Chapter 101

The young swordsmen below were somewhat intimidated by his tall stature, strong limbs, well-developed muscles, and clearly defined muscle lines that exuded power.

Despite my apprehension, I still have to go and try, otherwise I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

At that moment, a man dressed as a scholar leaped onto the arena, stood opposite Zhang Qiang, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “I am Song Bao from Zhongzhou, and I have come here to learn from Brother Zhang’s superior skills!”

Zhang Qiang looked at him with disdain and said, “Make your move, or I’m afraid you won’t have a chance to strike!”

“Arrogant!” Song Bao was displeased upon hearing this and launched a flying kick at his opponent.

“Well done! Behold my ‘Ten Forms of Iron Fist’!”

Zhang Qiang laughed, clenched his fists, and transformed them into a series of fist shadows, all falling towards Song Bao. The fist winds were fierce, and for a moment he had the upper hand, forcing Song Bao to retreat repeatedly.

Although Song Bao was outnumbered, he did not give up and continued to swing his whip kicks, attempting to launch a counterattack.

The two exchanged blows for dozens of rounds, constantly moving around the ring, their fists and legs flashing in and out. Suddenly, everyone heard a “crack” sound, and Song Bao let out a scream of pain as he collapsed onto the ring.

However, one of his legs had been broken by Zhang Qiang, rendering him unable to fight any longer.

Just as Zhang Qiang was about to give chase, Song Bao hurriedly said, “I…I admit defeat!”

According to the rules of the martial arts world, once you admit defeat, you cannot fight again, otherwise you will be despised by everyone and will get into trouble.

Zhang Qiang stopped fighting and remained standing on the stage, arms crossed, like a victorious rooster, raising his head and shouting, “Next—” Several more people then went up to the stage to challenge Zhang Qiang. Zhang Qiang won one after another, and after winning ten consecutive matches, he decided to quit while he was ahead and asked to leave the stage for a short rest.

According to the rules, even if you only win one match, you can rest and recover your energy before fighting again, which would be fair. However, you can also fight continuously, depending on your personal preference.

To the north, Xuantian Daoist and Kongming Zen Master sat upright, watching the battle unfold. Beside Xuantian Daoist sat the Seven True Men of Shaoyue, and behind him stood Yuan Fuyao, the most outstanding disciple of the younger generation of the Shaoyue Sect, dressed in a plain white Daoist robe.

Yuan Fuyao gripped the long sword at her waist with one hand, her eyes fixed intently on the battle unfolding before her.

Those who are currently competing are all experts at the Acquired Realm, at most at the level of a top-tier expert; not a single innate expert has appeared.

He wasn’t in a hurry; he would wait until the real masters appeared before making his move.

While her eyes kept flashing with images of the young swordsmen fighting, Yuan Fuyao was thinking back to her conversation with Wang Hongyu the night before.

“Brother Wang, can you really help me become the son-in-law of a powerful prince?”

“Brother Yuan, what are you saying? Wanru is my own sister. How could I not even make this decision? Don’t worry, I will definitely help you. We’re brothers, who else would I help if not you?” “But during the martial arts contest to choose a husband, there are so many masters in the world. Although my martial arts are not bad, I’m not confident that I can defeat all the young masters in the world…”

“Brother Yuan, don’t worry, with me here, you’re guaranteed to win the martial arts contest! To tell you the truth, I arranged for more than half of the people who came to the contest… However, I need your help with a small matter…”

“Brother, just tell me what you need my help with! To be honest, after seeing Princess Wanru’s unparalleled beauty, no other woman can arouse my interest anymore! As long as you can help me win her heart, I will agree to any request, even if it means going through fire and water!”

“It’s nothing major, I just wanted to ask Brother Yuan to lend me your sect’s ‘The Scroll of Non-Action’ to take a look…”

“What? The ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’? This…”

“What’s wrong, Brother Yuan? Is there something troubling you?”

“I never imagined that Brother Wang would also covet the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’ of my Shaoyue Sect. Brother Wang, you are unaware that this ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’ is the most precious treasure of my Shaoyue Sect, a supreme cultivation method passed down for thousands of years. Historically, only the Sect Leader has been allowed to peruse and cultivate it, and only the Sect Leader knows where it is hidden. Others, let alone having seen it, would not even know where this scripture is. Please forgive me, but I am truly unable to help you. Brother Wang, could you perhaps offer a different condition…”

“No. If Brother Yuan wants to marry my sister, he must find a way to get the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’ out! Don’t worry, I’m just curious and want to take a look. I have no other intentions and it won’t have any negative impact on your Shaoyue Sect. I’ll only look at it for one day, and I’ll return it as is after that. No one will know.”

“Brother Wang, this… I really don’t know where the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’ is hidden.”

“Knowing a general location is enough, like the ‘Daozanglou’ of your Shaoyue Sect?”

“It’s definitely not in the Daoist Scripture Pavilion, because disciples of the Shaoyue Sect can all enter and exit the Daoist Scripture Pavilion, and they’ve never seen the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll.’ Brother Wang, I really can’t do you this favor…”

“Then it’s in Xuan Tian Daoist’s room, under his pillow?”

“Brother Wang, I…”

“Brother Yuan, it’s entirely up to you who my sister marries. You should think it over carefully.”

“Brother Wang, I can only give you a general location, but I really can’t help you steal the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’. If my master finds out, I won’t be able to stay in the Shaoyue Sect anymore.”

“That’s enough. I’ll go and ‘borrow’ it myself. No matter what kind of lock it is, I have skilled craftsmen around me who can open it, and I’ll even make a fake replacement. Even if Master Xuantian goes to check, he won’t find anything amiss. Besides, these past few days have been busy with the martial arts contest for marriage, so Sect Leader Xuantian won’t have the time to check your sect’s secret manual. And I’ll ask my father and Senior Sword Saint to hold them off…”

“Brother Wang, you’ve been planning this for a long time!”

“Brother Yuan, you misunderstand. I am merely curious about the four great martial arts manuals of our time, and I have no intention of possessing them. My royal family’s ‘Dragon God Skill’ is in no way inferior to the four great martial arts manuals. In fact, I just want to see what the differences are between the four great martial arts manuals and my royal family’s ‘Dragon God Skill,’ so that I can learn from their strengths and improve my own martial arts…”

With a clang, the sound of swords clashing reached her ears, pulling Yuan Fuyao back to reality.

Yuan Fuyao took a deep breath and looked at the arena. The arena had already been smashed, and two young men were fighting fiercely, one wielding a sword and the other a knife, their battle evenly matched.

Suddenly, the swordsman’s longsword flew out of his hand, spun around quickly behind the knife-wielding youth, slashed a bloody gash on his back, and then flew back into the swordsman’s hand.

“Ugh…” The young man wielding the knife cried out in pain, staggering back several steps before regaining his footing.

“You flatter me.” The young swordsman smiled calmly.

Yuan Fuyao recognized the young man wielding the sword as Zhang Jingzhu, the eldest disciple of the Danxia Sect. At this time, the head of the Danxia Sect had become Tie Yizhou, who was the martial uncle of Du Ao and Li Huiyu. He was skilled in martial arts, supported the Da Gan court, and had received strong support from Wei Dongxiang, thus ousting Li Huiyu.

By this time, Zhang Jingzhu had won several matches, but his internal energy was running low, so he retreated.

On the side of the Great Gan Imperial Court and the Proud Sword Manor, Wang Hongyu watched the competition in the arena with a faint smile on his face, as if he had a sense of confidence. Standing next to him was Bai Bufan, whose arm had been severed by Qi Fei. Logically speaking, Bai Bufan’s martial arts should have been greatly reduced.

However, the truth is that Bai Bufan’s martial arts skills have greatly improved at this time, and he has already broken through to the Innate Realm.

This is because Bai Bufan suffered a setback with Qi Fei. After returning home, he reflected deeply on his mistakes and changed his previous idle ways. He practiced the “White Rainbow Sword Technique” of Aojian Villa day and night. Bai Xifeng was very pleased to see his hard work and helped him break through the barrier between life and death. Now his martial arts have entered the ranks of top masters.

On the Kun Kingdom’s side, Qi Fei and Feng Jianqing watched the battle intently, but lost interest after a while. The experts who had appeared were just ordinary masters who had not yet reached the Innate Realm. At most, they were top-tier experts, posing no threat whatsoever. They were simply not worth mentioning and treated it as entertainment.

The true masters always make their appearance last. That’s when Qi Fei will finally step in.

On the south side, Xia Yushu sat lazily in his seat, squinting and looking at the competition in the arena with disdain, while holding a teacup in one hand and turning it constantly.

In his eyes, these people’s martial arts skills were not even mediocre, and they were completely vulnerable!

He was confident of victory in this martial arts contest to find a husband!

Ye Jingyun stood beside Xia Yushu, his face cold as he watched the scene unfold, toying with the Golden Crow Blade in his right hand. In his eyes, these people’s martial arts skills were simply too poor.

Ye Taixuan, Yao Ye, the Four Elders of Qiankun, and the others sat to the side, all somewhat distracted. They had no interest in this so-called martial arts contest for marriage.

Among them, Yao Ye and the Four Elders of Qiankun revealed a cruel light in their eyes, their ferocity was fully exposed, and the people around dared not approach and kept their distance.

Before they knew it, it was noon, but the competition had not stopped and was still going on.

Everyone present was skilled in martial arts and could endure going without food and rest for days and nights. However, the Shaoyue Sect still provided them with food, drinks, and light tea.

A small number of people of high status, such as the Emperor, the Empress, Bai Xifeng, and even Xia Yushu, were treated to fine wine and food, as well as fruits and snacks.

The bright sun shone on Yujing Square, and everyone felt the heat on their faces, indicating that summer was just around the corner.

A canopy had been erected above the heads of the Emperor and Empress, and their subordinates were fanning them. Xia Yushu followed suit, having a canopy erected for him and waving an iron fan to dispel the heat.

As time went on, people were constantly defeated and eliminated at the martial arts contest for marriage. By evening, 99% of the thousands of young people who came to participate in the contest had been eliminated, leaving only a dozen or so people who had not yet fought to determine a winner.

As the sun set and night fell, it was inconvenient to compete at night, so Xuan Tian Dao Ren and Gan Huang decided to rest for the night and compete again the next day.

All the prominent and influential figures in the martial arts world were provided with accommodations by the Shaoyue Sect. This included people from the Great Gan Imperial Court, the Kun Kingdom, Xia Yushu’s side, and a few martial arts sects and aristocratic families.

Although the Shaoyue Sect had many rooms, they were overcrowded for a time.

The night in mid-spring is as still as water.

“I just touched it…” Qi Fei hummed a little tune as he walked towards the room where Feng Liyao was.

Standing outside the door was a tall woman, ugly in appearance, with a body like an iron tower, carrying a thick spiked club on her shoulder. Upon seeing Qi Fei, she shouted, “What are you doing here?” Her voice was as loud as a bell.

Qi Fei said, “I want to sleep with my mother tonight, don’t stop me…”

Bai Liangang pushed him out, saying, “His Majesty has important matters to discuss tonight and doesn’t have time to sleep with you. Go away, go play somewhere else…”

“You…” Qi Fei looked at the closed door, his face full of frustration.

He then headed towards his own room, passing by Kazami Haru and the other girls’ room on the way. The four beautiful girls were chatting inside, and when they saw Qi Fei arrive, they immediately kicked him out.

Qi Fei had no choice but to return to his own room, where he and Li Huiyu were placed together.

When Li Huiyu saw Qi Fei return, she knew he had run into a wall, so she smiled and said, “Master Qi, what are your plans for tonight?”

Qi Fei hugged her tightly and said, “Let’s not talk about it anymore, let’s go to sleep early!”

Li Huiyu reluctantly went to bed with him. Qi Fei hugged his beautiful godmother and touched her all over. The two kissed passionately.

Li Huiyu nudged him and said, “Stop fooling around. You have to participate in the martial arts contest for marriage tomorrow. You need to get some rest.”

“Chirp chirp…” Qi Fei sucked on his beautiful godmother’s pink lips for a while until she pushed him away.

“Alright, I’ll practice diligently.” Qi Fei sat cross-legged on the bed, swinging his hands back and forth.

“Be serious.” Li Huiyu tapped his forehead with her slender finger.

Qi Fei pursed his lips, closed his eyes, sat upright, and entered a state of practice.

Since he achieved minor success in the “Sun and Moon Divine Skill,” he hasn’t seriously practiced internal energy cultivation for a long time. This divine skill is constantly circulating within his body, so it basically doesn’t require deliberate practice.

In particular, his “Sun and Moon Divine Skill” has broken through to the fourth level, making him virtually invincible under heaven and below the Heavenly Realm.

Once people achieve something, they tend to become complacent and stop making progress.

Fortunately, although Qi Fei was carefree and irresponsible, he was not ignorant. He knew the principle that if you don’t advance, you will fall behind, and he would occasionally practice his skills.

Of the four great martial arts of the world, those who have mastered any one of them possess extraordinary eyesight and hearing. Now, Qi Fei’s “Sun and Moon Divine Skill” combines two of these great skills, making it even more remarkable. This ability is even more prominent, and his vision and hearing are even more powerful than before.

In an instant, every rustling sound, voice, and barking of dogs throughout the Shaoyue Sect reached its ears.

Qi Fei ignored all of this, treating it as nothing more than passing breeze.

At that moment, his ears suddenly twitched.

“Brother, based on my observation and speculation, the item is most likely under my master’s bed. There should be a hidden compartment under his bed. I noticed it by chance when I was cleaning his room once, but I didn’t look closely… I can’t help you with anything else, this is all the help I can offer… I’ll leave the matter of marrying the princess to you, Brother…”

“Brother Yuan, don’t worry, as long as we get the goods, everything will be fine… Alright, I should get going now. Please help me lure away the Shaoyue Sect disciples guarding the gate… Don’t worry, Sect Leader Xuantian and Zen Master Kongming are in the reception hall, discussing Dao with my father and the Sword Saint. The Seven True Men of Shaoyue are also entertaining distinguished guests. They won’t be here for at least an hour…”

The intermittent sounds reached Qi Fei’s ears, and he suddenly woke up.

He opened his eyes, and without saying a word, got up, got out of bed, and walked straight to the door.

“Where are you going in the middle of the night?” Li Huiyu looked up and peered outside.

“Godmother, I have to go out for a bit. You go to sleep first, I’ll be back later! Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…” Qi Fei left before he could finish speaking.

Based on the sound he had just heard, Qi Fei followed the general direction from which the sound came, using his lightness skill to leap across rooftops and walls, traveling swiftly along the way. He encountered many Shaoyue Sect disciples on night patrol, but none of them could spot him. Before long, Qi Fei entered the inner courtyard of the Shaoyue Sect.

Before me stood a pavilion with a courtyard, and the words “Dao Ren Ju” (Taoist Residence) were written in ancient script at the entrance, which should be the residence of Xuan Tian Dao Ren.

Qi Fei activated his divine power, instantly increasing his hearing and vision tenfold. The dark night became bright in his eyes, as if it were dusk. He heard rustling sounds and faint human voices.

The courtyard was decorated with dim lanterns, and there was no one guarding it. The doors and windows of the attic were tightly closed, and it was quiet. Everything seemed normal, but in Qi Fei’s eyes, it had been burgled!

He leaped onto the attic, and relying on his ability to see in the dark, pushed open the door and went inside.

“Who is it?” At that moment, a voice came from inside.

Qi Fei looked up and saw three dark figures standing inside, two men and one woman, all of whom were old acquaintances.

A middle-aged man carrying a bow and arrows and a curved sword at his waist, a tall, thin man dressed in black, and a young girl in red, barefoot as white as snow, with ribbons draped around her body.

These were the only three remaining of the thirteen bodyguards under Emperor Gan: Da Yi, Gui Yingzi, and Zuo Meihong, each a top expert at the Innate Realm.

The three of them were startled when they saw Qi Fei enter, and instinctively rushed over.

Da Yi swung his curved blade and slashed down at Qi Fei.

Ghost Shadow kicked out, its footsteps creating multiple shadows, sweeping towards Qi Fei.

Zuo Meihong’s ribbon flew out and swept towards Qi Fei.

In an instant, the attacks of the three top masters all came crashing down on Qi Fei.

“Hmph, a defeated opponent!”

Qi Fei chuckled. Although he had arrived in a hurry and was unarmed, with his current martial arts skills, dealing with the three people in front of him was more than enough.

A red sun and a blue moon appeared in each of his palms, the red sun in his left hand and the moon in his right. Then, he brought his hands together, and the sun and moon merged into one, expanding rapidly to form a huge red and blue ball of light, shining brightly like the sun, enveloping his entire body!

At the same time, Da Yi, Ghost Shadow, and Zuo Meihong’s attacks also landed, striking the red and blue light orb on Qi Fei’s body one after the other!

“boom!”

A deafening roar resounded, followed by several screams. Da Yi, Gui Yingzi, and Zuo Meihong were all thrown back by the shockwave and crashed onto the floor.

Qi Fei’s move is a technique from the fourth level of the “Sun and Moon Divine Skill,” called “Sun and Moon United,” which can be used for both offense and defense and is extremely powerful.

Now Qi Fei has become more and more proficient in using the “Sun and Moon Divine Skill”. Although Da Yi, Gui Yingzi and Zuo Meihong are all highly skilled and powerful, they were still directly defeated by Qi Fei’s move without any suspense. All three of them were shocked and suffered internal injuries, and fell to the ground.

“Young Master, Qi Fei is here!” Da Yi called out to a bedroom next door.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar, which Qi Fei had noticed long ago. A thought struck him, and without time to chase after the three of them, he used his light footwork to enter the room in an instant, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him.