Chapter 118: The Arrival of a Master

The three sparred for a while, and the martial chef had already prepared six martial dishes. The three of them drank wine and ate meat, and only when night fell did they each return to their rooms, agreeing to continue their sparring early the next morning.

That night, no one came to test them.

The next day, they practiced swordsmanship, drank wine, and ate meat.

Still, no one came to test them.

The third day, they practiced swordsmanship, drank wine, and ate meat.

The fourth day, they practiced swordsmanship, drank wine, and ate meat.

On the fourth night, after Wang Dao and Yang Zhihuan had retired to their rooms to rest, Lu Yan practiced alone in the training room for two hours, circulating his energy and tempering his bone strength.

After finishing his training, Lu Yan stepped out of the practice room, intending to wash up and rest.

Suddenly, a shadow leapt down from the rooftop, like a bat in the darkness.

“Here they come.”

In recent days, Lu Yan’s spirit had been highly focused at night, remaining constantly vigilant.

Without hesitation, he struck out with a palm.

Clash!

Their palms met, and Lu Yan felt a deep, solid bone force surge toward him.

“Martial Marquis, fourth level, but not at full strength.”

A thought flickered in Lu Yan’s mind.

The attacker hadn’t struck to kill, clearly probing first—three parts offense, seven parts defense—trying to draw out his true power.

Lu Yan’s body shook violently, staggering backward, shouting, “Who are you? Why attack me?”

The figure in black did not answer. His head was covered by a mask, leaving only his mouth, nose, and eyes exposed, his gaze cold and sharp. He pressed the attack, intensifying his palm strike.

If this palm had come from an ordinary Martial Marquis of the first level, it would have been deadly.

Lu Yan’s muscles bulged, veins throbbing, eyes bloodshot, as he gathered his strength to deliver a palm strike at ‘full force.’

Clash!

Their palms collided again, and this time, Lu Yan was flung backward like a kite cut loose, crashing heavily to the ground.

His bone strength trembled, forcing out a mouthful of fresh blood.

There was no other way. The opponent’s palm was light and airy, incapable of harming him; the injury was self-inflicted.

The attacker showed a trace of confusion, leapt forward again, this time multiplying his palm’s force several times over, aiming for a killing blow.

“Brother Yang, if you don’t act now, I’m going to be exposed,” Lu Yan thought desperately.

“Thief! How dare you!”

A thunderous roar echoed from a nearby room behind Lu Yan. A battle blade spun through the air like a rapidly rotating wheel, slicing toward the figure in black.

The black-clad assailant’s expression changed.

Obviously, he had arrived only after nightfall and didn’t know Yang Zhihuan was also here. In a rush, he struck the blade with his palm, sending the weapon flying, but his momentum was halted, and he fell to the ground.

Yang Zhihuan’s burly form surged forward, catching the flying battle blade. Two strides brought him close to the attacker, and with a thunderous roar, he swung the blade down.

In full fury, Yang Zhihuan unleashed a strike far more powerful than during his sparring with Lu Yan.

The attacker dared not take the risk and leapt backward to evade the blade.

But Yang’s relentless assault continued, one strike missing only to be followed by another, a rolling torrent of blade light enveloping his opponent.

At that moment, Wang Dao rushed out and helped Lu Yan up.

“Brother Lu, are you alright?” Wang Dao asked with concern.

“I’m fine. Luckily, Brother Yang arrived just in time, or this little life of mine would have ended here,” Lu Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shouted, “Everyone back to your rooms! This is a Martial Marquis matter; none of you are to interfere!”

Hearing Lu Yan’s voice, Li Quan, Cao Hu, and several martial school apprentices who had come out to investigate the commotion trembled and obediently retreated.

In just a few breaths, Yang Zhihuan and the figure in black had exchanged over ten moves.

The attacker was firmly pressed by Yang Zhihuan, forced to rely on evasive footwork, unable to strike back.

“Hiding your face, unwilling to show your true martial arts—that’s because you fear I’ll recognize you. Then I’ll tear off your mask,” Yang Zhihuan said coldly, channeling his bone strength, his blade strikes growing fiercer and swifter.

Suddenly, the attacker misstepped, and his chest was nearly sliced open, his clothes torn by the blade.

With a fierce roar, Yang Zhihuan unleashed a full-power strike toward the attacker’s head—fast, precise, and merciless.

A deadly blow, impossible to evade.

At the critical moment, the attacker’s palm rapidly withered, turning jet black, resembling the hand of a millennia-old corpse.

He thrust his palm forward from his chest, colliding with the blade, producing a metallic clang. Both men staggered back a step.

“Ink Jade Corpse Palm, Martial Marquis fourth level—you are Li Changshan,” Yang Zhihuan shouted.

The attacker remained silent, unwilling to fight further, and turned to flee.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Yang Zhihuan leapt after him, swinging his blade down.

The attacker met the strike with his palm, not yielding at all. After a few moves, he struck the blade, using the momentum to spring onto the rooftop. Several bounds later, he vanished into the night.

Yang Zhihuan did not pursue further.

“Brother Yang, was it really Li Changshan?” Wang Dao approached and asked.

“No doubt. To have refined the Ink Jade Corpse Palm to this level and be a fourth-level Martial Marquis—only Li Changshan among the Lis fits that profile,” Yang Zhihuan replied.

“But Li Changshan is Li Wenxuan’s trusted lieutenant. Why would he suddenly attack Brother Lu?” Yang Zhihuan frowned in puzzlement.

“Perhaps because I previously rejected Li Canglin and humiliated Li Xuan, so they want to kill me. I’ve heard Li Canglin isn’t very broad-minded,” Lu Yan said.

“That’s possible. We should report this to Young Master Li Cangqing as soon as possible. Brother Lu, how about you come with us, just in case?” Yang Zhihuan suggested.

Lu Yan nodded.

The three headed toward Li Cangqing’s residence.

Upon arriving, Lu Yan rested briefly in the guest room while Yang Zhihuan and Wang Dao met with Li Cangqing.

“Li Changshan attacking Lu Shanchuan at night? What audacity,” Li Cangqing said coldly, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes.

Though the two major factions of the Li family competed fiercely, assassinating each other’s experts was absolutely forbidden.

If they killed each other at will, the martial elites of both factions would be wiped out, and the Li family could not endure.

Though Lu Shanchuan had not openly declared allegiance to Li Cangqing’s faction, in reality, he was counted among Li Cangqing’s men.

Such an act seriously crossed the line.

“I will go find Li Canglin immediately,” Li Cangqing stood.

“Young Master, I have one more request,” Yang Zhihuan bowed.

“What is it?”

“After sparring with Lu Shanchuan these days, I found him to be a rare talent in swordsmanship. His gift with the blade surpasses mine. I heard that during his limit-breaking phase, he had already cultivated a second-rate sword technique to the human-martial fusion stage early on. But his primary martial art isn’t swordsmanship, which is a waste of talent. If you could grant him the Nine Slashes Thunder Blade, he would surely improve rapidly and carry it to great heights,” Yang Zhihuan said.

“Young Master, Brother Yang is right. I also earnestly request that you bestow the Nine Slashes Thunder Blade upon Lu Shanchuan for cultivation. I’m certain he will one day make the skill renowned across the six counties of Lingdong,” Wang Dao added.

“Moreover, Lu Shanchuan has not clearly declared whether he will join your side. If he accepts the Nine Slashes Thunder Blade, it will be clear he is united with you,” Wang Dao continued.

Li Cangqing pondered for a moment, then sighed. “The Li family has strict rules for passing down first-rate martial arts. Only those who have passed many tests, shown absolute loyalty, or made great contributions may receive such skills. Since Lu Shanchuan is new to the Li family and unrecognized, I fear it will be hard to persuade the elders.”

“Young Master, with Lu Shanchuan’s talent in swordsmanship, if he obtains a first-rate sword technique, he will at least reach Martial Marquis fifth level in the future. Coupled with his innate martial body, he would be nearly unmatched at the Martial Marquis stage. One such Lu Shanchuan is worth ten Martial Marquis,” Wang Dao pressed on unwillingly.

“You think so highly of him?” Li Cangqing asked.

Wang Dao nodded earnestly.

After some thought, Li Cangqing nodded. “Very well. After we see Li Canglin, I will grant the Nine Slashes Thunder Blade to Lu Shanchuan.”

Within the Li family, there were more than ten first-rate martial arts.

Though strict checks were required to pass these to outsiders, Li Cangqing’s current status allowed him to occasionally bestow a first-rate martial art on a trusted individual without consulting the elders or clan heads.

But such acts must be rare. Doing so too often would invite criticism, especially from rivals.

“Wang Dao, stay with Lu Shanchuan. Yang Zhihuan, come with me,” Li Cangqing said as he headed toward the door, calling two more experts to follow. The four of them set off toward Li Canglin’s residence.

“Yang Zhihuan is actually in the Three Absolute Martial Hall?” Li Canglin’s face darkened. “So you were exposed?”

“The power of Yang Zhihuan’s Nine Slashes Thunder Blade is fierce and overwhelming. Even if I could win in a direct fight, it would take over a hundred moves. Without using the Ink Jade Corpse Palm, I wouldn’t stand a chance and would likely die by his blade,” Li Changshan said helplessly.

“Yang Zhihuan, how could he be in the Three Absolute Martial Hall? Could it be that Lu Shanchuan anticipated this?” Li Canglin wondered.

“I don’t think so. I saw Wang Dao there too. Not long ago, Wang Dao hosted a Martial Marquis banquet, and Lu Shanchuan went to congratulate him. They’re all skilled with the blade and probably arranged to spar together. I just happened to run into them,” Li Changshan said.

“In any case, the secret is out. Li Cangqing will likely come soon,” Li Canglin said grimly, then asked, “What about Lu Shanchuan? Did you test him? Does he have hidden power?”

“I tried a few moves. He only showed Martial Marquis first level. On the surface, it seems true, but since Yang Zhihuan appeared so promptly, we can’t rule out hidden strength,” Li Changshan replied.

Li Canglin’s expression grew darker, his chest tight with frustration. He wanted to slap Li Changshan to death but only thought it.

Li Changshan was also from the Li family—though not direct lineage, he was still Li Wenxuan’s trusted lieutenant.

It turned out their attempt to probe yielded nothing, and instead, they had fallen into Li Cangqing’s trap.

“Young Master, Li Cangqing has arrived,” a guard reported.

“Show him in,” Li Canglin gritted his teeth.

There was no escape now. He waved Li Changshan away, ordering him not to appear.

Soon, Li Cangqing entered with three experts.

“Ha! Cousin, what wind blew you here? It’s rare to see you. Come, we must drink together today,” Li Canglin greeted with a broad smile.

Li Cangqing and Li Canglin were the same age, though Li Cangqing was a few months older.

“No need for drinks. I’m here to seek justice for my man,” Li Cangqing said coldly.

“Justice? What happened?” Li Canglin feigned surprise.

“Li Canglin, let’s not beat around the bush. Don’t pretend before me. You sent Li Changshan to secretly attack Lu Shanchuan. You must give me an explanation,” Li Cangqing said.

“Such a thing? Cousin, are you mistaken? Did you see the assassin’s true face?” Li Canglin still refused to admit it.

“A mistake? Ha! If you weren’t guilty, why call me cousin?” Li Cangqing mocked.

Li Canglin was momentarily speechless.

Midnight—the usual ten thousand words.

(This chapter ends.)