"Quick, go report! Someone is challenging the hall!"
"You, wait right there!"
Two men turned and scrambled back, practically rolling and crawling as they rushed through the inner gate.
Lin Hui, dressed in a white Daoist robe and holding a sword in one hand, swept his gaze over the passersby. He smiled and cupped his fists in a salute to the crowd.
"Apologies for disturbing everyone. The Black Dragon Gate once challenged my Clear Wind Sword Sect. Now that I, Lin Hui, have luckily made a breakthrough, I have come to repay the favor. If I have startled anyone, please forgive me."
The Black Dragon Gate headquarters was situated right next to the main road leading to the town center. Passing carriages and horses slowed down; some stopped by the roadside entirely, their occupants deciding to watch the show.
Other pedestrians watched from a distance. Those in the know eagerly shared the history of grievances between the Clear Wind Temple and the Black Dragon Gate with the uninitiated.
Seeing Lin Hui’s gentle demeanor, the crowd’s courage grew. They shuffled forward, forming a semi-circle around the entrance of the Black Dragon Gate.
"Who is it!? Who dares to come and challenge my Black Dragon Gate!?"
He had gone to the Clear Wind Temple yesterday, only to find it empty save for a toothless old gatekeeper. There wasn't a single disciple in sight.
Upon inquiring, he learned that the Clear Wind Temple had announced a holiday the day before, pausing operations for a period of reorganization. Operations were expected to resume in about a week.
Helpless, he could only return to his sect and wait. But unexpectedly, the Sect Master had inexplicably announced a retreat for cultivation yesterday, leaving him and the Second Senior Brother, Chen Yuan, in charge of instructing the disciples.
He had tried to request a meeting with his master but was blocked at the door and refused entry. His intuition told him something might have happened, but since his master wouldn't speak, he didn't dare to ask.
He had just arranged the teaching tasks and sorted out the subsequent training plans when a challenger arrived at their doorstep. It felt as if this string of events had been prearranged, one thing following another.
"Is it you who wants to challenge the hall?" Wang Hongshi was in a foul mood, and his gaze toward Lin Hui was rather unkind. However, he knew that anyone daring to challenge the Black Dragon Gate must have some skill and wouldn't be a weakling, so he suppressed his temper slightly.
But just because he suppressed his emotions didn't mean his opponent would.
"I am Lin Hui, current Sect Master of the Clear Wind Sword Sect. I have come to challenge the Black Dragon Sect Master, Song Zhanlong," Lin Hui said. "Back when Sect Master Song visited my Clear Wind Temple for a 'spar,' he defeated my sect's Temple Master, Daoist Baohe, in front of everyone. When I watched that battle, I was deeply impressed by Sect Master Song's profound martial arts and formidable Hard-Body Discipline. Now that I have achieved some success in my cultivation, my first thought was to come to the Black Dragon Gate to seek a battle. I hope Sect Master Song will not be stingy with his instruction."
Lin Hui spoke very politely, but within that politeness, he made the cause and effect of the situation crystal clear.
"Where is Sect Master Song?" he asked solemnly, cupping his hands.
"The Sect Master is in retreat today and has no time. For a piece of trash from the Clear Wind Temple, I alone am enough to deal with you!" A male disciple of the Black Dragon Gate with a fiery temper couldn't hold back. He lunged out of the crowd with a stride, clawing toward Lin Hui's chest.
This man’s claw strikes created layers of shadows and brought forth gusts of vicious wind—at a glance, one could tell he was an expert who had reached a high level of Body Tempering.
If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have been confident enough to take the initiative.
Wang Hongshi and Chen Yuan nodded inwardly upon seeing this.
This person was Xie Kong, a disciple from the prominent Xie family of the Outer City. Before joining the Black Dragon Gate, he had bitterly cultivated his family's 'Iron Hand Art'. His Hard-Body Discipline Body Tempering had already reached its limit. Now, after more than a year in the sect, he had stacked his Iron Hand Art limit with the Fourth Rank of the Black Dragon Claw. His pair of iron hands was invulnerable to blades and possessed extraordinary strength. He was currently ranked fifth in the Black Dragon Gate, second only to Zhao Jiang'an, who had come over from the Clear Wind Temple.
Having him test the newcomer was the most appropriate course of action.
Seeing Xie Kong clawing at him, the black claw shadows fanning out toward his chest, Lin Hui swayed casually. He precisely evaded every claw shadow and brushed past him.
Clang!
A sword light flashed.
Xie Kong staggered. Not only did he miss his target, but he also inexplicably lost his balance and stumbled forward two steps.
Thud. He flopped to the ground, unable to stand up again.
"My feet! My feet!!" Xie Kong began to scream, his face instantly turning pale.
He reached down to grab his ankles, only to discover two bloody sword marks had appeared on the sides of his ankles without him noticing. Blood slowly oozed from the cuts, yet strangely, there was no pain.
He tried hard to move his feet, but found that they wouldn't move.
"No!! My feet!!"
Xie Kong howled miserably. Only now did the pain slowly flood his senses. But compared to the pain of the wounds, the fact that his feet had lost all sensation and control was what terrified him the most.
Because this meant his feet were crippled.
"Apologies. I thought the experts of the Black Dragon Gate were very strong, so I used a little bit too much force," Lin Hui said with a smile, looking at Wang Hongshi's group at the entrance.
At this moment, neither Wang Hongshi, Chen Yuan, nor the others paid any attention to Xie Kong on the ground; instead, they stared fixedly at Lin Hui. Xie Kong’s attendants quickly rushed up to support him and drag him away.
A cold wind blew. For a moment, neither side spoke.
Conversely, the onlookers were incredibly excited. More and more people gathered. Evidently, after realizing that Lin Hui had a good attitude and didn't mind them watching the excitement, the crowd began to grow.
The love of spectacle was simply human nature.
"Isn't the Black Dragon Gate supposed to be awesome? Send out an expert! Why are you just standing there like posts??" A bold voice shouted from the crowd.
"The expert is lying on the ground. Taken out in one move. I think they're scared," another person hiding in the crowd chimed in sarcastically.
"The Black Dragon Gate acts all high and mighty, but now they’re scared? When they were smashing fruit stalls on the street the other day, they didn’t look scared at all. What, they only know how to bully the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, but play dumb the moment they run into someone tough in public!?" A third person joined in the mockery.
These words immediately caused an uproar in the crowd. Some couldn't help but laugh, others applauded, and some even hid and whistled.
At the main gate, the expressions of Wang Hongshi and the others grew increasingly ugly.
At this time, Mu Qiaozhi, who had lost an arm, slowly walked out, supported by Xie Li. She looked at the scene with a pale face.
After losing her arm, she had been marginalized. No longer enjoying the treatment of the Third Disciple, she could only stand on the periphery, watching the scene outside through the gaps in the crowd.
Looking at Lin Hui standing at the gate with a smile, a trace of fear flashed in her eyes again. The hand holding Xie Li unconsciously tightened.
"That idiot Xie Kong. He couldn't even beat me, yet he dared to strike first and start trouble. He's simply looking for death! Did he really think I was bragging?" She didn't even notice her own voice was trembling.
Since the battle where she lost her arm, she had shut herself away and thought about it for a long time. But no matter how much she thought, she couldn't figure out how to counter Lin Hui's move.
Too fast...
Truly, by the time she reacted, her arm was already severed. She was ruined.
No reaction, no resistance.
She had been like a wooden stake, standing foolishly on the spot, waiting for Lin Hui to walk up step by step, casually swing his sword, and cut off her arm.
It was precisely because it was unsolvable that when Mu Qiaozhi saw Lin Hui again, the shadow in her heart expanded rapidly, growing into sheer terror.
Already missing an arm, she understood even more clearly that she would likely never be his match in this lifetime.
"But no matter how strong he is, he isn't in the Internal Force Realm... Is he not afraid the Sect Master will take action...?" Xie Li also saw Lin Hui and, recalling that previous battle, asked aloud.
She felt incredibly fortunate right now that she hadn't attacked back then. Otherwise, she feared she would have ended up like Senior Sister Mu, crippled and missing an arm.
"I don't know..." Mu Qiaozhi shook her head slightly. She had been recovering from her injuries and resting for the past two days and hadn't seen her master at all. Coupled with her decline in status, she was still worrying about the changes she would face when she returned home. She hadn't expected Lin Hui to actually dare to attack their doorstep!
At the gate, Wang Hongshi and Chen Yuan stared at Lin Hui.
Chen Yuan unconsciously put himself in Xie Kong's place, simulating facing Lin Hui's attack. But after several attempts, he had no confidence he could catch the opponent or lock onto him with his claw technique.
The opponent's speed was too fast. His Body Tempering was only at the 8th Rank. Although it covered his whole body and could withstand knives and swords, that applied to ordinary slashing. If the opponent pierced toward him with that kind of speed...
Chen Yuan didn't think he could withstand it.
Thus, he turned his gaze to Eldest Senior Brother Wang Hongshi. With the Master absent, Wang Hongshi was the strongest person in the Black Dragon Gate.
It wasn't just him; the other disciples also turned their eyes to Wang Hongshi.
At this moment, as the strongest present, he became everyone's backbone.
Wang Hongshi knew he couldn't retreat. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain this to the master later, nor face the opinions of his junior brothers, or preserve the Black Dragon Gate's reputation.
Although he wasn't confident in dealing with Lin Hui's speed, he estimated the opponent couldn't do anything about his defense either. So...
He stepped forward, walking to the open space in front of the gate to face Lin Hui.
"Black Dragon Gate, Wang Hongshi. Please enlighten me."
"Actually, I am somewhat interested in the Black Dragon Gate," Lin Hui spoke up. "The Black Dragon Claw is indeed unique in its Hard-Body Discipline defense. Very impressive. If it could be merged with my Clear Wind Sword Sect into one lineage, complementing each other, that would be a beautiful thing."
"Merge? Are you offering to join us?" Wang Hongshi narrowed his eyes.
"Since I am proposing the merger, naturally, my Clear Wind Sword will take the lead," Lin Hui smiled. "Think about it. My Clear Wind Sword Sect's movement speed combined with the Black Dragon Claw's Hard-Body defense... when the time comes, we could even discard swords. Using the hand as a sword, one's own body becomes the strongest weapon. It would simply be like adding wings to a tiger!"
"Keep dreaming!"
With a whoosh, Wang Hongshi suddenly charged forward, attempting a surprise attack. His hands performed the move "Dragon Hugs the Tree," clawing toward Lin Hui's arms from left and right.
As this move was executed, layers of claw shadows appeared, faintly carrying waves of pulling force capable of slowing Lin Hui's dodging speed.
But he had severely underestimated Lin Hui's sword speed.
In an instant, silver light flashed. His eyes were completely dazzled by the silver brilliance. Immediately after, his arms embraced empty air, and a series of ding ding ding ding sounds rang out from his chest and heart area—nine strikes in rapid succession.
Nine sparks splattered, and finally, a bit of blood flew out.
Both of their movements came to a simultaneous halt.
Wang Hongshi's arms hung in the air; he was attempting to launch a second move to grab the opponent's shoulders. But this move was only half-executed; it was already meaningless.
A sword had gently pierced slightly into his heart.
The cold sword tip was slowly being warmed by hot blood. Traces of red slowly soaked outwards into the clothes over his chest.
"You are weaker... than I imagined," Lin Hui gently retracted his sword, a look of disappointment on his face.
He stepped forward, brushing past Wang Hongshi, walking toward the main gate of the Black Dragon Gate.
Nine swords at one point. In less than a second, he had forcibly penetrated Wang Hongshi's Hard-Body defense.
The speed at which victory was decided was shockingly fast.
Pfft!
Just then, Wang Hongshi, who had been standing dazed, trembled all over. A mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he fell to his knees, powerless to rise again.
The colic pain brought by the blade's impact on his heart made it impossible for him to stand.
"Where is the Black Dragon Sect Master?!" Behind him, not far away, came Lin Hui's clear, resonant shout.
"If the Hall Master dares not even show his face during a hall challenge, then this Black Dragon Gate shouldn't remain open any longer."
Lin Hui stepped with one foot on the broken plaque, smiling as he looked at the martial grounds inside the gate, where fully a hundred people stood.
Yes, he naturally knew that Song Zhanlong had been blinded by him using the strength of the Internal Force Realm.
Otherwise, why would he have rushed over the very next day to kick them while they were down?
After all, on the surface, he was not yet in the Internal Force Realm and still needed to keep a low profile.