Chapter 481: Oh No! I’ve Been Beaten to a Pulp!

“It’s good that you’ve broken through. From now on, you’re a Lesser Master.”

Yun Tianqing smiled and nodded.

“The Ministry of War has come to recruit people today. They need one Lesser Master and three Sixth-Rank martial artists to help wipe out the Startling Owl Bandits.”

“The Mountain Chiefs are all getting on in years and can’t withstand such a long journey. You’ll take Lin Zhen, Huo Yunzhu, and Chi Ling, the three chief disciples, with you.”

【Main Quest: Join the Ministry of War in wiping out the Startling Owl Bandits】

【Accept?】

【Yes/No】

The Mountain Chiefs exchanged glances, wanting to speak but hesitating.

The middle-aged man in blue robes considered the matter before saying, “Palace Master Yun, your disciple has only just broken through, and his realm is still unstable. Are you really going to send him on this mission?”

“Precisely because he’s just broken through, he needs to see some blood and properly understand the difference between Fifth-Rank and Sixth-Rank martial artists.”

“In that case, shall I take them back to report in?”

The middle-aged man smiled.

“There’s no need to rush. Give them half a day to get everything ready, then they can leave with you. In the meantime, rest here in our sect.”

With that, Yun Tianqing ordered someone to escort the middle-aged man to his quarters.

Seeing the hint of unmistakable authority in the Palace Master’s tone, the middle-aged man said nothing more and followed a disciple out of the Sect Master’s Hall.

After he had left, Yang Ling asked cautiously, “Master, is this trouble I caused in the Qi Heavenly Provincial Capital?”

A trace of guilt appeared in Lin Zhen’s eyes.

In the end, he had still caused trouble for the sect.

Huo Yunzhu and Chi Ling looked puzzled. What had happened? How come they hadn’t heard about it?

“The problem isn’t with you. It’s with Vice Director Hua of the Ministry of War.”

Yun Tianqing shook her head gently.

“When I was young, I had a few clashes with him, and we became enemies. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t dare do anything to our Devour Heaven Palace. But this time, the Ministry of War really does intend to wipe out the Startling Owl Bandits. That gives him an excuse to conscript Fifth-Rank and Sixth-Rank martial artists from us, Extreme Flame Sword Manor, and Arhat Temple.”

“Master, why don’t I go talk to him and persuade him to leave?”

Yang Ling asked.

“How would you persuade him? He’s Middle Fifth-Rank and has been a Lesser Master for years. You won’t talk him out of it.”

Yun Tianqing smiled. “Now that you’ve broken through to Fifth-Rank, you’re short on experience fighting other Fifth-Rank martial artists. Wiping out the Startling Owl Bandits is an excellent opportunity. If you distinguish yourselves, the court won’t turn a blind eye. You’ll receive all the credit you deserve.”

The Mountain Chief of Flying Dragon Mountain hesitated. “But…”

“There are no buts. The three of them are the right people to accompany Yang Ling. Yang Ling is my personal disciple, and the three of them are chief disciples. Sooner or later, Devour Heaven Palace will be placed in their hands. When you and I were young, didn’t each of us go through countless battles to reach where we are today? Are you planning to keep them cooped up in the sect and shield them from every storm?”

Yun Tianqing said coolly, “There’s no future in shutting yourself away and trying to learn everything from books. Once you have the strength to do something, you should go out and do it. Even if you die in the process, you should have no regrets.”

Seeing her resolve, the three Mountain Chiefs swallowed the rest of their objections.

“Go back and get ready. In half a day at most, you’ll report in with Xie Langzhong from the Ministry of War.”

Yun Tianqing waved a hand.

After they had left, she rose and came to stand in front of Yang Ling.

“You broke through to Lower Fifth-Rank with Perfect Vital Qi. I want to test your abilities and see what makes you different.”

Yang Ling’s eyes lit up.

Yun Tianqing continued, “This will also give you a chance to experience the Lesser Master’s Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration. That way, you’ll be better able to protect yourself when you go to wipe out the Startling Owl Bandits. As the saying goes, know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Knowing yourself comes first.”

“Master, can I use a weapon?”

Yang Ling asked.

“You may have misunderstood. I’m not planning to fight you.”

The corners of Yun Tianqing’s mouth lifted.

The next second, the Mountain Chief of Flying Dragon Mountain and the others, who hadn’t gone far, suddenly stopped and turned around.

They saw a figure fly out of the Sect Master’s Hall. It landed headfirst, bounced high into the air, then crashed heavily to the ground and rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.

“This…”

Lin Zhen gasped sharply and hurriedly looked at his own Master.

Huo Yunzhu and Chi Ling turned deathly pale, having no idea what had happened.

“M-Master… Could it be because Senior Brother Yang offended Star Observation Academy? But this whole affair started with my family…”

Lin Zhen stammered, his eyes filled with terror.

“No, I have to go plead for him. I can’t let the Palace Master beat Senior Brother Yang to death…”

He instinctively started to charge toward Yang Ling, but the Mountain Chief of Flying Dragon Mountain grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Master, are you going to beat me too?”

Lin Zhen’s eyes held a hint of despair.

Huo Yunzhu and Chi Ling looked solemn, silently warning themselves never to cause trouble while out in the world.

“The Palace Master isn’t trying to beat Yang Ling to death. She’s only testing his Flesh-and-Blood Regeneration.”

“Every martial artist who advances to Lesser Master has to go through something like this to find out where their limits lie.”

The Mountain Chief of Flying Dragon Mountain spoke calmly.

Lin Zhen paused. Seeing the other three Mountain Chiefs smiling, he finally let out a long breath of relief.

So that was all it was.

Curious, he looked over at Yang Ling, wanting to see where his limits lay too.

…

“How can it… hurt this much…”

“I can’t… seem to move…”

“Is my neck broken?”

“Oh no! I’ve been beaten to a pulp!”

Yang Ling’s face was deathly pale, and a layer of cold sweat covered his forehead.

His own Master had just struck him with a palm, hard enough to send him flying.

He hadn’t even had time to activate Ironclad Fortress and Vajra Bright King Body.

Now, when he tried to move, he realized his neck and spine must have been wrecked. He couldn’t move at all.

Yang Ling glanced sideways. What he saw nearly made him roll his eyes and faint on the spot.

His base Spirit of 300 points kept him completely lucid despite his condition. He couldn’t faint even if he wanted to.

His belly, below the chest, had been ripped wide open.

He could even see his internal organs throbbing inside.

If this had happened to someone else, he wouldn’t have been afraid at all. He was already used to seeing things like this.

But when it happened to him, it felt completely different!

At that moment, the Vital Qi in Yang Ling’s body surged wildly, seeping into every part of his flesh.

His damaged internal organs began to repair themselves at an astonishing pace.

His torn belly also began to grow back and heal before his eyes.

Muscles wriggled around his broken spine, forcing it back into place. In the blink of an eye, new bone knitted together, and there was no trace it had ever been broken.

The whole process lasted about thirty seconds.

Yang Ling sprang to his feet with a kip-up.

He hurriedly checked his injuries, going over them again and again until he was certain they had all healed completely, without leaving behind even the slightest aftereffect.

His Status Panel showed that he had lost a full two thousand HP. Once he had healed, his HP had returned to ten thousand.

However, his Vital Qi had dropped from 50,000 to 40,000.

“Good. Master’s palm still hasn’t reached my limit.”

Yang Ling felt a little pleased.

He hadn’t expected that the serious-looking injury he had just suffered wasn’t actually serious at all.

He’d only lost two thousand HP, and it had taken just ten thousand Vital Qi to recover.

“Come in.”

Yun Tianqing’s voice came from inside the hall.

Yang Ling’s face stiffened. He instinctively turned to look at Lin Zhen and the others.

They gave him helpless looks.

Yang Ling took a deep breath and slowly entered the Sect Master’s Hall.