Zhou Yuanjue’s body unfurled in mid-air. After touching down, he perford a nimble roll and landed steadily on his feet.
But Luo Yongli, who had been flung from the balcony with him, lacked such skill.
He had no martial arts training to speak of. The fall was at least five or six ters. His legs slamd heavily onto the ground, followed by the sickening crunch of breaking bone. The excruciating pain caused Luo Yongli to let out a bloodcurdling scream.
’I only said I wouldn’t kill him. A few injuries shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
’Getting drunk and accidentally falling off a second-story balcony... that excuse seems plausible.’
These thoughts flashed through Zhou Yuanjue’s mind in an instant, but his movents never paused. After rolling to his feet, he pushed off hard, rapidly reaching the wall. Then, with a leap, a grab, and a vault, he cleared the three-to-four-ter-high wall as if it were level ground. His figure vanished from the villa, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded bodyguards.
A death blow with the sword, followed by a swift escape.
Everyone in the villa was speechless. It wasn’t until Luo Yongli’s screams grew more intense that they snapped out of it, scrambling about in a panicked frenzy.
After leaving the villa, Zhou Yuanjue sprinted away, quickly retracing his steps to exit the compound before ducking into a small alley.
A small sedan was parked by the roadside, waiting for him.
"Drive. Let’s head back."
Zhou Yuanjue said to Li Qingxuan as soon as he got in the car.
"Did sothing go wrong?"
Li Qingxuan started the car imdiately. From the state he was in, she knew things hadn’t gone smoothly.
"Yeah, I was spotted. We need to get out of Leshan City as soon as possible. This is Tianji Sword Sect territory, after all."
Zhou Yuanjue said with a nod.
"And Zhao Zhengxuan?"
Li Qingxuan asked.
"He’s dead."
Zhou Yuanjue said.
Li Qingxuan let out a soft "Oh." Her expression remained calm, but she slamd her foot on the accelerator.
It wasn’t until the car was clear of Leshan City that Li Qingxuan noticed Zhou Yuanjue’s tense body slowly begin to relax.
"You keep driving. I’m going to rest for a bit."
Zhou Yuanjue said, then closed his eyes. His breathing gradually slowed until it seed to disappear entirely.
Li Qingxuan knew he had instantly fallen into a deep sleep.
’So, he gets tired too. He gets exhausted, just like anyone else.’
Li Qingxuan sighed. ’In the end, he’s only human.’
······
······
The next day, the news spread like wildfire throughout the Tianlu Martial Arts Circle.
Overnight, four elders of the Tianji Sword Sect had been killed. Their Sect Leader, Zhao Zhengxuan, had died in his own villa, his throat slit by a single sword stroke. Even Luo Yongli had been hospitalized with two broken legs and severe injuries.
The incident was of such magnitude that ordinary people might not have heard a whisper of it or noticed any change. At most, they might have seen a newspaper report titled, "Tianji Group Chairman Injured in Drunken Fall."
But insiders, of course, received the news imdiately. After all, the Tianji Sword Sect was the focal point of the entire Tianlu Martial Arts Circle, and its every move was under intense scrutiny.
Thanks to so determined digging, the cause of the incident was soon brought to light.
Zhou Yuanjue had appeared out of nowhere. The Tianji Sword Sect had sent assassins after him in secret, only for all of them to be killed in return.
Subsequently, Zhou Yuanjue, in a fit of rage, launched a raid that very night, cutting down his targets with his sword, completely unstoppable.
Everyone who heard the news was stunned, feeling as if they were reading a fictional epic.
The elders of the Tianji Sword Sect were all figures of great prestige in the Tianlu Martial Arts Realm, to say nothing of Zhao Zhengxuan. As the Sect Leader of the Tianji Sword Sect and a forr Great Master of Fist Techniques, he was a colossal, untouchable figure in the eyes of many.
But now, just like that, they were dead. Overnight, everything they were had vanished like mist.
This forced everyone to once again re-evaluate their perception of Zhou Yuanjue.
Powerful, ruthless, audacious beyond belief, and bound by no rules.
From this day forward, no one would dare underestimate him for being a lone operator, for his actions had proven a simple truth to the world.
A single man, roused to fury, can make rivers of blood flow.
Now, everyone was waiting for the Tianji Sword Sect’s response.
It was well known that the Tianji Sword Sect harbored ambitions to control the Tianlu Martial Arts Realm and possessed the strength to do so. But if they mishandled an incident like this, all their plans would turn to dust.
The Tianlu Martial Arts Realm was not alone in this; Zhou Yuanjue was also waiting for the Tianji Sword Sect’s response.
On the afternoon of the second day after the incident, Li Qingxuan found Zhou Yuanjue.
"Is there any news from the Tianji Sword Sect?"
Zhou Yuanjue asked.
"There is. Huang Shuwen of the Tianji Sword Sect personally sent soone with a ssage."
Li Qingxuan nodded, her expression sowhat strange.
"What did it say?"
Zhou Yuanjue asked, his face calm.
"He said that the scheduled duel will proceed as planned. However... he said you should bring a weapon."
Here, Li Qingxuan paused, her tone turning grave.
"A duel not just to determine a victor, but also to decide life and death."
Hearing those last words, a sharp glint flashed in Zhou Yuanjue’s calm eyes.
······
······
「Six days later.」
Leshan City, outskirts. The Tianji Club.
This was the Tianji Sword Sect’s main training ground. Ordinarily, only the sect’s own disciples were permitted to enter.
But today, the club was open to all figures from the Martial Arts Realm.
Outside the club, white silk ribbons and black cloth were hung in mourning. A pair of funeral couplets flanked the doorfra.
At the main gate, two rows of funeral wreaths lined the path, creating a cold and solemn atmosphere that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Representatives from nearly all fourteen major sects of Tianlu Prefecture were present. After symbolically paying their respects to the deceased, they took their places on either side of the morial hall.
They had co to witness this special duel—a duel that would undoubtedly shape the future of the Tianlu Martial Arts Realm.
At this mont, a tall man dressed in white mourning clothes knelt before the morial tablets. His back was to the crowd, his face and expression hidden from view.
A long sword lay flat across his lap, its black Sword Scabbard adorned with a pattern of white clouds.
Though he was motionless and silent, no one in the morial hall could ignore him. He seed to possess a naturally commanding and transcendent aura that set him apart from all others.
Huang Shuwen of the Tianji Sword Sect!
Among the mbers of the various sects lining the hall, a colossal figure nearly two ters tall stood silently, his gaze fixed on the back of the man kneeling in the center.
Though the man wore a loose-fitting Martial Arts Uniform, it couldn’t conceal his terrifyingly powerful muscles.
Yan Hao of the Lanhai Society.
His injuries from the battle with Zhou Yuanjue hadn’t been severe. Thanks to his formidable physique, he had fully recovered in less than two days. The real wound, the one he struggled to overco, was to his Spirit.
The humiliation of being defeated in public, the frustration of having his abilities and Talent utterly crushed, the pressure of public opinion that ca with failure, the subtle, strange looks from others...
All of it combined was what could truly destroy a person.
After his defeat, he had locked himself away in the hospital. He didn’t dare go outside, didn’t dare face his fellow disciples or his master, didn’t dare confront the consequences and questions that ca with his failure.
Only when his powerful body and imnse Talent were so thoroughly defeated did Yan Hao discover for the first ti just how weak his own Spirit and mind truly were.
Over the past few days, the images of his battle with Zhou Yuanjue had replayed endlessly in his mind.
He never would have expected that the thing that finally helped him erge from his despair would be the words of his opponent.
"The true Mystical Technique of the Martial Dao lies in transcending the self. Victory and defeat, success and failure—they are all fleeting. I may seem powerful, but in truth, I am very weak. If I cannot even see past the turmoil of fa, fortune, humiliation, success, and failure, then how can I ever advance on the path to a higher Martial Dao?"
"You are the one who made understand this principle. You defeated , and in doing so, allowed to see myself clearly and find the path forward."
"So prove it to . With a will like yours... just how far can you go?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers