Ascending to the Dao through Martial Arts

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Wu Xuzi once said that people can lose themselves amid countless praises, forgetting the path they once took. The rarest virtue is seeing through the illusory flattery, and even rarer is the ability to humble oneself—that is, to bend one’s waist.

When weak, one must bow low enough to avoid harm and to travel farther.

When strong, one stands as straight as an ancient pine, as towering as a mountain.

Lin Fan was just such a person. He knew Huang Qiushan was waiting for him to lose his temper, to reveal his claws like a tiger—only then would there be a chance to eliminate him.

“Brother Lin... where did you put that sword?” Huang Qiushan had no patience for polite conversation and went straight to the point.

“The Pure Yang Sword? Before I lost consciousness, I only saw a flash of white light, and when I woke up, the sword was gone...” Lin Fan said regretfully. “This sword was passed down from my master; it’s priceless. I never thought I’d lose it!”

“If my master knew, he would surely scold me for being an unworthy disciple!”

“Could that sword be connected to the ancient ship?” Lin Fan threw the question back to Huang Qiushan.

“Impossible!” came the simultaneous reply from Huang Qiushan and Huang Dongshan. They didn’t believe Lin Fan had lost the Pure Yang Sword so easily.

“Lin Fan, I advise you not to bother hiding it. The Pure Yang Sword fused with the relic, which brought us into the nine-layer ancient ship. That is an undeniable fact.” Huang Qiushan had personally witnessed the light emitted by the fusion of the sword and the relic. When they opened their eyes again, they were already on the ancient ship. As he spoke, his smile vanished, replaced by a cold, steely gaze.

“That sword is the key to our return. Hand it over for the good of everyone.”

“Yes, Lin Fan, don’t be so selfish.”

“The Pure Yang Sword isn’t just yours; it’s the key for all of us to get back.”

“Hand over the sword quickly!”

Lin Fan looked at their faces. Just moments ago, they had called him savior and urged him to rest properly, but now their masks of kindness were slipping away.

Human nature’s ugliness was manifesting before him.

Fortunately, Chen Cunyuan had warned him in advance. Even if he started thinking of strategies upon waking, the Pure Yang Sword would never be handed over.

Not to mention it was passed down from Wu Xuzi—it was also his bargaining chip. Surrendering the sword meant losing his value.

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“Lin Fan, don’t make me lose my patience... Three days ago, I threw down a troublemaker overboard.” Huang Qiushan’s fury was evident.

“Team Leader Huang... I honestly don’t know where the sword is,” Lin Fan replied with an innocent expression.

“You ungrateful bastard!” Huang Qiushan raged, ready to teach Lin Fan a lesson.

The others crossed their arms, watching the scene unfold, no one stepping forward to defend Lin Fan.

“Huang Qiushan, what are you doing? And all of you! Have you forgotten that Brother Fan saved your lives?” Chen Cunyuan charged forward, shouting at everyone. “If it weren’t for Brother Fan, you’d all be dead five days ago. Who led away the Purple Spirit King and the He Luo Fish? Are you human? You want to bully Lin Fan while he’s injured? Fine! Step over my corpse first.”

Chen Cunyuan spread his arms wide, truly enraged. The people before him were a pack of ingrates.

“If any humanity remains in you, you shouldn’t be aligned with Huang Qiushan and Huang Dongshan. If you’re ghosts, then disregard what I said.”

“Go ahead and make a move...”

“Damn it! You know how to wag your tails when saving a dog, but saving a whole group turns into hatred! That’s not human! I can’t stand it either.” Qin Fen tapped his crutches on the ground, glaring at the crowd.

He had also had enough. These people had completely forgotten that Lin Fan had saved them.

Wang Xingbing, Zhuo Qirui, and their group blushed deeply, bowing their heads, as if their last shred of conscience had awakened.

“Huang Qiushan, do you want the Pure Yang Sword, or are you just looking for a chance to get rid of me?” Lin Fan’s voice turned cold again. “Wanting the sword is just your excuse. Your real goal is to eliminate me. Back in Changbai Mountain, you tried to kill me and the Purple Spirit King with explosives.”

“You say you saw the relic and the Pure Yang Sword fuse. Besides you, who else saw it?”

“And if we find the sword, will we really be able to return to Earth?”

Indeed, who else saw it? Before boarding the ancient ship, they only saw a flash of white light; no one witnessed the fusion of the sword and relic. Could this be Huang Qiushan’s ploy to get rid of Lin Fan?

After all, Wang Xingbing, Zhuo Qirui, and the other guards knew that Huang Qiushan had been giving Lin Fan a hard time all along.

Combined with Chen Cunyuan’s words, the crowd was filled with shame, nearly having been manipulated by Huang Qiushan.

“I think...” Huang Qiushan saw the expressions on their faces. Even his trusted men Wang Xingbing and Zhuo Qirui had been convinced. He was about to claim he saw it himself, but ultimately held back.

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The Pure Yang Sword was indeed just an excuse for his attack. His true aim was to use the opportunity to eliminate Lin Fan and make this mortal enemy vanish completely.

“Clap, clap, clap!”

Suddenly—

Applause rang in Lin Fan’s ears. Huang Dongshan strode forward, eyes filled with admiration. “Truly eloquent. In just a few words, you’ve swayed hearts and shifted attention. But do you really think hiding the sword will keep you safe? You know Professor Yang, right? He’s even tougher than you!”

Huang Dongshan’s voice carried a ruthless edge, growing lower and more sinister, like the whisper of a demon.

He’d captured Professor Yang? Lin Fan was momentarily stunned. It was clear Huang Dongshan was even more vicious than Huang Qiushan.

“Hypocrite!” the words sprang to Lin Fan’s mind. Huang Dongshan was like a different man from when they were at Changbai Mountain. Back then, he spoke with elegance, exuding a refreshing kindness and politeness to all. Perhaps in this otherworld, freed from human conscience and legal constraints, his true nature had surfaced.

“Those who want to stand with Lin Fan, stay. Everyone else, come with us!”

Huang Dongshan left these words behind and strode out of the infirmary.

Wang Xingbing, Zhuo Qirui, Huang Qiushan, and dozens of the guards followed without hesitation.

Only Chen Cunyuan and Qin Fen remained.

“Qin Fen, why aren’t you leaving?”

“Heh heh, Brother Fan, I want to go too! But my leg’s broken. Huang Dongshan takes big steps, and I can’t keep up with my crutches.” Qin Fen chuckled. “Besides, I’m just a sick man—they won’t want me.”

“Aren’t you afraid Huang Dongshan will throw you off the ancient ship?”

“Of course! I’m scared stiff! But I know Lin Fan won’t abandon a sick man like me.”

“Lin Fan won’t throw you off, but I will.”

“Damn! Who’s throwing whom then?”

With that, the attacks from Huang Qiushan and Huang Dongshan subsided for the time being.

Lin Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief. “Strength! Strength! I must become powerful, so I won’t have to live in fear like today, no longer threatened by beasts!”