Chapter 422 - 226: Defeating a Grandmaster

Chapter 422: Chapter 226: Defeating a Grandmaster

Atop a tall building, a slender, dark figure stood amidst several flags. The flags were already glowing faintly, connected to one another by arcane lines of light, looking as if they could be activated at any moment.

However, she only watched the young man retreat into the distance. The corner of her mouth curled up slightly, and a voice tinged with both a smile and amazement escaped her lips:

"This guy... he’s already gotten this strong?"

Her gaze flickered, precisely locating Yao Yilong, who was rapidly fleeing back to the Yao Mansion. Her eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, she collected the surrounding formation flags and vanished from the tall building.

On the roof of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s courtyard, Qin Zhenyang looked at the traces of the great battle in the distance and let out a soft sigh of relief. His expression then grew complicated.

’That kid... using Moon Stepping Slash on a Grandmaster... I actually thought he was going to succeed...’

Qin Zhenyang sheathed his Long Sword and told Lin Zhen, who was craning his neck in anticipation, and the shouting Ning Zi to go back and rest. He then patted the shoulder of Huang Zifeng, who also wore a complicated expression.

"The Little Hidden Dragon Tournament is in a few days. Don’t waste your energy."

After persuading his junior brothers and sisters, each with their own thoughts on the matter, to return and rest, Qin Zhenyang silently went to the kitchen to brew a medicinal soup. This struck the handyman disciple on duty as odd. ’Did someone get injured while training?’

「Outside Jinling Prefecture.」

In a secluded farmhouse, Xie Yuan and the other two appeared. They looked at each other and broke into smiles.

It wasn’t just the victory and the thrill of the fight, nor was it just their seamless teamwork. What mattered most was the result of this battle.

They—three young Martial Artists of the Qi and Blood Second Transformation Realm—had defeated a Grandmaster!

Huie Jue brought his palms together and chanted a Buddhist mantra:

"Amitabha! This humble monk could not bear to take a life today, so I let that Yao Yilong off the hook."

Zhang Junyi scoffed.

"Monk, you were just a meat shield! You didn’t do any damage. Even if we’d let you, you couldn’t have killed him! It all came down to this young master’s thunder techniques!"

Huie Jue immediately retorted,

"This humble monk didn’t go crying and screaming for his master’s help. But I suppose it’s understandable, since this is your first time down from the mountain. Just try not to be a crybaby next time."

Enraged, Zhang Junyi drew his sword and shouted,

"Who was being a crybaby? This poor Daoist was building up my aura! You stinking baldy wouldn’t understand!"

A teasing look on his face, Huie Jue said,

"See? You got defensive. I hit a nerve, and now you’re lashing out in embarrassment."

"Alright, alright, stop. You’ll wake everyone here," Xie Yuan urged, seeing the two starting to quarrel.

Hearing Xie Yuan’s plea, Zhang Junyi shot Huie Jue a glare.

"Out of respect for Brother Xie, I won’t stoop to this bald thief’s level."

"Amitabha. This humble monk doesn’t care for it."

Zhang Junyi sized up Xie Yuan, drew in a sharp breath, and said in an excited tone,

"Brother Xie, I never would have thought your methods were so incredible! You even made a Grandmaster suffer a setback!"

Xie Yuan said humbly,

"You two were the ones who did the heavy lifting. I would have been defeated long ago on my own. Especially that Divine Thunder Talisman—it completely broke Yao Yilong’s nerve."

Zhang Junyi shook his head and said fairly,

"Well, the monk’s immobilizing skill also played a part. Otherwise, my thunder sword is somewhat similar to your axe, Brother—powerful, but unable to land a hit without your unpredictable Body Technique."

"Hmph. So now you know how formidable this humble monk is?" Huie Jue said with a grin.

Zhang Junyi shot him a glare and continued,

"But in the end, it was Brother Xie’s final move that scared him off... Heh, I won’t ask about that. But your axe technique..."

He hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity:

"This poor Daoist hasn’t been cultivating for long, but under my master’s guidance, I’ve developed a decent eye for things. I have never seen a skill so profound and so powerful that it could make even a Grandmaster wary. I wonder, Brother Xie, where did you learn it?"

Huie Jue also turned his gaze, his pair of pure, clear eyes resting quietly on Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan mulled it over for a moment, then simply said,

"It’s something I figured out on my own while chopping firewood."

"You figured it out yourself?"

Zhang Junyi exclaimed, then muttered,

"To comprehend such a divine skill on your own? Brother Xie, your talent is truly... truly admirable!"

Seeing Zhang Junyi looking as if he wanted to prostrate himself in admiration, Xie Yuan felt a little embarrassed. ’I guess it counts as figuring it out myself, right?’ he thought.

’Yep, I figured it out myself. No problem.’

Zhang Junyi hesitated again, then said awkwardly,

"Brother Xie, I’ve always wanted to learn a powerful, ferocious martial art and become a great hero. Unfortunately, I was tricked by that old Daoi—I mean, I was taken up the mountain by my master to study the Dao. Since you created this skill yourself, this poor Daoist has an audacious request...

"Can I become your disciple to learn this art? Just this one skill? Don’t worry, I can trade you one of the Xuanzhen Sect’s ultimate techniques for it, or these two Divine Talismans!"

Seeing Zhang Junyi take out two more Divine Talismans that caused the surrounding air to ripple faintly, and hearing his offer, both Xie Yuan and Huie Jue were dumbfounded.

Huie Jue couldn’t help but mock him.

"Daoist, have you lost your mind?"

Xie Yuan also waved his hands frantically.

"Brother Zhang, that’s not appropriate..."

’He did want things from the Xuanzhen Sect, but seeing this clueless Daoist, he was afraid he’d be hunted down by the experts of the Xuanzhen Sect. They probably weren’t as reasonable as the people from the Sword Sect...’

Seeing his dream of being a great, ferocious hero shattered, Zhang Junyi let out a regretful sigh and muttered under his breath,

"Sigh... Nobody even wants these skills. That old Daoist led me astray..."

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment. Then, looking at Huie Jue and Zhang Junyi, he broke into a sincere smile and said,

"Thanks to the two of you for lending your fists, not only was I, Xie Yuan, able to escape from a Grandmaster’s sword today, but I also had a thoroughly satisfying fight!"

Zhang Junyi waved his hand dismissively and said with excitement,

"Don’t mention it! Teaming up with you, Brother Xie—and, uh, the monk—we actually beat a Grandmaster! How exhilarating! Haha, that Yao Yilong is probably going to be bedridden for a few months when he gets back."

He pumped his fist. Even though it had cost him a Divine Talisman, he was clearly very satisfied with this battle. It perfectly matched what he had imagined the martial world would be like on his first trip down the mountain.