Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 429 - 419: Encounter with the General Mansion

Chapter 429: Chapter 419: Encounter with the General Mansion

Lin Zhaoyao looked at the gold medal placed on the carriage, his expression dazed, then reached out with his right hand, grasped it in his palm, and showed an excited expression on his face.

"Thank you, my lord!"

The voice inside the carriage echoed slowly once more.

"No need to thank me. What you did, today has been completely forgotten with the wind. From now on, you are no longer that criminal, but the Mountain Patrol Golden General of Xunyang Prefecture."

Lin Zhaoyao placed the gold medal in his bosom and continued respectfully: "From today onwards, I, Lin Zhaoyao, am the most loyal hound under your command, my lord. Whoever you want me to kill, even if it’s my reborn parents, I will never hesitate."

"Save that loyalty talk for another time." The curtain of the carriage gently swayed, seemingly somewhat impatient: "Speed up, hurry and reach Xunyang Prefecture."

Lin Zhaoyao said no more and subsequently quietly waved the long whip.

The horse, in slight pain, ran faster, while the outline ahead gradually became clearer and discernible to the naked eye.

...

Inside the Alchemy Master Alliance, Qin An opened a furnace of high-quality pills and placed them aside.

"Improvement in proficiency will still take some time."

Since his conversation with Zhou Yuanfeng, he has been consistently refining his proficiency in the pill master profession.

However, not much time has passed recently, only three days, so the proficiency in the pill master profession hasn’t increased significantly.

The Alliance Hierarch, standing beside him, was meticulously noting Qin An’s alchemy process, showing a look of admiration.

He realized that every time he watched Qin An perform alchemy, he gained quite a few insights.

Thus, he hoped Qin An could stay in the Alchemy Master Alliance every day and concoct pills regularly.

Of course, he knew this idea wasn’t very realistic.

After all, Qin An’s current status was far above his, as he was the Mountain Patrol Golden General, one of the pinnacle figures in Xunyang Prefecture.

Qin An retracted his hand, ignored the eager gaze of the Alliance Hierarch, and looked out the window.

The sunset had already fallen outside, and night was soon to strike.

The streets were becoming sparse with civilians, and smoke was rising everywhere.

"I’m leaving."

The time was almost up, and Qin An didn’t plan to stay overnight.

He wanted to rejuvenate his spirit, so he got up, prepared to leave.

The Alliance Hierarch escorted him, watching Qin An’s figure vanish into the street of the Alchemy Master Alliance, and then returned to the room to carefully study Qin An’s alchemy process.

...

As he left the Alchemy Master Alliance, the night grew deeper as he headed back.

Dusk disappeared, and darkness descended.

The entire street, under the moonlight, reflected a hazy brilliance as if the earth was covered in a layer of silver frost.

Qin An, with the Cold Star Saber at his waist, was getting closer to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Yet, at this moment, Qin An suddenly paused, turning his gaze towards the end of the street.

At the end of the street, there appeared a man clad in dark clothing, walking slowly.

The man’s waist was adorned with an iron whip, and on his right side dangled a shining Mountain Patrol gold medal.

Qin An raised his eyebrows slightly: "Mountain Patrol Golden General?"

He hadn’t expected to encounter the Mountain Patrol Golden General on his way back.

The situation of the Mountain Patrol Golden General seemed aimed directly at him.

Qin An placed his hand on the hilt of the Cold Star Saber, without moving, and watched as the Mountain Patrol Golden General gradually approached.

The Mountain Patrol Golden General had a hint of interest in his gaze as he stopped two yards beside Qin An, and with great interest, said: "You must be Qin An, recently rising in fame at Xunyang Prefecture, known as the Blade and Fist Double Master, even Tiger Cave and Lu Mountain were taken down by you?"

With each question, the man’s eyes showed more interest.

Especially when his gaze fell on the gold medal hanging from Qin An’s waist, the intense curiosity in his eyes almost overflowed.

Qin An raised his eyebrows slightly: "And who might you be?"

Having only recently been promoted to Mountain Patrol Golden General, he had only completed a task with Liu Yi after the promotion, so he wasn’t very familiar with this level of relations among Mountain Patrol Golden Generals.

Now facing this unfamiliar Mountain Patrol Golden General standing before him, with an unusual demeanor, Qin An naturally wanted to clarify the person’s identity first.

"I’m Lin Zhaoyao." Lin Zhaoyao flashed a slight smile: "I’ve come to see you today to determine if the name Blade and Fist Double Master truly matches your strength."

Qin An responded lightly: "And how do you plan to evaluate it?"

Lin Zhaoyao chuckled: "Naturally, with a fierce and exhilarating battle."

Upon mentioning it, Lin Zhaoyao gestured to the iron whip hanging from his waist, his expression gradually turning solemn: "Allow me to introduce, in Jianghu, I’m known as the Demon Exterminating Whip. I’ve once traversed mountains and ridges in Xunyang Prefecture to vanquish demons, and have fought deadly battles with aliens in desolate lands. Many souls have perished under this iron whip."

"But you might not have heard of me. Long ago, I beheaded a prince appointed from above out of dissatisfaction, not realizing he had numerous connections up there, almost leading me to my doom."

The more he spoke, the more solemn Lin Zhaoyao’s eyes became.

"I heard you’re not one to be bound by rules either, so in that case, we’re alike. Let me see what strength you possess."

As Qin An listened, his expression didn’t change a bit: "Have you finished speaking?"

Lin Zhaoyao’s face stiffened: "What?"

"I’m asking if you’re finished speaking." Qin An turned and continued his way forward: "If you’re done, I’ll head back."

"Wait!" Lin Zhaoyao blocked the way: "We agreed on a fierce and exhilarating battle."

Qin An said calmly: "I didn’t promise you anything, don’t be presumptuous here."

"You’re quite odd..." Lin Zhaoyao wasn’t angry, feeling speechless: "It’s normal for strong individuals to learn from each other to hone their skills and improve. Just consider me as someone to mutually test your skills against, isn’t that fine?"

Qin An shook his head: "I don’t need verification."

Lin Zhaoyao’s mouth twitched slightly, repeatedly contemplating a reason.

But after thinking for a while, he couldn’t come up with anything.

Finding it difficult, all he could do was stiffen his neck.

"I don’t care. Today we must engage in a battle."

"I’m afraid it’s not you seeking a battle with me." Qin An’s gaze shifted to the end of the street: "It’s for the Lord of the General Mansion behind you, isn’t it?"

As soon as these words came out, Lin Zhaoyao showed a look of astonishment and instinctively said, "How did you guess that?"

After saying this, Lin Zhaoyao realized that he might have said too much and immediately shut his mouth.

However, he saw Qin An’s half-smiling expression and suddenly got angry, "You’re tricking me!"

Qin An shook his head and said, "No, I’m not tricking you, it is indeed the case. You just said that you offended someone with a background above. Logically, there aren’t many people who can protect you. The fact that you can still stand in front of me as a Mountain Patrol Golden General means there’s only one possibility—that the General Mansion protected you."

Lin Zhaoyao fell into silence.

At this moment, a round of applause sounded at the end of the night.

Qin An turned his gaze towards the darkness at the end, and saw a middle-aged man in the Evil Extermination Bureau’s official uniform walking out from the darkness.

The man had a towering figure and handsome features. Even though he was middle-aged, there was still a sharp aura emanating from him.

Especially the man’s eyes, which were bright as if they contained two hidden suns.

Qin An cupped his hands and said, "Your subordinate Qin An, greets Lord of the General Mansion."

The General Mansion Lord clasped his hands behind his back, thoughtfully saying, "You’re very smart. Can you guess why I let Lin Zhaoyao test you first?"

Qin An looked up and said, "Lord of the General Mansion must have a tremendous secret; however, in order to handle that secret, one must possess corresponding strength."

The General Mansion Lord nodded and pointed to Lin Zhaoyao, "He’s at the Great Success of Unity Realm. If you can compete with him on equal footing, I’ll let you join in, as you will have the strength to participate."

"I know you’ve offended many people. Situ Shen and the Zerque Building Master both can’t wait to get rid of you, and if I allow you to participate, it could alleviate many threats for you."

Qin An suddenly unsheathed the Cold Star Saber and looked at Lin Zhaoyao beside him, saying, "Lord Lin, are you ready?"

Lin Zhaoyao was slightly startled, "Didn’t you say you weren’t fighting?"

Qin An slowly said, "No, now I can fight."

Lin Zhaoyao asked confusedly, "Why can you fight now?"

Qin An did not answer.

The General Mansion Lord spoke, "Because he thinks this battle has value to pursue."

"Value to pursue?" Lin Zhaoyao felt even more puzzled.

The General Mansion Lord clasped his hands behind his back, meaningfully saying, "He wants to be involved, he wants to eliminate the mastermind behind the scenes as well as Situ Shen and the Building Master, and seeks peace in Xunyang Prefecture. Thus, he feels there is value in it, so he can take action. Am I right?"

Qin An did not shy away and straightforwardly said, "Lord of the General Mansion has great insight. Indeed, that’s what I think."

Lin Zhaoyao’s eyes widened, "So that’s it."

He finally understood that the reason Qin An was unwilling to fight him was because there was no value in it.

And now that there is value, Qin An is not reluctant to make a move.

The General Mansion Lord laughed heartily, exuding an unrestrained aura, "Good, good, indeed I like straightforward people like you. Those who are only famous in name, or join the Evil Extermination Bureau for their so-called ideals won’t go far."

Qin An smiled and said, "Why does Lord of the General Mansion say so?"

The General Mansion Lord’s eyes suddenly turned serious, "The Evil Extermination Bureau acts on behalf of heaven, slaying demons and executing evil doers. But ultimately, it’s a transactional process where you give and I take."

"Those who join the Evil Extermination Bureau obtain treasures by slaying demons, and the Bureau completes their tasks through these benefits to protect the people."

"It’s fundamentally a value exchange, no need to talk too much about ideals. Acting out of value means you can go further and better."

Qin An made no reply, suddenly feeling that the General Mansion Lord very much matched his taste.

A person who could see things so clearly truly deserves his position, having fought his way from the bottom of the Xunyang Prefecture to the General Mansion.

Lin Zhaoyao looked left and right.

He was a straightforward person and couldn’t understand the deeper meanings in the conversation between the two.

But he understood one thing.

"Come on, Qin An!" Lin Zhaoyao swung his iron whip, incredibly excitedly, "Long ago, I heard of your famous dual prowess in sword and fist. Today I get to witness it for myself."

"I’m not just any simple Great Success of Unity Realm."

As the words fell, Lin Zhaoyao’s body emitted a suffocating oppressive force.

Qin An raised an eyebrow slightly, "Supreme foundation? Not bad."

As the words fell, the Cold Star Saber slashed vertically at Lin Zhaoyao from above.

If one must prove his eligibility for participating in this plan through a duel, then the General Mansion must see if he indeed has this qualification.

Eight-Colored True Essence surged.

Qin An, without hesitation, executed the Eight Extremes Ruthless Blood Transformation Saber technique.

Once deployed, the terrifying straight saber carried an emotionless and merciless momentum, as if capable of tearing the sky and earth apart.

Seeing how ruthless this saber technique was, Lin Zhaoyao’s eyes shone with even more excitement, "Good, good, I like opponents like this!"

The iron whip cut across, and flames shrouded it.

It seemed as though the entire iron whip was engulfed in fire, illuminating this street.

The iron whip collided with the straight saber, erupting in a terrifying roar.

Lin Zhaoyao was about to twist the iron whip to attack Qin An from another angle.

Unexpectedly, the Cold Star Saber that Qin An slashed out suddenly emitted three terrifying saber lights.

Three Blades Unite!

Since he wanted to demonstrate his value, Qin An wouldn’t hold back.

The power of the Three Blades Unite kept building up, each wave stronger than the last.

Lin Zhaoyao showed a look of shock.

His eyes suddenly turned blood red, the True Essence within his body surged like boiling fire, even dyeing his hair crimson.

At this moment, both parties activated their Secret Techniques.

A terrifying roar sounded, and the two retreated several dozen steps. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Lin Zhaoyao licked his lips and shouted, "I still have another Secret Technique, come again!"

After saying this, he was ready to wield the iron whip for another attack.

But at this time, the General Mansion shook his head and waved his sleeve.

"Lin Zhaoyao, you lost."