White-Robed Chief

“Now come, Zhao. Let us head to the martial arts field and have our match!” Cui Da shouted.

Chu Li scoffed, “Are garbage like you really attempting to challenge me?”

“Why not? Since the beginning, we’ve already been planning to teach you a lesson about what true ability is!”

Chu Li sighed, “You’re asking to be humiliated!”

“Zhao, you’ve been putting down our challenge again and again. Maybe you’re the one who’s afraid,” Cui Da jeered.

Chu Li shook his head. “We’ll talk once I finish my dinner.”

“Who’s to say that you won’t flee once you’re finished?” Cui Er taunted.

Chu Li swept his gaze across the both of them, and in a calm voice, he stated, “You’re gauging the offer of a gentleman with a petty heart. Why should I flee from trash like you two?”

“Alright then.” Cui Da smirked, “You might be able to escape from the monk, but not the temple ¹ . We’ll be waiting for you at the martial arts field!”

Chu Li impatiently waved them off.

With a snort, the two stood up and left.

Chu Li shook his head.

In a low tone, Sun Lihua asked, “Junior Brother Zhao, are you seriously going to face off with them?”

Chu Li sighed, “If I don’t, I’ll be subject to their endless nagging. I’m getting tired of being pestered by them, so, I’ll finish them off in one go.”

“Although their martial arts aren’t as strong as yours, their cultivation level is nothing to be scoffed at. I heard that the Zephyrean Palm they practice is exquisite, and its might is astounding,” Sun Lihua stated.

Chu Li replied, “No problem.”

Sun Lihua added, “Also, Junior Brother Zhao, it’s fine to heavily injure them in the challenge, but make sure not to harm their roots and break their cultivation, as that is considered fighting with killing intent. You will be heavily punished for doing so.”

“They’re only troubling you to let off some steam, so it’s alright if you can’t beat them,” Sun Lihua whispered.

Chu Li laughed bitterly. “So, even Senior Sister Sun doesn’t think I’m their match, huh?”

“I’m sure they have something up their sleeves if they’re brave enough to challenge you.” Sun Lihua continued, “They might have a Killer Mace, so be careful!”

Everyone knew how weak Zhao Dahe’s cultivation level was, and they knew that the only reason he managed to rank first in the entrance exam was due to how much he had cultivated his Light Blade.

“Noted, thanks, Senior Sister Sun,” Chu Li replied.

“Zhao, the only advantage you have is the Light Blade.” Mo Cuicui stated in an eccentric tone, “Your cultivation is a mess, so, your Palm Technique is definitely not a match against theirs!”

Chu Li shot a glance at her. “And you said that it wasn’t under Altar Leader Mo’s instructions.”

“It isn’t!” Mo Cuicui adamantly stated.

Chu Li lowered his head and continued with his dinner.

By the time he was done, Sun Lihua and Mo Cuicui had already completed theirs ages ago, waiting for him. Song Donglin, who had arrived a while back, put his chopsticks down and stated, “Alright, let’s head to the martial arts field.”

They headed out of the Flavorful Tower and walked down about two hundred or so meters before reaching a forest. They then delved deeper into the forest, into an open field surrounded by thick trees. This was the martial arts field.

The martial arts field was paved with white sand. Under the moonlight, the surface of the field glimmered. It was as if all the rays of moonlight had converged on the field, giving it a soft ambiance. Even without torches, the field was extremely bright.

As there was dense forest surrounding the field, the field was protected from winds, giving it a serene feeling. Although it was not exactly warm, it was much better than the environment on the mountain peak.

Currently, there were about twenty-something disciples practicing, and among them, Cui Da and Cui Er were practicing their palm techniques on one another. Their palms moved like the wind, and though one could see plenty of the palm’s afterimages, they could not spot the actual palms themselves. It seemed that their palms had not stopped for a single second, as they were constantly looking for a gap to strike. They were as agile as the wind.

Chu Li furrowed his brows; it had seemed that the two were actually skilled.

“Elder Yang, we want to issue a challenge!” The moment Cui Da spotted Chu Li and the others, he immediately called out.

His voice was extremely loud, as such, everyone had heard it.

An elder with greying hair walked over, and in a deep voice, he asked, “Who are you challenging?”

Cui Da pointed at Chu Li, “I want to challenge Zhao Dahe at Palm techniques!”

Elder Yang stroked his beard and looked at Chu Li. He had scanned Chu Li’s face several times.

Most of the disciples within Great Light Peak had charming features, and even those average-looking ones were never as ugly as Chu Li. This was the first time Elder Yang had ever seen such an ugly face.

The initial disciples of the Holy Light Church first had to survive a test of looks, and while appearances had become less important for future generations, they still tried to maintain the reputation that was set by the previous generation. As such, most of the disciples of the Holy Light Church were gorgeous, and there were rarely, if ever, any ugly people.

Chu Li snorted, “I accept the challenge!”

Elder Yang stroked his beard as he declared, “Alright, Palm Techniques!”

Cui Da immediately jumped to the center of the field and gestured for Chu Li to come over. “Come! It’s finally time for me to taste the strength of the one ranked first!”

Chu Li drifted over to face his opponent.

The twenty-something people practicing at the field surrounded the two, forming a large circle to spectate the match between the two.

“Take this!” Cui Da shouted, and his fist morphed into a breeze that headed towards Chu Li.

Chu Li moved forward and his palms suddenly enlarged by several times. He then swatted his palms at Cui Da like how one would move a fan.

“Boom! Boom!” Two solid hits could be heard, and the two each took a step back. It was hard to tell who had the upper hand.

Suddenly, Cui Da shouted in an excited voice, “Is that all you got? Take this!”

Chu Li stepped forward.

Cui Da rushed toward Chu Li, and upon making contact, he suddenly quivered and sent two gale-like palms towards Chu Li’s chest.

Cui Da had already planned out his course of action earlier on. He would exploit Chu Li’s underestimation of him to send a vicious strike, which in turn would take out Chu Li in a single blow.

Besides that, he could also tell that Chu Li’s Palm technique was clumsy, and he mainly relied on brute strength instead of precision. However, just raw strength alone was not enough to overcome Cui Da’s agile palms.

Chu Li’s strike had missed, but he suddenly sped up, and with that, his palms vanished.

To the surrounding audience, it appeared as if two lotuses were blooming.

“Boom!” Chu Li slammed his palms into Cui Da’s chest.

Cui Da’s palms were about to land onto Chu Li, but he was half an inch short. With that, he streaked across the night sky in a graceful arc.

“Boss!” Cui Er flitted across the field and caught the plummeting Cui Da.

Cui Da was grabbing his chest, with blood spewing from the corner of his mouth.

“Cui Da, are you alright?” Cui Er frantically asked.

Cui Da shook his head. As he did so, he also locked eyes with Chu Li. “That was a great technique!”

Cui Da let go of his hand, revealing two clear palm imprints, which were branded clearly onto his green clothing. Below the palm marks, his clothing had already been torn to shreds, revealing his chalk-white skin.

“That was a vicious strike!” Cui Er vehemently spat, “Let me teach you a lesson!”

Chu Li nodded, “Bring it.”

“Is that the Fluttering Flower Palm?” Someone spoke in a hushed tone.

Sun Lihua uttered, “It’s the Fluttering Flower Palm.”

Mo Cuicui snorted, “What kind of devilish Palm technique was that?”

There were over a million techniques contained within the Sutra Library. It was only natural for one to not remember all of them.

Song Donglin responded, “The first palm he used is probably the Giant Spirit Palm, and the following one should be the Fluttering Flower Palm. They’re both top tier techniques. I can’t believe that Junior Brother Zhao has mastered these two sets of Palm techniques in two days! What a genius!”

Everyone knew that the outer mountain disciples had only learned basic martial arts and not mystical arts like these. As such, Donglin had assumed that Zhao Dahe had learned about the two techniques in the Sutra Library and he had successfully cultivated them.

Cultivating two Palm Techniques within two days, it was a telltale sign of remarkable martial arts talent.

Cui Er stepped onto the field, and the challenge began for real.

“Boom! Boom!” Cui Er was sent hurtling outwards, and he landed brutally onto the ground.

Cui Er’s technique was the Zephyrean Palm. Both of Chu Li’s palms directly counter it. Furthermore, Chu Li also possessed the Manifestation of Natural Restoration along with the Omniscient Mirror. As such, defeating the siblings was as easy as pie.

“I, Qin Huaichuan, would like to taste Junior Brother Zhao’s Palm techniques first-hand as well!” A handsome young man walked out of the crowd. He was bustling with a heroic aura, and in a clear voice and with his fists folded, he stated, “I hope that Junior Brother Zhao does not hold back!”

Chu Li’s expression sank as he furrowed his brows at the newcomer.

‘Could this be Altar Leader Mo’s trump card?’