finish his sentence, Lin Fan looked at him, daring him to say it and he would be challenged by Lin Fan. He kept mum, not daring to risk it. Tan Rui, watching by the side, squinted his eyes, changing his view about Lin Fan again. Chapter 43 Recommendation Letter After bowing to Sun Hai, Lin Fan walked back towards Ho Ming. "Congrats, Lin Fan. You did it!" Ho Ming was overjoyed that Lin Fan had passed the test. "Ho Ming, you can definitely pass the test too." "Really? I''m not sure...." Ho Ming looked down, anxious and unsure of his chances. "Don''t worry, I know the power you possess during our training time in the vige." Meanwhile, Zhang Xi went over to Sun Hai and checked on him. She didn''t expect Sun Hai to be pushed back so far. "Senior martial brother Sun, are you all right?" "I''m all right. Just a little sore in my chest," Sun Hai rubbed his chest to soothe it. Zhang Xi''s eyes widened as she asked, "Wow, he was able to make you feel pain at Qi Concentration level?" "No... No," Sun Hai waved his hands at her. "I knew it. You were teasing me with the pain. How could he have hurt you." Sun Hai didn''t know whether to cry orugh, and said, "I meant no, I had to level up to the Foundation Establishment level to keep myself safe." "What? Are you serious?" Sun Hai nodded his head. With his confirmation, Zhang Xi looked at Lin Fan, thinking to herself that she must get him into the Physique Peak. After so many years without new disciples, the Physique Peak was in danger of being absorbed into the other peaks.@@novelbin@@ She, as the Peak Lord''s daughter, shall not let it happen. Lin Fan is her hope right now to bring back prosperity to the Physique Peak. With that thought, she called out for the next one to try the test. "Next!" Ho Ming stood up and walked up to Sun Hai. With Lin Fan''s encouragement, he had gained much more confidence in himself. He bowed to Sun Hai, put his shoulders against him, and pushed with all his might. Slowly, he saw Sun Hai shift, leaving two trails on the ground. Ho Ming stopped, raised his fist, and shouted, "Yes!" All these years of preparation to get someone to move a few inches. It felt ironic to him, but at least he had made it through to thest test. He ran back to Lin Fan and thanked him. "Thanks, Lin Fan. Now there''s thest one to go. If we get through it, then there''s no more autumn harvest tax for us." Ho Ming held Lin Fan''s shoulders, squeezed them, and eximed in joy. He was so close to the turning point for the Ho family. The test went on for another ten minutes, and finally, only one-third of the original cohort of enrollment seekers were left. Wrapping up, Zhang Xi pointed to a few tables that had been set up and said, "Before thest test for your cultivation root, please pay the one tael of silver for the abilities test." Everyone went over and lined up to pay for it. When it was Lin Fan''s turn, coincidentally, it was also Tan Rui''s turn beside him. Lin Fan rummaged through his bag for the rmendation letter from Zhao Rui. It must have gotten to the bottom of all the items. "Pfft. Can''t bear to pay for it or you can''t afford it?" Having been humiliated earlier by Lin Fan, Tan Rui couldn''t help but take a swipe at him. Those in line looked at both of them, figuring Tan Rui was most probably right. Lin Fan, in his coarse linen clothing, must have had a hard timeing up with the one tael of silver. With Lin Fan still rummaging through his bag, Tan Rui smirked and took out his rmendation letter. "Unlike you, I don''t have the need to pay." The others in line looked with envy; it''s one in a hundred to have the quality to get a rmendation letter. Rumor has it that those with rmendation letters have a good chance of going to one of the more privileged peaks. Tan Rui wanted to hand his rmendation letter over to the disciple, but paused halfway when he saw that Lin Fan had no reaction to what he had said. "You know what this is? This rmendation letter, it allows me to..." Before he could finish, Lin Fan found his rmendation letter and took it out, turned to Tan Rui, and said, "You mean a rmendation like this?" "You have what?" Tan Rui asked in disbelief. "A rmendation letter," Lin Fan waved it at Tan Rui''s face before handing it over to the disciple. The disciple took it out and read it, verifying it to be authentic. Tan Rui and those in line couldn''t believe their eyes; how could this viger out of nowhere have a rmendation letter? They held their breath as they hoped that the rmendation letter was a fake. If Lin Fan was so stupid as to submit a counterfeit letter, he would then feel the wrath of the Qing Feng sect. "Hmm...." They could see the disciple''s face frowning when he read Lin Fan''s rmendation letter. Yes! They were right. This vige boy must have used a counterfeit rmendation letter. There were people selling fake pills, who''s to say there aren''t any selling fake rmendation letters? This must be it! However, to their disappointment, the disciple smiled and looked up. "It''s extremely rare for senior martial sister Zhao to write a rmendation letter; this is the first time in ten years I''ve seen one. That''s why I took so long." By now, Tan Rui had shut his mouth and quietly handed his rmendation letter over to the disciple. Lin Fan, at this moment, had had enough of Tan Rui. There was no other ending for Tan Rui except death. If he couldn''t do it now, he would do it when he had the chanceter. Revenge is, after all, best served cold. When everyone had paid their dues, they were ushered to a huge hall. The hall had intricate wood carvings of cranes, tigers, and dragons on the pirs. There were rows of tables and chairs in the middle. At the front was an old man with gray hair and a long beard, smiling at them. "Wee to the cultivation root test." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks so much for the readers gifting me golden tickets! I thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! Chapter 44 Double Sword Cultivator Incense smoke rose from the incense burner in front of Qing Yang Zi. All the smoke and his white Daoist robe made him look like an immortal. "You can nowe up to me one by one. I shall check your cultivation root with the inquiry stone." Qing Yang Zi raised his hand, and on his palm was a piece of stone with some scriptures carved on it. From where he was sitting, Lin Fan could see that there were also some patterns from the Six Yao on it. He wondered how it would work to identify the cultivation roots of these enrollment seekers. It didn''t take long for him to find out. One of the men sitting in front stood up and walked up to Qing Yang Zi. When the man got near, the stone lit up with an orange glow; part of the glow then formed into the shape of a hammer. "Artifact forging root." The man wasn''t too pleased but still squeezed out a smile, bowed to Qing Yang Zi, and thanked him. Other men following him weren''t as lucky; they didn''t have any cultivation root and had to make a choice to either join as menial disciples or give up and go back home. Being a menial disciple would mean that they wouldn''t get many cultivation resources and teachings. Their daily duties would be doing mundane chores to keep the Qing Feng sect running. Most of them declined. Among those who epted, they would just stick around for a few years, and when they left Qing Feng sect, they would open training schools making use of their reputation for time spent in Qing Feng sect. Amidst all the sighing from their disappointment, the next one up was Tan Rui. When he came near to the stone, a red glow lit up; slowly, the glow formed the shape of a sword. "Sword cultivation root." Tan Fei, standing behind Qing Yang Zi, gave Tan Rui a slight nod. All of those waiting or having finished their test looked upon Tan Rui with envy. Sword cultivator, the best in Qing Feng sect. The current and past sect masters were from the Sword Peak; the lineage of sword cultivators went back a long way in Qing Feng sect. Tan Rui''s presence in the limelight was, however, short-lived. When Ho Ming went up, the stone lit up in a red glow again, but this time, the glow formed into two swords. "This is a good year! Double sword cultivation root," Qing Yang Zi smiled and stroked his long beard when he saw the two swords formed. "Double sword cultivation root, what does that mean?" Ho Ming asked with a confused look, not knowing what it meant. "It''s a rare cultivation root; one out of a thousand would have it. "Most sword cultivators can only learn one sword cultivating technique. Those with double sword cultivation root, however, can learn two cultivating techniques. "Don''t worry, Qing Feng sect will provide you with all you need." Qing Yang Zi patted Ho Ming on his shoulder. Ho Ming looked back at Lin Fan with joy; he hoped that Lin Fan would be able to join him at the Sword Peak now. With a huge smile, Lin Fan acknowledged Ho Ming, but his heart wasn''t really in the Sword Peak. His Beast Abilities didn''t fit the sword cultivation techniques, and most importantly, he knew he most likely didn''t have Sword cultivation root. Having that thought in mind, Lin Fan stood up and got near to the inquiry stone. The others watched with a vicious stare. They thought about what Lin Fan had aplished along the way; jealousy and envy simmered inside them. A gust of wind blew; the stone shone brightly in a glow of bright blue light. Qing Yang Zi''s eyes widened as this was the first time he''d seen this. Then the blue light formed shapes of beasts: a wild rabbit jumping, a wolf howling, a fire deer shooting fire from its antlers and a boulder bear charging. Finally, it all died down, and there was silence.@@novelbin@@ What in the world was that? Everyone thought in their mind. Qing Yang Zi frowned and stroked his long beard with his other hand. "So... What''s my cultivation root?" After a few moments, Lin Fan broke the silence and asked. "I, eh... it''s something I''ve never seen before. I might have to check the manuscripts in the library to find out. But as of now, you pass." Qing Yang Zi gave an awkwardugh, as being the sect master, he was seen to be an all-knowing elder. With his experience dealing with business, Lin Fan also joined in to alleviate the awkwardness. When theughter died down, Lin Fan asked, "And which of the peaks should I join?" Hearing this question, Tan Fei stepped forward and said, "Sect master, with all the current spending, I think it might not be wise to ept this young man with such a dubious cultivation root. "If you take him in, including him with the ten new disciples that we ept today, the Alchemy Peak might not be able to supply enough pills and elixirs for all of them. "We have to make a choice, I''m afraid." He stole a nce at Lin Fan and gave out a smirk. If we can''t deal with you using force, I shall deal with you using other methods. Qing Yang Zi stroked his beard furiously as he tried to think of a way to counter Tan Fei. His hands were, however, tied as he needed the ie from the Alchemy Peak to ensure he had funds to keep Qing Feng sect going. Tan Fei and the Tan family had gained substantial influence throughout the years. "The Physiques Peak will take him!" Zhang Xi, standing on the other side of Qing Yang Zi, chimed in. This was her chance to get a new disciple into the Physiques Peak. Tan Fei didn''t relent and said, "But with the low contributions from Physiques Peak, I don''t think we can help with the pills and elixirs for Physiques Peak anymore if you take him as a disciple." "Even as an outer disciple?" "Yes. Not even as an outer disciple." "Wait," Qing Yang Zi stopped them and interjected. Chapter 45 Menial Disciple "If he can''t join as outer disciple, then maybe he can join as a menial disciple." Qing Yang Zi looked at Lin Fan. His voice then came into Lin Fan''s mind, and no one else except Lin Fan could hear him. "That''s the best I can do. Don''t worry, I will pick a menial disciple''s position far away from troubles, near the Qing Feng woods at the back of the mountains." When Lin Fan heard about the woods, he thought about it for a moment and nodded his head. It was perfect for him to gain new abilities by hunting beasts, once his Physiques Level was sufficient. After getting Lin Fan''s agreement to his arrangement, Qing Yang Zi continued and said, "What about joining as a menial disciple? There''s a position to collect firewood in Physiques Peak, and the old man there, Ho Jie, needs a recement." Tan Fei kept quiet, as menial disciples don''t receive any pills or elixirs, and they perform daily chores to run the sect. He would be seen as unreasonable if he kept at it. The other onlookers silently smirked as they heard Lin Fan was going to be a menial disciple. Finally, the heavens have eyes, they thought. Young lord Tan Rui joining the Sword Peak as an inner disciple and Lin Fan joining Physiques Peak as a menial disciple. No other better ending they could have asked for. "Great, that settles it then. See, harmony in the Dao is of utmost importance. Zhang Xi, you take over as I''ve got other things to take care of." Qing Yang Zi gave out a heartyugh and left, with the others giving him a bow. "I told you I will get you to join the Physiques Peak," Zhang Xi said, patting Lin Fan on his back. "Do what you need to, and I will be back to fetch you to your new position in an hour." She left, and Lin Fan wasted no time and sought out Ho Ming. "Ho Ming, when you are in Sword Peak, be careful of Tan Rui. I will deal with him soon, so stay low for now." "I will, but you... I heard from the others just now, if you don''t have the pills and elixirs, it''s hard to cultivate," Ho Ming said with a worried look. "Don''t worry about me, I will figure something out." Lin Fan knows that if the pills and elixirs can''t be had from the sect, he always had the option to work hard and procure them for himself. Such a small obstacle was nothing to him. When the disciples came to take the ten new disciples to their respective peaks, they bid farewell to each other. "If you face any problems, feel free toe and find me." "I will," Ho Ming waved and went on his way to the sword peak. After he left, Zhang Xi came and led Lin Fan to his quarters. On the way, she introduced Lin Fan to the Physiques Peak. "My father, Zhang Yi Nian, is the peak lord, now in secluded cultivation. "I''m in charge while he is away. "There''s also senior martial brother Sun Hai helping me, you left a pretty good impression on him. "The other two disciples in Physiques Peak are out on a mission, so you wouldn''t see them so soon. "But now, I shall bring you to the woodshed. Old Ho Jie will take care of you there.@@novelbin@@ "I will try and help you whenever I can, but there are eyes and ears all around, so there''s a limit on how much I could do." Lin Fan listened and took note of what Zhang Xi had said. She took out a piece of wooden b, carved with Lin Fan''s name, and handed it over to Lin Fan. "Here, take this. "It lets others know you are a menial disciple and records your contribution points. "Every day after you finish your task, go to the Head of Misceneous Duties to register your contribution points. "You can use the contribution points to exchange for resources like pills, manuscripts, and weapons." Lin Fan inspected the wooden b, which was rectangr with a red cloth tied to it through a hole. "Here, let me show you how it''s done. I will transfer ten contribution points to you," Zhang Xi said, taking out another wooden b and cing it next to Lin Fan''s. A white glow appeared on her wooden b, and it went to Lin Fan''s and disappeared. "Hold the wooden b and focus, you should be able to see the bnce inside," Zhang Xi exined further. With the wooden b in his hand, Lin Fan focused his mind on it, and the white glow appeared again, forming the number ten. "Are the transactions tracked and tied to individuals?" Lin Fan asked. "No, that''s why I gave you one with ten contribution points. Wouldn''t want that Tan Fei breathing down my neck," Zhang Xi replied, shaking her head in disgust at the mere mention of Tan Fei''s name. Hearing that the contribution points aren''t tied to individuals, Lin Fan started to have some ideas. Can''t waste the contribution points if someone identally dies, can''t we. In the name of reuse and recycle, he shall make it his mission to not let these contribution points go to waste. The journey was long and took them half an hour to reach Ho Jie''s living quarters. It was right on the edge of the Qing Feng woods, up north from the central square. Lin Fan looked at the living quarters and he felt right at home. A very small wooden hut made from wooden nks and mud bricks stood next to the firewood shed. It was pathetically small, even the firewood shed was bigger than the wooden hut. When they entered the wooden hut, there was only a table and a few chairs. In the sleeping area, two beds were ced. Even though the wooden hut was sparse and didn''t have much, it was kept clean and dust-free. When Lin Fan and Zhang Xi were checking out the sleeping area, a man entered the wooden hut. Chapter 46 Firewood "I''m sorry, I didn''t expect to have any visitors." He took off his straw hat and put down his axe on the table. After wiping off the sweat from his forehead, he proceeded to pour some tea from the teapot on the table. Lin Fan turned around and saw Ho Jie. Ho Jie was around the age of sixty, with gray hair and an old scar from his eyebrow to his cheek. "Wee, I''m Ho Jie from An Xiang vige." "An Xiang vige? But I''ve never seen you around." Lin Fan felt confused when Ho Jie said he was from the same vige. In his memory, he had never seen him before. Ho Jie chuckled, "I left so many years ago, before you were even born." Zhang Xi seeing that they were getting along well, said, "Since both of you are from the same vige, I shall leave you two to it." As it was near nightfall, Zhang Xi had to get back to the Physique Peak, so bid farewell and hurried back. "I''m Ho Fu''s brother. He had asked me to take care of you and my nephew." "Has he told you about..." "Tan Family? Yeah, just watch out for Tan Fei and Tan Rui. We are in Physique Peak''s boundary; if other peaks'' disciples want toe and cause trouble, they would have some exining to do." Ho Jie then showed Lin Fan around: where to fetch water, get daily supplies, register for his contribution points, and most importantly, where to chop and gather the wood. After that, it was dinner. The meal wasn''t much, only some rice and meat. Lin Fan took one mouthful of the rice, and he immediately felt something different. He felt warmth in his stomach, and a burst of energy came back to him. With eyes wide open, Lin Fan looked at Ho Jie. "That''s a mix of spirit rice and normal rice. "The spirit rice helps to replenish your energy and improve your body''s ability to absorb Qi. "As menial disciples, we only get some spirit rice per week, nothingpared to the outer and inner disciples. "The outer and inner disciples will be allocated more. "Here, try out the meat; it''s from a demonic beast, aids in your cultivation too." Lin Fan picked up a piece of the meat with his chopsticks and tried it. The same thing happened, but this time the warm feeling and burst of energysted longer. Looking at Lin Fan''s reaction, Ho Jie chuckled and said, "Don''t expect it to be so sumptuous every day though. Today was special, a wee meal for you." Putting down his chopsticks, Lin Fan sped his hands and bowed to Ho Jie, thanking him for his generosity. Ho Jie chuckled again, with his hand stopping Lin Fan''s bow. "Stop with all the formalities; we are on our own now. "Best for you to try and get stronger. "If you make it to the top for the annual menial disciple rankings by fighting and beating allpetitors, you would then be able to be promoted to outer disciple." The menial disciple rankings intrigued Lin Fan. But first, he would need to familiarize himself and try to start cultivation and gather cultivation resources for himself. After all, there was also Tan Rui to settle with. When they''d finished dinner, Lin Fan washed up and went to bed. In the night, howls of beasts could be heard in the woods. But strangely, none of the beasts came close to their wooden hut. When it was past midnight, he could also hear Ho Jie leaving the wooden hut. Ho Jie was up to something. However, Lin Fan didn''t follow, as after all, the system didn''t prompt him with any malevolent intent. ... Next day. When Lin Fan woke up, the sun was just about to rise. Ho Jie had fetched water from the well and started to steam some buns. "Here, change into this. All junior menial disciples wear this," Ho Jie threw a ck-colored robe to Lin Fan when he saw him awake. Lin Fan realized Ho Jie wore a brown robe, which must have been for senior menial disciples. He changed into the ck-colored robe and after breakfast, they started their day. Thwack. Thwack. Chopping sounds echoed in the woods as Lin Fan chopped into a tree trunk as wide as his waist. He was alone in the woods as Ho Jie needed to transport the chopped firewood to the menial disciples'' quarters. As he focused on felling the tree in front of him, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 5 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate 5 squirrels with malevolent intent for 50 vengeance points.] Squirrels? Lin Fan took a double take to make sure he hadn''t seen wrongly. The creatures in these woods were definitely different. Suddenly, a squirrel darted out from the tree trunk at Lin Fan. It was no match for Lin Fan''s Iron w. St. Blood and fur sttered all over. Two other squirrels came at him with their bloodshot eyes. With a swipe of the axe in his other hand, the two squirrels got cut into two halves.@@novelbin@@ Then there was silence. The remaining two squirrels were nowhere to be seen. Just when Lin Fan thought they had run away, some leaves floated down from the top. He looked up and saw two squirrels diving down from the branches at him. These are some smart squirrels, Lin Fan thought to himself. He took a step to the side, and the two squirrels missed and fell to the ground. With his right leg, he stepped on one of the squirrels and threw his axe at the other. A familiar sound erupted in his mind again. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 50.] [Current Vengeance Points: 300] Looking at the information, Lin Fan smiled and felt that he was starting to like these woods. At this rate, he should be able to level up his physique to Level 4 very soon. Only 100 more vengeance points to go. He continued to cut down the tree, and when it fell, dragged it back to the wooden hut to chop it into pieces. Chapter 47 Hot Bath When he was done, he carried the newly chopped firewood to the menial disciples'' quarters. It was time for him to exchange the firewood for his contribution points of the day. The menial disciples'' quarters were huge inparison to Lin Fan and Ho Jie''s wooden hut. Many menial disciples were scurrying around, carrying things, doing chores, and even cooking. "Senior menial disciple, may I know where to put the firewood?" Lin Fan asked a menial disciple in brown robes and pointed at the firewood on his back. The senior menial disciple turned around and was shocked. The amount of firewood Lin Fan carried with him was more than double the amount a menial disciple could take. The senior menial disciple led Lin Fan to a building, pointed to a shelf stacked with more firewood, and said, "Stack the firewood properly; mess it up and you won''t get your contribution points. Come find me inside when you are done."@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan proceeded to do so. When the other menial disciples walked by, they saw Lin Fan and didn''t know who he was. Until one of them thought about it for a while, pped his forehead and said, "He must be that guy, banished as a menial disciple because his cultivation root was useless." "Useless? You mean he doesn''t have a cultivation root like us?" "No, it''s worse. I heard the inquiry stone projected some beasts." "Think about it, beastspared to the cultured gentleman''s sword. What good can it be?" They agreed with the conclusion, convinced that something primordial wouldn''t be any good. Their jealousy clouded their judgment and stirred up feelings of contempt for Lin Fan. When they saw Lin Fan doing the heavy work of stacking the firewood, they felt immense satisfaction. "Poor thing, getting only one contribution point for all this work, while we''d be getting two contribution points just for boiling water." All of them burst out inughter when they recalled how few contribution points Lin Fan madepared to them. Lin Fan wasn''t bothered; he had already seen them as custodians for his contribution points. And on top of that, he could earn vengeance points from killing the beasts in the woods. He just needed to wait for a chance to recycle and reuse their contribution points. After he had finished stacking the firewood, he went into the room and passed his wooden b to the senior menial disciple. The senior menial disciple transferred one contribution point to Lin Fan and said, "There are items you can exchange with your contribution points over there. Feel free to look around." Lin Fan walked over to a shelf with different items. Spirit rice, pills, and weapons. All essential items for cultivation. Looking at the price tag of the spirit rice, he had an idea of how generous Ho Jie was. For one kilogram of spirit rice, it would cost him ten contribution points. Whereas outer disciples get ten kilograms of spirit rice per week for free. In the end, Lin Fan didn''t buy anything; he wanted to first figure out what was most crucial for him. "I will be back again tomorrow. Thanks." Lin Fan lifted the door curtain blocking the chill early spring breeze from entering, turned to the senior menial disciple, bid his farewell, and left. ¡­. When he got back to the wooden hut, Ho Jie was already back in the hut. He was pouring something hot into a huge wooden barrel in front of him. Ssh. White steam rose from the barrel, and a nice medicinal smell filled the air. "Ah, Lin Fan. You are back just in time," Ho Jie said and motioned for Lin Fan toe over. Lin Fan peeped into the barrel and saw the liquid inside was thick with an orange tint. Bits of what looked like herbs floated inside. "What''s this about?" Lin Fan asked. "This is the Essence Convergence Bath, the very first step to prepare you for cultivation. "It will toughen your skin and bones. "And it will also cleanse and open your meridian pathways for Qi flow. "Stay inside for two hours." Ho Jie chuckled and exined what the barrel was about. With that, he went on to prepare their dinner. Lin Fan then took off his robes and submerged himself into the huge barrel. At first, a stinging sensation hit his skin once it came into contact with the herbal bath. Slowly the sensation seeped through to his flesh, and then into the bone. Weirdly, there wasn''t any pain. There must have been some numbing herbs inside the mixture to counter the pain. A few minutester, Lin Fan started to feel something trying to push through the pathways of his meridian. From his dantian, the meager force slowly tried to barge its way outward to his limbs. First to his shoulders, stopped, and with another wave of force, subsequently it pushed to his elbow. When the force died down. The whole process then started to repeat itself. After a few cycles, the effect of the herbs wore off and it didn''t do anything anymore. With the effect gone, Lin Fan got out of the barrel and wiped himself dry. When he was done changing into a new set of robes, Lin Fan closed his eyes and tried to see if there was any difference. He could feel something tingling on his skin. Something that was present in the air all along, and only after the bath could Lin Fan now feel it. Qi! Finally, Lin Fan was starting his cultivation journey. By this time, Ho Jie had dinner ready and was calling for Lin Fan to join in. Before Lin Fan sat down to tuck in, he sped his hands and bowed, "Thank you. I will pay for the contribution points you used up for the bath." "No... No need for all that. Like I said before, we are in it together now. An old man like me has no use for so many contribution points. And in any case, I did barter trade for it." Ho Jie stopped Lin Fan and dragged him to sit at the table. "Barter trade? Where?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks everyone for your Golden ticket, Power Stones and gifts. Chapter 48 Black Market "I did the bartering in a ck market, not too far away. "About one kilometer away, there''s a stone marking leading to a path. "Follow the path and you will see the ck market. "It''s only open on the brightest night of the moon." Ho Jie said and stood up to retrieve something from under his bed. With a mask of a wolf in his hand, he passed it to Lin Fan and said, "Wear this mask when you go; everyone does it there to protect their identity. "You can barter, use contribution points, and money there.@@novelbin@@ "Some of the disciples do have use for money for their...erm...vices." Lin Fan shook his head when he heard thest part, and he thought cultivators would be rid of all these human desires. "Thanks," Lin Fan inspected the mask and thought about the night Ho Jie went away. So that''s where he went. Lin Fan was excited to go see what was avable, but the next full moon would be a few dayster. He would have to wait. ... Meanwhile, in the Dark Lotus Sect. Ghost Peak, with its terrain of pointed ck rocks and a forever-present red-colored mist, gave an eerie aura. On top of the peak, a cave emitted an orange glow from the burningmps inside. Skin Puppet Diao, in the middle of the cave, was looking at a body lying on a stone top. Leaning close, he marveled at the masterpiece in front of him. Master Tan''s head was now gone, and in its ce, a head of a middle-aged man with eyebrows like a sword was on it. The man''s eyes were closed and looked as if he was sleeping. Around the neck, there were crude ck-colored stitches sewn all round it. Lower on the body, where Master Tan''s hand had been torn off, a new hand was stitched on. However, this hand was much more muscr and bigger than Master Tan''s other hand. It created a horrific, yet at the same timeical, look. "Hehehe...it''s been a while, and finally, it''s time for some fun with the Qing Feng Sect." Skin Puppet Diao took out a bell from his robe and rang it. Ting. Ting. Ting. The sound of the bell echoed in the cave, causing bats to be stirred from their rest, and one by one, they fluttered out of the cave. Slowly, the eyeballs of the man''s head on Master Tan''s body rolled left to right. Master Tan''s chest also started to rise and fall. Suddenly, the eyes opened wide. Then the body got up. Master Tan was now resurrected. Skin Puppet Diao licked his lips as he walked one round around Master Tan, admiring his own work. The bell rang again, only this time, there were no bats, just Master Tan''s silhouette slowly made its way out of the cave, dancing along the wall when themps flickered. ... For the next few days, Lin Fan continued to chop down trees in the woods. It was a monotonous routine, and with his few days ofbor, he was able to earn a total of three contribution points. Having gone through the Essence Convergence Bath, he could feel his energy being prolonged. He tried out his abilities and found that he could utilize them much longer as his energy didn''t deplete as fast. Now, his cultivation started toplement his Beast Abilities by allowing his energy flow to be sustained. He''d wanted to earn some vengeance points but couldn''t. Unfortunately for him, the squirrels seemed to have learned their lessons, and none attacked him again. Soon, it was a full moon, and time for the ck market. Lin Fan wore his usual menial disciple robe and, with the mask Ho Jie had handed him, went to look for the ck market. Following Ho Jie''s instructions, it didn''t take long for him to discover the stone marking. Walking along the path, he carefully inspected the surroundings. nning in his mind what the possible routes to run would be if anything happens. He wouldn''t want to be robbed and gutted after finishing his deals in the ck market. Better to be safe than sorry. As he walked further in, he started to see others on the way. All of them also had a mask on. They had tried to size Lin Fan up and figure out who he was. This man in a wolf mask was not the usual old man that came. When they finally saw that Lin Fan''s robe was the ck menial disciple robe, they didn''t bother with him anymore. Stores started to appear very soon. Some were just a temporary setup; the sellers had only a piece of cloth on the ground, and they''d ce their wares on it. Others had wooden shelves set up, with their wares disyed prominently on top. Every store sold a wide variety of stuff. Pills, manuscripts of cultivation techniques, weapons, and even demonic beast meat. Lin Fan wasn''t too interested in anything except for pills and manuscripts. "Come, buy some of my pills. Just what you need for junior menial disciples." When Lin Fan walked past a store, the owner grabbed his hand and stopped him. From the voice, he already knew who it was. Zhang Xi. Wearing a rabbit mask didn''t help much, as she was sporting her usual ponytail. She then went on and introduced the pills she was selling. "Buy this Qi Gathering Pill, it helps in your Qi gathering ability. And also, this Body Tempering Elixir, which reinforces your skin, muscles, and bones." She picked up two bottles of pills, one in each hand, and showed them to Lin Fan. "How much?" Lin Fan asked. These pills were indeed what he needed right now at his early stage of cultivation. "Ten contribution points or two taels of silver for a bottle of pills each," Zhang Xi replied. When the store owner beside her heard the price she was asking, he wasn''t too happy and said, "Your price is ridiculously low, don''t spoil the market!" Chapter 49 Yin Yang Hammer Style "What do you mean I''m spoiling the market?" Zhang Xi shot back. The store owner protested and said, "We all sell them for at least twenty contribution points!" Both of them proceeded to go into an argument. Lin Fan figured Ho Jie must have arranged with Zhang Xi to sell him these pills at a low cost. As a way to help Lin Fan get stronger faster and join Physique Peak earlier. It''s easier to do so in the ck market without being tracked by Tan Fei''s spies. When Zhang Xi was done quarreling with the other store owner, Lin Fan asked, "Maybe you can give me a cheaper price? I''m really eager to join the Physique Peak. Without these pills, I can''t win the menial disciple rankings." Lin Fan tried to make use of the fact that Zhang Xi wanted him in the Physique Peak badly, so as to get a better price. But it didn''t work. "This is the lowest I can offer. I must cover my costs," Zhang Xi shook her head vigorously. All right, maybe she didn''t want to help too much, Lin Fan thought to himself in jest. However, he could understand her difficulties, needing to find resources to run the Physique Peak while not having the influence and manpower for it. "Deal. Here are two taels of silver for the pills," Lin Fan said and paid the two taels of silver. After he kept the two bottles of pills, he asked Zhang Xi, "Who can I approach to buy cultivation technique manuscripts?" "Thest store down this path," Zhang Xi said as she pointed at the store. Lin Fan thanked her and left. As she thought about what possible manuscript he would want to buy, something struck her. This Lin Fan still had money to buy more stuff! Stomping her feet, and hands on her hips, she mumbled under her breath, "Damn, I should''ve charged him more." The store Zhang Xi pointed at was just an open space, with a piece of cloth in front of the store owner. On top of the cloth were scrolls of manuscripts ced on top. "Feel free to look around," the store owner with his monkey mask said with a high-pitched voice in disguise. Lin Fan started to pick up the manuscripts and read the titles. Hurricane Kick Strikes. Eight Iron Palm Strike. Kirin Sword Style. Most of them didn''t appeal to Lin Fan. These manuscripts couldn''tplement his Beast Abilities, and some even contradicted them. If he learned the palm strike, his Iron w would be rendered useless.@@novelbin@@ Finally, when he picked up thest manuscript, the title immediately intrigued him. Yin Yang Hammer Style. Just the right technique for him. "How much for this?" Lin Fan asked. The store owner looked at the title and his eyes opened wide. "Should be two taels of silver, but I will charge you one tael of silver. "This manuscript has been unsold for too long." "Here. One tael of silver," Lin Fan paid for the manuscript and left the store. After one night, his three taels of silver were gone. Lin Fan had known that cultivation costs lots of money, but previously it was just a vague concept to him. Now, he knows exactly what it means. Three taels of silver could easily provide for a family of three for three years. With the pills and manuscript in hand, it was time for him to leave. On his way back, the system initially prompted him of threat with malevolent intent. It disappeared; someone had helped him take care of it. Lin Fan figured it must be Zhang Xi trying to keep him safe. When he got back to the wooden hut, Ho Jie was waiting for him. "What had you gotten from the ck market?" Ho Jie asked. Lin Fan took out the two pill bottles, showed them to Ho Jie and replied, "Some old manuscript, Qi gathering pills and Body tempering pills." Seeing the pills, Ho Jie was delighted; he proceeded and said, "Take one of each type of pill, then we can start your cultivation." After Lin Fan took the pills, Ho Jie got Lin Fan to sit in a lotus position and regte his breathing. Lin Fan did so, letting his breathing slow down, taking deeper and deeper breaths. When his breathing was stable, Ho Jie pressed his palm to Lin Fan''s back. The palm emitted a familiar feeling, tingling to Lin Fan''s skin, slowly seeping through his flesh and arriving at his dantian. With the Qi in Lin Fan''s dantian, it allowed him to connect with the Qi in the surroundings. Through his skin, the Qi slowly gathered at his dantian. Ho Jie''s eyes opened wide when he felt the Qi expanding in Lin Fan''s dantian through his palm. Sess! What amazing progress. It was only a few days, and Lin Fan could now get to Qi Concentration level stage one. Ho Jie then got his palm off Lin Fan''s back and said, "Well done, keep trying to gather the Qi to your dantian." Lin Fan tried to, and indeed the flow of Qi didn''t stop. It was able to keeping through his skin, flesh and then from his meridian to his dantian. With that, the meager amount of Qi in his dantian slowly increased. He continued for around an hour, after which he stopped as he wanted to try out his hammer. With the hammer in his hand, he injected some of his Qi into it, and its size increased. Perfect, now he can start to learn the Yin Yang Hammer style, Lin Fan thought to himself. Seeing that it was already veryte, he went to bed for the day. ¡­ Next day. Lin Fan went into the woods and chopped for firewood as usual. When he got to the menial disciple quarter, a crowd formed around a senior menial disciple. "Senior menial disciple Liang, you are finally back. Anything interesting you''ve brought back this time?" "No. I''ve only brought back the necessary supplies, vegetables, salt and sugar." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks everyone for your Golden ticket, Power Stones and gifts. Chapter 50 Master Tan? There were many carts of vegetables and goods lined up, waiting to be unloaded. Senior menial disciple Liang goes out to procure the essentials and returns once every week. "Wait, why are you guys so free today?" Senior menial disciple Liang asked when he saw so many menial disciples crowding around him. "Most of the other senior menial disciples are helping out at Alchemy Peak with an important batch of pills they''re preparing." "Right now, you''re the only senior menial disciple around." "No wonder you guys are cking," Senior menial disciple Liang said and gave out a goodugh. When Lin Fan heard the conversation, he felt something was wrong. This timing somehow seemed too impable. He took a nce through all the carts. Couldn''t see much as most were filled with vegetables or goods. When Senior menial disciple Liang saw Lin Fan looking at the carts, he asked, "Who is that guy?" "He is one of the new menial disciples, has some useless cultivation root." "Don''t bother with him." "Tell us about your adventures in the brothels instead." "Yeah, that''s more exciting." The group continued to chat among themselves. Meanwhile, Lin Fan was listening intently with his Rabbit Hearing ability. Starting from the noisy chatter to the squeaking of wheels when the carts were pushed into the storage area. Then into the storage area, the loud thuds when the vegetables were thrown onto the ground. Suddenly it all stopped. Silence inside the storage area. After a moment, he heard footsteps walking towards them, making a muted footstep sound as if the ground was wet and sticky. Lin Fan stepped back. Whatever it was, unless it was going after him, he didn''t want to get involved with what wasing. The door to the storage area flew open and chaos ensued. Two unfortunate menial disciples standing in the way got hit and the impact sent them flying a few meters away. "What... Who are you!" "Argh..." "Run!" The menial disciples went into panic and didn''t know what to do next. "Liang, help us!" With the danger at hand, they didn''t have the mind to bother with formalities anymore, addressing him directly by surname. Senior menial disciple Liang smirked, grabbed the man''s throat, and tore it out. With blood oozing out and the man struggling to breathe, it made an unsettling bubbling sound. This sent the crowd into a bigger frenzy. Their friendly senior menial disciple was not what he seemed to be. They tried to fend him off but were no match for him. All of them couldn''t even withstand a single strike from him. It was a one-sided massacre. The gray brick floor quickly got sttered with blood all over. Amidst the chaos, Lin Fan leaped far away and hid in a corner. His focus was on the man appearing from the storage area. As the man emerged out of the door, a familiar silk robe appeared in Lin Fan''s eyes. The silk robe, once smooth and elegant, had now be dirty and tattered with holes all over. Master Tan? How is it possible? He was definitely dead. Lin Fan looked closely. The body definitely looked like Master Tan, only with more rot and decay. But the face was someone unfamiliar to him. One of the hands, which should have been gone, now sported a much more muscr and bigger one than the other. When a menial disciple ran past Master Tan, a dark tentacle appeared and went through the menial disciple''s chest. "Die, you monster!" One of the menial disciples picked up a stick and whacked it at Master Tan. The muscr hand punched through the stick and continued its momentum.@@novelbin@@ St. The head of the menial disciple burst like a balloon when the punch hit. Blood, hair, skin, and brain matter sttered all over the floor. Those standing near and getting hit with the blood and tissues puked immediately. The next thing they knew was that dark tentacles had gone through them, giving them a swift and quick death. "Someone go and cry for help!" Finally, someone had the mind to seek help. They then saw Lin Fan far away in the corner. "What are you waiting for? Go and find help!" Their shouting ironically attracted senior menial disciple Liang''s attention. He smirked and ran towards Lin Fan. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 30 vengeance points.] When Lin Fan saw the vengeance points, he changed his mind. This Liang wasn''t someone he couldn''t deal with. When Liang got close enough, he threw a punch at Lin Fan. Thud! Lin Fan used his Qi to envelop his arm and blocked the punch. With the impact, Lin Fan pretended to step a few steps back. He was trying to gauge his usage of Qi in actual battle. With his level 3 physique, the punch couldn''t do any damage to Lin Fan. "Not bad. Already at Qi Concentration level. But too bad for you, I''m at Foundation Establishment level." Liang smirked and looked at Lin Fan, while wiping the blood off his hands onto his brown robes. "Foundation Establishment level?" Lin Fan said. "Yes, you heard it right. It''s toote for you now," Liang held up his hand like a w, ready to strike at Lin Fan''s throat. "I think you are mistaken; I meant to say, only Foundation Establishment?" Lin Fan said with a smirk. "What? You..." Before Liang could finish his sentence, Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap and gave him a knee blow. Foundation Establishment''s increased strength and resilience didn''t help. The brute force of Lin Fan''s strike mushed Liang''s brain and rendered him brain dead. Lin Fan made sure the blow wasn''t at full force and knocked Liang down onto the ground. He didn''t want to expose too much of his abilities. Without the brain controlling, Liang''s body twitched for a few times before stopping andy on the ground motionless, dead but with his head intact. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 30.] [Current Vengeance Points: 330] Lin Fan checked the vengeance points and prepared to leave this ce. However, by killing Liang, he''d attracted the attention of Master Tan. Master Tan with his unfamiliar head turned to Lin Fan. Chapter 51 Dark Cultivation Master Tan stood there, his ''face'' giving Lin Fan a nk stare. His pupils had no focus, just darkness. Moans and screams filled the air. The taste of iron from all the blood engulfed the area. Seeing that Master Tan had stopped his killing, all the menial disciples who were not yet dead took this chance to run away. They scurried, and some skipped if they had only one leg left, leaving a trail of blood behind them. Even those with innards exposed bore the pain, used their hands to cover their wounds, and ran. There was only one oue if they stayed: certain death. Master Tan didn''t bother with them; his focus was solely on Lin Fan now. A momentter, a familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 170 vengeance points.] When Lin Fan saw the vengeance points, he had a bad feeling. Thest time when he had finished off Master Tan and gotten 100 vengeance points was with the help of Zhao Rui and the Bai brothers. This was going to be a hard fight. Lin Fan took a step to the side, and Master Tan''s gaze followed. Guess Master Tan isn''t going to let him off again, he thought to himself. Keeping his cool, Lin Fan regted his breathing, did what he had learned. Qi from the surroundings gathered and entered his dantian. "Hehehe... Didn''t expect to find someone with dark cultivation potential here. Join me and you shall live." Master Tan spoke, but with an unfamiliar high-pitched voice, hollow and with an echo, as if it were spoken from afar. It was the voice of Skin Puppet Diao. Dark cultivation potential? What does it mean? Lin Fan figured it might have something to do with his Beast Abilities. But he wasn''t going to stick around and find out.@@novelbin@@ Knowing what the Dark Lotus sect indulged in, Lin Fan wasn''t going to have anything to do with them. "Let me go back and think about your offer." Whoosh! Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap with full power and jumped. A few dark tentacles came out from Master Tan''s body and shot at him. His feet had just gotten off the ground before being caught by the tentacles. A violent jerk followed and stopped Lin Fan''s trajectory. Master Tan shifted a few inches, leaving two trails on the ground, due to the force of Lin Fan''s fully powered leap. "Hehe. In that case, I shall not let Qing Feng sect have such precious talent," Master Tan said. Soon after, the tentacles started to pull Lin Fan toward him. Lin Fan tried to release himself from the tentacles. When his hand tried to grab hold of them, it went through them as if they were water. He looked up and, in his eyes, he saw Master Tan getting nearer and nearer. With no other options, Lin Fan focused on his dantian, directed his Qi to his hand, and the Qi enveloped it. Giving his hand a subtle white glow. Shaping his hand like a knife, Lin Fan raised it and shed at the tentacle. Snap. It worked. The Qi sessfully cut the tentacle. Before Lin Fan could get away, Master Tan appeared in front of him. Without hesitation, Lin Fan rolled to the side. Master Tan, with his muscr hand, hammered down onto the ground. Boom! The ground exploded, sending debris all over the ce. Lin Fan quickly covered his head with his hands. Small pieces from the bricks and rocks flew by but didn''t do much. Immediately, a tentacle came at Lin Fan from the right. Lin Fan turned and cut it down with his right hand. Out of his vision from the left, another tentacle had crept upon him. Crack. Like a whip, the tentacle whipped at Lin Fan''s back. "Argh." The whip attack tore Lin Fan''s ck robe, left a sh wound on his back, and blood slowly oozed out from it. The skin and flesh near the wound turned ck from the poison, sending pain through Lin Fan''s nervous system. Lin Fan knew he couldn''t keep dodging; sooner orter, he would be out of Qi and energy. He had to make it a quick and decisive battle. With this in mind, Lin Fan leaped toward Master Tan, with both of his hands he wed at him. Screech. Master Tan used his muscr hand and blocked Lin Fan''s ws. To Lin Fan''s surprise, his Iron w couldn''t prate the skin and could only leave scratches. This muscr hand must have belonged to a physique cultivator, where the body had been cultivated to withstand serious blows and cuts. When hended on the ground, tentacles came at him again. sh. Directing his Qi, he cut the tentacles off. A shadow then cast over him. Lin Fan looked, and it was the shape of a hand. It came down at him, and Lin Fan quickly leaped away. Boom! The ground exploded, and another crater was formed. When Lin Fannded, he started to feel tired. His energy was now half. So, he quickly regted his breathing again and gathered Qi. Then from his dantian, he replenished his energy with the Qi. He could only do so for a short time as he saw Master Taning for him again. When he approached, Master Tan''s ''face'' gave a weird smile, as if only the flesh moved, and said, "Hehe... now the fun''s over. Time for me to get serious." After that, all four tentacles came out of Master Tan''s body again. And at the same time, they came at Lin Fan''s four limbs. Lin Fan jumped to the left. But it was toote. His left leg was caught by one of the tentacles. Lin Fan directed his Qi to his hand and tried to break free; however, this time, the other tentacles came, grabbed his hands and remaining leg. Master Tan charged up his muscr hand with Qi, ready to give Lin Fan the final blow. Chapter 52 Hammer Time Meanwhile, those menial disciples who ran away went calling for help. Most of them went over to the Alchemy Peak to seek help with their injuries. The senior menial disciples who were there treated them and asked what had happened. When the senior menial disciples heard about the situation, they reported upward to Tan Fei. "Senior martial brother, there''s someone who hid in the grocery supplies and bypassed the security checks. He is going on a killing rampage right now." "And...," Tan Fei said as he put his freshly brewed cup of tea to his nose and smelled it, giving it an approving nod. "Should we send someone to help subdue him?" Tan Fei blew at his teacup, took a small sip of the tea, and said, "What''s the hurry? It''s only those lowly menial disciples being killed. Let the brutes at Physiques Peak and the swordsmen at Sword Peak handle it." "Yes... senior master brother." The same thing repeated itself at the Sword, Artifact, and Formation peaks; they were not in a hurry to send help. Zhao Rui had been on a mission with Ho Ming and the Bai brothers. If not, she would''ve led them over straightaway.@@novelbin@@ However, it wasn''t as dire over at the Physique Peak. "What do you mean ''bypassed security''?" Zhang Xi was furious when she heard it. "No time to find out; we better hurry and go take care of the intruder." Sun Hai reminded Zhang Xi of what was more important, and they immediately headed straight to the menial disciple quarters. ... Master Tan charging up his hand with Qi created a small stir of wind. The veins on the muscr hand popped and seemed to move as Qi umted in it. When the size of the muscr hand had gotten twice as big, Master Tan jeered and said, "Hehe... Now die!" Before Master Tan made his move, someone used the twirling wind stroke and aimed at the tentacles. Snap. The tentacles broke free when they got into contact with the twirling wind. Ho Jie! With a sword in his hand, he''d helped Lin Fan break free. Wasting no time, Lin Fan leaped over to Ho Jie''s side. Now they were twenty meters away from Master Tan. "Here, your hammers," Ho Jie untied the cloth strapped across his chest and back. He opened it and threw the pair of hammers inside the cloth, passing them over to Lin Fan. Seeing that Ho Jie was able to carry his pair of hammers, Lin Fan suspected Ho Jie was more powerful than he''d given away. Core Formation level or maybe even Nascent Soul level? A huge gust of wind snapped Lin Fan out of his thoughts. Master Tan appeared in front of him and, with his muscr hand, punched at Lin Fan''s face. Lin Fan injected Qi into his pair of hammers, and they became twice the size, blocking Lin Fan''s face from the attack in the nick of time. Dang! The sound of the hammers hitting something hard reverberated. Master Tan''s muscr hand was now mangled from the impact. However, the broken fingers twitched; slowly the flesh, bones, and tissues repaired themselves, and it was as good as new. Lin Fan didn''t want to give Master Tan any breather, so with his hammer, Lin Fan immediately rained down blow after blow at Master Tan. Master Tan raised his muscr hand and blocked. Thud. Thud. Thud. First, the skin on the hand turned red, bruised by the impact of the hammer. Slowly the skin broke, and it split open. Lastly, the bone and flesh got squashed by the blows from the hammers. Master Tan, with his muscr hand slowly turning into a pulp of meat and bones, summoned his tentacles and snapped at Lin Fan. Ho Jie immediately helped Lin Fan with his sword and shed at the tentacles. He sessfully cut the tentacles down with his sword infused with Qi. "Get away!" Master Tan shouted as he couldn''t take it anymore and did a front kick at Lin Fan''s stomach. Dang. Lin Fan had to stop his blows and blocked the kick with his hammer. With his other leg, Master Tan jumped up and kicked at Lin Fan''s hammer. The opposite reaction of his force allowed Master Tan to jump back and get away. "Hehe... You sure did surprise me, but it''s not over yet." Master Tan looked at his muscr hand, now deformed with his skin, flesh, and bones mangled in a mixture, causing it to dangle from the shoulder. "Har..." He started to give out a long breath. Blood on the ground and from the dead bodies rose up into the air. All of it then went into the mangled mess of skin, flesh, and bones on Master Tan''s shoulder. The mangled mess slowly straightened itself, with the bones being regenerated and giving it structure. Flesh enveloped the bones again, and the skin appearing out of nowhere covered the flesh in turn. The hand was back to its former state, as if nothing had happened to it. Lin Fan saw what happened and looked at the pair of hammers in his hand. His brain went into overdrive, thinking about a way out of this. Finally, an idea struck him. "Ho Jie, you help me take care of his muscr hand. Be careful; he can punch the ground with his hand and cause an explosion," Lin Fan nced at Ho Jie and said. "Ready when you are." Ho Jie gripped his sword tightly, preparing himself for the strike. After taking a deep breath, Lin Fan nced at Ho Jie, nodded, and gave the signal to attack. Ho Jie ran at the muscr hand on the right, aimed at it, and thrust his sword five times with the twirling wind stroke. On the left side, Lin Fan wielded his hammer at Master Tan''s waist. All the tentacles snapped at him while the muscr hand blocked Ho Jie''s attack. Lin Fan swiped at the tentacles with both of his hammers, sttering the tentacles away as the hammer was injected with Qi. With his left hammer, Lin Fan swiped at Master Tan''s left leg. Master Tan lifted his left leg, and without warning, Lin Fan''s right hammer came at Master Tan''s head. The Beheading Cloud strike. Chapter 53 Finale St. Lin Fan''s hammer bashed into Master Tan''s head. The impact created a huge hole in the head, with the dark steel of the hammer seated in the now concave area of Master Tan''s cheek. However, the scene of Master Tan''s body going limp and falling onto the ground didn''t happen. Master Tan used his left hand and struck his palm at Lin Fan. Thud. The palm hit Lin Fan''s chest, and he tumbled across the ground, with the dead bodies cushioning some of the impact. Lin Fan felt the Qi in his dantian going haywire and running amok through all his meridian points. "Argh..." This caused immense pain, as if he was being bitten by savage dogs, tearing at his meridian points, and he felt a taste of iron in his throat. Spit. He spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground. With Lin Fan out of the way, all the tentacles shot at Ho Jie, and Master Tan''s muscr hand hammered onto the ground repeatedly. Boom. Boom. Boom. Ho Jie, using his sword to sh away at the tentacles, couldn''t get away and was caught by the explosive strike. Like a kite, Ho Jie flew ten meters away, his blood like a red string lingering in the air for a moment before sttering onto the ground. Ho Jie''s brown robes, now wet with huge patches of red, stuck to his skin. The internal injury was too devastating, and hey motionless on the ground. Master Tan pursued Ho Jie and was ready to deal out his finishing strike after Ho Jiended. "Damn!" Lin Fan quickly used the Leader of the Pack ability to try to control Master Tan. It didn''t work. As he saw the muscr handing down onto Ho Jie, Lin Fan quickly used the ability on Ho Jie. Under his control, Ho Jie rolled to the side. Missing by a few inches, Master Tan''s muscr hand with its explosive strike dropped. Boom! Amidst the explosion, Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap, grabbed Ho Jie, and got him away from Master Tan. "Lin Fan, there are some Blood and Qi restoration pills in my robes; take them," Ho Jie used his eyes and with his gaze pointed Lin Fan to where the pills were. Lin Fan quickly took them and fed one of the pills to Ho Jie. When he saw Ho Jie get better with the bleeding stopping and him being able to get up, Lin Fan took one pill for himself. "Hehe... Why did you destroy this face? I have use for it, you know." Master Tan spoke in that high-pitched voice again. The next moment, he drew the remaining blood from all the bodies on the ground, turning them dry like mummified corpses. His head''s damaged areas slowly grew back the bones, flesh, and skin. "We are not so different; you take pills to recover, I use the blood of the dead. Join us and I can grant you powers beyond your imagination." Master Tan said as he touched his face, ensuring it was perfect and back to looking like what it was. With the pill and his energying back, Lin Fan didn''t bother much with what Master Tan said. He was thinking about how to finish him off. It was so close; if he had smashed the body into two instead of the head, or used his Iron w on the body, he might have won. "Are you all right for another go? I will try and smash his body into two this time." Ho Jie stood up, swung his arm with his sword in his hand, then turned and nodded at Lin Fan. Taking a deep breath, Lin Fan got ready to try again. However, before he made a move, a familiar voice erupted in the air. "How dare you intrude into Qing Feng sect and kill our disciples! You shall pay for this!" It was Zhang Xi, and beside her was Sun Hai. Finally, help had arrived. Whoosh! Without a word, Sun Hai leaped from where he stood, kicking up the dust and leaving a depression in the ground. When Sun Hai got near enough, he poked his fingers at Master Tan''s eyes. Master Tan raised his muscr arm and blocked it. Changing his hand into a fist, Sun Hai punched at the arm. Thud. The impact left a hole in Master Tan''s arm. Tentacles then went for Sun Hai and plunged into his body. Blood flowed out from the wounds, but Sun Hai didn''t bother. He grabbed the muscr arm and threw Master Tan onto the ground. With his feet, he stamped at Master Tan''s head. Master Tan, using his tentacles, threw Sun Hai away. Sun Hainded next to Lin Fan. He stood up, dusted off the dirt, turned to Lin Fan, and said, "Are you all right?" "I''m all right, but your wounds..." Lin Fan pointed at Sun Hai''s injuries. Sun Hai just shook his head with a smile as the flesh slowly closed over them.@@novelbin@@ Such were the powers of a physique cultivator. "Watch out!" Lin Fan shouted as Master Tan charged towards them and hammered down at Sun Hai. Sun Hai sidestepped and gave a punch at Master Tan''s waist. An exit wound opened on the other side of the waist, and innards flew out of the body. Master Tan with his muscr hand punched back at Sun Hai. Thud. Sun Hai took the blow and tumbled across the ground. With his posture now wide open, Lin Fan seized this chance and, with his hammer, smashed them at Master Tan''s body. Stter. His body sttered into pieces, sending blood and flesh all over the ce. Now Master Tan was in two halves. Lin Fan held his hammer ready to strike if one of the halves moved. Nothing happened, and a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 170.] [Current Vengeance Points: 500] Seeing the system''s notification, Lin Fan finally let down his guard and sat down to rest. What a close call. It wouldn''t be such a close shave if he were stronger. Lin Fan thought to himself as he saw all the bodies lying down and Ho Jie''s bloody robes. And to get stronger, he needed contribution points and money, lots of them. Chapter 54 Million Sword Hall "Well done with the finishing move. I see that you''re already at Qi Concentration level," Sun Hai said as he waited for his wound to close back up. "Yes, senior martial brother, I''m at Qi Concentration level now," Lin Fan sped his hands and bowed. However, he didn''t want to continue the chat as he had something much more important to do. "Do excuse me, senior martial brother. Allow me to check if there are any survivors," Lin Fan pointed in the direction of all the bodies lying on the ground. Sun Hai nodded, pleased at what apassionate person Lin Fan was. Impressed with how he still had the mind to think about rescuing others. Wasting no time, Lin Fan quickly went over to check on the bodies. Rummaging through the bodies, if he found their wooden b, he quickly transferred all the contribution points when no one was looking. After all, the owners were already dead, best not to let their contributions decay and rot into the ether. It was a pity that Lin Fan couldn''t take all the money as it would be too obvious with nowhere to hide it. Not far away, Ho Jie was busy tending to his wounds as the Blood and Qi restoration pill couldn''t heal him fully. While Lin Fan and Ho Jie did their own thing, Sun Hai was examining the remains of Master Tan. "I think I''ve seen this face before, but I can''t recall who." Sun Hai said with furrowed eyebrows when he looked at the man''s face on Master Tan''s body. When she heard what Sun Hai said, Zhang Xi came over and tried to identify the man. Scratching her head, Zhang Xi also couldn''t identify who it was. Then it hit her. If the intruder was from some evil sect, why would Sun Hai know him? So, this person most likely wasn''t from an evil sect. Zhang Xi had a gut feeling that she was onto something; she just needed to figure out thest bit of the puzzle. As she was deep in thought, the disciples from the other peaks finally arrived. When Zhang Xi saw them, she wasn''t too pleased and shouted, "What took you so long?" The disciple in charge stepped forward and said, "Sorry for the wait, senior martial sister. We came here as fast as we could when we received the request for help." It was an infallible answer and Zhang Xi couldn''t rage on. She didn''t have evidence of them taking their time and beingte on purpose. "Take down the names of those who have perished. Clear the bodies and clean this ce up," she said and pointed at Master Tan''s remains. "Except this one. This was the intruder." They sped their hands, bowed and got to work. Zhang Xi then went on her way to report to Qing Yang Zi. ¡­ Iron Fist sect. "Hehe¡­ that little distraction should keep them upied for a while." In the main hall, where the sect master of this small sect would usually sit, Skin Puppet Diao opened his eyes when he felt his control on Master Tan gone. The once prosperous sect nowy in ruins. Smoke filled with the charred smell of human flesh permeated everywhere. In front of Skin Puppet Diao, there were bodies piled up. Young and old, no one was spared. His minions, without any expression, had just finished ying thest of the survivors. Others were going through the bodies, filtering and selecting the best ones to be used for his Skin Puppetry. "Well done. Now we shall have more recruits for my army¡­ Hehe." He took out a needle, ck colored and with intricate red carvings on it. Attached to the needle was a coarse string, same as those on Master Tan''s body. Sounds of bodies being chopped apart and Skin Puppet Diao''s stitching echoed in the blood-filled hall. ¡­@@novelbin@@ Sword Peak. Million Sword Hall. There were thousands of swords hanging from the ceiling, casting a menacing aura at those below. Seated in the middle on a red sandalwood chair, Qing Yang Zi was not wearing his usualpassionate look. The peak lords sat in two rows on two sides in front of him. Other than Zhang Xi and Tan Fei, caretaker of Physique Peak and Alchemy Peak, there were Han Dang, Artifact Peak Lord, and also Zhao Ming Ye, Formation Peak Lord. "How did the intruder get past security?" Qing Yang Zi asked. There was silence. Looking up, Zhang Xi could see some of the swords hanging above swaying from Qing Yang Zi''s wrath. Zhao Ming Ye broke the silence and replied, "I figure it must be an insider job." "Ming Ye, your sect formation array isn''t working. You should get that fixed instead," Han Dang quibbled with his dissatisfaction with Zhao Ming Ye. Usually, Qing Yang Zi would let them go at each other and then harmonize the Dao at the end. But today was not any usual day. "Silence!" Qing Yang Zi fumed. nk. nk. nk. The swords above rattled in their scabbards. After a few moments, they stopped. All of the peak lords fell into silence again. It was the first time they had ever seen Qing Yang Zi this mad. After a moment, Qing Yang Zi stood up, pointed at Zhao Ming Ye, and said, "Give me a list of disciples with close links with their n and other associations. "Check who was the one to let in the menial disciple Liang. "And check who the intruder was. "I''ve maintained harmony of the Dao for far too long; I see that some have forgotten, when the time is ripe a violent storm is part of the Dao''s cycle." "Yes, sect master. I will get to the bottom of this," Zhao Ming Ye stood up and bowed. He continued andid out the actions he would take. By the side, Tan Fei squinted his eyes while Zhao Ming Ye was talking. This Qing Yang Zi is such a thousand-year-old sly fox, he thought to himself. To think that he could make use of this incident to try and get rid of his influence. He''d better discuss with the Alchemy Peak Lord, Tan Kun, when he returns from nursing the Emperor''s favorite concubine. Chapter 55 Yang Smash Yin Prod Wooden hut. After nursing his wounds, Ho Jie was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb his sleep, Lin Fan sat at the table alone. With his wooden b in hand, Lin Fan was checking the contribution points he had now. After a faint glow, the number forty appeared on the wooden b. Not bad for a hard day''s work. It wasn''t much, but it should allow Lin Fan to buy more pills. Today''s incident made him realize he needed Blood and Qi restoration pills for emergencies. That would be a priority going forward on top of the pills that helped cultivation. Lastly, he would need to learn the Yin Yang Hammer style. Master Tan''s technique of tentacles to harass and attack at long distance and with his explosive punch at close range made Lin Fan aware of how a technique could mean life or death. But first, it was time to level up. Lin Fan summoned the information panel of the system in his mind. [Current Beast Ability: 2] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Wolf Ability Level: 1] [Current Physique Level: 3 (400 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 500] [Upgrade Physique Level? Y/N] He quietly thought to himself ''Yes'' to upgrade his physique level. Immediately, he felt his stomach starting to bloat. He felt his dantian expanding with Qiing from nowhere. Then the Qi went all over his body, breaking down his tissues and rebuilding new ones. The pathways of his meridians got purged with the Qi wave after wave. His skin hardened, cracked and then fell off, revealing the new and smooth skin beneath. The wound on his back had sealed up, with the scar gone, as if he hadn''t been wounded at all. It was as if his whole body was being reced with a new one. While the process went on, Lin Fan gritted his teeth and tried not to cry out from the pain. He didn''t want to wake Ho Jie with all themotion. This went on for around a minute. When it was all over, Lin Fan could feel his body heating up. Soon after, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on upgrading your Physique.] [Your Physical strength/endurance x 2.] [Usage of abilities x 2.] He could immediately feel the vast amount of energy he had. On top of that, Qi wasing in through his skin automatically. Without the need for him to be meditating and practicing the cultivation technique. This meant that he could be replenishing his energy with Qi during battle, as long as he could drag it out. Not wanting to waste his new burst of energy, he picked up his hammer and the Yin Yang hammer style manuscript. When he was outside the wooden hut, he started to practice the strokes in the manuscript. The first stroke was called the Yang Smash. Following the instructions, he drew out his Qi,bining it with elements of Yang from the surroundings. Whoosh! The hammer went down with an orange glow, and when it hit the ground, a huge thud erupted. A hole was created due to the smash, and some of the grass started to catch fire due to the heat from the Yang Smash. Lin Fan was impressed with this stroke, high damage with the added bonus of some heat effect. He then tested out how many times he could use this stroke at his current level. Even though his dantian was expanded by the system, he could only do it five times before his Qi emptied out. After he replenished his Qi, he started with the next stroke. The Yin Prod. Opposite to the Yang Smash, the Yin Prod required him to draw out his Qi andbine it with the elements of Yin from the surroundings. He thrust the hammer forward, and the low temperature from the Yin elements created frost in the air. This would be great for trapping enemies if his level with the stroke got higher. The same thing happened when he tried to test out how many times his Qi could sustain. A total of five times before his Qi emptied out. Lin Fan thought about his strategy going forward. He would first use whatever technique with his Qi, and when his Qi emptied out, he could then use his abilities. This could buy time for his Qi to replenish. He could then use all the techniques again. Ultimately, his trump card would be his Iron ws and Leader of the Pack abilities. With the two strokes in the bag, Lin Fan decided to call it a day and went to bed. After all, it was already a very long and tiring day for him. ¡­ The next day, when he woke up, Ho Jie was already making breakfast. When he saw Lin Fan, he motioned for him toe have breakfast.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan nodded and after washing up, he joined in. With a bun in his hand, Lin Fan said to Ho Jie, "Thanks for your help yesterday." "Please stop. We are in this together; I help you and you help Ho Ming, that''s all there is to it." "Don''t worry, I will keep my part of the deal," Lin Fan smiled and said. He knew Ho Jie cared about him. From his experience, those who couldn''t stop saying how they cared for you were the worst. Deep down inside, they were always ready to backstab you at any moment. As for Ho Ming, he was not only a friend but one of his allies in the sect. Lin Fan was more than d to help him. After breakfast, Lin Fan went into the woods to chop and collect firewood. Every swing of his axe was now effortless. And with him automatically getting Qi in, his energy was being replenished constantly. Normally, it would take him three hours to finish. But today, without the need to rest and with increased strength, he was able toplete it within one hour. When he was done, he then carried the firewood to the menial disciple quarters. After what had happened yesterday, it was now totally different. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I like to thank all my readers for their support! I really appreciate it and will try to churn out good reads for you guys. Once again, thank you so much. It means a lot to me! Chapter 56 Trap There were many outer disciples with their gray robes and swords standing guard. With the loss of quite a number of menial disciples, the ce wasn''t as busy. A few menial disciples scurried around. Blood stains on the ground could still be seen, as they were difficult to remove. The whole ce now had a somber mood about it, no longer the ce where menial disciples chattered nonstop. When the menial disciples doing their work saw Lin Fan, they started to grumble among themselves. They had to do the job of several people now, because those in charge had died. But for Lin Fan, he wasn''t affected and could be on his own doing the same thing. After Lin Fan ced his firewood and went to get his contribution points, the person in charge was different. "Senior menial disciple. I don''t think I have seen you before," Lin Fan said. "Just call me Sim. I must cover for old Xu; he unfortunately died. Killed by the intruder yesterday." Lin Fan gave a sad face, sighed, and handed Sim his wooden b. While Sim was transferring his contribution points, Lin Fan noticed a poster behind him.@@novelbin@@ It was for the monthly menial disciple ranking. Those who wanted to could join and fight it out. Whoever won the most times in the year would be able to be an outer disciple. This was one of Lin Fan''s routes to be a disciple in Physique Peak. "How do I join this monthly ranking?" Lin Fan asked. Sim stopped whatever he was doing and looked up. "Are you sure? You look new. Those seniors whose cultivation level is higher than yours might kill you." Lin Fan shrugged. "Don''t worry. I can take care of myself." "If you insist, juste over on thest day of the month in the evening," Sim said with a worried look for Lin Fan. After he got his contribution points and the information he needed, Lin Fan left. He had no time to waste; he immediately continued his cultivation and practiced his Yin Yang Hammer style. ¡­ Formation Peak. In a room, dimly lit with only a few candles, Zhao Ming Ye was busy setting up a formation. On the ground was the head stitched to Master Tan''s body. Surrounding it were intricate scriptures and the Six Yao drawn with cinnabar. In the corner of the room were eight demonic beast cores, ced in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams. When Zhao Ming Ye finished thest touches on the scriptures, he stood up and walked out of the formation. He started to inject his Qi into the formation. The demonic beast cores started to glow and light up, which in turn sent white lightning to the middle of the formation array. With that, a pir of light went from the head to the ceiling. Zhao Ming Ye looked up and the pir of light projected imagery. From the man''s point of view, he bid farewell to his disciples. Stepped out, turned around and looked at the sect he''d left behind. On top of the door was a que: ''Storm Fist Thunder Sect''. The next scene was the man shouting the name, ''Skin Puppet Diao''. And Skin Puppet Diao with a knife swung at his neck, and then the projection went nk. Beads of sweat appeared on Zhao Ming Ye''s forehead. This man was someone from the Storm Fist Thunder sect. And after he was killed by Skin Puppet Diao, it was not his own doing anymore. If not, Zhao Ming Ye would''ve been able to see more imagery going forward. It was how this memory recall formation array worked. Zhao Ming Ye wasted no time and went over to the Sword Peak immediately. ¡­ Sword Peak. Million Sword Hall. All of the peak lords had gathered for Zhao Ming Ye''s briefing. They listened intently to what Zhao Ming Ye had seen. "What do you mean he is not from an evil sect?" Qing Yang Zi asked when he heard Zhao Ming Ye''s briefing. "I believe it''s a trap set by the evil sect," Zhao Ming Ye replied. Qing Yang Zi squinted his eyes, thought for a moment and said, "We might have a little bit of trouble soon in Qing Feng sect; get your disciples prepared. Keep the head preserved and ensure you can use the memory recall formation again." "Yes, sect master, I''ve already put the head in a preservation formation." Qing Yang Zi nodded and continued, "Send out wanted notices for this Skin Puppet Diao. I believe he has something bigger ready for us." "Yes, sect master," Zhao Ming Ye sped his hands and bowed. Tan Fei, after sipping from his teacup, chimed in, "Sect master, why don''t we just destroy the head and no one else would know?" He was still unhappy that Qing Yang Zi was trying to get rid of those loyal to the Tan family. Qing Yang Zi fumed; the air out of his nose stirred his long mustache and beard. "Hmph, there were so many witnesses. Words would get out eventually. Unless you are suggesting I kill them all," Qing Yang Zi said. With that, he threw back the question to Tan Fei. Unable to refute, Tan Fei just sheepishly smiled and pretended to sip his tea again. Seeing that Tan Fei wasn''t as vocal as before, Zhang Xi asked, "Sect master, since there will be troubles soon, can I get Lin Fan to help when I need it?" "Sure, I don''t see any problem with that," Qing Yang Zi said. Zhang Xi stole a nce at Tan Fei, to see if he had anything to say. Tan Fei just continued with his tea, as if Zhang Xi hadn''t said anything. "All right, dismissed. Get all of your disciples to be on guard," Qing Yang Zi said as he rubbed his temple. Things were going to get heated up soon. He knew Skin Puppet Diao was just one of Dark Lotus sect''s chess pieces. The feeling of being one step behind wasn''t nice; he would have to be on the offensive soon. Chapter 57 Monthly Rank Match [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 50.] [Current Vengeance Points: 150] Lin Fan looked at the information panel in his mind as he wiped the blood of dead squirrels off his axe. 50 vengeance points¡ªa long way to go before getting the 800 vengeance points for the next level up. He was thinking about getting deeper into the woods to try and kill stronger beasts for higher vengeance points. The next level up was crucial for him. One more beast ability slot and he would also be able to get abilities from demonic beasts from then on. But this would have to wait until after he got the Blood and Qi restoration pills from the ck market. Which was just a few more days away. And before that, his monthly ranking. "Lin Fan! Long time no see!" Ho Ming was waiting for him when Lin Fan came back from the woods. With a wide smile, he greeted him back. Ho Ming now looked fitter, wearing his dark blue robe of inner disciple and carrying two swords on his back. "Why are you here? Shouldn''t you be busy cultivating, dear senior martial brother?" Lin Fan said teasingly. "Stop it. I need your help to spar with me. I want to win the new disciples'' ranking, especially against that Tan Rui," Ho Ming replied. Unlike the menial disciples'' ranking, the inner and outer disciples'' rankings were ced in separate brackets. Most menial disciples wouldn''t even get past the Qi Concentration level, so bracketing wasn''t necessary. Upon hearing Tan Rui''s name, Lin Fan was more than ready to help. "He has all the supplies of pills and elixirs he could get from the Alchemy Peak; his cultivation level is now higher than mine." Ho Ming exined the situation and why he was not confident of winning. "Let''s get to it then," Lin Fan agreed, as it was good preparation for his monthly ranking too. Wasting no time, he went into the wooden hut for his hammer, and they started. With both swords in each of his hands, Ho Ming made the first move, dealing a twirling wind strike with his right hand at Lin Fan. Lin Fan wielded his hammer with Yang Smash at the twirling wind, rendering it useless. Not giving Lin Fan time to strike, Ho Ming came at him with his left hand, his swording close to his body and cutting at awkward angles, like a slithering snake. Lin Fan stepped forward, suddenly got close to Ho Ming, and gave him a headbutt. This caught Ho Ming by surprise; he didn''t expect anyone to use their head as a ''weapon''. "Argh." "You all right?" Lin Fan stopped as Ho Ming rubbed his forehead in pain. It was a short pay, and Lin Fan knew how Ho Ming could do better. "You are too studious, following each move as you were taught. It''s life and death out there; you must be more cunning and ruthless. Come try again." Lin Fan understood why Ho Ming was being so studious; he had been groomed his whole life to just follow what Ho Fu wanted him to do. Living a rtively smooth-going lifepared to himself. But that wouldn''t cut it going forward. It was time to put some reality into him. They then continued, and Lin Fan showed Ho Ming all the different ways to make use of his strikes. Like performing routine patterns for two times, and on the third time surprising the enemy. Also how to use his head, knee, and even the dirt on the ground. Whatever it took to win.@@novelbin@@ Soon it was evening time. Ho Ming sat on the ground exhausted. "It''s time for me to go. Doe and see how I do in the monthly ranking," Ho Ming stood up and said. Lin Fan nodded and replied, "I will be there. Nothing delights me more than seeing that Tan Rui lose." Of course, when the timees, I will ensure that he dies, Lin Fan thought silently to himself. ... Finally, it was the day for the monthly disciple rankings. The match for the inner disciples happened in the afternoon, so Lin Fan could spare the time and see how Ho Ming performed. It was held at the central square, and hordes of inner disciples in blue robes stood around the sparring area. "Lin Fan, over here!" When Ho Ming spotted Lin Fan, he waved at him. All the disciples turned and looked. They were curious who this Ho Ming''s friend was; with his Double Sword Cultivator root, his friend mustn''t be doing too badly. Their faces went from being curious to confusion and disgust when they saw Lin Fan in his ck robe. A menial disciple? What the hell is going on! Before they could say anything, what they saw next made them perturbed. Ho Ming seemed to be asking questions about his strikes from this menial disciple. Who did this menial disciple think he was? Some sect grand master? "Next match up, Tan Rui versus Ho Ming. The rules are as follows: no deliberate killing, cutting off limbs, or decapitation. Anything that the Blood and Qi restoration pills cannot heal, don''t do it. Other than that, try your best." Ho Ming and Tan Rui then stepped into the middle of the sparring area. Each of them holding iron swords with a blunt de to minimize casualties. "Junior martial brother Tan! Show him what you can do!" "Go forth, junior martial brother Tan, don''t be afraid. Your cultivation level is higher than Ho Ming''s." "Asking advice from a menial disciple? Pfft, Ho Ming doesn''t have any chance." The disciples started rooting for Tan Rui. Tan Rui had been generous with his cultivation-aiding pills. Moreover, this Ho Ming must be taught a lesson, asking advice from a menial disciple. Lin Fan just focused and watched. All the chatter was like white noise to him. "Bow to each other." Ho Ming and Tan Rui sped their hands and bowed. "And..." before the judge could say the word "start," Tan Rui stood up and lunged at Ho Ming. The inner disciples smirked. That should teach you to be so na?ve; the real world is more dangerous and evil than this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank everyone for your support! Chapter 58 Cheater "Die!" Tan Rui shouted as he hacked down at Ho Ming with his sword. To his surprise, Ho Ming thrust forward with the sword in his right hand and raised the sword in his left to block Tan Rui''s sword. He had gone through all the different possible scenarios with Lin Fan, and this was the most predictable one Tan Rui would make. "Argh." The tip of the sword, although blunt, still caused a considerable amount of pain for Tan Rui. When they saw this, the inner disciples gritted their teeth and nearly wanted to blurt out "cheater" at Ho Ming. Ho Ming didn''t let Tan Rui have time to react. He thrust again with the twirling wind strike, which Tan Rui rolled and dodged. The next moment, Ho Ming got close and used the slithering strike on Tan Rui. Tan Rui turned half a circle and, with a backhand, shed at Ho Ming''s head. It missed as Ho Ming leaped back. Even with some distance between them, Ho Ming thrust with his twirling wind strike again. This time Tan Rui couldn''t be bothered to dodge and shed in the form of an X, and the wind de went at Ho Ming. Ho Ming sidestepped but was caught by the wind de at his leg. His robe ripped open, and a sh wound was left on his leg. He didn''t bother and lunged at Tan Rui with his slithering strike again. Tan Rui grinned and, once again, turned and shed at Ho Ming. This time Ho Ming''s leap back wasn''t fast enough, and it caught Ho Ming''s shoulder. All the inner disciples snickered. What a dumb fool. Doing the same thing repeatedly. Is that what that menial disciple taught him? Don''t tell me he''s going to do it again. When they saw Ho Ming thrusting out his sword with a twirling wind strike again, they finally couldn''t help butugh out loud. What a fool, Tan Rui thought to himself as he sidestepped, waiting for Ho Ming''s slithering strike next. Thud! To his surprise, Ho Ming lunged and headbutted him. The impact knocked Tan Rui back, and he stumbled, trying to stand up. Ho Ming then threw his sword in his left hand at Tan Rui. With no other choice, Tan Rui swiped it away with his sword. But by this time, Ho Ming had already leaped to his side, and Ho Ming thrust out his twirling wind strike at close range towards Tan Rui''s waist. "Argh!" Tan Rui shouted out in pain as the twirling wind strike drilled into his flesh and created a wound. Luckily, Tan Rui''s cultivation level wasn''t low, and the strike didn''t go in any further. Ho Ming then pulled back his arm, ready to plunge his sword into the wound, but before he could do that, a voice shouted. "Stop! I dere Ho Ming as the winner." "What! I can still fight! How could I lose!" Tan Rui, with a hand holding onto his wound, wasn''t too happy with the judge, and he protested. "Yes, how can you dere a win for Ho Ming!" "Tan Rui obviously can still fight." "Let them fight!" The inner disciples weren''t too happy with the result, and they joined in the protest too. Being the one in the limelight, Ho Ming didn''t bother, and he just looked at Lin Fan. Lin Fan nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Even though Ho Ming didn''t know what a thumbs up meant, he thought it most likely meant something good. "Silence! Ho Ming won because if I didn''t stop him, his next strike would have gone in through the wound and Tan Rui might have died." The judge shouted and gave his justification of why he deemed Ho Ming to have won. This shut them up for good. They started to doubt their view of Lin Fan. Maybe he was not what he seemed to be. He might even be better than Ho Ming?@@novelbin@@ "Competitors leave the sparring area; next two get ready." The ranking matches for new disciples went on, and the others weren''t a match for Ho Ming. And he got first ce for the monthly ranking within the new disciple bracket. With a handsome reward of a hundred contribution points. Tan Rui, after being defeated, didn''t do well and lost to others who weren''t as good. "Lin Fan, here, my reward of a hundred contribution points. I think it should belong to you." When Lin Fan saw Ho Ming walk over, Ho Ming took out his wooden b and wanted to gift him the reward. "No, I can''t take it. You need the points for your pills and elixirs for cultivation." "But you''ve helped me so much," Ho Ming insisted. "All right. Since you insist, just fifty contribution points will do," Lin Fan said and took over the wooden b and transferred fifty contribution points over. He''d created this bargaining scenario so that Ho Ming would get to keep fifty contribution points. Otherwise, he knew Ho Ming would be pestering him to take all the reward. Ny contribution points, not bad for a start, Lin Fan thought as he checked the bnce in his wooden b. "Now that your ranking is over, it''s time for mine now," Lin Fan said, turned, and walked towards the direction of the menial disciple quarter. "Let mee with you," Ho Ming said. When all the other inner disciples heard what Lin Fan had said, they were intrigued. This was their chance to see who this menial disciple was. And also find out why Ho Ming, a Double Sword cultivation root holder, would be asking for his advice. Instead of going back to their peak to meditate, it was a no-brainer for them to go and see for themselves. When they got to the menial disciple quarters, they were surprised. The sparring area was just the open area in front of the quarters. There were groceries, furniture, and even clothing being washed at the perimeter of the sparring area. It reminded them of why they''d looked down on menial disciples. To their relief, the first match immediately started, and it was Lin Fan''s match. "Next match up, Lin Fan versus Low Pei." Chapter 59 Ho Jie and Ho Ming When the menial disciples saw all the inner disciples in their dark blue robes descend upon the menial disciple quarters, they thought they were about to get beaten up. After what they''d just gone through, they shuddered to think what would happen next. Were the inner disciples here because someone had made them mad? They sighed in relief when they saw the inner disciples just looking intensely at the match about to start. And when they found out their focus was Lin Fan, they cursed at him silently. What had he done to rile up the inner disciples to the extent that they woulde over here? The judge for the match, a senior menial disciple, froze as he saw so many spectators surrounding him. After a short moment, heposed himself, raised his hands, and shouted, "Next match up, Lin Fan versus Low Pei. "The rules are as follows: no deliberate killing, cutting off limbs, or decapitation. "Anything that the Blood and Qi restoration pills can''t heal, don''t do it." When the judge put down his hand, Low Pei lunged at Lin Fan. With his hand raised, Low Pei aimed and let out a twirling wind strike at Lin Fan''s eyes. Trying to destroy Lin Fan''s eyes and his brain. Lin Fan sidestepped and dodged it, but he wasn''t too happy. Wasn''t this against the rules? He punched at Low Pei''s waist, sending him tumbling across. Low Pei tried to stand up, using the sword as support. But he puked out a mouthful of blood and dropped to the ground. His internal organs were badly damaged from Lin Fan''s punch. Lin Fan, with his level 4 physique, didn''t even need to make use of his Qi and techniques. His physique had long been enough to overpower a Qi Concentration level cultivator. The judge, seeing what had happened, quickly stood between Low Pei and Lin Fan. He immediately raised his hands and dered the winner. "Stop! I dere Lin Fan as the winner." Lin Fan just turned around and waited for the next match. As if it was a given result for him. The menial disciples kept quiet as they knew how good Low Pei was. He was already at Qi Concentration level, stage five. The highest level amongst them all. Yet Lin Fan just finished him with a punch. However, the inner disciples thought otherwise and shook their heads. What were they expecting?@@novelbin@@ At these menial disciples'' level, it was a given they would fight like amateurs. Some of them lost interest and left, cursing at the time they''d wasted, thinking Lin Fan would be some grand master. Those who stayed wanted to find out whether Lin Fan was hiding his true skills. But they didn''t have the chance. Subsequent opponents for Lin Fan''s matches gave up and didn''t even dare to step into the sparring area. "Damn! Should have left earlier." "What a waste of time." "To think I thought he had something up his sleeve." The rest of the inner disciples cursed and left as Lin Fan was dered monthly ranking champion. "I dere Lin Fan as this month''s ranking champion. Come, receive your ten contribution points reward." The judge shouted as he motioned for Lin Fan toe over. Lin Fan handed over his wooden b and received the reward. Not bad for today, Lin Fan thought as he held the wooden b in his hand and checked the bnce. He now had a hundred contribution points and could buy stuff he needed at the ck market tonight. "Congrats, Lin Fan!" Ho Ming congratted Lin Fan and said, "You wait for me in your wooden hut. We should have a little celebration." "All right. I don''t know what you are nning, but it better be good," Lin Fan said in jest. With a pat on Ho Ming''s back, Lin Fan turned around and went on his way. As he walked by, the other menial disciples made way for him. To think that they''d thought Lin Fan, with his unknown cultivation root, was some useless cultivator. They now realized they were so wrong about it. ... Wooden hut. Lin Fan was drinking tea with Ho Jie when Ho Ming came in. "This is..." Ho Jie asked when he saw Ho Ming. "Good evening. I''m Ho Ming from An Xiang vige, same as Lin Fan." Ho Ming sped his hands and bowed. "Ah... What a coincidence, we have the same surname. Wee, do have a seat. Let me go and make dinner," Ho Jie startled for a second and offered to make dinner, giving Lin Fan a side eye. Lin Fan recalled Ho Jie had said he had never seen Ho Ming before. He was nted in Qing Feng sect even before Ho Ming was born. Ho Jie must have had his own reasons he didn''t want to introduce himself as Ho Ming''s uncle. Lin Fan nodded to Ho Jie, promising not to expose him. "Wait, I brought five kg of spirit rice and demonic beast meat. Let''s celebrate our wins with great food." "Awesome, just what I need right now after all the matches," Lin Fan wasn''t someone shy with rewards, so he happily epted the rice and meat. "But you only fought one match, and it was over..." Ho Ming stopped when he realized Lin Fan was humble-bragging. But Ho Ming was happy; this was a side of Lin Fan that he rarely showed to anyone. A side shown only to someone close to him. When dinner was ready, they tucked in heartily. The spirit rice and demonic beast meat replenished Lin Fan''s Qi. "If you need, I can bring my weekly allocation of spirit rice and demonic beast meat. I can''t finish them all." Ho Ming offered as he finished thest piece of meat fried with soy sauce. Lin Fan wanted to say yes so Ho Jie could see Ho Ming more often. But Ho Jie squinted his eyes at Lin Fan. Lin Fan then knew what to reply, "No need for that. At my level, they only replenish my Qi but wouldn''t help much in my cultivation." With that, Ho Jie lifted his teacup and blew the hot steam rising away from his face. Chapter 60 Storm Brewing When Ho Ming left, Lin Fan asked, "Why wouldn''t you want to see more of your nephew?" Ho Jie gave out his usual chuckle and said, "No point making that kid sad if anything happens to me. "Everyone has their destiny in life. "Yours and Ho Ming''s is to cultivate and be the best amongst all the cultivators. "Mine has been decided long ago. "And that is to do whatever it takes to change the fortunes of the Ho family." Lin Fan nodded and didn''t say anything further. It was Ho Jie''s decision after all. When it was nightfall, Lin Fan put on his wolf mask and went to the ck market. He only wanted Blood and Qi restoration pills this time. After the close battle with Master Tan, it made him realize the importance of having some recovery pills. When he arrived at Zhang Xi''s store, she was there with her usual rabbit mask. Bored and twirling her ponytail, as there was no one in front of her store. "Do you have Blood and Qi restoration pills?" Lin Fan asked. Zhang Xi perked up when she saw it was Lin Fan. "Forty contribution points for one bottle." "What? Forty contribution points?" Lin Fan was surprised when he heard the price. At the menial disciple quarters, it was going for thirty contribution points. Usually, it was expected to cost less on the ck market as sometimes the pills were of unsavory sources. That''s why he preferred the ck market. What was she up to? he thought. Either Zhang Xi had gotten better at negotiation, or she was giving her price out of nowhere. "Yes, forty unless..." Zhang Xi didn''t finish her sentence, waiting for Lin Fan''s response. "Unless what?" Lin Fan asked. He wasn''t annoyed but impressed that she had gotten better this time, knowing how to set up the conversation for negotiation. "Help when my friend asks for assistance," Zhang Xi said. Lin Fanughed and said, "Sure, but how do I know who is your friend? Miss Rabbit. "And how would you know who I am? Anyone could be under this wolf mask." "I..." Zhang Xi didn''t want to break her cover, but she hadn''t thought about it. Lin Fan smirked and said, "All right, maybe when your friend needs help, cry out ''Pa Pa'' three times. My friend would then know it''s her." "You! You..." Zhang Xi was angry she got teased, but Lin Fan''s suggestion gave her a direction. And she quickly thought of something. She took out a ne from her neck, and on the ne were two jade pendants. One was a sword and the other an axe. She took them off and gave the axe pendant to Lin Fan. "My friend will be wearing this pendant with the sword; that''s how you know it is her." "And my friend helping will be having this axe pendant," Lin Fan picked up the axe pendant and said. "Your friend... hmm.... All right. Deal, twenty contribution points for the Blood and Qi restoration pills." She was guessing that he knew that she knew, but for the sake of not blowing each other''s cover, she agreed. Lin Fan bought four bottles of the pills, which set him back eighty contribution points. But for the sake of survival, he was more than happy to use up the points. His exploration deeper into the woods might have some nasty surprises for him; he''d better be prepared for any mishaps. ... Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi was reading a visit request letter. Normally he would be all smiles and happy to acknowledge the request and invite the guests. But this time he was frowning as he read the request. It was from Low Qiang, the sect master of Storm Fist Thunder sect. Low Qiang had written to request a visit, wanting to rify rumors floating around that Qing Feng sect had killed his brother Low Tian. He''d hoped that to maintain the peaceful presence between the two sects, Qing Yang Zi could grant him this visit. "Guess what wille wille," Qing Yang Zi sighed and started to write his reply. After he was done, he looked up and said to the peak lords sitting in front of him, "Storm Fist Thunder sect will being. Be prepared for some confrontation. Ming Ye, keep Low Tian''s head safe; all-out war will happen if anything happens to it." "Yes, sect master. I will not fail this time. I''ve asked martial uncle Zhao Qing Ying toe back and help." When Qing Yang Zi heard Zhao Qing Ying''s name, he rubbed his temple. Although Zhao Qing Ying was so much stronger than him, he''d always been aloof and wandered all over Quan Dynasty. Sometimes even further. "Hope Qing Ying can make it back in time. All right, all of you dismissed." The peak lords stood up, sped their hands, and bowed. "Yes, sect master." Tan Fei replied, "Yes, sect master" like the others but deep down inside, he had other ideas when he heard what was going to happen. This might be the best chance for the Tan family to get rid of Qing Yang Zi. ... A few days passed. Lin Fan''s cultivation went smoothly, and his Qi level now allowed him to perform ten times of his Yang Smash. He reckoned he''d broken through to Qi Concentration level, stage two. Considering he had joined for only a month, his progress was extraordinary. This finally let Lin Fan feel ready to venture further into the woods. He took all his essentials: hammer, axe, and pills.@@novelbin@@ Everything that could ensure his survival. When he passed the area he usually chopped for firewood, he started to make markings on the tree trunks. It got darker and more eerie as he went further. Lin Fan could hear howls and roars from afar. Rustle. The sound of leaves rustling made Lin Fan stop in his tracks. He quickly activated his Rabbit''s Hearing and listened. Fur brushed along the bushes. The beast stopped its howling and started to breathe softly. It was getting ready to pounce on Lin Fan. Chapter 61 Ember Wolf A familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Ember Wolf with malevolent intent for 80 vengeance points.] Lin Fan prepared himself when he saw the vengeance points. With his pair of hammers in his hands, he waited. The Ember Wolf pounced onto Lin Fan, thinking that Lin Fan wasn''t aware of its presence. Dang! Lin Fan swung his right hand up, and the hammer hit the Ember Wolf''s head. The impact sent it tumbling across the ground, stirring the fallen leaves. Thud.@@novelbin@@ Its back hit the trunk of a tree. The Ember Wolf got up and shook its head. "Grr¡­" It growled and showed its deadly fangs to Lin Fan. Lin Fan began to feel the air surrounding him heating up. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. He felt pain on his exposed skin as the heat intensified. Keeping calm, he quickly directed his Qi and got ready to use his Yin Prod. Boom! The Ember Wolf enveloped itself in mes and lunged at Lin Fan. Leaves and twigs on the ground started burning from the mes. Lin Fan saw the Ember Wolfing at him like a bullet on fire. From a bright orange dot, it grew bigger and bigger as the Ember Wolf got closer. Bam! Lin Fan used the Yin Prod and hit it head-on. He had to take a few steps back to absorb the impact. The Ember Wolf wasn''t any better; it had a depression on its forehead, making it disoriented. Frost on its forehead from Lin Fan''s Yin Prod reacted with the Ember Wolf''s me, turning into steam immediately. With the Ember Wolf being disoriented, it shot small fireballs from its body in all directions. The surroundings started to catch fire; smoke slowly filled the air. Lin Fan took a deep breath and held it. He quickly injected Qi into his hammers, making them twice as big. With that, he used the Yin energy and his Yin Prod, created frost in the air, and tried to put out the fire. But it was not enough. He had to stop it from the source. Ignoring the fireballsing at him, Lin Fan lunged at the Ember Wolf with his Magnificent Leap, and with the hammers in his hands, rained down blow after blow. Thud! Thud! Crack! Sounds of the Ember Wolf''s skull cracking echoed in the air. The Ember Wolf''s head was absolutely crushed by Lin Fan''s relentless smashing. It fell to the ground, twitched uncontrobly for a few times, theny motionless. A familiar sound subsequently erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 80] [Current Vengeance Points: 230] [Host''s level is currently too low to gain Demonic Beast''s abilities.] [Minimum Level Required: 5] Lin Fan smiled as he saw the system''s information panel. To think that now he could take on enemies worth 80 vengeance points alone. It wasn''t so long ago that he had to deal with enemies with fewer vengeance points with others. His cultivation journey was definitely on the right track. He quickly moved to put out the mes. Using his Yin Prod, he was done after a few minutes. Looking at the Ember Wolf''s body, he didn''t know how to get the demonic beast core, so he decided to ask Ho Jie. First, he let the blood drain from the Ember Wolf. It would be dangerous if he left a trail of blood in the woods to the wooden hut. Hell knows what other demonic beasts might follow him. As he slit the throat of the Ember Wolf, he could feel the woods getting more lively. Leaves rustled, twigs fell from above. Distant roars and howls grew closer. His heart pounded as he waited for the blood to empty from the slit wound. When the blood slowly stopped to a trickle, Lin Fan carried the body and hurriedly left. He followed his own markings and finally got back to the wooden hut safely. "Well, well. What have you got there?" Ho Jie was surprised when he saw Lin Fan carrying an Ember Wolf on his back. The Ember Wolf''s bright orange fur was unmistakable. "I went hunting and managed to kill this demonic beast. Do you know how to get the demonic beast core?" Lin Fan replied, panting from exhaustion. There was no need for Lin Fan to hide his capability from Ho Jie. Especially after their battle with Master Tan. Both of them knew they were more powerful than they seemed. "Demonic beast core? Let me show you." Ho Jie took out a cleaver and slit the Ember Wolf''s chest open. His hand went in and probed. "The demonic beast core is usually right next to the heart," Ho Jie said as his hand dug around inside the Ember Wolf''s chest. Soon after, his eyes widened and with a tug, he pulled out the heart. Next to the heart was an orange stone, translucent like a precious stone. "You could sell this, but my advice is to keep it. You will need the demonic beast core when you try to break through from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation." Ho Jie chuckled and marveled at the demonic beast core. "Thanks, Uncle Ho Jie. What about the fur? Can I sell it?" Lin Fan asked. He was not going to waste a chance at reusing. "Definitely, it''s highly sought after by rich folks in Hong Feng city. Let me settle it for you, if you trust me." "Thanks! You can take a thirty percent cut." "Forget about the cut. And let me guess. Yes, the meat shall be our dinner," Ho Jie chuckled and replied even before Lin Fan asked the question. Night fell. Lin Fan looked at the empty te in front of him. The Ember Wolf''s meat wasn''t tasty, tough and with a texture that made your tongue sore. But he could immediately feel the Qi flowing into his dantian was more than usual. With the vengeance points and demonic beast core from today''s haul, Lin Fan was already nning more ventures into the woods. Chapter 62 Yin Yang Cross Smash Alchemy Peak. In a dimly lit room with just some candles, men in masks knelt before Tan Fei, who sat on a chair in front of them. Tan Fei sipped tea from his teacup. He savored the tea and looked down at the men waiting for his instructions. He put down his teacup and asked, "Has contact been made with the Storm Fist Thunder sect?" "Yes, Lord Tan. Our messenger is already on his way," the masked man nearest to him replied. Tan Fei nodded. He would wait for their reply and execute his ns ordingly. "Be prepared to execute the n. The time should be near," Tan Fei said. "Yes, Lord Tan. We are ready toy down our lives for the Tan family," all the men replied in unison. "Good. Remember, your families will be taken care of if anything happens to you." Tan Fei stood up, turned, and left. The masked men followed suit, returning to their respective ces in the sect. With the Storm Fist Thunder secting, this was Tan Fei''s best chance to get rid of Qing Yang Zi. Under the moonlight, Lu, who had just left the meeting, kept his mask on and walked his usual route back to the Formation Peak. "Up sote, Lu?" "I got too engrossed in my cultivation and forgot about the time."@@novelbin@@ Lu passed by fellow disciples and acted normally. Until he stumbled upon something that nearly tripped him to the ground. "Damn!" he cursed and looked at what he had nearly tripped on. It was an old man lying on the ground with a wine gourd in his hand. "Drunkard!" Lu cursed at the old man and tried to step on his face. The old man turned, making him miss, and started snoring. This made Lu even angrier. He grabbed the old man''s clothes and tried to get him up. He couldn''t. The old man, who looked thin and was about Lu''s height, felt like he weighed a ton. "Wake up, you old fool!" Lu raised his hand to p the old man. But his hand froze in midair. An aura came from the old man. Lu''s shoulders felt heavy, his heart pounding faster and faster. Sweat started forming. He wanted to move but couldn''t. The drunkard old man now felt as if he were a sword. Lu could feel his skin being cut from the aura. He wanted to cry out but couldn''t. The drunkard old man was at least Soul Transformation level, or maybe even higher. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. He wanted to beg for forgiveness, but nothing came out of his mouth. "Hey there, young man. You know the way to the Sword Peak?" The old man stood up with unsteady steps. "No? Hmph, young people nowadays, so rude. Not replying to an elder," the old man was not happy and lifted Lu with one hand as he went on his way. ... Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi sat in his chair as the old man stood with Lu in front of him. "I got you your man. Where''s the wine you promised?" the old man yawned and pushed Lu to the front. "Qing Ying, be serious. Qing Feng sect needs you now," Qing Yang Zi wasn''t too pleased with his junior martial brother''s behavior. Zhao Qing Ying twitched his nose, scratched his back, and said, "All right, just let me know when you need help. I''ll be around..." He quickly turned and staggered out of the Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi''s nagging brought back memories of his master, and he wasn''t about to relive them. "You... Just leave the man here. I have my own ways," Qing Yang Zi pointed at Zhao Qing Ying but couldn''t say much. With Qing Ying''s cultivation talents, he would''ve been sect master if not for his happy-go-lucky character. Qing Yang Zi shook his head and got to work. He waved his hand, and men dressed in ck robes emerged from the shadows. They got Lu up and started their job. Lu''s screams filled the hall while his memories were extracted. Qing Yang Zi looked at the Go chessboard on the table by his side. All the ck stones had surrounded the white stones. There were only a few moves left for the white stones. If the white stones couldn''t y the remaining moves well, it would be checkmate for them. ... Wooden Hut. Lin Fan was outside practicing his Yin Yang Hammer style. It was time for him to learn the next stroke. "Yin Yang Cross Smash," Lin Fan mumbled as he read the manuscript. When he finished reading the instructions, he tried out the stroke. First, he directed his Qi to both hammers. One of the hammers grew glowing hot and the other freezing cold. He walked to a tree trunk, raised his hands, and smashed the hammers down with an inward swing at the tree trunk. The heat and cold from both hammers reacted and Boom! It caused an loud explosion. The tree trunk was blown to smithereens and the tree started to fall. Lin Fan felt his Qi level drop rapidly. He figured he could use this stroke three times before his Qi ran out. Satisfied with his progress, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and called it a day. After catching his breath, he summoned the information panel for his status in his mind. [Current Beast Ability: 2] [Wild Rabbit Ability Level: 1] [Wolf Ability Level: 1] [Current Physique Level: 4 (800 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 230] Looking at his stats, Lin Fan still needed 570 vengeance points to reach the next level. He would have to make more trips deeper into the woods to hunt for demonic beasts and gain more vengeance points. As for his promotion to outer disciple, he would just have to keep winning in the monthly ranking. No one could stand a chance against him among all the menial disciples. Unless something extraordinary happened. Chapter 63 Storm Fist Thunder Sect Arrives Million Sword Hall. The peak lords sat in front of Qing Yang Zi, wondering what it was all about. Qing Yang Zi had a letter in his hand and said, "There''s an urgent mission from the general at the western front. "They need assistance with formation arrays to ward off the demonic beast hordes. "Ming Ye, bring your senior disciples and render assistance as soon as possible." Han Dang immediately stood up and said, "Sect master, our weapons from the Artifact Peak can help as much. I don''t think this should be entrusted to Zhao Ming Ye." "I''ve had enough of you!" Zhao Ming Ye stood up and pointed at Han Dang. "Stop it. This is urgent and non-negotiable. If Qing Feng sect wants to stay the top sect in Quan Dynasty, we had better help." Tan Fei sat quietly, sipping his tea. Seeing how Han Dang was his normal self, fighting for the chance with Zhao Ming Ye, he was convinced the urgent mission was real. This was his chance. The next day, when they set off, he''d made sure he saw Zhao Ming Ye and all the senior disciples out of Qing Feng sect. With Zhao Ming Ye away, Tan Fei could now execute his n. He hurriedly wrote a letter to be sent to the inn where the Storm Fist Thunder sect was staying. ... Next day. After finishing chopping and gathering of firewood, Lin Fan carried them over to the menial disciple quarters as usual. When he arrived, he realized that everyone looked at him differently. Some came up and greeted him, trying to make small talk. Lin Fan just smiled and nodded. These weathercocks, Lin Fan thought. Now that they knew how strong Lin Fan was after the monthly ranking, they tried to be on his good side. It was not so long ago that they had made fun of his unknown cultivation root. "Come, let me help you," Sim, the senior menial disciple, came out and offered help when he saw Lin Fan. "Sure, here you go," Lin Fan put down the huge stack of firewood on his back and rxed his shoulder by swinging his arms. "Argh." Sim tried to move the stack of firewood but found out that he couldn''t.@@novelbin@@ It was too heavy for him. The other menial disciples quickly ran over and tried to help, trying their best to please Lin Fan. But Lin Fan just smirked and looked at them with their faces flushed with blood, trying their hardest to move the huge stack of firewood. "Come everyone, there''s something happening at the central square!" Someone shouted, and Lin Fan was intrigued. The menial disciples went over, gathered next to the central square, and tried to look at what was happening from afar. In the central square, there were about a hundred men all dressed in their sect''s robes, looking menacing with their cold stares. They were from the Storm Fist Thunder sect. On the other side, most of the disciples from Qing Feng sect were standing behind Qing Yang Zi. The leader of the men stepped forward, sped his hands, and bowed. "Thank you, Sect master Qing Yang Zi, for the chance to allow us to visit and rify the rumors." Qing Yang Zi, stroking his beard, gave out a smile and replied, "Sect master Low Qiang, as fellow cultivators, the Qing Feng sect will always be open to visits from fellow cultivators." "Looking at all the young disciples you have, why don''t we have a friendly match among the new disciples? I''ve always wanted to find out why the Storm Fist Thunder sect could only be second, behind the Qing Feng sect." Low Qiang said and stole a nce at Tan Fei. It was his signal for Tan Fei to execute his n; the match would buy Tan Fei''s men time to retrieve Low Tian''s head. Tan Fei thought for a moment. It would cost him his life if this gamble didn''t work out. Looking at Qing Yang Zi, the other peak lords, and the disciples gathered in the central square, he felt he had a good chance of pulling it off. All the conditions looked ripe. It was now or never. Finally, he decided. Tan Fei stroked his mustache; his close guard beside him got the cue and silently left the crowd. "How would you want the match to be organized?" Qing Yang Zi asked. He stroked his beard as he used his silent voice to give out instructions to his men to get moving. "Simple, each of the peaks sends out two representatives. "Their cultivation level mustn''t be more than Foundation Establishment level. "But as you know, idents do happen while sparring. "If your disciples are afraid, they can chicken out." The men from Storm Fist Thunder sectughed out loud. "How dare you!" "You realize where you are now!" "Sect master, let me kill all of them!" The disciples from Qing Feng sect weren''t too happy with what Low Qiang said. From afar, the menial disciples also gritted their teeth and cursed at the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. Lin Fan just watched, happy to have the chance to see how others fight. "Silence!" Qing Yang Zi stopped their bickering and turned to Low Qiang. "We are more than happy to take the challenge." Qing Yang Zi agreed, and the peak lords got to it and picked their best disciples for the match. Everyone except Zhang Xi. She herself was at Foundation Establishment level, but she didn''t have any other disciples. The other peak lords and disciples looked at her, waiting for her nomination. "Zhang Xi, it''s all right if you don''t have a nomination; we can just forfeit one match," Qing Yang Zi said. "I..." Zhang Xi hesitated. "What? Forfeit one match?" "The Physique Peak again..." "Maybe it''s time to merge the Physique Peak with others." Zhang Xi stared at all the disciples chattering about how Physique Peak was bringing the Qing Feng sect down. "Sect master, I have someone to help. You''ve agreed to it previously," Zhang Xi said. Qing Yang Zi thought for a moment, and when he recalled it, he nodded and said, "Hmm... Indeed, I promised." Zhang Xi then stepped out and raised her hand with the sword pendant. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for all your support. If you like, please check out my other book, My Life as a Tomb Raider in Nanyang. Chapter 64 Mr Wolf and Miss Rabbit Everyone looked with confusion at what Zhang Xi was doing. Who was she summoning with the sword pendant in her hands? Did Physique Peak have some secret disciple they didn''t know of? Even the disciples of Storm Fist Thunder Sect were curious. This youngdy must be summoning some trump card. Everyone except for Lin Fan. He didn''t expect Zhang Xi to ask for his help in this manner. But a deal is a deal, and he always honored his words. "Lin Fan, where are you going?" The other menial disciples asked when they saw Lin Fan walking towards the central square. Lin Fan didn''t bother with them and just continued on his way. "Who is this?" "Is this the secret disciple?" Most of the disciples didn''t recognize Lin Fan and were wondering whether he was the one. But they didn''t think so after they saw Lin Fan was in his ck-colored robe. "It can''t be him. He is a menial disciple." "Must be here to help with sweeping the square?" "Haha, that''s what they are good for anyway." They looked on to see what Lin Fan was up to. By now, Lin Fan had stood in front of Zhang Xi, and he took out the jade pendant shaped as an axe. "So, you are Miss Rabbit''s friend, huh," Lin Fan said. With a smile, Zhang Xi replied, "Yes, Mr. Wolf''s friend." She subsequently turned to Qing Yang Zi and said, "This is my nomination. Qi Concentration level." When the Qing Feng sect disciples heard this, they couldn''t believe their ears. That menial disciple was really her nomination? What would others think of them now? Qing Feng sect doesn''t even have worthy disciples and had to resort to finding help from menial disciples? They wanted to protest to Qing Yang Zi, but they stopped when the Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples were allughing at what they saw. "Hahaha. I can''t believe it; is this the top sect in Quan Dynasty?" "To think they need to seek help from a menial disciple." "Pfft. Don''t worry, I will not kill the menial disciple if I''m up against him." The Qing Feng sect disciples just bit their tongues and stared at the Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples. Some of the inner disciples from Sword Peak, however, thought otherwise. They''d seen how Lin Fan helped Ho Ming to win the monthly ranking and how he was able to finish off his opponent with one move. With this in mind, they talked back at the Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples. "We think you are only worthy to fight with our menial disciples, that''s why." "Yeah. You guys would be a bigger disgrace if you lost to a menial disciple." "I think that maybe we can bet on it." When Lin Fan heard about making bets, his eyes immediately lit up. ... Meanwhile at Formation Peak, away from the central square. Fifty men dressed in ck descended upon the peak. The leader of the group whispered and said, "The Formation peak lord and all the senior martial brothers are away. "Everyone else is focused in the central square now. "So now is our chance. "Remember, we must seed no matter what. Our families will be well taken care of, so have no fear." All of the other men nodded their heads and set off to do what they were tasked. "Stop right there!" a disciple on guard at the entrance shouted when he saw a man in cking at him. He tried to draw out his sword but wasn''t fast enough and was stabbed by the man in ck nearest to him. The other disciple on guard quickly turned and ran into the guardhouse to call for help. They scrambled and took their weapons toe out and stop the men in ck. Before they could get out of the guardhouse, thest guard standing at the back stabbed them from behind. The guard then nodded at the men in ck and motioned them to go in. After the men in ck ran towards the peak''s hall, the guard sighed, using his palm, struck it at his face. And his head exploded. This would leave no chance for anyone to extract any memory from him. The men in ck separated into two teams; one ran towards the living quarters of the disciples. Another went straight to the formation room where the head of Low Tian was kept. When the men went into the living quarters, the disciples of the Formation Peak waited. They were there waiting with their swords in hand. The men in ck realized it was a trap and toote for them to back out now. "Die! All of you traitors!" the disciples of Formation Peak shouted and charged at the men in ck. Blood, fingers, and limbs spewed all over. When the men in ck were near to death, they''d rather bash their own heads to a pulp. Meanwhile in the formation room.@@novelbin@@ The ck men entered the room but didn''t find Low Tian''s head. All they saw was an old man, drinking wine from his wine gourd, waiting for them. The men in ck looked at each other; they knew that they were tricked. There was only onest option for them. "Die, old fool!" They charged at Zhao Qing Ying. Zhao Qing Ying, with his hand, index and middle fingers straightened and shaped like a sword, thrust it forward. The twirling wind that came out was like a hurricane, sucked in some of the men, and upon contact with it, they were torn into pieces. He then shed his fingers across horizontally, and a slicing wave went across the room. The remaining men''s bodies were cut in two when the slicing wave came into contact. Thud. Sounds of the men dropping to the ground filled the air. Soon there was no one standing. One of the men in ck, seeing that they''d failed, took out a jade b and using hisst bit of strength, broke it in two. St. The heads and bodies of the men in ck exploded and sttered all over. "Damn it. A moment toote," Zhao Ming Ye eximed as he entered the room. Now they didn''t have hard evidence to nail down Tan Fei. There was no way for Zhao Ming Ye to rey their memories with the formation array when their brains were blown to bits and pieces. Still, they''d won half the battle. Chapter 65 Match Begins Central Square in Qing Feng sect. After the inner disciples talked about making bets, someone got to work and started to organize. "I bet on the menial disciple losing." "You traitor! I''ll double his bet and ce it on the menial disciple to win." "We want to join in too." Disciples from the Storm Fist Thunder sect didn''t want to miss out on a win and joined in with their money. Only some of the inner disciples had the faith to bet on Lin Fan. Overwhelmingly, everyone was putting their bets on Lin Fan losing. This led to a massive difference in odds. Very soon, it was fifty times the reward when you bet on Lin Fan to win. Lin Fan didn''t think twice and bet his remaining ten contribution points on himself. "Fifty contribution points, on Lin Fan winning." Seeing how the tide was against Lin Fan, Ho Ming also went in and bet his fifty contribution points on Lin Fan. This was the least he could do to show support for him. Lin Fan smiled and nodded at Ho Ming, acknowledging his support. You''ll surely not regret it, Lin Fan thought to himself silently. When the Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples saw Lin Fan making the bet on himself, they couldn''t help butugh. This menial disciple was just so ignorant. They would show himter what it meant to be a cultivator. "The young ones are so lively," Qing Yang Zi said, looking at all the activity happening, as he stroked his beard and smiled. He looked approvingly at the liveliness of all the young disciples. "Set up the ce for the match. Come, let''s go somewhere for a better view; we shouldn''t let our guest be standing here all day," Qing Yang Zi instructed, and the disciples got to work. "We certainly can''t wait for the match ahead." Storm Fist Thunder sect master, Low Qiang, said and stole a nce at Tan Fei. He was anxiously waiting for Tan Fei''s signal that it was done. To his disappointment, Tan Fei dodged his nce and kept quiet. Low Qiang frowned and started to think otherwise about Tan Fei''s n. Soon, the central square was set up with a formation array, marking the sparring area''s boundary and containing any damages within the boundary. Qing Yang Zi led the peak lords and Storm Fist Sect''s leadership to a hall. It was the one where Lin Fan and the other new disciples were tested for cultivation roots. They were then led to the upper floor with a direct view of the sparring area. After they were seated, disciples quickly poured tea and refreshments for the guests. With a teacup in his hand, Qing Yang Zi stood up and said, "Here, a toast to Storm Fist sect with tea in recement of wine." Low Qiang obliged, with his head up, drinking the tea in one mouthful. Taking the chance to see whether there was any ambush on the ceiling. "Enough of the formalities. Let''s start," Low Qiang sat down, banged the teacup on the table, and said impatiently. "Sure, let''s start then. I figured you weren''t in such a hurry," Qing Yang Zi said and shifted his nce at Tan Fei. "You are unusually quiet today." Tan Fei steadied his hand holding his teacup and said, "I''m focused on my Alchemy Peak disciple''s performance." Qing Yang Zi nodded approvingly and said, "As it should be. Qing Feng sect is honored to have such dedicated disciples." When everything was in ce, the first match started immediately. It was a match between the formation cultivators. Qing Feng sect won by a small margin; having home ground advantage, the formation disciple was able to select the best formation to use with the surrounding elements. Next up were the artifact cultivators.@@novelbin@@ The draw was for forging of a curved saber, something the Qing Feng sect artifact cultivators weren''t so used to. They had primarily focused on the forging of Swords, due to the dominance of the Sword Peak in the sect. The Storm Fist Thunder sect won for this round. When the alchemical furnace was brought to the sparring area. The Qing Feng sect disciples had a bad feeling about it. Theirs was an entry-level one, while the alchemical furnace brought up by the opponent was a special artifact. With its scriptures glowing when the furnace burned, the resulting pills were of a much higher level. By now it was one win for Qing Feng sect and two wins for Storm Fist Thunder sect. They needed to win the remaining two matches. The Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples began to hold their heads up high. While the Qing Feng sect''s disciples bit their lips and kept quiet. It was however, eerily peaceful and quiet in the hall. They looked at the matches and sipped their tea. The real battleground for Qing Yang Zi, Tan Fei, and Low Qiang was not in the central square. Next up was the Sword Peak. Ho Ming, with his double cultivation root and top monthly ranking, was one of the nominations. Together with another senior disciple, Khoo, they got ready for the match. "Ho Ming, just remember what we went through during practice," Lin Fan said as he patted Ho Ming''s shoulder. Reminding and assuring him. Ho Ming''s opponents were wielding their curved saber when they stepped into the sparring area. They were two burly men who spat on the ground and sneered at Ho Ming when he entered. Ho Ming looked like one of those studious disciples, following instructions to a T. They''d seen far too many disciples like him. It should be a piece of cake for them, they thought. "On the count of three. One... two... three... Start!" the judge shouted. The two burly men separated, and one of them lunged at Ho Ming. Ho Ming, with his right hand, thrust a twirling wind strike at the man. With a smirk, the man sidestepped the strike to the left as he had anticipated it. However, Ho Ming with his left hand, using the slithering stroke, thrust the sword at the man''s chin. Double sword cultivator! Chapter 66 Tiger and Crane The man quickly used the curved saber in his hand and swiped it at Ho Ming''s sword. Dang. With the curved saber, Ho Ming''s sword was blocked. He narrowly escaped the fate of his chin being pierced through like a skewer by Ho Ming''s sword. But now, Ho Ming''s right hand came thrusting at his waist with his twirling wind strike. The man leaped back, thinking Ho Ming''s studious practice would allow him a breather. What he didn''t expect was Ho Ming throwing one of his swords at him. It shot at him so fast that he couldn''t react to block with his curved saber. Thud. The sword stuck in his chest, and he flew back about ten meters. Ho Ming wanted to go in to make sure, but the judge had stopped him. The man was now lying unconscious on the ground. Disciples of the Qing Feng sect erupted in loud cheers when they saw it. "See, that''s the Sword Peak for you." "It''s not only that, look at him, he has a double sword cultivation root." "To think they have the gall to challenge us." When he heard what the other disciples felt, Lin Fan was d. He could picture Ho Fu, with his pipe, puffing and nodding approvingly at Ho Ming right now. Too bad Ho Fu wasn''t here to witness it. With one man down, Ho Ming quickly went over and helped Khoo with the other man. The other man was much stronger. When he saw Ho Ming approaching, he wielded the curved saber in a crescent; white glow formed and sliced at Ho Ming. Dang! Ho Ming put both of his swords in front of him, forming an X and blocked the crescent strike. Seeing that the man was distracted, Khoo went in for the kill. He used the Cross Wind sh, slicing wave formed in the shape of an X, and the man was cut on his wrist and legs. The pain caused the man to drop his curved saber. "Stop and surrender," Ho Ming appeared in front of the man and held his sword against the man''s throat. The man wanted to fight back, but he stopped when he felt another sword pointing at his back. Khoo was now behind him. Without any other options, the man raised his hand and surrendered. "Qing Feng sect wins!" The judge announced the winner. Qing Feng sect''s disciples grew ecstatic; they were now tied at two against two. Among them, Tan Rui stood expressionless and stared at Ho Ming. He cursed and swore silently at him. After his defeat during the monthly ranking, it had been downhill from then on for him. All because of this Ho Ming and that Lin Fan. Slowly, hatred simmered within, and he vowed to get back at them, no matter how. "Don''t celebrate too early." "Yeah, if I remember correctly, the next one is with a menial disciple." "Pfft. You think your menial disciple can win over our core disciple?" The Storm Fist Thunder sect''s disciple countered with Lin Fan''s identity as a menial disciple. Qing Feng sect''s disciples began to have mixed feelings about Lin Fan. They were just betting against him, but right now, the victory for Qing Feng sect ironically rested on Lin Fan''s shoulders. With them stepping into the arena next, Zhang Xi patted Lin Fan''s back. "Don''t worry. I will teach them a lesson and call for help if you are in danger." Lin Fan nodded; his mind was focused on the fact that he''d heard their opponents were core disciples. To stay on the safe side, he decided. When the judge called for them to enter, he stopped and raised his hand. The disciples looked at him with confused looks. What was he trying to do now? Don''t tell me... "Look, he is chickening out." The Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples pointed at him andughed. Qing Feng sect''s disciples weren''t too happy at what they saw. Lin Fan shook his head. Why wouldn''t they let him finish talking? Every time they jumped to conclusions. "My weapon is in my wooden hut. Let me retrieve it first," Lin Fan shouted. He''d wanted to use his hammers, just in case the core disciples were too strong for him. After all, his contribution points were at stake here. "I think he is trying to run away." "Let someone fetch it here."@@novelbin@@ "Right, don''t let him run off." The Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples started to frame it as Lin Fan wanting to run away. So that the Qing Feng sect could change some other disciple to fight. Zhang Xi pped her forehead; she didn''t expect this. "Let us go and fetch it for you," some of the menial disciples volunteered to help. They wanted to get into Lin Fan''s good books desperately. The judge asked Lin Fan''s opponents, a pair of twin brothers, and they agreed to wait. It took some time before the menial disciples returned. "What took you so long?" "This must be Qing Feng sect''s cunning n to frustrate us!" "How despicable." The Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples had grown impatient, grumbling at the menial disciples. "We had to find a cart to bring the pair of hammers here," the menial disciples exined as they leaned forward, using all of their weight to push the cart. The disciples looked at them with suspicion. Were they acting as if the hammers were so heavy? "Thanks," Lin Fan said as he picked up the hammers as if they were light as feathers. He swung them around, warming up for the match ahead. This reinforced the others'' thinking that it was all a show by the menial disciples. Pathetic, they thought. "Alright,petitors enter the sparring area and get ready." Finally, it was time. Zhang Xi readied herself with her right fist in front of her and knees slightly bent, ready to pounce at any moment. Their opponents looked pale as white, even their hair and pupils were white. One stood in the stance of a tiger, and the other in the stance of a crane. "Be careful, these two must have some special cultivation roots," Zhang Xi warned Lin Fan when she saw the two brothers. Chapter 67 Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike Qing Feng Sect, Central Square. The disciples from both sects were now crying at the top of their lungs. This match would decide who won. And after the roller coaster ride with Lin Fan''s menial disciple identity, the emotions were high. Not to mention, the bet on Lin Fan to lose. "Qing Feng Sect!" "Qing Feng Sect!" With more disciples, the Qing Feng Sect''s name boomed in the air. Not to be outdone, the Storm Fist Thunder Sect disciples also began to chant their sect''s name. At four corners of the sparring area, Formation cultivators using their Qi to hold up the formation array focused on it, making sure not to screw up. "Silence!" the judge held up his hands and shouted. The disciples immediately went quiet as it was a signal that the match was about to begin. "Don''t worry. Even if they have special cultivation roots, I will take care of you; that''s what I promised Miss Rabbit," Zhang Xi said, trying to assure Lin Fan. Lin Fan shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Sure, that''s what Mr. Wolf told me too. And that Miss Rabbit''s friend would give me lots of rewards after that." "Rewards? What rewards? You!" Zhang Xi tried to recall her saying that. She was sure she hadn''t said anything about any rewards. However, she didn''t have time to do that as the judge raised his hand and shouted, "Match begins on count of three... one... two... three... Start." Whoosh! The brother with his tiger stance didn''t waste any time and lunged at Lin Fan. His hands, with fingers curled in and shaped like a tiger''s paw, struck at Lin Fan''s throat. But Lin Fan was anticipating it. Dang! He swung his hammer and smashed at the opponent''s forearm. It made the tiger strike miss, and the opponent''s body twisted slightly from the impact. With the opponent''s side exposed, Lin Fan went in with his Yin Prod. "Argh." The opponent quickly leaped back as the frost and Yin energy injected into his body disrupted his Qi flow. Lin Fan lunged forward, raised one of his hammers. Dang! With the Yang Smash, he hit the opponent''s head. Now the opponent had all the heat and Yang energy to deal with at his head. The two different attributes made the opponent unable to smooth his Qi. He turned and tried to ask for help from his brother. "Where are you looking? Your opponent is here." Lin Fan said as he smashed his hammer at the opponent''s waist. Dang! Now, every iron ring of the hammer sent pain and agony into the hearts of the Storm Fist Thunder disciples. Their faces cringed hard every time they heard it. Lin Fan''s opponent felt the pain at his waist, cried out loud, and tried to w at Lin Fan''s eyes. With a slight tilt of his head, Lin Fan dodged the strike. And he swung his hammer at the opponent''s chest. The Storm Fist Thunder disciples heard it again. Dang! Some even started to instinctively close their eyes when they heard it. "Argh!" Lin Fan''s opponent cried out in pain. Not giving him any breather, Lin Fan smashed at the opponent''s head. His opponent quickly stepped back and dodged it. Lin Fan''s opponent knew he had to do something. So, he used hisst bit of strength, jumped straight up into the air, and kicked both legs at Lin Fan. Without hesitation, Lin Fan blocked with his hammers. Thud. His opponent made use of the impact and jumped far away. "Help!" Lin Fan''s opponent cried out. The other brother wasn''t doing so well either. Although Zhang Xi didn''t look like it, she was actually powerful and deadly with her Physiques cultivation. The brother''s crane hands felt like theynded on bricks and didn''t do any damage to Zhang Xi. She just braved the strikes at her and rained punches on her opponent. All the disciples from both sides shook their heads and thought, how uncouth. No techniques whatsoever and just pure brute force. Something that was to be expected from someone practicing Physiques Cultivating. Thud. Zhang Xi did a front kick at her opponent, and he also made use of the impact to jump away from her.@@novelbin@@ The two brothers quickly got together. They needed to do something drastic, if not they would lose the match, and Storm Fist Thunder Sect would lose the whole thing. Both of them looked at the ground for a split second, thinking about an important decision. Then they looked up at each other and nodded their heads. They faced each other and with their index fingers struck at the other''s acupoint on the back. Everyone looked and wondered what it was all about. Crying out as if in huge pain, the two brothers got bigger. Much more muscr and taller than a few moments ago. Something had happened to them. "The thirteen ghost acupoint strike. Be careful," Zhang Xi said as she remembered hearing about this. She quickly readied herself and warned Lin Fan. Lin Fan wanted to lunge at them, but she pulled him back. "What''s that?" Lin Fan asked. "It''s a method to allow them to draw Qi more than they could take at their level. Usually, it''s forbidden as your dantian would be damaged beyond healing after using it," Zhang Xi replied. Lin Fan thought for a moment and said, "Their special cultivation root must''ve allowed them to do so, without repercussions afterwards." Zhang Xi nodded, agreeing with Lin Fan''s assessment. Now, both brothers were staring at Lin Fan and Zhang Xi. Their clothes now ripped open due to the increase in mass. Lin Fan could feel they were at least twice as big and strong now. It was time for him to get serious. The good thing would be that he didn''t receive any sound from the system. At least, these brothers were not out to kill, yet. Thud! One of the brothers lunged at Zhang Xi. The impact of his step made the brick on the ground crack. He was too fast; all the others could see was a white shimmering at Zhang Xi. Lin Fan, however, could capture his movement, and swung both of his hammers upward at the man. Chapter 68 Dang! Dong! Lin Fan''s hammer hit the opponent''s head. The iron ring sounded different now. As if Lin Fan''s hammer had hit something really hard. He could feel the impact reverberate right through to his arms. "Argh!" The brother rubbed his head at the wound inflicted by Lin Fan''s hammers. Now he was very frustrated with Lin Fan''s hammers. He turned toward Lin Fan and with his tiger paws went at Lin Fan. When his Qi was released, one could faintly see the shape of a tiger behind him. His cry sounded like a tiger. Lin Fan quickly injected his Qi into his hammer, and the hammer got twice asrge and blocked the Tiger Paw Strike. Dang! That sound again. By now, the Storm Fist Thunder disciples just wanted his hammers gone. Disciples from Qing Feng Sect''s Artifact Peak looked upon the hammers with intrigue. They started to have ideas for new weapons to forge. Previously, all they could think of was getting the des sharper. With Lin Fan''s hammers, it opened their minds. "Watch out above!" Zhang Xi shouted at Lin Fan when the other brother jumped at him. He had his hands shaped like a crane''s head,ing down at Lin Fan. Lin Fan wanted to use his hammers and strike up, but his opponent in front of him grabbed onto Lin Fan''s hammers. Coming in to help, Zhang Xi rained punches and hit at the man''s back. The man endured the pain and didn''t let go. "Yeah, finish him!" "Without his pesky hammers, he is nothing!" "Go Storm Thunder Fist Sect!" The Storm Thunder Fist Sect cheered on when they saw this. Finally. Without his hammers, Lin Fan was not going to be a threat. Lin Fan smirked and thought to himself, all of you wouldn''t like me without my hammers. To oblige them, Lin Fan let go of his hammers and, using his Iron ws abilities, met the crane strikeing at him from above. "Yes!" The crowd went wild when they saw Lin Fan let go of his hammers. They''d expected Lin Fan''s hand to be poked through by the crane strike, and then his head. What an arrogant fool to go against the crane strike with his bare hands. However, none of what they expected happened. Lin Fan''s Iron w caught hold of the crane strike, and his fingers prated through the hands. Just like Iron ws cutting through soft tofu. The opponent cried out in pain. Lin Fan then did a frontal kick at the opponent in front of him. Thud! His kick using the Magnificent Leap sent him tumbling across the ground. Next, he threw the opponent in his hands to the ground. He then picked up his hammers and ced them on the head of the opponent lying down. "Surrender or else," Lin Fan said. He didn''t want to kill them; they didn''t have any malevolent intent toward him. The other opponent, trying to use his tiger stance and wanting toe at Lin Fan again, stopped. His brother''s life was at stake. The disciples of the Storm Fist Thunder Sect weren''t too happy about his hesitation.@@novelbin@@ "Don''t surrender!" "Think about the sect!" "It''s time you pay back for the sect!" Lin Fan shook his head at their fanatic disy. His opponent lying on the ground took a nce at his brother, pointed his chin at him, then closed his eyes. His brother looked down at his hands, took a deep breath, directed all his Qi, and went at Lin Fan. But before he could jump off. He froze. He couldn''t move. Then his hand raised uncontrobly. "I surrender! Qing Feng Sect won!" Words came out of his mouth. But he didn''t do it. Someone was controlling him. You shall thank me when you grow older, Lin Fan thought to himself. The world is nevercking young fools ready to die for something transient. Everything is but a fleeting moment. And to sacrifice your brother for it is just so stupid. The only things that matter are the ones you hold in your hands. Like contribution points. Lin Fan smiled when he thought about all the contribution points he would have. "Qing Feng Sect won!" the judge raised his hands and announced the winner of the match. The Qing Feng Sect disciples erupted in loud cheers. "Qing Feng Sect!" On the other end, the Storm Fist Thunder Sect kept quiet and simmered with anger. They turned their attention to the brothers. Why did you give up, you fool! To them, winning was much more important. But the brothers were core disciples of the sect master, so they could only curse silently. The brothers had now gotten up, and someone gave them pills to recover. With the effects of Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike gone, they now suffered from their strength being drained away from them. "Storm Fist Thunder Sect! Beaten by a menial disciple! What a joke!" "Haha, that reminds me. They lost to a lowly menial disciple!" "If word gets out, where can they hide their faces!" The Qing Feng Sect disciples started to pile on, making use of the fact that Lin Fan as a menial disciple had defeated them. Everyone of them were pointing at the disciples from Storm Fist Thunder sect andughing at them. The Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples could only grind their teeth and kicked at the ground in frustration. "Lin Fan, thanks for your help. Miss Rabbit would be pleased," Zhang Xi wanted to thank Lin Fan, but when she turned around, he was already gone. On his way to get his earnings from the bet. Nothing could stop him now. When the banker saw Lin Fan, he sheepishly smiled and patted the back of his head. "If I knew you were this strong, I wouldn''t have epted your bet." "Cut the crap, where are my contribution points?" Lin Fan had his hand out, waiting. The banker sighed and took out his wooden b, transferred five hundred contribution points, and passed it to Lin Fan. "Congrattions, Lin Fan!" Ho Ming was all smiles when he came over. When the banker saw Ho Ming, he''d nearly fainted. He remembered that Ho Ming had made a bet of fifty contribution points. Two thousand five hundred contribution points. Where could he find so many contribution points? The banker thought of running away, but Lin Fan stared at him intensely. Chapter 69 Actors The banker shifted his eyes left and right, trying to see if there was a way out for him. Lin Fan took a nce at Ho Ming. He wanted to see what Ho Ming would do. If he was that Ho Ming back in An Xiang vige, the banker might get away with some sobbing and begging for his life. To Lin Fan''s relief, Ho Ming had grown. Ho Ming drew one of his swords and put it next to the banker''s neck. "So, where are my contribution points?" "I... eh... give me some time. I only have five hundred contribution points left with me," the banker, with his hands sped together as if he was praying, pleaded for time. "What about money? I could take that," Ho Ming said as he pressed his sword closer to the banker''s neck. "Ah, money. Yes, I have ten taels of silver to maybe cover for a hundred contribution points," the banker said, as he took out his wooden b and some taels of silver. Ho Ming took them and said, "Your deadline is until the end of the month. If you don''t pay up by then, I wille for you." "I definitely will. My name is Sima Lian, from the Sima family in Hong Feng city. Everyone knows my family''s business there. So don''t you worry." Sima Lian looked at the disciples standing beside him, and they nodded their heads. With confirmation from the other disciples, Ho Ming let Sima Lian off. When Sima Lian was far away, Ho Ming let out a huge sigh. Wiping the beads of sweat on his forehead, Ho Ming said, "Phew. Nearly thought I couldn''t pull it off." "Rx, there''s always a first time," Lin Fan patted Ho Ming''s back and said, "And dear senior martial brother, all my spending for the rest of the month will be on you." "No problem. In fact, I should be giving you some of my earnings!" Ho Ming eximed in excitement when the fact that he had won finally sank in. His trust and bet in Lin Fan had paid off. And more than he could''ve imagined. "No need. I''ve got five hundred contribution points myself. The vige head would have good use for all the money," Lin Fan said. "And if you really want to, maybe help repair my wooden hut in An Xiang vige." Lin Fan hated all the to-and-fro epting gifts; he rather asked for it in a straightforward manner. Ho Ming nodded as he knew Lin Fan was right about the vige head needing money. Getting the Ho family to the next level, that was his purpose ofing to Qing Feng sect. As for Lin Fan''s wooden hut, it would definitely be done. ... Hall, upper floor.@@novelbin@@ "What a close match. I see your disciples are well trained." Qing Yang Zi stroked his long beard as hemented on the result. Clenching his fists, Low Qiang wasn''t too happy. He squinted his eyes and stared at Tan Fei. The matches had ended, and he still hadn''t given him the signal to go ahead and make a ruckus. ording to their n, Tan Fei''s man would thene out with Low Tian''s head, making it irrefutable for Qing Feng sect. Tan Fei was in no mood to care about Low Qiang. He''d roughly known the oue after waiting for so long. His doubts were cleared when he heard a familiar voice. "Sect master, how did my disciples perform?" Zhao Ming Ye came into the room with a wide grin. "Come, Ming Ye, sit. Your disciples did well." When Zhao Ming Ye sat down, he grinned and looked at Han Dang. Han Dang just nced at Tan Fei. That''s when it hit Tan Fei. Zhao Ming Ye and Han Dang were putting on a show. Making use of the fact that they were always at odds with each other to fool him that the mission was legitimate. Tan Fei picked up the teacup in front of him and slowly sipped the tea. He was running through all the different ways he could escape in his mind. But he knew he had no chance; the sect master could kill him easily with his Void Fusion level. "Now that Ming Ye is here, let''s get on with the next agenda," Qing Yang Zi said. Low Qiang mmed his hands on the table and said, "Yes, let''s settle the rumor floating around once and for all. Did Qing Feng sect kill my brother!" The other Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples immediately stood up and got ready for action. "What do we have here? Senior martial brother, are you keeping all the good wine to yourself?" Zhao Qing Ying''s voice suddenly boomed in the air. The Storm Fist Thunder sect''s disciples felt their chestspressed, as if someone was pushing their ribcages and making them cave in. Their shoulders felt an intense weight pushing down on them. Plop. All of them sat down, due to the intense pressure. When Tan Fei saw Zhao Qing Ying, he knew he was done for. Although Zhao Qing Ying looked like a drunkard old man, he knew what he was capable of. A stage short to level up to the Great Ascension level. And his suicide team most likely had been in by him. "Be serious and let Ming Ye do his work," Qing Yang Zi said. Zhao Qing Ying shrugged and stepped aside, letting the disciples behind him into the room. They carried with them an object wrapped in a yellow piece of cloth. The cloth had scriptures written in red vermilion all over it. Low Qiang looked closely at what the disciples were doing. They took out demonic beast cores and ced them in the shape of Eight Trigrams. Then they took out ink brushes with vermilion and drew formation patterns on the ground. Finally, one of the disciples untied the knot on the yellow cloth, revealing what was inside it. Low Tian''s head. "How dare you! Today shall be the day where either one of us perishes!" The Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples cried out in anger when they saw Low Tian''s head. Chapter 70 Tan Kun They wanted to stand up, but the force holding them down was still there. "You..." one of them didn''t want to give up, struggled and tried to rise. He started to sense Zhao Qing Ying''s gaze upon him. The air around him began to feel different. He couldn''t see it, but he could feel that swords were all around him. The cold and deadly des resting on his skin. If he moved any further, the swords would slice him up into pieces. Zhao Qing Ying''s aura of oppression was too much for him. "Be calm, let the Dao be harmonized. Ming Ye will show us the truth." Qing Yang Zi motioned for Ming Ye to start. With the formation array ready, Zhao Ming Ye performed what he had previously done with his memory recall formation array. After the Storm Fist Thunder sect members saw the images from Low Tian''sst few moments, they were speechless. "That Skin Puppet Diao shall pay for what he did!" Low Qiang shouted and mmed his fist on the table. He stood up, sped his hands together and bowed, "I apologize for my rashness, Sect Master Qing Yang Zi. To think I''ve stepped into his trap so easily." Low Qiang started to feign ignorance and tried to brush off any suspicion. "Hmph. Easily, or you wanted to?" Zhao Qing Ying wasn''t having any of it. "Qing Ying, now''s not the time. We have more important things we need to handle first." Worried that Zhao Qing Ying might do something rash, Qing Yang Zi quickly reminded him of what was to be done next. Zhao Qing Ying got the cue, side-eyed Low Qiang, twitched his nose and kept quiet. Trembling inside, Tan Fei knew exactly what they meant by something more important to handle. "Sect Master Low Qiang, I''m sorry but Qing Feng sect won''t be able to host you overnight. Perhaps you might want to leave now." "I understand, Sect Master Qing Yang Zi." Low Qiang instructed his men to carefully take over Low Tian''s head, and the whole of Storm Fist Thunder sect got going. With the Storm Fist Thunder sect gone, Qing Yang Zi could finally turn his focus on Tan Fei. "Tan Fei! Colluding with outsiders to bring forth the downfall of Qing Feng sect, do you admit your guilt!" Zhao Ming Ye and Han Dang lunged at Tan Fei, trying to pin him down onto the ground. "What guilt! Where''s your evidence!" Tan Fei shouted as he reached into his sleeves and took out a bottle of pills. This was hisst chance; if he took what was inside, he might have a chance. But before he could do so, Zhao Qing Ying, with his hands shaped like a sword, swiped across and a slicing wave followed. Tan Fei''s fingers were sliced off and the bottle dropped. Its red stopper fell off, and a putrid smell slowly filled the air. The so-called Nine Turn Qi Concentration pill from the Dark Envoy. Trying very hard not to puke, Zhao Ming Ye and Han Dang caught hold of Tan Fei. Grabbing his hands and pushing him down at his shoulder de. Finally, they got him. Just when they thought everything was over, someone else came into the room and lunged at Tan Fei. He was too fast; Zhao Qing Ying with his twirling wind strike shot at him, but it could only prate through the skin of the man. Thud! The mannded a palm on Tan Fei''s forehead. Soon after, Tan Fei''s head sttered into pieces. Sending pieces of flesh, blood, and skull sttering all over the ce. The man then turned and knelt in front of Qing Yang Zi. He cried out loud and said, "Sect Master, I''m so ashamed to have let this traitor in the Alchemy Peak for so long. Any punishment you deem fit, I will ept it fully." The man was Tan Kun, Alchemy Peak lord. "You! Who let you destroy his brain!" Zhao Ming Ye shouted at Tan Kun. "Silence!" Qing Yang Zi shouted. "But Sect Master, he..." Before Zhao Ming Ye could go on, Qing Yang Zi stared at him, and he kept quiet. Zhao Qing Ying shook his head and walked out. He couldn''t stand Qing Yang Zi''s way of doing things.@@novelbin@@ If you will it, then it too is the Dao''s will! How could you be Wu Wei when you consider so much? Zhao Qing Ying would''ve killed Tan Kun on the spot. And whateveres next from the Tan family, he would kill them all. "Sect Master, I beg you for your punishment; wouldn''t want those rted to the Tan family to think they could do whatever they want in the sect," Tan Kun kowtowed and said. Thud. With a muted thud, his forehead went red with blood slowly oozing out of his wound. He continued and said, "I might need to continue to help with healing the emperor''s concubine though..." "I will punish ording to the sect''s rules. How is the emperor''s concubine?" Qing Yang Zi asked. He knew what Tan Kun was trying to do. Threatening him with the emperor''s concubine''s life. Even though Qing Feng sect was thergest in Quan Dynasty, the emperor''s support was crucial for all the resources required to cultivate. "I will give you a list of those involved in Tan Fei''s n. Get rid of them and all the cultivation resources will be stopped for Alchemy Peak for a year," Qing Yang Zi said. This was the best he could do. Asking Tan Kun to kill off some of the Tan family''s men and stopping the cultivation resources. Tan Kun kowtowed again and said, "As it should be. I will personally kill those involved. Thank you, Sect Master, for being so merciful." ... Next day. Million Sword Hall. Zhang Xi went and visited Qing Yang Zi. He was with Zhao Qing Ying, having tea and trying to talk some sense into Zhao Qing Ying. But Zhao Qing Ying was trying to do the same. They couldn''t convince each other and just drank their tea quietly. "Sect Master, I have a favor to ask." Chapter 71 Inner Disciple "Let Lin Fan be an inner disciple at the Physiques Peak. You''ve seen his performance." Zhang Xi said this, and she smiled with her brightest smile at Qing Yang Zi. "Ah, Lin Fan. Yes, I remember, the one with the Beast Cultivation Root," Qing Yang Zi stroked his long beard as he recalled. He still hadn''t figured out what his cultivation root meant. But Lin Fan''s performance was more than enough for a promotion to inner disciple. "Beast Cultivation Root?" Zhao Qing Ying got intrigued. Qing Yang Zi took this opportunity and asked, "Yes, Qing Ying. Do you have any idea about that?" "Hm... I''ve never heard of it before, even in my travels. The closest I''ve seen was a Scorpion Cultivation Root, which turned out to be for Poison Cultivation." Zhao Qing Ying rubbed his chin and silently decided to check out Lin Fan. "Not only that, but he also helped to win the match. So, sect master, can he be an inner disciple now?" Zhang Xi interjected and emphasized the fact that Lin Fan won the match for Qing Feng sect. "Sure, no problem. There wouldn''t be anyone protesting now. Physique Peak needs some new disciples urgently anyway." "Thanks, sect master," Zhang Xi quickly sped her hands and bowed to Qing Yang Zi. She then bid farewell to Qing Yang Zi, turned, and got out of the Million Sword Hall immediately. Anxious to bring the good news to Lin Fan. "Senior martial brother, I have something urgent to attend to; I shall make my way there now." When he saw Zhang Xi leaving, Zhao Qing Ying also bid farewell and followed her immediately. "Xi er, wait for me!" Zhao Qing Ying called out to Zhang Xi from behind. She didn''t stop but shouted back, "Senior martial uncle, I know you can catch up. I have to go inform my new inner disciple of the good news." When Zhao Qing Ying caught up, he nudged Zhang Xi and asked, "Who is this guy you were talking about? Let me see him. I must check out his cultivation root." Zhang Xi rolled her eyes and said, "He is just a menial disciple now, nothing so special about him." "Well, you never know. Just keep quiet and let me do the restter," Zhao Qing Ying said with a sly grin. ... Wooden hut. Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Ho Jie were enjoying a sumptuous meal. After Ho Ming''s winning, everything became much more affordable for him. To celebrate, it was time for a good feast. On the small table, there was spirit rice and demonic beast meat fried with oil and salt. Lin Fan hadn''t had something with voring for so long he''d forgotten how it taste like. Previously, he was stingy with all the oil and salt as they were expensive. The emperor had the monopoly and was in control of the salt trade. This caused the price of salt to be inted and made the lives of the peasants very difficult. Anyone who dared to try to sell salt illegally would vite the Quan Dynastyws, and the whole family would be decapitated. The three of them savored every bite, taking their time to let the vor get into their taste buds. "Next time, we can try some hotpot," Lin Fan said when he was done eating. He missed having hotpot, and it wasn''t too difficult to replicate. "Hotpot? What''s that?" Ho Ming asked while chewing on a piece of meat. Before Lin Fan could answer, he froze with his chopsticks in midair. His chest started to feel tight as if it was beingpressed by an unseen being. Throb. His heartbeat could be heard as his heart pounded furiously. Ho Jie wanted to stand up and get ready to fight, but a voice came into his head. When he heard the voice and what it said, he stayed on the chair, pretending that he couldn''t move. The same thing happened with Ho Ming. Lin Fan only saw that they struggled to move but couldn''t. He must do something fast, or they might all perish, Lin Fan thought. Out of desperation, Lin Fan quickly used the Magnificent Leap and leaped out of the door. Crack. The door broke into pieces with Lin Fan''s body smashing through it. When he got out through the door, Lin Fan felt the awful feeling of being oppressed by something disappear. He quickly stood up and scanned the surroundings. Zhang Xi recoiled and shook her head when she saw Lin Fan break through the door. "Oh boy. He will be very mad about the door when he finds out," Zhang Xi thought as she recalled Lin Fan to be very particr with contribution points and money. Lin Fan, unaware of what was happening, was now staring at the old man in front of him. He''d tried to recall who this old man was but couldn''t. The old man had a wine gourd to his mouth, taking gulps of wine from it. When he saw Lin Fan, he stopped and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "You are Lin Fan?" Zhao Qing Ying asked. "I am, and you are?" Lin Fan asked back. Zhao Qing Ying smirked and didn''t answer. Suddenly, he threw his wine gourd at Lin Fan. It shot at him so fast that Lin Fan couldn''t dodge but had to use his Iron ws to catch it. Thud! Lin Fan felt the force reverberating through his wrist and forearms. Surprisingly, the Iron ws couldn''t crack the wine gourd. It must be a special artifact, Lin Fan thought. "Where are you looking? Your opponent is me," Zhao Qing Ying with his twirling wind strike thrust a huge gust of wind toward Lin Fan. Lin Fan sidestepped, but his shoulder was still caught by the side of the twirling wind. His robe sleeve immediately got sliced into pieces; his shoulders got sliced open with many cuts from the twirling wind strike. Lin Fan quickly leaped away and took out a bottle of Blood and Qi restoration pills.@@novelbin@@ He quickly took one, and the wound on his shoulder healed. Zhang Xi, seeing this, pped her forehead. "Great, using up his restoration pills. I''m sure he will be so happy with the test," she even thought about running away and denying that she had anything to do with Zhao Qing Ying. "Hmph. That''s all you got, Lin Fan?" Zhao Qing Ying taunted Lin Fan. "Who are you? I don''t think I''ve ever crossed you," Lin Fan said as he thought about what to do next. Was this old man from the Tan family, or Dark Lotus sect? Wait, finally he realized something. The system didn''t prompt him with any malevolent intent. Lin Fan then looked up and smiled with a sly grin at Zhao Qing Ying. Chapter 72 Wine Gourd Lin Fan held up the wine gourd in his hand. He looked at it carefully. It must have been something valuable, and the old man seemed to love drinking. So, Lin Fan, with the wine gourd in one hand, pointed at Zhao Qing Ying with his other hand. "Old man, have you yed football before?" Lin Fan said. "Football? What''s that?" It was Zhao Qing Ying''s turn to be perturbed. Without warning, Lin Fan swung his arms in a circle. Winding up, faster and faster, then he suddenly threw the wine gourd into the woods. Whoosh! The wine gourd shot into the air like an arrow, flying at least a few kilometers away. "Damn! What the hell! My precious wine gourd!" Zhao Qing Ying quickly leaped and went after his wine gourd. "Hahaha." Zhang Xi couldn''t help it anymore andughed out loud. Finally, someone was able to prank Zhao Qing Ying. "I should have known," Lin Fan said as he saw Zhang Xi reveal herself. Before Lin Fan could say anything, Zhang Xi quickly said, "I don''t know that old man; I''ve got nothing to do with him." She frantically tried very hard to disassociate herself from Zhao Qing Ying. Lin Fan sighed; just as he thought she had gotten smarter, she''d slipped up. "Assuming you are telling the truth, what''s your purpose here then?" Lin Fan asked. "I''m here to tell you some good news." "Oh, it better be good," Lin Fan said as he thought about the door of the wooden hut and his Blood and Qi restoration pills. He must try to get something in return. "I''ve asked the sect master. Due to your excellent performance in the match against the Storm Fist Thunder sect, you are promoted to be an inner disciple of Physique Peak," Zhang Xi said. It was indeed great news. Lin Fan could finally start his physique cultivation under a master''s instruction. There was one thing left though. He wanted to continue staying at the wooden hut. It was close to the woods for him to kill beasts, gain points, and get new abilities. Also, he had privacy here to try out his system abilities. He would have trouble finding space whenever he leveled up his physique. Just when he was about to ask Zhang Xi about lodging, she talked about it first. "You can move to the Physique Peak anytime; I will ask the menial disciples to get your room ready." "Can I continue to stay here?" Lin Fan asked. Zhang Xi couldn''t understand why and said, "Your room in Physique Peak is much bigger and well furnished. Why would you want to stay behind?" "Ho Jie has been taking good care of me; it would be bad for me to leave him now. Especially after learning how to chop firewood from him." Lin Fan came up with an excuse, with part of it being true. "If you insist, then stay here. Come find me at the Physique Peak main hall tomorrow morning," Zhang Xi agreed, as there weren''t any strict rules on disciples staying in the lodging provided. She also wanted to quickly slip away before Zhao Qing Ying came back.@@novelbin@@ But she was toote; Zhao Qing Ying''s voice boomed in the air. "Lin Fan, I''ll gut you alive!" Zhao Qing Ying came back with his wine gourd in his hand, but his face had some dirt on it, and his clothes were badly torn. It seemed like he had a hard fight with something in the woods. Lin Fan took note of it and reminded himself not to venture too deep into the woods next time. "Senior martial uncle, let him off; I already told him the good news. Let''s go back," Zhang Xi tried getting Zhao Qing Ying to leave. But he was fuming at nearly losing his precious wine gourd. He was, however, impressed that Lin Fan was smart enough to see through him and make use of his wine gourd. Unlike Qing Yang Zi, this Lin Fan''s way was more like his. Too bad he''s Physique Peak''s inner disciple now. If not, he would have made Lin Fan his core disciple on the spot. Best to bring him outside of Qing Feng sect and not let him be polluted with the ways of Qing Yang Zi. "Senior martial uncle, it''s all a misunderstanding," Lin Fan sped his hands and bowed to Zhao Qing Ying. He gave a sad face, then pointed at the broken door and said, "I will have to repair the door now, and also try to earn contribution points for my Blood and Qi restoration pills. "You should know it''s life and death out there. "I might just be one pill short of certain death." Zhang Xi held back herughter and patted Lin Fan''s back, pretending to console him. With that, Lin Fan looked down and went silent. "Enough. Here''s something topensate you. Primordial Essence pills help enhance primordial powers for your senses." Zhao Qing Ying took out a bottle of pills and threw it at Lin Fan. He thought that it would help with Lin Fan''s Beast Cultivation root. But it wasn''t enough for Lin Fan as he continued, "Ho Jie would have a hard time without the door. What if the demonic beastse and attack him?" Zhao Qing Ying twitched his nose and pulled out a wooden b and threw it to Lin Fan. "There are twenty contribution points inside; that''s all I have. I might have to quit drinking for the rest of the month." With the wooden b in his hand, Lin Fan looked up and smiled brightly. "Thank you, senior martial uncle. We are having our lunch; join us if you don''t mind," Lin Fan warmly invited Zhao Qing Ying. Such a loving senior martial uncle, how could he not be good to him? Sensing Lin Fan was up to no good, Zhao Qing Ying shook his head and said, "No, no. I''ve got to discuss something with the sect master." He quickly turned and went away. "Senior martial uncle, feel free toe visit again!" Lin Fan, with his hand by the side of his mouth, shouted as he saw Zhao Qing Ying go. Zhang Xi shook her head and silently thought to herself, better not let Lin Fan have any chance of bargaining. If not, you might lose everything. "If I remember correctly, Miss Rabbit has a reward for me," Lin Fan turned to Zhang Xi and said. "Reward? No, when did she say that?" Zhang Xi''s eyes opened wide and quickly turned away. "I got something to do at the Physique Peak. Remember to go to the hall tomorrow." She shouted as she scurried away. Chapter 73 Sun Hais Joy Next day. Physique Peak, Main Hall. Lin Fan went over to the main hall as per Zhang Xi''s instructions. It was huge but empty. There were only Zhang Xi and Sun Hai waiting for him there. By the side of the main hall, there were weapons of all types. Spears, curved sabers, knives, shields, and batons. "Here is your inner disciple''s robe," Zhang Xi said as she handed him the dark blue robe. Sun Hai came next to Lin Fan and patted him on his back. "I heard you wanted to stay behind and look after that old man living with you. Very good. That''s what a Physique Peak disciple should be. Caring for the elderly." He had a good impression of Lin Fan from thest time he saw him. Taking the effort to try to save those poor menial disciples. "Senior martial brother Sun Hai will guide you on your cultivation. I''ve got other things to attend to now." Zhang Xi bid her farewell and went on her way. Being a caretaker Peak Lord required her to manage the daily operations. "Come with me," Sun Hai said and led Lin Fan to the back of the main hall. There were many huge wooden tubs, lined in a row. Menial disciples ran around taking smaller tubs and poured hot water into one of them. "This is the first thing a Physique Cultivator will do. Go through the Skin and Bone Refining Bath," Sun Hai said and gestured for Lin Fan to get in. "It will cleanse all the impurities, break down your skin and bones to enhance your physical potential. It will hurt a little, just bear with it." Lin Fan nodded, took off his robe, and got into the wooden tub with the Skin and Bone Refining Bath inside. With a smirk on his lips, Sun Hai expected him to cry out in pain, and he could then teach him how to guide his Qi to alleviate the pain. But to his disappointment, it didn''t happen. Lin Fan could only feel the bathplementing his level 4 physique, nourishing his skin and bones with all the Qi-enhancing herbs inside. "You don''t feel anything?" Sun Hai asked. Everyone, including himself, had cried out as if they were being ughtered the first time they went into the bath. How could Lin Fan be so calm? This is not possible. Sun Hai looked at the menial disciples with the smaller tubs in their hands. "Senior martial brother, the Skin and Bone Refining bath was prepared ording to instructions. We didn''t miss out on any ingredients." The menial disciples shook their heads and begged for mercy. "Come, let me check," Sun Hai took one of the small tubs from the menial disciples and smelled the Skin and Bone Refining bath inside. They weren''t lying. The smell was correct, not a bit of ingredients missing. Which meant Lin Fan was a natural at Physique Cultivation. Havinge to this conclusion, Sun Hai tried very hard to suppress his feelings of joy. Finally, the Physique Peak would have someone talented. But he mustn''t let it get to Lin Fan. So, Sun Hai frowned at Lin Fan and said with a straight face, "Your talents in Physique Cultivation aren''t that good. The Skin and Blood Refining bath can''t even help you." Lin Fan squinted his eyes and looked at the menial disciples. They shook their heads vigorously. He sighed silently. Lin Fan didn''t expect senior martial brother Sun Hai to y mind tricks. He yed along and asked, "How should I improve myself, Senior martial brother?" "Don''t despair. Even if your body isn''t so suited, work hard at all the fighting techniques," Sun Hai replied. "Sure, when can we start?" Lin Fan was more than happy to get out of the bath and start. "Be patient, young man. Stay in the bath for one more hour. I will see you in the main hall." ... When Lin Fan was done and changed into his new robes, he went and looked for Sun Hai. Sun Hai was in the main hall with some devices in his hands waiting for Lin Fan. "What''s that?" Lin Fan asked, pointing at the unfamiliar devices. It looked like a bracelet made of ck iron, with scriptures carved on its surface.@@novelbin@@ "This is a weight assist device. You put it on, and it will add weight, making it tough for you to move around." Sun Hai said as he felt the weight of the device in his hands. At the early stage of Qi Concentration level, three hundred kilograms worth of weight should be enough for Lin Fan. He put the bracelets on for Lin Fan, expecting his hands to drop. But no, Lin Fan swung his hands around as if they weren''t there. Sun Hai bit his tongue to stop himself from crying out in joy. "Seems like... the bracelets are faulty too..." he said with a straight face again, trying hard not to let Lin Fan feel proud of himself. He had seen so many talented disciples fall from grace due to arrogance. "Faulty? What should we do?" Lin Fan asked with an innocent look. "Ignore it. Let''s start with the breathing and Qi techniques," Sun Hai said. He went on and taught Lin Fan the Qing Feng Physiques Breathing Technique. It allowed cultivators to make use of the Qi to reinforce their bodies, making them hard as steel. Lin Fan followed Sun Hai''s instructions perfectly. By the end of the day, Lin Fan could already use the Qi in his body to ward off attacks from weapons at the Mortal level. "Senior martial brother, are you sure we don''t need to pay for all the broken weapons?" Lin Fan asked before he called it a day. "No need to. It''s part and parcel of training." Sun Hai said while he looked at all the broken weapons on the ground. His heart and purse were broken. Zhang Xi would be mad when she saw this. The funds for Physique Peak were getting tight; they might have to do more missions to earn some money soon. But Sun Hai took a deep breath and thought it would be well worth it for the most talented disciple in Physique Peak. ... Nightfall. Sword Peak, Tan Rui''s room. After the defeat by Ho Ming and witnessing how Ho Ming with Lin Fan grabbed the limelight, Tan Rui was a different man from then on. His room had no candles lit; things were messy and thrown all over the ce. No one had darede near his room for days. With his hystericalughs and intermittent angershing out on everything, no one wanted to be part of it. A young woman stood outside of his room, lifting up her hand and knocked on the door. Chapter 74 Hu Kou Village "Go away! I don''t want to see anyone!" Tan Rui shouted and threw some things at the door. Thud! A loud thud was then heard. The young woman in the familiar dark blue inner disciple robes didn''t leave and ignored Tan Rui''s warning. She pushed the door open, and when Tan Rui wanted to throw things at her again, he froze. He couldn''t move. The young woman was much stronger than he was. "Young lord Tan, just hear me out," she entered the room, closed the door, and lit up the candles in the room. As she went about picking up the things on the floor, tidying up the room, she kept speaking. "It''s not over yet. With your talents and right cultivation techniques, you can beat Ho Ming and Lin Fan easily." She came over and caressed Tan Rui''s neck. "Hmph. What are you getting at? You''re trying to have Dual Cultivation with me?" Tan Rui said with a smug look. His background as a young lord from the Tan family was above that. Indulge in Dual Cultivation? Never! "Dual Cultivation? I''m afraid you are mistaken, young lord. There is a much faster way to gain powers." The young woman smirked and held up a pill bottle. ck colored and with a red stopper. "Is that what my uncle took and caused his death in An Xiang vige? You think I''m dumb or what?" Tan Rui had heard about what had happened to Master Tan and Tan Fei. He wasn''t about to step into the same mistake as them. "Ah, your uncles. They were just unfortunate idents, I assure you. These are enhanced Nine Turn Qi Concentration pills, altered to make you temporarily have powers of the next level." She opened the bottle, took one pill out of it, and popped it into her mouth. Her Qi immediately started to feel much stronger. The aura that was keeping him immobile felt more powerful. He wanted to puke from all the pressure put on him. "See, no side effects whatsoever. Here, I shall leave the bottle here, and if you need more, just let me know." She left the pill bottle on Tan Rui''sp, bowed to him, and exited the room. Tan Rui picked up the pill bottle, looked at it, and hesitated. These members from the Dark Lotus sect certainly weren''t up to anything good. Trying to make use of him as a pawn. "Senior martial Ho Ming!" Someone shouted for Ho Ming outside. Tan Rui gritted his teeth and cursed silently at the mention of his name. Instinctively, Tan Rui had wanted to walk out of it, but when all the memories of defeat by Ho Ming came flooding back, his anger rose again. He decided. When the opportunity arose, he would take care of Ho Ming. After all, the Dark Lotus sect didn''t ask anything in return from him. At least not yet. ... Physique Peak. Main Hall. Lin Fan was in full gear with his hammers and his baggage waiting. As an inner disciple, he would have toplete at least three missions in one month. Just like how Zhao Rui and Bai brothers did for Sword Peak. On sessfulpletion of the missions, he would be rewarded with contribution points and money. The amount would be dependent on the difficulty of the mission. This mission he would be going on was an entry-level mission, with a reward of three taels of silver and thirty contribution points. "All ready?" Sun Hai asked when he appeared with his baggage tied on his back. It was Lin Fan''s first mission, and he wanted to make sure he would be all right. Zhang Xi would join in if she had the time. "Let''s go then. I will brief you along the way." Sun Hai then briefed Lin Fan on the mission: a vige reported that kids were disappearing and suspected foul y. They would help the constables with apprehending the criminal. Nothing unusual so far. Child trafficking was amon urrence in Quan Dynasty. No one thought much about it. "Cheer up," Sun Hai patted Lin Fan''s back when he saw him in deep thoughts. "I hate these child traffickers as much as you do. I promise you I will crush their skulls like tofu!" Sun Hai smiled approvingly at Lin Fan. This junior martial brother was aspassionate as ever. Lin Fan nodded at what Sun Hai said. He was, however, suspicious that it had something to do with the Dark Lotus sect. It took them a day''s travel on horseback to reach the vige. The vige was called Hu Kou vige, somewhat like An Xiang vige. Rural, and far away from the nearest town. When they arrived at the vige, they could hear cries and wailing from the small huts. These must have been the family members of the missing kids. "Stop right there!" the adults guarding the vige shouted and armed their bows. "We are from the Qing Feng sect to help. Constable Leong should know." Sun Hai took out his jade pendant with the words Qing Feng sect carved on it. A man in ck and red constable uniform came over, took the jade pendant, and inspected it. When he confirmed Lin Fan and Sun Hai were from Qing Feng sect, he quickly bowed and put on a wide smile. "I''m constable Leong, so sorry for the rudeness. Hope you don''t mind," he said apologetically and waved at the vigers to stand down. "Come, let''s have a good meal at the vige head''s house and I''ll brief you on the details." When the vigers knew they were from Qing Feng sect, they ran toward them, begging for them to help. Some even went on the ground, holding onto Lin Fan and Sun Hai''s legs, asking to help find their kids first. Lin Fan didn''t know what to say, but Sun Hai was no stranger to this type of scene. He smiled and assured the vigers that they would do their best to rescue the kids. With Sun Hai''s assurance, they felt safer and let them go. The vige head''s house wasn''t far away, and soon they reached it after a minute''s walk. A middle-aged man wasforting a young woman sobbing uncontrobly, presumably his wife. Constable Leong introduced them to Sun Hai and Lin Fan.@@novelbin@@ "This is the vige head, Low Fang Bai, and his wife, Lee Mei." "Please excuse my wife. Our son went missing an hour ago when he went outside..." Low Fang Bai stood up but couldn''t finish the sentence. Everyone went silent. Sun Hai quickly introduced themselves and said, "Don''t worry, vige head. We will get the criminal as soon as possible." Chapter 75 White Toad When Lee Mei looked up and saw Sun Hai with his bald head and Lin Fan, a teenager, she wailed louder. What was Qing Feng sect thinking? Sending these two to help investigate. "My wife''s traumatized, hope you don''t mind," Low Fang Bai said and gave an awkwardugh. "Why don''t we settle in for dinner and discuss the details of the case?" Constable Leong interjected to try and make things less awkward. "Yes, dinner. How rude of me. I''ll get the servants to serve dinner now," Low Fang Bai pped his hands and the servants standing by the side got to work. Low Fang Bai weirdly didn''t seem anxious about his son, Lin Fan thought. "Can I have a look at your son''s footwear?" Lin Fan asked. "You can start after dinner..." "Let me fetch my son''s footwear for you," Lee Mei ignored her husband and went to the back. When she came out, she had a pair of kids'' shoes, for around the age of five. "Here, he only wore them once during New Yearst year. Oh, my poor son..." Lee Mei passed the shoes over to Lin Fan and started to cry again. Lin Fan held the shoes in his hands, and unknown to everyone else, he activated his Hunter Instinct ability. He could then see illuminated footsteps on the ground. Footsteps belonging to adults and those of a five-year-old kid. The surprising thing was that the kid had not left the house recently. At least for the past eight hours, that''s the maximum his Hunter Instinct ability could track. "Can''t figure out much from this. We will keep a lookout for your son." Lin Fan said and kept his findings to himself. He passed the shoes back to Lee Mei, who looked at him with a disappointed look. What was she thinking, putting all her hopes on a teenager? "Let''s eat first," Constable Leong invited them to eat when the first dish was out. He then briefed them on the details. For the past month, kids had suddenly started to disappear, often near the woods. Some of the vigers thought it must have been the Mountain God being displeased with their offerings. They''d even set up a huge praying ceremony to the Mountain God, offeringmbs and oxen in return for not grabbing their kids. But it had no effect; the kids still went missing. That''s when the vigers put up a bounty for Qing Feng sect toe and help. "We will go into the woods tonight. See if we can find anything," Lin Fan proposed his n. "At night?" Constable Leong asked. "If the kids went missing in broad daylight, whatever was kidnapping them isn''t nocturnal. We can surprise it if we go at night." Lin Fan gave his rationale and those at the dinner table started to change their impression of him. The reasoning was sound, and Sun Hai agreed with Lin Fan. ... Nightfall. After a sumptuous meal, Sun Hai and Lin Fan made their way into the woods. Constable Leong stayed behind as backup, just in case. "I think that there''s something going on with the vige head," Lin Fan said as they ventured into the thick foliage. "You think so?" Sun Hai was perturbed by Lin Fan''s finding. "He isn''t too anxious about his kid missing, something fishy about him." "Come to think of it..." Sun Hai recalled how Low Fang Bai behaved earlier and said, "You''re right." "Let''s focus on this first. We''ll get to himter," Sun Hai added. They wandered into the woods for an hour until they reached somewhere different. The bushes were ttened, the water in the pond beside it was dark red. Blood and bones were strewn all over the area. From the size of the bones, it was obvious they were bones of children. "Bastard!" Sun Hai cried out in anger when he saw the scene. "Watch out!" Lin Fan pushed Sun Hai aside when his Rabbit''s Hearing detected somethinging out of the water. Thump! A big white-colored toadnded where Sun Hai was standing. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate White Toad with malevolent intent for 100 vengeance points.] Lin Fan took out his hammers and smashed at the toad. The toad turned and with its hind legs kicked at Lin Fan instead. ng! Lin Fan blocked at thest minute and his body slid backward for a few meters. The toad then squirted out some sticky liquid at Lin Fan. Using his Magnificent Leap, Lin Fan leaped to the side, dodging all the liquid. When the liquidnded on the bushes and ground, white steam came out and the bushes burned. The liquid was corrosive and mmable. "Disgusting animal!" Sun Hai roared as he lunged at the white toad. Thud. His punch met with the white toad''s back and the toad only startled. Sun Hai pulled another punch, and it was the same. The back of the white toad was too hard even for Sun Hai. Sun Hai went for the soft belly next. With a side kick, he aimed for the white toad''s belly, but the toad turned and gave him a kick with its hind legs. "Let me deal with it!" Lin Fan cried out, and with his hammers he came down hard onto the toad. Thud! Thud!@@novelbin@@ Thud! He rained down the Yang smash one after another on the white toad''s back. Even though its back was hard, it couldn''t deflect all the kic force that Lin Fan was raining down with his hammers. All the Yang Qi that had gone into the white toad''s body created havoc within. It tried to jump back into the water but couldn''t as Lin Fan, with the Yang Qi on one hand and Yin Qi on the other, performed the Yin Yang Cross Smash on the white toad. With the Yang Qi and Yin Qi meeting within, they stirred, and a violent reaction ensued. Boom! The white toad exploded like a balloon. Innards and flesh sttered all over the ce. Lin Fan blocked with his hammers but some of it still got to him. Tainting his new robes. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 100.] [Current Vengeance Points: 330] 330 vengeance points, still a long way to go for the next upgrade, Lin Fan thought as he saw the information panel. "This white toad must be the culprit," Sun Hai said, as he inspected something on the ground under the moonlight. Lin Fan went over and took a look. It was a kid''s finger. Chapter 76 The Truth "It might be," Lin Fan said. It was too easy, too obvious. As if someone was trying to let them finish their work and be on their way. "Maybe, but we don''t have anything else. We will get the Constable here to decide for himself." Soon after, they made their way back to the vige. Lin Fan and Sun Hai woke up Constable Leong, who was sleeping soundly, and briefed him on what they discovered. Upon hearing the good news, Constable Leong ordered his men to knock on gongs to alert the vigers. Much to the dismay of the vige head. Gong! Gong! Gong! The gongs were loud, and all the vigers were up in an instant. "What time is it?" "What the hell?" "Constable Leong, what are you doing?" The vigers asked Constable Leong what had happened in their groggy state. "The cultivators from Qing Feng sect have apprehended the culprit. Follow me if you want to find out." "What? So fast?" "The culprit is nabbed?" "Thank you, dear cultivators! I will eat vegetarian and pray for you for the rest of my life." Vigers were surprised that Lin Fan and Sun Hai were able to catch the culprit so fast. Some already started to thank Lin Fan and Sun Hai. They tried to get close to Lin Fan and Sun Hai, but the blood and stains on their robes made them think twice. With no time to waste, the vigers followed Lin Fan and Sun Hai to the scene where the white toady. When they saw all the blood and bones, the vigers couldn''t hold it in and puked. It was a scene not for the faint-hearted. Much more so for the parents. "My child! You must have been so scared in yourst moments." "Ah Gou, can you hear me? Ah Gou, I''m sorry I failed you." They couldn''t hold it in and wailed with tears. Constable Leong, with his fingers on his nose, went over to the body of the white toad. He checked the remains all over the ce and reached the same conclusion as Sun Hai. This white toad was the culprit kidnapping all the kids. It must have been an ordinary toad but somehow mutated to be able to cultivate and got to this state. By eating children. "Thank you for apprehending the culprit. Hu Kou vige shall forever be indebted to you." The vige head cried out loud and bowed to Lin Fan and Sun Hai. He continued and said, "I''ll ask my servants to prepare a feast for you. Please do not reject our hospitality." "Yes, we still have a chicken in our house." "I will contribute amb for the feast." The vigers also chimed in with whatever they could to thank the cultivators. With that decided, the Constable and his men carried the carcass of the white toad, and the vigers made their way back. When they got back to the vige, vigers went back to their homes first, getting their chicken andmb for the feast. But even before Lin Fan could reach the vige head''s house, a loud scream echoed in the air. Other houses followed with screams. "My daughter is gone!" "Help, my son was sleeping in his bed."@@novelbin@@ "Now my twins are gone." Families with their kids still around suffered the same fate. But how could it be? Hadn''t the white toad been apprehended? Vigers started to doubt that the white toad was the culprit. They started to curse and swear at the Constable. The Constable could only try to pacify them. "Please give us time. The cultivators will get to the bottom of this." Constable Leong pointed to where Lin Fan and Sun Hai were standing, but they weren''t there anymore. This triggered the vigers. The cultivators were the first to run away! It was, however, a misunderstanding. Lin Fan and Sun Hai ran over to the vige head''s house the first moment they heard the screams. And they were right. When they barged into the vige head''s house, in the living room, they saw a kid. He was pale white, sitting down and nibbling on something. By his side, servants were dead or unconscious, lying on the floor. Lin Fan didn''t want to look but shouted, "Stop it!" But before he could walk over and stop the kid, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 20 vengeance points.] It was the vige head. He lunged at Lin Fan with a cleaver, but he was no match for Lin Fan. Lin Fan with a palm strike made him fall onto the ground. "My son!" Low Fang Bai tried to crawl over to where his son was. Lin Fan pulled him back. By now, Constable Leong and his men had arrived, and what they saw shocked them. "Low Fang Bai, are you out of your mind!" Constable Leong shouted at the vige head. "Out of my mind? It''s the only chance for my son to live beyond his sickness!" Low Fang Bai cried out. Constable Leong pointed at Low Fang Bai''s son, "Look at him, you call that being alive?" "No... It can''t be... The Dark Envoy can''t be wrong!" Low Fang Bai started to talk hysterically. When Lin Fan heard the words Dark Envoy, it finally made sense to him. The Dark Envoy must have seduced the vige head with some dark cultivation method to prolong his son''s life. Which required his son to use the flesh and blood of kids to cultivate. As for the white toad, it must have been feeding off the leftovers of what the vige head''s kid couldn''t finish. And when Lin Fan and Sun Hai came, he had to get rid of them as soon as possible. The only thing Low Fang Bai didn''t anticipate was that his son would go out hunting when he was away. "My Son!" When one of the vigers saw what the vige head''s son was nibbling on, he went mad. The other vigers affected also got into a frenzy. They tried to kill the vige head and his son. But Lin Fan had to ensure the vige head stayed alive for information on the Dark Envoy. They had no idea what the Dark Lotus sect was nning with all these devious actions. Seeing that they had no chance with the vige head, the vigers turned their anger onto his son. "Stop it!" Lee Mei came out and tried to stop the mob. But it was toote. With the anger still burning inside of the vigers, they did what they had to. Chapter 77 Sima Family Witnessing the tragedy that was happening, Lin Fan felt his decision to be a cultivator was the right choice. If you aren''t strong enough, you will be just a pawn to those stronger than you. And in this case, the Dark Lotus sect. The emperor and Qing Feng sect had better deal with them soon, or Lin Fan foresees chaos across thend. Which would impede his goal of bing stronger. "Better to leave now!" Constable Leong and his men couldn''t keep the mob at bay and advise Lin Fan and Sun Hai to leave. They agreed, quickly left, and took Low Fang Bai with them. Vigers could only curse at Low Fang Bai as they saw him taken away. They knew Lin Fan and Sun Hai could wipe them out with just a few strokes. As they rode on their horses, the shouting, wailing, and chaos became further and further away. Slowly there were only sounds of the insects chirping and galloping of the horses. "Don''t worry. Not all missions are like this. I once had a mission to escort some businessman''s wife, and the feast along the way was great," Sun Hai said, trying tofort Lin Fan. "What shall we do with him, though?" Lin Fan asked. Low Fang Bai was now unconscious and tied up, lying face down behind Sun Hai on the horse. "The Formation Peak will be able to extract his memory. Hopefully, we will then know what the Dark Lotus sect is up to," Sun Hai replied. Lin Fan nodded and took note of it. What would they see if they tried to extract his memory? Would they be able to see his life before transmigrating? He might need to start looking for techniques that could suppress his memories. ¡­ Mission Hall. This hall had wooden tablets hanging on a huge wall with missions avable written on them. The missions are ssified into different levels of difficulty. If disciples are confident with the missions, they could take the wooden tablets and register with the disciple in charge. Lin Fan and Sun Hai''s mission was ssified as entry level. Sun Hai had chosen it as it didn''t seem too difficult for Lin Fan''s first mission. Somehow, they stumbled upon something much more difficult than it looked. One that might be part of a devious n. "Your mission was ssified wrongly. You should give us more reward," Sun Hai protested as he counted the three taels of silver and thirty contribution points. "That''s the rule," the disciple behind the counter said coldly. Lin Fan, with a wide smile, chimed in and said, "Even though we uncovered some activities of the Dark Lotus sect? We could let the suspect off right now, and if anything happens, it would be on you. Dear senior martial brother." "You¡­ Wait for me." The disciple got up and went into the back of the hall. The whole of Qing Feng sect had been instructed to pay more attention to anything that concerns the Dark Lotus sect. After a few moments, the disciple came back out and with a smile, apologized to Sun Hai. "Senior martial brother, you didn''t inform me about the Dark Lotus sect. How could I have known?" He took out another three taels of silver and thirty contribution points, handed it over to Sun Hai. Sun Hai then handed it over to Lin Fan. "Here, keep it. You did well for your first mission." Now he has five hundred and thirty contribution points, three taels of silver, and some copper coins. Life should be much morefortable going forward. Lin Fan thanked Sun Hai, and he went back to his wooden hut. Even though he had only left for a day, it felt like it was ages. When Lin Fan entered the hut, Ho Ming was inside waiting for him. And beside Ho Ming, there was Sima Liang.@@novelbin@@ "Why are you here? You''ve given Ho Ming his winnings?" Lin Fan asked. "Definitely. Ho Ming already has the winnings. I''m here for something else." Lin Fan nced at Ho Ming, and Ho Ming gave him a nod. Confirming what Sima Liang said was true. "What''s it about then?" Lin Fan asked. "Our family has been in the artifact forging business for years. Your hammers could benefit from some upgrade. We can help with that. Free, of course," Sima Liang said and gave Lin Fan a wide smile. Lin Fan immediately knew what Sima Liang wanted. To get into his good books. Most likely taking a bet on Lin Fan and Ho Ming bing important figures in Qing Feng sect. He could see why Sima Liang''s family is rich. Lin Fan thought for a moment, even though he wasn''t short of money right now, he wouldn''t mind the backing of a rich family. As long as they don''t demand anything from him. "Free? The most expensive thing in life is free," Lin Fan said and pointed to the sparsely furnished interior of the wooden hut, "Look around. I''m just a poor inner disciple and can''t give you anything in return." "Of course. We don''t expect anything in return from you. I just like to make friends," Sima Liang exined. "So how would you enhance my hammers?" Lin Fan said. Sima Liang''s eyes opened wide, happy that Lin Fan didn''t reject him. He replied, "I saw that you used some Yin and Yang techniques with the hammers. It would be much more powerful if your hammers get infused with demonic beast core with the same attribute." "I have an Ember Wolf''s beast core. Would that work?" "Ember Wolf''s beast core? Really? It''s rare and definitely powerful enough. Our family will find the other Yin attribute beast core for you." Sima Liang was surprised that Lin Fan had something so valuable in his possession and offered his family''s help. "Where will you find the demonic beast core?" Lin Fan asked. "You know the ck market?" Sima Liang replied. Did he say ck market? Lin Fan suppressed his excitement and nodded calmly as a n began to form in his mind. Why doesn''t he hunt for the demonic beast in the woods? He could earn the vengeance points and then sell the demonic beast core at the ck market. Thus earning the money from Sima Liang. And finally, the demonic core will go into his hammers. It''s a win-win-win for him. Lin Fan grinned as he slowly hatched out his n. With Lin Fan''s agreement, Sima Liang left the wooden hut with a smile. As the son of the second wife, he wasn''t favored to take over the family''s assets. To outperform his brother, he would have to have support from someone with potential like Lin Fan. On top of that, Sima Liang was very much drawn to Lin Fan''s finesse and scheming nature. It was also a win for Sima Liang. Chapter 78 Frost Fang Ice Tiger Formation Peak. Zhao Ming Ye was in his room, set up with the memory recall formation. Right in the middle of the formation was Low Fang Bai. Tied up and unconscious. Zhao Ming Ye activated the formation, and when the beam of light went up, he observed the imagery. First, he saw a pale child coughing out blood. When it was too much, Low Fang Bai ran out of his house. A person in a ck mask then approached him. He offered his help with some miracle pills. And in return, Low Fang Bai would help set up a Dark Lotus sect branch. With more followers, he would then have more pills. When his son took the pill, it worked. He was no longer coughing blood, but it had a nasty side effect. Low Fang Bai was then in a dilemma but decided to go with it as it was his son''s only chance for survival. Then came Lin Fan and Sun Hai. And the rest was history. Zhao Ming Ye quickly took down the location of the Dark Lotus sect branch Low Fang Bai had set up. This was Qing Feng sect''s chance to get back at them. Especially after what Skin Puppet Diao did. "Sect master, here is the location of the branch." Zhao Ming Ye wasted no time and briefed Qing Yang Zi on his findings. Qing Yang Zi looked at the location and pondered on it. It was in a mountain cave. "What are you waiting for? Let''s just go and kill all of those cult followers!" Zhao Qing Ying was impatient and ready to go. "Qing Ying, best not to be rash. After what Skin Puppet Diao did, you should be aware that they are much more cunning now. This might be another trap of theirs." "What do you propose then? Let them be?" Zhao Qing Ying asked. If it was a devious n to ambush Qing Feng sect, it was a perfect one.@@novelbin@@ Qing Feng sect couldn''t pretend the branch didn''t exist and not deal with it. But to go in, they might be ambushed by the Dark Lotus sect, or whatever is waiting for them in the cave. Qing Yang Zi went into deep thought and finally made his decision. "Bring some of the disciples with you, but you mustn''t go in deep. Let the disciples do the work clearing up the ce. Be alert as you might be their target." Zhao Qing Ying agreed. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire This sounded like a n the Dark Lotus sect would make. And the worst part was that the Qing Feng sect had to respond somehow. ¡­ Next day. Lin Fan, after finishing his training at Physique Peak, went back to the wooden hut immediately. It was time for him to go and hunt for his demonic core in the woods. The next full moon was near; he didn''t want to miss out on selling his demonic core to Sima Liang. Along the way, he didn''t encounter much. The squirrels were still mad he destroyed their homes when he cut them down previously. He had no choice but to go deeper into the woods. When he felt his hair stand up, he knew he was close. The air surrounding the area was chilly and cold, even though it was already mid-spring. Lin Fan then felt he was being watched. Someone or something was following and looking at him. He immediately activated his Rabbit''s Hearing and listened intensely. First, he could hear the sound of the leaves rustling. Insects chirped and some footsteps. They were light and inaudible to a normal human being. Then he could hear a low hum purring. Lin Fan turned towards where the beast was. Soon after, he could see his breath turning into white mists. The temperature was going down suddenly. Lin Fan heard the beast leaping off, and a white shimmer lunged at Lin Fan. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 80 vengeance points.] The Frost Fang Ice Tiger was too fast, and Lin Fan didn''t have time to react. He could only use his hands to block the attack. Its paw scratched Lin Fan''s skin but couldn''t go in too deep. Lin Fan''s physique cultivation had enabled him to use his Qi to harden his skin. Not giving the beast any chance, Lin Fan gave it a direct kick in the face. The tiger couldn''t dodge as it was in midair, took the kick with full impact. It flew and smashed into the tree trunks behind. When the tiger stood up, it showed its fangs, icy cold, and it caused it to breathe out white mist. Lin Fan took this chance to draw out his hammers. The tiger stared at Lin Fan, waiting for its next opening. It couldn''t figure out how Lin Fan was aware of iting. Meanwhile, Lin Fan injected his Qi into his hammers. When he was done, he lunged at the tiger. The tiger tried to use its front paw to swipe Lin Fan away. Dang! Lin Fan used his Yang Smash and mangled its front paw. The tiger gave out a cry in pain. It showed its fangs again and tried to bite at Lin Fan''s neck. Lin Fan side-stepped with the Swift Foot ability, turning into a blue shimmer. Now that he was on the tiger''s side, Lin Fan didn''t stop and swung his other hammer in an upward swing at its chin. Dang! It hit the tiger''s chin, and it got disoriented due to the impact. Sitting on the ground, it shook its head trying to wake itself up. But Lin Fan was ready with the next strike. The Ying Yang Cross Smash. He smashed at the tiger''s belly with both of his hammers. When the Ying and Yang Qi reacted at the belly, the tiger gave out a loud cry in pain. Stter. The belly exploded. Its innards sttered all over. By now, Lin Fan was used to this and he brushed whatever stuck onto his robe off. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 80.] [Current Vengeance Points: 410] Lin Fan quickly sliced the tiger open with his axe and reached for its heart. After some tussling, he sessfully tore out the demonic beast core. It was ice blue, giving out a chilly sensation. When you looked through it, there was some faint imagery of the tiger''s form. Now, he haspleted step one and two more steps before his hammers would be upgraded. Chapter 79 New Mission Full Moon. ck Market. Wearing his wolf mask, Lin Fan went to the ck market early. He picked a spot next to Zhang Xi''s and set up his store. Which was just a piece of ragid in front of him. On the rag, he ced the Frost Fang Ice Tiger''s core on it. When Zhang Xi saw him with the demonic beast core, she figured there must be more to it.@@novelbin@@ She confirmed her belief after she saw Lin Fan shooing everyone away when they asked for the price. Finally, when someone in a mask of a horse came asking for the price, Lin Fan was all smiles. "How much for this Frost Fang Ice Tiger''s core?" Sima Liang asked. "Not much. Only fifty contribution points," Lin Fan replied. When Sima Liang heard Lin Fan''s voice, his hand reaching for the core froze in midair. That voice. Isn''t that Lin Fan? But why? Sima Liang thought about it for a moment. It didn''t take him long to realize what Lin Fan was doing. He couldn''t do much but give out augh and say, "Deal. Fifty contribution points for the core." Lin Fan smiled and patted Sima Liang on his back. He picked up the core, passed it to Sima Liang and said, "This core must be for someone important. I''m sure you''ll make sure it won''t be damaged." Sima Liang could only nod and reply, "Ah, yes. Definitely. I will make sure it ends up where it should be." "Good," Lin Fan nodded approvingly as he saw Sima Liang make his way out of the ck market. Even though Zhang Xi couldn''t figure out what was happening, she was sure Lin Fan must have been taking advantage of that person in the horse mask. She side-eyed him and shifted a few steps away from Lin Fan. Best to keep some distance from him, who knows what he''s up to next. ¡­ Next day. Physiques Peak. Lin Fan was in the main hall with Sun Hai. Having been cultivating for so long, it was time to take measure of Lin Fan''s improvement. Sun Hai took out a stone, which looked something like the inquiry stone. But its purpose was different. It measured the level and stage of cultivation you were at. "Put your hand on the stone and inject Qi into it," Sun Hai said. Lin Fan did as Sun Hai instructed. When he injected his Qi into the measuring stone, a white glow enveloped it. It gave out a few pulses of bright glow before going back to what it was again. Lin Fan removed his hands from the stone. Then, some words in white appeared on the stone. Qi Concentration Level, Stage Nine. Sun Hai couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw it. He had to read the words over and over again. "Read what you see on the stone to me." "Qi Concentration Level, Stage Nine," Lin Fan replied. Sun Hai asked Lin Fan to repeat what he saw, making sure he wasn''t reading it wrong. His cultivation speed was astronomical. A speed Sun Hai had never seen before. Was it due to the Beast Cultivation root of his? "Keep cool. Be steady, mustn''t let it get to his head." Sun Hai said to himself silently. He''d seen so many promising young ones destroy themselves just because they got too cocky. As the senior martial brother of Physique Peak, he mustn''t let it happen to Lin Fan. "Ahem. The stone must be faulty. I think you are most likely at Qi Concentration Level, Stage Five." Sun Hai held the stone close to his face, pretending to inspect the stone. "Yes, senior martial brother," Lin Fan said. Although he had some doubts about Sun Hai''s im, he pretended to agree. After all, if he was doing too well, how could he get more resources from Physique Peak? "How should I improve myself further?" Lin Fan asked with a sincere look. "I have a Fist technique¡­ wait, no. You can go check out the mission hall. There''s a very big and important missioning up, you should try and join that." Sun Hai stopped talking about his Fist technique when he recalled how rich Lin Fan was after the bet he had. Poor Lin Fan. He must have had a poor childhood for him to be so thrifty, Sun Hai thought. Old habits die hard. Sun Hai decided he should bring Lin Fan out and enjoy himself when he had the chance. "Thanks, senior martial brother. I will check out the mission tomorrow," Lin Fan bid farewell as he was done for the day with his training. Whatever the mission was, he thought he was more than ready for it. When he went back to the wooden hut, Sima Liang was there. "Lin Fan, I''ve got good news for you," Sima Liang said when he saw Lin Fan entered the hut. "Let me guess. You''ve got the demonic beast core?" Lin Fan replied. Sima Liang''s eyebrow twitched a little and he said, "Ah yes. You really are so smart to know what I''m here for." "Brother Liang, you are ttering me. So, what do I need to do next?" "Just pass my men the hammers and Ember Wolf core, the Artifact Forging will be done in a day. They should be here shortly after I leave," Sima Liang replied. Lin Fan brightened up when he heard it would only take a day. He was worried about not having his hammer for the mission. With assurance that it would only take a day, Lin Fan went into his room and handed Sima Liang the Ember Wolf core. Sima Liang took it and bid his farewell. Just when he turned and walked out of the wooden hut, he saw something in the corner of his eyes. It was the wolf mask Lin Fan wore at the ck market. His eyebrow twitched again. See no evil, he mumbled to himself over and over as he left. ¡­ Next day. Mission Hall. The mission hall was crowded with hordes of disciples. They were trying to register for the mission Sun Hai was talking about. Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire Lin Fan joined in the queue and listened to what it was about. "Fong, you really want to take on this mission?" "Yes." "It''s very dangerous and high odds of you getting killed." "Are you sure? I only heard the rewards are very high." "It is to destroy a branch of the Dark Lotus sect. How could it not be dangerous?" Dark Lotus Sect. Lin Fan squinted his eyes and thought carefully about the mission. Things had always beenplicated when dealing with the Dark Lotus sect. Chapter 80 Hotpot Dinner The very moment Lin Fan heard Dark Lotus sect, Lin Fan thought he''d better stay low profile for it. After so many battles with them, it was always hard-fought. Lin Fan was unlike the youthful and lively disciples all around him. As long as he got what he wanted, the process didn''t matter much. "Next!" the disciple at the registration counter called for Lin Fan. He then briefed Lin Fan on the mission, reading from a script like a machine. Repeating the same thing over and over again must have got to him. "This mission is to destroy a Dark Lotus sect branch in the Tian Xian Mountain. Reward is fifty contribution points and death a high probability. We move out two dayster. Do you want to take it?" "Yes, I would take it," Lin Fan agreed and pressed his hands onto the mission b. His handprint then got imprinted onto the b, as evidence of him taking the mission. When he turned around, he saw Ho Ming. Ho Ming and the other disciples from the Sword Peak were also here to take the mission. With Ho Ming''s performance previously, he was now popr with the other disciples. Every one of them wanted to be on good terms with him. Leaving Tan Rui with a sullen look by the side. "Lin Fan, you took the mission?" Ho Ming came over with a warm smile when he saw Lin Fan. "Yes, of course. We must do our part for the sect." "If you don''t mind, let me tag along with you," Ho Ming asked. Much to the surprise of the disciples beside him. They thought they would be able to go along together for the mission with Ho Ming. "Can we tag along too?" one of the disciples asked. Lin Fan didn''t say anything but gave the disciple a cold stare. The disciple just smiled awkwardly. By now they were disappointed, and they shifted their attention to Lin Fan. They wanted to curse at him but bit their tongues and didn''t say anything. They could still remember how Lin Fan defeated the core disciples from the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. Without Ho Ming helping them, the next best person was Tan Rui. But when they turned and looked at Tan Rui, they had second thoughts. Young Lord Tan Rui was like a different person now. Quiet and kept to himself. Lin Fan also noticed the change in Tan Rui. Lin Fan thought Tan Rui had the vibes of someone he knew, Master Tan. That makes it much more perfect for Lin Fan. Seeing Tan Rui again reminded him that maybe it was time to settle some scores. The cave in the mountain seemed like a good ce, Lin Fan thought. After Ho Ming was done registering for the mission. They decided to go buy some supplies for the mission and have some hotpot at the wooden hut. Lin Fan bought more Blood and Qi Restoration pills, using up thirty contribution points. On top of that, he also bought some Hundred Poison Recovery Pills, costing him fifty contribution points. He figured that dealing with Dark Lotus sect meant encountering things like poison. Better to be prepared than sorry. He also let Ho Ming know what to buy for the hotpot. When everything was set, they returned to the wooden hut. This time, Sima Liang was there waiting for him again. Enhancement to Lin Fan''s hammers was done. Seeing Lin Fan appearing, Sima Liang pped his hands. His men pushed the cart with Lin Fan''s hammers on it over to Lin Fan. Lin Fan picked up the hammers and inspected them. Now there were scriptures carved onto the surface. At the tip of the hammers were the two cores. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire One that is of Yang Qi with the Ember Wolf core and the other Yin Qi with the Frost Fang Ice Tiger core. Lin Fan walked over to an opening and injected his Qi into the hammers. Using his Yang Smash, mes appeared andshed out few meters ahead, leaving a trail of burnt leaves. The same thing happened with his Yin Prod, an icicle shot out of the hammer, sticking itself into the tree trunk. Lin Fan was very pleased with the upgrade. He went over, patted Sima Liang on his back and said, "Thanks for the help. Stay for dinner, we are having hotpot tonight, you wouldn''t want to miss it." "It''s nothing. It''s the least I could do," Sima Liang said but thought silently about how Lin Fan had definitely helped himself. He shrugged, at least he was invited to dinner, a sign that Sima Liang had achieved his goal. After a long wait, Lin Fan finally got the hotpot setup. Ho Jie, Ho Ming, and Sima Liang were wondering what to do with the uncooked meat and vegetables.@@novelbin@@ This was something new to them. "Come, let me show you how it''s done," Lin Fan said as he picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks. He dipped the meat into the hot boiling soup, counted to ten, then took it out and chomped on it. After he swallowed it, he ushered them to try it out. With some hesitation, they copied what Lin Fan did and tried it out. "This is¡­ Just wonderful." "Oh my, let me see how the vegetables taste." "Today is an eye-opener for this old man. To think that there''s something new for me to experience." Ho Jie chuckled at what he was experiencing. Ho Ming and Sima Liang were utterly surprised at how the hotpot tasted. Sima Liang had one thought, maybe he could incorporate this hotpot into the Sima Family business. Also, the hotpot tasted so good that it makes you want to¡­drink. The aroma of wine suddenly filled the air. An old man pushed the door open, while drinking from his wine gourd. Sima Liang recognized the old man and couldn''t believe his eyes. Why would senior martial unclee over to Lin Fan''s wooden hut? "You are having a feast, and you didn''t invite me? How unfilial!" Zhao Qing Ying protested while he pushed Sima Liang aside and joined in at the table. "What do you mean unfilial? I''m a disciple of the Physique Peak. The only feast I would throw is for Physique Peak Lord Zhang Yi Nian," Lin Fan refuted. "I don''t care, where''s my chopsticks?" Zhao Qing Ying ignored Lin Fan and demanded. Ho Jie quickly stood up and brought him a pair of chopsticks. Sima Liang sat quietly and observed the banter in disbelief. Not in his wildest dream would he dare to talk to the senior martial uncle in this manner. "Hehe. This is fun and delicious," Zhao Qing Ying said as he munched on the piece of meat he''d cooked. "I think you aren''t here only for the food. What''s it about?" Lin Fan asked. Chapter 81 Getting Ready "I heard you guys are going for the mission?" Zhao Qing Ying replied. "Yes, and?" "Hehe, I''ll be going too. And to prevent you from causing any troubles for me, here..." Zhao Qing Ying reached into his sleeve and took out a jade pendant. It looked like the one that Zhao Rui had given Lin Fan earlier. "Inject Qi into the jade pendant and you canmunicate with me. "Use it when you get stuck. "Wouldn''t want you dying the progress of the mission," Zhao Qing Ying exined how to use the jade pendant. "Don''t worry, I will definitely not dy the mission." Lin Fan took the jade pendant and shook his head. This senior martial uncle was worried about him but didn''t want to say it out loud. After he kept the jade pendant, Lin Fan thought to himself, "Best not to use it. You''ll never know what the Dark Lotus sect has nned." "And you, after we are done with the meal, spar with me," Zhao Qing Ying pointed his chopsticks at Ho Ming. "Yes, senior martial uncle." Ho Ming immediately sat upright. He grinned widely at the prospect of having the chance to be taught by Zhao Qing Ying. "See, that''s the right attitude. You should be ashamed of yourself," Zhao Qing Ying turned to Lin Fan and said. Lin Fan smirked. "If you continue talking, there won''t be any meat left," he said as he used his chopsticks to pick up thest piece of meat on the table. "Damn you! I''m still hungry!" Zhao Qing Ying could do nothing as he witnessed Lin Fan putting the cooked meat into his mouth. ... After the hotpot dinner was over, Ho Ming and Zhao Qing Ying stood facing each other. Lin Fan stood by the side and watched. He was d that Ho Ming could have this chance to improve himself. "Come, give me all you''ve got," Zhao Qing Ying said. Ho Ming as usual used his twirling wind strike, then his slithering style.@@novelbin@@ When he couldn''t hit Zhao Qing Ying, he threw his sword at him. That failed and Ho Ming tried to headbutt Zhao Qing Ying. Trying very hard to use the element of surprise to hit him. Zhao Qing Ying shot a nce at Lin Fan when that happened. He figured Lin Fan must have been the one teaching Ho Ming to fight dirty. Lin Fan shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, denying it. "All right. Stop! I know what you need to improve on now." Zhao Qing Ying stopped Ho Ming and went on to guide him on his technique. He held onto Ho Ming''s hand, thrusting it forward. Carefully guiding Ho Ming''s wrist to twist and turn with the right force. They repeated the action several times until Ho Ming got the hang of it. "Now try and use the twirling wind strike at the tree over there." Ho Ming nodded. He closed his eyes, recalled what he had learned earlier, going through the action mentally. A few momentster, he opened his eyes. Ho Ming thrust his sword at the tree, and at the right moment he twisted his wrist with the appropriate force. That allowed his Qi to flow more smoothly. The twirling wind that he was able to make was now two timesrger. It sucked up the leaves and dirt on the ground. Leaving a trail as it flew by. When it hit the tree trunk, the twirling wind drilled into the trunk and broke it into pieces. Thud! A loud thud could be heard as the tree fell onto the ground. "Wow. Thanks, senior martial uncle!" Ho Ming looked at his sword as he couldn''t believe the difference it made. Zhao Qing Ying side-eyed Lin Fan and said, "It''s nothing. I''ve always taught those who want to learn." This man obviously can''t take rejections, Lin Fan shook his head as he thought. However, he was d that Ho Ming improved his skill. This improved their chances for the mission. With dinner done and mentoringpleted, they called it a night. Resting early to prepare for the mission. As there were two days to go until the mission started, Lin Fan made use of this lull time to familiarize himself with his upgraded hammers. It wasn''t too difficult, and Lin Fan was proficient with them very quickly. ... Two dayster. After packing what he needed, Lin Fan left the wooden hut and went to the meeting point. The meeting point, which was the central square, was packed with disciples. Lin Fan saw many unfamiliar faces and some familiar ones. Zhao Rui and the Bai brothers were on the mission too. They waved at him but couldn''te over as they were busy with the junior disciples. Having also dealt with the Dark Lotus sect, they were aware of how cunning and devious the Dark Lotus sect was. The junior disciples that had just joined were oblivious to the fact and treated it like any other missions they had taken. "Lin Fan, there you are." Ho Ming found Lin Fan and stood next to him. The disciples from Sword Peak weren''t too pleased. As it was a good chance for them to build rapport with Ho Ming. But now, even Tan Rui wasn''t an option anymore. When Tan Rui appeared, he looked even worse than before. There was something about him. His skin was pale, dark rings around his eyes. He exuded a sense of death. Lin Fan nced at him, and Tan Rui shot a stare back. Tan Rui used his finger and swiped it across his throat. Gesturing to Lin Fan that he would kill him. Lin Fan smirked and said silently, "Don''t worry, the feeling''s mutual." Finally, Zhao Qing Ying appeared and shouted, "The time is not early, there''s a day of travel before we get to Tian Xian mountain." "Check that you have everything you need, and we will move out immediately." The disciples quickly went through a quick check of their belongings. Lin Fan checked what he had brought. His pair of hammers, five bottles of Blood and Qi restoration pills, one bottle of Hundred Poison Recovery pills and one bottle of Primordial Essence pills. When the other disciples saw how many bottles of Blood and Qi restoration pills he had on him, they frowned. Either the Dark Lotus sect was that deadly, or Lin Fan was just being overly cautious. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire They couldn''t figure out which was the right answer. For all the missions they went on, they''d barely sustained a scratch. Not sure why Lin Fan with strength and power was so cautious. "You need these? I can spare one if you want, fifty contribution points." Lin Fan said when he saw the disciples looking at him strangely. Chapter 82 To the Rescue "Fifty contribution points? That''s daylight robbery." The disciple said with anger and quickly walked away. Other disciples also followed him and shook their heads. They remembered Lin Fan was from the Physique Peak. Which could be expected. After all, they didn''t have enough disciples to take on missions. Thus, getting fewer resources from Qing Feng sect. Lin Fan, on the other hand, also shook his head. It will cost moreter when youe begging for my pills, he thought to himself silently. ... Soon it was time for them to make a move. All in all, around fifty disciples participated in the mission. They formed a single file and went down the long stairs leading to the entrance. The journey to the mountain was somewhat uneventful. They had to camp at a vige for the night. It looked like any other vige he''d been to. However, Lin Fan noticed the vigers weren''t receptive to them, unlike other vigers. They were cold and went about their own business. Not even the vige head came out and tried to find out what they were doing there. They must be in Dark Lotus sect territory by now. The Dark Lotus sect, as a banned sect, can''t be supported openly. These vigers must have something to hide, hence the difference in their attitude. When Lin Fan looked around him. All the new disciples were chatting happily among themselves. Only the senior disciples noticed and stayed on alert. Zhao Qing Ying was happily having his own version of hotpot with his wine. "Ho Ming, when we get to the cave, better to stay far away from these junior disciples," Lin Fan said. "Sure, I will," Ho Ming replied and passed Lin Fan a dry bun. Lin Fan felt it was best to stay far away from them. They were most likely trouble. The night went by quickly and they continued their journey the next day. At the foot of the mountain, the scouts sent earlier to scout the surroundings were waiting for them. The scouts then led them to where the cave was. When they got near to the cave, they stopped and hid themselves a hundred meters away. Lin Fan could see two men in crimson red robes guarding outside a huge cave entrance. It was at least fifty meters high and wide. The inside of the cave must be deep andplicated. A perfect location to be on the defense. Zhao Qing Ying''s voice then came into every disciple''s mind. "On mymand, all the junior disciples shall be the first wave to go in. "Your seniors will be behind you, ready to help if there are any emergencies." Lin Fan drew out his hammers and got ready. Ho Ming also drew out his swords. This is it. Soon after, two senior martial brothers appeared out of nowhere and decapitated the two guards. Zhao Qing Ying then gave the signal. Around twenty junior disciples streamed out from where they were hiding. Charged into the cave. Lin Fan waited for them to get ahead. He and Ho Ming followed with a distance behind them. To be safe, Lin Fan turned back to check. The senior disciples weren''t too far away. Zhao Qing Ying was also wary of this being a trap. Letting the new disciples go first and keeping the senior disciples behind. When they entered the cave, the first chamber was huge. There was an altar in the middle.@@novelbin@@ It had a wooden tablet carved with a lotus on it. The incense urn in front of the tablet still had some long incense still burning. Whoever was here didn''t leave too long ago. "Look, on the ground," the new disciples stopped suddenly. There were many women lying on the ground. Every one of them had a big stomach. It seemed like they were pregnant. "Are you all right?" "Here, have some water." The junior disciples started to check on the women. Ho Ming wanted to go help but Lin Fan pulled him back. "Don''t go. There''s something going on." Inside Lin Fan''s head, the system notification was going crazy. [Ding!] [Detected 300 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate White Poison Toads with malevolent intent for 3000 vengeance points.] It was warning him about white poisonous toads. But they were nowhere to be seen. Lin Fan walked a few steps back and got ready. "Argh... help me..." the women all suddenly woke up and cried out in pain. The disciples tending to them got a shock and tried to help them up. But they found that these women held on to them, not letting them go. "It''s all right, you are safe now..." one of the disciples tried tofort the woman in his arms. "Ha... Ha... Ha..." She started tough hysterically instead. "What''s wrong? Why are youughing?" The disciple was perturbed by what she did. "Ha... Ha... Hail the Dark Lord!" She shouted out herst words and her stomach started to thump with life. As if something inside was trying to get out. Her back arched up and down, due to the enormous forceing from her belly. Plop. Plop. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire Stter. Her stomach broke open and white toads jumped and crawled out of it. The disciple, shocked, tried to get away, but the hands of the woman wouldn''t let go. The white toads then sprayed the disciple with a stream of sticky liquid. "Argh! My skin!" It was poisonous and burned the skin. The same thing was happening to the other disciples. Soon, screams of pain were heard in the chamber. When the white toads sprayed their poison at Lin Fan, it did nothing to him. His physique cultivation had made his skin hardened enough to withstand the poison. Thud. Lin Fan stepped on the white toad in front of him and crushed it into a pulp. It felt disgusting with the sticky feel of the skin. But Lin Fan didn''t mind when a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 10.] [Current Vengeance Points: 420] 10 vengeance points for one white toad, it was like free points for him. Lin Fan started to eagerly kill the white toads. With his hammers, he smashed them t, and with his foot, he stepped on them to their death. Ho Ming with his two swords fended off the white toads brilliantly. The other disciples, however, weren''t doing as well. They were too near to each other, and they injured each other when they tried to use their techniques. When Lin Fan was done with the white toads near him, he shouted, "All of you get back! Leave the white toads to me!" Those were his precious vengeance points. After all, he still had a long way to go until the next level. Chapter 83 Smoking Area "Help us! These things are so disgusting!" The other disciples ran behind Lin Fan. They had all sustained some injuries from the poison. Some were so serious that their skin was stuck to their robes, making them cry out every time they moved. With the disciples out of his way, Lin Fan injected his Qi into his hammer. The Ember Wolf core started to light up, and mes enveloped the hammer. Lin Fan, with the me in his hammer, lunged at the white toads. Whoosh! With his Yang Smash, he set the mes aze where the white toads were. They couldn''t take the heat, and many were burnt alive. Some with the fire on them tried to jump away, making it seem as if specks of fire were jumping in the cave. But they eventually stopped as they were burnt to death. Before the rest of the white toads got away, Lin Fan immediately injected Qi into the other hammer. The Frost Fang Ice Tiger core glowed with a blue-tinted light. And the temperature started to drop. The white toads, being cold-blooded, began to be lethargic and stopped their movement. Some tried getting back into the bodies of the women, but Lin Fan sted an ice icicle at them. Plop. The ice icicle hit, and the pieces of ice shrapnel also took out the white toads nearby. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 280.] [Current Vengeance Points: 700] Lin Fan looked at the vengeance points he got and was pleased. Too bad he had to miss out on the rest of the white toads. Either they ran away or were killed by the other disciples. "Ho Ming, are you all right?" Lin Fan turned back and asked. "I''m fine, but..." Ho Ming turned and looked at the other disciples. They were now crying out in pain. Those who had recovery pills took them out and took one. But those were the minorities. Others could only resort to trying to apply some simple bandages. It made the pain worse. The surface of the fabric, brushing against the wounded skin, caused much more pain. "Damn! I should''ve killed that woman on first sight." "It''s toote, and this is just the beginning." "Argh! The pain. This Dark Lotus sect is just so cunning." By now these new disciples knew what they were up against. Dark Lotus sect was different from what they used to deal with. Evil and cunning. First, they made use of the sympathy anyone would have for ''pregnant'' women. Then the white toads to surprise and injure them. And the injury wasn''t serious enough to kill but dealt a huge blow to their morale. They weren''t too enthusiastic to find out what the Dark Lotus sect had waiting for them further in. "Help me! One Blood and Qi restoration pill for a hundred contribution points." One of the wounded disciples couldn''t take the pain anymore and asked for Blood and Qi restoration pills. When Lin Fan heard this, he was more than willing to help. This is what disciples of Qing Feng sect should be doing, helping each other in times of need. "Ah, it''s you," Lin Fan eximed when he saw who wanted the pill. It was the disciple from earlier on. The one saying he was doing daylight robbery. His face was badly burned with the poison and one of his ears was gone. When the disciple saw it was Lin Fan, he was embarrassed but he had no other choice. He just wanted the pain to go away. "Here, take this and the contribution points..." Lin Fan took out a Blood and Qi restoration pill and gave it to the disciple. The disciple took the pill and gave Lin Fan his wooden b with the contribution points in it. The skin on the disciple''s face immediately grew back and closed the wound. It was, however, not enough for his ear to grow back. "Thanks," the disciple sped his hands and bowed to Lin Fan. He was just d the pain had gone away. "So, what do we do next?" Someone asked and all the disciples looked at Lin Fan. "Some of you get those seriously injured out of the cave, and the rest of us continue further in." Everyone agreed. There were those who just wanted to have a good life in Qing Feng sect. They didn''t expect it would be so dangerous this time. Rather than risking their lives, they were more than d to bring the injured out. So, they quickly got to work carrying those injured out of the cave. Lin Fan and the rest, twelve of them, continued further into the cave. They walked through a narrow tunnel and then into another chamber. This chamber was lit with ming torches as well. There were three men sitting on the ground in lotus position. They wore dark red robes featured a white lotus pattern on the chest. One of the disciples stepped forward and shouted at them. "Are you disciples from the Dark Lotus sect? Speak up or else." He drew out his sword and pointed at the men. The men suddenly opened their eyes. Bloodshot and looking like they were glowing in the dark with a red tint. When they opened their mouths, a puff of yellow smoke went into the air. Lin Fan immediately covered his nose. He nudged Ho Ming to do the same. The disciple standing nearest to the men stopped talking, his hands went limp. nk. His sword dropped. The disciple then turned around and lunged at the person nearest to him. Trying to bite his neck.@@novelbin@@ "What are you doing! Get off me!" It was toote; the disciple bit and took a chunk of meat off the neck. Blood sttered out of the neck. After a few twitches, the bodyy motionless. The disciple then went on and lunged at the others. A few other disciples who breathed in the smoke also started to behave in the same manner. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 30 vengeance points.] When one of the disciples lunged at Lin Fan, the system gave out its usual warning. Lin Fan had no mercy and swiped his hammer at the disciple''s head. St. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire The head of the disciple exploded. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 30.] [Current Vengeance Points: 730] "Ho Ming, follow me. Get the man on the left!" Lin Fan shouted as he went for the other two men in dark red robes. They must be controlling the disciples somehow with the yellow smoke. Ho Ming nodded and with his sword thrust his twirling wind strike at one of the men. The men sidestepped and dodged the twirling wind. He then took a deep breath and puffed out ck-colored smoke. "Watch out!" Lin Fan quickly pulled Ho Ming back as the ck-colored smoke nearly reached him. Chapter 84 Reward Lin Fan didn''t know what the ck-colored smoke did, but he was sure that it was dangerous. And he was right. The disciple standing nearby took in the smoke, started to thrash around and cough out blood. Slowly, blood also oozed out of his nose, tear ducts and even his ears. "Here, take this. It should help a bit," Lin Fan passed a Hundred Poison Recovery pill to Ho Ming. He also took one himself. The pill was supposed to help counter different types of poison. "Remember our training?" Lin Fan asked as he looked at the three men in front of him. "Yes." "Then let''s go!" On his cue, Ho Ming thrust his twirling wind strike, and the man sidestepped again. Before he could do anything next. Lin Fan shot his hammer at the man''s head. Thud! The man tumbled across the ground, sending out muted thuds as he hit the ground. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 70.] [Current Vengeance Points: 800] When the other two men saw this, both of them lunged at Lin Fan. When they got close, one blew out white-colored smoke and the other some red-colored smoke. The two different types of smoke mixed with each other and formed into a sticky mass. The sticky mass then moved toward Lin Fan. Lin Fan quickly used his remaining hammer, injected Qi into it, and the sticky mass slowly began to freeze. When the sticky mass froze, the two men began to turn and run. Ho Ming, being on the left, had an angle on the two men. He was ready and he used his twirling wind strike at one of them. The twirling wind hit the man''s back and tore him apart into two pieces. When thest man saw this, he hurried his pace. But Lin Fan was waiting. He used his Magnificent Leap and did a flying kick at his back. Crack! He smashed through the frozen mass and hit the man on his spine. Sending out a loud bone-cracking sound. With the spine broken, the man dropped to the ground. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 70.] [Current Vengeance Points: 870] Finally, he had enough vengeance points to level up his physique. He could then be able to get the ability of demonic beasts. And also, one more slot for his beast ability. But right now, he had more important things to tend to. Lin Fan looked back and saw the mess that the three men had created. There were only five disciples left standing. With their lives at stake, they had to kill the disciples consumed by the yellow smoke. "What now?" the remaining disciples asked. They had sustained too many casualties. This was only their second encounter. Lin Fan thought for a moment. "Report back and see what the seniors have for us." He decided it was best to see what Zhao Qing Ying would do. Even though he and Ho Ming were unscathed, he preferred others to help distract the Dark Lotus sect. "Who should run back to report?" Someone asked in a shaky voice. The disciples were now scared of carrying on and what they would encounter. Things weren''t looking good for Zhao Qing Ying. "Ho Ming, go with one of them. I shall stay on guard with them here." Lin Fan proposed for Ho Ming to go with one of them. Letting them have confidence. When the disciples heard this, they volunteered to report back. "I''m injured, best for me to report back." "No, my injury is more serious, look." "Stop it. My hand is dangling off the wrist and I hadn''t said anything." "If you are so seriously injured, you might not make it, so best for me to go." The disciples went into an argument. They tried to outdo each other about how seriously injured they were. "If you want to, all of you should go." Lin Fan finally had enough of them and let them all leave. "Thank you, brother." Upon hearing what Lin Fan said, they bowed to Lin Fan and quickly left with Ho Ming. Lin Fan shook his head and turned to his actual business. He rummaged through what the three men had on them. The first had some copper coins and nothing else.@@novelbin@@ The next two had more on them. A tael of silver, a small toad statue made of copper and a manuscript. Lin Fan wasn''t sure if the small toad statue was some precious artifact. He decided to keep it just in case. As for the manuscript, it was titled, "Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation Technique." Lin Fan got intrigued and kept it. ... "Senior martial brothers!" When the disciples ran back and met with the senior disciples, they cried out in joy. The senior disciples saw that they were injured and asked them what had happened. When they got to the part about why they came back out, they stammered. They tried very hard to hide the fact that they were too scared to continue. Shooting nces at each other, they decided to lie. "It''s that Lin Fan. We find it hard to continue with him around." "Yeah, he is just not cooperative and puts us at risk." "He tried and sold someone his pills for a hundred contribution points." "That should say a lot about him." They started to chime in with whatever bad they could think of about Lin Fan. Thud! Ho Ming couldn''t hold it in and punched one of them in the face. The disciple flew in the air and turned a few rounds before dropping onto the ground. "Ho Ming! What are you doing!" The seniors shouted and stopped Ho Ming. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire "They are lying! We helped to kill the three men and the pills were sold willingly. Lin Fan didn''t force anybody." Ho Ming shouted as he stared at the few lying disciples. They hesitated for a while. But it was toote for them to retract. So, they said, "He is lying. He is with Lin Fan, it''s five of us against him." They sped their hands and bowed. "We hope senior martial brothers can see that we are the ones telling the truth." "You..." Ho Ming gritted his teeth, held the scabbard of his sword tightly. This was the first time for him to witness someone''s face changing so fast. And it was on someone he knew. Now he understood why Lin Fan always kept his distance from everyone. Suddenly a hand tapped on his shoulder and a familiar voice was heard. "Don''t worry, Ho Ming. I trust you and Lin Fan." Chapter 85 Mountain Ghost Ho Ming turned back, and it was Zhao Rui and the Bai brothers. When the other junior disciples saw that it was her, they looked down and kept quiet. "Lin Fan helped us fearlessly even when he was just a hunter. Why would he be any different now?" Zhao Rui said as she scanned across all the junior disciples. "We... er..." Someone stepped forward. Piak! Piak! Piak! Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire Before they could finish talking, Bai Ti gave them a big tight p across the face. "That will teach you a lesson for lying! I would be dead if it wasn''t for Lin Fan," Bai Ti said as he stared at the junior disciples. They lowered their heads, looked down in shame and had their hands on their swollen cheeks. Bai Ti spat on the ground, further showing his displeasure. "Bai Ti, enough!" Bai Qiao stopped his brother and turned to the junior disciples. "What''s the situation inside right now?" he asked. The junior disciples then briefed them on what had happened. After the briefing ended, Bai Qiao looked at Zhao Rui, waiting for her instructions. Zhao Ruimunicated with Zhao Qing Ying using her jade pendant. And the reply was to go in with ten senior disciples. The other ten should follow behind just in case. So, Zhao Rui, Bai brothers, Ho Ming and nine other senior disciples went back into the cave. ... Meanwhile, Lin Fan got bored waiting, and he started to inspect the small toad statue. After trying very hard to figure out what it did and getting no results. He decided to try and inject his Qi into it. When he did so, something connected with him from within. He could mentally see what was inside the small toad statue. It was a storage artifact! A rare and useful one for him. He could now recycle as much as he wanted. On top of that, his hammers could be well hidden inside the small toad statue. He would no longer be caught in the situation where his hammers weren''t with him. Lin Fan quickly tried taking out the money that was in the statue. He injected his Qi and thought about it. Whoosh. The money appeared next to the statue. Lin Fan decided to try to put his hammers into the statue. First, he ced the hammers next to the statue. Next, he injected his Qi, and with a white glow, the statue took in the hammers with a whoosh. He tried to take the hammers out and it worked like it did with the money. By the time he was done experimenting, Zhao Rui and the rest came. "Senior martial sister," Lin Fan sped his hands and bowed. She acknowledged him with a nod and said, "Well done. But we must move on, before the Dark Lotus sect members get away." They continued further into the cave. After walking through another narrow tunnel, they reached another chamber. It was around fifty meters wide, and its ceiling was about twenty meters high. Inside, it was covered with lots of stctites and stgmites. They formed huge pirs, making the chamber like a maze. The ming torches hanging on the pirs, with their mes, made the dancing shadows of the pirs seem like they were alive. "Stay alert and be careful," Zhao Rui warned as she drew out her sword. The others followed suit. Lin Fan gripped his hammers tightly. With this environment, it was perfect for an ambush, he thought. He immediately activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability. The mes burning and swaying came into his ears first. Then the dripping of the water from the cave ceiling. And then he heard it. Heartbeat pounding fast with a strange growl, going ''gee''. There were things waiting for them ahead. "Wait..." Lin Fan whispered.@@novelbin@@ He turned to Zhao Rui and pointed at the pirs where they were hiding. Zhao Rui then dispatched the other disciples to a respective pir. Then they slowly moved forward. When they got near enough, Zhao Rui gave the order, "Now!" The Qing Feng sect disciples leaped and went behind the pirs. It caught those who were hiding by surprise. "What the?" Bai Ti had thrust his sword with a twirling wind strike, but a hand had held onto his sword. He looked up and saw a creature about his height, covered in white fur and standing on its hind legs. It had a pale white face that looked like an ape, and its eyes were fully ck. Mountain Ghost! Bai Ti had always thought Mountain Ghost was just an old man''s tale before he saw it. But right now, he was in front of one and confronting it. The mountain ghost then punched at Bai Ti, sending him tumbling across the wet and slippery ground. "Damn you!" Bai Ti stood up and had blooding down the side of his lips. The same thing happened for the other senior disciples, except for Lin Fan. When Lin Fan leaped behind the pir, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 130 vengeance points.] He quickly leaped away again when he saw the vengeance points. This was going to be a tough fight. "Gee..." The mountain ghost in front of him growled at him with that weird sound. Seeing that the mountain ghost had fur, Lin Fan lunged in with a Yang Smash to its head. Whoosh. It ducked to the side, but Lin Fan''s other hammer came at it. Dang! The mountain ghost instinctively used its hand and pushed Lin Fan away. Lin Fan took this chance and aimed the Yang Smash at the hand. Thud! The smashnded and the mountain ghost cried out in pain. "Gee!" It was not the end, the fur caught the mes and started burning. This made the mountain ghost thrash its hands around. Trying to prevent Lin Fan froming near it. The mountain ghost quickly ran over to a puddle of water and put its arms into it. Sizzle. It helped in putting out the mes on its fur. These creatures were intelligent, Lin Fan observed what it did and thought. But it was no time to investigate further. Lin Fan injected his Qi into his hammer and with the Yang Smash, shot a me at the mountain ghost. Its face lit up into a bright orange when the me came near. The mountain ghost, in the nick of time, rolled and dodged the me. Lin Fan was waiting, and he lunged at it with his Yin Yang Cross Smash. Chapter 86 Long Fight Thud! His hammers hit the mountain ghost''s waist on both sides. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire Even though the fur cushioned some of the impact, the Qi from the Yin Yang Cross Smash still went into the body. The two prizing Qi forces reacted inside and stirred up the innards of the mountain ghost. "Gee! Gee!" It could only cry out in pain. Stter. When the reaction reached the final stage, its belly exploded, sending the innards flying around. The mountain ghost knelt, and with its hands, tried to put its innards back in. Thinking that it would help. Lin Fan, with his Yin Prod, thrust at the mountain ghost''s head. The pointed ice icicle shot at its forehead and cracked. The ice icicle couldn''t get through the thick and hard skull of the mountain ghost. It made the mountain ghost fall back. Thud. A loud and wet muted thud echoed in the cave when it fell over. Lin Fan stood and waited. There was no system alert. It was still alive! Lin Fan quickly ran over to where its head was and raised both of his hammers. He injected Qi into them and made them twice as big. "Die!" With that, he smashed down at the mountain ghost''s head. Dang! The mountain ghost held up its arms and blocked his smash. Lin Fan could feel the rebounding force reverberating to his wrists and shoulders. His arm swung back up due to the impact, and he had to take a step back to walk off the impact. Lin Fan quickly leaped back. He had to think about how to kill the mountain ghost. Going in and smashing his hammers at it didn''t work. The mountain ghost seemed like it had more than one life. Lin Fan decided to try with his Beast Abilities. He immediately lunged at the mountain ghost again. With his left hammer, he smashed at its leg. The mountain ghost looked down and lifted its leg to dodge the hammer. Then Lin Fan swung his right hammer at its head. Dang! The Beheading Cloud strike hit. But Lin Fan knew it wasn''t enough. He let go of his left hammer, activated the Iron w ability and went in at the mountain ghost''s face with his w. His fingers with the blue glow of the Iron w could only go in halfway. Its skull was too tough for his Iron ws. The intense pain made the mountain ghost cry out and try to get Lin Fan''s hand off its face. It used its hands and held onto Lin Fan''s wrist, trying to yank his hand out. Lin Fan was ready, and he used his right hand and went in at its exposed stomach. His hand reached up to the mountain ghost''s heart. "Geee!" The mountain ghost couldn''t take the pain, let go of his wrist and strangled his neck. Lin Fan''s face flushed red, but he just kept squeezing in on the mountain ghost''s heart. It was either him or the mountain ghost. Plop. The heart popped and the mountain ghost let go of Lin Fan. It held onto its chest in pain and staggered a few steps as it turned away from Lin Fan. Trying to get somewhere. But this time the injuries were too much for it. Thud. It finally dropped to the ground. Slowly, it changed its position to be in a fetal position. Lin Fan then saw it trying to put its thumb into its mouth. A thought came into Lin Fan''s mind. If he was right, they would have a hard battle in front of them. Then, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 130.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1000] "Ho Ming! Are you all right?" Lin Fan shouted and picked up his hammers. He looked around and saw that the others weren''t faring so well. Many of the senior disciples were having a tough time with the mountain ghosts. "Why won''t they die!" Lin Fan could hear Bai Ti cursing out loud nearby. With his double sword y, Ho Ming could only fend off the mountain ghost going after him. Lin Fan quickly joined in the fight with his hammers. When the mountain ghost dodged Ho Ming''s twirling wind strike, Lin Fan smashed at it with his Yin Yang Cross Smash. It hit the mountain ghost''s left arm. The ensuing explosion from the Yin Yang Cross Smash left it dangling from its shoulder. "Gee!" It got angry and turned and lunged at Lin Fan. Ho Ming took the opportunity and with his slithering strike, using his Qi to stick the de of his sword onto the mountain ghost.@@novelbin@@ The mountain ghost tried to parry the sword away. But the Qi made the sword stick to it. Ho Ming slithered the sword up to its head, turned the sword and stabbed his sword into its eyes. And he twisted the sword to exact more pain out of it. Lin Fan then thrust his Yin Prod at the mountain ghost''s chin. The pointed ice icicle went through all the way up to the brain from the bottom. The mountain ghost thrashed around for a few moments and went limp afterward. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 130.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1130] Lin Fan quickly took out a Blood and Qi restoration pill and popped it into his mouth. Using the Yin Yang Cross Smash had used up most of his Qi. He passed one pill to Ho Ming. Ho Ming''s situation was simr to his. The long fight had used up his Qi. When they regained their Qi from the pills, both of them went and helped the other senior disciples. "Be careful. It just won''t die!" Bai Ti shouted as he saw Lin Fan and Ho Ming came over to help. With three against one, it was over very fast. Bai Tished out his Cross Strike and a gust of wind in the form of an X shot at the mountain ghost. The mountain ghost rolled to the side. Ho Ming with his twirling wind strike was waiting for it and aimed at the mountain ghost. The twirling wind strike hit its shoulder. "Gee! Gee!" The mountain ghost sounded like it cursed out in pain. Lin Fan then went in with his Yin Yang Cross Smash and hit the neck. The ensuing explosion blew its head off. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 130.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1260] Looking at the information panel in his mind, Lin Fan thought to himself, "This mission is not a bad deal after all." Chapter 87 Alchemy Furnace Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Bai Ti helped the other senior disciples after they were done recuperating their Qi. With their assistance, the other mountain ghosts were finished off much more easily. After they were done, the senior disciples had to catch their breath and quickly tended to their wounds. They took whatever recovery pills they had on them. But three of them were too heavily injured and had to evacuate back outside. That leaves only nine of them, including Lin Fan and Ho Ming. "We move off when we are ready," Zhao Rui said as she tied a bandage to her forearm. The rest of the disciples nodded their heads in silence. Things didn''t go as nned. Their years of experience told them it was only going to get worse. After a few moments of rest, it was time for them to go in further. This time they came upon a narrow tunnel again, and when they reached the other end, there were three routes for them to go. "So, which way should we go?" one of the disciples asked.@@novelbin@@ Zhao Rui would have wanted to go through these three routes with all of them, together, one by one. But time was not on her side. The Dark Lotus sect followers might have slipped away from some other exit by then. After some thoughts she made her decision, and said, "We separate into groups of three. "Gu follow me and Shi, we check the route on the right. "Bai Qiao, Hun, and Yuan, go forth through the middle route. "Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Bai Ti, check the tunnel on the left." Zhao Rui decided to put Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Bai Ti together. She saw how they cooperated with each other earlier on. Better to put Bai Ti with them, she thought. His fiery temper might cause trouble if he was with the others. But if he was with her and Bai Qiao, the group would be too lopsided. This was the best arrangement she could think of. Lin Fan had no objection to it, he nodded his head and stepped into the opening on the left. "Wait for me. Don''t get too anxious to kill off them bastards," Bai Ti grunted as he followed. Ho Ming also quickly followed suit. The route was cool at first, but as they went further in, it started to feel warm. Lin Fan suddenly raised his hands and motioned them to stop. He then knelt down and took a peek out of the opening. It was a huge open chamber, at least hundred meters wide. And in the middle of it was a huge Alchemy Furnace, at least five meters tall and wide. It was still burning bright, giving out all the heat. By the side there were many cages, and inside the cages were men, women, and kids. A thought went through Lin Fan''s mind that made him want to puke. He activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability and listened. Other than the sounds of the mes burning and the sobbing of the imprisoned, there was nothing unusual. "Come, let''s go," Lin Fan said. When Ho Ming and Bai Ti saw what was inside the chamber, they cursed out loud. "These Dark Lotus sect shall pay for this," Bai Ti gritted his teeth and held up his sword in frustration. "Ho Ming, don''t," Lin Fan stopped Ho Ming when he saw him trying to release the imprisoned. "But why? Don''t we need to rescue them?" Ho Ming asked. Lin Fan looked at the imprisoned men and women, some hugging their kids trying tofort them. He sighed and said, "We don''t know who they are, and it''s not beyond the Dark Lotus sect member to be hiding amongst them. Even if there weren''t any, they might be too scared and wouldn''t let us leave." His previous experience with vigers wasn''t great. And Lin Fan expected them to cling onto them if they were freed. That would be when the Dark Lotus sect strikes. Ho Ming and Bai Ti nodded. p. p. p. Suddenly they heard someone pping. Lin Fan held his hammers and scanned around. "Well done for seeing through our simple ploy." From the opening where they came from, a young woman in Qing Feng sect''s robes appeared. She looked at Lin Fan and licked her lips. Then someone appeared from behind her. It was Tan Rui. "Die, Lin Fan!" He wasted no time and lunged at Lin Fan. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 150 vengeance points.] Lin Fan used his hammer and blocked Tan Rui''s swording at his throat. Ho Ming and Bai Ti wanted toe and help him, but they were stopped by the young woman. Dang! Lin Fan swung his right hammer at Tan Rui''s waist but was blocked by his sword. His left hammer then went at Tan Rui''s head. Tan Rui turned and dodged the hammer, he then made use of his turn to stab Lin Fan with a backhand strike. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire Bending down forward, Lin Fan dodged the strike. He used the momentum to roll forward and got some distance away from Tan Rui. Tan Rui used the Cross Strike, and the slicing X shot at Lin Fan. With his hammers in front of him, Lin Fan turned back and faced Tan Rui. Dang! His hammers blocked the slicing wave from the Cross Strike. "Why won''t you just die!" Tan Rui got mad when he saw Lin Fan unscathed. He lunged at Lin Fan again. Lin Fan picked up some dirt on the ground and threw it at Tan Rui''s eyes. The dirt got into Tan Rui''s eyes, and he cried out. "Damn you!" Without his vision, Tan Rui shed around aimlessly, trying to fend off Lin Fan. Lin Fan threw one of his hammers at Tan Rui''s leg. Thud! It hit him and Tan Rui fell down onto the ground. Lin Fan kicked at Tan Rui''s hand, and his sword flew out of his hand. With his other hammer, Lin Fan smashed down at Tan Rui''s head. Plop. Tan Rui turned his neck in the nick of time and the hammer missed by an inch. He kicked at Lin Fan but was grabbed by him. With Tan Rui''s leg in his hand, Lin Fan dragged him along to the burning Alchemy Furnace. He couldn''t think of any other befitting ending for someone like Tan Rui. When he pulled Tan Rui up by his legs and tried to put him into the furnace. Tan Rui struggled and tried to break free. But his hands hit the furnace and Lin Fan could hear the sizzling sound as the hands were burnt. "Argh!" Tan Rui screamed out in pain. The young woman heard Tan Rui''s scream, and she came over to help. Chapter 88 Tentacles Back Ho Ming and Bai Ti tried to stop her. With his twirling wind strike, Ho Ming aimed at her leg. She jumped to the side and managed to dodge his strike. Bai Ti shot a slicing wave at her with his Cross Strike. But she somersaulted to the side, and then she lunged at Lin Fan. Thud! She gave Lin Fan a kick from behind and hit him on his back. "Argh." She cried out in pain because Lin Fan''s back was hard like a steel wall. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire But it was enough to distract Lin Fan since he had to turn and see what she was up to next. This gave Tan Rui a breather.@@novelbin@@ He cried out in pain as he got his hands unstuck from the Alchemy Furnace, leaving bits of his skin stuck on the surface of the furnace. He quickly took out a bottle of pills and swallowed one of the pills inside. When Lin Fan saw what he was doing, he did a frontal kick and forced Tan Rui into the Alchemy Furnace. "Argh! Damn you!" Tan Rui cried out as he dropped into the burning mes of the furnace. By now, the young woman was being subdued by Ho Ming and Bai Ti. Lin Fan quickly picked up his hammers because he wanted to go over and help them. Suddenly, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 200 vengeance points.] He quickly turned back and saw Tan Rui climbing out of the Alchemy Furnace. Tan Rui now looked like a devil. The mes that engulfed him had burned his robes into pieces, with some of the remaining robes stuck onto his skin. Smoke was rising from his body, giving out a nasty burnt smell of flesh. His hair was mostly gone, and most of his face had burn marks, making him seem like a red devil. He stared at Lin Fan, and miraculously, his skin that was burned was slowly closing and healing. It must have been the pills. Whoosh. Two dark tentacles shot out of Tan Rui''s body, and the tentacles caught onto the chains that locked up the cages. nk. With a violent tug, the chains were broken by the tentacles. Those imprisoned inside looked at each other for a moment and then quickly ran out of the cages. Lin Fan lunged at Tan Rui with his hammer, but he pulled back when he saw Tan Rui using one of the tentacles to grab a kid in front of him. The parents of the kids then came screaming. They obstructed Lin Fan''s way. "You can just kill them and get to me," Tan Rui smirked and said, "Don''t pretend for a second that you like these peasants." Lin Fan couldn''t be bothered with Tan Rui, so he activated his Magnificent Leap, jumped straight up, and threw one of his hammers at Tan Rui in the air. Dang! Tan Rui used his tentacle to block the hammer. Whoosh! Lin Fan shot his remaining hammer at Tan Rui as he came back down. Dang! This time, it hit Tan Rui''s head and left a depression on his cheek. The depression slowly got filled back up. With the effect of the pill, it seemed like Tan Rui''s regenerative powers were enhanced. Pills! It suddenly urred to Lin Fan that he had some pills of his own. Zhao Qing Ying had given him some Primordial Essence pills. He quickly took one out and popped it into his mouth. When the pill entered his stomach, he could immediately feel different. His senses were heightened. He could smell all the different stenches in the chamber, see every little detail, and hear as if he had already activated the Rabbit''s Hearing ability. Immediately, he thought about activating his Iron w ability. Shing! An orange glow illuminated from his fingers in the shape of long ws. Lin Fan could feel the power within, and he quickly leaped to the side of Tan Rui. Whoosh. After hended, he leaped again towards Tan Rui, turning into a dark blue shimmer as he was too fast. Tan Rui tried to use his dark tentacles and whipped them at Lin Fan. But Lin Fan''s bright orange Iron ws shredded the tentacles into pieces. By now, Lin Fan was in front of Tan Rui. Wasting no time, he swiped his right w at Tan Rui''s neck. Tan Rui stepped back, but he was toote. The w caught his neck but wasn''t deep enough to cut his artery. Lin Fan''s left w then thrust into Tan Rui''s belly. This time, all five fingers dug into the belly, and Lin Fan pulled down his ws. Leaving five long open wounds in Tan Rui''s belly. "Argh!" Tan Rui cried out in pain and kicked forward at Lin Fan. Lin Fan caught Tan Rui''s right thigh with his ws, and his ws went into it like tofu. With his ws in Tan Rui''s right thigh, Lin Fan pulled all the way back, right up to Tan Rui''s right ankle. Shredding all the way through his right leg. Tan Rui shot out another tentacle, grabbed a kid from the chaotic crowd, and threw the kid at the Lin Fan. Lin Fan quickly deactivated his Iron w and caught the kid in his hands. Tan Rui, now limping, tried to run away, making use of the little distraction and chaotic situation with the vigers running around. Lin Fan put down the kid, picked up his hammer, and lunged at Tan Rui''s back. With his Ying Yang Cross Smash, he hit Tan Rui''s waist. Stter. The ensuing explosion caused Tan Rui to kneel with his innards sttering onto the floor. Lin Fan didn''t waste any time, and his Yin Yang Cross Smash came down at Tan Rui''s neck. Two tentacles shot at Lin Fan, but they could only get through his skin and not any further. Lin Fan''s Physique Cultivation had enabled him to withstand the attack. Stter. It didn''t take long; the Yin and Yang Qi reacted and caused an explosion in Tan Rui''s neck. Thud. His head dropped off from his body and rolled along the dirt ground. Blood squirted out from the body, and a huge blood puddle formed. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 200.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1460.] There was no time for Lin Fan to check, as he saw the young woman trying to get away. She ran further into the cave. He wanted to give chase, but those vigers running around the chamber blocked his way. Ho Ming and Bai Ti also couldn''t do much to get to the young woman. Chapter 89 Lu Di By the time they got to the opening where they hade from, the young woman was no longer in sight. They decided not to give chase and take care of those imprisoned instead. Ho Ming and Bai Ti tried to usher those imprisoned in the cages to get out of the cave. Lin Fan stood by the side, making sure there wasn''t anyone with malevolent intent. "Please have mercy." "We were abducted from far-away viges. We don''t know the way around." "My kid needs to eat. He has been hungry for a few days." They started pleading for Ho Ming and Bai Ti to help them out. "Either you get out yourselves or you stay here and starve to death." Lin Fan stepped on Tan Rui''s head on the ground as he said this. Reminding them of what he could do. It spooked the hell out of the vigers. "We¡­ We will find the way out." They apologized and hurriedly left through the opening Lin Fan came from. With them gone, Lin Fan took another Blood and Qi Restoration pill. He needed to replenish his Qi before carrying on. The Primordial Essence pill helped him, but it had used up all his Qi. And even though he was getting Qi into his dantian automatically, the Qi in the caves wasn''t plentiful enough. After a few moments when his Qi was replenished, they went further in. They passed through an eerie chamber. With tools of torture strewn all over the ce and bodies that were badly mutted hanging from the ceiling. It was said that some believed in the form of torture as a dark cultivation technique. Someone obviously did that in the chamber. After the torture chamber, it led to one huge opening. Much bigger than what they saw earlier. At least two hundred meters wide. The three different routes linked back up to this chamber. When they got near, they could hear the voice of Zhao Rui and the rest. "Hurry," Lin Fan said as Zhao Rui and the rest were fighting something. This time they were fighting a huge mountain ghost and men in crimson red robes. Lin Fan''s hunch earlier was right; the mountain ghosts they''d encountered earlier weren''t the adult form. The huge mountain ghost was standing around three meters tall and about the size of an elephant. A few of the senior disciples were lying on the ground, badly injured. "Die! You monster!" Bai Ti couldn''t wait and joined in the battle. Ho Ming also joined in. However, Lin Fan stood still and scanned the area. Someone must be in charge and was hiding somewhere. "Die, you coward¡­" A Dark Lotus sect member came up to Lin Fan, thinking that he was a coward standing behind, and tried to kill him. But before he could finish talking, Lin Fan smashed his head to a pulp. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 40.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1500] The other Dark Lotus sect member following behind changed his mind and tried to run away when he saw what had happened. Lin Fan, using his Yang Smash, shot a me at one of them, and with his Yin Prod, shot an ice icicle at the other. "Argh! Help me¡­", the me hit the Dark Lotus sect member, and he was engulfed in me. The other member wasn''t any better; the ice icicle pierced through his body, and he was torn into two. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 80.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1580] Suddenly, Lin Fan felt someone behind his back. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 180 vengeance points.] He turned back and looked. It was that young woman. "We meet again," she squinted her eyes and licked her lips. "I''m Lu Di and I have a proposal for you¡­" Lin Fan held his hammers and didn''t waste any time. His system had told him she was up to no good. He lunged at her and aimed his right hammer at her head. She wanted to continue talking but was taken by surprise.@@novelbin@@ Clink. Using her sword, she parried Lin Fan''s hammer aside. But Lin Fan''s left hammer was already waiting. With his Yin Prod, he thrust his hammer at her waist. Lu Di bent backwards with incredible flexibility, dodged his Yin Prod. Lin Fan used his Yang Smash and went after her. But she quickly somersaulted away from Lin Fan. "Hmph. Why the impatience, young man?" Lu Di looked at Lin Fan as she brushed off the dust on her robes. Lin Fan just stared at her, trying to think of something. She was too agile and quick for his hammers. And he could see why Ho Ming and Bai Ti couldn''t nail her down. He would have to deal with her with his Beast Abilities. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire Injecting Qi into the toad statue, Lin Fan kept his hammers in it. He then activated his Iron w ability. Whoosh! With his Magnificent Leap, he got in front of her. Lu Di lifted her sword and tried to stab at Lin Fan''s chin. Lin Fan turned to her side while using his ws to sh at her. His ws caught her arm but only left some sh wounds. She quickly jumped to the side, getting some distance between them again. When they were facing each other in a standoff again, she nced over to the other side. Zhao Rui and the rest were still dealing with the huge mountain ghost. No good, Lin Fan thought. It was as if Lu Di was stalling for time. He better finish her off as soon as possible. "So, who or what are you waiting for?" Lin Fan asked as he tried to think of something. "See, that''s why I like you. Unlike all the other men, you can think with your head. I''ll tell you everything if you take me," she said as she licked her lips again, trying to seduce Lin Fan. Lin Fan noticed that she didn''t deny it. What could being next? There''s only one way to find out. Lin Fan lunged at Lu Di again. Not surprisingly, Lu Di was ready, and she lifted her sword and stabbed at Lin Fan''s chin. She expected Lin Fan to turn and dodge again, but he took the stab. Clink. The sword had a hard time prating his skin. Lin Fan had concentrated all his Qi at the area around his chin, making the skin tough as steel. She opened her eyes wide and eximed, "Physique Cultivator?" It was toote for her as she saw Lin Fan''s wing closer and closer. Chapter 90 Dark Envoy One of Lin Fan''s ws went into her eyes and face. The other went for her neck. Lin Fan''s w got close, but her hand came up and blocked it. His w went through her hand as if it was nothing. "Damn you!" The pain made her cry out loud. She raised her knee and hit Lin Fan''s waist. Thud! Her knee felt like it hit a wall. But it was enough to make Lin Fan feel some pain. Lin Fan pushed her down onto the ground, with his fingers trying to dig further into her head. She struggled and tried to break free. "Can''t you be a gentleman and savor my beauty like the others? No wonder you are a Physique Cultivator." She screamed out in frustration. Lin Fan didn''t bother as his fingers inched deeper into her skull. He could feel her resistance getting weaker. Just a little bit more, Lin Fan thought. Suddenly someone pulled Lin Fan from behind and threw him away with an enormous force. He tumbled across the ground, only stopping when he hit the wall. Thud. Lin Fan could hear a muted thud as he hit the wall. The impact was so great Lin Fan felt his innards in pain. He couldn''t stand up immediately. Some of his bones were broken. Lin Fan quickly took out a Blood and Qi Restoration pill and swallowed it. It helped a bit. Lin Fan had to make use of the cave wall to help him stand up. He saw who it was. The Dark Envoy. A familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 600 vengeance points.] When Lin Fan saw the vengeance points, he only had one thought. Time to go. The Dark Envoy stared at him as he helped Lu Di up. Lu Di pointed at Lin Fan with her hand on her face. She didn''t look pleased, that''s for sure. There was only one thing left for him to do. He took out the jade pendant Zhao Qing Ying gave him and injected his Qi into it. Zhao Qing Ying sensed it and asked, "What''s up?" His voice injected into Lin Fan''s mind. Lin Fan quickly replied, "The Dark Envoy is here. I don''t think I can fight him." Zhao Qing Ying immediately got into the cave. He was already losing his patience. If it was a trap, then so be it; may the best mane out alive. That is the way of his Dao. But before that, Lin Fan had to face the Dark Envoy. In an instant, Lin Fan saw the Dark Envoy appear in front of him. His punch was like a shimmer of ck lighting at Lin Fan. Dang! Out of nowhere, Lin Fan got his hammers out. It blocked the Dark Envoy''s punch, but the impact was too powerful, and he slid on the ground back towards the cave wall. The Dark Envoy came at him again. This time, before he could punch at Lin Fan, Lin Fan used his Leader of the Pack ability. The Dark Envoy froze for a tenth of a second. But it was enough for Lin Fan to execute his Yin Yang Cross Smash. Thud. He hit the Dark Envoy''s neck. The Dark Envoy, perturbed by what had happened, gave Lin Fan a punch and hit his shoulder. Plop. Lin Fan got smacked into the wall of the cave. The wall cracked, and he left a depression in it. When the Yin Yang Cross Smash reacted, the Dark Envoy just breathed in deep and the reaction died down. Cough. Lin Fan coughed out blood. He took another Blood and Qi Restoration pill. This time it didn''t help that much. "Bullying a junior now, aren''t we?" Zhao Qing Ying''s voice boomed in the air, and he thrust a twirling wind strike at the Dark Envoy. The Dark Envoy shot out tentacles from his body and covered himself with them. The twirling wind strike couldn''t drill through the tentacles. Zhao Qing Ying lunged at him, and with his fingers flicking upwards, created a slicing wave, cutting all the way towards the Dark Envoy. It left a trail of slice marks behind its wake. The tentacles shot at the slicing wave but were shredded to pieces. Unable to withstand it, the Dark Envoy rolled to the side and dodged it. Zhao Qing Ying released another slicing wave at the Dark Envoy. It forced him to retreat. "Where are you going? You coward!" Zhao Qing Ying shouted. He stood and waited. The Dark Envoy looked back and squinted his eyes at Zhao Qing Ying. Pop. Zhao Qing Ying opened his wine gourd and drank a mouthful of wine. "You think I would be so dumb to follow you to whatever trap you have waiting for me?" The Dark Envoy didn''t say anything but looked across to the other side, where Zhao Rui and the rest were still battling with the huge mountain ghost. He then took out a flute and blew it. Upon hearing the flute sound, the mountain ghost went berserk. It ignored Zhao Rui and the others and came towards Zhao Qing Ying. "Senior martial uncle, watch out!" Zhao Rui shouted as she saw the mountain ghost lunge at him.@@novelbin@@ The ground trembled with every step the mountain ghost took. Zhao Qing Ying had no choice but to turn and deal with the mountain ghost. The Dark Envoy took this opportunity and disappeared into the shadows with Lu Di. Lin Fan could only watch as he could barely stand up by now. His Qi wasn''t enough, and the use of the Leader of the Pack had exhausted his energy. Bam! The ground cracked, and rocks shot all over the ce when the mountain ghost hammered down on the ground with its fists. Zhao Qing Ying was too fast for it. He had leaped onto its shoulder and thrust a twirling wind strike at its neck. The twirling wind drilled through the tough fur and the skin of the mountain ghost. "Geeeee!" Crying out loud, it smacked its shoulder at Zhao Qing Ying. Blood spurted out of its neck, making its white fur turn red. Zhao Qing Ying leaped back onto the ground and with his fingers released a slicing wave at its eyes. It cut through the eyes, and the mountain ghost cried out. "Geee! Geeee! Geee!" The mountain ghost used its hands and covered the eyes. Zhao Qing Ying then thrust his fingers at the mountain ghost''s forehead. Thud. The twirling wind strike drilled through the skull and shredded the brains into pieces. A momentter, the mountain ghost''s hand went limp, dropped to the ground, and it fell back. A thunderous bang was heard when it hit the ground. Chapter 91 Clear Up "Stop where you are!", Zhao Rui shouted. When the Dark Lotus sect members saw the mountain ghost drop to the ground, they turned and tried to run away. But they were outnumbered now. Without the mountain ghost, the Qing Feng sect disciples easily captured the Dark Lotus sect members. "Lin Fan! How are you feeling?" Ho Ming shouted and ran over when he saw Lin Fan sitting down. Resting his back against the cave wall.@@novelbin@@ When Lin Fan saw Ho Ming alive and kicking, he waved at Ho Ming. "Don''t worry. It''s nothing, I should be alright after some rest¡­" Lin Fan said and coughed out before he could finish talking. Zhao Qing Ying came over and checked on Lin Fan. He ced his finger on Lin Fan''s wrist, feeling his pulse. With a frown on his face, Zhao Qing Ying stood up and passed a bottle of pills to Lin Fan. "This is Heavenly Genesis Pill, much stronger than Blood and Qi restoration pill. Here take one." Lin Fan, with the bottle in his hand, opened the stopper. Immediately the air around him was filled with the refreshing smell of herbs. He took a small whiff of the smell and Lin Fan could already feel some of the pain inside him alleviated. Lin Fan took out one pill from within and looked at it. The pill was red, giving off a shiny glow with its reflective surface. Lin Fan could also feel like it was pulsing with life, with it giving out that refreshing aroma. Gulp. Lin Fan couldn''t wait anymore and swallowed the pill in a mouthful. When the pill went into his stomach, he could immediately feel the damaged tissues regenerating. Open wounds closed and bleeding stopped. Lin Fan didn''t feel any pain anymore. The only side effect was that he suddenly felt hungry. All the regeneration must have taken out most of his energy. "I feel better now just that I''m hungry.", Lin Fan stood up with the help of Ho Ming. Ho Ming took out some dried ration and asked, "I have some dried ration left, you want some?" Lin Fan took the dried ration and started to feast on it. "Ahem. I think you''ve forgotten something.", Zhao Qing Ying twitched his nose and pointed at the bottle of Heavenly Genesis Pills. "Ah. I must have been too badly injured¡­" Lin Fan pped the back of his head and pretended to forget. He then passed the bottle of pills back to Zhao Qing Ying. Lin Fan knew he had to get some of these pills. It would make his missions much safer. Maybe Sima Liang could help, Lin Fan thought. "Achoo¡­." Sima Liang sneezed and wondered what it was about. His windows were closed and had a small furnace burning. It can''t be that he was suffering from a cold. ... After the cave had been cleared up, Qing Feng sect handed the scene to the officials. There was indeed some formation arrays set up, ready to ambush Zhao Qing Ying if he had followed the Dark Envoy. Thankfully, that didn''t happen. However, this mission also caused huge casualties to the Qing Feng sect. There were fifty over disciples that set off for the mission, only twenty-three of them returned. And out of those that returned three of them sustained serious injuries. Not everyone was lucky like Lin Fan to be in the good grace of Zhao Qing Ying. "Lin Fan! How are you!" Sun Hai shouted and ran towards Lin Fan when he saw theme back to Qing Feng sect. Lin Fan sped his hand, bowed and said, "I''m all right senior martial brother. But I might need a few day''s rest to recover." "Recover? You were injured?", Sun Hai''s eyes opened wide and was surprised when he heard Lin Fan injured. Knowing howpassionate Lin Fan was, imageries of him trying to save the other disciples came into Sun Hai''s mind. He clenched his fist when he thought about how the Dark Lotus sect would make use of his weakness. If he wasn''t out in the open, Sun Hai would''ve dropped a tear or two. Finally, Sun Hai gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "I must let Lin Fan get stronger as fast as possible, how selfish of me to keep all the good things from him." Sun Hai patted Lin Fan''s back and said, "Well done, junior martial brother. Go take a few days'' rest to recover. I will send over some pills and elixirs to help you in your recovery and training." Lin Fan didn''t know what had transpired in Sun Hai''s mind, so he just nodded. He definitely don''t mind extra pills and elixirs. ¡­ Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi and the rest of the peak lords were seated, listening to Zhao Qing Ying''s briefing. He''d briefed them on what they encountered and how the Dark Envoy tried to bait Zhao Qing Ying. "Hmm¡­" Qing Yang Zi looked at the Go chessboard beside him and pondered. So far, the Dark Envoy and Skin Puppet Diao seemed to work independently on their own. This might be something Qing Feng sect could exploit. As for the branch they''ve just destroyed, there might be more springing up in the territories of the Quan Dynasty. "Congrattions on such a sessful mission," Tan Kun stood up and praised Zhao Qing Ying. Zhao Qing Ying shrugged and said, "I''m sorry about your nephew though¡­" "Hmph, I don''t such a nephew! Betraying the sect for Dark Lotus sect.", Tan Kun mmed his hand on the table and shouted. "Enough, I will put out a mission to capture that woman, Lu Di. She might just be what we need to have the location of the Dark Lotus sect" Qing Yang Zi said, with his eyes focused on every movement from Tan Kun. Ever since Tan Fei died, Tan Kun hadn''t done anything out of the ordinary. He just went about his duty as peak lord as if nothing had happened. "With the manpower shortage in the Alchemy Peak, I suggest we open out the opportunities to disciples who are interested." "As you wish, sect master." Tan Kun sped his hands and bowed at Qing Yang Zi. Deep down inside he was cursing at him. Anyone with a brain can see that Qing Yang Zi is trying to nt some of his men into the Alchemy Peak. He had to do something before his influence was reduced to nothing. When Tan Kun got back to his room, he smashed everything on his table. Venting out his frustrations. Tan Fei and Tan Rui were gone. All his ns have been disrupted. Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Tan Kun took out a piece of paper and began to write on it. Chapter 92 Home Sweet Home Lin Fan enjoyed his few days of rest in the wooden hut. His buddies, Ho Ming and Sima Liang, had visited andvished him with pills and artifacts. Even Sun Hai did as he promised. Bringing him pills and elixirs for his physique cultivation. Lin Fan''s close shave with Lu Di made him realize how useful physique cultivation was. But before that, he summoned the system information in his mind. [Current Beast Ability: 2] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1] [Wolf Ability Level: 1] [Current Physique Level: 4 (800 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 1580] [Upgrade Physique: Y/N] Lin Fan thought silently to himself, yes. Soon after, the physique level up process started. This time he felt no pain. Everything he felt was enjoyable. His every breath made him burst with energy from within. All the pores on his skin felt tingling and received the Qi. Giving him a nice sensation, as if he had scratched the itch off the pores. When the Qi got into his body, passage through the meridian brought joy. It made him feel the lust for more Qi. Lin Fan quickly sat in lotus position and tried to direct the Qi to his dantian. When the Qi got to his dantian, it was like a symphony going off with the finale. His dantian gave out pulses of Qi, reaching his dantian and it made him feel a warm sensation. Slowly, these sensations faded away. A familiar sound then erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on upgrading your Physiques.] [Your Physical strength/endurance x 2.] [Unlocked ability to absorb Demonic Beasts Abilities.] [Unlocked 1 slot for Abilities.] [Unlocked leveling up for Beast Abilities.] [Current Beast Ability: 2/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 1/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 780] Great, Lin Fan thought when he saw the system information. Now he could be able to get the abilities of demonic beasts. And, for his beast abilities, they can be leveled up. What''s left for him is to go hunt for a demonic beast. But before he could venture out into the woods, Ho Ming came into the wooden hut with an excited look. "Lin Fan, I''ve got good news.", Ho Ming said. "What''s the good news?", Lin Fan poured a cup of tea and passed it to Ho Ming. Ho Ming drank the tea in a gulp, and said, "As a bonus for the mission, we can go back home to visit. I''ve got some surprise for you back home." "Surprise?" Lin Fan agreed to go back as he''d also wanted to check how Ho Fu and Uncle Liu were doing. So, they packed up and set off for home. ¡­ When they entered the familiar vige, the vigers stood at the side of the road, weing them.@@novelbin@@ Someone quickly lit the firecracker when they appeared. Piak. Piak. The firecrackers went off, giving out thunderous sounds and smoke filled the air. Ho Fu and Uncle Liu then came and weed them. After being away for so long, they looked the same as before. Ho Fu in fact looked healthier now. "Did you cause any trouble to Lin Fan? I hope you didn''t if not, I''ll beat the crap out of you." Without any greetings, Ho Fu chastised Ho Ming the first thing he saw Ho Ming. "Vige head, you sure about that? I think Ho Ming can take on all of us, now that he is a cultivator." "Yeah, you still think he is that Ho Ming from before." "I guess some things will never change." The vigers chimed in and made fun of Ho Fu. Ho Fu couldn''t get used to it, so he just took a puff off his smoke. "Dad, where''s the surprise you talked about?", Ho Ming asked, trying to distract everyone. "Ah, the surprise. Come, Lin Fan. I think you shall like it very much." Ho Fu gestured Lin Fan to follow him. Lin Fan followed, not sure what he was up to. When they reached the location where his wooden hut was, Lin Fan couldn''t believe his eyes. They had torn down his wooden hut and built a small mansion for him. Now there is a lovely garden out in the front, and when you step into it, you see the house made of ck tiles and white walls. Lin Fan pushed the well-decorated doors, freshly made as he could still smell the wooden aroma. When the doors swung open, the main hall was well furnished and looked cozy. There were tables and chairs, with all the utensils on them. On the wall were a few paintings hanging. And in the middle of the hall was his father''s altar. Lin Fan immediately sped his hands and bowed to Ho Fu. Thanking him for his new home. "It''s nothing. I only hope Ho Ming didn''t give you any troubles.", Ho Fu said as he puffed out from his pipe. Lin Fan now recalled he told Ho Ming to maybe help rebuild his house. He didn''t take it seriously, but Ho Ming surprisingly actually delivered. "Brother Lin Fan, I want to eat rabbit''s meat!", a kid suddenly came up to Lin Fan''s leg and held to it. Lin Fan looked down and it was Uncle Liu''s son, Liu Han. Mei Fong quickly came over and dragged Liu Han off him. "I''m sorry, Lin Fan. He missed you for so long.", Mei Fong said as she gave Liu Han a big p on his buttock. "It''s all right, Mei Fong. I miss having your dinner too.", Lin Fan said. "Then if you don''t mind, we wille over for dinner tonight. We must get your kitchen stove used. Telling the stove God that this house is inhabited now." Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire Uncle Liu patted him and said. Lin Fan nodded; it would be just like how it used to be. Soon everyone left and it was time for dinner. Mei Fong whipped up her usual fare and a piping hot meal was ready in no time. "How''s the hunting nowadays?", Lin Fan asked as he picked up a piece of meat from the te. "Things were going well. The vigers gave us so many gifts after you left. Trying to please you." Uncle Liu said. "Things went well until¡­", Mei Fong spoke and stopped without finishing her sentence. She then stole a nce at Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu stared at her, and both kept quiet. "What''s wrong? Just let me know, I will try to help if I could.", Lin Fan said. "Erm¡­ Things went well until recently; some demonic beasts must have taken over the woods." Chapter 93 Earth Breaker Salamander "Demonic beast? Can you borate?", Lin Fan was intrigued when he heard Uncle Liu utter the words. "The demonic beast has driven the other animals away. It seems to be territorial and from what the others have witnessed, it''s a huge smander." Uncle Liu stood up, tried stretching out his hands and showed Lin Fan how big it was. But he shook his head when he realized it was much bigger than his outstretched hands. Giving up, Uncle Liu pointed from the entrance to where they were sitting, "That''s how big the smander was." It was about ten meters long. "Don''t worry, I will see what I can do about it.", Lin Fan said. A smander, just what he had hoped for. A demonic beast with regenerative ability. Uncle Liu and Mei Fong then thanked Lin Fan for his help. Dinner ended and Lin Fan had the best sleep of his life, in his new house. After having breakfast, Lin Fan went over to Ho Ming''s ce. But he stopped when he saw many visitors at Ho Ming''s house. Businessmen and officials came and were having breakfast with Ho Fu, Ho Ming. Lin Fan shook his head and didn''t want to bother them. He was reminded of all the meetings he had previously. He wouldn''t envy Ho Ming right now. So, he decided to venture to the woods by himself. ¡­ When he passed by the open area, it brought back a feeling of nostalgia. It was where it all started, with a wild rabbit. But it''s different now, he couldn''t see any wild rabbits around. He ventured into the woods, and it was the same thing. Silence. No chirpings of the birds or distant howls of monkeys. Just dead silence. Lin Fan prepared himself by getting his hammers out of the toad statue. Rustle. First, he heard the bushes rustling. Then, the ground shook and trees swayed. A low guttural growl was then heard. [Ding!] [Detected Earth Breaker Smander with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 180 vengeance points.] Lin Fan saw the vengeance points and was more confident. With his level 5 physique now, he should be able to handle it. Rumble. The earth shook, and the Smander showed itself. Standing two meters tall, it was a hulking Smander with rocks covering its body like armor tes. Within the cracks of the tes were glowing magma. Boom! Lin Fan''s Magnificent Leap generated a booming sound as he shot through the air. With his hammer, he injected Qi and got it ready for the Yin Prod.@@novelbin@@ Thud! He thrust the hammer towards the Smander, but the ice icicle cracked when it hit the armor tes. The Smander turned and swiped its tail at Lin Fan. Thud. It hit Lin Fan on his shoulder, knocking him to the side. The impact, however, didn''t do much damage to Lin Fan. His level 5 physique made his skin, flesh and bones twice as tough as before. The smander, seeing that Lin Fan was unscathed, drew in a deep breath, making its belly round like a balloon. Then the belly turned t again, and hot glowing magma shot out from the cracks of the tes. Dang! Lin Fan injected Qi into his hammers and made them twice as big to block the hot magma. Growl! The Smander saw Lin Fan still standing after its attack growled at him. It turned and swiped its tail at Lin Fan again. Lin Fan quickly used his Yin Yang Smash on its tail. It had no armor tes, and it should be one of its weakest points. The hot Yang Qi and cold Yin Qi reacted together, and an explosion ensued. Stter, the tail of the Smander broke off. The tail thrashed about violently, sending dirt and grass flying off the ground. And it quickly turned away from Lin Fan and its belly turned round again. Dang! The magma shot at him, but he managed to block it again. Then Lin Fan saw something happening. All the leaves, grass and earth on the ground got sucked onto the Smander''s body. They slowly withered and turned into dust. Life force was sucked out of them. Miraculously, the Smander''s tail slowly grew out a new one. Lin Fan''s eyes opened wide, astonished at the regenerative power. He had to get it. With his hammers in his hand, he thought about how to defeat the Smander. As with the tail, its head was not armor ted with rocks. Lin Fan would have to concentrate on it. Boom! Lin Fan leaped into the air, thrust both of his hammers forward at the Smander''s head. But it turned and Lin Fan''s attack hit onto its armor te instead. Thud. The impact made Lin Fan''s hand feel numb from the force. Nearly made him let go of his hammers. Boom! Lin Fan tried again, this time leaping onto its back. The Smander tried jumping up and down, as if a horse galloping and kicking its hindlegs. Trying its best to get Lin Fan off its back. The jerking force made Lin Fan nearly fall to the ground, but he held onto one of the armor tes. Lin Fan saw the magma glowing brighter, a precursor of the magma being shot out of the Smander''s body. Boom! Lin Fan managed to leap at the Smander''s neck andnded on it. With his hammer, he used the Yin Prod and thrust at its neck. The freezing cold made the Smander lunge back, trying to get Lin Fan off. Next, Lin Fan used the Yin Yang Cross Smash. Growl! It can''t do much except to growl in agony. The two opposing Qi reacted and Boom. The neck of the Smander exploded from it, and a huge hole appeared on the wound. Lin Fan saw the wound immediately closing up. So, he hit it with a Yin Yang Cross Smash again. Stter. This time the neck was blown off with half of its flesh gone. It was then regenerating again. Lin Fan hit the neck with the Yin Yang Cross Smash twice again. Boom! Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire This time a loud explosion urred. And the Smander''s head dropped onto the ground. Thud. The Smander stopped moving and dropped to the ground. Sending a loud thud, thundering throughout the woods. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 180.] [Current Vengeance Points: 960] Lin Fan smiled with a grin when he saw the system''s information. Chapter 94 Special Mission Another sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [ept Earth Breaker Smander Abilities? Y/N] [Tectonic Resilience ¨C Withstand Attacks Up till Core Formation Level.] [Quake Stomp ¨C Stomp the Ground, Creating Local Earthquake, Destabilizing Enemies.] [Regenerative Trait ¨C Regenerate Tissues, Even Grow Back Limbs.] Lin Fan didn''t hesitate and said yes in his mind. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. The familiar sound erupted in his mind again. [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Ability Level: 1/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 1/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 1/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 960] Lin Fan saw the level for the ability and thought in his mind, how do I level up the beast abilities. The system replied: [Ding!] [Level up for abilities costs 500 vengeance points.] Lin Fan saw the requirement of 500 vengeance points and pondered. He could go with it or save it up to level up his physique next. He can decide after the next mission, he thought. With the absorbing of beast ability done, Lin Fan turned the body of the Smander over, exposing its belly. Lin Fan then used the Yang Smash and burst the belly open. Soon after, he dug around for the demonic beast core. He would need it when he tries to break forth to the next cultivation level. At Qi Concentration Stage Nine, he was on the verge of it. "Damn!" Lin Fan cursed out as he tried to yank the demonic beast core out. He had to use his leg to step against the Smander''s body to have more force on it. "Three¡­Two¡­One¡­", after his countdown and one huge pull, he finally managed to yank out the demonic beast core. It was as big as his fist and brown colored in the tint of burnt sienna. He could see a faint glow in the shape of a Smander within it. With that, he went back to the vige. Before entering, he washed up at the well, just as he did when he was still starting out. When he was back at his house, it was already lunch time. "You are back. Lunch is ready.", Mei Fong said when he saw Lin Fan. "Where have you been?", Uncle Liu asked, thinking he could help if Lin Fan wanted to deal with the demonic beast in the woods. Lin Fan smiled and said, "I''m done killing off the demonic beast. The other animals shall return very soon." Mei Fong froze with the tes of meat and vegetables in her hands. Same thing with Uncle Liu, he couldn''t believe his ears when he heard it. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire "You what? That''s like one morning. And I thought it would take some time." Uncle Liu eximed excitedly. He knew Lin Fan was doing well as a cultivator, but didn''t expect him to be doing so well. "Mei Fong, kill the fat chicken. I think this calls for a celebration." "Yeah daddy! I haven''t had chicken for ages." Uncle Liu couldn''t contain his joy and wanted to celebrate with a meal of roasted chicken. With the tes on her hands, Mei Fong quickly put them down on the table and went to catch the chicken at their ce. "Wait for me Lin Fan, save some of your stomach for the chicken.", Mei Fong shouted as she left. Lin Fan couldn''t say no to all the hospitality. The roasted chicken was well worth the wait. Mei Fong had roasted it to its best. The skin was crispy and oily, with slightly charred burns on the side. Giving it another dimension to its texture. Liu Han was sucking his fingers when he was done. Savoring everyst bit of the chicken. ¡­. After the lunch, it was time for Lin Fan and Ho Ming to go. When Ho Ming came over, he reeked with the smell of alcohol. Lin Fan shook his head as it was a necessary price to pay for the Ho Family. Trying to leapfrog to the next level required support from many people. They wouldn''t take the bet if they didn''t know who they are betting on. Luckily, Ho Ming with his Double Sword Cultivation Root had given them much confidence. It took them only half a day to get back to the sect with their pace. The sect seemed to be buzzing with excitement when they returned. "Why is everyone so excited?", Lin Fan asked one of the disciples running around. The disciple looked at Lin Fan as if they were country bumpkins, "Didn''t you hear? There''s a special mission being listed; the reward is three hundred contribution points and manuscript of your choice in the library." Lin Fan was immediately interested, especially with the manuscript.@@novelbin@@ His Ying Yang Hammer Style gets the job done, but there might be something better. He and Ho Ming went over to the Mission Hall to check it out. The mission hall was more crowded than usual. Everyone was checking out the special mission on the mission wall. Lin Fan pushed to the front and looked at the mission b. "Capture Lu Di? That shouldn''t be a problem.", Lin Fan said to himself as he read the description of the mission b. His previous encounter was close, and that was him with only level 4 physique. He should be able to take her downfortably now with his level 5 physique. "Not a problem?" The disciples standing beside Lin Fan heard him and looked at him. He wanted tosh out on what a snob Lin Fan was. But he bit his tongue and kept quiet when he recognized Lin Fan. Lin Fan and Ho Ming were the only junior disciples that went all the way in the previous mission. Under the watching eyes of all the disciples, Lin Fan took the mission b down from the wall and walked over to the disciple at the counter. The disciple took the mission b, and said, "You have to pass through a qualification test before you can take this mission." "Qualification test?" "Yes, fight senior martial brother Hun Yen Kun. If you can beat him, you can take the mission." "Where and when do I do that?" Lin Fan asked. The disciple looked up and pointed out at the door, and said, "That man standing under the tree, he is senior martial brother Hun Yen Kun. I must warn you though, he is Core Formation Level." Lin Fan looked outside, and Hun Yen Kun was standing under a tree, with a fan in his hand, looking up at the flowering tree. All the disciples got excited at the prospect of a fight. They streamed out of the Mission Hall and got ready for the spectacle that was toe. Chapter 95 Peach Blossom Hun Yen Kun wore a white-colored robe and a ck schr''s hat. He had a clean and fair face, with well-defined features. Not what you would expect from a senior disciple. He pretended not to be bothered by all the attention he was getting. "Ahem... Under the peach blossom... I..." Hun Yen Kun tried reciting a poem, but he couldn''t continue after the first sentence. Seeing Lin Fan approaching, he quickly turned and pointed his fan at him. "Who''s that approaching? Could it be one who seeks fortunes?" Lin Fan frowned at what he heard. This senior martial brother seems, forck of a better word, weird. No matter. He sped his hands and bowed. "I''m Lin Fan, here for the qualification test." "Fear not, my junior. I shall show you the way of the gentleman''s sword." Hun Yen Kun flicked his hand, and his fan turned into a long sword. He pointed at Lin Fan and waited. Some of the female disciples blushed as they saw Hun Yen Kun posing handsomely. They then nced at Lin Fan and shook their heads. Lin Fan''s robes were well-used and stains from all the bloodshed were faintly visible.@@novelbin@@ He looked like a brute inparison. They secretly rooted for Hun Yen Kun to beat the crap out of Lin Fan. Boom! Lin Fan lunged at Hun Yen Kun with his Magnificent Leap. When he got in front of Hun Yen Kun, hammers appeared in his hand, and he swung the hammers at him. "Despicable!" "What you expect from a brute like him?" "Nasty!" The female disciples rooting for Hun Yen Kun weren''t too happy about Lin Fan''s strategy. Hun Yen Kun flicked his sword at Lin Fan''s hammer. Dang! Lin Fan''s hammers missed by an inch. The sword parried it away just at the right angle. Hun Yen Kun sidestepped and appeared on the left side of Lin Fan. "What a graceful move!" "That''s how the gentleman''s sword should be." "My hero." The female disciples couldn''t help but marvel at Hun Yen Kun''s graceful moves. Lin Fan squinted his eyes and swung his hammer to the side. It missed and Hun Yen Kun leaped away. Lin Fan continued turning 180 degrees, made use of the force and threw his right hammer at him. Whoosh! The hammer shot like a bullet at Hun Yen Kun. Dang! Hun Yen Kun, in the nick of time, brought his sword in front of him and blocked the hammer. Not giving him time, Lin Fan lunged at him with a Yin Prod on his waist. Thud. It caught him by surprise and Hun Yen Kun quickly palm-struck Lin Fan on his chest. Pak. Both of them flew apart from the impact. Lin Fan had activated his Tectonic Resilience ability. He felt nothing from the palm strike. Hun Yen Kun, on the other hand, felt a stinging pain on his palm. It was like he hit onto a steel wall and the impact rebounded onto him. His waist also felt a chilling pain. With his Core Formation Physique, the Yin Prod could only damage his skin and not within. "Arg...", Hun Yen Kun looked at his robe and flinched. He had spent so much money on this robe for it to be damaged by Lin Fan. Not wanting it to be damaged further, he looked up and raised his hand. "Enough. You are worthy for the fortunes." Lin Fan, with his Iron ws ready to strike, stopped midair. He sped his hand and bowed to Hun Yen Kun. "Thank you, senior martial brother." The female disciples weren''t too happy when they saw this. Lin Fan must have been so despicable that senior martial brother Yen Kun can''t stand him anymore. How big-hearted of Hun Yen Kun to let Lin Fan pass the qualification test. They gritted their teeth and swore that they wouldy down their life for Hun Yen Kun if he asked for it. Hun Yen Kun saw their expressions and waved to them. Motioning them to keep calm. "Did you see that? He waved at me." "No. You must be blind, he was waving at me." "Quiet, all of you. Everyone knows he has exquisite taste. So, he must be waving at me." A fifty-year-old female disciple said, and the rest of the disciples nearly lynched her. "So, what do I do next?", Lin Fan asked. "Oh, sorry about that. Please, excuse me. Two dayster, here at the peach blossom, we meet." Hun Yen Kun said as he flicked, and the long sword turned back into the fan. The female disciples swooned over it again. Lin Fan walked back to the Mission Hall. The disciples watched with intense jealousy. They didn''t dare go against Hun Yen Kun as he was the core disciple of Qing Yang Zi. Although he was entric, his swordsmanship was second to none other than Qing Yang Zi and Zhao Qing Ying. Yet, Lin Fan had the courage to go against him and passed the qualification test. He got over to the counter where the mission b was. "I passed the qualification test, so can I take the mission now?", Lin Fan asked. "Here, print your handprint onto the mission b.", the disciple handed the mission b over to Lin Fan. Lin Fan imprinted his handprint and looked to Ho Ming. "Can others take the mission too?", he asked the disciple. "Sure, there will be different teams on this hunt for Lu Di." The disciple replied. Lin Fan put his hand onto Ho Ming''s shoulder and asked, "Ho Ming, go for it. I feel safer with you watching my back." "But he is Core Formation realm..." Ho Ming was wary about the difference in their cultivation level. But Lin Fan just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hun Yen Kun didn''t go all out. You should be able to qualify just fine." Ho Ming thought for a moment and nodded his head. He requested to be on the mission, walked outside and faced Hun Yen Kun. Ho Ming used all his skills and techniques at him. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire But Hun Yen Kun was able to see through Ho Ming''s move easily. Ho Ming then switched on survival mode. It caught Hun Yen Kun by surprise. The female disciples stared at Lin Fan when they saw that. Lin Fan must have corrupted Ho Ming to fight like a brute. But it did the trick. Hun Yen Kun, with a sh across his chest, stopped the fight. He let Ho Ming qualify too. "Shifu shouldpensate for my robe after this mission.", Hun Yen Kun thought to himself as he shook his head and looked at his torn robe. Chapter 96 Setting Off Again Seeing both Lin Fan and Ho Ming passing the qualification test, the other disciples went into a frenzy. They quickly rushed to register for the mission. Hun Yen Kun couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw all the disciples lined up ready to fight with him. The first one came in front of Hun Yen Kun with beaming confidence. Piak! One secondter, he was down on the ground. All the disciples looked at each other with their eyes wide open. They couldn''t believe the difference in results. The next disciple went up, and the same thing happened again. Lin Fan and Ho Ming had made it look as if it was easy. Those disciples who failed could only stare at Lin Fan and Ho Ming. Thinking to themselves what the difference was between them that Lin Fan and Ho Ming could pass. But Hun Yen Kun was no pushover and could easily destroy most of the disciples with one stroke. After all, the vast majority of the disciples in the sect were stuck in Foundation Formation. Only around twenty percent could get to the next level, which was Core Formation. There were even fewer who could get from Core Formation to Nascent Soul. The qualification test went on for a day. By the end of the day, those disciples who failed could only grumble and Hun Yen Kun frowned at his torn and tattered white robe. ¡­@@novelbin@@ With two more days to go, Lin Fan had some time to spare. He took out the "Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation Technique" manuscript and read it. After going through the first page, he tried out the first step. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire It required him to take in Qi and channel it through a poison nd. Lin Fan didn''t have it, so he could only try directing the Qi through his meridian as instructed. Cough. He felt pain when the Qi went to his meridian at his shoulders. It must be due to theck of poison nds, he thought. Flipping through the manuscript for clues on the poison nds, he finally found it. He had to eat creatures that were poisonous, like snakes, scorpions, and toads, then direct the Qi to create a poison nd. With the poison nd, he could then umte the poison and with it convert his Qi into poison gas like what the Dark Lotus disciples did. He closed the manuscript and thought about it. Apart from his hammers and his beast abilities, this would be a nasty surprise for his enemies if he could master it. But to do so, he would have to do it discreetly. No matter, Lin Fan thought. This wasn''t a high priority for him. He was more in need of pills and artifacts. "Lin Fan, I heard you were looking for me," Sima Liang said as he entered the wooden hut. Lin Fan poured a cup of tea and passed it to Sima Liang. He then asked, "Are you able to get Heavenly Genesis Pills?" Lin Fan had to ask Sima Liang as he couldn''t find it in the points exchange area. "Heavenly Genesis Pills?" Sima Liang nearly dropped the teacup when he heard it. "It''s very precious and anything short of three hundred contribution points wouldn''t do." "Three hundred contribution points?" It was Lin Fan''s turn to be surprised. But he slowly epted the fact when he recalled how stingy Zhao Qing Ying was with it. However, Lin Fan, as someone who''d taken it and knew what it could do, was therefore more than willing to pay for the price. Lin Fan took out a wooden b and handed it over to Sima Liang. He had made five hundred over contribution points by now. Not much use if he kept them. Sima Liang took the wooden b and said, "Give me one day, my family will be able to get the pills by then." "Thanks, I look forward to the pills before the next mission," Lin Fan said. With the Heavenly Genesis Pills settled, Lin Fan replenished his Blood and Qi Restoration pills. Leaving him with only a hundred contribution points left. That Lu Di better had lots of money on her, Lin Fan thought as he looked at the contribution points he had left. Before he set off for the mission, Lin Fan also tried to put in whatever he could into the toad statue. The space inside wasn''t infinite. He could only fit items up to ten meters by ten meters. So, Lin Fan put all the essentials he could inside: food, weapons, and even fireworks. He was all about preparing for the worst. A day passed and Sima Liang delivered the Heavenly Genesis pills. Lin Fan was d and impressed. The bet of getting onto good terms with Sima Liang was starting to pay out. With Sima family''s backing, he would be able to have a smoother ride on his cultivation path. ¡­ Finally, it was time to set off for the mission. Hun Yen Kun was waiting for them under the peach blossom tree. Trying to look his best, with his new robe and posing with his fan in front of his chest. Some female disciples were there to see him off. Sobbing and crying their hearts out at the thought of not being able to see senior martial brother Hun for some time. "Was it always like this in the Sword Peak?" Lin Fan asked Ho Ming as they walked towards Hun Yen Kun. "I don''t know, senior martial brother Hun wasn''t around until recently," Ho Ming said as he shrugged his shoulders. Lin Fan patted Ho Ming''s back. Trying to console him for what he will have to witness day in and day out. "Ah, you are here. Ready to set forth and venture towards our adventure?" Hun Yen Kun said when he saw Lin Fan and Ho Ming. "Can you speak normally?" Lin Fan couldn''t take it anymore and asked. "Ahem... I thought the poetic prose would be epic and elegant for you." "No, it doesn''t," Lin Fan said without any emotion on his face. Hun Yen Kunughed awkwardly and said, "Our informantst saw Lu Di near Hong Feng city, we will begin our search there." "We better hurry. Wouldn''t want the other teams to be ahead of us," Lin Fan said as there were two other teams on the same mission. Hun Yen Kun agreed, and they set off for Hong Feng city. Hong Feng city sounded familiar to Lin Fan, and he tried to recall why as they walked. It finally hit Lin Fan after some moments. Lim Ka Tong! The man he killed at the inn when they travelled to Qing Feng sect. Chapter 97 Lim Mansion When they arrived outside of Hong Feng City, Hun Yen Kun asked Lin Fan and Ho Ming to change into page boys'' attire he had prepared. "But why?", Ho Ming asked as he took the page boy attire from Hun Yen Kun. "We can''t waltz in with our Qing Feng sect attire and expect Lu Di to be there waiting for us." Hun Yen Kun exined, and he took out two skin masks. He passed the masks to them and said, "Put these on, they are rare artifacts. They will alter your appearance. Lu Di has seen you before, so you can''t walk around with your own face." Hun Yen Kun is smarter than he looks, Lin Fan thought. And as instructed, Lin Fan put the mask on. The mask, when in contact with his skin, seemed toe to life. It wrapped itself onto Lin Fan''s face and slowly stuck on it like his skin. Then it squiggled, trying to form a new face. His eyes, nose, and mouth felt like they were morphing to a certain look. After a few moments, the mask stopped moving. Lin Fan now looked totally different, clean and fair like Hun Yen Kun. Looking the part of a page boy. The same thing happened with Ho Ming, with him looking clean and fair too. Hun Yen Kun with his fan nodded approvingly at them and said, "Now, my page boys, let''s go." Lin Fan and Ho Ming looked at each other, wondering if anything good woulde out of this. ¡­ Hong Feng City was huge. Much bigger than anything Lin Fan had seen before in this realm. The city walls were made of huge stones and were at least fifteen meters high. Crowds thronged along the streets with vendors selling their wares by the side. Lin Fan noticed every detail he could. The guards on the city wall, how the streets were nned out, and the demographic makeup. It might be a difficult task to catch Lu Di out of so many people. Just when Lin Fan was thinking of where to start the investigation, Hun Yen Kun said, "I''ve booked a room at the most popr ce in this city. Follow me." Lin Fan and Ho Ming followed. When they reached the ce, they realized what Hun Yen Kun had prepared for them. The ce was huge, three floors high, with rednterns hanging prominently everywhere. Male patrons had one if not twodies by their side, feasting on wine and food. Lin Fan looked at the signboard at the door: Zui Hong Lou. It was a brothel. "Wee, young master. I''m Mama Kim;e on in. We have everything you want.", a fatdy with thick makeup and a distracting mole on her chin came. She held onto Hun Yen Kun''s arm, waving with her silk handkerchief for the waiter toe. "Your first time here, young master?", she nudged Hun Yen Kun and asked. "It''s spring and time to appreciate the flowers bloom.", Hun Yen Kun replied, fanning himself with his fan. Trying to look all cool again. Mama Kim couldn''t understand what Hun Yen Kun was saying, so she smiled awkwardly. Lin Fan stepped forward and said, "We just want a room to stay." "Only a room?", Mama Kim asked disappointedly. "Threedies.", Hun Yen Kun raised three fingers and gave Mama Kim bits of silver. With the bits of silver in her hand, she shouted, "I''ll arrange it immediately." Waiters came over and took them to a room on the second floor. There were sounds of passion all around them as they waited. Ho Ming got anxious and couldn''t sit tight. While Lin Fan was his usual self, he guessed that Hun Yen Kun didn''te here just to womanize. Knock. Someone knocked on the door. Beads of sweat started to form on Ho Ming''s forehead. Lin Fan poured a cup of tea and smelled it. "Come in.", Hun Yen Kun said, with his fan in his hand. Three young women came in. They were scantily dressed in only a thin silk dress, revealing their long legs and chests. "It''s spring and time to appreciate the flowers bloom.", Hun Yen Kun said again. This time, one of thedies replied, "Ice break and the river shall flow." Both nodded at each other. The other twodies quickly stood by the door, staying on alert. She then took out an envelope from her sleeve and handed it over to Hun Yen Kun. Hun Yen Kun broke the wax seal on the envelope and took out the letter. He read the content, and his face turned serious for a moment. After he finished reading, he burned the letter and envelope. Lin Fan changed his impression of Hun Yen Kun again. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire The brothel was a perfect ce for information gathering. With so many mening in for a good time, they would spill out a lot of secrets when they got drunk. Most wouldn''t suspect much from thedies, thinking that they wouldn''t understand. "So, youdies want to stay?", Hun Yen Kun asked with a sheepish smile. He stood up, poured a cup of wine, and continued, "Best we treasure the times, and empty the bottles." "What was the letter about?", Lin Fan asked. "This junior is always about business.", Hun Yen Kun shook his head and motioned for thedies to leave. But he knew Lin Fan was right. The information might be stale if they wasted more time. When thedies left, Hun Yen Kun said, "Lu Di wasst seen entering the Lim Mansion. The Lim Family Head will be having his birthday tomorrow. We might be able to make use of it to sneak in." Lim Mansion. It''s such a small world, Lin Fan thought. "How do we sneak in?", Ho Ming asked. "I will send a gift as a student trying for the imperial examinations. My poems shall be able to impress the family head.", Hun Yen Kun said. It''s quite normal for poor students to try to get sponsorship for the imperial examinations. Hun Yen Kun''s schrly look works to that advantage.@@novelbin@@ Other than thetter im, Lin Fan had to agree that it was a viable reason. With the n settled, Hun Yen Kun wrote a poem on a scroll of paper. It shall be used as his gift to the Lim Family Head. ¡­ Next day, nightfall. They travelled to Lim Mansion, with the gift and weapons. Hun Yen Kun''s fan wasn''t an issue, so he doesn''t need to worry about that. Only Ho Ming''s sword had to be kept in Lin Fan''s toad statue. "Who are you!" the guard at the Lim Mansion shouted. Chapter 98 Hun Yen Kuns Poem "I''m a student trying for the imperial examinations. I would like to wish the Lim Family Head a prosperous long life and have his blessings." Hun Yen Kun bowed and gave the guard some bits of silver. The guard held the bits of silver in his palm, trying to see how much they weighed. He looked at Hun Yen Kun with his page boys beside him. Nothing seemed unusual, so he pointed to the side door and said, "Go and choose a seat over there. We will present your gift to the Family Head. If he likes it, he might call you to the main hall." Hun Yen Kun bowed and went through the side door. It was a bustling scene inside. Round tables with tes of delicacies on them. Sitting around the tables were schrs that looked like Hun Yen Kun. In the garden not far away, an opera about a general fighting invaders from the North was going on. Hun Yen Kun sat down at one of the tables, nced at Lin Fan and Ho Ming. Lin Fan nodded, and both of them walked into the shadows and disappeared. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire They walked past servants busy with the banquet without being noticed. Lin Fan activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability as he walked. He tried to focus on whatever was useful with so many different sounds surrounding him. "Careful, don''t spill the dish." "Lim Hong''s birthday banquet is what I would expect." "You want your son back?" Finally, Lin Fan heard something useful out of the usual chatter. He listened intently to the familiar voice. It was Lu Di''s voice. "Hmph, my son''s disappearance must have something to do with the Qing Feng sect.", an old man''s voice said angrily. "Yes, all these righteous sects are all the same. Pretending to be good while behaving like us.", Lu Di continued, trying to sway the old man''s opinion.@@novelbin@@ "But my son''s been missing for so long. How do I trust you that you can bring him back?" "The Dark Envoy is powerful. I promise you, he has his way to find out where your son is. You just need to do continue with what you''ve started." Lin Fan listened as he hurriedly went towards where the voice came from. Ho Ming followed suit behind him. "Where are you going? I don''t think I''ve seen you before." a servant stopped them outside of the Family Head''s room. The conversation stopped. "We were trying to find the loo and got lost. We are so sorry.", Lin Fan said as he continued to listen intently. But it was toote. The servant had startled Lu Di and the Family Head. "It''s over there, you idiots.", the servant pointed to a small wooden hut far away. "Thank you. We shall be going.", Lin Fan quickly ran towards the direction with his hand on his belly. When he was getting away, he could see an old maning out of the room in the corner of his eyes. He couldn''t see if Lu Di followed as he had no viewing angle by then. Lin Fan and Ho Ming went back to where Hun Yen Kun was. He whispered what he''d found out to his ears. Hun Yen Kun thought for a moment and started to drink. One cup after another. The others looked in astonishment and tried to stop him. "Brother Hun, I think that''s enough for the day." "Yeah, better not to create troubles for the host." "If you want to, brother Hun, I can introduce some other sponsors." Lin Fan didn''t know what to expect but knew he was up to something. Soon, Hun Yen Kun was making a scene, shouting at the top of his voice. "Master Lim Hong, please! I beg you to have a look at my gift!" Everyone at the table tried to calm him down. They thought he was so desperate for a sponsorship that he went crazy. Lin Fan pretended to care but he just half-heartedly tried to get Hun Yen Kun to sit down. "What''s with all the shouting!", a servant came from the main hall to check. "Please sir, I need Master Lim Hong to have a look at my poem I wrote for him." Hun Yen Kun, with his face flushed red by all the alcohol, said. The servant covered his nose with his hand and said, "I will check with Master Lim Hong. You keep him quiet." He pointed to Lin Fan and went away. After a few moments, he came back and ushered them to the main hall. They were led through long corridors and Lin Fan took note of theyout. He had to be prepared to leave if they didn''t seed. "Master Lim Hong was generous enough to give you a chance. So don''t be a nuisance." The servant reminded them as they entered the main hall. Lim Hong was sitting near the altar with the character for longevity behind him. He looked like he was around fifty plus, wearing auspicious red and looking happy with his friends and family enjoying a feast with him. Standing behind him was Lu Di. Looking silently at what was happening. All the chatter stopped when the friends and family saw Hun Yen Kun enter. "Master Lim Hong, I thank you for this chance to have a look at the poem I wrote." Lin Fan, with the scroll of Hun Yen Kun''s poem in his hand, walked up to the Lim Family Head. He theny the scroll on the table and unrolled it. Master Lim Hong stood up and looked at the poem. "Peach blossoms bloom. "The roosters croaked. "Climb the Mountain. "And stay forever cooked" When everyone in the hall heard what Lim Hong muttered, they couldn''t help butugh out loud. "This must be the worst I''ve heard." "Get a load of this guy." "One thing for sure, he got the atmosphere going." Master Lim Hong''s mouth twitched, not knowing what to do about it. He can''t be angry, it was his birthday banquet after all. But this fellow was too much, presenting such a nonsense poem to him. "I''m so sorry about this. My young lord will try and improve himself." Lin Fan stepped forward and rolled the scroll back amidst theughter. Lim Hong could only join in and gave out a heartyugh. No one had their eyes on Lin Fan. Soon after, before Lin Fan turned around to leave, two hammers suddenly appeared in his hands. Thud! He tried to smash Lu Di''s head, but she dodged at the veryst minute. Chapter 99 Butcher and Coolie "Assassin!" "Help us!" "Where are the house guards!" The guests in the main hall went into panic when they saw what Lin Fan did. [Ding!] [Detected souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate 20 people with malevolent intent for 200 vengeance points.] Lin Fan''s system alerted him to the iing danger. House guards started to stream in with their wooden batons. First thing he did was retrieve Ho Ming''s sword and throw it over. Ho Ming caught it, drew out his swords, and started to take care of the house guards. "It''s you!" Lu Di shouted. Even though Lin Fan looked different now, Lu Di saw the hammers and immediately knew who it was. She figured they must have used some rare artifact to alter their looks. After dodging Lin Fan''s smash, she drew out her sword and thrust it at Lin Fan''s eyes. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 180 vengeance points.] Dang! Lin Fan swung his hammers up and parried away her sword. Meanwhile, Lim Hong, who was by the side, took out a jade pendant and broke it into two. It was a signal for help. Thud. Lin Fan thrust his hammers forward at Lu Di. It hit her on the chest and gave out a muted thud. She quickly jumped back and threw a chair at Lin Fan. Bam! Lin Fan smashed the chair into smithereens. "How could he have gotten so fast within such a short time?" Lu Di thought to herself silently, as she was able to dodge Lin Fan''s attack previously. Boom! The next moment, Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap and appeared in front of her. He used the Yang Smash and swung the scorching mes at her waist. She tried to bend back and somersault away. Thud! Lin Fan was ready with the other hammer, striking at her feet. This made her fall, and Lin Fan followed up with a Yin Yang Cross Smash at her. Suddenly a leg came at him from behind cracking like a whip. Piak!@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan tried to turn and block but wasn''t fast enough. The leg hit his back but didn''t do much damage. "Damn!" The assant cursed out as he soothed his shin with his hand. He''d felt as if he kicked onto a steel te. Lin Fan saw what had happened. There were two more people that joined in the fight. One, a slim man in coolie attire, trying to soothe the pain from his shin. The other a stout man, dressed like a butcher with a cleaver in his hand. [Ding!] [Detected 2 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate 2 people with malevolent intent for 360 vengeance points.] Lin Fan saw the system notification, quickly stole a nce at Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire But they were busy with the house guards that kept streaming in. Butcher spat on the ground and scolded Coolie, "What did I tell you. Let me slice him up! You wasted the chance." "Shut up! Let me go again!" Coolie refuted and kicked at Lin Fan again. Crack. The kick broke the air and came at Lin Fan''s head. Lin Fan injected his Qi into the hammers and smashed at Coolie''s leg. To his surprise, Coolie changed direction at thest minute. It went for Lin Fan''s thigh instead. Thud. Coolie kicked at Lin Fan''s thigh, but he quickly withdrew his leg. All he could feel was pain from his shin. "What are you doing. Let me at him!" Butcher shed his cleaver horizontally and sent a slicing wave at Lin Fan. Lin Fan used his hammers to block. Dang! He blocked the slicing wave, but Lu Di thrust her sword from behind, sending a twirling wind strike at him. Lin Fan quickly activated the tectonic resilience ability. Smoosh. The twirling wind strike couldn''t do much but tear off bits of the clothes off Lin Fan. Lin Fan had enough, he raised his legs and stomped down onto the ground. Vroom. He used the Quake Stomp ability. The main hall shook, and everyone tried to stay on their feet. Coolie fell onto the ground. Butcher had to hold onto the table. Lu Di, who was trying to get near to Lin Fan, had to stop in her track. Boom! With the upper hand on Lin Fan''s side, he leaped and swung his hammers at Coolie''s head. It immediately made his head swollen and blood spew onto the ground. Butcher threw his cleaver at Lin Fan, trying to stop him. Thud. Lin Fan didn''t bother with it. The tectonic resilience ability made him immune to these attacks. With the glowing hot mes on one of the hammers and the cold blue frost on the other, Lin Fan smashed them on Coolie''s neck. The Qi with opposing attributes went into Coolie''s neck and he tried to use his hand to somehow get it out. But it was toote. The Qi reacted and then his neck sttered all over the ce. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 180.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1140] The reward immediately sounded in Lin Fan''s mind. "Damn you!" Butcher''s eyes went red with anger, and he charged at Lin Fan like a bull. Lin Fan turned and thrust at him with his Yin Prod. The ice icicle shot at Butcher, and it stopped his charge. Causing cold bites on his shoulders. "Argh!" Butcher could only call out in pain. Lin Fan then hit Butcher''s leg with his left hammer, and when Butcher looked down and dodged, Lin Fan followed up with a swipe of his right hammer. Dang! Butcher went into a daze from the impact to his head. The Beheading Cloud Strike had done its job again. Lin Fan wasted no time and executed a Yin Yang Cross Smash at Butcher''s waist. Stter. Butcher, with his eyes open, dropped to the ground. The reaction from the Yin Yang Cross Smash caused his stout beer belly to blow up. "Useless fools!" Lim Hong couldn''t believe his eyes. Butcher and Coolie were cultivators he had hosted for so many years. He had spent a lot of money on pills and elixirs on them. For them to die within a few strokes, it wasn''t a good investment. His only hope was now Lu Di. "What are you waiting for? Kill him!" Lim Hong turned and shouted at Lu Di. However, Lu Di didn''t move. She knew Lin Fan was too powerful for her now. There was only onest option for her. Lu Di took out a bottle of pills and opened it. Chapter 100 Tan Yuan A putrid and disgusting smell immediately filled the air. Lin Fan wasn''t going to let her take the pills; he''d seen what they could do so many times before. He stomped onto the ground and the main hall shook again. The bottle flew out of Lu Di''s hand and rolled onto the carpeted floor. Boom! Lu Di tried to retrieve it, but Lin Fan with his Magnificent Leap was faster than her. He kicked the bottle away. "You are like the other men, aren''t you? Why don''t you give up!" Lu Di couldn''t take it anymore as she saw herst chance fly further and further away from her. "I promise to stop if you would just lie down." Lin Fan with his hammer smashed at her head. She tried to bend and somersault again. Dang! It caught a bit of her chin, but the impact wasn''t enough. Lu Di stood with her hand on her chin as she tried to think of a way out. She nced at the red silk fabric wrapped around the pir near her. Using her sword, she sliced the fabric down from the pir and tried to wrap it around Lin Fan. The fabric tangled with Lin Fan''s hammer for a second, and he injected Qi into the hammer with the Ember Wolf Core. The ensuing mes burned the fabric to ashes. It was, however, enough for her to turn and run out of the main hall. "Senior Hun and Ho Ming, she is running away!" Lin Fan shouted, warning Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming of her escape. He also gave chase and activated his Hunter Instinct ability. It was chaotic outside. The guests were pushing each other around, trying to get out. It made it hard to spot where Lu Di was. Luckily, he could see the bright illuminated footsteps in his eyes. "Get out of my way." When Lin Fan tried to chase after Lu Di, the crowd blocked his way. Frustrated, he stomped his feet on the ground. The earth shook and the crowd stumbled onto the ground. This gave an opening for Lin Fan. He could see the footsteps leading to the garden, so he followed. When the footsteps got to the wall, they disappeared. She must have leaped outside. Lin Fan leaped over and there they were, her footsteps continued outside the wall. Without Lin Fan in her sight, Lu Di smirked as she ran. Drizzle. It then started to rain. Now she will be much safer, she thought. The rain should be able to mask her smell and any traces she left behind. She ran hundred meters in the now empty streets before she saw a figure in front of her. It was Lin Fan with his hammers. Lin Fan smiled and said, "Thinking of leaving after we had so much fun?" Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire No, it can''t be. How was he able to track her? She couldn''t figure it out, but she had no time left. Lu Di turned around and tried to run in the opposite direction. But two men stood behind her. It was Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming. Boom! Lin Fan lunged at her, breaking through the raindrops. She shed her sword at him, while trying to step to the side, her only escape route. But Lin Fan didn''t even dodge the sword and grabbed her hand. The sword couldn''t prate his skin with the Tectonic Resilience ability. Thud! Lin Fan smashed his hammer on her head. The impact disoriented Lu Di. "Use this rope. It will restrict her Qi cirction." Hun Yen Kun threw an end of a rope at Lin Fan. Lin Fan caught the rope, wasted no time and tied Lu Di up. When he was done, Lu Di sat down on the ground. Without her Qi, she didn''t have any energy left to even stand up. "The pills." Lin Fan suddenly recalled the pills that were left behind in the main hall. "I will go have a look," Ho Ming volunteered to check at the Lim Mansion. He was back after a short while. Ho Ming shook his head and said, "Lim Hong is nowhere to be found, and the bottle of pills is gone." "I will get the constables to investigate, don''t worry about that. But first, we need to deal with her." Hun Yen Kun said as he pointed to Lu Di on the ground. They decided to get her back to the Qing Feng Sect first. So, they wasted no time and set off for Qing Feng Sect. ¡­ Night. On the mud paths, with the woods beside. Lin Fan, Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming rode without stopping. Lu Di, all tied up,y face down behind Lin Fan. Suddenly, Lin Fan could see the birds flying away in the distance. A figure in red festive robe stepped into the middle of the mud path. Behind him were some men in Qing Feng Sect robes.@@novelbin@@ It was Lim Hong, and the other team set out to hunt for Lu Di. Hun Yen Kun raised his hand and stopped his horse. With his fan in his hand, he looked up to the raining sky and said, "In dark of the night, where evils strike. The brave shall stand, and the evils fall." "Junior martial brother, I see that you are as entric as ever." One of the men in Qing Feng Sect robes stood to the front. The man was old, scars were all over his body and he had a huge, curved sword in his hand. "Ah, Senior martial brother, Tan Yuan. You are as despicable as ever." "Hmph, despicable? There''s no rule saying I can''t kill all of you and rob her off you." Tan Yuan said and gave out a loudugh. His men behind joined in theughter. Except for Lim Hong standing beside. Whoosh! Without warning a dark tentacle shot at Hun Yen Kun from Lim Hong''s body. Hun Yen Kun ducked, and the tentacle went past him. Another tentacle shot at the horse he was riding on. The tentacle went into the horse''s body, causing it to kick out wildly due to the pain. Hun Yen Kun had no choice but to jump down from the horse. "Where are you looking at? Your opponent is here!" Tan Yuan said as he lunged at Lin Fan with his curved sword. He shed down and a slicing wave came at Lin Fan. Chapter 101 Thousand Wave Slice Dang! Lin Fan blocked the slicing wave with his hammers. But he heard a cracking sound after that. A crack appeared on the surface of his hammers. After serving him well for so long, his hammers finally met their match. Tan Yuan''s curved sword must be of Spirit Level or higher. Whoosh. Another slicing wave came horizontally at him. This time aiming at Lin Fan''s horse. Stter. The horse sensed the danger but couldn''t dodge in the nick of time. The slicing wave cut through the horse from the front to its rear. Lin Fan picked up Lu Di, jumped off the horse, and threw her to the side of the road. Those men behind Tan Yuan ran over, trying to get to her. Ho Ming jumped off his horse and fought with those men. It was now Tan Yuan and Lin Fan''s fight. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 220 vengeance points.] Lin Fan saw the vengeance points and held his hammers tight. Looks like this would be a tough battle, Lin Fan thought. Without any warning, Tan Yuan shed his curved sword horizontally again. The drizzle seemed to be slit open, like a piece of cloth, by the slicing waveing at Lin Fan. Dang! Lin Fan blocked again with his hammers. The cracks became more severe, branching out like cobwebs. A few more hits and his hammers might break. Lin Fan injected Qi into the hammer with the Frost Fang Ice Tiger core. The raindrops froze into small ice pellets, and Lin Fan thrust his hammer forward with the Yin Prod. Whoosh. The ice icicle missed, but the small pellets hit Tan Yuan''s face. He had to hold up his curved sword to prevent the pellets from getting into his eyes. Boom! Lin Fan leaped with his Magnificent Leap and appeared in front of Tan Yuan. He used his Yin Yang Cross Smash and hit Tan Yuan''s waist. The Yin and Yang Qi tried to get into the waist but it couldn''t. Tan Yuan''s level was too high for that, his Qi had provided protection against Lin Fan''s Yin Yang Smash. "Ha!" Tan Yuan, with a loud shout, dispelled the Qi, and it rebounded back at Lin Fan. His hammers flew out of his hands. sh. Not giving Lin Fan any breather, Tan Yuan shed down at Lin Fan with his curved sword. Lin Fan could only hold up his right hand and block. Thud. The curved sword was stopped by Lin Fan''s forearm. Tan Yuan felt the impact as if he had hacked onto a piece of steel. "What are you?" Tan Yuan was surprised that Lin Fan, with only Qi Concentration Level, was able to withstand his curved sword. His curved sword, which was Spirit Level, usually could easily slice through Qi Concentration Level cultivators. Even those pesky Physique Cultivators at Qi Concentration Level couldn''t withstand it. But somehow, Lin Fan was able to do so. "Argh!" Tan Yuan took a deep breath and pushed down on Lin Fan. With his Tectonic Resilience ability using up his energy, Lin Fan could only hold for a few seconds more. He used his left hand, activated the Iron ws, and stabbed his ws at Tan Yuan''s eyes. The w came near, but Tan Yuan stepped back, and it only caught his cheeks. Leaving only a few faint marks on it. Tan Yuan quickly leaped back. The sudden attack with Iron ws by Lin Fan surprised him.@@novelbin@@ This gave Lin Fan a chance to use his Qi to replenish his energy. The Tectonic Resilience had used up more energy than the other abilities. Soon, they were both in a standoff. "Is that all you got?" Lin Fan taunted. He wanted to buy himself time for the absorption of Qi from the surroundings. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire His energy level was full, but he only had one quarter of Qi left. The auto absorption of Qi did its job as Tan Yuan was thinking of a way to get rid of Lin Fan. Finally, Tan Yuan smirked. He figured Lin Fan must be low on Qi now and if he attacked relentlessly, he should be able to finally slice through Lin Fan''s protective armor. "Then prepare to be schooled!" Lin Fan saw Tan Yuaning at him again. This time with a new stroke. "Thousand Wave Slice!" Tan Yuan shouted as he wielded his curved sword in a circr motion. It sent out vertical and horizontal slicing waves one after another. Thud. Thud. Thud. Lin Fan could only block the slicing wave with his Tectonic Resilience ability. Seeing that he had the upper hand, Tan Yuan slowly stepped forward while sending out slicing waves. Slowly, faint wounds appeared all over Lin Fan''s body. This made Tan Yuan bolder, and he decided to use his finishing blow at Lin Fan. "Crescent Moon Slice!" He held the curved sword up and wielded it in the shape of a crescent moon. A white glow appeared on his curved sword. "Got you," Lin Fan said to himself and took this opportunity to stomp onto the ground. The ground shook, and Tan Yuan was surprised by it. He had to steady himself and stop his strike. Boom! Lin Fan lunged at Tan Yuan and with his Iron ws went at his eyes again. Having previous experience, Tan Yuan tilted his head back and shed his curved sword at Lin Fan. Lin Fan used his forearm to parry the sword away. Thud! This time the curved sword went into Lin Fan''s forearm. His Iron ws nearly caught Tan Yuan''s eyes. Tan Yuan tried to pull the curved sword out but couldn''t. Lin Fan used Regenerative Trait ability, and his flesh closed. Causing the curved sword to be stuck. Lin Fan went in with his Iron w at Tan Yuan''s eyes again. This time he was close enough and there was no escape for Tan Yuan. "Argh!" Tan Yuan could only cry out in pain when Lin Fan''s Iron w went into his eyes. Using all his strength left, Lin Fan used the Magnificent Leap and pushed Tan Yuan to the ground. Slowly, his ws inched deeper and deeper into the eye socket and what''s behind. Finally, Tan Yuan let go of his curved sword and hit Lin Fan with palm strikes. Lin Fan felt his abdomen invaded by Tan Yuan''s Qi and he felt intense pain with the Qi causing damage. "Mustn''t stop," Lin Fan endured the pain and pushed in harder. Then Ho Ming''s voice boomed in the air as he shouted, "Lin Fan! Here Ie!" Chapter 102 Welcome Back "Hold him down!" Lin Fan shouted. Ho Ming quickly held on to Tan Yuan''s hands. Preventing him from causing any more damage to Lin Fan. With Ho Ming''s help, Lin Fan could now use both of his hands. His Iron ws went in much more effortlessly aided by his other hand pushing down with full force. Finally, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 220.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1360] Lin Fan tried to catch his breath and pulled out the curved sword from his forearm. As he took deep breaths, he got out some Blood and Qi Restoration pills from his toad statue and swallowed them. The fight with Tan Yuan had used up most of his Qi and energy. The pills went down his stomach, and Lin Fan could immediately feel the warmth and nice sensation as his Qi and energy returned. His wounds slowly closed. But it was not enough for his forearm. The wound was too deep for the Blood and Qi Restoration pills. Lin Fan activated his Regenerative Trait ability, the bones and flesh immediately grew back. However, that used up much of his Qi and energy again. "Ho Ming, go help senior martial brother, Hun Yen Kun. I still need to recuperate." Ho Ming nodded without any question and went over to help Hun Yen Kun. He could see the wounds Lin Fan had sustained, not expecting Lin Fan to be able to fight soon. Now that Ho Ming was gone, Lin Fan got to work. First, he kept the curved sword and his hammers into his toad statue. The curved sword might be made of precious materials and could be usefulter. His hammers most likely need an upgrade, and upgrading them requires new materials. Next, he rummaged through the belongings of Tan Yuan. To his disappointment, he only had some pills and a wooden b with fifty contribution points on him. Lin Fan took some of it and waited for his Qi and energy to return. Hun Yen Kun was dominating Lim Hong. And with Ho Ming joining in, it should be over within a few more minutes. Lin Fan turned and looked at Lu Di. She was still tied up and unconscious. "Die!" Lim Hong shouted as he shot tentacles at Hun Yen Kun. Hun Yen Kun blocked with his fan, and it was able to withstand the blow from the tentacles. Seeing that his tentacles were destroyed by Hun Yen Kun''s fan, Lim Hong lunged at him. Hun Yen Kun immediately raised his knee and hit Lim Hong in the abdomen. Whoosh! At the side, Ho Ming thrust his sword, and a twirling wind shot at Lim Hong. Lim Hong couldn''t dodge in time, and his red robes were torn as the twirling wind drilled into Lim Hong''s shoulder. Hun Yen Kun took the opportunity, lunged at Lim Hong. Thud! He closed his fan and hit down at Lim Hong on his head. And with a flick of his hand, it transformed into a long sword, and Hun Yen Kun drove it into Lim Hong''s neck. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire Lim Hong tried to shoot out tentacles to parry the sword away but couldn''t. The sword had gone through his neck, and crimson red blood flowed along the sword''s de. The rain, however, did its work and washed the blood away before it could reach the sword''s handle. "When the wine finishes, the party ends." Hun Yen Kun withdrew his sword and, with a flick, transformed it back into a fan. He then looked at the aftermath of the battle. Tan Yuan was dead with his men. And Lu Di was still in their hands. A major sess. He looked at Lin Fan and thought to himself, "Maybe he should join as a core disciple of Qing Yang Zi." Qing Yang Zi had definitely let this one slip away from him. ¡­ Qing Feng Sect. It took them thetter part of the night before returning to the sect. The day was just beginning when they walked up the stairs. When they saw them return with Lu Di being tied up, they were surprised. With Hun Yen Kun''s antics they didn''t expect them to seed against the likes of Tan Yuan. Hun Yen Kun waved at everyone, and when his followers caught wind of his return, they came running towards him with tears in their eyes. "Senior martial brother, are you hurt?" "Oh no, you''ve lost weight." "It was like years without you in the sect, promise us please don''t leave again." They crowded around, but Hun Yen Kun just waved them off as he still had serious business to attend to. "Go get your reward from the Mission Hall. I''ll report to sect master." He then carried Lu Di and walked towards the sword peak. This made the female disciples angry. "How dare she be in the hands of senior martial brother." "Yeah, pretending to be demure and all tied up." "I wouldn''t mind being tied up by senior martial brother." "Tied up? I was thinking about... Dual Cultivation." They blushed at the thoughts of all the different ys they could have with Hun Yen Kun. Lin Fan shook his head at the sight in front of him and motioned for Ho Ming to go and get their rewards. ¡­ Million Sword Hall.@@novelbin@@ With the swords hanging over the ceiling, Hun Yen Kun always didn''t likeing here. He preferred the poetic scenes beneath the peach blossoms. Qing Yang Zi sat in his chair in the hall, savoring the tea from his cup. Hun Yen Kun went up and briefed Qing Yang Zi on what had happened. Even about how Tan Yuan had tried to stop them. "Hmph, seems like Tan Kun just wouldn''t to give up." Qing Yang Zi said as he stroked his long beard. It seems like he needs to increase his pressure on Tan Kun. Now with Zhao Qing Ying and Hun Yen Kun around, it was time to be on the offensive. And then there''s Dark Lotus Sect. With the Dark Envoy and Skin Puppet Diao constantly on his back, it was starting to wear on his nerves. "Get her to Zhao Ming Ye, he will have his ways to extract her memories," Qing Yang Zi pointed to Lu Di and said. "Yes, Shifu," Hun Yen Kun sped his hands and bowed. Disciples then came and dragged her away. Qing Yang Zi''s future ns depended a lot on what they could find out from Lu Di. Chapter 103 The General "We are here for the reward." Lin Fan said to the disciple in charge of the mission. The disciple took the wooden bs Lin Fan passed to him and registered the contribution points into them. After that, he gave them each a letter and said, "Bring this to the library; they will allow you entrance and let you borrow a manuscript for learning." When Lin Fan and Ho Ming got the rewards, disciples crowding around them were envious. They looked at their missions worth only ten to twenty contribution points and couldn''t help but grit their teeth. Jealousy filled their hearts as they knew of the three hundred contribution points Lin Fan and Ho Ming had just gotten. On top of that, they could have a pick of a manuscript in the library. If you learned the right technique, it could mean power and riches. However, they could do nothing except stare at the letters in Lin Fan and Ho Ming''s hands as they walked out of the Mission Hall. "Ho Ming, I think you should find a new technique to rece your Slithering Style." Lin Fan gave his advice on Ho Ming''s technique as his Slithering Style didn''t really help. He had never seen it work, and Ho Ming had topensate with a much more ruthless style of fighting. Ho Ming nodded and said, "It was taught to me as most in the Sword Peak learned the Qing Feng Sword Style. They didn''t have anything great to helpplement it." Maybe they didn''t want you to shine too brightly, Lin Fan thought. This was a good opportunity for Ho Ming to find somethingplementary to the Qing Feng Sword Style. The same thing goes for Lin Fan. His Yin Yang Hammer Style couldn''t do much to Tan Yuan. Time for something better. ¡­ Qing Feng Sect Library. The library was a huge building three floors high. The windows were opened to allow sunlight in, and the air was filled with the smell of ink and paper. Disciples could be seen through the windows dusting the scrolls and books kept inside. "Why are you here?" an old man guarding the library stopped them when they approached. "We are here to borrow a manuscript as part of our mission''s reward." Lin Fan and Ho Ming handed their letters over to the old man. After the old man finished reading the letters, he motioned for them to enter and said, "The bottom floor has techniques at the Mortal Level, the second floor has those at the Spirit Level, and the top floor is where the Mystic Level techniques are kept." Mystic Level? Lin Fan didn''t waste any time and went up to the third floor immediately. He looked through the hundreds of scrolls and manuscripts there. Flying Snow Sword. Thunder Spear. Thousand Cloud Palm. Most were about different techniques in swords and other popr weapons. He couldn''t find any about Hammers, so he decided to check out what Ho Ming was looking for. Ho Ming had shortlisted a few manuscripts that he wanted and ced them in front of him. He was having a hard time deciding. Lin Fan picked them up and roughly read through them. They were mainly Sword Styles but were too close to Qing Feng Sword Style. When he got to the final manuscript, he had high hopes. It was the ''Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique''. The strokes were fast and explosive, specializing in a huge damage area. This wouldplement the Qing Feng Sword Style''s precise attacks well. "Ho Ming, pick this," Lin Fan passed Ho Ming the manuscript and exined his rationale. It didn''t take much to convince Ho Ming. "How about you?" Ho Ming asked when he saw Lin Fan empty-handed. "I will have to browse more. I can''t find any hammer style around here." Lin Fan said and felt someone pat him on his back. He turned around and saw the old man from earlier. With a bright smile, the old man pointed to a door amongst the bookshelves and said, "You might be able to find what you want there. But be careful." The old man walked away after giving out his assistance. Lin Fan shrugged and went over to the door. After all, how dangerous could it be in a library? He opened the door and stepped into the dark room. Thud. The door behind him closed automatically.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan could feel he wasn''t in the dark room anymore as his steps echoed loudly. "Who are you?" Lin Fan asked when he saw someone appearing in front of him. It was a muscr man in a general attire, standing tall at 1.9 meters, with two hammers in his hand, smirking at Lin Fan. Lin Fan looked down and he had his hammers in his hands. This must be some sort of test, he figured. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire The system didn''t warn him of any malevolent intent, so this might not even be real as his hammers were pristine without any cracks. Great. He could go all out and didn''t have to worry about destroying his hammers. The General didn''t wait and made the first move. To Lin Fan''s surprise, the General smashed his hammers together. Dang! The sound they made reverberated in the air, and it gave Lin Fan a headache. Lin Fan could feel his temple being squeezed by some force. He tried shaking his head, but it didn''t help. Before the General could unleash his next move, Lin Fan stomped on the ground. The ground shook and it caught the General off guard. Boom! Lin Fan lunged at the General with his Magnificent Leap. With the Yin Prod, he thrust an ice icicle at the General''s head. The General, having steadied his footing, swiped one of his hammers and smashed the ice icicle into small pieces of ice. Whoosh! In came Lin Fan''s Yang Smash next, not giving the General any time to react. The General leaped back and dodged the mes engulfing him. He stood and looked at Lin Fan without any expression. The General then injected Qi into his hammers, conjuring up a hot red glow enveloping his hammers. He then swiped the hammers in an upward motion at Lin Fan. The hot red glow left the hammers and transformed into the form of an illuminated Ember wolf. It seemed to have a mind of its own and dodged Lin Fan''s smash at it. "Grr¡­" When the Ember Wolf got in front of Lin Fan, it tried to gnaw at Lin Fan''s waist. Crack. It couldn''t get through Lin Fan''s Tectonic Resilience and disappeared like a puff of smoke. The General didn''t wait andunched a Frost Fang Ice Tiger at Lin Fan. Thud! Chapter 104 Beast Abilities Upgrade! The illuminated Frost Fang Ice Tiger did the same thing and was blocked by the Tectonic Resilience again. The General stood and nodded at Lin Fan. He began to inject Qi into his hammers again. This time, an Eight Trigram, glowing brightly, appeared behind him. Lin Fan held his hammers tight, preparing himself for what was toe. The General threw the hammers at Lin Fan, both illuminated with a white glow.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan dodged, and when the hammers hit the ground, a loud explosion ensued. Boom. Rocks pelted at Lin Fan, but it was not over. The hammers flew back to the General''s hand. Next, the General threw one of the hammers at Lin Fan and the other up into the air. Lin Fan dodged the hammering at him, but he saw a shadow on him slowly getting bigger and bigger. He looked up, and the other hammer wasing at him from the air. Boom. He raised his hands and blocked with his hammer in time, but the resulting explosion did some damage. Lin Fan would have been badly hurt if not for his Tectonic Resilience. Whoosh. The hammers flew back into the General''s hands again. However, the General stopped and slowly faded away. A voice then came into Lin Fan''s head. "Well done. You are worthy of the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style." Everything also slowly faded, and Lin Fan looked down. The hammers on his hands had disappeared, and in his hand was an old manuscript with the title ''Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style''. Lin Fan turned back, and the door was there. He quickly opened it and exited the room. Ho Ming was waiting outside for him. The disciples in the library were going on with their daily chores. What had happened in the room was like a fever dream to Lin Fan. But the feeling of the manuscript in his hand told him otherwise. "Good. I see that you''ve found what you wanted," the old man stepped forward and patted Lin Fan on the back. "Thank you so much for your help," Lin Fan quickly sped his hand and bowed at the old man. By now, Lin Fan had figured the old man must have been an elder in the Qing Feng Sect. "Hahaha. No need for such formalities. I''m just a librarian in Qing Feng Sect." The old manughed, motioned for Lin Fan to stand up. He pointed to a counter and said, "Go and register the manuscripts you took. Remember to return one yearter. How much you can learn would be destined by the Dao." Lin Fan and Ho Ming went over to the counter. When they got far enough, the old man shook his head and sighed. The manuscript for the ''Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style'' was Heavenly Level. Higher and more difficult than Mystic Level. He expects Lin Fan to only learn one or two percent of it. ¡­ Wooden Hut. When Lin Fan got back, Ho Jie wasn''t around, most likely doing his chores for the day. His updates about how Ho Fu was would have to wait. Lin Fan had two things he wanted to aplish. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire One was learning the new techniques from the manuscript. But he needed to repair his hammers or get new ones. For this, he needed help from Sima Liang. The other thing is to decide whether to save the vengeance points to level up his physique or his Beast Abilities. He thought back to the fight with Tan Yuan. His Iron ws couldn''t break through the skin of someone at Core Formation Level. Even if he leveled up his physique now, he might still have huge difficulty oveing the difference in cultivation level. So, level up Beast Abilities it would be. Lin Fan summoned the information panel in his mind. [Ding! Host''s Current Level] [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 1/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 1/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 1360] He only had enough to level up two. Lin Fan decided to go for Wolf Ability and Earth Breaker Smander Ability. [Ding!] [Wolf Ability Level Up Sessfully] [Iron ws is now Primordial Qi ws ¨C Shreds anything under Soul Transformation Level] [Hunter Instinct is now Remote Tracker ¨C Able to see and sense through the prey''s point of view] [Leader of the Pack is now Decurion Leader ¨C Control 10 person at one go] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level Up Sessfully] [Tectonic Resilience is now Primordial Earth Bastion ¨C Withstand blows under Soul Transformation Level] [Quake Stomp is now Earth Splitter Stomp ¨C This stomp splits the ground in two, jagged spikes of rock erupt in the surrounding area] [Regenerative Trait is now Genesis Bloom ¨C 2 x speed in wound healing and Regeneration] [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Point: 360] Looking at the upgraded abilities and what they did, Lin Fan was eager to try them out. He activated his Primordial Qi ws, and his fingers had an orange glow enveloping them. But he could feel the ws using up his Qi now, instead of his energy. He used the ws and slit a wound on his forearm. With the Genesis Bloom ability, he sensed his energy depleting much quicker as it repaired his wound immediately. Now that he was done with upgrading his Beast Abilities, he went to the Artifact Peak to look for Sima Liang. When he got to the Artifact Peak, the disciples there replied that they had not seen him for quite some time. Finally, a senior martial brother told Lin Fan that Sima Liang went back home to settle some business. Sima Liang had tried to look for Lin Fan, but he was out on the special mission. Lin Fan got information about where Sima Liang''s house was and hurriedly went on his way. It must have something to do with his family''s internal struggle. Lin Fan had promised to help Sima Liang, and he was not going to back out of it. Chapter 105 Sima Mansion Lin Fan first went to the Physique Peak. There, he met with and informed Sun Hai of his intentions. Sun Hai, still glowing with happiness from the resources that Lin Fan had earned through his sessful missions, allowed Lin Fan to go. After Lin Fan had joined Physique Peak, the resource crunch eased considerably with him going on mission after mission. So, with Sun Hai''s blessing, Lin Fan set off for Hong Feng City where the Sima Family is based. It didn''t take him long on horseback to reach Hong Feng City. Lin Fan didn''t expect to return to Hong Feng City so soon, but there he was again. Nothing had much changed, and the chaos that happened in the Lim Mansion seemed like it wasn''t a big deal.@@novelbin@@ When Lin Fan asked around, most of the passersby replied that some robbers had caused the Lim Family Head to be murdered. The constables are all out to find the assants now. Lin Fan figured it was a cover-up by the magistrate. Most likely they didn''t want themoners to know that the Dark Lotus Sect is revived and active. ... Finally, Lin Fan arrived at the Sima Family''s mansion. It was near Hong Feng City''s Governor Residence. The surrounding area was much quieter and posher than where the Lim Mansion was. "Who''s there!" The guard at the front door shouted when Lin Fan approached the Sima Family''s huge mansion. Lin Fan got down from his horse and said, "I''m Lin Fan from Qing Feng Sect, here to look for Sima Liang." "Sima Liang?" the guard frowned and looked at the other guard next to him. Both paused for a few moments and said, "Young Master Sima Liang isn''t in right now. Come back a weekter." Lin Fan noticed what had transpired. He just nodded and activated his Rabbit''s Hearing. Thud. First, he heard the anxious heartbeat of the guards pounding like a drum. Then, he heard the sound of someone watering the nts. Going further in, he finally heard a familiar voice. "Mum, it''s cold out here in the garden. Please go back to your room," Sima Liang said. "I''m sorry, son. If not for my lowly background, you wouldn''t be suffering all these grievances," a female voice said, most presumably Sima Liang''s mother. With confirmation that Sima Liang was inside, Lin Fan looked at the guards and smirked. The guards weren''t too happy but couldn''t say anything else as they didn''t want to offend a cultivator. Boom! The very next moment, Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap and leaped into the garden. The bricks Lin Fan was standing on cracked, sending bits of debris and dust onto the guards'' faces. "Invader alert! Invader alert!" the guards shouted as they ran after Lin Fan. House guards grabbed their weapons and came rushing towards the front door. When they bumped into the two guards with their faces smeared with dust, they had to try very hard to keep it in and notugh out loud. "The garden! The invader headed towards the garden," the two guards shouted. After what happened at the Lim Mansion, their heads would roll if something bad happened. When the house guards arrived at the garden and saw Lin Fan, They drew out their swords and charged at him. "How dare you!" Lin Fan turned and stared at them. Those house guards in front of him stopped. They suddenly dropped their weapons, turned around, and pped each other. The other house guards looked at them and didn''t know what to do next. Lin Fan had activated his Decurion Leader Ability. It was Lin Fan''s first time trying out controlling ten men at one go. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire He did it for around five seconds before he felt his strength fully depleted. With his test satisfactory, Lin Fan deactivated the ability, and the guards looked at each other, wondering what had happened with their cheeks swollen. They quickly stepped back, thinking that they must have been possessed by some devil. "How dare you lie that I wasn''t in the mansion," Sima Liang pointed at the front door guards and shouted. The two front door guards could only look down and stammered. "We... eh..." "You think I wouldn''t know it''s the order of my brother?" Sima Liang said. Lin Fan recalled he was in a struggle with his brother for taking over the family. But why would the guards be wary of a visitor? Lin Fan thought. "Why are you so worked up, my young brother?" a middle-aged man came over and patted Sima Liang on his back. Sima Liang shrugged it off and stood closer to Lin Fan. With his hand in the air awkwardly, the middle-aged man turned to the guards and said, "All right, off you go. It''s a misunderstanding." The guards quickly picked up their weapons and ran away. "My young brother, I think you and I have some misunderstandings," the middle-aged man shook his head then turned to Lin Fan and said, "I''m Sima Yun, Sima Liang''s brother. And you are?" "Lin Fan from Qing Feng Sect," Lin Fan replied and didn''t want to engage much. "Lin Fan? I haven''t heard your name around. Are you from the Sword Peak?" Sima Yun asked, trying to figure out Lin Fan. If Lin Fan were from Sword Peak, he might need to be wary, as those from the peak are renowned fighters in the Quang Dynasty. "No, I''m from the Physique Peak." When Sima Yun heard Lin Fan say Physique Peak, his face lit up and he smiled. He nodded at Lin Fan and bid his farewell. "I''m sorry about that. Come in and talk; it''s not safe out here," Sima Liang said as he looked left and right. When they got into Sima Liang''s room, he introduced Lin Fan to his mother, Madam Choo. Madam Choo didn''t say much but looked worriedly at Sima Liang. "Don''t worry, mother. Lin Fan here will help me get the treasures in the secret realm." "But he..." Madam Choo stopped and looked at Lin Fan. She wasn''t too sure when she saw Lin Fan was around the same age as Sima Liang. "I assure you, he is much more powerful than he seems," Sima Liang tried to convince his mother. Madam Choo sighed and nodded. It''s all because of her status as the second wife that Sima Liang had to constantly prove himself and fight against the whole family. She felt powerless and could only hope Lin Fan could help him. "Secret Realm? What''s that about?" Lin Fan got very interested when he heard Sima Liang mention it. Chapter 106 Lin Fan? "The Secret Realm? "It''s a secret location created by the Sima Family ancestors in the mountains. "It will open soon, and the heirs of the Sima Family will go in andpete to find the crown treasure inside. "As the treasure itself is a precious artifact that aids in forging. "Whoever gets the crown treasure would have a better chance at bing the next Family Head. "Everyone is allowed to bring a assistant, as most of us are artifact cultivators. "I wanted to ask you for help, but you weren''t around." Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire Sima Liang exined what the Secret Realm was about. He quickly continued and said, "I will render any help you need in return if you agree." "In fact, I do." Lin Fan suddenly had his hammers in his hands and showed them to Sima Liang. As he showed them to Sima Liang, he added, "Should we repair it or forge a new one?" Sima Liang inspected the damage to the hammers and frowned. "We should forge you a new one. The treasures in the Secret Realm would have the materials. And if I get the crown treasure, it can help to forge something that is at least Spirit Level." "Great, when does the Secret Realm begin? I can''t wait already," Lin Fan replied. When Sima Liang heard this, his eyes opened wide and said, "Thanks! It should happen within days. But first, let''s get you a weing feast." Sima Liang then instructed the servants to prepare dinner. It was a sumptuous meal with over ten courses containing, chicken,mb and seafood. Lin Fan also witnessed a side of Sima Liang rarely seen. Sima Liang was caring and obedient in front of his mother. When dinner was over and everyone rested for the day, Lin Fan got out of his bed. He stood outside and activated his Rabbit''s Hearing. From Sima Yun''s strange behavior earlier on, he must have something up his sleeve. Within seconds, Lin Fan pinpointed Sima Yun''s voice. "Can you believe it? Sima Liang seeks help from a Physique Cultivator." Sima Yun said andughed. Several unfamiliar voices alsoughed. "Cousin, that useless shit wouldn''t be a threat even if he had help from Qing Yang Zi." "Yeah. Don''t worry, Cousin. I got a Core Formation assistant with me. When we are in the Secret Realm, I will take care of them for you." "Hmph, my assistant is from the southern region will help much better with her ways with Gu Cultivation." They offered help to Sima Yun to take down Lin Fan and Sima Liang. But Sima Yun wasn''t as careless as he seemed. He stopped them and said, "I''ve sent someone to find out the background of this Lin Fan. We must be vignt. And if he warrants the attention, I will have men ready for him in the Secret Realm." "Cousin, you already have ess to the Secret Realm?" the unfamiliar voices asked in unison. "No. The elder of the family in charge is on my side; anything can be arranged beforehand." "See, that''s why you will be the future Family Head."@@novelbin@@ Theyughed and drank their wine. Lin Fan deactivated his Rabbit''s Hearing and thought about it. He still had all the items in his toad statue, so he and Sima Liang could survive longer in the Secret Realm if required. Also, he still had his Heavenly Genesis Pills. All he needed was to ask Sima Liang to replenish the Blood and Qi Restoration pills. As for the assistants he would have to deal with, the Core Formation Level cultivator shouldn''t be an issue as he was able to finish off Tan Yuan before his Beast Ability upgrade. He should be able to manage now. As for the Gu Cultivator, he would have to stay alert as it was not something he had encountered before. ... A few days passed, and it was time to go to the Secret Realm. The Sima Family set off to the mountains with the servants and house guards. Going along the entourage was the Hong Feng City''s Governor and other guests. Sima Family supplied the artifacts for the Governor, so he was interested in getting to know the next possible heir of Sima Family. It took them two days to reach the mountains in the northwest of Hong Feng City. When they arrived, tents and formation arrays were already set up in an open clearing. They had a night of rest first before starting to go into the Secret Realm. Late at night inside his tent, Sima Yun held a letter in his hand. He looked up after reading the letter and gave a smile to the old man standing in front of him. "Elder, there''s nothing we should be worried about. "This Lin Fan was a menial disciple and was only recently promoted to inner disciple of the Physique Peak. "And it was simply due to the fact that the Physique Peak didn''t have any disciples." Sima Yun and the elder bothughed at the good news. ... Next day. Everyone was ready, and the Governor with the other guests looked on curiously. Thepeting heirs with Lin Fan and Sima Liang stood within the formation array and waited. Governor Lu scanned thepeting heirs and said, "The Sima Family''s heir looks smart and capable. The Quan Dynasty is blessed to have such young talents contributing to its future." "Theirpetition is meagerpared to you, Governor," Sima Family Head, Sima Lou replied. "You tter me. So, which one of the heirs do you think will get the crown treasure?" "My elder son, Sima Yun there. He should be able toe out ahead," Sima Lou pointed at Sima Yun and said. "What about your other son?" Governor Lu asked. Sima Lou sighed and shook his head, "Sima Liang is unlikely to make it. His assistant isn''t that great." "Yeah, his assistant was a menial disciple in Qing Feng Sect. And he got to be an inner disciple simply because there weren''t any disciples in the Physique Sect." An elder quickly chimed in. Sima Lou could onlyugh awkwardly. Deep down inside, he was cursing at Sima Liang for finding Lin Fan''s help. "Menial disciple? I''m intrigued now that you say it. I''ve always loved an underdog story." Governor Lu rubbed his chin as he scanned for Lin Fan amongst all the people standing inside the formation array. "All right, everyone get ready! Remember, break the jade pendant given to you and you will be teleported back out here." The Formation Cultivator shouted as he began to initialize the formation. Lin Fan nced at all thepeting participants, getting ready for action. Chapter 107 Endurance Test A dark sphere appeared in the middle of the formation. It slowly becamerger until it engulfed all the participants in the formation array. Lin Fan felt his senses being stopped for a moment. He couldn''t see anything except darkness. Then, the next moment, a light beamed at him, and everything turned back into bright daylight. The sudden bright light made Lin Fan blink his eyes to try and adjust to it. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire When it was over, Lin Fan looked at where they were. From where he was, Lin Fan could only see a vast patch of grasnd. Beside him was Sima Liang, carrying his backpack and a sword as his weapon. The other participants were nowhere in sight. They must have been randomly ced inside the Secret Realm. "Keep your jade pendant safe." Lin Fan turned to Sima Liang and said. Lin Fan had already kept the jade pendant inside his toad statue. He had some ideas on how to end the fights much faster; the others would have the same ideas too. Even though the jade pendant can be used to exit the Secret Realm when faced with danger, it is a double-edged sword. "What''s with the vast grasnd?" Lin Fan said as he stayed alert for any dangers. Sima Liang replied, "I think we are supposed to find the crown treasure''s hiding ce. But where?" However, Sima Liang didn''t know where to start. The grasnd seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Lin Fan activated his Rabbit''s Hearing ability, trying to see if he could hear anything useful. Nothing. All he got was dead silence. "Let''s walk around and check out the surroundings." Lin Fan suggested, and they got to it. But they couldn''t find anything unusual. A few hours passed by quickly, and Sima Liang''s stomach growled. "Here, eat these." Lin Fan took out some dry rations from his toad statue and passed them to Sima Liang.@@novelbin@@ He''d filled his toad statue to the brim previously, and now it proved to be useful. At the rate things were going, Lin Fan didn''t know how long it would take to get the crown treasure. ¡­ The same thing was happening to the other participants in the Secret Realm. Some were ced into mountains, and some into deserts. Most of them weren''t prepared and had no food with them. "Damn! Now, all I can feel is hunger. How would I have a chance at the crown treasure?" Theirints were simr, as they had a good life since birth under the Sima Family. Some were tempted to use the jade pendant to get out but shook off the idea. It would be a disgrace to back out so early. They thought it would be over within an hour. All of them except Sima Yun. He knew exactly what to expect and was waiting for the token beast to appear. ¡­ Lin Fan and Sima Liang, after replenishing their energy, moved on. With the sun shining down on them, it was a test of endurance. Sima Liang wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed. But he trudged on as he saw Lin Fan''s back. If Lin Fan was still going strong, how could he stop? "Stop." Suddenly, Lin Fan raised his hand and motioned Sima Liang to stop. There was a hawk flying in the air. It had to be significant, Lin Fan thought. They''d been in the Secret Realm for hours, and it was the first time they saw something moving other than them. Lin Fan looked up at the hawk and used his Remote Tracker ability. His senses immediately felt teleported into the hawk''s body. He could see everything clearly on the ground, even both of them standing there. It felt surreal to Lin Fan, being able to see yourself from someone''s viewpoint. Soon after, the hawk flew away from them, flying in the direction of the sun. After a few minutes of flying, there was something peculiar on the ground. It was a small hill on the ground, looking out of ce from the grasnd surrounding it. That must be it! Lin Fan thought. This hawk must have been nted to lead the participants to where the treasures were. He deactivated his Remote Tracking ability and turned to Sima Liang. "Let''s go. There''s a hill towards the direction of the sun. We better hurry before the sun sets." Sima Liang brightened up when he heard what Lin Fan said. He quickly fastened his pace and followed Lin Fan. After half an hour, they finally arrived at the hill. It had an opening, a dark cave, with two stone lion statues at the front of it. This must be it. Lin Fan nced at Sima Liang, and he nodded. They prepared themselves and entered the cave. ¡­ "Damn! All the ancestors wasting my time with their pesky tricks." Sima Yun spat on the ground as he cleaned the blood off his sword. In front of him was a deer, ughtered by him after leading him to the opening. He and his assistant stepped into it without any hesitation. Few of the other participants also found the opening. But some couldn''t take it anymore and broke the jade pendant. A green glow enveloped them, and the next moment, they were transported back into the formation array. "Look! Someone had given up." The crowd feasting on food and wine got excited when they finally saw some movements. "Is it Sima Liang and his menial disciple assistant?" "I bet it must be them." "Wait, that''s¡­" They were astonished when they saw who gave up first. It wasn''t Sima Liang and Lin Fan but some of the other young lords. Their parents cursed as they saw their sons gave up first. "How dare you give up so easily? You are worse than a menial disciple!" What they couldn''t stand was the fact that they''d given up even before Lin Fan. Their reputation would be tarnished forever! "Ha ha. I think things are much more interesting than we thought." Governor Lu eximed as he got excited at the prospect of Lin Fan and Sima Lianging out as winners. In contrast, the elders and Sima Family Head weren''t too excited. "That menial disciple must have got lucky," Sima Lou said and sipped from his teacup. Governor Lu just nced at him and enjoyed the show. ¡­ Lin Fan and Sima Liang were teleported to another ce when they entered the opening. Now, in front of them, stood a huge mansion. It wasn''t the Sima Mansion as it was much bigger and dpidated. Cobwebs and dust were all over the ce. Rustle. Something moved in the bushes near them. Chapter 108 Oblivion Steel Lin Fan held Tan Yuan''s curved sword in anticipation. Whoosh. Some creatures suddenly jumped at him. He shed them into halves with a swift motion. Stter. The creatures dropped to the ground, and Lin Fan was able to identify what they were. They were dogs that had parts of their body decaying, revealing what was underneath their skin. Lin Fan noticed that the system didn''t warn him, so these creatures must have been created by the Secret Realm as a test. That meant Lin Fan had to be on high alert and not rely on the system to warn him of danger. "Shall we enter the mansion?" Sima Liang asked and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. It was the first time he had encountered something strange like this. As an Artifact Cultivator, his mission had been forging artifacts or exploring new regions for materials. Nothing as dangerous as what he had witnessed. "Let''s go. But not through the front door," Lin Fan replied, and they walked away from the front door. When he felt it was far enough, Lin Fan held Sima Liang and with the Magnificent Leap, they went into the mansion away from the front door. Thud. Theynded in a garden, and there were two men, or what was left of them, ying chess in a pavilion. The men looked pale, without any sign of life, with their skin rotten and decaying, just like the dogs. When the two men heard Lin Fan and Sima Liang, they turned around and looked at them. "Gaaa!" They roared in a coarse voice. One of them in yellow robes pushed the chess board away and lunged at Lin Fan. The other man in blue robes went for Sima Liang. Lin Fan shed horizontally at the yellow robe man''s throat. The de went in as the yellow robe man didn''t dodge. Thud. To Lin Fan''s surprise, the curved sword stopped when it hit the spine of the yellow robe man. The yellow robe man raised his hand and stabbed at Lin Fan''s eyes. Lin Fan immediately gave the yellow robe man a front kick. Thud. The kick sent the yellow robe man tumbling on the ground. Lin Fan took the chance and looked at Sima Liang.@@novelbin@@ Sima Liang was now holding a shield, blocking the blue robe man from getting to him. He then used the sword in his hand to sh at the blue robe man. Lin Fan leaped and shed the blue robe man from behind. The same thing happened. His curved sword couldn''t get through the spine. Lin Fan then activated his Primordial Qi ws, and an orange glow like ws enveloped Lin Fan''s fingers. He swiped his ws at the blue robe man''s neck. This time it sliced the head off effortlessly. The blue robe man then dropped to the ground motionless. Lin Fan decided to keep the curved sword and used both his hands with the Primordial Qi ws. He turned to the yellow robe man, who was now getting up from the ground. Lin Fan lunged at him and his ws dug into the man''s skull like a knife through butter. The man stopped moving immediately. "Sima Liang, are you all right?" Lin Fan asked as he inspected the bones of the man. They were harder than his Spirit Level curved sword, and that was peculiar. And he was right. The bones looked metallic with a dark color. It must be some precious material that could be used to forge weapons. "Look at the bones. Do you have any idea?" Lin Fan pointed at the bones and asked Sima Liang. Sima Liang came over and he got excited when he saw the bones. "It''s Oblivion Steel! A rare material that can inflict damage on the soul with weapons forged in it." Sima Liang replied and took out a bottle. He opened the bottle and poured some of the liquid inside onto the man. Upon contact with the liquid, the man''s body gave out smoke and started burning. Lin Fan stood a few steps back to get away from the heat. After a few moments the fire died down and the man''s body turned into a heap of ash and heaps of Oblivion Steel. "Nice," Lin Fan said as he kept the heaps of Oblivion Steel into his toad statue. They proceeded and did the same for the other body. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire ¡­ At the front door, a few of the participants gathered. They were facing a hoard of decaying men and dogs. "Don''t be cowards. It''s just a test from the ancestors." Sima Yun stood behind them and ordered them to charge at the hoard. His orders made them calm for a moment, and with their assistants, they went forth. Soon it was a chaotic battle. The dogs bit at the legs or lunged at the necks, and the decaying men tried to tackle the participants down. Making it very hard to defend. They were just too numerous. "Sima Yun, you coward!" When one of the participants saw Sima Yun slipping away and getting further into the mansion, he shouted in anger. But it was toote for him. A dog was biting at his neck, and a decaying man was pushing him to the ground. He gritted his teeth and took out the jade pendant. As much as he wanted to stay, he couldn''t. It was the choice between life and death. When the jade pendant was broken, a green glow enveloped him, and he was out of the Secret Realm the next moment. "Look more gave up." "Yeah, Liu, your son is over there." "What? Not Ku too?" "Wait, Sima Liang and that menial disciple are still inside?" When the crowd outside the secret realm saw more participants gave up, they got excited again. Much to their surprise, Lin Fan and Sima Liang were not one of those who''d given up. They were still in the race. "This tea is cold!" one of the elders shouted. Displeased with what he saw. He expected Sima Yun would have taken care of Sima Liang by now. "Calm down. It''s chilly up here; the servants must not have realized." The governor chimed in, and with a smile, he turned to Sima Lou. "Seems like it''s getting more exciting as wee closer to the finish line." "Of course. Sima Quan, Sima Huang, and Sima Yun are all close contenders." These were the three other participants left inside other than Sima Liang. Each of them with very powerful assistants. ¡­ "Found anything?" Lin Fan asked as he rummaged through the drawers in front of him. They were in a living quarter, and they tried to find treasures in the rooms. "Here!" Sima Liang eximed as he raised his hand with a glowing pearl on his palm. Lin Fan wanted to go over and check, but he stopped. The hair on his back stood. Something was looking at him from outside the room, ready to strike at any moment. Chapter 111 The Biggest Threat The white worms crawled into the wounds, and they shot out silk like threads. These threads caught onto the flesh, the white worms then slowly pulled the thread, closing the wounds. Ning Na gave out a loud hiss and lunged at Lin Fan with a palm strike. Thud. With his Primordial Earth Bastion ability, he took the blow from Ning Na. He felt her palm had stings like scorpions on it, but his skin was too tough for the sting to prate. Ning Na''s eyes opened wide. How could someone who''s not even at Core Formation Level take her blow? Not even Physique Cultivators can do it. But it was not time for her to figure it out. Lin Fan thrust his ws at her waist, and his ws went in. Before he could do any more damage, Ning Na immediately leaped back. She got to figure out a way. She thought. Her usual attacks didn''t work if she can''t get through his tough skin. She began chanting again and the white worms did their job of repairing her wounds. This time after her wounds closed, she bit her finger, letting her blood flow. Her blood started to turn from red to ck. When it dripped onto the snow, smoke hissed and came out of it. Lin Fan saw it and figured it had got to be poisonous or acidic. She lunged at him again, this time aiming for his eyes. Lin Fan turned his body and dodged it. The palm strike from Ning Na missed but droplets of the blood sprayed onto Lin Fan''s neck and shoulder. It burned his clothes and his skin. But the damage was minimal with Lin Fan''s Primordial Earth Bastion ability. "Damn! Why don''t you die!" Lin Fan saw her curse out and lunged at him again. He parried her palm strike to the side and gave her a front kick. The front kick made her take a few steps back. Lin Fan lunged at her, but she took a deep breath and sprayed ck poison liquid from her mouth at him. In the nick of time, Lin Fan rolled onto the snow, avoiding contact with most of the liquid. Hiss. Smoke came out of the snow when the ck liquid hit the snow. Lin Fan, now a step away from Ning Na, jumped up using his head and hit her chin. Thud. It hit and her head tilted up, exposing her neck.@@novelbin@@ "Argh!" Ning Na gave out a muted cry as Lin Fan''s ws dug into her neck. Lin Fan tripped her using his leg and with her down onto the ground, he applied more force. Trying to cut her head off with his ws. The white worms crawled at Ning Na''s neck trying to repair her wounds, but to no avail. They got burned to ashes when they came into contact with Lin Fan''s Primordial Qi ws. Ning Na took a deep breath, raised her hand with herst bit of energy and tried to aim at Sima Liang. But she didn''t have a clear shot as Sima Liang and Sima Huang were in a tussle. "Tsch." Frustrated, she still wanted to have ast go. Snakes shot out from her sleeves, and the snakes shot towards Sima Liang and Sima Huang. Sima Huang saw the snakesing towards him. He wanted to dodge but his body didn''t listen to him. It was Lin Fan using the Decurion Leader ability again. Sima Huang saw his hand push Sima Liang to the side, and he stood forward. The snakes tangled onto Sima Huang, but Ning Na saw what happened and gave out a faint hiss. When the snakes felt the vibration of the hiss, they stopped moving and dropped to the ground. She then threw the jade pendant at Sima Huang. This gave Lin Fan his chance. He injected all of his Qi into his ws and with one jerk, he cut her head off. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 220.] [Current Vengeance Points: 580] Sima Huang quickly picked up the jade pendant. Seeing that Ning Na had died, he didn''t have much choice left, he held up the jade pendant and broke it. As the green glow enveloped Sima Huang, he stared at Lin Fan intensely. He hadn''t encountered someone so strong and cunning at his cultivation level before. He might grow up to be one of his biggest threatster. A momentter, he was out of secret realm. "Look, another one gave up." "Who might it be?" Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire "Is that Sima Liang?" The crowd outside of the secret realm got excited as they saw someone giving up. It has been a while since it happened. "Wait, that''s not Sima Liang and that menial disciple!" "It''s Sima Huang, but where is Ning Na, the Gu cultivator." "Heard they spent big amounts of money to hire Ning Na." "Now it''s all wasted. Should have gotten help from a menial disciple instead." Everyone in the crowdughed at the joke. Especially those in support of Sima Yun. With Sima Huang out, Sima Yun had much better chances now. ¡­ Meanwhile, Lin Fan picked up the yellow orb. When everyone thought he would try and run away with the yellow orb, he threw it at Hu Tao. "Sima Quan, as promised. Now it''s time to deliver your part of the bargain!", Lin Fan shouted out loud. "I knew it! You traitor!" Sima Yun raged and started to thrust his spear with more force at Sima Quan. Boom! The ground exploded when the spear hit the ground. Sima Quan now had a power shield in his hand, shielding him from the damage. He cursed at Lin Fan vehemently. By now it was toote to exin except to go with it. He shouted at Lin Fan, "I can''t hold out any longer. If I give up, Hu Tuo will be out with me. He can''t help you by then." Lin Fan was d to ''help'', he activated his Decurion Leader ability. Sima Yun then saw his hand reaching for his jade pendant and taking it out. Jian Nu ignored Hu Tuo''s attack and came to Sima Yun''s rescue. He grabbed the jade pendant away from Sima Yun. After he kept the pendant, he turned and stared at Lin Fan. Jian Nu realized it had something to do with Lin Fan. All of them were yed like amateurs by him. It''s best to get rid of Lin Fan as soon as possible. Chapter 112 Whats Happening Inside? Jian Nu raised his hands, and the snow in front of him floated. A blue glow came out of his hands and engulfed the snow, turning it into ice swords. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 250 vengeance points.] The next moment, the ice swords shot at Lin Fan. Lin Fan leaped to the side, but the swords immediately changed their trajectory and followed him. He quickly used his hand to cover his head as he braced for impact. Crack. The swords hit Lin Fan but cracked into bits and pieces. While Lin Fan was getting hit, Jian Nu conjured up a huge ice sword, as tall as himself. He held it and shed at Lin Fan. Thud. Lin Fan took the blow with his forearm and slid a few meters away. He felt Jian Nu''s Qi trying to slice into his body; slowly, a cut appeared on his forearm. Jian Nu smirked, but it was short-lived. The cut slowly closed as Lin Fan used his Genesis Bloom ability to heal it. "Ah!" Jian Nu conjured up more smaller ice swords and shot them at Lin Fan. Sima Liang saw it and threw a bottle in front of Lin Fan. A white glowing wall then appeared in front of Lin Fan, blocking the ice swords. This gave Lin Fan an opportunity to lunge at Sima Yun. "You? Help me, you fool!" Sima Yun shouted for his life as he saw Lin Fan getting closer and closer. He thrust his spear at Lin Fan, but it just broke into two. Thud. Jian Nu threw the big ice sword at Lin Fan, and the impact made Lin Fan tumble away. Seeing that Lin Fan was hit, Sima Liang lunged at Sima Yun and shed his neck. Sima Yun leaned back, dodging the sh by inches. Jian Nu tried toe to Sima Yun''s side, but Hu Tuo had held him from behind. Boom! Lin Fan used his Magnificent Leap and kneed Jian Nu at his abdomen. "Argh!" Jian Nu cried out in pain. Jian Nu gave Hu Tuo an elbow to his head; it hit him, and Hu Tuo fell to the ground. The yellow orb dropped onto the snow. Jian Nu wanted to pick it up, but Lin Fan, using his Swift Foot ability, turned into a shimmer and got the yellow orb instead. "Damn you!" Jian Nu cried out in anger. He conjured up another ice sword and shed at Lin Fan''s head. Lin Fan knelt down and dodged the sh. He then took one step forward and leaped with his kneecap at Jian Nu''s chin. Jian Nu side-stepped and dodged his knee. Now that he was at Lin Fan''s side, Jian Nu shed at Lin Fan''s waist. Thud. Lin Fan took the blow, but the ice sword cracked into pieces instead. Without hesitation, Lin Fan took out some of the needles from his toad statue and shot them at Jian Nu. It was too fast for Jian Nu to dodge, and the needles stuck into Jian Nu''s neck. "Argh." Jian Nu cried out in pain. Lin Fan stepped forward and held the exposing ends of the needles and stirred them. "Ah! Please spare my life." This made Jian Nu wince and cry for mercy. But it was just to buy time. Jian Nu had secretly conjured an ice sword and stabbed Lin Fan''s neck.@@novelbin@@ Thud. The same thing happened as before. The ice sword couldn''t prate Lin Fan''s Primordial Earth Bastion ability. The distraction, however, allowed Jian Nu to parry away Lin Fan''s grip on the needles. Lin Fan didn''t waste time and went at Jian Nu''s eyes with his ws instead. Jian Nu leaned back and used his fingers to stab Lin Fan''s wrists. Thud. The fingers couldn''t get through, and Jian Nu felt the same frustration Ning Na had. Lin Fan''s w at Jian Nu''s eyes missed, so he wed down at Jian Nu''s chest instead. It dug into his chest. Lin Fan twisted his hands and tried to pry Jian Nu''s chest open. "Argh!" It caused tremendous pain; Jian Nu could only shout and thrash around, trying to get Lin Fan away from him. "You useless fool!" When Sima Yun saw what happened, he took out a red bottle and threw it at Lin Fan. Boom! The bottle exploded in midair, and the shockwave stirred Lin Fan''s innards. But it was not enough to stop Lin Fan. His Primordial Earth Bastion had blocked out most of the shockwave. Crack. Lin Fan could hear Jian Nu''s rib cage cracking as his arms stretched out. Slowly, he felt less resistance and finally a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 250.] [Current Vengeance Points: 830] Lin Fan stood up, shook his hands, and the blood on them dripped onto the snow. He turned and stared at Sima Yun next. When Lin Fan''s gaze set upon him, Sima Yun stammered as he said, "Wait¡­ There''s a better way to settle this¡­ I, uh¡­" Boom! Read chapters at My Virtual Library Empire Before he could finish, Lin Fan lunged at him and wed at his neck. Sima Yun held onto the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. It was to no avail. Slowly, Sima Yun felt the life force leaving him and he stumbled to the ground. Unable to say anything, all he could do was stare at Sima Liang. Lin Fan also sat down and took out some Blood and Qi Restoration pills and swallowed them. The battles with Ning Na and Jian Nu had exhausted most of his Qi and energy. "I think you should know what''s best for you," Lin Fan said, looking at Sima Quan. Sima Quan gave out a huge sigh and said, "Yes, I know what''s best for me." He took out his jade pendant and broke it. The familiar green glow engulfed him and Hu Tuo. And the next moment, they were out of the Secret Realm. "There''s another one!" "Is that Sima Quan?" "Yes. I''m surprised even help from the West Monastery can''t help him." "That means it''s Sima Yun and Sima Liang left in there?" The crowd got excited again. They started to ask about the situation inside. "Who is more likely to get the crown treasure?" "What are you thinking? It must be Sima Yun having the upper hand." "Let''s not specte. Sima Quan, what''s happening inside now?" Sima Quan sighed and shook his head. "Why are you shaking your head?" "Yeah. What does it mean?" "Sima Liang is the one having the upper hand?" They pursued eagerly for the answer. Even the Governor and Sima Lou stood up from their seats in anticipation. Chapter 114 Dark Lord The old man first picked up the yellow orb. He lifted it against the sunlight shining in through the window. "I haven''t seen this in a while. It''s the Sun Forge Orb, which can elevate the level of artifacts forged with it. And you must be the future Family Head since you got this." The old man then picked up the rattle drum and inspected it closely. He frowned and looked up at the ceiling, trying very hard to recall what it was. After a few moments of silence, he suddenly pped himself on the forehead. "Ah. How could I forget about this? It''s a rattle drum made with Void Steel; it can nullify elemental attacks. Same thing with the needles over there." Sima Liang got excited and asked, "Would it be possible for you to help me forge a pair of hammers with the material? My friend''s hammers got damaged, maybe you can have a look." "Sure. It would be my honor to forge something with the Sun Forge Orb," the old man replied. Lin Fan stepped forward and took out his hammers. The old man shook his head when he saw the cracks on the hammers. "It''s a pity, but the damage is beyond repair. I could use the demonic beast core for the new hammers if you don''t mind," the old man said. "Go ahead, please," Lin Fan replied as he put the hammers on the table in the workshop. "Come back after a week. It should be ready by then." With that, Lin Fan and Sima Liang bid farewell to the old man. "I assure you, Master Xin is our best Artifact Cultivator. You won''t be disappointed," Sima Liang said as they went back to Sima Liang''s lodging. When Madam Choo saw them, she pped, and the servants brought out tes of delicacies, cing them on the table. "You must be starving. Have some food first," she said with a smile. She was now brimming with pride, totally different from how she was before. Her son had been able to prove his worth, and he would have a future in the Sima Family. While they ate, Lin Fan thought about his next move. He had one more week to go before the hammers were finished. He could go back to the sect first or wait here in Hong Feng City. But if he stayed, he could make better use of his time. The Governor''s invitation toplete a mission sounded appealing to Lin Fan. "Lin Fan, I''ve decided to leave Qing Feng Sect now," Sima Liang said as they ate. It was not surprising to Lin Fan. Now that Sima Liang would im the Family Head position, there was no point in staying in Qing Feng Sect for him. Sima Liang most likely joined Qing Feng Sect because he couldn''t get resources back then, Lin Fan thought. As long as he helped Lin Fan, it didn''t matter where he did it. After the meal, Lin Fan bid farewell and left the Sima Family Mansion. Lin Fan wandered around and found an inn to stay in. He settled down and took out the bracelets. With the Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation Technique manuscript in front of him, he took out some of the snakes from the space in the bracelets. Following the instructions, he took out the venom nds. He swallowed the nds and directed his Qi to absorb them. The Qi that absorbed the nds turned vtile and caused Lin Fan to feel pain as it traveled between his meridians. He quickly diverted it to the meridians at his neck. Slowly, the meridians kept the Qi within, and the poison from the venom nds got stored in them. Lin Fan then used his Qi, going through the meridians, and puffed out some ck smoke. Just like how the Dark Lotus Sect members did in the cave. However, he was out of poison after one single puff. So, Lin Fan got more snakes out of the bracelets and continued. He did it until it was dinner time. The progress was slow, but Lin Fan was satisfied with it. At least he had finally started on the cultivation. When he was done, he looked at the room full of dead snakes. Not knowing what to do with the bodies of the snakes, he asked the inn to make some snake soup for him. He gave them the excuse that he was here to sell snakes but couldn''t find buyers and didn''t want to bring them back. The waiter happily obliged his request after receiving some copper coins from Lin Fan. He suggested that Lin Fan sell these snakes to the inn since he couldn''t eat all of them. Lin Fan agreed to it, and the inn offered thirty copper coins for it. ¡­ In a dark room.@@novelbin@@ The Dark Envoy was seated in a chair, and opposite him was Skin Puppet Diao. Skin Puppet Diao smirked at him and said in his high-pitched voice, "Hehe. I wonder what the Dark Lord has for us. Rare for him to summon us here." Silence. The Dark Envoy crossed his arms and stared at Skin Puppet Diao. "Fine. At least I know it''s not about how I messed up. Someone else did. Hehe." Before the Dark Envoy couldsh out, a gust of wind blew the door open. Both of them felt an aura pressing on their hearts. They couldn''t see anything in the darkness but sensed a being that was far more powerful than them. It was the Dark Lord, or to be precise, a manifestation of him. He was still recovering from the wounds he sustained from the battle with the righteous sects years ago. "All hail the Dark Lotus. May our blessings spread across thends." The Dark Envoy and Skin Puppet Diao bowed and chanted. A voice boomed out from the darkness. "Dark Envoy, I''m utterly disappointed in your performance. How much more time do you need to take down Qing Feng Sect?" "Hehe. Dark Lord, he failed twice already. Please allow me to attack Qing Feng Sect and wait for victorious news," Skin Puppet Diao interjected. "Silence!" The Dark Lord''s voice shouted. Skin Puppet Diao felt his chest tighten, and the pain made him cry out in grimace. "You think a hundred of your Skin Puppets would be sufficient? Come back with more!" "Yes, my lord," Skin Puppet Diao quickly replied, and the pressure on his chest went away. Skin Puppet Diao then looked at the Dark Envoy. All the pressure was on him now. The Dark Envoy, having failed in the blood pool twice, wasn''t in a good position. He lowered his head and said, "I think we should deal with the Emperor first. I''ve already set up contact with the Emperor''s Concubine." Chapter 115 Chop Firewood? "The Emperor''s Concubine?" the Dark Lord asked with intrigue. The Dark Envoy side-eyed Skin Puppet Diao, bowed, and said, "Yes, she is from the Tan Family. Tan Kun is getting desperate nowadays and has agreed to work with me." "Hehe. Can we trust them? The Tan Family has failed over and over again, just like¡­," Skin Puppet Diao interjected and nced at the Dark Envoy. "Enough!" the Dark Lord shouted, and the two of them felt the intense oppressive aurae down on them again. "Dark Envoy, deal with the Tan Family and the Emperor. Skin Puppet Diao, get more skin puppets before attacking Qing Feng Sect. And this time, you shall coordinate with each other and strike at the same time." "Yes, Dark Lord," both bowed and replied. At the very next moment, they felt the oppressive aura go away, and everything in the room seemed normal. The Dark Envoy stood up and walked over to the door. Two men with stitches all over their bodies appeared and stopped in front of him. "What''s the meaning of this?" the Dark Envoy turned back and asked. "Hehe. Haven''t you heard the Dark Lord? Come, sit down and n it out with me." The candles in the room lit up, illuminating Skin Puppet Diao''s face and casting dark shadows on the wall. ... Hong Feng City.@@novelbin@@ Governor''s Residence. Lin Fan went over to the Governor''s Residence the very next day. It was as big as the Sima Family Mansion, but with one distinct difference. The Governor''s Residence was coated in white; everything was neat and tidy. Even the hard-to-reach ces were free of dust and cobwebs. "I''m Lin Fan from Qing Feng Sect. I''m here to see Governor Lu about a mission." When Lin Fan mentioned his purpose, the guards and servants were warm to him, quickly ushering him into the Residence''s guest room. They ced tea and desserts on the table for him the moment he sat down. Governor Lu was a man of order and efficiency, Lin Fan thought to himself as he surveyed the guest room. It was also immactely clean and tidy. After a few moments of waiting, the Governor came into the guest room. "Lin Fan, I''m d you came. Please have some tea." "Thanks, Governor. I''m more interested in the mission, and I only have a week for it," Lin Fan said. He wasn''t one to care much about formalities. "Ah, a man of business. That''s what I was too," Governor Lu sighed and said, "The mission reward is the Heavenly Core Pill. "The ingredients are top-notch, like Dragon Blood Grass, Golden Essence Fruit, and Heavenly Lotus Seed. "It will help you break through from Qi Concentration Level to Foundation Establishment Level without any side effects. "You can ask your senior martial brothers if you don''t believe me. "Also, I will provide you with anything you need for the mission." Lin Fan leaned forward and asked, "What do I need to do?" "I need you to go to the Raging Tiger Army''s camp to ensure my son''s safety for a week. "It''s not too far away, just a hundred kilometers from Hong Feng City. "I''ve arranged with the camp''smanders to take you as an ordinary soldier who transferred." Lin Fan tilted his head and asked, "He has some enemies inside that want to kill him?" The Governor replied, "No, I''ve got information that there will be a small demonic beast horde attacking soon. "Nothing they can''t handle. "They will meet with the Raging Tiger Army by then. "I would have to stay here and ensure the safety of the city. "But as a father, I need you to keep my son safe." Lin Fan nodded, as he understood a father''s concern for his son. He thought for a moment about whether to take the mission. "Demonic beast horde?" Lin Fan thought to himself. He''d heard tales about demonic beast hordes destroying cities overnight before but never did he expect to have the opportunity to face one so soon. "Deal. I need some Heavenly Genesis Pills, Blood and Qi Restoration Pills¡­" Lin Fan proceeded to give out a list of pills and elixirs he could name. He was not one to give up any opportunity to gain something extra. The Governor happily obliged, and the servants went scrambling for the pills. ... Next day. Lin Fan was wearing a soldier''s uniform and was on a wagon with many other men dressed like him. The wagon was pulled by a lightning horse, which was a demonic beast that gave out lightning sounds when it galloped at full speed with its six legs. All of the other men were trying to hold their puke or were already puking out of the wagon. The lightning horse was fast, but it made the ride so bumpy that no one could stand it. Lin Fan, with his cultivation level, wasn''t affected that much. "Yeesh." Finally, the wagon stopped. They''d finally arrived after just an hour''s worth of travel. "Get off, youzy bastards!" Themander of their lot stood up, shouted, and kicked one of them off the wagon. The soldier fell off and stared at themander. He didn''t dare speak up. Soldiers were transferred usually due to poor performance or disciplinary issues. If they created any more trouble, then off you go to the frontlines against the barbarians and demonic beasts from the north and west border of the Quan Dynasty. When they were all lined up, themander scanned the soldiers from left to right. He stopped when he chanced upon Lin Fan. "You, what duties did you perform before being transferred here?" "Duties?" Lin Fan thought for a while and replied, "I used to chop firewood." "Firewood? What the hell, soldier. You are not going to survive a minute here in the Raging Tiger Army." Themander shook his head. The rest of the soldiers started to shake as they tried to hold theirughter. The Raging Tiger Army deals with real danger like demonic beasts and barbarians. This man must have pissed off hismanders enough for them to send him here. And on top of that, looking at his calm face, he must not have known what the Raging Tiger Army is all about. "Why are you all moving? Where is your discipline!" Themander shouted and kicked at the soldiers shaking. "Commander Cai, this man will follow me." When themander turned around, it was General Liu Feng of the Raging Tiger Army. He quickly bowed and greeted him. "I''m so sorry, General. Didn''t realize he was under yourmand." Themander, with his head down, discreetly wiped the sweat off his forehead. He silently thought, Lin Fan must have been some powerful official''s soning in for a short stint to pad his resume. Luckily, he hadn''t done anything serious to Lin Fan. Chapter 116 Lu Ding "Follow me," General Liu Feng gestured for Lin Fan to follow. Lin Fan got out of the line and followed him, leaving the other soldiers to stare with envy at Lin Fan. Most likely, this lucky bastard wouldn''t even see a day of battle, they thought. Lin Fan and General Liu Feng walked for about ten minutes before reaching some tents. He was then led inside a tent, sparsely furnished with only some beds and thin nkets. "They are out for morning training. The Governor''s son, Lu Ding, will be back soon." Just as he was saying this, ten men in soldier uniforms entered the tent. General Liu Feng then introduced Lin Fan. "Commander Lu, this is your new soldier, Lin Fan. He was transferred here only today. Please take good care of him." "Yes, General." Lu Ding sped his hands and bowed. "Lin Fan, let me know if there''s anything you need," General Liu Feng said and left after that. When General Liu Feng was gone, Lu Ding patted Lin Fan on his back and said, "Wee! Please make yourself at home. I''m d we have someone like you ready to serve the Emperor and help protect themoners." "I will try my best," Lin Fan replied. After hearing what Lu Ding had said, Lin Fan knew why Governor Lu was so worried about his son. This Lu Ding was an idealist. And an idealist on a battlefield with demonic beast hordes was a bad mix. "This bed is empty, and you can use it. But first, let me introduce the team to you." Lu Ding enthusiastically introduced the rest of his team to Lin Fan. But the feeling wasn''t mutual. The other soldiers figured Lin Fan was most likely some powerful man''s son, just like Lu Ding. If not, General Liu Feng wouldn''t give a rat''s ass about some newly transferred soldier. They could only hope Lin Fan wouldn''t risk their lives if they encountered danger. After the introduction, it was time for lunch, and they went to have lunch together. The meal was pathetic, just some buns and vegetables. The only protein they had were shreds of meat mixed in with the vegetables. But the soldiers didn''t mind and started chatting. They talked about their families and how long they hadn''t gone back. Most of them were from viges like An Xiang vige. This prompted Lu Ding to ask about where Lin Fan came from. "Me, I''m from An Xiang vige." This caught the other soldiers by surprise, and they were confused. Was Lin Fan lying about where he came from? "I''m from the neighboring vige. What''s the name of the vige head? I somehow forgot¡­" one of the soldiers asked. Lin Fan promptly replied, "You mean Ho Fu? He was still going strong when Ist saw him." "Yeah, Ho Fu. That''s it," the soldier confirmed Lin Fan was correct. Now they couldn''t decide whether Lin Fan was telling the truth. No matter. Later after lunch, they would have a lesson against demonic beasts. Testing his ability would be much more important. ... Demonic Beast Arena. The arena was an area for soldiers to train and face demonic beasts. It had high walls with spectators'' seats for big asions. But today, there was only Lu Ding and his team of soldiers sitting in the seats. Down on the arena''s floor was a soldier. First up was Lee, the soldier who was from Lin Fan''s neighboring vige. He held his broadsword close, and one of the gates slowly opened. A goatlike creature with horns that had mes burning brightly charged out of the gate. Lee sidestepped, his broadsword glowed brightly, and with a swift movement, he shed down at the fire goat. The Quan Military had their own cultivation technique, the Nine Dragon Qi Concentration Technique, passed down by the founding Emperor. Lee''s sh went through the fire goat, and it got cut into two pieces. "Well done," Lu Ding said, turned, and looked at Lin Fan to check on him. Lin Fan''s face didn''t show much expression. The other soldiers also checked out Lin Fan''s expression. Either Lin Fan was too shocked at what he''d witnessed, or he was immune to it. They silently thought it was the former. Lin Fan only saw vengeance points and tried his best not to be too excited. He was hoping he could finish off more than one demonic beast. The rest of the soldiers went next before it was Lin Fan''s turn. Even Lu Ding went down and had his hand at killing off the demonic beast. This gave Lin Fan muchfort in knowing that Lu Ding wasn''t just an idealist without guts and skills. His job would definitely be much easier. Finally, it was Lin Fan''s turn. "You think he can deal with the demonic beast?" "Commander Lu, you want me to go down and stand by?" "I hope he will give up if he can''t do it." All of them nodded. The soldiers spoke their piece of mind, as it would be life and death for them on the battlefield. Better for Lin Fan to be gone now than having to keep him aliveter. When Lin Fan walked out onto the arena''s floor, he raised both of his hands and looked up. "Look, he is raising his hands." "Is he giving up already? Doesn''t even dare to face the demonic beast?" "I knew it, but it''s honorable for him to do so before things get serious." Lu Ding was also perturbed like the rest, so he asked Lin Fan, "Why are you raising your hands?" "Ten," Lin Fan shouted with his fingers straight up in the air. "Ten? What do you mean by ten?" Lu Ding asked. "Let me fight ten demonic beasts," Lin Fan replied. Lu Ding shook his head and said, "No. You can''t do that. I understand your urge to impress and blend in with us, but you shouldn''t overestimate your abilities." The rest of the soldiers pped their foreheads when they heard what Lin Fan had said. Just when they thought Lu Ding was an atypicalmander, herees another one who is much worse. They looked at each other and sighed. Times were going to be tough in the days ahead. Lin Fan was disappointed and shrugged. There go his vengeance points. Clink. The steel gate in front of him slowly opened, revealing the beast inside. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Fire Wolf with malevolent intent for 50 vengeance points.] Lin Fan shook his head when he saw the system''s notification. 50 vengeance points would do for now. "Wait? Why is he facing a Fire Wolf?" Lu Ding stood up and shouted. A Fire Wolf was much more powerful than a Fire Goat.@@novelbin@@ "I''m sorry, I opened the wrong gate," the soldier in charge of releasing the demonic beasts apologized. But it was toote now. They gasped as the Fire Wolf howled. Lin Fan, on the other end, hadn''t even drawn out his sword. Chapter 118 I Didnt Lie Few of the Fire Goats charged at their line with their burning horns. The soldiers, holding their spears, stood firm in their line formation and waited. Lu Ding watched and shouted when the Fire Goats got near enough, "Get ready, on my count. One, two, three! Thrust." Their spears glowed white with Qi, and they thrust them at the Fire Goats head-on. The Fire Goats cried out in pain and struggled as they fell onto the ground. Some soldiers drew out their swords, closed in, and finished them off by slitting their throats. They then fell back into line and waited for the next encounter. Lu Ding and the soldiers didn''t even have time to catch a breather before the next wave came. This time, it was Fire Wolvesing at them in twice the numbers. Everyone swallowed a mouthful of saliva when they saw the wave of Fire Wolvesing at them. Lu Ding and the soldiers speared the Fire Wolves when they got near. But this time, there were just too many. "Watch out!" someone shouted when he saw a Fire Wolf lunging at Lu Ding. Lu Ding was trying to get his spear out of another Fire Wolf''s body. It was toote. Everyone gasped as they saw the Fire Wolf get closer and closer. If only there was someone who could help. Their hearts sank as they thought about Lu Ding''s fate. He was entric and idealistic, but he had never ill-treated them. Suddenly, a spear shot through the Fire Wolf''s body. And the Fire Wolfy motionless when it hit the ground. Who did that? Someone must have speared the Fire Wolf. They were so busy fighting off the Fire Wolves that they didn''t take notice. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 50.] [Current Vengeance Points: 930] Lin Fan had speared the Fire Wolf. With the danger threatening Lu Ding over, the soldiers focused on killing off the Fire Wolves. When they were done, all of them were tired as they''d expended most of their Qi and energy. Boom. Boom. Boom. The next wave came soon after, not giving them time to recuperate. This time, they had a bad feeling about it. The ground trembled much more vigorously than before. And they were right. Thud! The camp wall fell over as four Ice Tusk Elephants rammed it down. When Lu Ding saw it, he held his spear in his hand and looked at the soldiers on his team. He had to make a decision soon. "Help me!" "Argh." "Qi, watch out." The soldiers in front of them couldn''t do anything to the Ice Tusk Elephants. They were trampled or squashed into pulp by the Ice Tusk Elephants. Lu Ding took a deep breath and said, "Remember why we joined the Raging Tiger Army. To protect our loved ones, to uphold¡­" Thud. Before he could finish, Lin Fan gave him a chop at his neck, and he became unconscious.@@novelbin@@ "What did you do?" The other soldiers were shocked when they saw what Lin Fan did. "What did I do? I saved your lives. Now, take care of him and let me handle these demonic beasts." Lin Fan said and passed Lu Ding over to Lee. Lee looked at Lin Fan in shock and wanted to stop him. What was he thinking, trying to stop four Ice Tusk Elephants? But he didn''t have the chance. Boom! Lin Fan, with his Magnificent Leap, lunged at one of the Ice Tusk Elephants. A familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Ice Tusk Elephant with malevolent intent for 150 vengeance points.] The Ice Tusk Elephant lifted its trunk and swiped it at Lin Fan as if Lin Fan were a pesky fly. But the Ice Tusk Elephant was wrong. Lin Fan used his Primordial Qi ws and sliced the trunk into pieces. The Ice Tusk Elephant gave out a loud trumpet, and Lin Fannded on its head. It tried to shake its head vigorously to shake off Lin Fan but couldn''t. Crack. Lin Fan''s Primordial Qi ws had dug into the Ice Tusk Elephant''s head and cracked the skull. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire He went deeper in as he injected more Qi into his Primordial Qi ws. The pain made the Ice Tusk Elephant go on a rampage. It ran and knocked over the Ice Tusk Elephant in front of it. The soldiers took the chance and closed in on the fallen Ice Tusk Elephant. Lin Fan held on amidst the violent jerks of the Ice Tusk Elephant. Soon after, his whole arm was in the Ice Tusk Elephant''s head. A familiar sound then erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 150.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1080] Lin Fan looked and checked on Lu Ding. He was now awake and in awe of what Lin Fan did. So were the other soldiers. Lee, however, was cursing him. Most probably about why Lin Fan didn''t tell him that he was more powerful than he seemed. Lin Fan just shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to the remaining two Ice Tusk Elephants. Boom! He leaped onto the back of another Ice Tusk Elephant. With his Primordial Qi ws ready, he went for the neck. He dug into the neck and slid all the way down, slicing a huge wound. Blood gushed out of the wound. Thud. The Ice Tusk Elephant fell onto the ground, sending a loud, muted thud into the air. A familiar sound then erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 150.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1230] He''d wanted to finish off thest Ice Tusk Elephant, but it was already taken care of by another cultivator. By now, all the demonic beasts had been taken care of. The soldiers began to regroup and take care of the wounded. Lin Fan went back to where Lu Ding and the rest were. "You¡­" Lu Ding didn''t know what to say to Lin Fan. "Yes, you guessed it right. I''m here to ensure your safety, courtesy of your father." "I told him I''m more than capable now." Lu Ding wasn''t too pleased, but he stopped after he recalled what he was prepared to do earlier. If it weren''t for his father, his team would have perished. "Lin Fan, as someone from the vige, how can you be so cunning?" Lee came up and said. "Cunning? I''ve never said I was weak. I wanted to take on ten demonic beasts, remember?" Lin Fan shrugged and refuted. "You¡­" Lee couldn''t say anything else as Lin Fan was right. He had wanted to take on ten demonic beasts. Just that no one took him seriously. "All clear! Take the wounded to the tents!" A messenger soldier with the general''s g in his hand ran around with the message. Everyone then sighed with huge relief. Chapter 119 New Hammers! General Liu Feng expertly organized the soldiers to take care of the fallen, reorganize, and stay on alert.@@novelbin@@ As a veteran, this was routine for him. Luckily, Lu Ding and the other soldiers had only sustained minor injuries. Mostly burn wounds from all the fires dealing with Fire Goats and Fire Wolves. They were provided with some medication to apply to the wounds. Lin Fan and the other soldiers, meanwhile, stayed on alert in their positions. They waited for half a day, and when there was no more demonic beast horde in sight, the alert was lifted. "The Governor has sent someone to fetch you. You can leave anytime." Soon after, General Liu Feng, after being busy, came over and arranged for Lin Fan''s leave from the camp. Lin Fan stood up, sped his hands, and bowed to the soldiers. After that, he turned around and left with General Liu Feng. "Hey, Lin Fan, remember what I''ve told you. Feel free to visit my home anytime," Lee shouted as he watched Lin Fan getting further and further away. To his surprise, Lin Fan turned his head and nodded. He didn''t expect an inner disciple of the Qing Feng sect to still acknowledge him. Their lives couldn''t be any further apart, but he still responded. For Lin Fan, this was an eye-opener to how the Quan Dynasty operated with its army and cultivators fending off threats to the Dynasty. And he was d to be able to get to know others with a background like his. ¡­ Governor''s Residence. It took half a day of travel for Lin Fan to get back to Hong Feng City. This time, he didn''t need to wait. The Governor was smiling brightly at the gate when Lin Fan arrived. He immediately invited Lin Fan into the guest waiting room. The Governor, with a wide grin, quickly poured tea for Lin Fan. After he heard the news that his son was safe, Governor Lu felt an immense sense of relief. No more sleepless nights worrying about Lu Ding''s safety for him. The operation against the demonic beast horde was a sess, and Hong Feng City was unscathed. "Here, enjoy the tea," the Governor said and pped at the servants. The servants quickly went away,ing back with a bottle momentster. The Governor then handed the bottle over to Lin Fan. "As agreed, the reward: the Heavenly Core Pill." Lin Fan took the bottle and opened the stopper. A nice aroma entered his nose immediately, urging him to consume it. But Lin Fan controlled himself and put the stopper back. It would be safer for him to try to break through to the next level in Qing Feng Sect. Senior martial brother Sun Hai would take good care of him. "Thanks, Governor. Let me know if you have other missions for me," Lin Fan bowed and said. The mission was rtively easypared to what he had to face when dealing with the Dark Lotus Sect. On top of that, the pills he had gotten from the Governor weren''t used much, except for some Blood and Qi Restoration pills. With the Heavenly Core Pills in his toad statue, Lin Fan left for Sima Family Mansion. ¡­ This time, when he went over to the Sima Family Mansion, the guards were all smiles when they saw him. They showed him the way and made sure he had refreshments while waiting for Sima Liang. "You are back. What impable timing. Just in time to see the new hammers forged for you by Master Xin." "Really? Let''s go have a look then," Lin Fan stood up and couldn''t wait to see his new hammers. They then went over to find Master Xin. On the way, Lin Fan noticed the servants bowing to Sima Liang when they saw him. The Sima Family must have recognized Sima Liang''s im to the Family Head position, Lin Fan thought. Which was also good news for Lin Fan. He could seek Sima Liang''s assistanceter when he needed help with artifacts. "Ah, here you are," Master Xin said when he saw Lin Fan and Sima Liang enter his workshop. Lin Fan could immediately feel a heat waveing at him when he entered. It wasing from the st furnace, smelting whatever ore was inside. Being an Artifact Cultivator wasn''t an easy job dealing with the extremely hot and stuffy environment. Master Xin put down whatever he was doing and motioned for his assistants to get Lin Fan''s hammers out. The assistants quickly carted the hammers out on a trolley. Lin Fan inspected his new hammers. They were in the same shape as his previous hammers. Eight-sided like an eight trigram. However, there were clearly two materials used. One was the color of the Oblivion Steel, metallic with a darker tint. And the other was the Void Steel, from the rattle drum. The two demonic beast cores were also fused onto the tip of the hammers, just like the previous ones. Lin Fan tried and picked up the hammers. To his surprise, they were much heavier than the ones before. Which meant they could deal out more damage. "They are Spirit Level. The Void Steel at the edges can nullify elemental attacks like fire and ice. As for the Oblivion Steel, it will stun enemies for a brief moment. But it''ll work only for Core Formation level and below." Master Xin exined the special attributes of the hammers. "Thanks," Lin Fan thanked Master Xin and Sima Liang. This was well worth the trip. Now, he just needed to level up to Foundation Establishment level and learn the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style. Lin Fan and Sima Liang bid Master Xin farewell after that. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire Sima Liang prepared a huge feast for Lin Fan. He insisted that he must stay for the feast. Lin Fan agreed as he was in no hurry now. Madam Choo was as warm and friendly as usual, making sure Lin Fan had more than enough to eat and drink. After the ten-course dinner was done, Sima Liang handed an envelope to Lin Fan and said, "Before you leave, please help me bring this letter to the Artifact Peak." "Sure, I will bring it to the Artifact Peak," Lin Fan figured it was to notify the Artifact Peak that Sima Liang was leaving the Qing Feng Sect. They chatted for a while, and it was soon time to rest for the night. Lin Fan left the Sima Family Mansion the next day. Finally, it was back to Qing Feng Sect for Lin Fan to focus on his cultivation. Chapter 120 Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style Qing Feng Sect. When Lin Fan came back to the sect, everything was the same as usual. Disciples were cultivating and taking on missions, and menial disciples were doing their chores. The first thing Lin Fan did was go to the Artifact Peak and pass Sima Liang''s letter to the senior disciples there. They had a look and just shrugged their shoulders. It wasmon for disciples unable to break through to the next level to leave the sect.@@novelbin@@ Being stuck at a level meant that you couldn''t progress any further in the sect. It was best to return to your family and help bring prosperity to them. You just needed to pay a price before you left, which was something Sima Liang could do easily. After visiting Artifact Peak, Lin Fan went back to the wooden hut. When he entered, it seemed like ages since he hadst seen Ho Jie. Ho Jie was back after gathering firewood for the day, looking just as healthy as ever. "You are back. Haven''t seen you in a while," Ho Jie said when he saw Lin Fan. Lin Fan poured some tea, took a mouthful, and said, "I went on a mission or two. It was interesting though." He went on and told Ho Jie about his encounters with the Sima Family and the Raging Tiger Army. Ho Jie rubbed his chin and frowned when he heard about the demonic beast horde. "Demonic beast horde inte spring? That''s unheard of," Ho Jie said. "Unheard of?", Lin Fan asked. "Yes, it usually happens inte autumn or winter. Neverte spring. Something must have happened," Ho Jie exined. "Something, huh," Lin Fan said as he pondered the possibilities. But he had only one answer in his mind ¡ª most likely, it had something to do with the Dark Lotus Sect. It was, however, none of his concern for now. So, he let it off his mind for now. Lin Fan had more important things to do for himself. After Ho Jie left the wooden hut for his gathering with friends, Lin Fan couldn''t wait and took out his hammers. He ced the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style manuscript in front of him. Turning to the first page, he saw the first stroke ¡ª Eight Trigram Sound Wave. Lin Fan recalled how the General banged the hammers together and caused a bad headache for him. He followed the instructions in the manuscript, directing his Qi into the hammers, making his Qi swirl inside them like the Yin and Yang forces. Dang. The sound didn''t do anything on the first try. Lin Fan''s control of his Qi wasn''t good enough. The Qi copsed together at thest minute. Not giving up, Lin Fan tried again. Dang. The same thing happened. It went on until Lin Fan didn''t have any Qi left in his dantian. He took out some Blood and Qi Restoration pills and swallowed them. Of all the things, he wasn''t short of Blood and Qi Restoration pills. If the other disciples knew how much Lin Fan had, they would be so envious as it would take them one mission to afford just one bottle of it. When his Qi had been restored, Lin Fan meditated as Sun Hai had taught him. He needed to focus so that he could control his Qi more effectively. Lin Fan opened his eyes after his Qi went through one round of all his meridians. He started to direct his Qi carefully. Slowly, the Yin and Yang-like Qi started to swirl from the handle of the hammers. Then it went up to the middle of the hammers. Finally, when it reached the tip of the hammers, Lin Fan banged them together. Dang! The sound erupted out into the surroundings. And Lin Fan started to hear things dropping on the ground. He peeped out of the window and saw birds and squirrels dropping onto the ground from the trees. The Eight Trigram Sound Wave had made them unconscious. Sess. He continued to the next stroke. After all, he needed to return the manuscript the next year. He''d better master all the strokes inside it as much as possible. Flipping through the manuscript, the Eight Trigram Beast Transform strike was next. This stroke was much simpler and required Lin Fan to inject Qi into the demonic beast core. When enough Qi was injected, he could then transform the Qi into the form of the demonic beast at the enemy. Lin Fan went outside the wooden hut and tried it out. After injecting some of his Qi into the Ember Wolf core, the hammer glowed red hot. He swiped the hammer across a tree trunk in front of him, and the glow left the hammer. It turned into the form of a red-illuminated Ember Wolf. But it disappeared like a puff of smoke after a second. The Qi Lin Fan injected must not have been enough, Lin Fan thought. So, he tried again. This time, he injected twice the amount of Qi into the demonic beast core. Whoosh. The illuminated Ember Wolf appeared, lunged at the tree trunk in front of Lin Fan, and disappeared again. It was still not enough. Lin Fan then took some Blood and Qi Restoration pills and tried again. He injected all of the Qi he had and swiped the hammer at the tree trunk again. The illuminated Ember Wolf lunged at the tree trunk, took a bite out of it, and the tree fell. Thud. A muted thud could be felt when the tree hit the ground. It was sessful, but it wasn''t practical for Lin Fan right now. One strike took all the Qi he had. It seemed like he might have to try breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Level first. After he took more Blood and Qi Restoration pills, he continued with his learning. He tried the final strike ¡ª Eight Trigram Hammer Throw. This required him to use his Qi to stick to the hammers like glue and manipte them. It wasn''t easy, as Lin Fan needed a huge reservoir of Qi and very delicate control to stick the Qi to the hammers as if it were holding them. For this, he couldn''t even get the hammers to fly an inch. The amount of Qi that he had was just not enough for him to do that. Lin Fan would have to find Senior Martial Brother Sun Hai the next day to help him break through. Hopefully, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Level would help him with his deficiency of Qi. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire Chapter 121 Foundation Establishment Level Lin Fan took some Blood and Qi Restoration pills again. When he recovered his Qi and energy, he summoned the information panel in his mind. [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 1/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 1230] Looking at the vengeance points he had, which were quite far away from leveling up to the next level, he decided to level up his Wild Rabbit Ability instead. Level up Wild Rabbit Ability, he thought in his mind. [Ding!] [Wild Rabbit Ability Level Up Sessfully] [Rabbit''s Hearing is now Sound Memory ¨C Listen to sounds as far as 2KM. Memorize and rey any sound ever heard. Re-summon previously heard sounds as phantom echoes that others can hear.] [Swift Foot is now Shadow Slip ¨C Pass through enemy bodies and obstacles like a fleeting shadow, effectively phasing through them.] [Magnificent Leap is now Chain Leap ¨C Leap multiple times mid-air, allowing for continuous movement and multi-directional flight-like mobility.] [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 2/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 730] Boom! Lin Fan leaped into the air, and before hended on the ground, he leaped again, stepping on the air and going further towards a tree trunk. As the tree trunk got closer and closer, Lin Fan activated the Shadow Slip Ability. Whoosh. He went through the tree trunk like a shadow andnded behind the tree. The ability upgrade was worth the vengeance points, Lin Fan thought. When Ho Jie came back, they had dinner, and Lin Fan had a good night''s sleep after that. It had been a long while since he slept without much pressure on him. ¡­. Next Day. Physique Peak. When Lin Fan saw Sun Hai, he was more jovial than usual. "You weren''t around, but the great news is that our Peak Lord Zhang Yi Nian will be out of his secluded cultivation soon." "Peak Lord Zhang Yi Nian?" Lin Fan asked. "Yes, in case you''ve forgotten, he is Zhang Xi''s father. He should be at the Soul Transformation Level when hees out, on par with the other peak lords," Sun Hai exined to Lin Fan. It was good news for Lin Fan too. With the peak lord around, the Physique Peak could start to be prosperous with lots of disciples soon. And, not to mention, Lin Fan might be able to learn more about Physique Cultivation from Zhang Yi Nian. "Senior martial brother, have you heard about Heavenly Core Pills?" Lin Fan asked. Sun Hai''s face lit up when he heard Lin Fan asking him questions. His tough love for Lin Fan had finally paid off. This junior martial brother was now humble and willing to learn. The Peak Lord Zhang Yi Nian would be so proud of him when hees out of secluded cultivation. "Good that you are eager to learn. "The Heavenly Core Pill is a rare pill that can help you break through from Qi Concentration Level to Foundation Establishment Level, without the need for a demonic beast core. "Too bad for you it''s so rare that it''s impossible for you to get one." Sun Hai put his hands on Lin Fan''s shoulder and continued, "That reminds me, you need to work hard and try to break through to the next level soon. When I was like you¡­" He told a white lie, trying to goad Lin Fan into working harder. Even though Lin Fan''s progress right now was astronomical. It would take other disciples at least a year to get to Lin Fan''s level now. But here Lin Fan was, already at Qi Concentration Level, stage nine. On the brink of a breakthrough. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire "I got one. Can you help me verify if it''s authentic?" Lin Fan asked. He wanted to make sure that the pill was authentic and wouldn''t cause any harm to himself. "Yeah, it''s tough to get one of those Heavenly Core Pills. So, work hard¡­" Sun Hai stopped when he saw Lin Fan take out a pill bottle.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan handed the pill bottle to Sun Hai, and Sun Hai''s eyes opened wide when he took out the stopper. The aroma of the pill immediately filled the air. Sun Hai took a whiff of it. It smelled nice and inviting. That aroma must be the Heavenly Core Pill, Sun Hai thought. It was unmistakable. Lin Fan waited for Sun Hai''s answer. After a few moments, Sun Hai looked at Lin Fan and said, "Where did you get this? Let''s not waste time and get you ready to break through to the Foundation Establishment Level." He couldn''t believe Lin Fan''s luck. The Heavenly Core Pill would have cost at least five hundred contribution points if it was avable. The Alchemy Peak didn''t have the rare ingredients, so they couldn''t fulfill the needs. It was not only the Alchemy Peak. Even the ck market didn''t have it. "I got it from some of the acquaintances I made while visiting Sima Liang," Lin Fan exined, not wanting to let others know where he got it. "That''s some acquaintance you made there. Let''s get to work." Sun Hai asked the menial disciples to get the wooden tubs ready. They immediately scurried around, carrying herbs and elixirs, pouring them into a wooden tub. When the wooden tub got heated up, steam rose from the mixture. "Go on in. The Foundation-Rooting Bath will help your dantian to be stable and be your unshakeable foundation for your Qi." Sun Hai exined as he motioned for Lin Fan to get into the wooden tub. Lin Fan got into it and took the Heavenly Core Pill. Immediately he could feel his dantian radiating outwards. Trying to expand. This depleted his Qi, and his physique level''s attribute of automatically absorbing Qi helped him to replenish it. The bath then helped to stabilize Lin Fan''s dantian whenever it erged. This went on, and Lin Fan felt his dantian''s size expand to be three times what it was. Finally, the expansion stopped, and gradually it was only about solidifying his dantian. When it was all over, Lin Fan opened his eyes and stood up. He raised his hands and clenched them into fists. He could feel all the Qi he had in his dantian. Right now, he should be able to cultivate the remaining two strokes of the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style. "Congrattions on getting to the Foundation Establishment Level," Sun Hai nodded and said. He tried not to show much emotion, but his lips couldn''t help but curl into a smile. There was a great future ahead for Lin Fan and the Physique Peak. Chapter 122 Infiltration Million Sword Hall. Inside the hall were Qing Yang Zi and Zhao Qing Ying, seated next to each other. Qing Yang Zi was stroking his beard while Zhao Qing Ying was tapping on the table, bored out of his mind. A momentter, Zhao Ming Ye came in. His robe had bloodstains on it, and he didn''t even change into a new one beforeing over to report. He sped his hands and bowed to both of them. "Anything useful?" Qing Yang Zi asked. Zhao Ming Ye nodded, looked around, and hesitated to speak as there were some menial disciples nearby. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire Raising his hand, Qing Yang Zi emitted a white glow that engulfed himself, Zhao Qing Ying, and Zhao Ming Ye. "You can speak freely now. No one can hear anything from outside." "I gathered from Lu Di''s memories that they are nning something that has to do with the Emperor''s Concubine. "They have spies in many sects and even the imperial court. "I have the list of names for the spies in Qing Feng Sect." Zhao Ming Ye stepped forward and passed an envelope to Qing Yang Zi. "Should I get rid of them?" "Don''t rattle them. Monitor these spies closely and let the other sects know who the spies in their sects are," Qing Yang Zi said as he read the list of names. "As for the Emperor''s Concubine, where is Tan Kun now?" Qing Yang Zi asked. "Tan Kun is away at the imperial pce, tending to the Emperor''s Concubine," Zhao Ming Ye replied. Qing Yang Zi had a bad feeling when he heard this. Most likely, Tan Kun was involved in the n. "Just let me go and cut him into pieces," Zhao Qing Ying couldn''t stand it and said. "Are you forgetting that the Tan Family Head is the Northern General now? "If he turns against us publicly, the Emperor might not be on our side. "The Emperor needs him to secure the north from the demonic beasts and barbarians." Zhao Qing Ying raised his hand, wanting to speak, but kept quiet and lowered his hand again. He knew Qing Yang Zi was right. One affects the other, and if you make the wrong move, many would perish because of it. That''s why he wandered around for so many years ¡ª all this careful bncing was not his Dao. "What do you suggest then?" Zhao Qing Ying asked. "They have a contact point we might be able to exploit. Best if we could send someone to infiltrate them," Zhao Ming Ye said. Qing Yang Zi nodded. Hun Yen Kun, with his shape-shifting mask, was a great candidate for that. "We will have to do that and be on the alert. Whatever maye might be from the Emperor next," Qing Yang Zi said. He was worried that the Emperor''s Concubine might influence the Emperor to turn against Qing Feng Sect. ¡­ Physique Peak. After Lin Fan broke through to the Foundation Establishment Level, he went over every day to learn the techniques of physique cultivation. Sun Hai was generous and taught everything he knew. Right now, in front of Lin Fan was a huge wok with a mixture of sand and some other herbs inside. He had to ce his hands into the sand while it was heated up. When the heat was too much, he had to pull out his hands and strike a steel block beside him. Lin Fan did this repeatedly as Sun Hai watched in awe beside him. Sun Hai had expected Lin Fan to cry out in pain, as it was excruciatingly tough to endure when the sand burned through the skin. But Lin Fan did it as if it was nothing. His beast abilities enabled him to surpass others at the same level. Still, the cultivation helped. He could feel his skin, flesh, and bones getting tougher as he did so. Even without activating his Primordial Earth Bastion. "Senior martial brother, am I doing all right?" Lin Fan asked as he realized Sun Hai hadn''tmented much on his performance. "You¡­ You are doing all right, but you could be much better," Sun Hai replied. Lin Fan nodded. He knew that meant he was well ahead of others. "Now try and see how far you can strike into the steel block," Sun Hai said. The steel block was made of a special material, and the Physique Peak disciples used it to gauge how tough their hands were. As Sun Hai watched Lin Fan plunge his whole arm into the steel block, his jaw dropped. Never had anyone been able to do it after such a short time.@@novelbin@@ Sun Hai could only get his hand halfway in, up to his knuckles. Nothing like what Lin Fan just did. "Hmm. Not bad. That''s all for now. Clean up and rest for the day," Sun Hai said, trying very hard to contain his astonishment. "When you are done, go to the Mission Hall and update your cultivation level. The missions allocated to you shall be of higher difficulty since you are at Foundation Establishment Level now." "Yes, senior martial brother." After the cultivation was over, Lin Fan went to the Mission Hall as instructed. But before that, he went to Sword Peak. He hadn''t seen Ho Ming in a while, and he was interested in knowing Ho Ming''s progress. The Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique might be something to behold if Ho Ming mastered it. "Lin Fan!" Ho Ming ran over to Lin Fan when he saw him. "How is your progress with the Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique?" Lin Fan asked. "It''s not going well. I have only mastered one of the strokes. My dad would be breathing down my neck if he knew," Ho Ming shrugged as he spoke. Lin Fan shook his head. It seemed like Ho Ming was still living under Ho Fu''s constant pressure. "You''re doing great. I''ve got two strokes to familiarize since my Qi wasn''t sufficient enough. Now that I''m at the Foundation Establishment Level, I should be able to do that now." "Foundation Establishment Level? That''s great news!" Ho Ming was happy for Lin Fan. Lin Fan''s learning speed was unmatched, much faster than everyone else''s. Both of them went over to the Mission Hall after that. Lin Fan didn''t waste time and went up to the disciple at the counter. "I''m here to update my cultivation level," Lin Fan said. "Update your level?" The counter disciple wasn''t sure he heard correctly. He remembered Lin Fan had only joined Qing Feng Sect recently. How could it be that he had already broken through to the next level? "Yes, senior martial brother Sun Hai asked me to do so," Lin Fan said. "Hmm¡­" The disciple at the counter wanted to ask Lin Fan to prove it to him, but he saw someone holding a fan enter the Mission Hall. Chapter 123 Rewards "Ah. We meet again, just like the sun meets the mountain every day," Hun Yen Kun fanned himself, making his hair flow back. The female disciples following him all gasped in excitement when they saw that. How handsome he was. They just couldn''t get enough of Hun Yen Kun. "Can you speak normally like all of us do, senior martial brother?" Lin Fan rubbed his temple. Hun Yen Kun''s antics definitely needed some getting used to. "Ahem¡­ Sure. Why are you here?" Hun Yen Kun asked.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan replied, "Registering my new cultivation level as instructed." Hun Yen Kun''s eyes lit up when he heard that. He proceeded to ask, "Wonderful, that means you''re avable for a mission?" "Yes, but this disciple thinks I''m kidding him," Lin Fan said, turning to the disciple at the counter. "Fine, let me see," Hun Yen Kun said, stretching out his hands and closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened his eyes. He turned to the disciple at the counter and said, "I bear witness that he is at the Foundation Establishment Level now." The disciple at the counter quickly nodded and wrote the information on the scroll in front of him. "Now that we''ve got that out of the way, follow me to see the sect leader," Hun Yen Kun motioned for Lin Fan and Ho Ming to follow as he turned around, leaving the Mission Hall. Lin Fan looked at Ho Ming for a moment. They nodded to each other and left the Mission Hall, following behind Hun Yen Kun. On the way, Ho Ming asked, "Senior martial brother, what''s the technique you used just now to detect Lin Fan''s cultivation level?" "Technique? I didn''t use any technique. They''ll take my word for it just because of who I am ¡ª the sect leader''s core disciple. You have a lot to learn, Ho Ming," Hun Yen Kun said with a smile. With a sigh, Ho Ming reminded himself how Hun Yen Kun was not what he seemed to be. ¡­ Million Sword Hall. The three of them waited for Qing Yang Zi to arrive. Lin Fan looked up at the swords hanging from the ceiling, thinking to himself what a waste it was. These swords must have cost a fortune. If only he could help recycle or reuse some of these swords. Ho Ming, on the other hand, just looked up with wonder, marveling at all the precious swords. "These are the two disciples you want to bring with you?" When Qing Yang Zi arrived, he asked Hun Yen Kun about Lin Fan and Ho Ming. He expected Hun Yen Kun to bring someone like Sun Hai or other senior disciples. "These are junior disciples. Why did you choose them?" Qing Yang Zi asked. "Why? They listen to my instructions and are smart enough to improvise. It will be a mess if it''s some senior disciples with their own agenda," Hun Yen Kun replied. Qing Yang Zi nodded. He knew Hun Yen Kun was right. If it were all senior disciples, they would spend most of their time trying to outdo each other. "On top of that, Lin Fan has some pretty useful abilities," Hun Yen Kun added. Qing Yang Zi turned and focused on Lin Fan. He looked at him and tried to recall where he had seen him before. After a few moments, he finally recalled and said, "I remember now. You''re the one with the unknown cultivation root." "Yes, sect leader," Lin Fan stepped forward and bowed. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire "I¡­ eh¡­ haven''t had time to check in the library about that. But right now, there''s something more important I have for the three of you," Qing Yang Zi said. He stood up and, with his hand, released the white glow again. After that was done, he started to brief them on the mission. "We have information on a contact point for the Dark Lotus Sect. "They''re up to something again, and we need the three of you to infiltrate the contact point. "Your objective is to gather information on what they''re nning and get it back. "This is a high-risk mission, much higher than what you''re used to. "To infiltrate the contact point, your Qi might need to be inhibited, pretending to bemoners. "So, it''s up to you to ept this mission." When Qing Yang Zi stopped, Lin Fan thought for a moment and asked. "What''s the reward?" He thought that since it was a high-risk mission, the reward must be very attractive. "The reward shall be five hundred contribution points," Qing Yang Zi said with a confident voice. No junior should be able to resist five hundred contribution points. It was enough for them to get anything that was avable for exchange in Qing Feng Sect. But Lin Fan was no ordinary junior disciple. Lin Fan frowned and said, "Only five hundred contribution points?" Afterpleting thest mission, Lin Fan had over three hundred contribution points. Ho Ming, too, had lots of money left from his bet with Sima Liang. "Only?" Qing Yang Zi stroked his beard out of habit, but he was trying toprehend what Lin Fan had said. Five hundred contribution points, and this junior disciple thought it wasn''t enough. The other disciples would be kowtowing to him by now. He had better check what Sun Hai was teaching this junior disciple after this, Qing Yang Zi thought. Qing Yang Zi thought for a moment and increased the reward. "Hundred taels of silver. That''s all I can offer." "Ho Ming here already has more than a hundred taels of silver. How about Spirit Level Swords for him?" Lin Fan asked, trying to negotiate for some Spirit Level weapons for Ho Ming. "Fine. I have lots of swords I could spare," Qing Yang Zi said. One thing Qing Yang Zi knew for sure now was that the longer he negotiated with Lin Fan, the more he had to give. So, it was better for him to just satisfy Lin Fan as soon as possible. "Now that we have the reward out of the way, let''s continue," Qing Yang Zi said and took out two pill bottles, one ck and one white. "Take these pills in the ck bottle to suppress your Qi, and the pills in the white bottle to release the Qi," he said, handing the pill bottles over to Hun Yen Kun. The white glow then disappeared. The three of them bowed and left after that. When Zhao Qing Ying came in and saw Lin Fan leaving with a smile and Qing Yang Zi brooding as he sipped his tea, he knew Lin Fan must have gotten a good deal out of Qing Yang Zi. "Senior martial brother, what did Lin Fan get out of you?" Zhao Qing Ying walked up to Qing Yang Zi and purposely asked about it. All he got back was an intense stare from Qing Yang Zi. Chapter 124 The Emperor Bian Jing, Capital of the Quan Dynasty. In the center of the capital stood the imperial pce. Its walls were at least twenty meters tall and painted red. Rumors had it that the Emperor, Quan Shi, had done so to please his concubine, Li Fei. Inside the concubine''s room, Tan Kun took out a small box. He opened it, and inside was a red pill. "This will help you nurse your body, and you can expect a son for the Emperor soon." Li Fei, the Emperor''s concubine, sat across the room behind a silk veil. She was in her twenties, with long ck hair and big round eyes. Her well-curved body wasn''t something you''d expect with her demure looks. "Bring the box over." Li Fei pped, and the eunuch beside her bowed and brought it over. She picked up the pill, and there was a small piece of paper note underneath it. Li Fei looked left and right, and the eunuchs bowed and exited the silk veil. Hurriedly, she looked at what was written on it. After that, she quickly burned the piece of paper with one of the candles lit beside her. "Thank you, Tan Kun. I will reward you for your help when I bear a prince for His Majesty. You may leave now." "Yes, Concubine. May the Emperor live a long life," Tan Kun said and left the concubine''s room. He had delivered the message for the Dark Envoy. And the rest would be up to the Concubine and the Dark Lotus Sect. If they seeded, he could then be the sect leader of the Qing Feng Sect. There was a price to pay, but Tan Kun thought it would be well worth it. ... Nightfall. The Emperor, Quan Shi, came over to meet the concubine as usual. They were cuddling on the bed when the concubine suddenly took a deep sigh. "Who made you angry? Tell me, and I''ll take his life," the Emperor said as he fondled Li Fei''s voluptuous body. "The Qing Feng Sect delivered the Birth-Aiding Pill, but¡­" Li Fei stopped halfway. "Birth-Aiding Pill? That''s good news! When the prince is born, I shall reward the Qing Feng Sect." "No, Quan Shi, you shouldn''t do that," Li Fei called the Emperor by name and looked at him with her big round eyes. She then continued, "If you reward the Qing Feng Sect, they will get into trouble. "Especially when their current rtionship with me is so close due to their pills. "Instead, I ask you to reduce their resources and bnce them with the other sects. "It''s dangerous for a sect to be so powerful that none other can match them." The Emperor, Quan Shi, nodded at her suggestion. He smiled and gave her a kiss. How caring she was to be able to consider all the repercussions and give him suggestions. When Li Fei saw him agree to her suggestion, she took out the red pill and swallowed it. After that, she blushed and pulled the Emperor into her. ... Next Day.@@novelbin@@ Imperial Court. In the grand court, the Emperor sat high up on his throne made of gold and carved with dragons all over it. The officials lined up in front of him, waiting to report or answer to the Emperor''s queries. "Dear subjects, I have an idea for thete spring hunt," the Emperor said. "Your Majesty, the constant attacks from the beasts and barbarians are draining our resources. I''m afraid thete spring hunt can''t be toovish," the Left Prime Minister stepped forward and said. This annoyed the Emperor, as the Left Prime Minister was always going against him. He twitched his nose and said, "Don''t worry. "It''s not what you think. "I want to organize a tournament between all the sects. "The best-performing ones shall have more resources allocated to them for the year. "Some of the sects have been far too important. It''s time for us to bnce them out." The Left Prime Minister was surprised when he heard this. The Emperor had grown up. He knew which sect the Emperor was referring to. And he had indeed submitted papers for the Emperor to do something about it earlier. The concubine was getting too close to the Emperor. With what the Emperor had suggested, it wasforting for the Left Prime Minister to know. "As you wish, Your Majesty. But how would you bnce them out?" the Left Prime Minister asked. "Well, as for this¡­" the Emperor said with a smirk. ... Qing Feng Sect. Lin Fan prepared all the things he required and put them into his toad statue. Blood and Qi restoration pills, dried rations, and even tools. He was always about being prepared for the worst. When he was done, he took out the pill from the ck bottle Hun Yen Kun gave him. He swallowed it, and immediately he felt as if his dantian froze. All the items wouldn''t be essible to him until he took the pill from the white bottle. So, Lin Fan had to make sure he didn''t lose it. Using his fist, he tried and punched the tree trunk in front of him. Thud. Nothing much happened to the tree trunk. If it were Lin Fan in his normal state, the tree trunk would''ve been destroyed to smithereens. The good thing about his Physique Cultivation was that his hand wasn''t hurt. His skin was as hard as before. Not to mention, the Beast Abilities physique level also helped. Boom! He leaped, and he was still able to do so, as his Beast Abilities used his energy. Perfect for him to try and stay alive. Finally, it was time for him to make a move. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire He met Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming at the long stairs leading to the entrance. And this time, Hun Yen Kun also had a skin mask for himself. They put the skin masks on, and their appearances immediately changed. Hun Yen Kun turned into a man with an unkempt mustache. Ho Ming looked like a gangster who lived on the streets. As for Lin Fan, he conjured up the image of an ordinary-looking man, and he turned into someone easily forgotten. "I will ask you for thest time. You can still back out now. I can''t guarantee your safety with all our Qi restrained," Hun Yen Kun, for once, turned serious and asked Lin Fan and Ho Ming. But Lin Fan and Ho Ming were determined. They looked at him with confidence and said, "We know the consequences. Let''s just begin." Chapter 125 Hu Kou Town Hu Kou Town. This town was built next to theke, hence the name which meant literally "town by theke." Ships would dock, goods would be unloaded and loaded. There was a need for strong men to do the heavy work. Hence, different gangs formed, and each tried to gain control of the piers. The chaotic environment also enabled the Dark Lotus sect to set up a contact point. Lin Fan and the rest would need to find a way to infiltrate and intercept theirtest ns. "You three over there! Don''t you know the rules around here." A burly man followed by ten others pointed at Lin Fan and shouted. Lin Fan and the rest had decided to pretend to be young men trying to make a living on the piers. And when they faced difficulties, this would be when the Dark Lotus sect members sought them out. They looked for those with a need for power, no matter how to get it. "What rules? The ship owner had agreed to our price." Lin Fan shrugged and looked at the ship owner. The ship owner, who thought he could try his luck and not go through one of the gangs, vigorously shook his head. "It''s a misunderstanding. I thought they were from your gang. Here, aspensation." The ship owner passed a string of copper coins to one of the thugs. The burly man weighed the copper coins in his hand when the thugs passed it to him. He was satisfied and said to the ship owner, "Shoo. Go back into your ship and don''t make the same mistake ever again." "As for the three of you." The group of men then smirked and moved in closer to Lin Fan. The next moment, Lin Fan raised his hand and said, "Stop. I have a suggestion to make. Why don''t you be members of our gang?" "If you want to join our gang, it''s toote now¡­ Wait? You want us to join your gang?" The burly man stopped when he realized what Lin Fan had said. Who is this dumb idiot? Where did hee from? There''s no other way but to teach him a lesson. "Beat him until he begs for his life!" The burly man waved, and his men ran towards Lin Fan. To their surprise, Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Hun Yen Kun stood and waited. Even though they didn''t have any Qi now, their bodies were still stronger than an average man from all the cultivation. Their fighting techniques were also superior. As long as they don''t fight with any cultivators, they should be safe for now. "Die!" One of the men threw a punch at Lin Fan, and Lin Fan blocked it away with his forearm. "Argh!" The man cried out in pain. His hand was now a mangled mess. He felt he had punched into a steel wall. The others quickly picked up some sticks for carrying the goods from the surroundings and swiped at Lin Fan. Crack!@@novelbin@@ The sticks broke into pieces when they encountered Lin Fan''s body. All the men, recognizing that Lin Fan was a tough one, turned their attention to Ho Ming and Hun Yen Kun. They started to lunge at them instead. "Argh!" The man in front of Hun Yen Kun got poked through his arm with a stick. Hun Yen Kun then pulled the stick out and shed it around as if he was drunk. All his strokes were unpredictable but managed to hit the weakest spot. He would sh at the legs and suddenly turn the stick upright and poke at the neck. Soon, a trail of meny injured, crying in pain and trying to stop the bleeding of their wounds. The men swarming around Ho Ming weren''t any better. Ho Ming, with two sticks in his hands, wielded them expertly. They couldn''t get close to him and suffered injuries without being able to get near him. Lin Fan turned and nced at Hun Yen Kun. It was time to go. "They are too strong, let''s leave while we can." Lin Fan shouted, to the surprise of the thugs. Lin Fan was the one being too strong for them. "Argh! You''re right, let''s go." Hun Yen Kun also cried out in pain as he beat the crap out of the man in front of him. As Ho Ming pushed the man lunging at him away, he also cried out, "Help!" The three of them suddenly turned and ran away. Leaving the burly man scratching his head. Far away, a woman in the shadows saw what happened, and it was a scene of the gang overpowering Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Hun Yen Kun to her. Amon urrence that she could use to her advantage. ¡­ After running away for a few hundred meters, Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Hun Yen Kun came to a street-side hawker for a meal. "Three bowls of noodles." Lin Fan ordered food from the boss as Ho Ming took out chopsticks for the rest. "Don''t worry. We will find some way to make a living soon." Hun Yen Kun patted Ho Ming on the back. A momentter, he turned to Lin Fan and said, "As for you, you mustn''t be too rash next time." Lin Fan shook his head and refuted, "Rash? Those people are just bullying us. We had a deal with the ship owner. If only we were... powerful." m. The chopsticks jumped when Lin Fan mmed his fist on the table. He then held his fist up again in anger. When the woman sitting next to them witnessed this, she stood up and came over. "Pardon me. I''m Lin Zhi, and I might be able to help you with your grievance?" She smiled and bowed. "How can you help? We have no money if that''s what you are after." Lin Fan said. She quickly scanned the surroundings, made sure no one was around, then motioned for them to get closer. When they huddled close together, she continued and said, "When you are helpless, there are far more powerful beings who will grant you your wish. Unlike the fake Buddha and gods, my lord can help you." "How do we know whether you are lying?" Lin Fan asked. Read thetest on My Virtual Library Empire "Enjoy your noodles first. After that, follow me, and I''ll change your life." Lin Zhi replied. Chapter 126 Pill Factory When they were done, they followed Lin Zhi. She led them to the end of the streets into a dpidated house. They didn''t enter the house but followed her into the back garden instead. The garden was overgrown with grass and items strewn around on the ground. "Where are we going? This doesn''t look like any ce that could change our lives." Lin Fan asked. Lin Zhi turned and smiled at Lin Fan. She then walked over to the well next to her. Tap. Tap. Tap. Lin Zhi knocked on the side of the well. After a few moments, the well lit up, illuminating Lin Zhi''s face in a ghostly orange. "Follow me," she climbed into the well, and Lin Fan went over. There was a rope for people to climb down, most likely released after hearing the three taps. Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Hun Yen Kun followed behind. When all of them got to the bottom of the well, they saw a tunnel leading to some ce. Other than Lin Zhi, there was another man in ck robes looking suspiciously at them. "Who are they?" The man in ck robes asked. "My Lotus Leader, they are keen to be granted power." Lin Zhi bowed and replied. p! The Lotus Leader gave Lin Zhi a loud p. She turned from the impact and fell to the ground. With her hand on her cheek, she looked up and asked, "Why?" "You idiot. What if they are cultivators!" "I saw them get beaten by the Tiger gang." Lin Zhi said, trying to defend herself. The Lotus Leader spat on the ground and said, "How many times do I need to tell you. These cultivators are despicable, and acting to be weak isn''t something beneath them." "Don''t worry. We are definitely not cultivators. And we certainly can''t act to save our lives." Lin Fan interjected. Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming quickly chimed in, "Yeah, we are just normal folks looking for a living." "Quiet. Who gave you permission to speak?" The Lotus Leader took out a piece of crystal from his sleeve. "This crystal can detect whether you have Qi. ce your hand on it." Three of them did so one by one. To the Lotus Leader''s surprise, none of them had Qi on them. "Get them to the living quarters." The Lotus Leader said and walked away, leaving Lin Zhi and the rest behind. Lin Zhi, still soothing her cheek with her hand, led them into the tunnel. While they walked, Lin Fan kept count of the number of steps they took. He figured they must have been out of Hu Kou town by now. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire Finally, after twenty minutes of walking in the dark tunnel, they reached the other side. By now, it was already night time. Outside of the tunnels was a valley. There was a row of wooden huts in front of them. Most likely the living quarters. There were men and women busy with work, some pushing carts and some sorting out herbs. Everyone had their heads down and kept quiet. They didn''t look like they were happy there. "So, how do we get power?" Lin Fan asked Lin Zhi. "Contribute by working and you get pills from the Lotus Leader to help you gain strength." Lin Zhi replied. Something like Qing Feng sect then. Lin Fan thought. Things aren''t so different after all. His thoughts got disrupted by cries of a woman. She was tied up and dragged along the dirt path. "She is born on a Yin Year, Yin Day at the Yin Hours, perfect ingredient for our pills." Lin Zhi exined. Maybe it''s not that simr. Lin Fan changed his mind after what he had witnessed.@@novelbin@@ Ho Ming clenched his fist, containing his anger. This wasn''t something he''d witnessed every day. "This wasn''t what you promised." Lin Fan turned to Lin Zhi and asked. "It''s toote now, you either work or face the punishments." Lin Zhi pointed to the guards that were standing in the background. Each of them in ck robes and had an aura of death. Cultivators. Lin Fan would have to figure out a way to bypass them if he wanted to find the information they needed. Right now, they didn''t seem to be in the crucial area. Seeing that these three men epted their fate quietly, Lin Zhi was pleased and nodded her head. Suddenly, there was amotion. Everyone swarmed over to the Lotus Leader when he appeared. They knelt and bowed at him. The Lotus Leader then took out pills, distributed them ording to their contributions. Those who got the pills couldn''t wait and swallowed them on the spot. And those without could only look on with envy, cursing at the others'' fortune. After they swallowed the pills, they went into a trance. Most giggling and screaming intermittently. It was a scary sight to behold. Lin Fan had a hunch that these pills must have some addictive in them. Making all these people lust for it. "They are being blessed now by the Dark Lord. And when they awaken, they will be much more powerful than before," Lin Zhi exined. "But first, let''s get you to your living quarters." She led them towards a wooden hut. The hut had many rooms with two beds each inside. "You two stay here. While you¡­" Lin Zhi turned to Lin Fan and said, "¡­stay with me in this room." "What?" It was something Lin Fan didn''t expect. "Come on. We are all very open about it here." Lin Zhi smirked as she looked at Lin Fan. "I might get tired of you, and you''lle begging for me tomorrow." Lin Fan wanted to kill her on the spot but tried not to show it. He had his fair share of fun, and Lin Zhi wasn''t even near the bottompared to the beauties he had. Hun Yen Kun nudged him as he and Ho Ming went into their room. There''s not going to be tomorrow. They will have to take action soon. "Sure." Lin Fan said as he followed Lin Zhi into the room. Chapter 127 Letter To Tan Kun Lin Zhi smirked and looked at Lin Fan. She wanted to step forward, but she couldn''t. Read thetest on My Virtual Library Empire "What''s happening..." "Don''t worry. Nothing will happen to you if you answer my questions." Lin Fan said. He was using the Decurion Leader Ability to control Lin Zhi''s movement. As the candlelight in the room swayed, Lin Zhi''s shadow danced anxiously on the wall. "Where do they send and store the messages?" Lin Fan asked, and Lin Zhi''s hands rose up with her fingers pointing to her eyes. Her eyes opened wide in fear and said, "Messages? I don''t know anything about that." Next, she saw her fingers inching closer and closer. Then finally, pain ran through her body. She tried to scream but couldn''t. "Here''s yourst chance. Tell me the answer now. There are worse things I can do to you." Lin Fan said and stared at Lin Zhi. "I don''t know anything about messages, but the Lotus Leader sometimes carries a bag to the building up the teau. "There''s a path leading up to the teau ahead from these living quarters." Under the pain and stress, Lin Zhi divulged to Lin Fan everything she knew. "Thanks for your cooperation," Lin Fan said and left the room. Lin Zhi tried to move but couldn''t. Slowly, shey down on the bed and her hands moved onto her neck. With intense force, she strangled herself. Bit by bit, her consciousness slowly faded away due to theck of oxygen. Finally, she looked as if she were asleep on the bed. "The Lotus Leader carries a bag up into the teau. We need to sneak our way up." Lin Fan entered the room where Ho Ming and Hun Yen Kun were and briefed them. Hun Yen Kun nodded and said, "Take your pills now. If there are any unforeseen circumstances, exercise your own judgment." Everyone took out a pill from the white bottle and swallowed it. Immediately, the invisible lock on Lin Fan''s dantian disappeared, and he could feel his Qi again. He quickly used the Qi to replenish his energy, which was slightly depleted from using the Decurion Leader on Lin Zhi. The three of them quickly sneaked outside the living quarters. Lin Fan scanned the area and saw that the path leading up to the teau was heavily guarded. They needed a distraction. "Yeah, the Dark Lord..." Some of the sect members who took the pills were still lying on the ground. High and incoherent from the effects of the pills. Which was perfect for Lin Fan. "Pills. I want more pills." Those lying on the ground suddenly stood up, screaming at the top of their lungs for pills. Lin Fan had used his Decurion Leader ability on them. This agitated the guards nearby. They drew out their swords and warned them to keep quiet. But it didn''t work. "I want pills! Give them to me now." They ran up to one of the guards, and the guard shed at the person nearest to him. "Argh!" The person fell, and the rest of them swarmed over the guard. "Let go of me! Help me, you idiot!" The guard shouted as he struggled to break free. The other guards went up and shed at the horde. "Pills. They have pills on them." One of the sect members found pills on the guard, turned, and showed them to the others. The rest of the sect members who were lying down stood up and joined in the frenzy. Even those in the living quarters came out and joined. As more joined and guards went down, they found more pills. The riot escted into a frenzy. "What do you think you are doing!" Guards quickly streamed down from the path. They were reinforcements sent to suppress the riot. A few momentster, Lin Fan saw that no more guards wereing down from the path. It was now or never. "Come, let''s make a move," Lin Fan said, and the three of them sneaked their way up the path. The coast was clear, and they reached the teau without encountering anyone. On the teau was a temple painted ck. Where stone lions would normally be ced, lotus statues stood instead. Something was burning bright inside the temple, giving it an orange glow. Lin Fan activated his Sound Memory. He could hear someone talking inside.@@novelbin@@ "What''s all themotion? Deal with it as soon as possible. Here''s the letter to Tan Kun. Don''t mess up, or you''d wish you were better off dead." "The guards are on it right now. I will make sure it is done." The Lotus Leader was talking to someone inside. Gallop. Soon after, the person left on his horse on the opposite side of the temple. Lin Fan thought for a moment. How could they get the letter without alerting the Dark Lotus sect? Themotion might die down at any moment, and time wasn''t on their side. When he looked at each other''s unfamiliar faces, he had a n. "Senior master brother, if you don''t mind, we might have to sacrifice the masks." "The masks?" Hun Yen Kun thought for a moment. These masks were gifts from an Artifact Master and hard toe by. He weighed the consequences and agreed. There''s always Qing Yan Zi he could pester for Artifacts when the need arises. "Sure, but what''s your n?" Hun Yen Kun asked. Lin Fan exined his n, and they nodded. All they could think of was that they were lucky to be on the same side as Lin Fan. Hun Yen Kun was impressed with Lin Fan''s resourcefulness and quick thinking again. What happened to Qing Yang Zi''s judgment? He''d really let a good one slip through his fingers. "Get ready and on my cue, one, two, and three." With the countdown, they got to work. Lin Fan ventured into the temple first, with Ho Ming and Hun Yen Kun following behind. When they got into the temple, they saw many bodies lined up. In the middle of the hall was a huge Alchemy Furnace. Ashes and the bright orange glow filled the main hall. The Lotus Leader, with the letter in his hand, was shocked when he saw them. "You three! I knew it. There was something fishy about you the moment I saw you." Chapter 128 Run! [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 150 vengeance points.] Surprisingly, the Lotus Leader was much more powerful than Lin Fan had expected. He lunged at Lin Fan with his palm. A ck glow engulfed his palm as it got nearer and nearer to Lin Fan. Dang! A metallic sound erupted. Out of nowhere, Lin Fan had a pair of hammers in his hands and banged them together.@@novelbin@@ Making it emit the sound. The sound felt like it drilled into the Lotus Leader''s temple, making his temple tight and he felt pain in his head. He quickly backed off, as he didn''t know what hit him. Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming, with fingers covering their ears, weren''t as affected. Seeing the effect, Lin Fan made a note to himself that this Eight Trigram Sound Wave stroke worked best when there were no allies around. Hun Yen Kun then took the chance and grabbed the letter off the Lotus Leader''s hand. "I got the letter, hold him back!" Hun Yen Kun shouted, turned, and ran out of the temple towards the path. The Lotus Leader wanted to chase, but Lin Fan with his hammers banged them together again. Dang! This time, blood started to flow down the side of the Lotus Leader''s lips. Ho Ming gave the Lotus Leader a kick on his knee. Thud. The impact made the Lotus Leader kneel down. Lin Fan then injected Qi into one of his hammers, and it glowed bright red. He then swiped the hammer at the Lotus Leader. A red glow in the form of a Ember Wolf leaped out of his hammer. It then lunged at the Lotus Leader, biting his arm. "Argh!" The Lotus Leader cried out in pain. He quickly used his palm to strike the Ember Wolf. The Ember Wolf disappeared when the palmnded on it. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire Before Lin Fan could bang his hammers together again, the Lotus Leader lunged at Lin Fan. Lin Fan blocked his palm strike and pretended to take a few steps back. "He is too strong for us, run!" Lin Fan said and ran out of the temple. Ho Ming also quickly followed suit. When Lin Fan and Ho Ming got out, Hun Yen Kun was already waiting for them. They quickly ran down the path with the Lotus Leader following close behind. "Stop them!" The Lotus Leader shouted as the guards looked on, trying to figure out what was happening. Some of the guards tried to stop them but were no match. When Lin Fan got to the tunnel, he nced over at Hun Yen Kun and Ho Ming. They nodded and grabbed two guards with them into the tunnel. By the time they reached the tunnel, they were back to their own looks and wore the ck robes of the guards. Beneath them on the ground were three men, looking like what they were with the masks on. One of the men was holding the letter in his hand. It looked as if the guards had perished together with the three of them. With that done, they leaped out of the well and got back into the streets of Hu Kou Town. When the Lotus Leader arrived, he checked on the three bodies, took back the letter, and looked around. He had doubts but chose to believe in what he saw. "Make sure no one knows what had happened tonight. Go and kill off every one of them." The Lotus Leadermanded. ¡­ On their way back, Ho Ming asked, "Lin Fan, are you sure it will work? The Lotus Leader will keep quiet about what had happened?" Lin Fan shrugged and replied, "It might, but it''s the best bet we got. The Lotus Leader thinking that we perished would want to keep mum. The Dark Lotus sect isn''t really kind orpassionate as I''ve remembered." "Don''t worry so much. This sessful mission calls for a poem," Hun Yen Kun said, but Lin Fan and Ho Ming shook their heads. "Hmph. Young men nowadays, not appreciating the arts," he stopped and grumbled to himself. "What''s in the letter though? Must be something important for Qing Yang Zi to give such a big reward." Lin Fan asked, and Hun Yen Kun couldn''t help but shake his head when he heard the words ''big reward''. He''d never seen Qing Yang Zi give out such a huge reward before. If Qing Yang Zi were around now, it would be a scene to behold when Qing Yang Zi realizes Lin Fan had negotiated for far more. "It''s about the Dark Lotus Sect''s n to attack Qing Feng Sect when thete spring hunt starts." Hun Yen Kun replied with what he saw in the letter. So, there''s more toe. Lin Fan thought. The Dark Lotus Sect was always cunning and proved hard to beat. This time, it has got to be something huge. ¡­ Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi was sitting in his seat as usual, the white glow blocking out eavesdroppers was already up. Hun Yen Kun, Lin Fan, and Ho Ming were there immediately when they came back to Qing Feng Sect. "First, the Emperor will ask for representatives to thete spring hunt. "There will be an ambush in thete spring hunt. "And at the same time, Skin Puppet Diao''s puppet army will attack Qing Feng Sect." Hun Yen Kun recounted what was written in the letter. It wasn''t great news, and Qing Yang Zi gave out a sigh. There were always more things to be done. He looked at Hun Yen Kun, feeling relieved in the fact that he could still count on him. Even though he behaved more like Zhao Qing Ying, carefree and entric. Cough. Lin Fan gave out a cough to catch Qing Yang Zi''s attention. "Sect master, about the reward..." Lin Fan bowed and said. Just when he was feeling relieved, Lin Fan brought him back to reality. Obviously, some disciples were in a league of their own. "Here are the five hundred contribution points." He threw three wooden bs towards Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Hun Yen Kun. Lin Fan caught the wooden b and kept it. Knowing what wasing, he needed the points to buff up his supplies of pills. "I will send the Spirit Level swords to Ho Mingter," Qing Yang Zi said before Lin Fan could ask again. Lin Fan nodded and smiled. Just when Qing Yang Zi thought it was over, Lin Fan pointed to Hun Yen Kun and said, "Senior martial brother lost three precious artifacts. It must have been hard on him..." Chapter 129 Preparations When Ho Ming got back to his room in Sword Peak, he pondered on the difference between himself and Lin Fan. He was always only able to chase behind Lin Fan. The mission wouldn''t have been sessfullypleted if not for Lin Fan''s quick thinking. Was he what his father had been saying all along? He thought. But after a few moments, he knew that wasn''t true. Everyone has their own trajectory in life. Some are born with silver spoons. Some are dealt the worst hand they could ever imagine. The only thing that matters was what they did with what they had. Lin Fan came back from near death and had even surpassed him in cultivation level. Ho Ming clenched his fist and vowed to catch up to Lin Fan. Ho Fu''s words pushing him hard reverberated in his mind. With his newfound determination, Ho Ming sat in lotus position and meditated. Time is of the essence. He was at Qi Concentration Level, stage nine. Just one stage short of trying to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Level. It didn''tst long as someone knocked on the door. Ho Ming sighed and said, "Come on in, the door isn''t locked." Creak. The wooden door creaked open, and Zhao Rui stood at the door. She had two swords in her hands. "These are your rewards; the sect master had asked me to hand them over to you personally." Zhao Rui said as she passed Ho Ming the swords. "This sword with its bright red des is made from special steel from a thousand-year-old fire pit. "It should work well with your Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique. "The other is made with the demonic beast core of the Wind Streak Lion. "It shall enhance the strokes of the Qing Feng Sword Style. "Both are Spirit Level weapons, much better than what you have right now." She exined the attributes of the swords to Ho Ming. "Thanks, senior martial sister. I''m afraid I might not be worthy of them," Ho Ming looked down and said. Zhao Rui shook her head, smiled and said, "Why the sudden loss in confidence? "You are doing way better than the others. "Look at you, already near the breakthrough point to Foundation Establishment Level." "But Lin Fan¡­" Ho Ming said. "Lin Fan is in a league of his own. I suggest you to stop doing that and realize how good you already are. Everyone has their own Dao." "Everyone has their own Dao¡­" Ho Ming repeated this sentence as he thought hard about it. Senior martial sister''s right! Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire I just need to find my own Dao. Ho Ming said silently to himself. Zhao Rui, seeing that he was deep in thought, left the room. ¡­ Lin Fan came back to the wooden hut and took stock of what he had. In his toad statue, he still had a Heavenly Genesis Pill, and some Blood and Qi Restoration Pills. He would have to replenish the Blood and Qi Restoration Pills for what was about to happen. Looking up into the sky, he saw that it was night for the ck market. I might be able to get some good bargains. He thought. So, he put on his mask and went to the ck market. The ck market was bustling as usual. Everyone was busy trading their manuscripts, artifacts, and pills. "Miss Rabbit, I haven''t seen you in a long time." Lin Fan said as he saw Zhang Xi in her Rabbit mask. "I have important matters to attend to, you know, unlike you." Zhang Xi said as she put her hands on her hips. "You mean like helping your friend run a whole peak?" "Yes, I''ve been¡­ Erm, my friend has been busy. What do you want?" Lin Fan looked at the wares she had in front of her. She mostly had Blood and Qi Restoration pills and some other artifacts. "I want all of your Blood and Qi Restoration Pills." Lin Fan said. "All of it?" Zhang Xi couldn''t believe herself when she heard it. She knew Lin Fan had lots of contribution points, but didn''t expect him to be so rich. "That''s ten bottles at twenty contribution points each, for a total of two hundred contribution points." "Two hundred contribution points? Deal." Lin Fan agreed to the price. At the official channels, it was going for thirty contribution points each. A bargain that was not to be missed. Zhang Xi was pleased with herself this time. Never try to negotiate with this man. Thest time she did so, she nearly had to call him ''Pa Pa''. But when Lin Fan handed her his wooden b, she regretted it when she saw the bnce. Five hundred contribution points. What in the world did he do to gain so many contribution points. Most disciples could only get thirty contribution points in a month. This Lin Fan was able to get more than they could in a year. "Done?" Lin Fan had to try and pull his wooden b away from her hands. Zhang Xi had to let go of it unwillingly. She could only console herself that Lin Fan, as the Physique Peak''s disciple, will help it to be prosperous again. ¡­ With the Blood and Qi Restoration Pills settled, Lin Fan went back to the wooden hut. Previously when he tried his Eight Trigram Beast Transform strike, he didn''t have enough Qi to sustain the projected beasts. Now that he is at the Foundation Establishment Level, it''s time for him to try again. He stood outside the open clearing in front of the wooden hut and took out his hammers. Focusing on his dantian, he directed his Qi into one of the hammers. The hammer glowed red, and Lin Fan swiped it at a tree trunk. An illuminated Ember Wolf leaped out of the hammer and lunged at the tree trunk. With its heat, the tree trunk got charred and the smell of burning wood filled the air. The Ember Wolf then bit on the tree trunk. Causing it to break and the tree fell. Sess. This time still with enough Qi left for four more strikes. The leap from Qi Concentration Level to Foundation Establishment Level was huge. Lin Fan then took a Blood and Qi Restoration pill and recovered his Qi.@@novelbin@@ After his Qi was fully replenished, he tried to practice the Eight Trigram Hammer Throw next. He directed his Qi to stick to the hammers and threw one of them. With the Qi he directed it to change direction mid-flight and went at the ground. Thud. The mud sttered all over as the hammer plunged deep into the ground. Sess again, but this time it took half of his Qi. So, he had better be careful with using this strike. Chapter 130 The Hunt Begins Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi, Zhao Qing Ying, and all the peak lords were seated in it. With a letter in his hand, Qing Yang Zi looked at the peak lords and said, "The Emperor wants us to send a delegate to histe Spring Hunt. He wants all the different sects to have some exchanges." Tan Kun stood up and said, "With all the other sects? Then we must send our best and not lose out to the other sects." "Hmph. Why are you so eager? That''s not like you." Zhao Qing Ying said. Qing Yang Zi turned and stared at Zhao Qing Ying. He couldn''t afford Zhao Qing Ying''s rashness to spoil his ns. "What''s your opinion on it?" Qing Yang Zi turned and asked the other peak lords. "We agree with the Alchemy Peak Lord. We should absolutely send our best for it." They replied in unison. "I shall leave the nomination to the individual peak lords. Zhao Qing Ying shall stay behind and be on the alert here." "What? I don''t want to stay here, it''s boring as hell." Zhao Qing Ying protested. But it was to no avail. With the best of the sect going for thete Spring Hunt, there must be someone powerful staying behind. "Don''t worry, senior martial uncle. I shall arrange for wine you like to be delivered to you." Tan Kun said when he heard Zhao Qing Ying''s grumbling. "Wine? That''s a deal then. Nothing beats being drunk all day." Zhao Qing Ying rubbed his reddened nose due to the alcohol and said. "You¡­" Qing Yang Zi shook his finger at Zhao Qing Ying but stopped. Tan Kun smirked when he saw it. It''s best you get drunk and never wake up again. He thought. With that, the peak lords went about picking the nominees to go to thete Spring Hunt. Sword Peak chose Hun Yen Kun, Ho Ming, and other disciples. As for the Physique Peak, Zhang Xi and Lin Fan were chosen. The rest of the peaks also chose their best among the disciples. ¡­ Lin Fan packed everything he could into his toad statue as usual. If he could, he also wanted to make use of the bracelets from Ning Na. But he had not finished up the snakes and poisonous creatures inside for his poison cultivation. The disciples gathered in the central square. Everyone was excited to be able to travel and bring glory for the sect. All of them except Lin Fan. He knew that they weren''t going on a spring trip and had to deal with the Dark Lotus Sect. "Ah, when springes, youth bring upon troubles." Hun Yen Kun came beside him and patted him on his back. "Plenty of troubles ahead indeed." Lin Fan replied. "Don''t worry. I''ll be watching out for all of you." Hun Yen Kun said and waved to the female disciples looking at him from a distance. They were all crying at the thought of not being able to see Hun Yen Kun for some time. "Maybe you are the troubles." Lin Fan replied. He realized that after knowing Hun Yen Kun, he had to deal with all the difficult missions. Not able to refute, Hun Yen Kun fanned himself with an awkward smile. "Lin Fan, I got the new swords." Ho Ming came over and showed Lin Fan his new swords. Ho Ming now knew what his Dao was, aplish what Ho Fu had intended for him. Work with Lin Fan to make the Ho Family prosperous.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan nodded and said, "Great. Now we have no fear of those with Mortal Level weapons." He could still remember how his hammers were overpowered by Tan Yuan''s Spirit Level weapon. This would certainly boost their chances of winning. Soon after, Qing Yang Zi appeared and gave a briefing to the disciples. He told them what the Emperor had installed for them. A tournament with the other sects. It was to enhance the rtionships between the sects. The winner of it all shall be rewarded with more resources for cultivation for the year. So, everyone should try their best to win and not make the sect lose out. ¡­ After travelling for a few days, the delegate from Qing Feng Sect finally arrived at the imperial hunting ground. The hunting ground was in a forested area with some open grasnd in between. Soldiers already set up lodgings and led everyone to their tents. Other than Qing Feng Sect, a few other sects had also arrived. There was the Storm Fist Thunder Sect, Low Qiang and his twin disciples were around. Yi Mei Sect with all the women disciples also arrived. Their disciples were all in fairy-like white robes and had beautiful faces. Disciples from the other sects were trying to get to know them. Much to the annoyance of their sect master, Mei Shuang. Everyone was going after her core disciple, Zhao Jia Rui. She was tall with fair skin and big round eyes. Her long ck hair flowing like a stream made the disciples swoon over her. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire In contrast was the western monastery with their all-male disciples. They stood quiet in silence, looking stern with their shaved heads. Out in the corner, Lin Fan saw Hu Tuo whom he met at Sima Family''s Secret Realm. Looks like a meeting with some old acquaintances. He thought. There were many other smaller sects that joined, but theyrgely kept to themselves. For the first night, nothing much happened as the Emperor hadn''t finished his hunt. Lin Fan in his tent with Ho Ming and Hun Yen Kun slept well. He''d tried to stay alert, but nothing happened. It was as if the Emperor really invited them for a fair fight. ¡­ Emperor''s Tent. Emperor Quan Shi was lying face down in his bed made of tiger fur. The fatigue from riding all day on the horse had made him tired. The concubine Li Fei sat on top of him and massaged his back. She got closer and kissed him on his neck. He responded in kind. Slowly, the Emperor''s mind was lost in the moment of lust. After the passionate kissing, she whispered in his ear, "Your majesty, I''ve arranged for help if you need to deal with the Qing Feng Sect." "Help? What do you need?" "I need your pass to let my men into the imperial hunting ground." "Go ahead. My tiger pass is on the table, take it." The Emperor just agreed as his mind wasn''t thinking much as he felt the softness pressed onto his back. "Thank you. Your majesty." Chapter 132 Di Tuo "Look, he kept his hammers." "Is he giving up already?" "Maybe he wants to stay alive." The spectators from the other sects couldn''t believe it when they saw Lin Fan keeping his hammers. But they were utterly wrong. Lin Fan knew his hammers couldn''t do much damage to Di Tuo. He seemed to have some sort of cultivation technique that could absorb his blows. His draw seemed so coincidental, for him to meet with someone that could take his damage. What they didn''t know was that Lin Fan had more up his sleeve. Di Tuo lunged at him again with his shoulder charge.@@novelbin@@ To everyone''s surprise, Lin Fan didn''t call for surrender but with his hands dug into Di Tuo''s shoulders. "Argh!" The Primordial Qi ws went in like a hot knife through butter. Di Tuo gave Lin Fan a side kick at his waist. Thud. Lin Fan''s waist was as hard as a steel wall. He was a Physique Cultivator! Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire It was toote for Di Tuo,ing into closebat with Lin Fan. The information he got was that Lin Fan primarily used hammers as weapons. That''s why he was chosen to match up with him. Now, it didn''t look like a great n. Lin Fan using his hands wed his way down from Di Tuo''s shoulder to his arm. This caused immense pain, and Di Tuo headbutted Lin Fan. Lin Fan stepped back and pulled out his ws from Di Tuo''s now mangled left hand. The tide was then turned as Lin Fan lunged at Di Tuo again. This time, Lin Fan wed at Di Tuo''s abdomen. It didn''t go in as expected. So, Lin Fan injected more of his Qi into his Primordial Qi ws. His hands glowed bright orange and finally dug deep into Di Tuo''s abdomen. "Damn you!" Di Tuo cursed as he swung his right arm at Lin Fan''s neck. He missed as Lin Fan leaped away again. Lin Fan stood and looked at Di Tuo. Letting his body automatically absorb the Qi from the surrounding and replenish his dantian. If he didn''t exhaust his Qi too much, he could go on with this tactic for a very long time. "Argh." Di Tuo panted and tried to catch his breath. He looked towards Long Kong, the West Monastery sect master. Long Kong, with his eyes half-opened as if meditating, nodded his head. Di Tuo then cried out loud. Soon after, a white glow of Qi engulfed Di Tuo. He also began to turn skinnier, losing all the fat that he had. Lin Fan recalled the West Monastery monks could give up their senses for power. Di Tuo must have given up one of his senses for it. Within a second, it was all over. Di Tuo with his eyes closed looked different. He was now muscr and lean. A golden glow exuded from him, making him look like a golden statue. Lin Fan took a step, and Di Tuo immediately came in with a punch. Thud. The punch hit Lin Fan''s chest, and he fell back with a step. Boom! Lin Fan leaped to the side and did a front kick to Di Tuo''s waist. Before Lin Fan could even raise his leg, Di Tuo already reacted and gave Lin Fan a front kick instead. Thud. It hit, but Lin Fan''s body and flesh were hardened from his Physique Cultivation. The rebound from the force caused Di Tuo to step a few steps back. Lin Fan, noticing that Di Tuo had his eyes closed, figured that he must have sacrificed his sight for faster responses through hearing. If it''s hearing, I had the strike just for that, Lin Fan thought. He took out his hammers again. This time he raised his hammers and banged them together. Dang! It emitted a loud sound, piercing into Di Tuo''s ears. Causing him to kneel down. His enhanced hearing amplified what the Eight Trigram Sound Wave could do. "What''s happening?" "Why is Di Tuo on the ground?" "Is he suddenly having a headache?" The spectators didn''t know what had happened as the sound wave was blocked by the formation array. If it wasn''t, the Emperor would be having a splitting headache from it. Lin Fan didn''t let Di Tuo have time to recuperate. He banged his hammers together again. Dang! The pain was unbearable as Di Tuo tried to use his hands to cover his ears. It didn''t work. So, Di Tuo made another decision. Giving up his sense of hearing. Whoosh. Lin Fan smashed his hammer at Di Tuo''s head, but the white glow appeared and blocked his hammers. The next moment, Di Tuo''s hands grabbed onto Lin Fan''s hammer. Di Tuo was now two timesrger with his muscr mass increased. Dang. Lin Fan with his other hammer quickly swiped onto Di Tuo''s head. It hit, and Di Tuo''s mind went nk for a second. The effect of the oblivion steel. Lin Fan took the chance and got Di Tuo''s hand off his hammer. He then injected Qi into both of his hammers. A red glow and blue glow appeared on each of the hammers. The next moment, Lin Fan swiped the hammers at Di Tuo. An illuminated Ember Wolf came out from the hammer and lunged at Di Tuo''s neck. From the other hammer, an illuminated Frost Fang Ice Tiger lunged at Di Tuo''s legs. Stter. Blood oozed out from Di Tuo''s neck when the Ember Wolf bit into it. The Frost Fang Ice Tiger also caused Di Tuo''s legs to freeze from its cold. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 200.] [Current Vengeance Points: 930] The spectators went silent when they saw what happened. "The Lai brothers were right." "He is definitely someone to be wary of." "Who was the one that told me he was a filler." They started to believe what the Lai brothers had said earlier. Lin Fan did really beat them as a menial disciple. After witnessing Lin Fan''s capabilities, Zhao Jia Rui was now more interested in him. Her fellow martial sisters were also mesmerized by Lin Fan''s performance. Much to the dismay of Zhao Jia Rui''s suitors. Even though they now knew Lin Fan''s strength, it was still not to be for them. "Match End. I dere Lin Fan from Qing Feng sect, winner," the judge dered. "Qing Yang Zi, you''ve done well. Bringing up such a talented disciple." The Emperor raised his wine cup and proposed a toast. Qing Yang Zi quickly returned the favor and bottomed up. He can''t make any mistakes now. "Your majesty, I too do look forward to such exciting matches with the Qing Feng sect." Concubine Li Fei chimed in with a smile, looking far away at some men in ck robes entering the hunting ground. Chapter 133 Ho Ming The next match was Ho Ming against the Lightning Kick Sect''s disciple, Luo, at Foundation Establishment Level. Although Ho Ming at Qi Concentration Level, Stage Nine, was near Foundation Establishment Level, he was still disadvantaged. "Do you need Blood and Qi Restoration pills? I''ve got plenty," Lin Fan went over and asked. He feared Ho Ming might not be able to handle the opponent. Ho Ming shook his head and said, "I think you''ve forgotten I''m richer than you are." He then revealed inside his robe the bottles of Blood and Qi Restoration pills he had. "I see you''ve learned from the best," Lin Fan patted Ho Ming on his shoulder. Ho Ming then went into the arena. As someone new, the spectators looked on curiously. What was this Qing Feng Sect disciple doing with two swords? Could it be that he had the Double Sword Cultivation Root? His opponent Luo wore a nice-looking silk robe and had a lot of jewelry on him. He smirked when he saw Ho Ming''s young looks. Must be an inexperienced disciple for him to defeat. When both were in ce, the judge shouted, "On my count: one, two and three. Start!" The next moment, Ho Ming drew out both of his swords and made the sun reflect into Luo''s eyes. "You!" Luo cursed as he was blinded for a moment. Ho Ming then thrust the sword in his right hand toward Luo. A gust of twirling wind shot at Luo, bringing up dirt from the ground, leaving a trail as it approached Luo. By this time, Luo could already see, and he ducked by rolling to Ho Ming''s right. Whoosh. The twirling wind missed and only managed to cut pieces of cloth from Luo''s robe. Luo stood up and looked at his torn sleeve. "Damn you! This robe cost more than your lowly life!" He lunged at Ho Ming. Boom! Dirt flew all over from where Luo was standing. And the next moment he was in front of Ho Ming. Thud.@@novelbin@@ Luo kicked at Ho Ming''s knee, trying to bring him to the ground. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire With his left sword, Ho Ming plunged it into the ground to support himself. His right hand shed at Luo, stopping his advances. Luo jumped back as Ho Ming''s sword came at his face. But it was a close call; a few strands of hair slowly fell to the ground. Ho Ming''s shes had sliced off a few strands of hair from Luo. This angered Luo again. Luo then gave out a loud cry, and his legs glowed bright blue. The Lightning Kick Technique. Thud. With a shimmer like blue lightning, Luo was too fast for Ho Ming, and his kick at Ho Ming''s chestnded. "Argh!" Ho Ming spat out blood as he flew a few meters away due to the impact. When Ho Ming looked up, all he could see was a shimmer of blue lighting toward him. This time Luo''s feet came closer and closer as they hit Ho Ming''s head. Ho Ming quickly shed out an X strike, forcing Luo to dodge. This bought him some time, and he quickly took out and swallowed a Blood and Qi Restoration pill. The effect was immediate; his Qi restored, and his chest didn''t feel so painful anymore. "Blood and Qi Restoration Pill, huh? Let''s see how many you''ve got to withstand all my blows." Luo said as he saw Ho Ming taking the pill. He lunged at Ho Ming with his Lightning Kick again. But Ho Ming was ready this time; with his left sword, he shed it onto the ground. Boom! An explosion ensued, and it radiated toward Luo. Luo, being caught in the explosion, tumbled away, leaving a trail on the dirt ground. The Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique. When Luo stood up, he looked at his now-tattered silk robe covered with dirt and his jewelry broken into pieces. This made him clench his fist and grind his teeth in anger. "Let''s see if you can execute the strike again!" Luo pointed and shouted at Ho Ming. Ho Ming at Qi Concentration Level couldn''t have enough Qi to execute it one more time. To his surprise, Ho Ming took out another Blood and Qi Restoration pill again. This time the spectators had a glimpse of how many bottles of pills he had on him. "Who is this guy?" "Why would anyone have so many pills on them?" "Sigh. We don''t have so many because we can''t afford them." "This guy however..." The spectators were jealous that Ho Ming had such luxury. It would take them a month of missions to earn enough to buy a bottle of pills. "You..." Luo was lost for words as his finger shook at Ho Ming. Ho Ming smiled and with his left sword shed onto the ground again. Boom! An explosion ensued, sending dirt flying at Luo. Luo quickly leaped and dodged to the right. But this time Ho Ming was waiting for him to do that. He thrust his right sword in anticipation. The Twirling Wind Strike caught Luo, drilling itself into his chest, sending bits of his silk robes flying into the air. "Argh!" Luo coughed out blood and fell to the ground. He quickly raised his hands and shouted, "I give up!" He wasn''t going to risk his life like Di Tuo. Who would give up his luxurious life for a win? Luo thought. So much for the information that he had gotten that Ho Ming would be a pushover with his speed. "I dere the winner, Ho Ming from Qing Feng sect!" the judge shouted. Everyone from Qing Feng sect cheered. Lin Fan nodded at Ho Ming''s excellent performance. And Ho Ming smiled back. Happy with himself that his performance didn''t drag Lin Fan down. "He really is a Double Sword Cultivation Root." "Qing Feng Sect has been keeping mum about such young talents." "That''s such a rare talent though." The spectators started to discuss Ho Ming''s cultivation root. They''d witnessed the advantage of being able to wield two swords using different techniques at the same time. "Qing Yang Zi, what a performance from your disciples, being so much better than the other sects," the Emperor said as he raised another toast to Qing Yang Zi. "It couldn''t be done without the support of your majesty," Qing Yang Zi replied and bottomed up again. "Your majesty, Qing Feng sect is indeed powerful," Concubine Li Fei said as she held onto the Emperor''s hand. "My concubine, what do you mean? They are the best in Quan Dynasty." the Emperor replied. This was why he loved the concubine, able to chime in at the right moment. Chapter 134 Dark Envoys Plan Right now, it was two wins for Qing Feng sect. The results were definitely not exactly what the Emperor had expected. The other sects were an utter disappointment. Even after giving them information about their opponents beforehand, they still couldn''t beat Qing Feng Sect. When the other matches went on and none had more than a win, the Emperor decided to call it a day.@@novelbin@@ "Let''s rest for the day. I think the other sects have lots to catch up with Qing Feng Sect." The Emperor suggested; he was not interested in seeing the matches go on. He had only wanted Qing Feng sect to lose. "What''s the rest of the matchups left?" the Emperor asked the Eunuch beside him. The Eunuch quickly replied, "There''s Zhang Xi and Hun Yen Kun from Qing Feng Sect going against Storm Fist Thunder sect disciples, Lai Ming and Ma Rong. "Only Qing Feng and Storm Fist Thunder sect have won two matches; whoever wins both matches tomorrow wins the tournament." "Good, I''ll leave the arrangements to you," the Emperor said and left his seat. The eunuch bowed and blinked his eyes at the other sect masters. There was work to be done over the night. ¡­ Nightfall. In the tent where everyone had dinner, a roastedmb was served. It was roasted to perfection, just oily enough with its crispy skin and the tender meat inside. Lin Fan and Ho Ming feasted on themb meat quietly. He was sure that something was about to happen. They must have stopped the match for something sinister. He looked at Hun Yen Kun who was drinking and chatting with the disciples from Yi Mei Sect. They wereughing and having a good time at his jokes. Zhang Xi, on the other hand, was enjoying her meal in her seat. Suddenly, men in ck robes came into the tent. Lin Fan got cautious as he''d never seen them before in the hunting grounds. Each of them came in with a te of delicacy in their hands. The leader of the men bowed and said, "This is a treat from the concubine, as appreciation for your efforts. The eunuchs from the Emperor''s court have tested them for poison, so eat to your heart''s content." An eunuch standing beside nodded his head. The other disciples nodded and said, "Thanks to her highness." When one of the men ced the te in front of Lin Fan, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 20 vengeance points.] Lin Fan quickly stopped Ho Ming and Zhang Xi from consuming the food. He also gave a nce to Hun Yen Kun, trying to stop him. Hun Yen Kun got the cue and walked back to sit with Lin Fan. Much to the dismay of Yi Mei sect''s disciples. "So, it''s good old poison, huh?" Hun Yen Kun whispered to Lin Fan as he stirred the food in front of him. "Might be; we never know with the Dark Lotus Sect," Lin Fan replied. The man in the ck robe wasn''t pleased as he saw them not taking the food. He stepped forward and asked, "Why aren''t you eating? The concubine wouldn''t be pleased if you didn''t like it. "The rest are enjoying it; even the soldiers already had it." When Lin Fan heard it, he knew it meant disaster. "Don''t worry, I know you are hungry; here, take all of our share." The man in the ck robe wanted to persist on Lin Fan having the food but he couldn''t. Someone had taken control of his body. He tried to struggle but couldn''t, not even able to move his eyelids with his will. Somehow, he involuntarily took the te of food and gulped it down. Lin Fan had used the Decurion Leader ability on him. "You..." The man in the ck robe pointed at Lin Fan but couldn''tsh out. He wouldn''t want to blow their cover. Seeing that only Lin Fan, Ho Ming, Zhang Xi, and Hun Yen Kun didn''t consume the food, he gave up and left with the others. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire Just a few of them not taking the poison shouldn''t disrupt the Dark Lord''s n, he thought. Surprisingly, those that took the food from the Concubine were normal after that. All of them were still praising the deliciousness of the food. When they saw Lin Fan letting the man eat the food, they shook their head and thought it was such a waste. "Xi er. Let''s rest early for our match tomorrow," Hun Yen Kun fanned himself as he said. "Yes, senior martial brother. We better be on the alert." Zhang Xi also knew there was something going on. "Me and Ho Ming will stay on guard for the night, in case of any emergencies," Lin Fan said. ¡­ Storm Fist Thunder Sect Tent. The eunuch was in the tent meeting with Low Qiang. He was sitting down sipping tea from his teacup. Low Qiang stood up, bowed and greeted him as the eunuch was closest to the Emperor. "His majesty has been appreciative of your contributions all along. "As a reward for that, here are two rare Nine Turn Qi Concentration pills for your disciples. "They would help them gain power to the next level. Use them at the appropriate time," The eunuch said. "Long live the majesty," Low Qiang thanked the majesty and gave the eunuch a tael of silver. The eunuch quickly took the silver and hid it in his sleeve, and said, "Continue the good work and I''ll put in a few good words to his majesty." "I will; let me send you out," Low Qiang said as he took the bottle of pills from the eunuch. ¡­ Emperor''s tent. The concubine was having a hot bath in a bathtub getting ready for the night. She was enjoying the warmth from the water, mixed with a perfume mix made from spices. The steam from the water made her face soft and tender. Suddenly, she felt the hair on her back stand up. Someone or a presence hade into the tent. She looked around and out in the corner, a man in ck robe appeared. It was a messenger from the Dark Envoy. She gave out a sigh of relief when she saw it was just a messenger. "You scared me there. Next time don''t do it again." "I don''t have much time. The Dark Envoy asked if everything had been done ording to n," the messenger said. This was the Dark Envoy''sst chance, and he had to make sure it was sessful. Whatever tournament was just a decoy to his ns. Chapter 135 Pesky Physique Cultivators Next day. In the sparring area. All the disciples were seated on the bench, eager to watch the remaining two matches. As expected, it was between Qing Feng sect and Storm Fist Thunder sect. Whoever won both matches would be the winner and get to be allocated more resources. The Emperor and the concubine sat side by side at the stage as usual. Sect masters and the peak lords sat beside them on both sides. While everyone''s focus was on thebatants entering the sparring area, Li Fei stole a nce at Tan Kun and nodded to him. She then turned to Emperor Quan Shi and said, "Your majesty, I''ve prepared some incense to keep everyone refreshed. Would it be all right to ask my helpers to ce them around the spectators?" "Li Fei, you are so caring of my subjects." The Emperor smiled and turned to the eunuch beside him. "You go and test if the incense is safe, if it is, let them bring it out." "Yes, your majesty," the eunuch bowed and quickly went to work. ¡­ The first match was Zhang Xi against Lai Ming, one of the twin brothers.@@novelbin@@ Both were Foundation Establishment Level, so everyone anticipated it to be an even match. Zhang Xi stood in a forward stance with her right hand in front of her. Cracking his knuckles, Lai Ming vowed to defeat Zhang Xi this time. He closed his fingers and shaped his hands like a crane''s head. "Match begins on my count, one, two and three! Begin!" The judge shouted and began the match. Zhang Xi lunged at Lai Ming with a punch to his head. Boom. Her fist was so fast it created a sonic boom. Lai Ming''s hair flew back from the gust of wind from the fist. He quickly used his crane strike, lifted his hand, and hit Zhang Xi''s wrist. This made Zhang Xi''s punch miss his head by an inch, only able to slice Lai Ming''s cheek open with a cut. Zhang Xi followed with an uppercut with her left hand towards Lai Ming''s chin. Thud. Lai Ming used his other hand and pecked at Zhang Xi''s neck. To his surprise, Zhang Xi didn''t block and took the hit. But it did not do any damage as her skin was tough as steel. He then saw Zhang Xi''s punching closer and closer. Bam! It hit his chin and sent him flying up into the air. Zhang Xi then gave him a forward kick. Thud. The kick hit as Lai Ming had no way to dodge and sent him tumbling across the dirt ground. "Uncouth." "Didn''t expect such a fight without any technicalities." "What did you expect from Physique Cultivators?" The spectators weren''t impressed with what they saw from Zhang Xi. In their minds, that was just brute force making use of the fact that Physique Cultivators could withstand blows. Where was the beauty and Dao in all of that? Cough! Lai Ming coughed out blood and it sttered onto the ground. He wiped his mouth and stood up. After thinking for a few moments, he opened his robe, revealing a metallic contraption on his chest. He punched hard on the middle of the contraption, making it give out a whirling sound. Tack. Tack. Thirteen sounds could be heard. Lai Ming cried out and his Qi suddenly flowed outward, making his body glow. His cultivation level seemed to have gone to the next level in an instant. The Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike! Zhang Xi figured the contraption on his chest must have some mechanics on the back to perform the Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike. The Storm Fist Thunder sect hade up with it to neutralize the downside of the twins needing to be together to perform the Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike. But she had no time to ponder. The only way for her now was to wait until the Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike was gone. Thud. Lai Ming lunged at Zhang Xi, and he was in front of her in the blink of an eye. His speed was two times faster now. With his crane strike, now glowing white with Qi engulfing his hand, he pecked onto her shoulder, and this time it went into her flesh. Zhang Xi endured the pain, twisted her body, and gave Lai Ming a roundhouse kick on the back of his head. Thud. It made Lai Ming stunned for a moment, enough for her to jump away from him to safety. This gave her time to recuperate. Her wounds slowly sealed up within thirty seconds. "Hmph. Physique Cultivators, that is just like cheating." "If I didn''t know better, I would think of them as dark cultivators." "Heard they couldn''t get any disciples and had to get a menial disciple as a desperate measure." When Zhang Xi heard the murmurs of the crowd, she felt anger. She thought about all the sacrifices and training they had to go through as Physique Cultivators. Enduring pain that would otherwise be impossible for others. She''d witnessed how many seniors before her had died in pursuit of Physique Cultivation. And for them to be disparaged like this made her angry. Lin Fan looked on and was rooting for Zhang Xi. He knew exactly what it felt like. Lai Ming, seeing that Zhang Xi''s wound had recovered, lunged at her again. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire With both of his handsing down at her, a white glow in the form of two cranes shot at Zhang Xi. The cranes gave an oppressive aura to her, and she couldn''t move. "Argh." She took the blow on her shoulders, and it hit her acupoint, rendering her hands useless. She used her legs and kicked Lai Ming''s chest, trying to get him away. Thud. It hit, but he only took a few steps back. Zhang Xi quickly used her Qi to try and break through the lock on her acupoints. She was nearly done when Lai Ming came at her again. This time Lai Ming pecked at her neck. Thud! She had no choice but to take it on. With Lai Ming''s hand at her neck, she made use of it to jump up and gave him a drop kick. The force allowed her to get far away from Lai Ming. A trail of blood dripped onto the ground as she stopped on the edge of the sparring area. Disciples from Yi Mei sect clenched their hands to their chests. They couldn''t bear to look at how Zhang Xi was with damage to her neck. Cough. Zhang Xi started to use all her Qi and let her neck regenerate. Lai Ming wasn''t looking too good as well. The effects of the Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike were starting to wear off. Chapter 136 Zhang Xi As Zhang Xi took every breath to try and regenerate her neck, it took Yi Mei''s disciples'' heartbeats with it. She slowly slumped to the ground as her Qi got used up. "Xi er, give up if you must. We are here not to win the tournament." Qing Yang Zi''s voice came into Zhang Xi''s mind. Zhang Xi looked in his direction and shook her head. She had wanted to prove herself and the Physique Peak. When she looked at Lai Ming, he was panting and couldn''t move. That was the price to pay for the Thirteen Ghost Acupoint Strike. You would be without Qi and strength when it wore off. Zhang Xi quickly took out a bottle of pills and took one. Her Qi immediately recovered, and her wound closed fully. Blood and Qi Restoration Pills again. The spectators started to think of Qing Feng sect disciples as being loaded with expensive pills. What they didn''t know was that Lin Fan was the one who had started it all. Zhang Xi then walked over to Lai Ming. When she got closer, Lai Ming reached for his sleeve. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire But he hesitated. He looked at Low Qiang, who was furious with his hesitation, and then over to Lin Fan. When he saw Lin Fan, he was reminded of what Lin Fan had told him. Some things aren''t worth giving up for. Lai Ming still knew what honor meant. It was beneath him to take the Nine Turn Qi Concentration Pill. "I give up," Lai Ming raised his hands and said. "I dere the winner for this match to be Zhang Xi from Qing Feng sect!" the judge shouted. All the Yi Mei disciples stood up and cheered for Zhang Xi. They''d witnessed what it meant to be a Physique Cultivator. The other spectators kept quiet at the result. It was as if they had taken a huge p to their faces with Zhang Xi''s win. Lin Fan smirked as he saw their reactions. Nothing was as satisfying as being proven right over and over again. Low Qiang fumed and ordered Lai Ming to be sent to a secluded cell when they got back. The eunuch beside the Emperor in turn stared at Low Qiang. What an imbecile. He couldn''t even execute such simple instructions. "Qing Yang Zi, your female disciple is as good as the man. Well done," the Emperor said. "Your majesty, I could learn and be as good as her," Li Fei said with a wink and nudged the Emperor. Emperor Quan Shiughed out loud.@@novelbin@@ "Xi er is young and one of our best. I promise you she will do her best to serve your majesty," Qing Yang Zi bowed and replied. "Don''t worry, Qing Yang Zi. Li Fei here can''t stand the tough training, and I can''t bear her missing even a strand of hair," the Emperor said and instructed the match to go on. The next match would be crucial. If the Storm Fist Thunder Sect won, then it would be a tie for another match. But if Qing Feng sect won, then Qing Feng sect would win the tournament. ... Hun Yen Kun versus Ma Rong was up next. Both of them were at Core Formation Level. In his usual schrly outfit, Hun Yen Kun''s face was unusually stern. He was mad at Zhang Xi being bullied by the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. All the beauty in this world should be protected. Ma Rong was the opposite image of Hun Yen Kun. With a ck bushy beard on his face, strong and muscr with tattoos all over him. The Yi Mei disciples cheered for him as he entered the sparring area. "Senior martial brother, we are rooting for you!" "Look, he is so different when he is serious!" "That''s what a man should be like, knows when to be serious and when to be jovial!" Ma Rong spat on the ground as he heard what the Yi Mei disciples said. Blind fools. They must have foolishly believed his sweet tongue, Ma Rong thought. "Match starts on my count, one, two and three. Begin!" The judge shouted and started the match. Ma Rong couldn''t wait to get a piece of this frail schr. He clenched his hand into a fist and a blue glow engulfed his hands. The Storm Fist Thunder Technique. Boom! Ma Rong lunged at Hun Yen Kun. But he was stopped as Hun Yen Kun flicked, and his fan turned into a sword. The appearance of the sword pointed urately at Ma Rong''s neck. Ma Rong then punched onto the ground, causing an explosion. Boom. Hun Yen Kun leaped back and thrust his sword at Ma Rong at the same time. The twirling wind shot at Ma Rong''s arm, and he just punched at it. Ma Rong''s glowing punch took on the twirling wind as it tried to drill itself into his fist. But it was to no avail. Bang. With a loud bang, the twirling wind disappeared as Ma Rong''s glowing punch went through it. Ma Rong took advantage of this chance, put both of his fists in front of him and lunged at Hun Yen Kun as he twirled. It was like a human version of the twirling wind strike. But Ma Rong''s fists gave out crackling lightning as he spun toward Hun Yen Kun. sh. Hun Yen Kun shed in the form of X with the cross strike. The ensuing slicing wave shot at Ma Rong. They disappeared as they came into contact with Ma Rong''s crackling lightning. Hun Yen Kun then quickly jumped to the side, trying to dodge Ma Rong. Thud. Some of the lightning caught Hun Yen Kun''s waist, and it ripped his robe into pieces there. His waist got burned and charred from the lightning. Ma Rong seemed to be on another level from Hun Yen Kun. Got to deal with him from far, Hun Yen Kun thought. The next moment, Hun Yen Kun leaped far away from Ma Rong. He thrust his sword with the Twirling Wind Strike again. Ma Rong smirked and lunged with his spinning attack at the Twirling Wind Strike. This time Hun Yen Kun was ready. He immediately jumped to the side and sent a slicing wave at Ma Rong. With his side exposed, the slicing wave sliced into Ma Rong''s waist. Making him fall to the ground. Plop. Blood dripped onto the ground. Ma Rong used his Qi to try and seal the wound. But he could only make it regenerate a little. He was no Physique Cultivator after all. "Damn you!" Ma Rong shouted as he used his Qi and filled up his arm with rings of twirling Qi that glowed white. Chapter 137 The Pill Ma Rong punched at Hun Yen Kun with his right hand. One of the twirling Qi, shaped like an O on his arm, shot out at Hun Yen Kun. Thud. The twirling Qi hit the wall of the formation array, and an explosion ensued. Hun Yen Kun had sidestepped and dodged the twirling Qi. But he didn''t have time for a breather; the next twirling Qi was already on its way. This time Hun Yen Kun rolled on the ground. Thud. Dirt on the ground flew up into the air when the twirling Qi hit. Ma Rong started to aim at the ground. Hun Yen Kun made use of the advantage with his legs bent on the ground and lunged at Ma Rong. The sudden change of direction surprised Ma Rong, and Hun Yen Kun got in front of him in a split second. sh. Hun Yen Kun thrust his sword at Ma Rong''s neck. Seeing the tip of Hun Yen Kun''s sword getting closer and closer, Ma Rong quickly raised his arm and blocked with the twirling Qi. Suddenly, Hun Yen Kun flicked his wrist, and his sword turned back into his fan, and he thrust his fan into Ma Rong''s abdomen instead. "Argh." A twirling wind shot at Ma Rong''s abdomen, drilling into it. Ma Rong cried out in pain and brought both his hands down, hammering them onto Hun Yen Kun''s head. Whoosh. Hun Yen Kun sidestepped and got to Ma Rong''s side, and with a flick of his hand, his fan turned into a sword again. This time, Hun Yen Kun aimed for Ma Rong''s wound on his waist. Stter. Blood dripped from Hun Yen Kun''s de as the sword plunged into Ma Rong''s waist. Readtest stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Get away from me!" Ma Rong shouted in agony, endured the pain, turned and gave Hun Yen Kun an elbow to his head. Hun Yen Kun leaped away as his schr''s hat flew away, due to the impact from Ma Rong''s elbow. "Aww. He looks better without his hat." "I hope he can finish off this brute." "All that style from him. I''m mesmerized." Disciples from Yi Mei sect looked on at Hun Yen Kun with admiration. Some even had their hands on their faces to cover their blushed cheeks. When Ma Rong heard it, it made him mad. He covered his waist with one hand to try to stop the bleeding. Then he nced over at Low Qiang. With a nod, Low Qiang gave him the go-ahead. After seeing what happened to Lai Ming, he didn''t dare to go against Low Qiang''s order. He took out the bottle of pills that he had been given and opened the stopper. An intense putrid smell quickly filled the air.@@novelbin@@ Ma Rong wanted to puke but endured it and took out the pill inside. Whoosh. A twirling wind strike came at Ma Rong''s hand. Hun Yen Kun had to stop him. He knew what would happen if Ma Rong took the pill. Thud. It hit and the pill flew up into the air. Ma Rong looked up, leaped and tried to grab it. Following closely behind was Hun Yen Kun. He lunged at Ma Rong with his sword aimed at Ma Rong''s hand. Ma Rong didn''t bother and let the sword plunge through his wrist. But by this time the pill was in Ma Rong''s hand. He threw the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. Boom! Immediately, Ma Rong''s Qi increased exponentially. It radiated out and the shockwave made Hun Yen Kun plunge into the dirt ground. Thud. "Argh." Hun Yen Kun''s body was half in the ground, as the impact was so great it created a ditch. Taking a deep breath, Hun Yen Kun held his sword to his face and began to direct all of his Qi to it. A hurricane slowly built up with Hun Yen Kun as the center of it. The Hurricane Strike from Qing Feng sword style. It would use up most of the cultivator''s Qi, and hence it''s not used except for the most dire situations. Ma Rong smirked as a dark glow engulfed him. The dark glow grewrger andrger. Finally, it was twice Ma Rong''s size and Ma Rong lunged at Hun Yen Kun. He straightened his hand and with his fist in front he spun at the hurricane. Hun Yen Kun thrust his sword at Ma Rong and the hurricane went at him. Thud. Thud. Thud. Ma Rong met with some resistance and the hurricane wasn''t able to get through the dark glow. Everyone among the spectators held their breath as they anticipated who would win this encounter. Slowly the hurricane became weaker but Ma Rong was still going strong as he finally broke through the hurricane. When he came close to Hun Yen Kun, he smirked and was d that he could now inflict some pain on him. To his surprise, Hun Yen Kun shook his head and leaped out of the formation array. "I give up," Hun Yen Kun said as he raised his hand. They weren''t here for the win at the tournament. No point for him to win the battle and lose the war. The fight was against what the Dark Lord was up to. And he had ns for Lin Fan. What would be better than making Lin Fan famous with him winning the deciding match? "I dere the Storm Fist Thunder sect won. Hun Yen Kun gave up on the match," the Judge shouted and dered the result. The disciples from Yi Mei sect were now in agony. How could their handsome and talented senior martial brother lose? Hun Yen Kun waved at them, tidied his hair and took some pills to recuperate. "Did you see that? How he flicked his hair back!" The disciples from Yi Mei sect went crazy over Hun Yen Kun''s gesture. The Emperor on the stage was just as happy. A tie, and if Storm Fist Thunder Sect wins the final match, he would be able to weaken Qing Feng Sect considerably. "Your majesty, that pill looked familiar. We came across it when we were going after the Dark Lotus sect. I wonder how the Storm Fist Thunder Sect came to have it." Qing Yang Zi stroked his long beard as he spoke. Low Qiang stood up and pointed at Qing Yang Zi, "What are you insinuating? Your disciples used pills too." "Qing Yang Zi, I believe it must have been a misunderstanding. Let''s get on with the final match." The Emperor motioned for Low Qiang to sit down and be calm, oblivious to what had happened in the background. "Please nominate your nextpetitors and we shall begin." Chapter 138 Jiu Shu Qing Yang Zi nced over at Hun Yen Kun. Without hesitation, Hun Yen Kun pointed at Lin Fan. He was the best candidate for the deciding match. Zhang Xi and Ho Ming needed to conserve their Qi for what was toe. "Your majesty, I nominate Lin Fan as ourpetitor for the final match." Qing Yang Zi turned and replied to the Emperor. Low Qiang quickly followed up and said, "Your majesty, our nomination is Jiu Shu." "Great, then let''s begin. I can''t wait to know the oue." The Emperor motioned for the chief eunuch to arrange for the final match. Everyone in the spectators was surprised when they heard Lin Fan nominated as the candidate. To think that a day ago, they thought he was just a nobody. And now before their eyes, the Qing Feng sect was making their bet on Lin Fan. The other sect masters took note of Lin Fan''s name; if he won, they''d better pay attention to him in the future. Lin Fan, however, was excited for other reasons. He was eager to earn more vengeance points, and he had a lot of anger to vent on the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. No one would walk away without paying a price for inflicting pain on his senior martial sister, Zhang Xi. Ho Ming and Zhang Xi came up to Lin Fan, asking whether he needed anything. He shook his head and took a nce at Zhang Xi''s neck. Even though it was fully recovered now, blood stains on her robe could still be seen. "As Mr. Wolf''s friend, I shall make sure they pay for bullying Miss Rabbit''s friend." Lin Fan said as he headed for the sparring area. Zhang Xi looked on at his back, realizing how much Lin Fan had grown since he joined the Physique Peak. "Final match. Whoever wins shall win the tournament!" the Judge shouted. The spectators watched with anticipation. They knew what it meant to win the tournament. All the resources that the winner would get would decide how powerful a sect bes. Some bit their lips as it was too much for them to bear as they looked on. Silence ensued. Screech. An eagle soared across the sky as it went hunting for prey. When Lin Fan stepped into the sparring area, his opponent was already there. Jiu Shu was at Core Formation Level. He was a middle-aged man in bright yellow robes and had a Peach wood sword in his hand. His eyebrows had curiously grown and merged like a horizontal line above his eyes. Lin Fan was perturbed as he didn''t look like someone from Storm Fist Thunder Sect. No matter. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire He would make him pay. When Jiu Shu stared at Lin Fan, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 230 vengeance points.] "Match begins on my count: one, two and three! Begin!" the judge shouted. Lin Fan wasted no time and took out his hammers from the toad statue. Dang! He banged the hammers together. Jiu Shu shook his head vigorously, trying to get the pain out of his head. The very next moment, Lin Fan was in front of him, and all Jiu Shu could hear was a loud muted thud as Lin Fan''s hammer went at his neck. "Argh." The blow made Jiu Shu tumble on the ground, kicking up the dirt as he went by. Not letting him get up, Lin Fan lunged at Jiu Shu and swung his hammers down onto him. Jiu Shu quickly kicked at Lin Fan''s legs and made use of the rebounding force to slide away. Boom. A small pit appeared under Lin Fan''s hammers. The force from his strike was huge enough to do that. The spectators couldn''t believe what they saw. It was a one-sided match, and Jiu Shu seemed to not have any way to retaliate. Not letting Lin Fan follow up, Jiu Shu quickly stood up, bit his finger, and wiped his blood onto his Peach Wood Sword. The Peach Wood Sword glowed bright red, making Jiu Shu''s face look like a red devil. It must be a precious artifact, Lin Fan thought. Lin Fan lunged at Jiu Shu again, swinging his hammers at Jiu Shu''s neck again. Dang. To Lin Fan''s surprise, Jiu Shu blocked with his Peach Wood Sword, with one hand on the handle and the other on the tip of the sword. The sword bent but didn''t break. Jiu Shu pushed with his palm on the sword, and it rebounded back into a straight sword. The force was enough to push Lin Fan back a step.@@novelbin@@ sh. Jiu Shu then shed at Lin Fan''s wrist, trying to make him drop his hammers. Stter. Lin Fan didn''t even dodge, used one of his hammers and hit Jiu Shu on his head. Dang! The impact sent Lin Fan''s Qi into Jiu Shu''s head, making him groggy instantly. Jiu Shu knew he had to get away, so he leaped back. The spectators gasped as Lin Fan held up his hand and the wound on his wrist closed up. A Physique Cultivator. How could they have forgotten that Lin Fan was one? They secretly prayed for Jiu Shu as they saw no way that he could win. But when they looked at Jiu Shu, he was getting ready for his strike and not giving up. Jiu Shu held his sword up and the red glow grewrger and engulfed him. He then thrust his sword at Lin Fan. Howl. The red glow turned into two parts in the form of ghostly figures. Lin Fan could feel the Yin Qi encroaching from the ghostly figures when they came nearer to him. He quickly injected Qi into his right hammer and released the illuminated Ember Wolf. The Ember Wolf, glowing with heat and fire, lunged at the ghostly figures. One of the ghostly figures got bitten by the Ember Wolf and burst into the air. Sending the Yin Qi to the surroundings. The other ghostly figure came for Lin Fan, but he swiped the other hammer at it. The illuminated Frost Fang Ice Tiger went at the remaining ghostly figure. Both Yin Qi collided and froze into an ice statue. Lin Fan broke through the ice statue and got in front of Jiu Shu. He bashed his hammers at Jiu Shu''s neck again. Thud. "Argh!" It hit and Jiu Shu let out a loud cry with his Peach Wood Sword dropping to the ground. Jiu Shu, however, endured the pain and grabbed onto Lin Fan''s arms. Slowly, Lin Fan could see Jiu Shu''s fingers turning ck as he tried to scratch Lin Fan''s skin with his sharp nails. Lin Fan took a nce at Jiu Shu''s face. Jiu Shu''s face was now also turning ck and his teeth were growing long into sharp fangs. Chapter 139 Dark Envoy Arrives The Emperor watched as he leaned forward and gripped his wine cup tightly. His concubine sitting beside him quickly soothed him by running her hand down his back. "Where is the incense? Get it out here to help calm his majesty!" she shouted at the chief eunuch. Displeased with the chief eunuch''s efficiency. The chief eunuch quickly apologized and went off to hurry the men. Soon, men in ck robes brought incense urns and ced them all over the sparring area. On the spectators'' stand and the stage area. The incense smell was pleasant and made everyone feel calm. Qing Yang Zi and the other disciples from Qing Feng sect weren''t feeling the same. They used the turtle breathing technique to try and breathe as little as possible of the incense. "Grr¡­" Jiu Shu stared with his reddened eyes and growled like an animal. He tried to get the poison in his fingers into Lin Fan but could barely break Lin Fan''s skin. Lin Fan was, however, taking the chance to absorb the poison and direct it into his poison nd. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire Making the poison in his poison nd much more lethal. After a few moments, Jiu Shu realized that he couldn''t harm Lin Fan with his poison, so he lunged at Lin Fan with his ghastly fangs. Whoosh. Lin Fan activated his Shadow Slip ability and Jiu Shu went through Lin Fan like mist. The next moment Lin Fan materialized behind Jiu Shu, and he smashed his hammers at Jiu Shu''s back. Thud! The hammers hit hard, and the sounds of bones cracking could be heard. Jiu Shu coughed out blood and his senses were gone for a moment. Because of the Oblivion steel in Lin Fan''s hammers, its effect took him out. The short moment of Jiu Shu being stunned was enough for Lin Fan to follow up and swipe his hammers at Jiu Shu. The Ember Wolf illuminated brightly, lunging at Jiu Shu''s neck, taking out a chunk of it. Stter. Blood spilled onto the dirt ground as Jiu Shu knelt down. ¡­ "What is happening? I feel pain all over my body." "Argh. Someone please help me." "Poison!" The spectators wanted to jeer at Lin Fan''s winning but the next moment they felt pain. They started to cough out blood and slumped to the ground as they lost control of their muscles. "Protect the Emperor!" the General shouted as he saw what was happening. Chaos ensued. Soldiers streamed into the sparring area but also started to have the same symptoms. ¡­ Meanwhile, Lin Fan walked over to Jiu Shu, and he smashed his hammers at his head from behind. Jiu Shu''s head exploded into a pulp as the impact was too much for him to bear. An end that was fitting for the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 230.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1160] Lin Fan saw the vengeance points and he figured Jiu Shu''s techniques must be of a lower level than Di Tuo''s. His choice to learn the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style, which was Mystic Level, was a good one. After taking a Blood and Qi Restoration Pill, he looked up. The spectators were mostly on the ground, poisoned and helpless. Those men in ck robes were fighting with Zhang Xi, Ho Ming and Hun Yen Kun. Lin Fan looked at the incense urns burning and thought for a moment. The poison must have required two parts for it to take effect. When they were tested individually, it would not be poisonous. But when both of thembined together, the reaction would make it poisonous. The first part was the food that the concubine had given. And the second part must have been the incense that was burning. All of it looked like something that the Dark Envoy would do. Boom!@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan leaped and joined in the fight with Ho Ming and the rest. ¡­ "What is happening? Where''s the imperial guard!" The chief eunuch shouted for the imperial guards toe and protect the Emperor. No one came running in. And at the next moment, the chief eunuch stopped shouting and fell to the ground. A dark tentacle shot through the chief eunuch''s head and killed him on the spot. Blood sttered onto the Emperor''s face. As the warm blood dripped off the Emperor''s face, he felt a chill down his spine instead. One of the men in dark robes hade to the stage and killed the chief eunuch. Qing Yang Zi, with his index and middle fingers straight, swiped his hand at the man. A slicing wave went through the man''s neck. Thud. The man''s head dropped onto the floor, rolling as it left a trail of blood. Seeing this, the Emperor quickly scrambled behind Qing Yang Zi and the peak lords from Qing Feng Sect. "Li Fei, I trusted you! How dare you coborate with others to try and take my life!" The Emperor shouted and pointed at the concubine. The concubine shook her head and tried to exin. This was not what was briefed to her. She had only wanted to weaken Qing Feng Sect as per Tan Kun''s n. Never did she think of killing the Emperor. It might not be toote, she thought. "Tan Kun told me it would be about weakening the Qing Feng Sect, your majesty!" She quickly gave up the mastermind, trying to redeem herself. Qing Yang Zi quickly turned around and apprehended Tan Kun on the spot with his hands on Tan Kun''s shoulders. The concubine''s usation was good enough to nail Tan Kun. "Sect master, it''s all a misunderstanding," Tan Kun pleaded as he felt his Qi being locked. Qing Yang Zi didn''t bother with him and struck his palm onto Tan Kun''s forehead. Thud. Tan Kun immediately dropped to the ground. That felt like what the Dao wanted me to do, Qing Yang Zi thought as he felt great doing it. Maybe Zhao Qing Ying was right all along. "I see that you''ve changed," a voice interrupted Qing Yang Zi. The Dark Envoy slowly stepped onto the stage. Men in ck robes streamed onto the stage after him. "The Dark Lotus Sect!" The other sect masters were in shock as they saw the Dark Envoying onto the stage. This was not what they had signed up for. The n was to weaken the Qing Feng Sect, but now it seemed they were being yed like toys. "I only want the Emperor''s life. Let me have him and your disciples will live," the Dark Envoy said and pointed to the disciples of the sects now lying on the ground. Chapter 140 We Meet Again They looked at the spectator stand. Their disciples were helpless as men in dark robes held knives to their necks. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire The only ones fighting the men in dark robes were Lin Fan and the rest. It was ironic for them to have to rely on Lin Fan and the Qing Feng Sect''s disciples. Moments ago, they were wishing for the future downfall of Qing Feng sect. They thought for a moment and made their decision. They had no other choice. As sect masters, they knew what could be sacrificed and what couldn''t be sacrificed. There would also be neers willing to be their disciples. "How dare you try to assassinate the Emperor!" Low Qiang shouted and lunged at the Dark Envoy. He''d better show his loyalty to the Emperor or face the consequencester.@@novelbin@@ The other sect masters, with their peak lords, looked at each other and nodded, following suit. The Dark Envoy just smirked and took out a small dark statue in the shape of a lotus. He threw it to the ground, and then a blinding sh came out of the dark statue. Low Qiang, being at the front, covered his eyes with his hands. The next thing he knew, he felt pain in his chest. When Low Qiang let go of his hands and looked down. A man had thrust his hand through his chest. The man looked like a dark silhouette, translucent but still able to physically hurt someone. Yi Mei sect''s sect master, Mei Shuang, quickly drew out her sword and shed at the man''s leg. But she was too slow for him as he raised his leg and kicked her on her head. Thud. She tumbled for twenty meters and fell down the stage. She tried to stand up again but couldn''t, as her head was depressed with her skull cracked. Low Qiang used Storm Fist Thunder Technique and punched at the man''s hand. Trying to make him release Low Qiang. Boom! The ensuing explosion didn''t do much as the man just smirked and threw Low Qiang to the ground. "The Dark Lord!" Qing Yang Zi shouted as he recognized the man in dark silhouette. It was the Dark Lord or a manifestation of him. And it was enough for him to take on the sect masters lunging at him. "We meet again, Qing Yang Zi. Time for you to pay back." The Dark Lord turned his attention to Qing Yang Zi. The other sect masters stopped and looked on in their tracks. They were wary after seeing what had happened to Low Qiang and Mei Shuang. Qing Yang Zi drew out his sword and lunged at the Dark Lord. Cling! The Qing Feng Sword gave out a loud ring as it came out of its scabbard. Its greenish de with scriptures carved on it gave out an aura that suppressed everyone on the stage. Qing Yang Zi''s Twirling Wind Strike ripped the nks off the stage as it twirled towards the Dark Lord. While this was happening, the Dark Envoy lunged at the Emperor. Zhao Ming Ye stepped forward and tried to stop the Dark Envoy. The Dark Envoy immediately shot out a dark tentacle at Zhao Ming Ye. Thud. As a Formation Cultivator, Zhao Ming Ye wasn''tbat-based, and he could only block with a g. It was a Formation Array artifact that could fend off attacks. Han Dang took the opportunity to take out a and cast it onto the Dark Envoy. The Dark Envoy shot tentacles at the, but the tentacles dissipated as they touched the. The Qing Feng Sect members came prepared! The Dark Envoy thought. As ast-ditch effort, he changed his attention and shot one tentacle at the Emperor. The Emperor fell back as he saw the tentacleing for him. In the nick of time, Zhao Ming Ye, with his g, ced it in front of the Emperor. Thud. It blocked the tentacle. The Emperor was saved but the scare was enough to make him run. "Guards! Come and protect your Emperor!" he shouted as he ran down the stage. "Yen Kun, protect the Emperor!" Qing Yang Zi shouted as he saw the Emperor running towards the spectator stand. The Emperor was in shock and all he could think of was to get away from the stage. "Leave it to me!" Hun Yen Kun shouted as he and the rest went towards the Emperor. The Dark Envoy with the now over him could feel his Qi depleting as time went on. This was at least a Heavenly Level artifact. He had to get out and he looked around. When he saw the nks that were now destroyed by the fight between Qing Yang Zi and the Dark Lord, that gave him an idea. With his remaining Qi, he smashed the nks of the stage and fell through the hole. Leaving the behind. "Damn!" Han Dang cursed as he saw the Dark Envoy slip through. The next moment the Dark Envoy appeared on the sparring area and ran towards the spectator stands. They wanted to give chase, but they heard a loud boom as Qing Yang Zi and the Dark Lord shed together as the Qing Feng Sword met the Dark Lord''s punch. Boom! Qing Yang Zi flew all the way back, bringing Zhao Ming Ye and Han Dang with him. ... "It''s you again!" the Dark Envoy shouted as he saw Lin Fan. Even though Han Dang''s depleted half of his Qi, he was confident he could finish Lin Fan off in an instant. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind as the Dark Envoy''s tentacle shot at him. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 300 vengeance points.] When Lin Fan saw the vengeance points, he didn''t know why it dropped to 300 but he felt he could take him on. Dang! The tentacle shot back as the hammers blocked its attack. A Twirling Wind Strike came at the Dark Envoy from the side. Hun Yen Kun joined in the fight. The Dark Envoy lunged forward at Lin Fan and dodged the Twirling Wind Strike. Lin Fan quickly banged his hammers together, and the sound radiated outward. Causing the Dark Envoy to cover his ears with his hands. The Qi trying to get into his head was gone after the Dark Envoy used his Qi to block it out. That slight moment was enough for Lin Fan to swipe his hammers at the Dark Envoy. Coming out of his hammers, the Ember Wolf and Frost Fang Ice Tiger went at the Dark Envoy. Chapter 141 Change of Target The Ember Wolf leaped at the Dark Envoy''s neck. The Dark Envoy, with his palm glowing with a dark aura, hit its head, and it dissipated. It was enough for the Frost Fang Ice Tiger to try and bite onto the Dark Envoy''s leg. The bite couldn''t get through the Dark Envoy''s skin but the chills went into the Dark Envoy''s leg immediately. "Argh." He cried out in pain as tentacles shot out and strangled the Frost Fang Ice Tiger. As the tentacles tightened, the Frost Fang Ice Tiger dissipated too. Lin Fan, using his left hammer, aimed at the Dark Envoy''s leg. The Dark Envoy tried to move his legs but couldn''t. They were frozen by the Frost Fang Ice Tiger. The Dark Envoy quickly used his tentacles and covered his leg. Thud. The tentacles protected the leg. Lin Fan wielded his right hammer and smashed at the Dark Envoy''s head. It was toote for the Dark Envoy, as he was focused on his leg. Dang! The hammer hit, crashed into the Dark Envoy''s mask, and struck his cheek. He tumbled and crashed into the seats, finally stopping in the sparring area. "Damn you!" The Dark Envoy stood up with his face revealed. He was young but had scars all over his face. Hun Yen Kun''s eyes opened wide when he saw who the Dark Envoy was. "You! It''s you!" The Emperor pointed at the Dark Envoy as he saw his face. The Dark Envoy spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at the Emperor. "Long time no see, brother." "Kill him! I order you to kill him now!" The Emperor shouted hysterically. He only stopped when Ho Ming pulled him aside, as a man in a ck robe came at him. Lin Fan wasn''t in the mood to let them have a family reunion, so he lunged at the Dark Envoy immediately. He aimed his left hammer at the Dark Envoy''s leg again. This time, the Dark Envoy was ready, and he used his tentacles to tangle Lin Fan''s left wrist. With his wrist being strangled, Lin Fan quickly kept his hammers. And with his Primordial Qi ws, he used his right hand and shredded the tentacles into bits. sh. A sword stabbed at the Dark Envoy''s waist with the Twirling Wind Strike. While the Dark Envoy was focused on Lin Fan, Hun Yen Kun hade in from the Dark Envoy''s side. The Twirling Wind Strike couldn''t get through and only created a small wound. Hun Yen Kun pulled back and thrust again with the Twirling Wind Strike. The Dark Envoy wanted to turn and deal with Hun Yen Kun, but Lin Fan wouldn''t let him. Lin Fan smashed his hammers at the Dark Envoy''s hand. Forcing the Dark Envoy to dodge. This time, the Twirling Wind Strike went deeper. It was enough to let Hun Yen Kun try again. Hun Yen Kun pulled back and thrust his sword with his Twirling Wind Strike the third time. This time, the Twirling Wind Strike drilled into the Dark Envoy''s waist. And Hun Yen Kun followed up by thrusting his sword into the Dark Envoy''s waist. "Argh." The Dark Envoy cried out in pain. He held onto Hun Yen Kun''s sword with his hand and tried to pull it out. While they were in a tussle, Lin Fan took out his hammers again and hammered on the Dark Envoy''s head. Dang. Dang. Dang. With every hit, the oblivion steel stunned the Dark Envoy for a moment. Giving Hun Yen Kun the chance to plunge his sword deeper into the Dark Envoy. But it was not enough to break the Dark Envoy''s skull. "Damn you!" The Dark Envoy cried out and instead of trying to pull the sword out, he pulled it inward instead. With the sudden change of direction, Hun Yen Kun got close to the Dark Envoy. Thud. The Dark Envoy, with his palm, hit Hun Yen Kun on his chest. Sending him flying across the sparring area with his sword. Lin Fan, seeing what had happened, smashed his hammer at the Dark Envoy''s wound. Whoosh. He missed as the Dark Envoy leaped away from him. Dang! Lin Fan banged his hammers together again.@@novelbin@@ The effect of the Eight Trigram Sound Wave forced the Dark Envoy to cover his ears again. This gave Lin Fan a chance to get near and try to smash his hammer at the Dark Envoy''s waist. Stter. Blood and bits of flesh sttered onto the ground. The hammer hit and the wound opened wider as the impact mashed up the flesh surrounding the wound. "Argh." Frustrated with Lin Fan, the Dark Envoy palm-struck at Lin Fan''s chest with both of his hands. Lin Fan quickly used Shadow Slip ability and went through the Dark Envoy. He had to finish him off fast as he had little Qi and energy left himself. When he materialized again, he was at the back of the Dark Envoy. Before the Dark Envoy could turn and face him, Lin Fan kept his hammer and went into the Dark Envoy''s waist with his Primordial Qi ws. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire His w stirred around in the wound, causing huge pain for the Dark Envoy. The Dark Envoy could only try to elbow Lin Fan. Thud. Every hit of the Dark Envoy''s elbow made Lin Fan grit his teeth as he could feel his ribcage fracture. Even though his skin, flesh, and bones were toughened as a Physique Cultivator, the Level difference was still huge. Hun Yen Kun came in and tried to stab his sword into the Dark Envoy''s left eye. Initially, the sword bent due to the Qi protecting the Dark Envoy. But as Lin Fan applied more pressure, Hun Yen Kun''s sword slowly inched further into the Dark Envoy''s left eye. Finally, the sword prated into the eye, and the Dark Envoy slowly slumped to the ground. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 300.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1460] Lin Fan sat on the ground as he was already out of energy and Qi. He quickly took out a bottle of Blood and Qi Restoration Pill and swallowed the pills inside them. Hun Yen Kun looked on with envy as he swallowed hisst Blood and Qi Restoration Pill. How could he as a core disciple have fewer pills than an inner disciple? When this was all over, he would have to ask Qing Yang Zi to increase his cultivation resources. "Well done! You shall be rewarded handsomely!" The Emperor shouted when he saw the Dark Envoy going down. This drew the attention of the Dark Lord. He turned and saw the Dark Envoy on the ground. The Dark Lord quickly punched at Qing Yang Zi, making him slide back. Whoosh. The next moment, the Dark Lord ignored Qing Yang Zi and went after the Emperor. Chapter 142 Sword Formation Meanwhile, in Qing Feng Sect. It was a gloomy day, with dark clouds looming over the sky. One of the disciples guarding the stairs leading up to Qing Feng Sect was cursing at his luck. "What a day to be on guard." The other guard replied, "Stay alert, remember what the sect master said before he left." "What''s there to worry about? Who in their right mind woulde and attack?" The first guard shook his head and continued his cursing. He was looking up at the skies when he felt the other guard nudging him. "What?" He looked down and saw the other guard with his jaw dropped as he pointed to the front. Tremble. Footsteps could be heard from far away, and they got louder and louder. There was a swarm of men and women marching towards them. These men and women didn''t look like normal human beings. They had stitches all over them, and patches of their skin were of different colors. It was like they were sewn together from different pieces. "Stop! What do you think you are doing!" The guards shouted, but the swarm of men and women didn''t bother with them. They charged at the guards with swords and other weapons in their hands. "Hurry, go and inform senior martial uncle!" One of the guards shouted, and the fastest among them ran up the stairs. The rest of the guards took out a jade pendant, injected their Qi into it, and broke it. After the jade pendant broke, the Sect''s Protection Formation Array was activated. A white glow beamed up from the ground, and those men and women near it got pulverized into ashes immediately. The white glow then epassed the whole sect, keeping it contained inside its protective sphere. "Hehehe, as expected," a familiar high-pitched voice said. The swarm of men and women opened a path as Skin Puppet Diao approached the white glowing wall. He took out a small dark statue in the shape of a lotus. A blinding sh came out of the dark statue. The next moment, a manifest of the Dark Lord was standing in front of the white glowing wall. The Dark Lord clenched his hand into a fist and punched at it, and the ground shook. Inside the Formation Peak, elders sat inside a room. They were seated in positions with scriptures written beneath them and demonic beast cores glowing bright. As the Dark Lord kept punching at the white glowing wall, the elders frowned as they had to inject more Qi to stabilize the sect''s Protection Formation Array. The Dark Lord had enough, and he knew he didn''t have much time left. The situation on the other side wasn''t looking good with the Dark Envoy on the ground. He raised his hand, and dark liquid oozed out of the men and women standing behind him. They were Skin Puppets created by Skin Puppet Diao, and the Dark Lord absorbed whatever he could from them.@@novelbin@@ Those with the dark liquid absorbed by the Dark Lord fell to the ground motionless. As the dark liquid got into the Dark Lord''s manifestation, he became much more opaque. His fists glowed with darkness, and he punched both his fists at the white glowing wall again. Boom. The ground shook again, and this time the elders in the room coughed out blood. The white glowing wall started to disappear. It was not without a price; the Dark Lord became translucent again, much more transparent than before. "Go away!" The guards shouted as the hordes of Skin Puppets continued their charge at them. They tried to sh at them, but the Skin Puppets didn''t feel any pain and took the blows. Very soon, they were overwhelmed by the Skin Puppets. Rumble. When the Skin Puppets ascended the long stairs, huge logs with scriptures on them rolled down. They plowed through the Skin Puppets on the stairs. Those behind quickly ducked to the side of the stairs. "Hehehe, looks like they are prepared for us." Skin Puppet Diao said when he saw the logsing towards him. He raised his scrawny hand with veins showing and flicked a needle at the log. The needle went through the log, and Skin Puppet Diao turned and swung the log out of his way. Soon there weren''t any more logsing down from above. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire With the coast clear, the remaining hundreds of Skin Puppets continued to ascend up the stairs. Whoosh. Arrows rained down on them next. The arrowheads glowed with a white glow and came down onto the Skin Puppets. They went through the Skin Puppets, leaving behind huge wounds. But it didn''t stop the Skin Puppets. They continued going on with gaping holes in their bodies. When they finally reached the top, disciples were already in the central square waiting for them. They stood in precise positions, each and everyone looking out for the person beside them. It was the Qing Feng Sect sword formation. When the Skin Puppets in front got near, torrents of Twirling Wind Strike came at them. They tried to dodge, but some of them still got hit; the Twirling Wind drilled into them and tore them apart. Those that survived went at the nearest disciples. But the disciples changed their positions, and it opened up a new line of fire for the disciples waiting behind. Thud. Another torrent of Twirling Wind Strike shot at the Skin Puppets. They got torn up like what had happened earlier. Soon, there were pieces of flesh and torn limbs all over the central square. The disciples gripped tightly on their swords as the next wave came. This time with much more numerous numbers. Whoosh. Another torrent of Twirling Wind Strike shot at the iing Skin Puppets. But this time, it couldn''t get through all the Skin Puppets, and those Skin Puppets broke through. Getting in a tussle with the disciples. "These things are so hard to kill!" The disciples shed at the Skin Puppets, but they just took it and continued their attacks. Thud. Finally, they couldn''t take on so many Skin Puppets. And with their positionspromised from the Sword Formation, they couldn''t cover for each other. "Argh." Blood sttered as Skin Puppets brought the disciples to the ground. Chapter 143 The Slaughter "Squat down!" Zhao Qing Ying shouted as he arrived at the central square. With his index and middle fingers straightened, forming his hand like a sword, he swiped across. Sending a slicing wave horizontally. Whoosh. The slicing wave swept across the hordes of Skin Puppets. The next moment, the Skin Puppets were cut into two parts. Thud. Sounds of muted thuds echoed in the central square as the upper portions of their bodies fell onto the ground. "Senior martial uncle!" "We are saved!" The disciples cheered as they saw what had happened. Zhao Qing Ying had easily dealt with those pesky Skin Puppets. However, it was short-lived as more Skin Puppets came forward from behind.@@novelbin@@ "We meet again!" A low voice boomed in the air. The Dark Lord lunged at Zhao Qing Ying. Every step he took cracked the bricks of the central square. Zhao Qing Ying frowned when he saw the manifestation of the Dark Lord. He thrust his fingers at the Dark Lord, sending out a huge Twirling Wind Strike. The twirling wind sucked up the bricks as it shot toward the Dark Lord. "Is that all you''ve got?" The Dark Lord said and punched at the twirling wind. Boom. A loud explosion could be heard as the Dark Lord''s punch made the twirling wind disappear. Zhao Qing Ying wasted no time and sent out a Cross Strike. The slicing wave in the form of an X hit the Dark Lord. But it just left a faint cut on the Dark Lord''s translucent body, making it fade a little. "Argh!" "Help me!" "Take one down with you when you die!" The disciples weren''t doing too well dealing with the Skin Puppets. To make matters worse, Skin Puppet Diao joined in the fight. With his needles, he shot at the disciples. Threading them through several disciples and pulling them toward him. Like pieces of meat on a skewer made of thread. "Hehehe, more parts for my Skin Puppets." Skin Puppet Diao smirked as he withdrew the needles, and the dead disciples dropped to the ground. He turned and proceeded to continue his ughter of the disciples. Zhao Qing Ying saw what he did and wanted to stop Skin Puppet Diao. He tried to stab at the Dark Lord''s neck, but the Dark Lord blocked it with both hands. Thud. The next moment, Zhao Qing Ying smashed his wine gourd at the Dark Lord''s abdomen. Sending the Dark Lord sliding backward for ten meters. Zhao Qing Ying took the opportunity and sent a slicing wave toward Skin Puppet Diao. "Hehehe." Skin Puppet Diao brought his hands together. And with that, Skin Puppets lined up in front of him. The slicing wave brought them down instead. "Your opponent is me!" The Dark Lord shouted as he palm-struck Zhao Qing Ying from behind. Zhao Qing Ying could feel the force from the Dark Lord''s palm pushing on his back. Making him feel pain even before it hit him. He quickly turned and used his hand to parry the Dark Lord''s palm strike away. This gave Skin Puppet Diao an opening; he used his needles, injected his Qi, making them glow bright red. Whoosh. Four needles shot at Zhao Qing Ying''s back. "Senior martial uncle, watch out!" The disciples shouted as they saw the needles flying toward Zhao Qing Ying. Zhao Qing Ying used his Qi and engulfed his body with it. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire Making him glow white with the Qi protecting him. Cling. The needles couldn''t prate through the Qi, and Skin Puppet Diao pulled them back. However, it wasn''t over for Zhao Qing Ying as the Dark Lord took the chance and punched at him. Zhao Qing Ying blocked with his arms. Thud. It was powerful enough to send Zhao Qing Ying flying twenty meters back. Skin Puppet Diao with his scrawny hands was waiting, as Zhao Qing Ying got closer and closer to him. He grabbed onto Zhao Qing Ying''s neck from behind as Zhao Qing Ying crashed into him. They tumbled on the ground, finally halting to a stop a few meters away. "Hehehe, My lord, I got him. Finish him off now!" Skin Puppet Diao shouted as he tried his best to hold onto Zhao Qing Ying. "Let him go!" The disciples shouted as they tried to help Zhao Qing Ying. But the Skin Puppets stopped them as they tussled with the disciples. Everything seemed so dire now. There was no one else they could count on. The other peak lords had gone to thete spring hunt with the sect master. Their hearts sank when they saw the Dark Lording in with his punch at Zhao Qing Ying. The Dark Lord''s fist glowed and gave out dark lightning, destroying the surroundings as the lightning crackled. It was too much for some of the disciples to bear, and some of them turned away. Not having the heart to stomach what might happen next. Thud. A man came in and stood between the Dark Lord and Zhao Qing Ying. He took the punch, and the Dark Lord''s fist went through his chest. The man smirked and said, "What a wee you have prepared for me, senior martial uncle." "Yi Nian, deal with the fellow behind me, let me deal with the Dark Lord." Zhao Qing Ying said as he exerted his Qi and made Skin Puppet Diao fly away like a kite in the air. The man was none other than Zhang Yi Nian. Peak Lord of the Physique Peak. "Zhang Yi Nian?" "Physique Peak?" "Oh no, what shall we do?" The disciples eximed as they had doubts about Zhang Yi Nian. Zhang Yi Nian had been in secluded cultivation, and not many knew how powerful he was. The next moment, they saw Zhang Yi Nian leap back and pull the Dark Lord''s fist out of his chest. A huge hole from front to back could be seen. But soon after, the wound began to close up. This was the regenerative power that Zhang Yi Nian had, now that he was at Soul Transformation Level. "Physique Cultivator!" The Dark Lord eximed as he saw what happened. He quickly tried to punch at Zhang Yi Nian again. Trying to kill him off, as he knew how tricky it was to decimate a physique cultivator when they got to higher cultivation levels. Thud. A twirling wind came at the Dark Lord''s fist as Zhao Qing Ying helped to buy time for Zhang Yi Nian. It did the trick as Zhang Yi Nian''s wound fully closed as if the gaping hole through his chest hadn''t happened. Zhang Yi Nian turned and lunged at Skin Puppet Diao. Chapter 144 Ho Mings Dao Skin Puppet Diao used his needles and shot them at Zhang Yi Nian. Whoosh. The needles went through Zhang Yi Nian as he didn''t even bother to dodge. Letting them hit. Skin Puppet Diao pulled and swung the threads, trying to smash Zhang Yi Nian to the ground. But Zhang Yi Nian held onto the thread and reeled Skin Puppet Diao toward him instead. Skin Puppet Diao knew he had to do something quickly. With his body leaning back, Skin Puppet Diao tried to stop being pulled in. He then summoned the Skin Puppets to attack Zhang Yi Nian. Those disciples still alive quickly formed a ring surrounding Zhang Yi Nian and stopped the Skin Puppets. Zhang Yi Nian tussled with Skin Puppet Diao for a few moments before he suddenly lunged toward Skin Puppet Diao. Thud. The sudden change of force caught Skin Puppet Diao by surprise. He raised his hand and tried to stop Zhang Yi Nian''s punch from hitting his face, but his hand turned into a mangled mass of flesh and bones instead. Skin Puppet Diao quickly summoned his Skin Puppets toe and distract Zhang Yi Nian. Boom. With every punch, Zhang Yi Nian pulverized the Skin Puppets into a mist of ck smoke. Skin Puppet Diao looked on with his eyes wide open when he saw Zhang Yi Nian handle his Skin Puppets effortlessly. He tried to get to the Dark Lord but couldn''t. Zhang Yi Nian swept with his legs and brought him down to the ground. The next thing Skin Puppet Diao could see was Zhang Yi Nian''s fisting at his face. Stter. The punch crashed and went through Skin Puppet Diao''s skull. Sending flesh and tissue sttering onto the ground. The Skin Puppets dropped to the ground the next moment. Continue your story on My Virtual Library Empire "Yes! We are saved!" "Next time, whoever dares to say anything bad about Physique Peak will have to face me first!" "All hail the Physique Peak!" The disciples cheered as they felt relief that the Skin Puppets were now motionless on the ground. Zhang Yi Nian quickly turned his attention to the Dark Lord. The manifestation of the Dark Lord was now looking more transparent than earlier. Zhao Qing Ying had dealt some serious blows to the Dark Lord. But he wasn''t doing so well himself. Blood came down the side of Zhao Qing Ying''s lips as he held his hand on his chest. Boom. Zhang Yi Nian lunged at the Dark Lord and swapped punches with him. Thud. A punch hit the Dark Lord''s face as Zhang Yi Nian also took one on his face. Zhang Yi Nian''s face depressed from the impact but slowly regenerated to its original form within a few moments. He continued to trade punches with the Dark Lord. Thud. Thud. Thud. Finally, Zhang Yi Nian''s punch went through the head of the Dark Lord. And the manifestation slowly disappeared. The Dark Lord''s time in Qing Feng Sect was up. ... When the Dark Lord came at the Emperor, Lin Fan could see that he became much more transparent suddenly. But it was still powerful enough for the Dark Lord''s punch to give out dark crackling lightning. Causing the seats in the spectator stands to be blown off. The Emperor looked up in despair as the Dark Lord got closer. Hun Yen Kun pulled the Emperor behind him in the nick of time. Boom. The Dark Lord punched at Hun Yen Kun, making him fly away. Struggling to stand up again, Hun Yen Kun coughed out blood onto the ground.@@novelbin@@ The Dark Lord turned his attention to Lin Fan next. These pesky beings. When the Dark Lord raised his fist and it glowed with dark lightning again, Lin Fan got ready as he held his hammers tight. The system didn''t warn him of anything. Lin Fan couldn''t know how powerful the Dark Lord was, but from the blow dealt to Hun Yen Kun, the Dark Lord was much more than he could handle. "Lin Fan, run and take the Emperor with you!" Ho Ming stepped in front of Lin Fan. Lin Fan could see the swords in his hands shaking. But Ho Ming stood as he prepared to dy the Dark Lord. This was his Dao. "What are you thinking!" Lin Fan pulled Ho Ming away and pushed him toward the Emperor. "Take the Emperor with you." I can''t guarantee I wouldn''t kill him myself if I went with the Emperor, Lin Fan thought silently as he saw the Emperor trembling in fear. Ho Ming tried to get back to Lin Fan, but the Dark Lord had lunged at Lin Fan. Dang! Lin Fan tried to stop the Dark Lord with his Eight Trigram Sound Wave Strike. But it didn''t do anything. The Dark Lord continued his trajectory as he came in front of Lin Fan. Whoosh. When the punch nearly hit, Lin Fan turned into a mist and went through the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord immediately turned and tried to punch Lin Fan''s neck. Boom. Lin Fan leaped into the air with his Chain Leap ability. The Dark Lord also leaped up, trying to grab Lin Fan''s leg. Boom. To his surprise, Lin Fan stepped onto the air as if it were solid ground. He leaped, changed direction, and leaped away in the air. The Dark Lord also did the same and got close to Lin Fan. Suddenly, the Dark Lord heard Qing Yang Zi''s voice right behind him: "Stop right there!" The Dark Lord stopped and turned back in midair. But there was no one behind. Lin Fan had used the Sound Memory ability to fake that Qing Yang Zi was behind the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord squinted his eyes and turned his focus back to Lin Fan again. Boom. Lin Fan leaped in the air and changed direction again. The Dark Lord also did the same, and his hands grabbed onto Lin Fan''s cor. "Perish, you fool!" Qing Yang Zi''s voice sounded in the Dark Lord''s ears again. He smirked and didn''t bother with it. Thinking that Lin Fan must be using his trick to fool him again. But he was wrong. A sword''s de with a tint of green stabbed through the Dark Lord''s head from behind. The Qing Feng Sword. This time Qing Yang Zi had arrived and managed to stab through the Dark Lord''s head. The Dark Lord''s manifestation slowly disappeared as his powers were used up. He''d taken the gamble and lost. Concurrent battles at the Late Spring Hunt and Qing Feng Sect were too much for him in his weakened state. Chapter 145 End of Battle & Aftermath In the mountains. Inside a cave, the mes from the oilmps swayed and diminished into smoke. A huge jar in the center of the cave shook violently. The huge jar with scriptures carved on its surface looked ancient, with dark marks all over it. Two figures quickly scurried over to the huge jar and peered into it. Inside was a ghastly mixture of crimson red liquid and human tissues floating around. The red liquid was unsettled, twirling in the jar. They raised their hands and injected Qi into it. A bright glow engulfed the jar, and slowly the liquid became calm. Both heaved a huge sigh of relief when they saw the liquid be still. "Dark Lord?" one of them spoke with a concerned voice. They looked at each other as they waited for a reply. After a moment, the Dark Lord''s voice replied softly, "Prepare to move to the Northern Realms." "Northern Realms?" the same person asked. The Dark Lord continued, "Yes, the secret artifact in the Northern Realm is my only chance now. "The Dark Envoy and Skin Puppet Diao have failed. "I''ve lost the gamble but will be back after I get the secret artifact. "Li Rong, stay behind in Quan territory and arrange for your men to lie low. "Harass and sabotage only when possible. "Monitor the Physiques Peak in Qing Feng Sect, the answer to my revival might lie with the Physique Cultivators." Li Rong bowed and said, "Yes, Dark Lord. I will get it done." She wore a bright red robe, its color mboyant like a burning me. The muscr man beside her, Huo Ren Yi, wearing white silk robes, nced at her and smirked. He was the one whom the Dark Lord trusted in the end. Li Rong bit her lips, ignored him, and turned to look at the huge jar. ¡­. Late Spring Hunting ground. Sparring area. "Your Majesty!" A man in general''s attire shouted as he led soldiers into the area. "I''m here!" The Emperor held up his hand and shouted. Eunuchs beside the general quickly went over and helped the Emperor up. Lin Fan was on the ground, trying to catch his breath from the action earlier. He turned and recognized the general; it was General Liu Feng from the Raging Tiger Army. It was chaotic all over in the sparring area. The different sects'' disciples were being looked after by physicians from the imperial court.@@novelbin@@ Those who survived looked upon Lin Fan with a changed view. After what they had witnessed when they were down, they were impressed. Especially by how Lin Fan fought against the Dark Lord. The other Qing Feng Sect members were equally admirable. Zhang Xi, Hun Yen Kun, and Ho Ming fought valiantly against the Dark Lotus sect members. Lin Fan, however, was staring at the Emperor as he had other thoughts. He could still recall how the Emperor cowered in fear while the others fought for his life. Being powerful as a cultivator wasn''t enough. So many people were hurt due to the ipetence of one man. And that one man could decide the fate of so many. He looked at Qing Yang Zi and thought, if only I were the Sect Master. Lin Fan would make Qing Feng sect wean off its dependency on the Emperor. In his mind, Qing Yang Zi wasn''t someone ipetent. But his Dao tried to bnce everything. For Lin Fan, it wasn''t useful when faced with cunning foes and friendly forces that would go against you whenever they had the chance. Lin Fan then looked at Hun Yen Kun, attended to by Ho Ming and Zhang Xi. He decided to climb his way up from now on. After he''d regained his energy, Lin Fan walked over and checked on Ho Ming. To be sect master, he needed allies around him. "Ho Ming. Are you all right?" "I''m fine. Senior martial brother here though..." Ho Ming nced over at Hun Yen Kun. The punch from the Dark Lord dealt a heavy blow to Hun Yen Kun. Hun Yen Kun held one hand to his chest as his rib cage was fractured. Even after taking the pills from the imperial physicians, it didn''t fully heal. "Senior martial brother, are you all right?" Lin Fan asked. It was the first time Lin Fan had seen him being so quiet. Hun Yen Kun coughed and said in a soft voice, "I''m all right. Hope senior martial uncle is doing all right in Qing Feng sect too." "Things should be fine," Zhang Xi chimed in, as she had faith in her father. Zhang Yi Nian hade out of secluded cultivation just in time before Skin Puppet Diao''s attack. That''s why Qing Yang Zi was confident enough to let them handle it in Qing Feng sect. Qing Yang Zi knew what it meant to have a Physique Cultivator at Soul Transformation Level. Hard to kill. ¡­ When everything was taken care of, the disciples went back to their tents and rested. Everywhere they could see were soldiers. There was still lots of questioning to be done. Spies might still be lurking among the disciples. They were called up one by one and interviewed by someone. "Come in," the voice of General Liu Feng could be heard as Lin Fan approached the tent. Inside the tent were Liu Feng and a few old men in red robes sitting across a table. "Let''s see what we have here. Lin Fan..." One of the old men read from a piece of paper with information about Lin Fan written on it. He thought he was just another disciple, but he was surprised when he saw what Lin Fan had done. Lin Fan had won his matches and survived the attack from the Dark Lord. The number of techniques he used was astonishing. On top of it all, he was only at Foundation Establishment Level. "Come forward," the old man said. Lin Fan nced over at General Liu Feng. He got what he wanted; Liu Feng gave him a nod. With Liu Feng''s assurance, Lin Fan stepped forward. "I will assess your cultivation core now." The old man raised his hands and a green glow engulfed Lin Fan. A momentter it stopped. Readtest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire The old man pointed at Lin Fan, shaking his finger at him and said, "You... How is it possible?" All the other old men looked over with interest, not knowing what to expect. Chapter 146 The Cunning Emperor "What is not possible?" the other old man asked impatiently. "His cultivation roots...so many," the old man pointing at Lin Fan replied. "Hmph. The same out of so many? I''d expect that," the impatient old man said and looked at Lin Fan. This young cultivator, being so handsome, must have been one to spend his days having fun, he thought. "No. His cultivation root is nothing I''ve seen before. He can use so many different techniques simultaneously." "What?" The impatient old man couldn''t believe what he heard. They''d only seen those with Double Cultivation Roots that allowed them to use two techniques simultaneously. But that was the maximum. If you wanted to learn a new one, you had to forgo the other. Lin Fan''s cultivation root didn''t have this limitation. The impatient old man took the piece of paper and looked at Lin Fan''s information. Qing Feng Sect, Physique Cultivator, Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style. From the information, he could see that Lin Fan had learned a hammer style. Umon for Physique Cultivators. Most of them just relied on Physique Cultivation and brute force through their opponents. Cultivating their physiques was so difficult that they didn''t have any resources or time left to learn a technique. The impatient old man sat down again and cursed at the good luck of Qing Feng Sect. They then went on and asked about what had happened, where Lin Fan was, and what he did. Lin Fan answered honestly about what he saw and did. He figured these two old men must have some artifact to detect if anyone was lying. This went on for the night, and some were exposed as spies from Dark Lotus sect. The executions went on throughout the night. ... Main Tent. The Emperor was fuming as he stared at the concubine. She was now kneeling in front of him with bruises all over her. Blood stains were all over her oncevish silk cloth. "I''m sorry, Your Majesty. It was the Tan Family that forced me," she begged as she started sobbing. Thud. The Emperor threw his wine ss at her and said, "I will take care of the Tan Family after I''m done with you. "To think that I''ve trusted you. "The prime minister was right; I shouldn''t have listened to you." After that, he waved his hands, and soldiers came in and took her away. The Emperor then looked at the sect masters and officials, seated in two rows in front of him.@@novelbin@@ "The reward shall be given for the tournament as promised. An Emperor''s word isw. "As the winner, Qing Feng Sect will get the resources. "Even though they''ve failed to stop Tan Kun''s plot with the Dark Lotus in time, they''ve done well protecting me in times of danger. "Hence, the resources shall be allocated as promised." The Emperor announced his rewards, and no one opposed it. The other sect masters looked down in shame as they hadn''t dared to stand up to the Dark Lord and Dark Envoy. "Thank you, Your Majesty," Qing Yang Zi bowed after hearing the announcement. "Now, with that out of the way..." the Emperor banged his fist on the table and said, "It''s time to take care of the Tan Family." Tan Kun''s crime was serious enough for his family to be executed, extending up to nine generations. The Tan Family Head, Tan Xiao Yao, was getting too powerful for his liking. When the officials heard what the Emperor said, they tried to persuade him to think it through. "Your Majesty, Tan Xiao Yao, the North General, is holding the defense line up north. "It might weaken us if the imperial court goes after him and forces him to rebel, starting an internal war." The officials said cautiously as the Emperor was still angry from what had happened. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire The Emperor closed his eyes and went into deep thought. After a few moments, he looked up again and said, "I agree. "To prevent massive suffering of my beloved subjects, I shall request the cultivators to take on the Tan Family instead. "I shall leave it to all the sect masters toe up with a n. "The imperial court will assist them as much as possible. "As for the Dark Lotus Sect, the army and imperial court will pursue what''s left of them." The Emperor immediately left for his tent to rest. Not giving the sect masters any chance to oppose it. Most of the sect masters kept quiet. Qing Yang Zi shook his head. The Emperor was more cunning than he looked. Letting his own army and officials take on the Dark Lotus Sect, now that it was significantly weakened. Pitting the cultivators against the Tan Family head would make both sides lose men and resources. And eventually, the most powerful force left in Quan Dynasty would be the army. "Qing Yang Zi, we would love to help, but our sect has been dealt a huge blow." Some of the sects had many of their disciples killed, and they pleaded that they couldn''t help much. Those that could were the West Monastery, Yi Mei Sect, and Storm Fist Thunder Sect. For Yi Mei Sect and Storm Fist Thunder Sect, it was for vengeance, as their sect masters had been killed by the Dark Lord and Dark Envoy. Qing Yang Zi then discussed a n with them. ... Next day. All the sects started to leave as soon as possible. Lin Fan and the rest returned to the Qing Feng Sect after traveling for a few days. When they arrived, they were surprised at what they saw. Menial disciples were still washing away the blood stains in the central square. Smoke could be seen some distance away, due to the burning of the skin puppets. Lin Fan saw Zhao Qing Ying waiting for them, and beside him was a man he didn''t recognize. He was in his forties, with a well-kept mustache, and wearing an old-looking robe. When Zhang Xi saw the man, she ran over to him and cried out in joy. "Father!" "Xi er, how many times have I told you, call me Peak Lord in front of the other disciples," Zhang Yi Nian said with a stern face. She frowned but changed to calling him Peak Lord. "Peak Lord, I''ve someone for you to meet. Lin Fan, our new disciple." "New disciple?! That is great news. Let me see," Zhang Yi Nian couldn''t believe his ears, that there was a new disciple for the Physique Peak. Zhang Xi quickly came and pulled Lin Fan over. Chapter 147 My Master! "So, you are Lin Fan? I''ve heard a lot about you," Zhang Yi Nian said as he scanned Lin Fan up and down. Sun Hai, standing beside him, nudged Zhang Yi Nian slightly. He had briefed him on Lin Fan''s miraculous progress and wanted to remind him not to let it get to Lin Fan''s head. Zhang Yi Nian turned and stared at Sun Hai. After tolerating so many years of being looked down upon by the other Peak Lords, now that he was at Soul Transformation Level, it was time to show what the Physique Peak was made of. "Yes, Peak Lord," Lin Fan bowed and replied. "Good," Zhang Yi Nian nodded and patted him on his shoulder. He felt the Qi that was in Lin Fan. To Zhang Yi Nian''s astonishment, Lin Fan''s skin hardened as his palm struck it. As he exerted more Qi, Lin Fan''s skin reacted automatically to it. This was only achievable by someone who had been practicing physique cultivation for at least a few years. But the young man in front of him had done it in a few months'' time. Lin Fan was indeed the future of the Physique Peak, as Sun Hai had told him. What Zhang Yi Nian said next surprised Lin Fan. "From today onwards, you shall be my core disciple." Zhang Yi Nian said loudly, turning to look at the other peak lords and disciples. He raised his fist and continued, "Let me know if anyone dares to cause you harm. I shall punish them personally." Zhang Yi Nian expected the other Peak Lords to show disdain as usual, but there was only silence. The disciples and Peak Lords who went to the Late Spring Hunt were aware of what Lin Fan had done. They would be out of their minds to try to find trouble with Lin Fan. As for the disciples who were in the sect, they had witnessed how powerful Zhang Yi Nian was. Being so hard to kill now that he was at Soul Transformation Level. The tide had begun to turn in Physique Peak''s favor. Lin Fan couldn''t help but feel a huge sense of relief. After so long, he had finally made it. Is this what it''s like to have someone backing you up? he thought. Now, he was someone with a master you wouldn''t want to mess with. "Yi Nian, how have you been? I''m d you came out of secluded cultivation in time." Qing Yang Zi broke the silence as he stroked his long beard. "Sect master, it is an honor to be able to protect the sect in times of need," Zhang Yi Nian bowed and said. "We have a lot of catching up to do. But first, everyone go back to your normal routine." Qing Yang Zi said and led the Peak Lords to the Million Sword Hall for a meeting. After they left, Ho Ming went up to Lin Fan and congratted him. "Lin Fan, now that you are a core disciple, you''ll have better cultivation resources."@@novelbin@@ Ho Ming was genuinely happy for him. With both of theming from a small vige like An Xiang Vige, they had done rtively well. Lin Fan smiled and nodded; it was a huge step forward for his goal to be sect master. "Come to the wooden hut. Let''s celebrate with hotpot," Lin Fan said and invited Ho Ming. After what they''d been through, it was time for some celebration. Disciples standing beside them tried toe up and introduce themselves. Each one of them tried to get into Lin Fan''s good books. But Lin Fan didn''t need such fair-weather allies. He rejected them as he and Ho Ming walked back toward the wooden hut. Lin Fan immediately feltfortable when he saw the wooden hut. It was just as he remembered it to be. A ce of sce for him amidst all the turmoil outside. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire "You are back," Ho Jie said, putting down the firewood for the day when he saw Lin Fan and Ho Ming. He secretly sighed with huge relief when he saw Ho Ming unharmed. They chatted about what had happened as Lin Fan prepared for the hotpot. Ho Jie had to hold tightly to the corner of the table when he heard about the Dark Envoy and Dark Lord appearing. He finally let go of the table when he heard Lin Fan had sessfully dyed for time. When the hotpot was ready, they tucked into the sumptuous meal. Something they hadn''t done for a very long time. "Here, have more." Ho Jie, with the piece of meat in his chopsticks, ced it into Ho Ming''s te. Lin Fan saw his gesture and thought to himself. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water after all. And even though Lin Fan was without family here, he was d he had friends and allies like Ho Ming and Ho Jie. Munching on the meat in his mouth, Lin Fan began to think about the work ahead of him. ... Million Sword Hall. Qing Yang Zi sat in his chair with Zhao Qing Ying by his side. When the other peak lords were seated, he started to brief them on the future n. "I''ve discussed this with the other sects. "The thing we need to do now is to recuperate and recruit new disciples. "Everyone has sustained many casualties. "After that, we shall have to try to kill the Tan Family Head together." Qing Yang Zi disclosed the ns they had discussed. "Hmph." Zhao Qing Ying wasn''t impressed with it; he raised his fist and said, "Just let me go and kill him now." Qing Yang Zi shook his head and said, "How would you deal with his army that''s fifty thousand strong? "And Tan Xiao Yao is at the same cultivation level as you, Void Fusion Level." Zhao Qing Ying put his fist down and fumed. His dao was being hindered here. He might have to go into secluded cultivation soon. Seeing that Zhao Qing Ying had calmed down, Qing Yang Zi turned to the Peak Lords. "The Alchemy Peak Lord position is now vacant; I shall nominate the next Peak Lord soon. "The rest of you, prepare to expect lots of missions toe. "Peaceful times are over; the Tan Family and Dark Lotus sect shall be creating trouble soon." Chapter 150 Village Defense The distance of Gui An vige was two hundred kilometers away from Qing Feng Sect. So they rode horses to get there as soon as possible. On the way, Lin Fan noticed that there were many more vagrants wandering around. The towns and viges that they passed by had many shops closed. A signal that something big might be about to happen. If it weren''t for the fact that they wore cultivators'' robes, these vagrants would have attempted to rob them. None of the vagrants were stupid enough to try. After four days of traveling, they had finally arrived at Gui An vige. Before entering the vige, Lin Fan had something he wanted to take care of. "Senior martial sister, I have experience in dealing with demonic beast hordes; maybe I could take the lead for this mission." "Yes, Lin Fan hunted for a living before he joined Qing Feng Sect," Ho Ming chimed in. Ho Ming wasn''t sure what to expect from Zhang Xi, so he preferred Lin Fan to lead as usual. When Zhang Xi heard what Lin Fan said, she looked up into the sky and sighed with huge relief. She wasn''t keen on leading after her recent experience. "Please go ahead. I''ve had enough after taking care of the Physique Peak for so long," Zhang Xi replied. With that out of the way, they continued and reached the entrance of the vige. There were barriers set along the boundaries of the vige. Vigers holding their sticks and knives were standing guard. They were wary when they saw Lin Fan approaching, holding their weapons up in the air.@@novelbin@@ Slowly, Lin Fan and the rest got closer. The vigers put down their weapons and wiped the sweat off their foreheads when they realized Lin Fan was riding on horses. Not someone from the Yi Tribe riding on demonic beasts. "You must be the cultivators sent to help us? I''m Old Heng, the vige head." An old man with a stick in his hand came, limping with every step. He quickly gestured for the vigers to help Lin Fan and the rest get down from their horses. Lin Fan and the rest thanked them but got down by themselves. "Where is the constable?" Lin Fan asked. Usually, there would be someone from the imperial court to help. Old Heng shook his head and said, "The constable died in the skirmishst night. Come, let''s get you rested while I brief you." They entered the vige following Old Heng. Lin Fan noticed that the huts and houses were badly damaged. Many of the vigers had bandages on them. These men and women were brave souls who took up weapons to save their home. However, when they looked at Lin Fan, they frowned and then looked down. Lin Fan figured his young looks might have made them disappointed. It had happened so many times that Lin Fan was used to it now. All he needed to do now was to show them what he was made of. ¡­ Inside Old Heng''s house, there was a huge map on the table. "These are where the Yi Tribe rebels woulde from." Old Heng pointed to three points on the map. The vige entrance, the road that stretched across a slope, and the road leading to the mountains. He continued and said, "We''ve held them off two times; if you weren''t here, we most likely wouldn''t survive the third." Lin Fan looked at the map and pondered. Each of them could stand guard at one point. But it wouldn''t be enough for him. Lin Fan then turned and asked Old Heng, "Where is their vige located? Best if we could also finish them off instead of just defending the vige." "What? Finish them off?" Old Heng nearly choked on his saliva when he heard Lin Fan. He looked at Lin Fan, Ho Ming, and Zhang Xi. These young disciples don''t know their limits, he thought. Old Heng pointed at the mountains and said, "Their vige is around this area. But I suggest you don''t risk your lives; their vige head is at Foundation Establishment Level." "Same level as me. Don''t worry, I know my limits," Lin Fan shrugged and replied. "Same level?" Old Heng''s eyes opened wide when he heard it. He didn''t expect someone so young to be at Foundation Establishment Level. "I will go into the mountains after the vige is safe," Lin Fan assured the vige head. It was then decided that Lin Fan would stand guard at the road leading to the mountains. Zhang Xi would take on the entrance they came from. With his wide-area attack, Ho Ming would take the road that cuts through the vige by the slope. ¡­ Nightfall. Lin Fan stood at the road entrance with the vigers prowling around. "Young man,ter when they attack, don''t be scared of their demonic beasts. Cut at their legs." The middle-aged man standing beside Lin Fan tried to teach him how to deal with the demonic beasts. Even though they weren''t confident in Lin Fan''s abilities, with him being so young, they weren''t mad at him. They epted the fact that as lowly vigers, to have help was already a mercy from the Emperor. He patted him on his back and said, "You look the same age as my son. I think you might be good friends if he was still alive." When the other vigers heard it, they sighed and then cursed silently at the rebels. So many young men lost their lives because of these rebels. "Now is not the time. They areing!" One of the prowlers came running back and broke the somber mood. "Get ready, everyone. Let''s show them what the vigers in Gui An are made of." They hurriedly stood behind makeshift barriers and waited. The middle-aged man pulled Lin Fan behind him and said, "Watch how I do it first." Lin Fan nodded and did so. Although he didn''t care much for them, he appreciated such kindness, like how Uncle Liu was to him. Soon, around twenty bright orange dots appeared from afar. They slowly became bigger as they got nearer. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire [Detected twenty souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Fire Deer with malevolent intent for 200 vengeance points.] Lin Fan saw the vengeance points and sighed. Each Fire Deer was only worth 10 vengeance points now. Boom! Lin Fan leaped and went at the bright orange dots. The middle-aged man felt a gust of wind as Lin Fan leaped. He held up his hand trying to stop Lin Fan, but Lin Fan was too fast for him. The other vigers also gasped at what they saw. Chapter 153 Lin Fans Answer When Lin Fan got back to Gui An vige, the vigers jumped with joy. "He is back." "Thank the heavens he is unharmed." "Come, let''s get the feast started for our saviors." They swarmed and pulled Lin Fan to a fire pit lit up brightly in front of the vige head''s house. On top of the fire was amb, with its skin roasted to a crisp golden color. And whenever the oil from the fats dripped onto the fire, it made the fire burn much brighter. Ho Ming and Zhang Xi were already enjoying the roastedmb when Lin Fan joined in. "The Yi Tribe''s vige head has been taken care of. "They won''t be finding trouble with you for a very long time," Lin Fan said when he saw Old Heng approaching.@@novelbin@@ Old Heng was surprised it was done so quickly. He bowed and said, "That''s great news! Thank you so much. Do eat more and enjoy the feast." Lin Fan nodded and tucked into themb meat ced in front of him. Vigers then came up to them and offered them drinks one by one. Ho Ming, with all the practice he had from Ho Fu, stood up and drank with them. The feaststed a few hours. When it was over, they took turns staying on guard while the others slept. Making sure it was safe. This mission had let Lin Fan recognize the fact that there were still good people within the Quan Dynasty. Not all of them were rotten and corrupt to the core. People that were good to him like Uncle Liu and Ho Fu came to his mind. And right now, though, it wasn''t looking great for them. The very next day, they left and went on their way back to Qing Feng Sect. Much to the disappointment of the vigers. Who were trying to make them stay, letting them show their gratitude. ¡­ Qing Feng Sect. Mission Hall. "Ho Ming, get your father to toughen up the vige''s security, things are going to get worse." Lin Fan said as they walked over to the counter. He better get Ho Fu to prepare for what''sing. The letter that small eyes had on him was from Tan Xiao Yao, asking him to sow discord and create havoc in Quan Dynasty. Others that are working for Tan Xiao Yao must have gotten it too. "I will do so tomorrow," Ho Ming replied. He was also concerned about the safety of his father. After getting the reward from the disciple at the counter, Lin Fan went on to pass the letter he retrieved to the sect master. The disciples guarding the Million Sword Hall wanted to stop him, but Lin Fan as core disciple of Zhang Yi Nian was now able to do so. His change of status had brought him many more privileges than before. "Well done," Qing Yang Zi said as he read the letter Lin Fan had passed to him. Qing Yang Zi expected Tan Xiao Yao to create trouble, but not in such an open way. Tan Xiao Yao was one step ahead of them, killing two birds with one stone. First, with Tan Xiao Yao''s instigation, the Quan Dynasty would be chaotic, paving the way for him to take over. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire And with the Emperor putting the responsibility of dealing with him on the sects, Tan Xiao Yao openly doing so will make the sects feel that they are being used by the Emperor, as things get more difficult. The sects might just join Tan Xiao Yao instead, once they had enough of the Emperor. Tan Xiao Yao is such a cunning old fox, Qing Yang Zi thought. The next moment, he looked up at Lin Fan and asked, "Lin Fan, what do you think will be best for Qing Feng Sect?" Lin Fan pped the back of his head and said, "I wouldn''t know, sect master. I''m pretty new in the sect." Qing Yang Zi frowned and stroked his beard at his response and said, "Hmm... You are right, I''m asking too much from you. Be on your way then." "Yes, sect master." Lin Fan bowed and left the Million Sword Hall. Lin Fan had an answer, but it was not to be spoken out loud. The only thing that was best for him to do now was to get stronger and be sect master one day. That''s when his own destiny could be in his own hands. ¡­ Back at the wooden hut, Lin Fan took out the bracelets from Ning Na. He wanted to continue his cultivation of the Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation Technique. Now that he was at a higher level, he could take in more poisonous creatures in one go. With the poisonous creatures in his body and his Qi extracting the poison out of them. He used his Qi to direct them into his poison nds. Filling them up with more and more poison in them. With more Qi he had now, the poison nds had also gottenrger. Enabling him to store more of the poison. Lin Fan was very sure this technique woulde in very handy next time, when they would have to face up to Tan Xiao Yao''s army. Their armor with scriptures might be an obstacle for the sects, he thought. Soon, Lin Fan used up the poisonous creatures in the bracelets. He would have to capture some more if he wanted to continue. Lin Fan looked out of the window, wondering if there were poisonous creatures in the woods outside. He could also earn more vengeance points to upgrade his beast abilities. But first he had something much more important to do. He summoned the system''s information panel in his mind. [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 2/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 5 (1600 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 1760] [Upgrade Physiques: Y/N] Looking at the vengeance points that he had, it was time to upgrade his physique level. Lin Fan thought silently to himself, upgrade physique level. Chapter 154 The Amulet Lin Fan felt his body burning up, as if his dantian was going through some fusion process. Luckily, with his Physique Cultivation, he could endure the pain that came with it. Slowly, he felt every sensation and every movement. Even the movement of his blood when it pulsed through his veins. All of a sudden, it went the other way. The heat and warmth from his dantian turned cold. It was now like an icyke. With the Qi being frozen inside of it. Everything slowed down. His breathing and blood stopped flowing. With it, his Qi flowed back to the icyke of his dantian, like rivers flowing into the sea.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan felt so cold that he started to shiver, even after all the physique cultivation he''d gone through. When all his Qi was gone and umted in his dantian''s icyke, the frozen surface broke. Qi then burst out of his dantian. Filling him with the sense of power and energy. [Ding! Congrattions on upgrading your Physiques.] [Your Physical strength/endurance x 2.] [Usage of abilities x 2.] Lin Fan stood up and summoned the system''s information panel again. [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 2/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 6 (3200 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 160] As he had expected, the next upgrade would require 3200 vengeance points. He would have to try and finish as many missions as possible. But right now, he wanted to test out what he could do, now that he was at Level 6. Lin Fan walked out of the wooden hut. He took out his hammers and tried out the three strokes of the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style. The Eight Trigram Sound Wave took up less Qi to execute; he could do it twelve times before exhausting his Qi and Energy. He could also perform the Eight Trigram Beast Transform strike eight times before running out of Qi and energy. As for the Eight Trigram Hammer Throw, four times was the maximum that he could execute now. Satisfied with the improvements, Lin Fan continued with his Physique Cultivation routine. ¡­ Next day. Lin Fan asked to be excused as he wanted to find Sima Liang. He witnessed how a valuable artifact could turn the tide of the battle, and he wanted one. Right now, Lin Fan had nothing except for his hammers and pills. He wanted to ensure his chance of survival would be greater. Zhang Yi Niang gave him the go-ahead, as he didn''t have the resources for Lin Fan yet. It took Zhang Yi Nian some pestering for Qing Yang Zi to allocate more cultivation resources for the Physique Peak. With Zhang Yi Nian''s permission, Lin Fan set off for Hong Feng city to find Sima Liang. After he arrived at Sima Family''s mansion, the servants guided him to the guest room. When Sima Liang entered, he had ink all over his hands and gave out a huge sigh. "I''m so d to see you. Have a seat," Sima Liang said and turned to the servant, gesturing them to bring more food and drinks in for Lin Fan. Lin Fan shook his head and smiled. He figured Sima Liang must have been doing ounting beforeing to greet him. "I''m here for a favor," Lin Fan said. "Favor? I''ll get angry if you say that again. I owe you more than that; it can never be repaid in my lifetime." Sima Liang was appreciative of what Lin Fan had done for him. He would try his best to fulfill Lin Fan''s requests. "I need an artifact that would give me protection or something that supplements my powers." Lin Fan listed out his request. "You came just in time. Come with me to meet Master Xin; he justpleted his new masterpiece." Sima Liang quickly led Lin Fan to meet with Master Xin. As usual, Master Xin was pounding his hammer on a piece of red-hot iron when they entered. "Master Xin, show him yourtest piece of work," Sima Liang said with enthusiasm. Eager to show Lin Fan what it was. Master Xin stopped what he was doing and put down his hammer. He went back into the workshop and took out a box. "This is the demonic beast core amulet." Master Xin said while he opened the box, and continued, "Put whatever demonic beast core into it, and the wearer can turn into the demonic beast until its power runs out. Just inject Qi into it to activate it." Lin Fan was intrigued; it would be of great help as he still had the demonic beast core from the Earth Breaker Smander. With the amulet in his hand, he held it up and inspected it. The amulet was shaped like a circle, and it had a depression in the center, for the demonic beast core to be ced. Surrounding it was dark red metal with scriptures carved all around it. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "Anywhere I can try this? I have some Fire Deer demonic beast core for testing," Lin Fan asked. "We can try it out in the garden if you want to," Sima Liang replied. Master Xin nodded and continued his work. When they got to the garden, Lin Fan took out a Fire Deer''s demonic beast core and ced it into the amulet. He then injected his Qi into the amulet. An orange glow started toe out of the amulet. It quickly engulfed Lin Fan and the next moment; Lin Fan''s form changed into a Fire Deer. The experience was jarring at first, being in the form of a Fire Deer. But it was straightforward; any thoughts he made, and the form would follow. First, Lin Fan slowly tried out walking. And when he was proficient enough, he started galloping around the garden. Lastly, he directed his Qi, and a fireball formed in front of the antlers. Whoosh. The fireball shot at the pond in the garden, making the water ssh out. After that, Lin Fan changed back to his human form. The essence in the demonic beast core was used up. Lin Fan was very satisfied with the artifact. "How much for it?" He turned to Sima Liang and asked. Chapter 155 Miners "No. I can''t take your money." Sima Liang shook his head as he tried to let Lin Fan keep the amulet. "Lin Fan, you are here..." Madam Choo greeted him as she came into the garden. Sima Liang quickly walked over to her side and said, "It''s cold out here. You should be inside your room. "Xiu Ju, bring Madam back to her room now." "Madam Choo, long time no see." Lin Fan bowed and greeted her in return. He noticed Sima Liang trying to get Madam Choo away from him. It was very odd of Sima Liang. Sima Liang is keeping something from him, Lin Fan thought. Lin Fan walked over to Madam Choo and said, "Let''s have some tea and chat like we used to. It''s been a while." This made Sima Liang anxious. But it was toote. Madam Choo bowed and said, "Lin Fan, we need your help."@@novelbin@@ "No, mother. We already owe him too much." Sima Liang tried to make Madam Choo stop. It was to no avail. Madam Choo continued and said, "Our mine in the mountains is having some troubles. The other family members are not helping, waiting to see my son fail." When Lin Fan heard what Madam Choo said, he shook his head. It seemed that these family feuds never end. Sima Liang looked down and kept silent. "So that''s what you were busy with - trying to bnce the books with the mine having issues." Lin Fan patted Sima Liang''s back. Sima Liang''s ascension was quick, and he didn''t have enough time and resources to build up his influence. And with the recent turmoil sweeping through the Quan Dynasty, the other family members must have tried to take their chance again. "Let me go settle it for you, in exchange for the amulet. Fair deal?" Lin Fan proposed to help as he wanted to try out the amulet and other skills. He also wasn''t into the ceremonial process of pretending not to want to ept gifts. Upon hearing what Lin Fan said, Madam Choo thanked him repeatedly. Sima Liang sighed and did the same. He knew he had to buckle up and not rely on Lin Fan every time. ... The mountains were very near Hong Feng City. Iron ores that were mined would be transported to the Sima Family to be turned into artifacts. It took Lin Fan half a day to reach the mountains on horseback. He was disguised as a house guard from the Sima Family. When he followed the path up into the mines, he saw bodies thaty beside and on the path. They wore rags with ckened hands and faces. Lin Fan figured these bodies belonged to the miners. Someone or something might have killed them. He checked the bodies and found that there were cut wounds all over. But others had no wounds on them. And they didn''t show any symptoms of being poisoned. Lin Fan would have to figure out what caused them to die. After continuing on the path for half an hour, Lin Fan finally reached the mine. A group of men with swords in their hands were standing guard. These men weren''t in the clothes of Sima Family''s servants, like the one Lin Fan wore. With the family emblem of the characters ''Sima'' on the left chest. Some others were whipping the miners, forcing them to go into the mine. "Please don''t. I will do anything but go into the mine again. The mountain god has spoken, and he is not pleased." One of the miners begged as the whipnded on his back. Blood seeped through the rags he was wearing as wounds appeared with each crack of the whip. There was something inside that made them afraid to go in. Something that was even worse than suffering from the whipping. After he had analyzed the situation, Lin Fan walked out of the shadows and approached the mine. "Stop right there!" The guard shouted as he saw Lin Fan. Other guards quickly came over and pointed their swords at Lin Fan. They looked around, scanning for more intruders. After they were sure there weren''t any, they lowered their swords. "Well, what have we here? A house guard from the Sima Family?" The leader of the group stepped forward. He smirked as he rubbed his bald head. "Very brave of you. Our revolution army could make good use of someone like you." The leader nodded his head, impressed with Lin Fan''s bravery ining alone to face them. "Don''t you see how the Quan Emperor is causing all the suffering? "We shall make everyone free from all the taxes and hardbor when the rebellion seeds. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire "All of us are born human. Who is to mandate that the Emperor is above us all?" The leader gave a rousing speech, trying to persuade Lin Fan to join their cause. Lin Fan just shrugged his shoulders. He had seen it all - promises made and broken once they got into power. And looking at how they treated the miners, these were amateurs. Not even willing to pretend for a moment. Lin Fan continued and said, "Let''s go. I don''t have all day." The very next moment, Lin Fan lunged at one of the guards. It was over so fast that the guard couldn''t even cry out in pain. With a punch from Lin Fan, the guard''s internal organs were damaged. Plop. The guard fell to the ground the very next moment. Lin Fan had adjusted his strength to amodate the guards. He would have scared them off if he had used his full powers. "Go get him. Surround him and attack from behind." The leader of the group panicked as he shouted out his instructions. When he saw the guards do what he told them, he quickly turned and ran. The leader knew Lin Fan must be a cultivator. Who in their right mind woulde and challenge them single-handedly? They were definitely no match for him. With the guards surrounding him, the miners gasped out in fear. They felt sorry for Lin Fan, seeing him risk his life for them, but they couldn''t do anything. As the swords of the guards got closer to Lin Fan, they closed their eyes and dared not look. Chapter 156 Beast Core Collection "Argh." The guards shouted in pain as Lin Fan blew out a gust of ck smoke. Their skin started to be rotten, and pieces of it dropped onto the ground from their faces. Within a few seconds, they stopped moving and dropped dead. Lin Fan was pleased with the effect of his Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire It was now more deadly with a wider attack surface area. Guards that were on their way stopped in their tracks when they saw what had happened. But it was toote for them. Lin Fan lunged and finished them off within a few seconds.@@novelbin@@ Finally, the leader of the group was the only one left. "I beg of you, let me go. Our revolutionary leader, Zhu Yu, would be d to make you his deputy." He pleaded with Lin Fan for his life. Lin Fan couldn''t be bothered and finished him off with a kick to his head. The miners burst out in cheers when they saw the leader of the group killed. Their nightmares of working under inhumane conditions were over. "Thank you so much." "We shall erect a shrine to honor you, young hero." "I knew the Sima Family wouldn''t forsake us." Lin Fan shook his head at them. Always waiting for someone to rescue them. Suddenly, at the next moment, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate Giant Burrowing Bear with malevolent intent for 200 vengeance points.] Roar. A huge roar came from the entrance of the mine. Those miners close to it fell to the ground and twitched a few times before bing motionless. So, this Giant Burrowing Bear was the other party killing the miners, Lin Fan thought. The roar tried to prate his skin and stir up his innards but was not able to do so. His physique level at level 6 was too high for that. "The mountain god!" "It''s angry at us again!" "Everyone run!" The miners who were still alive quickly ran away as they saw the Giant Burrowing Bear emerge from the mine''s entrance. Lin Fan waited eagerly for it to attack. The Giant Burrowing Bear roared again, trying to make Lin Fan weaken with its roaring attack. When it saw that Lin Fan was still standing, it changed strategy and came at Lin Fan with its paws. Lin Fan took out his hammers and banged them together. A tit for tat. Dang! When the Eight Trigram Sound Wave hit the Giant Burrowing Bear''s ears, it stopped and shook its head. Trying to make the pain go away. It had finally met its match. Lin Fan activated the amulet and turned into the manifestation of a Fire Deer. He lunged at the Giant Burrowing Bear with the antlers. The Giant Burrowing Bear, with its paws, dug in the ground and the next moment, it was underground. Lin Fan missed as he galloped by the Giant Burrowing Bear. A fireball formed in the middle of his antlers. Lin Fan waited for the Giant Burrowing Bear to appear again as the fireball slowly grewrger andrger. A small mound of dirt appeared on the ground, and it left a trail as it got closer to Lin Fan. Lin Fan released the fireball at the mound. Boom. An explosion ensued and the Giant Burrowing Bear appeared on the ground again. By now, all the essence in the Fire Deer''s beast core was used up. Lin Fan''s manifestation as a Fire Deer disappeared, and he turned back into human form. He was pleased with the amulet''s ability. If he collected more demonic beast cores, he could turn into all sorts of demonic beasts during fights. And the beast in front of him was useful. The Giant Burrowing Bear with its ability to burrow into the ground and its roaring attack was great. However, the experiment was over, and Lin Fan got serious. He took out his hammers and lunged at the Giant Burrowing Bear. Dang. When the hammer hit the bear''s head, it was stunned for a few seconds. Lin Fan smashed at its abdomen, and it ripped the abdomen open. Roar. The Giant Burrowing Bear could only roar out in pain. It pawed down at Lin Fan, trying to make him go away. But Lin Fan just blocked it with one of his hammers. He then thrust his other hammer at the Giant Burrowing Bear''s abdomen. The illuminated Ember Wolf gnawed at the innards, letting the fur catch fire with its mes. This made the Giant Burrowing Bear fall back and give out a whimper of a roar. Lin Fan then went in with his Primordial Qi ws at its head. A familiar sound then erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 200.] [Current Vengeance Points: 360] Lin Fan proceeded to gut the Giant Burrowing Bear and got its demonic beast core out. Right now, he had eighteen Fire Deer''s demonic beast cores left, and also the Earth Breaking Smander beast core. With the addition of the Giant Burrowing Bear''s beast core, he should now be more versatile for different situations. ... Lin Fan got back to a grateful Sima Liang. His mother, Madam Choo, was nearly in tears. She thanked the heavens for her son''s luck. It was the best thing that had happened to Sima Liang, getting to know Lin Fan. Lin Fan briefed him on what he had encountered and made special mention of the man Zhu Yu. He was unknown to Lin Fan, but Lin Fan guessed that he was most likely someone from Tan Xiao Yao. Trying to rally rebels all over the Quan Dynasty. Just like what had happened in Gui An vige. "This time you really should try to build up your own influences," Lin Fan said. It was the only advice he had for Sima Liang. Sima Liang nodded and said, "I will be sending some of those whom I trust to join the recruitment in Qing Feng Sect." "Recruitment again, so soon?" Lin Fan asked. "Haven''t you heard? The sects are short of manpower after what happened in Late Spring Hunt." Lin Fan went into thoughts about what it meant for the Physique Peak. It wasn''t too long ago he was one of those who sought entrance into the Qing Feng Sect. Chapter 157 New Team New Mission As Lin Fan travelled back to Qing Feng Sect, he could see groups of people making their way there. All of them chatted about what they expected for their future, eager to join and be cultivators. It reminded him of how he and Ho Ming had been the same not too long ago. Finally, he reached the entrance where there was already a group of young men and women standing. They were waiting for further instructions. When Lin Fan''s horse galloped past them, everyone looked at him. Lin Fan, with his young look, was mistaken as one of them trying to get into Qing Feng Sect. He got down and led his horse over to the guards. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire Much to the dismay of some of the new potential recruits. Some young masters with their servants, who wanted to stop him from cutting the ''queue'', stopped when they saw the guards greeting Lin Fan. The guards were polite and bowed to him as they took over the horse from Lin Fan. "Thanks," Lin Fan thanked the guards and walked up the stairs. "That young boy..." One of the young masters pointed at Lin Fan and tried to make sense of things. "Young boy? That''s the core disciple of the Physique Peak Lord, Zhang Yi Nian." One of the guards corrected the young master in awe. To him, Lin Fan had looked so young and was most likely a nobody. The young master soothed his chest as he thought to himself, lucky he hadn''t kicked up a fuss. ... When he got to the central square, disciples were getting ready to test the new recruits. Senior martial brother, Sun Hai, was getting ready, as he had done before. Zhang Xi called out to Lin Fan when she saw him. "Lin Fan,e and be a role model to attract the new disciples." It didn''t sound good to Lin Fan. He remembered how she had tried to recruit the new disciples thest time. And the results were abysmal. So, he gave her some advice and quickly left the central square instead. Zhang Xi''s eyes opened wide when Lin Fan told her what to do. How to do marketing and position the Physique Peak appropriately. And how to appeal to the ''customers'''' primal instincts like fear. She quickly got to work and brainstormed about it. Finally, it was all about how you might not make it if you joined the other peaks. How the intensepetition at the other peaks would eat you up. How would your family feel if you left Qing Feng Sect just a yearter, just because thepetition was too much for you. And it could all be avoided if they joined Physique Peak instead. Where there were ample resources to go around, and teachers would have time for the disciples. It wasn''t magic, but it did appeal to some of the new recruits. And at the end of it all, the Physique Peak had five new disciples joining. Not too bad as it was a new record for the Physique Peak. ... The next day. Lin Fan went to the Physique Peak to find new faces waiting in the main hall. They were the five new disciples. All of them were young teenage boys. When they saw Lin Fan, they quickly stood up, bowed, and greeted him. "Senior martial brother." "I''m Lin Fan, core disciple of the Peak Lord. See you around," Lin Fan replied and went on his way. He looked at them carefully as he left and figured they were mostly from humble backgrounds like him. Even though they were wearing the white robes of the outer disciples, he noticed how their fingers were rough. Most likely due to working on thend. They looked at Lin Fan admirably as he left. Thinking to themselves how lucky Lin Fan was to be a core disciple. "Wee." Their thoughts were interrupted by Sun Hai. He had entered the main hall and started to brief them on their duties. Like what he had done for Lin Fan. Life is indeed an endless cycle. "Master, you were looking for me?" Lin Fan greeted Zhang Yi Nian when he entered Zhang Yi Nian''s study room. Zhang Yi Nian was enjoying his tea as he sipped from the teacup. "Yes, the sect master has made some arrangements with the other sects. "Expect guests toe over today and you will have to go on missions with them. "It is to prepare all of you to work together, for the final siege against Tan Xiao Yao." He briefed Lin Fan about what to expect. Lin Fan wondered who he would have to go with for the missions, and what type of missions they would be involved with. He had a hunch they didn''t have much time. Tan Xiao Yao had already made his move from what he had encountered earlier. He didn''t have to guess for any longer as Qing Yang Zi summoned him to the Million Sword Hall momentster. ... Million Sword Hall. When Lin Fan arrived, Ho Ming was already there with Hun Yen Kun. And there were some other familiar faces in the hall. Lai Qing and Lai Ming from the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. Also, Hu Tuo was there, keeping to himself and standing quietly. Lastly, there was also Zhao Jia Rui. Other than these few familiar faces, disciples from other sects were also around. "Wee everyone," Qing Yang Zi greeted all the disciples as he entered and sat on his seat. "Sect master Qing Yang Zi," The disciples bowed and greeted him back. Qing Yang Zi nodded his head and said, "Thank you foring. "Your sect masters must have briefed you on the purpose, so let''s begin. "You shall be formed up in teams and assigned missions. "The details will be handed to you after my briefing. "Good luck, everyone." Menial disciples then appeared and handed every disciple a letter. The letter had their team members and the mission they had toplete. Lin Fan hoped he would be with his usual crew of Ho Ming and Hun Yen Kun as he opened the letter.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 158 Hotpot Party Lin Fan frowned as he looked at the names. Ho Ming, the Lai brothers, Hu Tuo, Zhao Jia Rui, and Lin Fan. It seemed like an all-star team to him. But when he looked at the mission, he could understand why. They were to sabotage and destroy the central transportation outpost of Tan Xiao Yao''s army. One that was heavily guarded, ording to the information in the letter. With his experience with Lu Ding repelling the beast horde, Lin Fan knew the army wasn''t exactly a pushover. The other disciples sighed and shook their heads when they opened their letters and didn''t see Lin Fan''s name. Most of them had been hoping to be on the same team as him. They quickly nced over at Lin Fan, trying to see who the lucky ones were. Their hearts sank when they saw the Lai brothers making their way over to Lin Fan. Next was Hu Tuo. Finally, when they saw Zhao Jia Rui making her way over, they didn''t know whom they should be jealous of. With his new teammates standing awkwardly looking at each other, Lin Fan decided to break the ice. "Since we leave for the mission two dayster, let''s have a good meal together first and n for the mission?" The rest of his new teammates nodded their heads. So, Lin Fan left with them to the wooden hut. They were surprised Lin Fan stayed in such a sparsely furnished hut. Thinking to themselves what a thrifty person Lin Fan was. But they couldn''t figure him out when he brought out all the demonic beast meat and spirit rice. The amount of meat could havested them a month back in their sect. For Lin Fan, it seemed to be nothing. When he got the hotpot going, everyone looked at him, not knowing what to do. How were they going to eat with the meat still raw? Lin Fan showed them, and they followed, cooking the meat in the hotpot. Yum. They were impressed with how fresh it tasted. "Lin Fan, is this your secret to being so strong?" Lai Qing asked as he picked up another piece of meat with his chopsticks. "You can try and eat more if you think so," Lin Fan replied. That made the atmosphere lively, and they started chatting amongst each other. Mostly bantering about how Lin Fan was able to defeat all of them. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire Lin Fan just shrugged as he thought about the mission. His strategy of using hotpot as an icebreaker worked. And as the saying goes, if one meal of hotpot doesn''t work, a second meal should do the trick. After the meal, they sat and started to discuss the mission. They looked at the map of the transportation outpost and tried to think of a n. Going head-on was not a good option as it had around three hundred soldiers stationed there. The General there, Gu Dao, was at Nascent Soul Level. Someone they had to be wary of. Lin Fan looked at the map carefully. He saw that the transportation outpost was located by the river, where supplies would be transported by boat after being loaded from the warehouse. That gave him an idea. "We could set fire to some of the boats that have just left the outpost, luring the soldiers to handle it. "With the soldiers busy with the boats, we could then go in and sabotage the outpost." Lin Fan proposed his n. The others thought for a moment and nodded. nning wasn''t their forte, as they had spent most of their energy and time on cultivation. So, it was agreed that the Lai brothers would set fire to the boats while the others would attack the outpost. With the n settled, they rested for the day. ... Next day. Everyone prepared whatever they required and set off for the transportation outpost. It was a long journey as the outpost was near the northern region of Quan Dynasty. At least a week''s journey for them to reach on horseback. The lush greenery slowly became sparse as they travelled up north, giving way to vast grasnd and dusty roads. After six days of travel, they reached the town closest to the outpost. They decided to rest and prepare themselves for the day. Lin Fan and the rest dressed like merchants, with goods on the backs of their horses. There were merchants like them, bringing goods to the outpost. It was a perfect cover for them to approach the outpost. "Four rooms to stay for one night for my merchant team." Lin Fan said to the innkeeper as they entered the inn. The innkeeper looked up and was surprised that the leader of the merchant team was someone so young. He immediately thought that Lin Fan must be some young master, trying to make money for the first time. "Wee, young master. We''ll get the four rooms ready. Care to have some meal first?" The innkeeper offered, and Lin Fan nodded his head. A waiter then came and led them to the restaurant area. They sat down, and Lin Fan listened carefully to the conversation going on.@@novelbin@@ "Something must be going on soon." "Yeah, I saw troops moving into the outpost yesterday." "Maybe the Emperor..." "Shh. Shut your trap and keep quiet." The merchants were very sensitive to what was happening in the Quan Dynasty. Lin Fan frowned when he heard troops had moved in the day before. He walked over and asked the merchants who were chatting. "I''m leading my merchant team, selling some wares from the south. May I know how many soldiers moved in? My wares might have a market for them." Lin Fan pretended to ask. One of the merchants looked at Lin Fan and was impressed with him. Being so young and trying his best to make more profits in these turbulent times. "You''ve asked the right person. I know someone in the outpost. Follow me tomorrow. I''m Lee, by the way." Lin Fan''s eyes opened wide and said, "Thank you, senior Lee. I''m Lau and I shall give you a cut of my profit for the help." "Keep the profit for yourself. When I was your age, I had to learn the ropes myself. Can''t bear seeing you suffering the same fate." The merchant, Lee, said and lit his pipe. Lin Fan went back to his table, and everything was in ce. Now they only had to execute the n. Chapter 159 General Gu Dao Next day. Lin Fan and the rest, except for the Lai brother, waited for Lee outside the inn. When Lee was ready, he came out of the inn and led them with his merchant team. Lee chatted with Lin Fan on the way. He told him about the north as Lin Fan was curious. Lin Fan knew it was inevitable that they would have to go further up north and face Tan Xiao Yao. "I would advise not going there. "The north is very unstable, with barbarians from the grasnds trying to conquer it for years. "Sometimes the soldiers will just run away, leaving the peasants to fend for themselves. "General Tan is a blessing for the Quan Dynasty. "He has been able to instill some discipline and hold the line for the past few years." Lee briefed Lin Fan as they finally reached the outpost. When Lin Fan heard what Lee said about Tan Xiao Yao, he frowned for a moment. It seemed like Tan Xiao Yao had some influence in the north, Lin Fan thought. It might be tough for them to go against him openly. "Stop right there." One of the soldiers guarding the entrance to the outpost shouted when he saw Lee and his merchant team approaching. Lee stepped forward and passed him a letter. The letter was the permit for them to bring the goods in, then to be loaded onto the boats. After the soldier read the letter, he waved for Lee to enter. Lin Fan and the rest followed. The outpost had a five-meter-high defense wall surrounding it. Inside the wall was a row of buildings that were the warehouse, and the pier where the boats would dock. Lin Fan took note of where the buildings were situated. He discreetly pointed to the buildings as he looked at Ho Ming, Hu Tuo and Zhao Jia Rui. Once the Lai brothers were done, they could do their job immediately. For Lin Fan, his focus would be on the piers. Lee was bringing them over to the piers when they heard the soldiers shouting. A few momentster, some of the soldiers got on their horses and left the outpost. "Look at the smoke." One of the merchants pointed in the distance. "The boats that just left must have caught fire." Another merchant said. This meant that the Lai brothers hadpleted their task. Everything stood still in the outpost as the soldiers tried to make sense of what had happened. They waited for half an hour before Lin Fan nced over at the rest. They nodded and the next moment, leaped toward their allocated targets. "What are you doing!" "Stop right there!" "Enemy attack!" The soldiers quickly knew what was happening and the drum on top of the defense wall sounded. Lin Fan and the team had to destroy the facilities fast, before the other soldiers came back. Soon a team of soldiers came over and surrounded Lin Fan with their long spears, shields and swords. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected 10 souls with malevolent intent iing!]@@novelbin@@ [Terminate 10 soldiers with malevolent intent for 500 vengeance points.] The soldiers thrust their spears at Lin Fan. The tips of the spears glowed as they injected their Qi into them. But Lin Fan took out his hammers and swung them in a circle. Breaking the spears as he crushed through them. His hammers at Spirit Level were too much for the soldiers'' weapons at Mortal Level. With their spears destroyed, the soldiers closed in with their shields. Cracked. The shields offered them no protection. They cracked whenever Lin Fan''s hammers smashed onto them. Without their shields, the soldiers'' armor gave out that protective white glow. But Lin Fan at full strength was too much for it. His hammers easily went through the protective white glow and killed the soldiers. When he was finally done, a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 500.] [Current Vengeance Points: 860] Immediately, another two teams of soldiers came toward Lin Fan. Lin Fan didn''t want to engage with them as this was not his mission. He quickly injected his Qi into the amulet and turned into a Fire Deer. With his antlers, he charged at the soldiers. The soldiers pointed their spears at him, but at thest minute, Lin Fan leaped over them. Andnded at the piers. The sailors and workers quickly scurried away from Lin Fan. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire He must be a devil that could change forms, they thought. Lin Fan turned back into his human form and with his hammers he unleashed the Ember Wolf with the Eight Trigram Beast Transform Strike. The illuminated Ember Wolf set fire to the pier wherever it went. Lin Fan then followed up with his hammers, smashing the piers made of wood into pieces. "Fire!" Suddenly, someone shouted, and arrows rained down onto Lin Fan. Lin Fan turned around and saw archers with a maning toward him. The two-meter-tall and well-built man wore the armor of a General. He must be General Gu Dao, the person in charge of the outpost. Boom. Explosions ensued when the arrows shot onto the ground. These weren''t ordinary arrows. Much more powerful than what Lin Fan had seen before. When the arrows that were on target came closer, Lin Fan swiped his hammers at them. Boom. The explosion nearly made Lin Fan drop his hammers and the shockwave could be felt in his body. If it were not for his Physique Cultivation, Lin Fan would have been hurt. "Die!" Gu Dao wasted no time and lunged at Lin Fan with his huge sword, which was one meter long. The sword shed at Lin Fan''s waist. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected 1 soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 350 vengeance points.] Lin Fan turned into a mist and the sword went right through him, causing Gu Dao to expose his shoulders to Lin Fan. Thud. Lin Fan swung his hammer at Gu Dao''s shoulders but the white glow from his armor stopped Lin Fan''s hammer. With his hammer being blocked by the white glow, Lin Fan kept them, and he used his Primordial Qi ws and plunged them through the white glow instead. The ws went through the white glow effortlessly. But they were stopped by the armor tes protecting Gu Dao''s shoulders. Gu Dao quickly gave Lin Fan a front kick trying to get Lin Fan away from him. Chapter 160 The Amulet Thud. To Gu Dao''s surprise, Lin Fan took his kick full on and didn''t flinch. He felt like he had kicked a steel wall. The very next moment, Gu Dao saw Lin Fan''s wsing at his eyes. He quickly leaped back and tried to get away from Lin Fan. Gu Dao got away in the nick of time. Lin Fan''s ws missed but he managed to scratch Gu Dao''s cheeks, leaving five trails of bloodied lines on his face. Now that Gu Dao was back with the archers, he ordered them to shoot their arrows at Lin Fan again. "Fire!" A rain of arrows came at Lin Fan. But this time Lin Fan was ready. He changed the demonic core in the amulet and when the arrows got close, he turned into the Giant Burrowing Bear. With his huge bear paws, he smashed them onto the ground and burrowed into it. "Where is he!" Gu Dao shouted and scanned around for Lin Fan. This was something he had never seen before, even for someone like him who had gone through many hard-fought battles. Everyone tried to look for Lin Fan but couldn''t do so. Then suddenly, the ground behind Gu Dao shook and Lin Fan appeared. He shed his huge paws down at Gu Dao. Gu Dao quickly turned around and used his sword to block them. With his huge body mass as the Giant Burrowing Bear, Lin Fan just tried to fall onto Gu Dao. As his weight slowly came onto Gu Dao, he struggled to push up, trying to use his sword to cut off the huge paws. The Giant Burrowing Bear''s skin was tough, and the sword couldn''t get through. The archers standing beside Gu Dao panicked as they didn''t know what to do. If they shot their arrows at Gu Dao, they might also hurt him. Gu Dao turned and shouted, "Shoot your arrows at him, my armor''s scriptures will protect me from the explosions." The archers quickly did as told and a loud bang could be heard. Dirt and mud flew all over the ce. When the dust settled, the Giant Burrowing Bear was no longer there. Lin Fan had his ws clutched at Gu Dao''s neck. The armor protected Gu Dao from the explosion but not Lin Fan''s ws. Even though Lin Fan had wounds on his skin, they were slowly closing up. With his physique level now, his wounds would slowly heal as long as he had Qi. Gu Dao tried to get Lin Fan''s ws out of his neck, and they were in a tussle. The ws slowly inched deeper then got pulled back out again by Gu Dao. At Nascent Soul Level, Gu Dao''s strength wasn''t weak. This went on for a few moments before Lin Fan heard Ho Ming''s voice. "Lin Fan! Let me help you!" A twirling wind strike came at the archers, and they were ripped apart by it. Their armor scriptures weren''t as good as Gu Dao''s. Ho Ming then thrust his sword at Gu Dao''s knees from the back, where there weren''t any armor tes. The twirling wind strike couldn''t get through, but it was enough to distract Gu Dao. Lin Fan''s ws sessfully inched into Gu Dao''s neck, and Lin Fan closed his fingers, pulling out whatever was left of Gu Dao''s throat. Stter. Blood spurted out of Gu Dao''s neck. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind.@@novelbin@@ [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 350.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1210] "Ho Ming, are the rest done?" Lin Fan asked as he assessed the situation. The warehouse was burning with ck smoke rising up into the air. It was chaotic as the merchants and soldiers panicked. Momentster, Hu Tuo and Zhao Jia Rui waved at them from atop the wall. Signaling to them that the troops were on their way back. Lin Fan quickly held onto Ho Ming and leaped with his chain leap over the wall. The rest followed suit. They grabbed the horses held outside and rode as fast as they could. The Lai brothers were waiting for them at the meeting ce designated beforehand. Finally, after half a day of travel, they got far enough to slow down. "You guys should have seen how we set fire to the boats. The river was choked by the burning boats right after." Lai Ming said as he tried to paint a picture of what they did. "Stop it, brother. It wasn''t much." Lai Qing tried to stop Lai Ming, seeing that it might be embarrassing. "What?" Lai Ming protested and shook his head. Even though they were twins, they had very different personalities. "I just can''t wait to kill that Tan Xiao Yao." For once, Zhao Jia Rui spoke. And to everyone''s surprise, it was something vengeful, which was so contradictory to her saintly looks. "Hu Tuo, what do you think will happen next?" Lin Fan turned and purposely asked Hu Tuo. He had been quiet all the way, and Lin Fan couldn''t sense the purpose of the West Monastery. Storm Fist Thunder Sect and Yi Mei Sect had revenge on their minds for their sect masters. As for the West Monastery, he couldn''t figure out what their motivation was. Hu Tuo just shook his head and said, "I wouldn''t know. I just hope all the killing would end soon." Lin Fan also shook his head and felt bad for Hu Tuo. Of all the things you could be, you chose to be an idealist in this treacherous world. He only hoped the other monks from the West Monastery thought like Hu Tuo. Long Kong hadn''t left a good impression on him during his battle with Di Tuo. But there wasn''t much he could do but be wary of the West Monastery. ¡­ Qing Feng Sect. Million Sword Hall. Lin Fan briefed Qing Yang Zi on the mission, and he was very happy with the result. "Well done. I knew I could count on you." Qing Yang Zi stroked his beard and motioned for the menial disciples to bring out their reward. The menial disciples gave everyone on the team a hundred contribution points. "Rest well for the next few days. The next step of our n wille very soon." Qing Yang Zi said as he left his seat. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire When Lin Fan heard it, he frowned, as it meant the battle was about to start. Chapter 161 Charity Porridge With a few days of rest in between, Lin Fan and Ho Ming decided to go back to An Xiang Vige for a visit. Ho Ming was worried about the vige with all the rebels and turmoil going on. The journey wasn''t too long, and they arrived within two days of travel. There were wooden barricades at the entrance and vigers guarding it. "Look, it''s Lin Fan and Ho Ming!" When the viger guarding the entrance saw who it was, he shouted with joy. It immediately felt safe to have them around. Ho Fu quickly came out with his smoke pipe and greeted them. "Lin Fan, I am d to see you again. Times are getting bad, doe in for some tea," Ho Fu said, and when he noticed Ho Ming, he gave him a nod. Ho Ming''s face lit up when he saw that. His father, for the first time, didn''t nag at him when he saw him. "Good to see you too, vige head," Lin Fan replied. They went to Ho Fu''s house, which had some damage to its door and walls. Something must have happened in the vige, Lin Fan thought when he saw it. "Out of nowhere, there were lots of rebels appearing. "We managed to beat them off, but what came next were beggars and vagrants. "All of them were poor folks disced from their homes. "We couldn''t afford to feed them, and things got nasty." Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire Ho Fu briefed Lin Fan on what had happened. "Where are they now? I haven''t seen them around," Lin Fan asked as he noticed that he didn''t see any beggars or vagrants near or in the vige. "Someone called Zhu Yu set up a charity porridge stall in Feng Shou town. All of them went there." "Zhu Yu? Where is he now?" Lin Fan asked, as this name rang a bell. He was the one who instigated the rebellion. But suddenly he was now a man of charity? "I don''t know for sure, butst I heard he led the beggars and vagrants to the north, promising them housing and jobs for them to have a new start," Ho Fu puffed as he told Lin Fan what he knew. Lin Fan thought about it and knew what Tan Xiao Yao was doing. Creating turmoil and then luring the skilled peasants over to his territory. With this, he could gut the Quan Dynasty of its means of production. Without the skilled farmers and craftsmen, the strength of the Emperor would be weakened. Tan Xiao Yao was ying the Emperor like a toy. He had better brief Qing Yang Zi about what was happening.@@novelbin@@ It was senseless for them to work hard and plot against Tan Xiao Yao while, at the same time, the Emperor blindly led the Dynasty toward its downfall. Ho Fu then introduced the businesses the Ho Family had started. He was slowly building up the power of the Ho Family. And the bonus to it was that Lin Fan would have a cut in the revenue. As what Ho Fu had agreed with Lin Fan. Lin Fan thanked Ho Fu and made his way to his house. It had been a while since he was back. He nearly missed the house as he couldn''t recognize it. It was now even bigger and much more luxurious than he had remembered it to be. Servants who were doing their chores stopped when they saw him enter. "Who are you?" One of the servant girls quickly held up the broom in her hand. "I''m Lin Fan, owner of this ce," Lin Fan shrugged and said. "Xiao Hua, put the broom down. He is your master," Uncle Liu''s voice came from behind Lin Fan. He was worried when he heard Xiao Hua, the servant girl, shout. It might have been one of those beggars and vagrants again. But to his surprise, it was Lin Fan. Uncle Liu then introduced the servants to Lin Fan. The servant girls blushed and kept their heads down when they realized how handsome Lin Fan looked. "They were bought by Ho Fu and paid for with the business you have with him," Uncle Liu exined the details as they sat and had tea. Lin Fan nodded and checked out the house again. An additional building was built to house the servants, and a study room was added to the main building. Lin Fan was impressed with Ho Fu''s arrangement. "Thanks, Uncle Liu. How is Liu Han? Do feel free to let him use the study room. I''m not around most of the time anyway," Lin Fan said as he poured another cup of tea for Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu sighed and said, "Liu Han is thinking about being a cultivator every day. He''s not interested in studying for the imperial exams." Lin Fan drank his tea and kept quiet. Some fathers just preferred their sons to be safe, doing something that was out of harm''s way. And some, like Ho Fu, worked solely for the family, even if it meant letting his own son go through big risks. ... After ensuring everything was safe in An Xiang Vige, they returned to Qing Feng Sect the following day. This time, Lin Fan could see the so-called charity porridge stalls set up along the way. With many disced peasants crowding around. When he got back to Qing Feng Sect, he immediately went and briefed Qing Yang Zi on his findings. "Thanks for the information. I can only try to inform the Emperor. But sometimes, the heavens would just pretend to be blind," Qing Yang Zi rubbed his temple and said. Qing Yang Zi knew the Emperor wasn''t trustworthy. He might ignore the information, thinking that it might be Qing Yang Zi''s plot trying to trick him to get deeply involved. But Qing Yang Zi had to try. He wrote a letter and asked the disciples to send it to the Left Prime Minister. The only sane person left in the imperial court. ... Left Prime Minister Residence. "Tan Xiao Yao! How dare he defy the heavens!" The Left Prime Minister, Zhang Ju Chan, cursed and burned Qing Yang Zi''s letter. He had to do something fast. The Emperor was now being yed like a stooge. He quickly wrote a memorial to the throne. It was time for him to battle in the morning court the next day. Chapter 162 Ho Mings Upgrade Next day. Imperial Court. "If there are no more grievances or other matters, today''s morning court shall be dismissed." The Emperor tried very hard to hold back his yawn as he spoke. When he saw the Left Prime Minister, he frowned, as this usually meant a long, tiring debate. He looked to the Right Prime Minister for help. But this time, the Right Prime Minister looked down and didn''t take his cue. These two must have been in it together! "What''s your grievance, Left Prime Minister?" The Left Prime Minister passed his memorial to the throne to the eunuch. And the eunuch bowed and passed it to the Emperor. "Absolute nonsense! I''ve been trying to help with the rebels and disced peasants!" The Emperor flew into a rage when he read what was in the memorial. Even though what Zhang Ju Chan wrote was the truth, how could he say it directly to the Emperor! "Your Majesty, it is life and death for the kingdom if you don''t act now." Zhang Ju Chan knelt down, and even the Right Prime Minister joined in. The Emperor pointed at him and tried tosh out but stopped when he saw the whole court also joining in. "So... This is how you want it to be, huh? "I dere the state to be in emergency. "The army shall move in and keep peace, and the funding shalle from all of your pay!" The Emperor walked out angrily after making the edict. "Long live Your Majesty," Zhang Ju Chan kowtowed and sighed. He could only hope it was not toote. If the Emperor didn''t give in, he was ready to bash his head against the wall, using his death as the ultimate memorial. ... Northern borders of Quan Dynasty. Bei Dian Castle. Tan Xiao Yao looked at the flickering oilmp on his table. His men had briefed him on what had happened to the outpost. Cutting off supplies for his army. There were a few options avable for him. But now he wanted to take care of these pesky cultivators first. "Send this letter to the Hulu Tribe''s Khan." "Hulu Tribe?" The soldier looked up and asked. "Why are you questioning my order?" Tan Xiao Yao stared at the soldier. "After the cultivators destroy the outpost, their next step would be to take the Huai Mountain post. "The Hulu Tribe could help me to clean out these pests." Tan Xiao Yao said as he smirked at the predictability of the cultivators. When the Hulu Tribe''s Khan, Hulu Bei Er, got the letter, he squinted his eyes. In front of him, there were men enjoying their spoils of war. Some were drunk and slept on the table. "Wake up!" Hulu Bei Er shouted. His Qi caused the men to feel pain as it sent shockwaves into their bodies. They quickly stood up and stopped whatever they were doing. "Yes, Khan. What could we do for you?" The men asked as they tried to shake their heads, attempting to shake themselves out of their slumber. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire "The useless Quan cowards have asked for our help. "Prepare a team of our best, let them have a feast of the riches and their women. "If we seed, it''s our chance to conquer the Quan Dynasty." Hulu Bei Er briefed the men on what was to be done. Their eyes opened wide at the promise of all the riches and women in Quan Dynasty. It was a no-brainer to send a team of their best warriors. ... Qing Feng Sect. Million Sword Hall. The disciples from all the sects were gathered together again. They looked at Qing Yang Zi for the next n of action. "After our sessful mission earlier, we can now proceed with the next n of action." Qing Yang Zi pointed at the map of Quan Dynasty behind him and said, "We need to take over the army post in the Huai Mountain. It will be our base for the next stage." The menial disciples then came and passed a letter to the disciples again. The disciples opened the letter. This time, the letter was about their mission brief for each team. Lin Fan looked at theirs, and it was to be the special force to infiltrate and create chaos. Something that he had done before. "Everyone get ready, and we move out the day after tomorrow," Qing Yang Zi ended the brief when everyone was clear on what they were supposed to do. Lin Fan left with the team and led them to the supply stores. They gasped as they saw how Lin Fan bought the pills in bulk. Something they had never seen before. "What are you guys waiting for? Better to be prepared. I''m done for now," Lin Fan said and waited for them to shop. Lai Ming nudged his brother, signaling him to give him all the money he had. But Lai Qing was as broke as he was. Hu Tuo didn''t buy much as he had the medicinal Dzi Beads. With her saintly looks, Zhao Jia Rui attracted lots of disciples following behind her. Some even gave her free pills. The only one with such a following would be Hun Yen Kun and his fans. Lin Fan shook his head and thought, simps are just all over the different worlds. When Lin Fan looked over at Ho Ming, he saw that he was hesitating. "What''s the problem? I remember you have more money and contribution points than me." "It''s not the money and contribution points. I am thinking of trying to break through to Foundation Establishment Level." Lin Fan patted him on the back and said, "Go for it. It will help us for the next mission too." With Lin Fan''s assurance, Ho Ming bought the pills he needed and quickly went back to the Sword Peak. Lin Fan followed and stood beside Ho Ming, giving him confidence. And so, the process started for Ho Ming, getting into the medicinal bath. Ho Ming''s body began heating up soon after.@@novelbin@@ The bathtub was soon covered with white mist. Senior disciples and Lin Fan watched intently as the process went on. Unlike Lin Fan, the process for Ho Ming went on for hours. Right until the next day''s dawn. The mist slowly disappeared, and Ho Ming finally emerged from the bathtub. Lin Fan could feel Ho Ming''s aura had be stronger. "Congrats on getting to Foundation Establishment Level." Lin Fan went up and patted him on his back. The vige boy hade a long way to get to this level. Chapter 164 Beast Mode Baby Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire To Hulu Xi Bai''s surprise, the curved sword couldn''t get through Lin Fan''s skin. Lin Fan made use of this chance and banged his hammers next to Hulu Xi Bai''s ears. Dang! At such close range, the Qi from the Eight Trigram Sound Wave did huge damage as blood flowed out of Hulu Xi Bai''s ears. The pain made Hulu Xi Bai drop Lin Fan and cover his ears, trying his best to get the Qi out of his head. Lin Fan kept his hammers and, with his Primordial Qi ws, dug his ws into Hulu Xi Bai''s abdomen. At first, it couldn''t budge through Hulu Xi Bai''s Qi protection. He injected more Qi into his ws, and they glowed brighter and sharper. Stter. After some struggle, Lin Fan''s ws finally went into Hulu Xi Bai''s abdomen. "Argh!" The pain made Hulu Xi Bai cry out in pain. When his subordinates heard Hulu Xi Bai''s cry, they turned and looked at what was happening. They were surprised that their Centurion, a brave warrior who had bulldozed through so many enemies, was now crying out in pain. All because of a young cultivator. These Quan cowards mustn''t be underestimated, they thought. "Centurion!" Zhao Jia Rui''s opponent, who was a thin man using a whip, somersaulted andnded at Lin Fan''s back. Zhao Jia Rui quickly gave chase. But the thin man was too fast for her. The thin man whipped at Lin Fan, sending out a white glowing wave at Lin Fan''s back.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan just turned into a mist and appeared behind Hulu Xi Bai. And the white glowing wave sliced the wound at Hulu Xi Bai''s abdomen open instead. Hulu Xi Bai gave the thin man a deadly stare. The thin man didn''t have time to do more damage as Zhao Jia Rui had now caught up to him. Lin Fan wanted to use his ws at Hulu Xi Bai''s back, but Hulu Xi Bai twisted his body and gave Lin Fan an elbow. Whoosh. The elbow went by as Lin Fan squatted down. Lin Fan then used his Primordial Qi ws and shed at Hulu Xi Bai''s Achilles tendons. His right w got Hulu Xi Bai''s right Achilles tendon, but Hulu Xi Bai gave Lin Fan a back kick with his left leg. Thud. The impact sent Lin Fan tumbling across the top of the wall. Lin Fan stood up and lunged at Hulu Xi Bai again. This time, Lin Fan took out his hammers and threw one of them at Hulu Xi Bai''s abdomen. And the other up into the sky. Hulu Xi Bai couldn''t make any sense of what Lin Fan did. He just used his arms to block his abdomen. Thud. As expected, Hulu Xi Bai blocked the hammer. But he saw a shadow bing bigger and bigger. And the next thing he knew, he was already on the ground. The other hammer hade back down from the sky, with Lin Fan controlling it with his Qi. Lin Fan lunged at Hulu Xi Bai with his Primordial Qi ws, aiming for his neck. But Hulu Xi Bai let out a huge cry, with a white glow engulfing him. It blocked Lin Fan''s Primordial Qi ws and gave Hulu Xi Bai time for his next move. Hulu Xi Bai slowly turned into the form of half man and half beast. With his hands bing those of a bear''s paw. When Lin Fan saw this, he obliged and injected Qi into his amulet. And he turned into the Giant Burrowing Bear. They went at each other with their paws, wing at each other. Wounds started to appear on their heads, chests, and arms. Hulu Xi Bai''s subordinates got worried as they saw Hulu Xi Bai going into his beast form. Ast resort, as it would cost dearly to the cultivator''s future potential. Boom. Suddenly they heard a loud explosion. Lin Fan had had enough as he pawed down on the ground. Creating a hole in the army post''s wall. And Hulu Xi Bai dropped into the hole. Lin Fan changed back into human form as the Giant Burrowing Bear''s essence in the demonic core was used up. He picked up his hammers and jumped down into the hole. Thud. Lin Fan kicked onto Hulu Xi Bai''s head as he came down. Beneath the wall were Tan Xiao Yao''s soldiers, who were shocked by what had happened. They drew out their swords and shed at Lin Fan, trying to buy time for Hulu Xi Bai. Lin Fan just swiped his hammers at them; the Ember Wolf and Frost Fang Ice Tiger leaped out of the hammers, and they went at the soldiers. "Help!" "It burns!" "No, please!" The soldiers begged as the Ember Wolf burned them as it bit their throats off. The same thing happened with the Frost Fang Ice Tiger. This gave Lin Fan time to deal with Hulu Xi Bai. Hulu Xi Bai tried to stand up but couldn''t as Lin Fan stomped on his head repeatedly. "Join us... The Khan shall grant you riches... beyond your imagination..." He tried to persuade Lin Fan as he tried to stay alive. Lin Fan squinted his eyes, squatted down, and said, "You know what''s the problem with all of you? In the face of imminent death, you still deem that I''m beneath your Khan. Well, guess what? I shall kill the Khan too." Thest thing that Hulu Xi Bai saw was Lin Fan''s wsing at his eyes. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 400.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1610] Lin Fan took out some pills and swallowed them to replenish his Qi. With Hulu Xi Bai out of the way, Lin Fan could help with the others. He quickly rummaged through the belongings of Hulu Xi Bai but couldn''t find anything useful. Boom. Someone crashed into the walls, hurling bricks at Lin Fan. When the dust settled, Lin Fan saw that it was Zhao Jia Rui. Lin Fan quickly went over and checked on her. She spat out blood and tried to stand up. "Take some of these pills first," Lin Fan passed her some of the Blood and Qi Restoration Pills. She took the pills and swallowed them. "So here you are," the thin man''s voice filled the air as he entered through the hole in the wall. But the thin man''s confidence went away when he saw Hulu Xi Bai dead. "You shall pay for this!" the thin man shouted as he whipped at Lin Fan. Chapter 165 Thin Man The thin man went into a rage and cracked his whip at Lin Fan. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected soul with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person with malevolent intent for 300 vengeance points.] Dang. Lin Fan blocked the slicing wave that the thin man sent toward him with his hammers. He then banged the hammers together. The ensuing sound wave echoed in the room where they were. The thin man froze and tried to cover his ears with his hands. Lin Fan lunged at him and swung his left hammer at the man''s leg. The man looked down and lifted his leg. Dang! Without warning, Lin Fan''s right hammer smashed into the thin man''s head. The thin man flew and smashed into the wall. Bricks went flying all over the room caused by the impact. Walking toward the thin man, Lin Fan got ready for his final blow. Crack. A whip shot out from the pile of bricks, and it caught onto Lin Fan''s leg. The whip then pulled back, trying to tug and make Lin Fan fall. But Lin Fan just stood and pulled his leg back, making the thin man fly out of the pile of bricks. Lin Fan swung his hammers at the thin man as he came closer and closer to him. The thin man couldn''t do much other than use his arms to cover his head. Crack. When the hammers hit the man''s arms, loud cracking sounds of bones fracturing could be heard. The thin man once again flew, and this time went through the wall. Lin Fan chased after him, and the thin man was trying to get up, with both of his hands limping by his sides.@@novelbin@@ The thin man stared at Lin Fan, and he gave out a loud cry. A burst of Qi then emitted from the thin man, sending the dust on the ground flying. Lin Fan squinted his eyes to keep the dust out of them. When the dust cleared, the thin man now looked like a snake. With scales on his skin and his mouth opened, exposing his fangs. Lin Fan lunged at the thin man again with his hammer. To his surprise, the fractured hands of the thin man behaved like two snakes, and they coiled around his hammer. The thin man then came at Lin Fan, trying to bite him with his fangs. Lin Fan figured the fangs must have been poisonous, so he kept his hammers and used his Primordial Qi ws to clutch at the thin man''s neck. The scales on the skin were tough to get through, so Lin Fan injected more Qi into his Primordial Qi ws. The thin man was at the same time trying to get his fangs onto Lin Fan''s neck. But Lin Fan''s Primordial Qi ws were too powerful for the thin man. They broke through the scales, and Lin Fan''s ws went into the thin man''s neck first, before the thin man could get his fangs into Lin Fan. Stter. Blood dripped as Lin Fan closed his fingers, and when it was time, Lin Fan pulled out whatever was in the thin man''s neck. Causing the blood to spurt out of the thin man''s neck. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 300.] [Current Vengeance Points: 1910] Lin Fan took some deep breaths as he tried to recuperate some of his Qi. He looked around as he took out his Blood and Qi Restoration Pills. Zhao Jia Rui by now was able toe out of the room and join in the fight with Ho Ming. The Lai brothers weren''t doing so well as Lin Fan observed their battle with the opponent. Their opponents were two huge muscr men. Each standing tall at two meters, one with a ponytail and the other with tattoos all over his face. The Lai brothers'' Tiger and Crane style was no match for their beefy physique and grabbing style. Lai Ming and Lai Qing by now were down on the ground. "Run, I can handle them," Lai Ming said as he tried to get his brother to run away. "After all these years, you think I''m that stupid?" Lai Qing shook his head and wiped the blood off the side of his mouth. "Oh, look what we have here, such brothers. Too bad your opponents are us!" Ponytail said and charged at Lai Ming. Out of nowhere, a Fire Deer charged at Ponytail with its antlers. Ponytail didn''t expect it, and the antlers burning bright red with fire seared Ponytail''s skin. "Argh!" The pain made Ponytail cry out in pain. He turned to the Fire Deer and grabbed onto the antlers. Even though the fire burned his hands, Ponytail ignored it as he lifted the Fire Deer, trying to give it a backdrop. To his surprise, the Fire Deer was gone the next moment and Lin Fan appeared with his hammer. The very next thing he saw was the hammering onto his head. Dang! The Oblivion Steel of the hammer made Ponytail stunned for a moment. By now Tattoo Face was charging at Lin Fan from behind. "Lin Fan, look out behind!" Lai Qing shouted, trying to warn Lin Fan. The next moment, Lin Fan turned into a mist and Tattoo Face just went through him, banging into Ponytail instead. Both tumbled along the ground and stopped after twenty meters. "Damn you! I promise you''ll wish you were better off dead when I get hold of you." Tattoo Face shouted as he got up. They stared at Lin Fan, trying to figure him out. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding!] [Detected 2 souls with malevolent intent iing!] Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire [Terminate 2 persons with malevolent intent for 600 vengeance points.] Lin Fan gripped his hammers tight as he saw the system''s notification. "Die!" Tattoo Face made the first move as he charged at Lin Fan. Behind him, Ponytail jumped into the air and lunged at Lin Fan. They were trying to grab onto Lin Fan with their coordinated attack. If Lin Fan focused on Tattoo Face, he would be hit by Ponytail and vice versa. Lin Fan saw through their ploy and just leaped to the side. Thud. Ponytailnded on the ground first, missing Lin Fanpletely. He immediately turned and charged at Lin Fan. Chapter 166 Ponytail and Tattoo Face Lin Fan was ready with his hammers as Ponytail came at him. Thud. When he swung his hammer onto Ponytail''s shoulder, it felt like the impact was absorbed by Ponytail. This must have been their technique. Absorbing the blows from the opponent. No wonder the Lai brothers couldn''t deal with them. Lin Fan then kept his hammers and used his Primordial Qi ws to go at Ponytail''s eyes. He went inches close before Ponytail jumped back. Tattoo Face by now had circled to the back of Lin Fan and came from behind. This time he was sessful and grabbed onto Lin Fan''s waist. Ponytail smirked and charged at Lin Fan. But as Ponytail got closer, Lin Fan puffed out ck smoke from his mouth. Ponytail and Tattoo Face were caught by surprise and inhaled the ck smoke. "You! You coward," Ponytail pointed at Lin Fan as he slowly squatted down. The toxin had gotten into his system. Tattoo Face wasn''t faring any better. He dropped his grip on Lin Fan and sat down, trying hard to use his Qi to drive out the poison. Lin Fan knew his poison woulde in handy one of these days. If not, it would have been a tough duel with both Ponytail and Tattoo Face at the same time. Lin Fan turned and using his Primordial Qi ws, he went for Tattoo Face''s eyes. Seeing Lin Fan''s wsing, Tattoo Face tried to stop them with his arms, but he was too weak to do so. Stter. The ws went in, and Lin Fan dug deeper until that familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 300.] [Current Vengeance Points: 2210] Lin Fan pulled out his hand and flicked off whatever flesh and tissue was on it. He turned around and looked at Ponytail. Ponytail was now standing and staring at Lin Fan. He now looked like a bear, with huge paws and his size was nowrger than before. Boom. Lin Fan jumped using the Chain Leap at Ponytail. sh. Ponytail swiped at Lin Fan with his paws like swatting a fly. But Lin Fan stepped onto the air again like a wall, and boom, he changed his direction. He leaped over Ponytail andnded on his shoulders. Ponytailshed around with his paws but could not get to Lin Fan. With his Primordial Qi ws, Lin Fan stabbed at Ponytail''s temple. It couldn''t get through to the skull straightaway. Lin Fan injected more of his Qi, and it slowly inched further into the skull. "Argh!" The pain made Ponytail cry out and the only thing he could do was fall onto his back. Lin Fan felt himself tilting back, and he quickly jumped off Ponytail''s shoulder. Thud. A loud muted thud was heard when Ponytailnded on the ground. Lin Fan ignored all the dust flying around and jumped onto Ponytail. With his hammers in his hands, he just smashed them onto Ponytail''s head. Thud. Thud. Thud. It went on repeatedly. Initially, Ponytail''s paws could be seen trying to sh at Lin Fan''s feet. But slowly, they went limp as Ponytail''s head got smashed into a pulp of mangled flesh. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 300.] [Current Vengeance Points: 2510] Lin Fan finally stopped when he saw the information panel in his mind. He looked around at his surroundings again. Ho Ming and Zhao Jia Rui were done with their opponent, and they were tending to the Lai brothers. He suddenly remembered one person he had missed. Hu Tuo. Hu Tuo was so quiet all along that it was easy to forget about him. When Lin Fan scanned the army post and found Hu Tuo, he was relieved. Hu Tuo was wounded but alive. And it didn''t seem that he had given up any of his senses. After this battle, he had a better sense of the strengths of his team members. He could allocate the tasks much more suited to their abilities in future missions. With the Hulu Tribe''smanders dead, the soldiers were lost as they fought without any direction. Soon after, the battle was over. They had sessfully captured the army post. ... Nightfall. Inside the army post, the disciples rested, and those who were wounded were transported back to Qing Feng Sect. Lin Fan and his team sat in a room, surrounding a firece. This would be their ce of amodation before the next mission. Lin Fan figured it would most likely be to attack further up north. Many disciples came in and tried to make small talk with Lin Fan and the rest of his team. They had witnessed what Lin Fan could do and were keen to be on good terms with him. But Lin Fan wasn''t that interested, so he mostly directed Ho Ming to deal with them. After all, as the young master of the Ho Family, this might be a daily urrence for him in the future. "Senior martial brother Lin Fan, I''m Sian Rui from the Storm Fist Thunder Sect. I have something that you might be interested in." Sian Rui came in and greeted Lin Fan. Lin Fan nced over at Ho Ming, thinking that Sian Rui was another one of them. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire But what Sian Rui said next got Lin Fan intrigued. "There''s a secret realm, up in the mountain next to this army post." "Secret realm?" Lin Fan asked as he grew intrigued. Thest time he went into the Sima Family''s secret realm, he was rewarded handsomely. Sian Rui, seeing that Lin Fan was interested, continued and said, "I know where it is. "I''ve lived around this area when I was young. "We''ve been told not to go near the secret realm as many didn''te out of it alive." There was no system notification of any malevolent intent, so Lin Fan was sure Sian Rui wasn''t up to something. He looked at the rest of the team and asked, "You guys want to go and check it out?" Without any hesitation, all of them nodded and said, "We are in." Who could resist the lure of treasures left behind by an ancestor?@@novelbin@@ It was an important step for cultivators to get to the next level. Chapter 167 Pagoda Tower They had several days to go before their next n of action. So, Lin Fan went and informed the senior disciple in charge that he would patrol around the surrounding mountains. To which the senior disciple was grateful that he was so thoughtful. Trying to clear the remaining soldiers that might be around the area. After having the senior disciple''s blessing, Lin Fan and the rest of his team went up the mountains, with Sian Rui as the guide. The mountain seemed somewhat ordinary at first. Trees, insects and some creatures. Nothing that was unusual. Not until they came upon ake. The air was filled with Qi, much more than anywhere they had encountered. "Here, in the middle of theke is the secret realm," Sian Rui pointed in the direction and said. "Middle of theke? How do we get there?" Ho Ming asked. Even though he was able to swim, the distance seemed to be around at least a few kilometers away. He might not be able to make it that far. And if there was anyone in the team who couldn''t swim, there was no way they could get there. "Swim? We don''t have to." Sian Rui looked up to the sky and said, "When it''s noon, a path will appear and we can walk over." "A path? I don''t see any." Lin Ming went over to the side of theke and peeped over. He couldn''t see anything remotely like a path. "Let''s wait and we shall see," Lin Fan said and the rest of them nodded. Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire Just as Lin Fan finished speaking, the surface of theke started bubbling like it was boiling. Lai Ming quickly leaped back at the sight. Lin Fan and the rest watched and gripped onto their weapons in case of any danger. The ground shook as the bubbling became more vigorous. It went on for about a few minutes before it died down. And right before them was a path made of rocks that came up from beneath theke. "Wait? The secret realm isn''t so secret. Wouldn''t it have been ransacked by others long ago?" Ho Ming asked as it was strange to him. "That''s what everyone thought. "Not everyone can go in, and those that got in so far didn''t make it out. "The grand ancestor who left the secret realm was looking for certain candidates." Sian Rui exined what he had seen over the years. "Certain candidates?" Everyone muttered softly as they started to think about whether they would meet the criteria. They walked along the path, and they could see that in the water were many bones floating around. Presumably, these bones belonged to those who tried the secret realm earlier. When they reached the center of theke, there was a huge energy sphere on the surface of the water. "Step up and if you are eligible, you shall be able to enter," Sian Rui said. Lin Fan stepped up, and the next moment something struck his mind. The next thing he saw was darkness. An elderly man sitting on a huge tiger with two heads was looking down at him. The tiger heads stared intensely at Lin Fan, making a low growling sound, trying to intimidate him. "Why have youe?" The elderly man asked. "My greetings, senior. I''m here to seek treasures," Lin Fan replied. The elderly man was surprised Lin Fan was so candid with his answer. Many of those who approached had tried to lie with the most obnoxious answers. To save the world. To help their dying father, mother or son. All of them lying to themselves. Lin Fan sure was an interesting one. "Why would you want the treasures?" The elderly man continued asking. "To get rich and powerful?" Lin Fan replied as he shrugged his shoulders.@@novelbin@@ It was an obvious answer to him. "Good. I see that you arefortable with your Dao. You shall enter the realm." The elderly man said and slowly faded into the darkness. And the darkness also went away like a tablecloth being pulled away. What Lin Fan saw next was an open area and in front of him was a seven-story pagoda tower. "Lin Fan!" Ho Ming shouted as he saw Lin Fan. "What did you see earlier?" Lin Fan asked. Ho Ming shrugged and replied, "A man that looked like my father, but I knew it wasn''t him the moment I saw him." "Why?" "Because my father wouldn''t start his conversation with ''How are you, my son?''" Lin Fan shook his head at Ho Ming''s reply and by now the rest of the team had gathered around him. Even Sian Rui got in. He wanted to ask about Sian Rui''s trial but the doors to the pagoda tower opened. "Shall we?" Sian Rui asked, eager to get the treasures inside after so many years. Everyone took out their weapons and walked into the pagoda. Inside the pagoda, it was empty except for the ceiling and tiled floor. There was a staircase on the other end of it; they would have to use it to make it to the next level. Not knowing what to expect, they walked slowly as they approached the staircase. It was all fine until they reached the middle of it. Some of the tiles began to shake and went underground. Smoke then came out of the square holes left by the tiles. "Cover your mouths," Lin Fan shouted. This smoke was most likely poisonous. Ho Ming tried to use the twirling wind strike to make the poison gas disperse away from them. It worked a little. The others exerted their Qi and created a white glow protecting them from the gas. Lin Fan with the Hundred Poison Recovery Pill in his hand, tried to inhale some of the gas. He immediately used the Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation Technique and directed the poison into his poison nd. To his surprise, it worked. He quickly inhaled more as he had used up quite a bit of his poison earlier. "Anyone hurt?" Lin Fan asked when there was no more poison gasing out. Everyone shook their head. Ho Ming and Lin Fan''s quick response had averted the danger. They slowly continued their way, and after a few steps they stopped again. Torrents of snakes gushed out of the square holes. Chapter 168 Gold and Silver Lin Fan''s eyes opened wide when he saw the number of snakesing at him. They tried to bite at him but couldn''t get through his skin. He quickly took out the two bracelets and started to get as many snakes as possible into the storage artifact. Lin Fan thanked the elderly man he saw earlier. It was as if you asked, and you would receive. The other team members were bewildered as they saw the snakes disappear when Lin Fan got nearby. For them, they were too busy dealing with the snakes. Ho Ming with his twirling wind strike caused the snakes to be ripped apart and left a trail as the twirling wind went by. The Lai brothers stood next to each other side by side, using their Tiger and Crane style to ward off the snakes. Hu Tuo''s body glowed in a bright yellow, making him look like a bronze statue. And indeed, it made him imprable to the snakes. Zhao Jia Rui with her Yi Mei Sword Style, sent the snakes flying away as she shed her sword in a circle. Sian Rui, using his Storm Fist Thunder Sect style, made the snakes fly off with his exploding punches. Finally, all the snakes were taken care of. "Wait, I need to recover my Qi first," Lai Ming said as he had used up a fair bit of his Qi. "Me too," Zhao Jia Rui said as she sat down in lotus position. Lin Fan nodded as he took his Blood and Qi Restoration Pills, with Ho Ming joining in. With the difference in skill levels, Lin Fan reminded himself that he should make arrangements to amodate the weaker members. "Later, Ho Ming, Hu Tuo and I shall take the lead. The rest of you stay behind us," Lin Fan said. The Lai brothers and Zhao Jia Rui nodded. It was unavoidable. The Lai brothers'' Tiger and Crane Style wasn''t up to par; they would have to learn a better technique soon.@@novelbin@@ And Zhao Jia Rui''s cultivation level was only at Foundation Establishment Level, Stage One. When they recovered their Qi, the team continued and went up the staircase to the second level. To their surprise, there was nothing except treasures on this level. "Look at all the gold and jewelry," Lai Ming couldn''t believe it. He dived into a mountain of gold coins, making the gold coins ssh all over. "Just take some and let''s continue to the next level," Lin Fan said. Although he would like to take them all, he figured it must have been a trap to make them lose their objective. They weren''t here for gold and silver. They were going after something much more precious and important. Hopefully, some Mystic or Heavenly Level weapons and artifacts. Lin Fan''s words made the rest of them hesitate for a while. It wasn''t easy, but they relented and followed Lin Fan''s instructions. They took some gold and silver then moved on to the third story. Sian Rui had to p himself hard to make him give up the gold and silver and follow the rest. When they got to the third story, they immediately met with two huge beasts. Two of them were huge reptiles, at least ten meters long and looked like dragons. One had golden scales and the other silver scales. Lin Fan took out his hammer as a familiar sound erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 2 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate 2 Elemental Control Reptiles beasts with malevolent intent for 400 vengeance points.] "Ho Ming, take on the golden reptile with me. The rest of you take on the silver reptile." Lin Fan opted to finish off one fast and then help with the other. Ho Ming nodded and they both lunged at the golden reptile. Both leaped into the air and suddenly Ho Ming fell to the ground. It was like gravity suddenly held onto Ho Ming. "Ho Ming!" Lin Fan shouted and smashed his hammer onto the golden reptile''s head. Thud. It made the golden reptile stunned for a moment. Ho Ming got up and came up toward the golden reptile. Plop. He fell onto the ground again. Lin Fan turned and looked on the other side. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire The same thing was happening for the rest of them except Hu Tuo. Something was able to control gravity and make them fall. "Throw away the gold and silver you have on you," Lin Fan shouted. When he saw the name of the demonic beast in his system information panel again, he figured it had to do with the gold and silver they had on them. Lin Fan had kept the gold and silver in his storage artifact, and that''s why it didn''t affect him. They followed Lin Fan''s instruction and emptied themselves of the gold and silver. Growl. The reptiles growled and the golden reptile snapped at Lin Fan. It chose the wrong target as Lin Fan swung his hammers and smashed at the golden reptile''s mouth. Its head lifted toward the ceiling due to the force and Ho Ming came in with his twirling wind strike. Thud. The twirling wind strike drilled a few inches into the scales and stopped. Lin Fan followed up with his Primordial Qi ws. His ws plunged into the throat of the reptile, and he went in all the way. The pain made the golden reptile thrash around, swiping its tail all over. It also tried to w at Lin Fan, but without being able to control gravity, it was no match for Lin Fan. Soon, the golden reptile stopped moving and a familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 200.] [Current Vengeance Points: 2710] When he was done, he turned and looked at how the others were doing. Hu Tuo was taking the lead, dealing out blows at the silver reptile. The Lai brothers went at the silver reptile from the side. Zhao Jia Rui and Sian Rui stood behind, getting ready to help if necessary. They were, however, in a stalemate with the silver reptile. "Watch out, Hu Tuo!" Lin Fan wasted no time and leaped at the silver reptile. His Primordial Qi ws dug into the silver reptile''s forehead. Lin Fan then stretched out his hands and pried open the skull. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 200.] [Current Vengeance Points: 2910] Chapter 169 Weapons Galore When the two reptiles were lying on the ground motionless, the rest of the team immediately let out a huge sigh of relief and sat on the ground. "Let us recuperate first." This time it was Hu Tuo who spoke up.@@novelbin@@ Lin Fan nodded as he went about his business of getting the demonic beast core out of the reptiles. He first slit the golden reptile''s belly open and dug into the innards. Beads of sweat slowly appeared on his forehead as he dug around. Finally, he grasped onto something hard, and he had to use both his hands to pull it out. The demonic beast core was metallic in appearance and glowed with a golden color. A reptile''s silhouette could be seen in it. Lin Fan proceeded to the next one as the others were sitting in lotus position regaining their Qi. He also sat and let his Qi recover. To his surprise, the Qi in the pagoda tower was twice as much as outside the secret realm. Not wanting to waste it, he started to cycle his Qi through his dantian using the Physique Technique taught by Zhang Yi Nian. Slowly, he felt his assimtion with the surroundings. An epiphany of the Dao. Something triggered inside Lin Fan''s mind, and he started to gain a clearer understanding of how his Qi cycled through his meridian points. It was like someone lifting the veil off the map, and Lin Fan could now see clearly what was going on. After directing his Qi throughout his body for forty-nine cycles, Lin Fan opened his eyes, and he saw everything in great rity. Every little movement everyone made was noticeable to him. Even how their eyshes moved was visible in every moment. "Let''s continue to the next level," Lin Fan said when everyone was ready. Lin Fan and Ho Ming led the way while Hu Tuo followed closely behind them. The rest of them trailed behind Hu Tuo. This level, the fourth story, contained weapons and artifacts. An elderly man''s voice then boomed into their minds. "Choose one and continue to the next floor." It was the voice of the elder man whom Lin Fan had met in the first trial to enter the secret realm. Lin Fan looked around and saw all sorts of weapons: swords, axes, spears and whips. There was no hammer in sight, so he pondered what weapon he should take with him. Right now, he had the hammers for mid-range, and for close range, he had his Primordial Qi ws. He figured he needed something that had a long range of attacks. The spears were the only ones that interested him. When he walked up and picked up one of the spears, the elder man''s voice came into his mind again. "This is the Heaven''s Wrath Spear, Mystic Level; it can prate through anyone under Soul Transformation Level. "But you shall have to feed it with your blood daily." Lin Fan immediately lost interest and picked up another spear. This went on until he found a spear that didn''t have any side effects. "This is the Dragon''s Roar Spear, Mystic Level; With more enemy blood that is fed, the Dragon''s spirit inhabiting within will be stronger." Lin Fan wasted no time and kept it in his toad statue. He would have to seek out manuscripts for spearster. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire By now, the other team members had already chosen the weapons and artifacts they liked. Ho Ming chose an artifact that was a turtle shell, a storage and defense artifact. The Lai brothers selected from among the artifacts a pair of armor tes for the wrists. Hu Tuo just chose for himself a prayer bead, which was both a weapon and an artifact. With her heart now deep in vengeance, Zhao Jia Rui chose a bloody red stone, one that could make the opponent''s blood reverse in cirction. Sian Rui just chose a sword that looked valuable with gems on it. The fifth floor was different. It was empty at first, but the moment they stepped onto it, everyone froze and couldn''t move. Lin Fan then felt himself staring into darkness again. This time there was no elder man on his two-headed tiger. In front of him was a machine made of metal and gears, in the form of a human, holding a spear in its hand. Lin Fan tried to bring out his hammers but couldn''t. He figured then that this floor only allowed for the weapon you''d picked earlier. So, he took out the spear from the toad statue. He held the spear in his hand and adjusted his stance ording to what the humanoid was doing. Roar. The humanoid thrust the spear at Lin Fan, and a dragon''s roar could be heard. Lin Fan leaped to the side, and the power wave thrust missed. Boom. The ground exploded as the power wave hit, and a small crater was made. The humanoid didn''t waste any time, and it leaped into the air. With extraordinary speed, shimmers of the spear rained down as the humanoid thrust it at Lin Fan. It created many holes in the ground as the mirage of the spears came upon Lin Fan. Boom. Lin Fan used the Chain Leap ability and got out of the way. The ground shook as the humanoidnded, and the spear went into the ground. Whoosh. The next moment, Lin Fan threw the spear at the humanoid. Dang. The humanoid parried the spear away with its spear. Lin Fan''s spear dropped onto the ground. The humanoid saw its chance, and it lunged at Lin Fan. When it got close, Lin Fan''s spear suddenly came to life and shot at it from the back. Thud. Lin Fan''s spear appeared through the humanoid''s neck. He had used the Eight Trigram Hammer Throw technique to control the spear. Lin Fan then used the Shadow Slip ability and got to the humanoid''s back and held onto his spear. He then used one of his legs and stepped on the spear, while using his hands holding the lower part of the spear to push down. This lifted the humanoid into the air; Lin Fan turned his body and mmed it onto the ground. Chapter 170 Elder Mans True Face With the spear in his hand, he brought it down onto the ground, which destroyed whatever gears were in the humanoid''s neck. The humanoid stopped moving after that. Soon after, the darkness went away, and he was back on the empty floor with the others. Lin Fan was intrigued by the technique that the humanoid had disyed with its spear. If Lin Fan could get hold of the manuscript, it would make him much more well-rounded with a long-distance attack option. The other team members were still in a trance as they fought their own opponents. Lin Fan didn''t want to wait aimlessly, so he continued with his cultivation. The abundance of Qi in the pagoda tower mustn''t be wasted. Stter. The Lai brothers spat out blood. Lin Fan opened his eyes; he hesitated for a moment but decided against doing anything rash. He might cause them to be forever stuck in the trance. Instinctively, he nced over at Ho Ming next. Ho Ming was frowning, his eyebrows locked. Lin Fan couldn''t do much but trust Ho Ming''s ability to ovee his opponent. To his relief, Ho Ming opened his eyes at the next moment. He gave Lin Fan a nod and took out some pills. Seeing that Ho Ming was safe, Lin Fan went back to his cultivation. Slowly, the rest of the team defeated their opponents and woke up from their trance. Sian Rui surprisingly didn''t sustain any injuries. It must have been the case that it was more difficult if you took something more powerful from the earlier floor, Lin Fan thought. Sian Rui went for something more valuable; that''s why he was rtively unscathed. Zhao Jia Rui and Hu Tuo also woke up without any injuries. Only the Lai brothers didn''t do so well. They recuperated first before venturing onto the next floor. Lin Fan figured that it would be a floor that had rewards; the floors were alternating between a challenge and a reward so far. And he was right. The next floor was like a library, with bookshelves filled with manuscripts. "Choose one and proceed to the final floor," the elder man''s voice boomed in their minds once again. Lin Fan quickly looked for manuscripts that were about spears. There were manuscripts for all sorts of techniques. Fist, axe, whip, spears, swords. After some rummaging through the manuscripts, he finally found it. The Nine Heaven Dragon''s Roar Spear Technique, Mystic Level. "Ho Ming, have you found anything useful?" Lin Fan asked as he kept the manuscript. Ho Ming shook his head. The techniques he was using from Qing Feng Sect were already Heavenly Level for Qing Feng Sword Style and Mystic Level for his Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique. Unlike Lin Fan, it wasn''t so easy for the others to take on a new technique. In the end, they relented and picked up manuscripts that seemed valuable and could fetch a good price. After all, cultivation costs a lot of money and resources. The next level was the final floor, so they wasted no time and went up. This time there was nothing but an elder man, sitting on his two-headed tiger. The elder man nodded and stroked his beard when he saw them appear. Everyone didn''t know what to expect, but Lin Fan took out his hammers. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire A familiar sound had erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 2 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate person and two headed tiger with malevolent intent for 800 vengeance points.] "Prepare to fight!" Lin Fan shouted as one of the tiger''s heads breathed in and shot out a high-pressurized water spout onto the ground. The high pressure made the water as sharp as any knife''s edge, and it left a trail as the water spout got closer to Lin Fan and the rest. They dodged it in time. "Ho Ming, fight the tiger with the rest!" Lin Fan shouted as he lunged at the elder man. Boom. Using his Chain Leap, he leaped into the air. But he was stopped when the other tiger''s head gave out a roar, and a wall made of rocks blocked his way. Lin Fan stepped onto the air as if it were ground again and got over the rock wall.@@novelbin@@ The other tiger''s head shot out a water spout again, forcing Lin Fan to change direction again. Boom. The water spout didn''t hit Lin Fan but cut through the rock wall, and the rocks went flying towards Ho Ming and the rest. Ho Ming took out his turtle statue, and a turtle shell engulfed all the team members inside it. Thud. The rocks deflected off the translucent turtle shell and broke into smaller pieces. Dang! Lin Fan banged his hammers together. The Eight Trigram Sound Wave didn''t do anything to the elder man. But it was good enough to make the tiger shake its heads in pain. This got the elder man to get off the tiger and deal with Lin Fan. Ho Ming and the rest took this opportunity and attacked the tiger. Everyone did what they could. Ho Ming unleashed his twirling wind strike. Hu Tuo lunged in with his body glowing in his yellow glow. The Lai brothers went at the tiger''s feet. Sian Rui stood behind and prepared for any emergencies. The elder man took out a wooden staff and swiped it at Lin Fan. Vines shot out of the wooden staff and tangled Lin Fan''s wrists, trying to pull Lin Fan towards the elder man. Lin Fan could feel his energy going away and the vines bing stronger as time went by. He quickly used the Shadow Slip ability and broke free from the vines. Not wasting time, Lin Fan kept his hammers and used his Primordial Qi ws. When the vines came at Lin Fan again, he shed them into pieces. The elder man smiled and said, "Finally, one that is worthy for me to take over." Lin Fan then realized the true reason why the secret realm was rtively open. This fallen ancestor was looking for someone''s body for him to take over. Lin Fan stared at the elder man and threw his spear at him. The elder man held onto the spear and smirked. But the next moment, Lin Fan leaped with his Chain Leap and kicked at the end of the spear. The impact caused the spear to slip through the elder''s hands, and it prated his chest. "How dare you!" The elder shouted in rage, and he smashed his staff at Lin Fan. Chapter 171 Old Acquaintances Ho Ming dodged another water spout attack from the tiger and used his Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique targeting the tiger''s feet. Boom. The ground exploded, and debris from the floor shot out, hitting the tiger''s abdomen. This made the tiger let out a huge roar. It growled and showed its sharp teeth to Ho Ming. The Lai brothers went up and tried to follow up with their Tiger and Crane Style, but a huge rock wall appeared in front of them. Blocking the path of the Lai brothers and the rest. "Step aside!" Hu Tuo shouted as he charged toward the rock wall. With his shaved head, which glowed with a yellow aura, he smashed it against the rock wall. Crack. The rock wall cracked, and a small opening appeared. Ho Ming immediately thrust his sword at the opening. A twirling wind strike shot at the tiger. The tiger lifted its paw and swatted down at the twirling wind strike. Thud. Its paw withstood the slicing wind of the twirling wind strike. But Zhao Jia Rui was already ready with her bloody red stone. She lifted the stone and injected her Qi into it. The stone glowed with a ghastly crimson red glow. Roar. It made the blood cirction of the tiger reverse, and it made the tiger stop moving for a split second. Ho Ming took the chance and lunged at the tiger. When he got near it, he slid onto the ground. The force and momentum allowed Ho Ming to get between the tiger''s front legs. Ho Ming looked up and thrust his swords up into the tiger''s abdomen. With the open wounds earlier, Ho Ming''s sword plunged into the abdomen easily. Roar. The tiger roared out in pain andshed about violently, trying to shake off Ho Ming. Ho Ming held onto his swords and stirred them around. Causing more pain to the tiger. Hu Tuo took the chance and, with his fist glowing in bright yellow, punched at one of the tiger''s heads. Thud. Thud. It took a few blows before the head closed its eyes and stopped moving. The other head tried to snap and take a bite at Hu Tuo. Zhao Jia Rui with her Yi Mei Sword style stabbed her sword into the eye of the remaining tiger''s head. Stter. When the sword went into the eye, the tiger stood up. Bringing Zhao Jia Rui into the air. This also pulled Ho Ming up, and he was now standing. With his feet on the ground, Ho Ming could make use of it and plunged his swords deeper into the tiger''s body. His sword, made of steel from the thousand-year-old fire pit, started to burn bright red and give off heat. It burned the innards of the tiger. The tiger tried to paw at Ho Ming, but the Lai brothers came in with their armor ted and blocked the paw of the tiger. Dang. The armor tes gave out a loud ring when they were hit, and they deflected some of the force from the attack.@@novelbin@@ Stter. The rebounding force from the armor tes caused the tiger''s paws to turn into a mangled mess. Slowly, the tiger, under the attack of Ho Ming and the rest, stopped moving and its paws went limp before falling to the ground. ... Meanwhile, the wooden staff of the elder man came at Lin Fan so fast that he was only able to see a trail of brown shimmer, like a shooting star cutting through the sky. Thud. It hit Lin Fan''s chest. The impact sent Lin Fan flying away and tumbling across the ground. Lin Fan stood up with support from his hands on the ground. He stared at the elder man as he wiped the blood from the side of his mouth. The elder man smirked and said, "Give up and let me inhabit this body of yours now. Why torture yourself with the impossible?" Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire Lin Fan didn''t respond as he thought of a strategy. He decided not to engage in closebat with the elder man. So, he took out his hammers and threw one of them at the elder man. Then he threw the other hammer into the air. The elder man smirked and said, "Ah, the Eight Trigram Beast Hammer Style, I see." With confidence, the elder man parried the hammering straight at him with the wooden staff. And then he looked up and held up his palm, and his palm strike repelled the hammering down from the air. The elder man shook his head and smirked at Lin Fan''s naivety. But the next moment, he could hear a muted thud. He looked down and saw the Dragon''s Roar Spear had gone through his body from the back. Boom. Lin Fan lunged at the elder man using chain leap and held onto the exposed end of the spear. He pushed the spear to the side of the elder man. Causing great pain as the Dragon''s Roar Spear turned. The elder man held his wooden staff and swiped it at Lin Fan again. This time Lin Fan was prepared, and he turned into a mist using the Shadow Slip ability. Lin Fan appeared at the back of the elder man next. He held onto the spear again and this time continued pushing the spear in the opposite direction. The sudden change of direction caused more pain to the elder man again. Whoosh. The elder man tried to get at Lin Fan with his wooden staff but missed. Lin Fan had quickly pulled the spear back and gained some distance from the elder man. "Argh! Damn you!" This frustrated the elder man, and he cried out in frustration. Seeing that he couldn''t get at Lin Fan, the elder man took a deep breath and started to walk away from Lin Fan. This made the pointed ends of the speare into his chest again. But the elder man endured the pain, and finally, he broke free of the spear. Lin Fan quickly leaped away from the elder man as the elder man swiped his wooden staff at Lin Fan again. The smashing wave from the wooden staff missed Lin Fan, and the elder man startedughing hysterically. Chapter 172 Long Struggle "You are truly a peculiar one. Someone at your cultivation level shouldn''t be this powerful." The elder man said as the wound on his chest started to close up. When Lin Fan saw this, he quickly took out his hammers and stowed the Dragon''s Roar Spear. Using his hammers, he swiped at the elder man. The illuminated Ember Wolf and Frost Fang Ice Tiger lunged at the elder man. Thud. A smashing wave came directly at the Ember Wolf, and it dissipated. The Frost Fang Ice Tiger came up to the elderly man''s side and took a bite at his waist. Its fangs couldn''t get through the skin of the elderly man, but the chills froze the skin in the waist area. The elderly man tried to smash the Frost Fang Ice Tiger with his wooden staff. But Lin Fan swiped his hammers at the elderly man again. Sending another two Ember Wolf and Frost Fang Ice Tiger at him. Thud. After the elderly man smashed at the Frost Fang Ice Tiger at his waist and made it dissipate, he looked up. All he saw was the mouth with sharp teeth of the Ember Wolfing toward his face. The heat and fire from the Ember Wolf burned and charred the beard of the elderly man. Giving off a very distinct burnt smell. Thud. The elder man struck his palm at the Ember Wolf, making it dissipate. But with his attention on the Ember Wolf, the Frost Fang Ice Tiger attacked the same waist area, making it freeze into ice. Before the elder man could smash down at the Frost Fang Ice Tiger again, Lin Fan with the Dragon''s Roar Spear thrust it at the frozen waist area. It made the waist area crack and break off from the body of the elder man like a piece of solid ice. "Argh." The elder man shouted out in pain. Lin Fan could feel the power in the Dragon''s Roar Spear growing as he did more damage to the elder man. The scriptures on the spear glowed more brightly as it was fed with more blood. Lin Fan pulled back the spear and thrust it at the elder man''s neck. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire Roar. The sound of a dragon''s roar could be heard as the spear came closer to the elder man''s neck. It gave off a red glow and a glow in the form of a dragon went in and gnawed at the elder man''s neck. Stter. Blood sttered onto the ground as the neck of the elder man was destroyed by the spear. The elder man knelt as the spear went through his throat and thrust into the ground behind him. The elder man tried to get up, and Lin Fan kicked his chest, trying to push him back down. It was now a struggle of who had more Qi than the other. Lin Fan was already left with little Qi as he had used quite a fair bit in the battle. His body was engulfed in a white glow as he tried to keep the elder man down. The elder man didn''t give up and swiped his wooden staff at Lin Fan''s leg. Thud. Lin Fan activated his Primordial Earth Bastion ability, and the wooden staff couldn''t do any damage this time. Seeing that his Qi was low, Lin Fan got ready to use his Earth Breaker Smander demonic beast core. If he used the amulet, it would be using the essence of the demonic beast core after the initial activation of the amulet. That should buy time for him to recover some of his Qi. Slowly, the elder man was able to get up further. This made him smirk as it signaled that Lin Fan''s Qi was going to be used up soon. His breath slowly came onto Lin Fan''s face. It was now or never. Suddenly, Lin Fan stowed the spear and turned into an Earth Breaker Smander. Thud. When the elder man hit the Earth Breaker Smander, it gave out a muted thud and did no damage. Lin Fan drew in a deep breath, making his Earth Breaker Smander''s abdomen round like a balloon. Then the belly turned t again, and hot glowing magma shot out from the cracks of the tes. The magma burned the elder man. Some of it burning through the wound in his neck, making him cry out in pain. Lin Fan wasted no time and used the huge body of the Earth Breaker Smander to stomp on the elder man. Thud. The elder many t on the ground. Lin Fan then turned back to his human form and took out his hammers.@@novelbin@@ He started pounding his hammers onto the elder man''s head. Thud. Thud. Thud. Blood started to stain the elder man''s grey hair red as Lin Fan''s hammers pounded onto the head. "Lin Fan, let me help!" Ho Ming shouted as they were done with the two-headed tiger. He lunged at the elder man and using his sword chopped down at the elder man''s neck. Thud. It didn''t go through, but it was enough to weaken the elder man further. Lin Fan with hisst bit of Qi held up both of his hammers and then came down onto the elder man''s head. Stter. The head burst and sttered the flesh and tissue all over. A familiar sound erupted in Lin Fan''s mind. [Ding! Congrattions on terminating malevolent intent.] [Vengeance points + 500.] [Current Vengeance Points: 3410] Finally, the elder man was destroyed. Lin Fan quickly took out his Blood and Qi Restoration pills and swallowed some. He then looked over at the two-headed tiger lying on the ground. The allure of the demonic beast core was much stronger now that Lin Fan had the amulet. So, Lin Fan walked over and slit the abdomen of the two-headed tiger open. When he got the demonic beast core out, the pagoda started to shake violently. "Ho Ming, let''s go! I think the secret realm might not hold any longer!" Lin Fan shouted and they quickly ran down the stairs. They got out in the nick of time as the pagoda crumbled to the ground, sending dust and debris flying all over. "There, the exit!" Lin Fan pointed in the direction of the exit, and they ran toward it. Chapter 173 More Training When they got out of the secret realm, the path made of rock had started to crumble. "Hurry," Lin Fan said, and they began to leap toward the shore. Luckily, they were fast enough andnded on the shore before the path disappeared. "Huh. We did it!" Lai Ming shouted and pumped his fist into the air triumphantly. The others joined in as it was indeed a rewarding venture into the secret realm. Lin Fan stood by the side and took stock of what he had gained. He had expended some Blood and Qi Restoration Pills and some essence from the Earth Breaking Smander''s demonic beast core. In return, he got plenty of poisonous snakes, the Dragon''s Roar Spear, and the Nine Heaven Dragon''s Roar Spear Technique, both at Mystic Level. Lastly, he''d gained a demonic beast core of the two-headed tiger. When they got back to the army post, Sian Rui bade farewell to them and went back to his team. The senior disciple in charge was relieved when he saw theme back unharmed. "Recuperate and do what you must, but be prepared as the sect master will arrive within the next few days." The senior disciple updated Lin Fan with thetest information. Lin Fan nodded. He was more than happy to do so. ... Next day. After a good night''s rest, the rest of the team started to get familiarized with the weapons and artifacts they had gotten from the secret realm. Lin Fan started to practice the Nine Heaven Dragon''s Roar Spear Technique. Starting with the first stroke, the Dragon''s Roar Spear Thrust. He held the spear in his hand and thrust it, directing his Qi into the spear as the manuscript instructed. The tricky part was when to relinquish control of the Qi and leave it to the thrusting motion to do the rest of the work. At first, only a tiny wave could be shot out of the spear''s tip. He had either relinquished control too early or toote. Slowly, he got used to the motion and the exact right moment to relinquish control of the Qi. When he was confident enough, Lin Fan stood in front of a rock that was as tall as he was. He lifted the spear up to his chest, took a deep breath, and with a turn of his waist, leading the motion to his shoulder then his arms, he thrust the spear at the rock. Roar. A dragon''s roar could be heard as a white glowing wave shot at the rock. It hit, and the rock blew up into pieces. Sending debris of small rocks and dust flying all over the ce. The rest of the team looked on in astonishment. As the best from their respective sects, they knew they would have taken at least a month to master a new technique. And here Lin Fan was, mastering it as if he''d been doing it for ages. They turned and looked at Ho Ming, giving him the what''s-up-with-him look. Ho Ming could only shrug his shoulders and smile. It felt great when the greatness of his buddy was finally recognized. "Don''t be too surprised; there might be more," Ho Ming said to the astonishment of the others. "Now I don''t feel so bad for losing to someone like him," Lai Ming said and started to feel better about himself. Lai Qing shook his head and said, "You and your excuses. If sect master were around, he''d give you a good scolding." Lai Qing''s words made Lai Ming go quiet as they reminded him of the deceased Low Qiang. His words also made Zhao Jia Rui look down at the bloody red stone she had in her hand. Reminding her of her revenge for Mei Shuang. Hu Tuo was his usual self, keeping to himself. By now, Lin Fan was on to the next stroke in the manuscript, the Dragon''s Roar Thousand Thrust. He followed the instructions and leaped into the air, and as he came down, thrust rapidly and rained down thrusting waves at the ground. Initially, he could only muster two to three thrusts. He continued but could only increase it to five or six. Nothing near what the humanoid was able to do within the span of a second. Lin Fan didn''t give up and continued to repeat the same steps. "I think I better get back to my cultivation," Lai Ming said as he saw how relentless Lin Fan was in training. "Should''ve been the case long time ago," Lai Qing couldn''t help himself and said. Surprisingly, Lai Ming didn''t bother and started his cultivation routine. The rest of the team followed; they knew they had more battlesing, better to try and be more prepared.@@novelbin@@ No one wants to be that person to hinder or fail the mission. Lin Fan stopped and read the manuscript carefully. He figured he must be doing something incorrectly. After some reading, he tried again. This time, when he thrust the spear, he let go of his grip just enough to let the spear''s motion do the work. It did the trick. This slight change allowed his Dragon''s Roar Spear Thrust to be twice as powerful when he tried. Having seeded with his slight adjustment, Lin Fan attempted the Dragon''s Roar Thousand Thrust again. Boom. He leaped into the air with the Chain Leap ability, and a barrage of thrusts was unleashed as he came down. The ground started to have potholes appear. Sending soil and rocks flying away from the ground. When Lin Fannded back on the ground, there was a crater about five meters created in front of him. Lai Ming peeped with one eye open and saw what had happened. He quickly went back to focus on his cultivation. Must not be left too far behind by Lin Fan, he thought. Next up for Lin Fan was something he had wanted to do for a very long time. He summoned the information panel in his mind and looked at his current status. Find exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 2/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 6 (3200 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 3410] Chapter 174 Level Up! Lin Fan was in two minds about upgrading his beast ability or his physique level. But after the battle with the elder man in the secret realm, he knew it was better for him to upgrade his physique level first. He would have to wait though, as he didn''t want to upgrade his physique level in front of the others. Every time he upgraded it, he didn''t know what to expect. The only person he could fully trust right now was Ho Ming. When the rest opened their eyes as they finished their cultivation training, Lin Fan joined in the sparring practice next. It had been a while since Lin Fan had sparred with Ho Ming. "Come, give me all you''ve got," Lin Fan said, and Ho Ming obliged. Read thetest on My Virtual Library Empire He thrust one of his swords and shot a twirling wind shot at Lin Fan. Lin Fan dodged easily with his Shadow Slip ability. But Ho Ming was ready and, with his Thunderous Exploding Sword Technique, he made the ground explode. Boom.@@novelbin@@ Without hesitation, Lin Fan used the Chain Leap ability and leaped into the air. He stepped onto the air again, changed his direction, and leaped toward Ho Ming. Ho Ming, with both of his swords, sent out a Cross sh. A slicing wave shaped like an X came at Lin Fan. Lin Fan used his Shadow Slip again, and the X went past him. When Lin Fannded, he already had his spear next to Ho Ming''s throat. Ho Ming sighed, raised his hands, and gave up. "You could do better." Lin Fan thought for a moment. He then whispered what he thought of, and Ho Ming''s eyes opened wide; it was like a whole new world opened up to him. Lin Fan patted Ho Ming on his back and said, "Help stay on guard for me. I have something I need to do." "Sure, anything you ask," Ho Ming replied as he started to try and think about how to execute what Lin Fan had just told him. They went off and found an empty room. Lin Fan entered while Ho Ming stood outside. Ho Ming didn''t know what he was up to, but he trusted it must be something important. So, he mustn''t screw up and put Lin Fan at risk. With no one in the room, Lin Fan thought to himself, upgrade physique level. The very next moment, he could feel his dantian heating up. His Qi was uncontroble, and it leaked out of his dantian like airing out of a balloon. After all the Qi was gone from his dantian, his energy started to wane, and he had to lie on the ground. It was as if he had to be emptied before he could be filled up again. And he was right as he felt his energy start toe back. This time it didn''t stop even after he felt fully energized. It went on, making Lin Fan fear that he might ''explode'' due to too much energy being poured back in. Fortunately, that didn''t happen. Lin Fan felt twice as strong as before when it finally ended. Next, his dantian started to receive Qi back into it. This time he could feel the Qi that came back in seemed much more pristine and closer to the Dao. As what had happened to his energy, his dantian got filled and expanded beyond its original status. Making it contain twice as much Qi as before. [Ding! Congrattions on upgrading your Physique.] [Your Physical strength/endurance x 2.] [Usage of abilities x 2.] [Current Beast Ability: 3/3] [Wild Rabbit Abilities Level: 2/3] [Wolf Ability Level: 2/3] [Earth Breaker Smander Ability Level: 2/3] [Current Physique Level: 7 (6400 Vengeance Points to upgrade)] [Current Vengeance Points: 210] When Lin Fan saw the amount required for the next level, he had to check twice. It would be a very long way ahead before the next upgrade for his physique level. He needed to find a way to get more vengeance points. The best way for him was to try and eliminate more demonic beasts. He could collect their demonic beast cores for the amulet and earn vengeance points at the same time. Effectively killing two birds with one stone. "Thanks, Ho Ming." Lin Fan patted Ho Ming on his shoulder when he got out of the room. "Great, just in time for dinner," Ho Ming looked back. He could feel that Lin Fan was different than before. Ho Ming took a step back and looked carefully at Lin Fan. But he just couldn''t pinpoint what the difference was. "If you are wondering, I should be at Foundation Establishment Level, stage five now." Lin Fan said to clear the doubts from Ho Ming''s mind. When Ho Ming heard it, he couldn''t believe his ears. "What? You only broke through to Foundation Establishment Level recently." Ho Ming frowned as he knew he again had lots more catching up to do. When Lin Fan and Ho Ming joined the rest for dinner, they were already halfway through the dishes. "It''s nothing like the hotpot we had, but it will have to do," Lai Ming said as he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks. The rest of them nodded; the hotpot they had at the wooden hut was the best meal they''d had. "When we are done, let''s have hotpot in my wooden hut again," Lin Fan said to the excitement of the rest. Lai Ming closed his eyes, imagined the cold piece of meat was just picked up from the hotpot, and swallowed it. It was nothing like the real thing, but it had to do for now. Lai Qing shook his head at his brother''s antics. In his corner, Hu Tuo focused on his vegetarian meal; the hotpot wasn''t so attractive to him, but he''d missed the atmosphere with everyone sitting around. Zhao Jia Rui nodded as she also missed the friendly atmosphere they had. And after what they went through in the secret realm, she was warming up to them. Lin Fan ate and appreciated the peaceful moment they had. He knew that it wouldn''t be the same for the days ahead. Chapter 175 Guardian Beast Northern borders of Quan Dynasty. Bei Dian Castle. News of what happened at the army post in Huai Mountain had reached Tan Xiao Yao. He held the teacup in his hand and looked at the tea leaves settling down. His military officers, standing in front of him, kept quiet and looked at him anxiously. Finally, one of the officers had enough courage to step forward. The officer knelt and asked, "General, if we don''t take back the army post, there won''t be enough suppliesing in. The smugglers can bring in a meager amountpared to what we need." The other officers nodded in silent agreement. Tan Xiao Yao put down the teacup and waved the kneeling officer off. He looked up, stared at all of them, and said, "Send in our troops and let the cultivators walk right in?" "After all these years of fighting alongside me, have you not learned anything?" All the officers looked down, ashamed. Tan Xiao Yao took a deep breath and continued, "But you aren''t exactly wrong. We do need the supplies. I''m waiting for Hulu Bei Er''s answer." "Can Hulu Bei Er be trusted?" the officer who had stepped forward earlier asked. "Hmph. Trust? There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. And right now, our interests coincidentally align, that''s all." Just as Tan Xiao Yaopleted his sentence, a messenger came into the room. "Letter from Hulu Bei Er," the messenger bowed and said. "Bring the letter forward," Tan Xiao Yao replied. The messenger then stepped forward and passed the letter to Tan Xiao Yao. He opened the envelope, broke its wax seal, took out the letter, and read. The officers waited as the room went silent; only the howling sound of the northern wind could be heard. "Hulu Bei Er refused to send his troops to fight for control of the army post. "And he demandspensation for his loss. "I thought he was someone more ambitious; I didn''t expect him to be so shortsighted. "What a disappointment." Tan Xiao Yao shook his head and crushed the letter as he spoke. He didn''t expect this reply. He took a gamble and lost. The options left for him weren''t many. If he sent the majority of his troops to try and take back the army post, Hulu Bei Er might just attack Bei Dian Castle. The cultivators wouldn''t even need to do much. The only viable option left was to send half of his troops to the army post and let the other half stay behind. "Lee, Ho, and Kang, the three of you, lead your men to take back the army post. The rest of you, stay behind and prepare for battle." Tan Xiao Yao dismissed them afterward. He hade so far and was so near to bringing the Tan Family to the top. A little setback wouldn''t deter him. ... Huai Mountain. Army Post. Lin Fan and the other disciples stood on the walls of the army post, waiting for Qing Yang Zi and the rest of the cultivators to arrive. Soon, they saw many cultivatorsing toward the army post. Lin Fan looked but couldn''t find Qing Yang Zi around. A huge shadow then cast onto the army post from the sky and made it dark. Everyone on the army post wall lifted their heads and looked. To their astonishment, a huge eagle was soaring in the air.@@novelbin@@ It was muchrger than anything Lin Fan had seen before. Slowly, therge eagle descended. When it pped its wings, it sent dirt flying, and some trees were uprooted by the gust of strong wind it made. Some of the disciples on the wall had to hold onto it to avoid falling. Therge eagle stood tall at ten meters. And on its back were Qing Yang Zi, Zhao Qing Ying, and the other sect masters. It was the Qing Feng Sect''s guardian beast. Qing Yang Zi wasted no time and began to prepare. He organized the disciples to defend the army post. Everyone would have a part to y in the uing battle. All but Lin Fan and his team. They weren''t allocated any duties. Lin Fan had a feeling that they would have something different nned. After everything was settled, Qing Yang Zi summoned them to a room. "Well done, Lin Fan. I heard good things about what you and your team have done," Qing Yang Zi said as he nodded approvingly. "Thank you, sect master," Lin Fan bowed and replied. "I don''t have much time, so I''ll just brief you on your next mission. "You and your team will meet up with Hun Yen Kun in Mei Hua Town first. "The guardian beast will take you there, dropping you off nearby. "It can''t go any further as there are beasts from the north that are territorial. "The other sect masters and I will attack Bei Dian Castle when the timees." Qing Yang Zi wasted no time as he knew it was crucial for their surprise attack to work. Before Tan Xiao Yao gets his army organized. Lin Fan nodded and set off immediately. During the few days of lull they had, they had recuperated and were ready to go. But first, they had to disguise themselves as a merchant team again. It would be too obvious for them to go in wearing their cultivation robes. After they were done, it was time to get onto the guardian beast. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire When Lin Fan stood in front of the guardian beast, he marveled at how huge it was. The guardian beast lowered its body, and Lin Fan leaped onto its back. There was a harness strapped onto the guardian beast with seats on it. It was to allow Lin Fan and the rest to be able to stay on the guardian beast''s back when it flew. After everyone was seated, the guardian beast started to p its wings, and it took off very soon. The army post began to be smaller and smaller as the guardian beast flew higher and higher. Mountains, rivers, and vast grasnds of the north could be seen. Lin Fan was calm as he had been on airnes and helicopters before. The rest of the team weren''t as calm as they held onto their seats tightly. Chapter 176 Moose Patrol Even with their Qi and cultivation level, the cold wind that blew against their faces made them feel numb. When the guardian beast got to the destination and started descending, the chillness began to fade away. The ground started to get nearer and nearer, and with a thump, the guardian beastnded. Lin Fan and the rest quickly got off its back, bringing their bogus merchandise along with them. The guardian beast quickly took off again as loud howls were heard in the air. As Qing Yang Zi had said, the beasts in the north were territorial, taking the guardian beast''s presence as an invasion of their territory. "It sure is cold around here," Lin Ming said as he tried to stay warm by rubbing his hands together. He was right; the winds of the north blew nonstop and brought the cold air along with them. "Let''s get to the town and meet up with senior martial brother Hun there." Lin Fan said and started walking toward the town in the distance. This town was ten kilometers away from Bei Dian Castle, but they would have to trek over a mountain to reach it. A man was standing at the entrance of the town when they got near it. He held a fan in his hand, looked up at the sky, and started to recite one of his signature ''poems''. "The north wind howled, the willows swayed, "Making my heart hollow and frayed. "Its icy breath like a chilling dart, "Piercing deep into my weary heart." Lin Fan shook his head, turned to the rest of the team, and said, "This is our sect master''s core disciple, Hun Yen Kun." The other members of the team looked at each other for a moment, bowed, and greeted him. They knew Hun Yen Kun was well known to be entric, but witnessing it in front of their eyes still surprised them. "Wee to Mei Hua Town, you are here at the right timing, the troops have just left Bei Dian Castle, so we don''t have much time for the fan meeting," Hun Yen Kun said as he motioned them to follow him. They followed him into the town. On the way, they saw many beggars, and most shops had their doors closed. Some of those living in the town came up to them eagerly, asking if they were there to sell grain. But they were disappointed when they found out they only had vases and ornaments as merchandise. The townsmen dispersed after that. Hun Yen Kun had gotten a shophouse at the other end of the town, nearest to the path that led to the mountain. They entered the shophouse and were relieved that it was not as cold inside. While lighting up the oilmps, Hun Yen Kun briefed them on what was toe. "Rest for the day and we move off tonight. "The mountain is heavily guarded, so be prepared. "Our objective is to get into Bei Dian Castle sessfully and get rid of the officers. "The map will have your individual targets marked on it." He passed out a map of the castle to everyone. Marked on the map were the locations of where the officers they had to eliminate were. Lin Fan and the rest of the team took the map and looked at it. Find more to read on My Virtual Library Empire "What about Tan Xiao Yao?" Lai Ming asked. "He will be taken care of by the sect masters," Hun Yen Kun replied. "How will they know when''s the right time?" Lin Fan asked. Hun Yen Kun took out a jade pendant and said, "I will break this when it is time." "How will you know when it''s time?" Lin Fan continued asking. "With this, you can transmit your voice to each other. Just inject Qi and talk into it; every one of us will then be able to hear your voice in our mind."@@novelbin@@ Hun Yen Kun took out some jade pendants and handed them to the team. "I could make do with some hotpot right now," Lai Ming said as he looked around the sparsely furnished shop. Lai Qing hit him on his head and said, "Stop reminding us of that." "You can have all the hotpot you want when we finish the mission. You shall be the most sought-after bachelor after we make a name for ourselves," Hun Yen Kun said as he fanned himself and nced over at Zhao Jia Rui. How could she be so cold toward me, he thought. Any other female disciples would be all over him by now. Unknown to him, Zhao Jia Rui was focused and only had one thing in mind. That was to kill those responsible for her master''s death. ... Nightfall. After resting for the day, it was time for them to start on their mission. Under the cover of the night, they got out of the shophouse and followed the track leading up to the mountain. After an hour, they finally reached the foot of the mountains. Lin Fan looked up at the mountain and saw that it was very different from the south. The foliage was not as thick, and trees were growing farther apart. It couldn''t provide much cover for them. They would have to battle with the patrolling soldiers if they met with any of them. Initially, it was uneventful. Just that even in the woods it was dry and cold, unlike the woods in the south. They had no choice but to use some of their Qi to keep themselves warm and counter the cold. "Stop." When they reached a rtively t region of the mountain, Lin Fan raised his hand and signaled for them to stop. A familiar sound had erupted in his mind. [Ding!] [Detected 16 souls with malevolent intent iing!] [Terminate 16 soldiers with malevolent intent for 3200 vengeance points.] Up ahead in front of them was a patrolling team of sixteen soldiers. They were mounted on beasts that looked like moose, but their antlers burned brightly with mes, lighting up the surroundings. "Well, what do we have here?" The team leader of the patrol drew out his sword and pointed at Lin Fan''s direction. Lin Fan took out the voice-transmitting jade pendant and allocated everyone two targets to take care of. They couldn''t let any of the soldiers escape and expose their location. "Look at them, scared shitless." "That girl looks gorgeous, let me have her first." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!