Chapter 594: Ch 594 - How could he compare to Nangong Xi?

4 more Chapters will be updated today,

6 more Chapter tomorrow and we go back to the normal update :)

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"This is fine as it is..."

"Young master was willing to help Lin Che win the tournament here in the capital. That’s already a huge help. At least when I return to Jianlan Sect, I can use Lin Che’s results to shut those Elders up..."

After Yino left, Zhihan sat alone in the room and finally let out a quiet sigh of relief, murmuring softly to herself.

At the same time, a bright, cheerful voice rang out from beyond the door:

"Master! Your disciple won!"

Lin Che had just returned from the Dao Testing Pavilion. For the boy, winning his very first tournament match was an unprecedented thrill.

He walked into the room and immediately noticed the woman in the black dress looking a little melancholy. Then his eyes fell on the faint bloodstains on his master’s sleeves.

"Master, you... why is there blood on you?! Who hurt you?!"

Lin Che’s eyes went wide and he rushed forward in alarm.

Hearing this, Zhihan looked down and only then remembered. When Yino had collapsed in weakness earlier, she’d caught him and instinctively wiped the blood from his face with her long sleeve.

"This blood isn’t mine. It’s Young master He’s."

"Boss’s?"

"Earlier, Lin Yuchen came here... Young master got into a confrontation with Lin Yuchen to protect you, and the pressure from that man caused internal injuries...."

Zhihan sat in the main seat, gazing straight ahead, her voice tinged with quiet shame.

The boy with the buzzcut dropped to one knee, eyes wide with shock.

"Damn that Yuchen! It was bad enough when he was only bullying me. Now even Master and boss got dragged into this."

"Master, don’t worry! Your disciple achieved Enlightenment today! Once my cultivation catches up, I’ll make that bastard pay!"

Lin Che clenched his fists, every word spoken from the heart.

Zhihan watched the fierce confidence reigniting in his eyes, and something clicked. She narrowed her gaze with curiosity. "You just said you achieved Enlightenment. Is that because Yino taught you some cultivation method?"

"Yes Master, that is the case..." Lin Che scratched his cheek, suddenly feeling uneasy for no clear reason.

"How did he guide you to Enlightenment?" Zhihan stood with her hands behind her back, her tone cool.

"Master, about that... I promised boss I wouldn’t tell you..."

"Can’t tell me?" Zhihan raised an eyebrow slightly. Her already piqued curiosity deepened.

"Mm..."

Lin Che scratched his head. After a moment of thought, he added: "Boss said the sword dao he taught me doesn’t align with your Primordial Sword Dao... He said if you found out, you wouldn’t want me as your disciple anymore. That’s why he told me not to say anything... But don’t worry, Master! What he taught me isn’t a cultivation method. It’s just two simple mantras. It shouldn’t interfere with my future training under you!"

By the end, Lin Che was practically pleading.

Zhihan blinked. In her mind, she recalled that half-joking line from Yino: "Using fists as swords, how is that not sword dao?"

It hit her all at once.

"Did he just teach you to treat your fist as a sword?"

"Master, how did you know?!"

"Then the bandages on your hands were also from Yino?"

"Mm... boss said these are ancient secret treasures. Wrap them around your hands, silently recite ’fist as sword’ in your heart, and you’ll have limitless power to pummel your enemies..."

Lin Che nodded obediently, his lips pressing together as he gently stroked the plain white cloth strips with unmistakable affection.

The more Zhihan heard, the more suspicious it sounded. She raised an eyebrow and, with a probing smile, asked:

"May I borrow those bandages for a look?"

"You’re my Master. Of course..."

Lin Che carefully unwound the wraps and handed them over with visible reluctance, as if afraid she might confiscate them because they clashed with her sword dao.

These wraps were the equipment he’d worn for his first ever tournament victory. To Lin Che, they represented not just the kindness of his big brother, but a keepsake of extraordinary personal meaning.

Just moments ago on the way back, he’d been heartbroken over the bloodstains on the wraps.

He’d made up his mind to treasure them for the rest of his life...

This is just ordinary cotton cloth.

Zhihan took the bandages from Lin Che. The more closely she examined them, the more the corner of her lip twitched in disbelief.

She’d assumed all along that these wraps were some high-grade artifact.

Now she could see the truth. The golden patterns that had appeared during the tournament weren’t from the bandages themselves. They’d been imbued with a layer of pure yang energy from Lin Che’s pure yang holy body, which was what made them so durable.

So...

All Yino had actually given Lin Che was a couple of mantras and a plain strip of cloth to bolster his confidence.

Zhihan’s eyes went wide again, a familiar wave of astonishment washing through her.

She thought back to her own childhood. Clumsy little Zhihan could never seem to complete the training tasks her master set for her...

Back then, her Master had casually picked up a forked branch from the mountainside and told her it was an ancient tree demon’s celestial willow. Use it as a sword, and you could cut through even a ten-thousand-foot snow mountain with a single strike.

Little Zhihan had believed every word. Ignoring the strange looks from everyone around her, she’d swung that branch through howling winds, training relentlessly, until she finally managed to use it to snap a real mystic iron sword from someone else’s hands.

Under her master’s well-meaning lie, she’d treasured that branch beyond measure. She’d even kept it by her pillow when she slept, terrified someone might steal it.

Then one day, she rolled over in her sleep and accidentally snapped the branch in two. Overwhelmed with guilt, she’d burst into tears, clutched the broken halves, and run crying to her master, wailing that she’d ruined the ancient celestial willow. Her master and every Elder in the hall had erupted in laughter...

"Heh, so that’s what he did..."

Her thoughts returned to the bandages in her hands. Yino had made her smile again.

She felt nostalgia and genuine admiration both. Because she’d been a disciple herself once, she understood deeply: what Yino did might look like he provided no real help at all, but in truth, he’d given Lin Che something far greater. He’d helped the boy conquer his fear and take the very first step.

So often, cultivating the heart was far more precious than the ancient artifacts that noble family prodigies received without ever having to earn them.

"Master... what are you smiling about? Is there something wrong with the ancient treasure boss gave me?"

Lin Che watched the woman in the black dress stifle a laugh behind her fingers, his scratching hand betraying his confusion.

Zhihan glanced at him, then carefully returned the wraps. She narrowed her eyes, turned away, and stood with her hands behind her back, speaking in a tone layered with meaning:

"Young master didn’t lie to you. These truly are ancient hand wraps, long lost to history."

"Little one, you must treasure these wraps from now on. Don’t let down young master He’s kindness and the hopes he placed in you!"

"Your disciple understands!"

The boy straightened his back, as if a nagging uncertainty had finally been put to rest. His eyes went perfectly round and he nodded with fierce determination.

....

"Wen Ruxiu, this was your so-called sure thing?"

"A full-blown Nascent Soul disciple, even using your Divine Abyss Gate’s forbidden art, and he still got beaten into the dirt by an outer-sect errand boy who doesn’t know the first thing about sword dao. With his bare fists!"

Lin Yuchen stormed into the Divine Abyss Gate’s private booth, fuming.

The effeminate man in black and gold finery sat in the main seat, looking none too pleased at the tirade.

"Calm down, Brother Yuchen. Who could’ve known that Lin Che would turn out to have a pure yang holy body?"

Wen Ruxiu waved it off, seeming unbothered.

He could see Lin Yuchen was still seething. It was obvious what had happened: the man had gone to the Jianlan Sect’s booth to gloat in front of Zhihan, only to get his face slapped hard. Wen Ruxiu could picture the humiliation perfectly.

"What the hell are you smirking at?! Weren’t you the one who told me to go mess with Zhihan? Now I’ve made a complete fool of myself because of your brilliant advice. Did you set me up on purpose?"

The moment Lin Yuchen caught Wen Ruxiu’s smirk, the PTSD hit. He flashed back to Yino’s smug expression while stealing his thunder in front of that woman.

Wen Ruxiu cleared his throat and sat up properly, turning serious:

"Brother Yuchen, don’t be so hasty. This was only the first round of the tournament. There’s still a second and third round before we know if Lin Che can actually place in the top three."

"Easy for you to say. After that explosion of power, Lin Che’s combat strength is pushing peak Nascent Soul stage..."

"Why the rush? All we need is a word with the Immortal Alliance Elders. Have them quietly arrange for Lin Che’s third-round match to be against my little sister Ruzhi. Problem solved."

Wen Ruxiu smiled that sly, feminine smile of his, leaning on the armrest with his chin propped on one hand, and glanced sideways at the girl sitting nearby in a black and gold dress, the one with dual pupils.

Hearing this, Wen Ruzhi opened her eyes.

"Little sister, are you confident you can defeat that boy?"

"He needed two near-death bursts just to reach peak Nascent Soul stage combat power. That’s barely a third of my normal state. Killing him wouldn’t even require me to open my dual pupils."

Ruzhi opened her eyes, those layered pupils radiating cold indifference.

Wen Ruxiu grinned with satisfaction.

"Brother Yuchen, does that put your mind at ease?"

"Not bad. But why not just have Sister Ruzhi fight Lin Che tomorrow?"

"Oh, that? Well, compared to Lin Che, my little sister is actually more interested in that kid called Yino or whatever... So tomorrow, we’ll let Ruzhi deal with Yino first. Then the day after, she beats Lin Che. Won’t affect the bet between the Ji family Elders and Zhihan one bit."

Wen Ruxiu said it lightly. Beside him, Wen Ruzhi sat with her eyes closed, a silent confirmation.

Lin Yuchen’s face split into a grin. "Heh, Brother Ruxiu really knows how to play the game! That little punk just got on my nerves over at Zhihan’s place... If Sister Ruzhi can put him down hard, tomorrow’s going to be a hell of a show!"

"Relax. My little sister possesses ancient dual pupils. Despite her youth, she’s already reached Divine Transformation stage. She’s clashed with that Nangong Xi from Frost Palace multiple times and never once lost!"

Wen Ruxiu smiled with confidence. "One Yino? No matter how strong he is, how could he possibly compare to Nangong Xi, an ancient spirit vessel and the reincarnation of the moon goddess?"