Chapter 423 - 226: Defeating a Grandmaster

Chapter 423: Chapter 226: Defeating a Grandmaster

"Amitabha. I also feel that I have benefited greatly from joining forces with you two."

Huie Jue put his palms together and said with a chuckle. But then he sighed.

"It’s a shame the collateral damage was so extensive, harming the innocent."

The other two were silent. Zhang Junyi said fiercely:

"These dog-thieves from the great families! They don’t treat human lives as lives!"

Xie Yuan said in a low voice:

"That’s why we have to challenge them head-on and expose their true colors."

Zhang Junyi sighed.

"It’s a pity that while we were busy fighting Yao Yilong after he caught up, that Mr. Qian managed to escape at some point..."

Xie Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

"No matter. I’ve seen his true face. I’ll have someone investigate which member of the Qian family he is, and we can plan our next move then."

The other two nodded. After a brief discussion, they prepared to part ways and rest.

The other two had powerful backers, so they weren’t afraid of being tracked. As for Xie Yuan, he used the Celestial Concealment Skill to alter his appearance, and besides, he was a high-ranking disciple of the Sword Sect.

Just as they were about to part, Huie Jue said with a beaming smile:

"Benefactor Xie, we’ll meet again. Hehe, it should be quite soon..."

Xie Yuan was puzzled by his meaning when he heard Zhang Junyi speak up:

"Brother Xie, this humble Daoist has an impertinent request."

...

Back at the Sword Sect’s courtyard, Xie Yuan had just lain down in his room when the door opened and Qin Zhenyang walked in carrying a bowl of medicinal soup.

"Senior Brother Qin..."

Qin Zhenyang waved his hand, cutting Xie Yuan off.

"Even for a Small Returning Pill from the ancient Buddhist sects, taking them consecutively has side effects. Drink this medicine. It will help your injuries."

’Senior Brother is so considerate...’

Xie Yuan nodded silently, took the medicinal soup, and drank it in one gulp. As expected, the dull pain in his abdomen eased considerably.

Fighting a Grandmaster was not so simple.

He had to rely on a Small Returning Pill to recover his energy after almost every blow he took. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been able to withstand a second strike.

Especially the final palm strike that smashed him from the sky into the ground, which had broken two of his ribs on the spot. He had relied on a Small Returning Pill just to stay alive.

Xie Yuan had seen many Grandmasters and had even personally participated in the battle when Mu Chaoyun took the lead, but that was a completely different feeling from facing one himself.

Only by truly facing a Grandmaster could one know how vast the gap between them was.

A casual strike was nearly enough to take half his life. Such was the might of a Grandmaster.

If it weren’t for the Secret Techniques and medicinal pills he had, as well as two "invincible" gold-tier supports, there was no way he could have fought a Grandmaster.

Even against Mr. Qian, who was at the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm, Xie Yuan couldn’t face him head-on in a one-on-one fight. He would have to use the Celestial Concealment Skill to fight evasively, look for an opportunity, and then finish it with Sweeping Away a Thousand Armies.

He had many techniques, but this was the only one that could be called a finishing move. The reason was entirely due to his Blood Qi realm.

In the end, his realm was too low. No matter how powerful his Cultivation Technique was, it was like a river without a source, unable to unleash its full might.

’I felt it when I fought Huie Jue. The Golden Bell Shield has become my weak point now. The Blood Qi cultivated by this technique doesn’t have an advantage when facing the legacies of Major Sects, especially since my realm is already lower than theirs.’

In the hands of an ordinary Martial Artist, the Golden Bell Shield was certainly a decent Divine Power. But compared to Xie Yuan’s current arsenal of techniques like Cloud Dragon Nine Forms, Sweeping Away a Thousand Armies, or even the Cloud Mountain Sword Intent Scripture, it had become the shortest plank on the barrel, a glaring weakness.

’I either need to raise my realm as quickly as possible, or I need to switch my Cultivation Technique entirely...’

Xie Yuan was lost in thought, pondering how to make up for this weakness.

"Junior Brother Zhang, that Yao Yilong... you repelled him?"

Qin Zhenyang interrupted Xie Yuan’s thoughts, his gaze flickering slightly.

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment.

’Even though my identity is an unspoken understanding between Li Xingtuo and Qin Zhenyang, it’s still a little awkward to answer this directly...’

Still, he slowly nodded.

"Huie Jue and Zhang Junyi contributed a great deal."

Hearing him admit it personally, Qin Zhenyang was stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

’Yesterday he defeated Huie Jue, today he defeated a Grandmaster. I don’t even dare to think who he’ll defeat tomorrow...’

’This junior brother of mine... he’s really growing up too fast.’

Xie Yuan was a little puzzled.

"Senior Brother Qin, why are you sighing?"

"It’s nothing."

Qin Zhenyang shook his head.

"Your investigation, did you find anything?"

Xie Yuan immediately grew serious. He recounted the conversation he had overheard in the study of the Yao Mansion, then said with regret:

"In the end, I couldn’t capture that Mr. Qian alive, but it doesn’t matter. Someone at the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm can’t be a nobody. Senior Brother Qin, please find out who from the Qian family this is. Whether we go to their door to demand an explanation or I deal with him secretly later, we have to make him pay the price!"

Xie Yuan described his general features and appearance. Qin Zhenyang nodded slowly and said calmly:

"Alright, I’ll send people to investigate at dawn. Junior Brother Zhang, you’ve only been here a few days and you’ve already found the real culprit, heh, and caused such a huge commotion... The master will surely credit you with another great merit when you return."

Xie Yuan smiled, but still feigned modesty.

"This is what a disciple ought to do! My heart is with the Sect, I don’t need any reward... Hehe."

Qin Zhenyang shook his head wordlessly and instructed him:

"Regarding the abductions, the two families will certainly be more restrained for a while. However, this matter is extremely important to them, so it won’t be easy to get evidence. I’ll send more people to keep an eye on them. You get some proper rest and don’t worry about the rest for now."

Xie Yuan was silent. Seeing how the two families were reacting, he knew how much importance they placed on this. Without ironclad proof, even a public exposé would have no real impact on them.

In fact, even with evidence, it would probably be impossible to do anything to these thousand-year-old families... But it was still something that had to be done. At the very least, they had to make them feel threatened, make them afraid, and make them dare not harm people so casually again.

For the next few days, Xie Yuan remained secluded in the courtyard, recuperating from his injuries.

His other fellow disciples, training diligently and unaware of the details, thought Xie Yuan hadn’t even returned and was still outside investigating the case. They felt a sense of sympathy for his hard work.

However, after the battle that night, Jinling Prefecture was abuzz with gossip. The Yao family’s city-wide search naturally yielded no results, which only served to intensify the public’s discussions.

The commotion had been so huge that everyone—those who should know and those who shouldn’t—knew what had happened.

Yao Yilong, the Grandmaster of the Yao family, had fought against three juniors at the Second Transformation Realm, and ended up being the one who was beaten back!

A Grandmaster was repelled by cultivators in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm?

It was the joke of the century.

Even the idlers who loved a good spectacle and stirring up trouble had a first reaction of scoffing, cursing whoever started the rumor for blowing things way out of proportion.

But as it happened, many Grandmasters and experts had witnessed it. With confirmation from multiple sources, the story turned out to be true, leaving people utterly dumbfounded.

It turned out that sometimes, the more outrageous the rumor, the truer it was.

And so, everyone started asking for the names of these three individuals.

Huie Jue and Zhang Junyi were the direct disciples from Prajna Temple and Xuanzhen Sect, respectively—the prized students of Grandmasters.

Upon hearing these two names, people felt it made some sense.

But when they heard the third name, the people in the streets and alleys, in the teahouses and taverns, were somewhat surprised.

Xie Yuan?

The one ranked seventy-second on the Hidden Dragon List?

Since when could someone at the tail end of the Hidden Dragon List trade blows with a Grandmaster? Was this a new update?

Moreover, according to the rumors, it seemed Xie Yuan had been the main force—taking the best pills, enduring the most painful beatings. He wasn’t even killed when the long street was destroyed. Instead, it was Yao Yilong who was sent fleeing in disgrace. Word was he had returned to his mansion to enter secluded cultivation and nurse his wounds.

Thus, Yao Yilong "happily" received a new title: the Grandmaster Who Couldn’t Beat a Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm Cultivator.

And the trio of Xie Yuan, Huie Jue, and Zhang Junyi became known as: the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm Cultivators Who Could Beat a Grandmaster.

This time, Xie Yuan’s fame spread far and wide. He was seen as a peerless prodigy of the Martial Dao, one who was no less than a closed-door disciple of a Grandmaster.

And every time Xie Yuan was mentioned, the Yao family’s face stung with shame.

Amidst this vortex of public opinion, the Jinling Junior Hidden Dragon Meet, hosted by the Yao family, began.