Enraged, the old man charged the newcomer, his saber dragging on the ground and carving a deep gash. The flying sparks were like fireflies, there one moment and gone the next.

As he closed the distance, the old man swung the saber in a wide arc over his head. The tip whistled sharply as it cleaved the air, chopping down toward the newcomer.

The newcomer somersaulted away, simultaneously reaching out to slap the flat of the blade. The immense force knocked the saber aside, and at the same time, a strange True Qi instantly traveled up the blade into the old man’s hand.

The old man shuddered, his mind momentarily befuddled. His opponent seized the opportunity to palm-strike his chest.

The old man’s eyes flew open. It was too late to dodge. He could only circulate his True Qi throughout his body, preparing to take the full force of the blow.

Just then, atop the courtyard wall, a cold light flashed. It streaked through the air, reaching the black-clad man in the blink of an eye.

Greatly alarmed, the man in black hastily withdrew his arm and dodged. His figure blurred as he leaped onto the wall, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

The old man, Guo, broke out in a cold sweat.

He turned to see the young man from yesterday watching him with a playful smirk. "You sure have a lot of enemies," he said teasingly.

"That wasn’t you just now?"

Guo Qiquan was utterly astonished.

"I came here for an open and honorable duel. Why would I hide my face!"

The newcomer was, of course, Zhao Rui. He had arrived a bit late, not expecting to walk in on a fight to the death.

That was why he had stepped in to save Guo Qiquan.

Hearing Zhao Rui’s words, a frosty look settled over Guo Qiquan’s old face, his graying eyebrows furrowing. He had a fiery temper, but he couldn’t imagine having made any enemies who would want him dead.

Anyone who could run a Martial Arts Hall, while not necessarily a social butterfly, would at least know not to make such deep-seated enemies.

This person had opened with a Killing Move. This was clearly different from a typical challenge to the hall.

’Who could it be?’

Guo Qiquan frowned in thought.

"You’re getting on in years. You should rein in that temper of yours. Which young person these days is going to put up with an old man pulling rank?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Seeing him fall silent, Zhao Rui walked over and sat himself down in the Grandmaster’s Chair in front of the main hall. He glanced at the empty table and remarked,

"You don’t even have a pot of tea ready."

Seeing his behavior, Guo Qiquan scowled and barked an order to someone outside. A moment later, a drowsy-looking disciple came trotting over.

He deftly brewed a pot of hot tea.

"Don’t think I’m grateful just because you stepped in. That cur only dared to launch a sneak attack. I had nothing to fear."

Guo Qiquan’s old face flushed, clearly unwilling to accept that he was indebted to Zhao Rui.

"Suit yourself. After I finish this tea, I still have a hall to challenge. If you people don’t let me teach, I’ll just have to defeat every one of your Martial Arts Halls."

Zhao Rui gently blew the froth from his teacup and spoke with utter indifference.

"You’re breaking the rules! Do you intend to make an enemy of the thirteen Martial Arts Halls?"

Guo Qiquan said coldly.

"Let’s fight first, talk later."

Seeing that the tea was scalding hot, Zhao Rui channeled his Ice Palm Force through his fingers.

A burst of cold energy instantly seeped through the cup and into the tea.

In the blink of an eye, most of the steam had dissipated.

"Just right!"

Zhao Rui ignored him and downed the tea in one gulp.

"Ice Palm Force?"

Guo Qiquan stared, then frowned. "You possess such a Divine Skill. No wonder you’re so fearless."

"It’s only Ice Palm Force. Nothing to write home about."

Zhao Rui said dismissively. In his arsenal, besides Ice Palm Force, he also had Demon Sect Techniques, the Thunderbolt Sword Technique, the Seven-Star Divine Skill, and many other ultimate skills.

It really was nothing special to him.

"Only? If I had a Divine Skill like that back in my day, I wouldn’t have struggled until forty just to reach the Grandmaster Realm."

Guo Qiquan sighed with emotion.

"Well, I’ve had my tea, so let’s not fight. It would be troublesome if that man returned."

Zhao Rui set down his cup, stood up, and leaped onto the wall, leaving the Martial Arts Hall.

With a grave expression, Guo Qiquan watched him leave, his grip tightening on the Dragon Head Saber.

’Who in the world is it?’

People and events from his past surfaced in his mind as he searched for any possible clue.

The night was cool and clear, the stars and moon bright.

A shadowy figure quietly leaped onto the roof of the Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall. Its steps were as light and silent as a cat’s, almost inaudible.

The figure advanced several dozen meters, then flipped off the roof and landed softly on the ground. Just as it reached out to push open a window, a long saber thrust out from within.

The figure dodged aside, shattered the window with a palm strike, and charged into the room.

It immediately engaged the saber-wielding man inside.

"Who the hell are you?"

Guo Qiquan roared from inside the room, brandishing his Dragon Head Saber.

The intruder remained silent, relentlessly pressing the attack. Within moments, Guo Qiquan was in grave danger.

All his Power was concentrated in his saber, but the narrow room restricted its use. Worse, his opponent’s Cultivation Technique was bizarre.

Whenever they made contact with his blade, they were able to transmit a sinister, insidious True Qi through it, leaving Guo Qiquan unable to defend himself effectively.

Their battle soon alerted the disciples standing guard at the Martial Arts Hall, who all rushed over with sabers in hand.

Unfortunately, their Martial Arts were too weak. They couldn’t slow the intruder for even a moment before being struck down.

Bristling with fury, Guo Qiquan moved his saber like the wind and burst out through the window. Bathed in moonlight, he unleashed the Chaotic Cloak Saber Technique he had practiced for years.

The shadowy figure sneered, slipping past the saber’s arc to get in close, aiming straight for an opening in the Saber Technique’s defense near his torso.

At the same time, the figure let out a long shriek. The Sound Wave instantly traversed the distance and exploded right in Guo Qiquan’s ears.

Guo Qiquan’s ears went deaf, and his mind went blank.

By the time his head cleared, the figure’s palm was already upon him. He had no choice but to raise his arm to block. With a sickening CRACK...

...his arm fractured.

But his opponent didn’t stop just because he was injured. Instead, they pressed the attack.

After only a few more moments, Guo Qiquan had no strength left to parry. He was struck repeatedly and collapsed to the ground.

"Who the hell are you?"

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Guo Qiquan’s mouth as he cried out in a defiant, aged voice.

"The one who’s here to take your life!"

The figure snorted coldly and aimed a palm strike at Guo Qiquan’s forehead, clearly intending to kill him.

Guo Qiquan’s face was ashen. He closed his eyes in despair.

"BAM! BAM!"

Just as he faced certain death, the sound of two Palm Forces colliding rang out beside him.

The powerful gust from the impact stung his cheeks.

But having just escaped death’s door, he paid it no mind. He quickly opened his eyes and scrambled backward.

At that moment, he saw clearly who had blocked the fatal Killing Move.

Zhao Rui!

Guo Qiquan instantly felt tears welling in his eyes. He was an old man who had struggled so hard to reach the Grandmaster Realm. Who the fuck would want to die now!

"Be careful! His Palm Technique is bizarre, and he uses a Sound Wave Skill!"

Guo Qiquan shouted a hasty warning.

’Bizarre? I’m the bizarre one here!’

Zhao Rui sneered and instantly executed his Phantom Body Technique. Six phantoms suddenly surrounded the intruder, striking at him with their own Palm Technique.

The intruder’s face fell. He desperately used his full power to fight the six figures.

The six figures were a mix of real and fake—a Unity of Illusion and Reality that was nearly impossible to distinguish.

Seeing how formidable Zhao Rui was, the intruder began to think of retreat. After a dozen more exchanges, he unleashed a powerful Palm Force. The blow carried an invisible wave of energy that instantly shrouded the entire courtyard in dust.

Then he leaped away and fled into the distance.

Zhao Rui gave chase, swift as a striking falcon, pursuing for seventy or eighty meters. But his opponent was clearly familiar with the terrain and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.

...

The next day, dawn broke, and the morning chill began to fade.

Nie Sheng of Yongsheng Martial Arts Hall and several others appeared in a hospital room.

On the hospital bed, Guo Qiquan lay covered in injuries, his arm in a sling, breathing heavily.

"Old Guo, what happened?"

"Could it have been that Zhao Rui fellow? That bastard! He’s too vicious!"

Nie Sheng said angrily.

"Hey now, it’s not nice to talk trash about people behind their backs."

Just then, a lazy voice drifted in from outside the room. A moment later, the very Zhao Rui that Nie Sheng had just mentioned walked in, accompanied by a young woman.

"It’s you? You still dare to show your face?"

Fury surged through Nie Sheng. He bellowed, already channeling True Qi into his hands, preparing to attack.

"Brother Nie, calm yourself! This has nothing to do with Brother Zhao!"

Guo Qiquan quickly called out from the bed, stopping him.

"Nothing to do with him?"

Everyone was stunned.

Guo Qiquan sighed and proceeded to explain what had happened.

After hearing his account, they all turned to look at Zhao Rui, their faces filled with astonishment.