Chapter 31: A City in Uproar, A Nascent Soul Old Monster?
The next morning, Qinghe City's largest teahouse, the "Gathering Immortals Pavilion," was already bustling with a cacophony of voices.
In the past, when these rogue cultivators and scions of noble families gathered, they mostly chatted about which deep mountain had spawned a new demonic beast, or which shop's pills had gone up in price.
But today, from top to bottom of the entire teahouse, everyone's topics of conversation were surprisingly identical—the Heaven-Grade underground auction at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion last night!
"Did you hear? The Myriad Treasures Pavilion put on a massively grand display last night!"
A well-informed gray-robed rogue cultivator gulped down a mouthful of tea and lowered his voice secretively, yet just loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear.
"It's already spread everywhere! That Low-grade Earth Tier Broken Star Sword Art fragment actually fetched a sky-high price of two thousand mid-grade spirit stones! Mother of god, two thousand mid-grade spirit stones piled up could bury my old bones alive!" another person gestured exaggeratedly nearby.
"What is that? The most explosive part is the big shot who made the bid!"
Another heavily bearded burly man slapped the table, his face full of excitement.
"You guys weren't there! At the time, Elder Xu Sheng of the Azure Cloud Sect and Elder Crimson Flame of the Blazing Fire Sect, two Golden Core mighty figures, were at each other's throats and looked about ready to fight.
As a result, that mysterious person in Heaven-Grade Booth Number Three dropped a breezy 'Two thousand,' directly slapping the faces of both Golden Core elders until they were swollen!"
Hiss— A collective gasp echoed throughout the teahouse.
"Not even giving face to the Azure Cloud Sect and the Blazing Fire Sect? Just what kind of divine figure is this?"
"Could it be that the old ancestor of some top-tier cultivation noble family has come out of seclusion?"
All sorts of speculations spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Qinghe City.
At this moment, inside a private room on the second floor of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Patriarch Wang of Linjiang County was wearing a face full of smiles as he poured tea for Manager Zhou Fu of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Under his sleeve, he discreetly pushed over a heavy brocade box.
Zhou Fu glanced at it but remained composed. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, smelled it, and feigned confusion, saying, "Brother Wang, you came looking for me this time for...?"
"Little Brother Zhou, we have decades of old friendship between us. Your older brother here doesn't ask for much else, just leak a little to the bottom of this. That person in Heaven-Grade Booth Number Three last night, exactly which path's true god was that?" Patriarch Wang lowered his voice and asked tentatively.
Zhou Fu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Patriarch Wang, please don't harm me. You know the rules of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion; a guest's identity is kept absolutely strictly confidential. Not to mention..."
Zhou Fu paused, recalling the scene when he interacted with Lin Mo, wearing that silver mask.
Although he looked like a Qi Refining stage cultivator, the moment he opened his mouth, he casually demanded Earth Tier techniques with the imposing manner of immense wealth. This made Zhou Fu increasingly feel that Lin Mo was hiding his true strength.
What kind of Qi Refining cultivator could casually pull out thousands of mid-grade spirit stones and talk about Earth Tier techniques with every breath?
Thinking of this, a flash of awe crossed his eyes. "I'm not too clear on that person's identity either, but I can only advise you on one thing: let this curiosity rot in your stomach. To an existence like that, crushing us to death might be as simple as crushing an ant."
Seeing Zhou Fu's secretive and apprehensive demeanor, Patriarch Wang's heart skipped a heavy beat. He silently withdrew the brocade box. Not only was he not angry, but he actually broke out in a cold sweat.
Even the Myriad Treasures Pavilion was this wary?
Very quickly, some vague and plausible rumors leaked out from within the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Passed through the mouths of countless people, the rumors grew increasingly fantastical.
"I heard from the clerks inside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion that the big shot held the highest-level dark gold token!"
"Someone secretly used their divine sense to probe Heaven-Grade Booth Number Three, but they found absolutely nothing, as if there wasn't a living person inside at all!"
"Is there even a need to think about it? To be able to treat Golden Core elders like nothing, casually throw out two thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and even be treated as an honored guest by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion... this mysterious existence is absolutely not just at the Golden Core stage!"
"Could it be... a Nascent Soul old monster?!"
As soon as these four words came out, the entire cultivation circle of Qinghe City was shaken.
Nascent Soul stage! What kind of terrifying existence was that? The reason the Azure Cloud Sect could stand tall and unyielding was exactly because they had a Nascent Soul stage Sect Leader and a late-stage Nascent Soul Grand Elder holding down the fort.
Mighty figures of this level were usually in secluded life-and-death cultivation, comprehending the Heavenly Dao, and rarely showed their faces in the secular world.
If the person last night was truly a Nascent Soul old monster wandering the mortal world...
Thinking of this, the various major families who had originally wanted to secretly investigate the mysterious person's whereabouts instantly ceased their activities. They recalled all the informants they had sent out, terrified of drawing fire onto themselves.
...
Meanwhile, inside a hidden courtyard on the western side of Qinghe City.
Smash! An exquisite blue-and-white porcelain teacup was viciously shattered against the floor.
Azure Cloud Sect Elder Xu Sheng paced back and forth in the hall with an ashen face. His early Golden Core stage spiritual pressure surged within the hall, suppressing the two Foundation Establishment disciples kneeling on the ground so hard they didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
"Trash! A bunch of trash!"
Xu Sheng cursed angrily. "This old man told you to lock down all the streets in the back alleys of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, not letting even a single fly out! And the result? A living, breathing person vanished completely right under your eyelids?!"
"Quell your anger, Elder Xu!" A Foundation Establishment disciple broke out in a cold sweat and explained with a trembling voice, "We disciples truly swept every black-robed person who came out with our divine sense.
Aside from a few low-tier rogue cultivators at the Qi Refining stage and an old beggar nearing the end of his lifespan, we truly didn't find any experts matching the description!"
"Could he have evaporated into thin air!" Xu Sheng was so angry his beard trembled.
Having lost so much face at the auction last night, he had originally intended to rely on the power of the Azure Cloud Sect to intercept the mysterious person outside the city. Even if he couldn't rob him by force, he at least wanted to figure out the other party's background.
As a result, the other party simply vanished bizarrely, giving him the stifling, frustrating sensation of punching cotton.
Right at this moment, a trusted deacon rushed in from outside the door, his expression panicked.
"Elder! Outside... word has spread outside!"
"What is this panic! What has spread?" Xu Sheng frowned.
The deacon swallowed hard and said tremulously, "All the major noble families in the city are spreading word that the person in Heaven-Grade Booth Number Three last night wasn't from any major family at all, but a... a Nascent Soul senior hiding their cultivation and wandering the mortal world!"
"What?!"
Xu Sheng's entire body jolted, his eyes snapping wide open. His original rage was instantly extinguished as if drenched by a basin of ice water, replaced by a chill that seeped straight from his bone marrow.
A Nascent Soul old monster?
He carefully recalled the details from the auction last night. The other party's casual tone, the sheer extravagance of treating two thousand mid-grade spirit stones like dirt...
If the other party were truly a peer at the Golden Core stage, facing pressure from him and Elder Crimson Flame, there would have been at least some emotional fluctuation.
But that person's attitude was completely a condescending indifference.
Gulp. Xu Sheng swallowed with difficulty, fine beads of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Had he actually publicly threatened a mighty figure suspected of being in the Nascent Soul stage last night? And even boldly claimed "This old man will remember this"?
If this displeased that senior, even if the Sect Leader of the Azure Cloud Sect stepped forward, he probably wouldn't be able to protect a lowly elder like him!
"Withdraw... hurry and withdraw!"
Xu Sheng suddenly jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his voice completely changing pitch.
"Recall everyone responsible for searching outside! Immediately! Right now!"
"But Elder, the Broken Star Sword Art..." a disciple kneeling on the floor asked carefully.
"Screw the sword art! Is your life more important, or the sword art?!"
Xu Sheng kicked over a chair beside him and roared in exasperation, "Pass down this old man's orders: no one is to investigate news about that senior anymore! Just pretend last night's incident never happened!"
"Yes!" The disciples, as if granted amnesty, scrambled and crawled out to deliver the order.
Xu Sheng slumped back into his seat of honor, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked out the main door, his heart filled with lingering fear.
Chapter 32: Returning to the Sect
At this very moment, Lin Mo—the initiator of this city-wide uproar who was respectfully and fearfully revered by the higher-ups of Qinghe City as a "Nascent Soul old monster"—was hiding in a dilapidated little inn in a mortal residential area on the outskirts of Qinghe City.
He tightly locked the crude wooden door and laid down several simple soundproofing and warning talismans around it. Only then did he rub his palms together and, with eyes full of fiery passion, take out the red sandalwood box.
Opening the wooden box, that pitch-black jade slip exuding an ancient, fierce sword intent lay quietly inside.
Lin Mo sank his consciousness inward, and the information provided by the mysterious black stone immediately surfaced in his mind:
[Item: Broken Star Sword Art (Fragmented)]
* [Quality: Low-grade Earth Tier!]
* [Traits: Contains ancient, fierce sword intent. Severely fragmented, retaining only the starting stance and the first three moves. Forcibly cultivating it will easily lead to sword Qi backlash, injuring the meridians.]
* [Status: Enhancable.]
* [Cost to Enhance: 70% of total Qi capacity at the 6th level of Qi Refining.]
"To be so severely fragmented and still be graded as Low-grade Earth Tier... if the complete volume were restored, how terrifying would it be?"
Lin Mo took a deep breath and gripped the jade slip tightly in his palm. Not only did he not flinch because it was "easy to suffer backlash," but the light of excitement flashed in his eyes instead.
"Enhance!"
He let out a low, decisive shout in his heart.
Vvvmmm—!
The commotion from this enhancement far exceeded any previous one. The mysterious black stone seemed to transform into a bottomless pit.
The massive Fire-attribute spiritual energy in Lin Mo's body—belonging to the sixth level of Qi Refining and newly tempered—was frantically drawn and ripped into the jade slip like floodwaters bursting a dam.
In just a dozen breaths of time, Lin Mo's face turned pale. A full seventy percent of the spiritual energy in his Dantian was directly sucked dry!
"The spiritual energy required to complete and deduce an Earth Tier technique is indeed massive!"
Without hesitation, Lin Mo flipped his left hand and grabbed two handfuls of mid-grade spirit stones, madly draining the spiritual energy within them to replenish himself.
As an ocean of spiritual energy poured in, a teeth-aching cracking sound emanated from the surface of that pitch-black, fragmented jade slip.
The originally broken edges were actually forcibly reconnected and smoothed out by a mysterious power.
The color of the jade slip also gradually metamorphosed from a dead, pitch-black hue into a dark blue resembling the deep starry sky.
Countless complex and profound golden array patterns flowed and glowed brilliantly within.
Finally, when the jade slip calmed down, brand-new information surfaced:
[Item: Broken Star Sword Art (Complete Volume)]
* [Quality: Top-grade Earth Tier!]
* [Traits: Expansive and unrestrained; one sword breaks ten thousand dharma. Mastered to perfection, the sword Qi can draw upon the power of the Nine Heavens' stars to cleave mountains and sever rivers. Includes the ultimate killing sword technique, 'Falling Star Stance'.]
* [Cost for Next Enhancement: 100% of total Qi capacity at the early stage of Nascent Soul.]
"Top-grade Earth Tier! It actually directly deduced the complete volume!"
The hand Lin Mo used to grip the jade slip was trembling slightly. He couldn't help but pant heavily, his eyes filled with wild joy.
A Top-grade Earth Tier technique! Let alone Elder Xu Sheng, even the elusive Nascent Soul Sect Leader of the Azure Cloud Sect—whose head was like a divine dragon's, seen but not the tail—would probably descend personally without hesitation to set off a storm of blood and gore if he knew such a peerless sword art had appeared in the world!
"With this sword art, paired with the defense of the Mystic Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Physique, the speed of the Flowing Fire Steps, and the Heavenly Derivation Fire Seal... within the same realm, I no longer have any rivals."
"I just don't know if I can slay an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. After all, I haven't fought a life-and-death struggle against one yet."
Lin Mo forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart, pressed the jade slip against his forehead, and sent his divine sense inside.
Boom!
An incredibly overbearing, terrifying sword intent that felt as if it wanted to shatter the stars instantly rushed along his divine sense straight into his mind. The complete technique transformed into countless golden characters, branding themselves deeply into the depths of his memory.
He closed his eyes, spending a full half-hour digesting it, before slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air and preciously storing the jade slip into the Sumeru Hidden Moon Ring.
"This trip to Qinghe City not only covered my shortcomings in defense and disguise, but I also obtained this supreme treasure of slaughter. I've simply made a killing."
Lin Mo stood up, pushed open the wooden window, and glanced at the pale white glow dawning in the eastern sky.
Calculating the days, only the last few days remained of his two-month family visit leave.
"It's time to go back."
With a thought from Lin Mo, the Origin-Returning Dust Concealment Mantra quietly circulated.
His thick sixth-level Qi Refining spiritual energy and the formidable blood vitality of the newly cultivated, Minor Accomplishment Mystic Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Physique were all retracted.
He changed back into those washed-out, heavily patched servant disciple clothes, precisely controlling his outwardly displayed cultivation to the "third level of Qi Refining."
Carrying that shriveled, tattered bundle on his back, Lin Mo walked out of the small inn. Facing the thin morning mist, he stepped onto the bluestone mountain path returning to the Azure Cloud Sect.
Following the familiar bluestone mountain path, Lin Mo handed in his leave slip without causing a ripple and returned to the Alchemy Pavilion in the Servant Quarters.
Although the third-level Qi Refining cultivation he outwardly displayed was considered "slightly progressed" among the servants, it only made the steward feel he "could do more heavy lifting," completely failing to attract the attention of any higher-ups.
Combined with his deliberate low profile—usually remaining silent and speaking little, and absolutely never initiating trouble—he quickly and perfectly blended back into that dull, tedious, bottom-tier life of being ordered around.
There are no years in cultivation.
For bottom-tier servants, the days were even more numbingly repetitive, like copy and paste.
Spring departed, autumn arrived; cold and heat alternated.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
During this half-year, winds surged and clouds churned in the outside world. Bizarre legends about that "Nascent Soul old monster" would occasionally spread from Qinghe City.
Zhang Long in the Inner Sect gained even more power and influence, which in turn caused his cousin Zhang Hu to become increasingly arrogant and domineering in the Servant Quarters.
But all of this seemed to have nothing to do with Lin Mo, who chopped wood silently in the corner.
Every day, he methodically completed the arduous tasks of chopping wood and tending the fires for the Alchemy Pavilion, even acting more wooden and honest than before.
But whenever the dead of night arrived, or when it was his turn to take the night watch in a remote location, he would quietly circulate the Origin-Returning Dust Concealment Mantra to shield himself from surrounding perception, initiating his true cultivation.
Three months after returning, he broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.
Then, through half a year of settling and consolidation, he thoroughly mastered and integrated all the trump cards currently at his disposal.
The true intent of the Fire Dao from the Heavenly Derivation Blazing Fire Mantra had been polished by him until it moved as naturally as an extension of his own arm.
The originally violent Fire-attribute spiritual energy was now as docile as a stream flowing through his meridians, but the moment he had a thought, it could instantly transform into a raging inferno capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas.
That peerlessly overbearing Broken Star Sword Art was deduced in his mind day and night. In the unmanned abysses of the back mountain, he practiced bitterly, using his fingers as a substitute for a sword.
From initial unfamiliarity to his current smooth mastery. Now, simply by forming sword fingers and slashing, he could silently unleash terrifying starlight sword Qi sufficient to pierce through century-old black iron.
As for the Mystic Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Physique, under countless nights of secret tempering and spiritual energy nourishment, his skin, flesh, and bones had become unimaginably tough.
Dark yellow textures of mountains and peaks even faintly circulated on the surface of his skin, and every casual movement carried thousands of catties of immense force.
Of course, the most terrifying aspect was the climbing speed of his cultivation.
In the face of an essentially endless supply of "Top-grade Qi Gathering Pills," the aptitude barrier of a mixed Five-Element Spiritual Root was practically non-existent.
When others took pills, they still had to spend ten days to half a month dissolving the pill toxins accumulated in their meridians. But the enhanced, Top-grade pills he consumed were pure and flawless, lacking any side effects.
He completely treated the incredibly precious Top-grade Qi Gathering Pills like jelly beans, stuffing them into his mouth by the handful.
...
Late at night, inside the most remote, abandoned woodshed in the Servant Quarters.
Over a dozen empty white porcelain medicine bottles were scattered around Lin Mo, who sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Boom!
Accompanied by a muffled rumble from his Dantian, an incredibly formidable spiritual energy fluctuation violently rippled outward with Lin Mo at the center. But the moment it touched the surrounding air, it was firmly suppressed within a three-foot radius around him by the Origin-Returning Dust Concealment Mantra.
Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes. In the gloomy woodshed, two substantial glints flashed across the depths of his pupils. Even the space in front of him seemed to slightly distort under the shock of this invisible spiritual pressure.
"Eighth level of Qi Refining..."
Lin Mo slowly exhaled a scorching breath of turbid air and forcefully clenched his fists, feeling the terrifying power within his body that was many times more majestic than half a year ago.
The Qi Refining stage was divided into three phases: levels one to three were the early stage, four to six were the mid-stage, seven to nine were the late stage, and the tenth level was Great Perfection.
Stepping into the eighth level of Qi Refining meant not only had he firmly established his footing in the late stage of Qi Refining, but he was also only a single step away from the top ranks of the Outer Sect disciples!
Lin Mo recalled the mockery, ridicule, and insults he had suffered over the past three years. His shoulders shrugged slightly. A final drop of warm liquid fell onto the dust-covered dry grass, instantly vanishing from sight.
"Finally... I am finally no longer the piece of trash in the mouths of others."
"Hoo..."
Lin Mo took a long, deep breath. He pushed open the dilapidated wooden door of the woodshed. His gaze pierced through the crumbling walls of the Servant Quarters, gazing into the distance toward the faintly flickering lights on the Inner Sect's main peak high above.
That was the lofty residence of Inner Sect chosen geniuses like Zhang Long, and also the source of Zhang Hu's confidence in acting like a fox exploiting a tiger's might.
"Soon..."
Chapter 33: Encountering Zhang Hu Again
Early the next morning, the morning mist had not yet completely dissipated in the back mountains of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Lin Mo pushed open the dilapidated wooden door of his side room. Carrying that old axe he had enhanced, he prepared to routinely go about his tasks for the day.
Under the perfect circulation of the Origin-Returning Dust Concealment Mantra, the terrifying eighth-level Qi Refining spiritual pressure inside his body—enough to make the entire Servant Quarters tremble—was like a giant dragon hibernating in the abyss, huddled in the deepest part of his Dantian.
The aura he radiated outward remained at the "third level of Qi Refining."
On the plaza of the Servant Quarters in the early morning, quite a few servants preparing to start work had already gathered.
Lin Mo was just preparing to cross the Servant Quarters to head to the Alchemy Pavilion, hoping to peacefully spend an ordinary day. Unfortunately, things rarely go as one wishes.
Just as Lin Mo reached the center of the plaza, he bumped head-on into a loud, boisterous group of people.
Leading them was none other than Zhang Hu.
Unseen for half a year, Zhang Hu was clearly living an extremely comfortable life. His face was glowing with health, and his originally skinny body had fattened up by an entire size.
Wearing a brand-new servant uniform, he swaggered as he walked, looking as if he wished he could point his chin all the way up to the heavens.
Even more eye-catching were the spiritual energy fluctuations on his body—he had astonishingly stepped into the fifth level of Qi Refining!
With his Foundation Establishment cousin Zhang Long, who had just established a firm foothold in the Inner Sect, as his backer...
Over this half-year, Zhang Hu had practically scraped the Servant Quarters clean. Relying on the spirit stones and pills he extorted from other servants, he had forcefully piled his cultivation up another level.
Now, even some Outer Sect disciples with higher cultivation than him had to give him some face, making him incredibly smug.
"Brother Hu, with your current cultivation, looking across the entire Servant Quarters, you are absolutely one of a kind!"
"Of course! Just wait for the grand tournament next month. Brother Hu is guaranteed to enter the Outer Sect, and we'll be able to bask in your glory then!"
Zhang Hu was grinning, extremely pleased as he listened to the flattery from the two lackeys behind him.
Suddenly, sweeping his peripheral vision, he locked eyes with Lin Mo, who was walking toward him and preparing to pass by with his head down.
Zhang Hu froze for a moment, seemingly unable to believe his own eyes. He abruptly stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Lin Mo like a venomous snake.
When he detected the faint aura of the third level of Qi Refining on Lin Mo's body, a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes. But it quickly transformed into undisguised contempt and highly exaggerated mockery.
"Yoho! Bright and early in the morning, I was wondering where this wandering ghost came from!"
Zhang Hu dragged out his voice sarcastically, pointing at Lin Mo with extreme exaggeration, and yelled loudly to the surroundings, "Everyone, come take a look! Isn't this Lin Mo, the sickest, most useless piece of trash with the toughest life in our Servant Quarters?!"
Hearing the commotion, the surrounding servants who had originally been working with their heads down stopped what they were doing and gathered around, casting pitiful glances.
"It's Lin Mo? He's back from visiting his family?"
"Sigh, why did he pick this time to come back... The Servant Quarters is Zhang Hu's territory now, and he offended Zhang Hu in the past. He's doomed."
"Shush! Keep your voice down, do you have a death wish?! Zhang Hu is at the fifth level of Qi Refining now; crushing us is as easy as crushing ants!"
Waves of suppressed whispers spread through the crowd. The look in everyone's eyes when they looked at Lin Mo was like looking at a dead man.
Hearing the fear of the people around him, the smugness on Zhang Hu's face deepened.
He strode up to Lin Mo, practically spitting in his face, and sneered with a fake smile:
"Haven't seen you in a few months, and a piece of trash with mixed Five-Element Spiritual Roots like you actually managed to endure to the third level of Qi Refining? What, did you go back to your hometown for a funeral and your ancestral graves blessed you with ridiculous luck? Or did you go begging on the outside and manage to scavenge some leftover pills and dregs?"
The two lackeys behind him immediately and tactfully burst into ear-piercing roars of laughter.
"Brother Hu, the third level of Qi Refining ain't shit! In front of your fifth-level Qi Refining, he's still just a bug you can casually stomp to death!"
If it were a few months ago, encountering such an utterly humiliating scene, Lin Mo would definitely be scared pale. He would bow his back, submissively retreat to the side, and wouldn't even dare to breathe heavily.
Zhang Hu thought so too. He was waiting from on high, anticipating the enjoyment of Lin Mo's lowly, tail-wagging, begging appearance.
But today, Lin Mo did not hide.
He slowly raised his head, his lean face devoid of any ripples.
Those eyes that had originally always revealed cowardice and dullness were now like an icy, bone-chilling deep pool, quietly gazing at Zhang Hu.
Then, under everyone's incredulous gazes, a highly sarcastic, undisguised sneer curled at the corner of Lin Mo's mouth.
"No matter how good my luck is, it truly cannot compare to certain people."
Lin Mo's voice wasn't loud, but his enunciation was clear. In this quiet morning plaza, it sounded like a resounding slap to the face.
Before the crowd could react, Lin Mo continued with his shocking words.
"After all, not everyone can be like you—relying on a tiny bit of your cousin's prestige to act like a madly barking dog in the Servant Quarters."
Dead silence.
The entire bluestone plaza fell into a deathly silence.
All the spectating servants widened their eyes, gasping heavily in horror. Someone was even so terrified that the broom in their hands dropped to the ground with a clatter.
"He's crazy! Lin Mo is crazy!"
"He actually dares to publicly call Brother Hu a dog?! Does he want to die?!"
"It's over, it's over, no one can save him now. Zhang Hu will definitely beat him to death!"
The crowd completely exploded. Everyone scrambled backward several ten-feet in terror, as if avoiding a god of plague.
The wild laughter on Zhang Hu's face instantly froze, the flesh on his cheeks twitching violently.
He glared with bloodshot eyes. His entire face turned from flushed red to an iron-green hue at a visible speed, and the veins on his forehead bulged one by one like wriggling green earthworms.
Being publicly insulted as a dog by a bottom-tier piece of trash he had bullied for three years and trampled under his feet—this massive psychological drop and sense of humiliation caused Zhang Hu's rationality to be instantly swallowed by wild fury.
"You little beast, you're looking for fucking death!!!"
Zhang Hu let out a roar like a wild beast. The fifth-level Qi Refining spiritual pressure erupted explosively without reservation, shaking the surrounding dust into the air.
He clenched his five fingers into a fist. His fist, the size of a clay pot, wrapped in a scorching gale and carrying fierce killing intent, mercilessly smashed straight toward Lin Mo's face!
If this punch landed solidly, an ordinary third-level Qi Refining cultivator would definitely have their skull shattered and die instantly on the spot.
Facing this heavy, powerful strike mere inches away, not only did Lin Mo not take half a step back, but he even slightly furrowed his brows.
Deep in his eyes, an extremely dangerous killing intent flashed violently.
The life-and-death grudge from that kick down the Cliff of Severed Souls—he hadn't forgotten it for a single day.
Since this mad dog was in such a rush to seek death today, then he would oblige him right here!
Lin Mo's right hand, hanging by his side, slightly curled its fingers. The Heavenly Derivation Fire Seal from the Earth Tier Heavenly Derivation Blazing Fire Mantra was instantly compressed to the extreme within his palm.
As long as Zhang Hu's fist moved half a foot closer, he was absolutely certain he could inject a sliver of extremely concealed Heavenly Derivation Fire Seal hidden force into the other party's heart meridians.
Zhang Hu wouldn't even feel the pain. In a few days, he would die without warning from his heart meridians incinerating, and not even a deity would be able to find the cause of death!
"All of you, stop!!!"
Just at this moment of explosive tension, right as the hidden force in Lin Mo's palm was about to shoot out, an angry shout like a clap of thunder suddenly exploded in mid-air.
Swoosh!
A blinding, icy sword light descended from the sky. Carrying biting-cold sword Qi, it stabbed fiercely into the bluestone slab right between Lin Mo and Zhang Hu with a boom. The hard bluestone slab instantly cracked. Flying debris slashed across Zhang Hu's cheek, leaving a bloody trail.
An inner sect law enforcement disciple wearing a moon-white deacon's uniform and bearing a stern face gracefully descended on his flying sword.
The massive pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage swept across the entire plaza like Mount Tai pressing down. It directly crushed Zhang Hu's meager fifth-level Qi Refining arrogance to dust, forcing him to stumble back several steps, his qi and blood churning.
Someone sharp-eyed recognized the inner sect law enforcement disciple before them and cried out in shock.
"It's Lu Changfeng! I heard he was already at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment a year ago. His strength is unfathomable. Heavens! I can't believe I'm seeing him here!"
"Sect grounds strictly prohibit private fights! Do you take the rules of the Azure Cloud Sect as mere decorations?!"
Lu Changfeng's gaze was like lightning, coldly sweeping over Zhang Hu.
"Daring to gather a crowd and cause trouble this early in the morning—do you want to fight? Scram to Penalty Peak and receive thirty dark lashes!"
Feeling that suffocating Foundation Establishment pressure, Zhang Hu's face instantly turned pale, his arrogant swagger vanishing entirely.
He had heard the discussions of the people nearby. This was someone countless times stronger than his cousin! He couldn't afford to provoke him, otherwise, even his cousin wouldn't be able to protect him!
Not even bothering to wipe the blood from his face, he hastily put on a fawning, ingratiating smile, nodding and bowing as he explained:
"Quell your anger, Senior Brother! It's a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! We are just junior and senior brothers from the same courtyard. "
"We haven't seen each other in half a year, and in our excitement, we were just exchanging a couple of moves. We absolutely had no intention of a private fight! I beg Senior Brother to see clearly!"
Lu Changfeng snorted coldly. Too lazy to bicker with this group of bottom-tier servants, he pulled his longsword out from the ground and coldly dropped a sentence: "Cause less trouble for me! The grand tournament is next month. If there's a next time, I will directly cripple your cultivation and expel you from the sect!"
After saying this, he rose with his sword, soaring into the sky.
However, before leaving, he turned his head and shot a glance at Lin Mo, a trace of doubt in his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Strange, he's only at the third level of Qi Refining."
He felt like he had just sensed an inexplicably powerful spiritual energy fluctuation, but now it was gone. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Lin Mo's Origin-Returning Dust Concealment Mantra had already reached the level where it could perfectly conceal all cultivation at the Golden Core stage and below.
It retracted his spiritual energy fluctuations, blood vitality, killing intent, and even divine soul fluctuations. It could even simulate the aura of any realm and possessed a built-in "Dust Concealment" effect, allowing him to blend into his surroundings while walking, making it hard for people to notice him.
As long as Lin Mo didn't make a move, unless a Soul Formation cultivator intently probed, it was absolutely impossible to see through him.
It was normal for him not to see through it.
Watching as a killing trap was forcibly interrupted by the law enforcement disciple, Lin Mo calmly dispersed the hidden force in his palm, his eyes remaining as cold as ice.
Zhang Hu watched the receding back of the inner sect disciple and gritted his teeth fiercely. When he turned back to look at Lin Mo, his gaze was so resentful and toxic that he wished he could swallow Lin Mo alive.
"Lin Mo, consider yourself lucky today that someone from the Law Enforcement Hall passed by and let you keep your dog life!"
Zhang Hu pressed closer to Lin Mo step by step, gnashing his teeth, his facial features somewhat twisted due to extreme rage.
"However, don't think this is over. You won't be smug for long."
He stared dead into Lin Mo's eyes, an incredibly cruel and sinister sneer pulling at the corner of his mouth. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he spoke, enunciating every word clearly:
"I'm afraid a country bumpkin like you who just got back still doesn't know, right? One month from now is the once-in-three-years Servant Disciple Selection Tournament!"
Hearing the words "Selection Tournament," the surrounding servants who had originally been too scared to make a sound once again let out waves of suppressed gasps.
"The sect will set up twenty arenas on the martial arts training ground and use a king-of-the-hill system. Whoever can stand until the end and secure those twenty spots will be able to strip off this servant skin and be directly promoted to an Outer Sect disciple!"
Zhang Hu jabbed his finger heavily into Lin Mo's chest, his tone full of provocation and vicious anticipation:
"Since a piece of trash like you finally managed to crawl to the third level of Qi Refining, you must be dreaming and drooling over an Outer Sect spot, right? If you have the guts, go sign up for the grand tournament in a month!"
"As long as you dare to step onto the arena, I swear to heaven, I will absolutely crush every single inch of your bones in front of the entire sect! I'll make it so you can only lie paralyzed in bed like a dead dog for the rest of your life. I'll make you spend the rest of your days regretting why you didn't die at the bottom of the cliff!"
Zhang Hu believed he had thrown out an incredibly vicious open plot. In his eyes, a fool like Lin Mo who had just broken through to the third level of Qi Refining and didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth only dared to talk back earlier because the blood rushed to his head.
As long as he provoked him into stepping onto the life-and-death arena, even if he beat him into a cripple, the Law Enforcement Hall wouldn't be able to intervene!
Facing Zhang Hu's malicious coercion and goading, the surrounding servants all cast sympathetic glances at Lin Mo.
"Whatever you do, don't agree..."
"Yeah, stepping onto the arena is like signing a life-and-death waiver. Zhang Hu will definitely kill him!"
Some servant disciples who had been bullied by Zhang Hu revealed expressions of unbearable pity.
However, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, they didn't dare to directly advise Lin Mo and could only keep it bottled up inside.
Yet, under everyone's worried gazes, not only did Lin Mo not show the slightest sign of retreating or fear, but he actually smiled incredibly plainly.
He looked at Zhang Hu, who was acting as self-important as a jumping clown before him, his eyes revealing a spine-chilling indifference.
"In a month, the Servant Selection Tournament, fighting in the arena, is it?"
Lin Mo dusted off the spot on his sleeve where Zhang Hu had just jabbed him, his tone as calm as a placid pool of water.
"Alright. I accept."
Saying this, he leaned forward slightly, drawing close to Zhang Hu's ear.
In that instant, Zhang Hu inexplicably felt a bone-piercing chill shoot straight from his spine to his forehead.
In a voice that was extremely low, extremely cold, as if it originated from the Nine Nether Underworld, Lin Mo faintly returned the threat:
"When the time comes, remember to wash your neck clean. The debt for that kick off the Cliff of Severed Souls—I will personally collect it from you on the arena, with principal and interest."
As his words fell, Lin Mo ignored Zhang Hu's instantly frozen gaze, which was a mix of astonishment and disbelief.
He picked up that dilapidated wood-chopping axe, walked straight past Zhang Hu, and took large strides toward the Alchemy Pavilion in the back courtyard.
Chapter 34: The Calm Before the Storm
The disturbance on the plaza that morning was like a large boulder smashed into a calm pool.
In less than half a day, the news had spread throughout the entire Servant Quarters.
"Did you hear? That Lin Mo from the Alchemy Pavilion, the one at the third level of Qi Refining, actually dared to publicly call Zhang Hu a dog, and even agreed to an arena match at the grand tournament a month from now!"
During lunch at the Dining Hall, several servants gathered around a wooden table. While gnawing on hard, dry steamed buns, they gossiped, spit flying everywhere.
"Isn't he just looking for death? Zhang Hu is at a solid fifth level of Qi Refining now! Among us servants, he is absolutely an existence who can walk sideways. Even if Lin Mo stepped in dog shit and lucked into breaking through to the third level, there's a two-level gap. How is he supposed to fight?"
"Exactly. Besides, look at who is backing Zhang Hu." An old servant lowered his voice and leaned in secretively.
"His cousin Zhang Long successfully reached Foundation Establishment last month and has already moved into the Inner Sect."
"Zhang Hu has been showing off everywhere these past few days, saying his cousin gave him a Mid-grade Mortal Tier fine steel broadsword, along with several bottles of High-grade Qi Gathering Pills that can instantly replenish his Qi."
"With an Inner Sect disciple backing him, plus pills and magical artifacts, Zhang Hu is guaranteed to win this. Lin Mo doesn't even have a decent sword; he just carries that broken axe around every day. What's he going to fight with, his head?"
"Sigh, Lin Mo's brain is probably messed up from being bullied all these years, letting the blood rush to his head. Once they get on the arena and sign the life-and-death waiver, Zhang Hu will definitely beat him to death."
Throughout the entire Servant Quarters, no one thought highly of Lin Mo's chances. In everyone's eyes, this wasn't an arena duel at all, but an execution ground for Zhang Hu to unilaterally slaughter Lin Mo.
Some servants who wanted to curry favor with Zhang Hu even started secretly tripping Lin Mo up.
Steward Liu of the Alchemy Pavilion also heard the rumors.
To suck up to Zhang Hu, who was about to enter the Outer Sect, or rather, to network with the boundlessly potential Zhang Long behind him, he directly increased Lin Mo's daily wood-chopping quota from twenty catties to fifty catties. Furthermore, it was all ironwood knots, the hardest type to chop.
Facing these deliberate difficulties, Lin Mo didn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
He kept his head down every day, doing what he needed to do.
Fifty catties of ironwood?
He simply took a bit more time to finish chopping it. When others walked past and mocked him, he didn't even lift an eyelid.
This silence, in the eyes of others, meant that Lin Mo finally knew fear. They thought he was just giving up in despair, closing his eyes and waiting for death.
But in reality, Lin Mo simply didn't put these jumping clowns in his eyes.
Of course, it wasn't that he completely ignored them, but rather that he silently committed them all to memory.
A true gentleman avenges his wrongs; he would return the favor a hundredfold in the future.
Naturally, not right now. He would do it on the day of the Servant Grand Tournament, in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, to upright and honorably prove it.
He, Lin Mo, was no piece of trash!
...
Late at night, inside the western side room.
Lin Mo drew a basin of well water and took off his dilapidated servant uniform, preparing to wash the sweat off his body.
By the moonlight, he looked down at his own body, his movements pausing slightly.
After three years of doing rough labor in the Servant Quarters, he was originally dark and skinny, covered in scars and calluses.
But now, things had changed.
With his Minor Accomplishment in the *Mystic Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Physique*, coupled with eating Top-grade Qi Gathering Pills like jelly beans recently, the impurities accumulated in his body had been completely expelled. The originally rough, dark dead skin had cleanly shed off.
Now, his skin had become fair and delicate, even emitting a warm, jade-like luster. But as long as one pressed down with a finger, they would find the flesh underneath was as tough as cured cowhide. Ordinary swords and blades simply couldn't pierce it.
It wasn't just his skin; his disposition had also undergone an earth-shattering change.
The foundation of the eighth level of Qi Refining was right there. Even though he deliberately suppressed his cultivation, his profound gaze and straight spine naturally exuded a sense of composure and sharpness.
Even wearing this heavily patched, washed-out servant uniform completely failed to conceal that ethereal disposition of his.
He didn't look like a servant doing rough labor at all, but rather like a young noble from a prominent family who had fallen on hard times.
"This won't do. It's too eye-catching."
Lin Mo shook his head. He walked to the stove, grabbed a handful of black ash, and without hesitation smeared it across his face and neck, making his fair skin look dusty and grimy.
Then, he deliberately hollowed his chest, hunched his back, and changed his gaze back to that dull, wooden look from before.
Only with this disguise could he go out during the day without anyone seeing through his flaws.
...
After finishing his disguise, Lin Mo pushed open the window. Like a nimble nocturnal cat, he silently vaulted out and headed straight for the back mountains.
He didn't go to his usual spot, but instead found a very deep cliffside waterfall.
The waterfall's current was rapid, with a drop of hundreds of feet, smashing into the deep pool below with a deafening roar. Practicing here, even if he made some noise, it would be masked by the sound of the water.
Standing by the pool, Lin Mo didn't draw the Cold Light Sword. Instead, he raised his right index and middle fingers, forming a sword gesture.
He was practicing the *Broken Star Sword Art*.
"The technique manual says the *Broken Star Sword Art* focuses on expansive and unrestrained moves, releasing sword Qi outward to sever mountains and rivers.But that's too showy, and it wastes too much spiritual energy."
Lin Mo replayed the insights he had pondered over the past few days in his mind.
He planned to apply the "compression" trick of the *Heavenly Derivation Fire Seal* to his swordplay.
He took a deep breath, mobilizing the eighth-level Qi Refining spiritual energy in his Dantian.
The spiritual energy surged along his meridians toward his right arm. Because the tier of the technique was too high, the spiritual energy brought a faint stinging sensation as it shuttled through his meridians.
Lin Mo firmly suppressed this sword Qi that wanted to erupt outward, preventing it from spreading, and desperately compressed it within a three-inch radius of his fingertips.
Slowly, a dark blue glimmer surfaced on his fingertips. This glow was very short, only half a foot long, and looked completely unremarkable.
But if one looked closely, they would find that the air surrounding this half-foot of faint light was actually being sliced into tiny black rifts.
"Go!"
Lin Mo kept his two fingers together and casually slashed horizontally toward the wide waterfall in front of him.
*Snik!*
An extremely faint sound of tearing silk rang out.
There was no explosion, no loud bang. But in the next second, that waterfall plunging from the sky, carrying immense weight, actually snapped clean in half right down the middle!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror. The water flow above seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall, pausing for a full three breaths of time before crashing down once more.
This was the starlight sword Qi after ultimate compression.
It was unassuming and inconspicuous, but as long as it hit the target, even a flowing waterfall could be forcibly severed, let alone human bones.
After practicing the sword art, Lin Mo began to practice the *Heavenly Derivation Fire Seal*.
His current cultivation was vastly higher than when he was in Black Wind Ridge. Opening his palm, a ball of crimson flame surfaced.
"Keep compressing."
Lin Mo gritted his teeth, controlling his divine sense. The flame slowly compressed from the size of a walnut to the size of a soybean, its color also turning to dark red.
But he didn't stop.
"It can be smaller."
Veins bulged on his forehead as he viciously squeezed that soybean-sized flame inward once more.
He didn't stop until the flame was compressed to the size of a single grain of rice, its color shifting to a pure pitch-black. Not a single trace of heat leaked out; pinched in his hand, it looked just like a grain of black sand.
But the terrifying energy concealed within was enough to chill one's heart.
Lin Mo walked up to a piece of granite the size of two oxen and gently pressed this "black rice grain" against the rock's surface.
*Phfft!*
It was like a red-hot iron wire poking into a snowdrift. Without a sound, this black fire seal instantly sank into the interior of the rock.
Immediately after, the entire solid granite block began to glow red from the inside. In less than two seconds, it silently turned into a pile of red powder.
Not even a single drop of magma was left; it was directly vaporized by the terrifyingly high temperature.
"The power isn't bad, and the concealment is extremely high. In a close-quarters fight, if I flick this thing onto someone's body, it would be impossible to guard against."
Lin Mo brushed the dust off his hands in satisfaction.
For the next twenty-plus days, Lin Mo lived this simple, two-point routine.
By day, he was the lowly servant with black ash smeared on his face, silently chopping wood and allowing others to mock and gossip.
By night, standing before the back mountain waterfall, he continuously compressed his sword Qi and fire seals to the absolute extreme.
Time passed day by day.
Finally, there was only one day left until the Servant Disciple Selection Grand Tournament.
Chapter 35: Long Overdue
When the first ray of morning sunlight spilled onto the massive martial arts plaza of the Azure Cloud Sect's Outer Sect Peak, it was already a cauldron of boiling voices.
The once-in-three-years Servant Disciple Selection Grand Tournament had finally raised its curtains.
For the Outer Sect or Inner Sect disciples, this might just be a trivial spectacle. But for thousands of servant disciples, this was their only chance to change their destinies!
The periphery of the martial arts plaza was densely packed with servants.
Some had their fists tightly clenched, so nervous their palms were sweating cold drops.
Some had bloodshot eyes, gritting their teeth as they stared dead-on at the twenty tall arenas built of Azure Frost Rock in the center, their gazes carrying a resolute determination to burn their boats.
Win, and they could strip off these tattered, patched clothes, leap through the dragon gate to become Outer Sect disciples, and from then on possess cultivation resources distributed by the sect.
Lose, and at best their path of cultivation would be severed by heavy injuries, while at worst they would become corpses on the arena right on the spot.
For today's grand tournament on the martial arts plaza, not only had all the servants arrived, but many Outer Sect disciples with free time had also come to the spectator stands. There were even quite a few Inner Sect disciples who were usually rarely seen.
What made the blood of these bottom-tier servants surge the most was the beautiful scenery within the crowd—many female disciples who were usually unattainably high and mighty had come together to watch the spectacle.
The Servant Quarters handled the most bitter and exhausting rough labor, like chopping wood, carrying water, and emptying furnace ash. Female disciples simply couldn't endure this hardship, so the servants were almost exclusively rough, unrefined men.
And those female disciples were all, without exception, Outer Sect disciples or even Inner Sect disciples.
At this moment, watching those beautifully dressed, fragrant, and gorgeously adorned senior and junior martial sisters pointing and chatting about the arenas...
The older servants were fine.
But those hot-blooded young servants below the stage were so excited their eyes were practically turning red.
"If I could stand out in this grand tournament and catch the eye of some Inner Sect martial sister, that would simply be a single step to heaven! I'd happily eat soft rice (be supported by a woman) all the way!"
Someone fantasized in their mind, smiling foolishly.
Hearing these words, someone mercilessly poured cold water on him.
"Stop dreaming. Why would those senior sisters ever take a fancy to servants like us?"
"Did you look at the spectator stands? The elders are here too! If we could catch the eyes of the elders and be taken in as disciples, *that* would truly be a single step to heaven!"
"What? The elders are here too?"
Countless youths rubbed their fists and wiped their palms.
Hormones and the desire for the future intertwined, making them wish they could rush onto the stage right now, trample all their opponents underfoot, and properly show off their abilities.
The elders coming here naturally wasn't just to watch the spectacle.
Servant disciples mostly had mixed Five-Element Spiritual Roots or Four-Element Spiritual Roots; their aptitudes were extraordinarily poor.
But those who could fight their way out of the siege in the grand tournament under such harsh conditions—performing heavy manual labor every day with extremely scarce resources—were without exception individuals with incredibly tenacious mentalities and great perseverance!
In the cultivation world, aptitude was certainly important, but mentality and perseverance could equally determine how far a person could walk.
These servants who crawled out from the mud of the bottom tier, once they received the sect's tilted resources, often had even more potential than those ordinary Outer Sect disciples who had cultivated methodically since childhood.
Meanwhile, in the exclusive spectator area for Inner Sect disciples.
Zhang Long, who had recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, was wearing luxurious Inner Sect attire, chatting and laughing with a male and a female fellow Inner Sect disciple.
"Junior Brother Zhang."
The beautiful Inner Sect senior sister beside him covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, her gaze looking down below.
"I heard that cousin of yours in the Servant Quarters has a fun show with someone in the arena today? It seems they set up some life-and-death rules?"
Another senior brother holding a folding fan interjected with great interest: "I heard about it too. That kid A'Hu is at the fifth level of Qi Refining now, which is considered pretty good among the servants. Who is he facing? Could it be some hidden expert?"
Zhang Long waved his hand casually, his face bearing a hint of nonchalance.
"I've made a fool of myself in front of Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I heard A'Hu mention it briefly. It's no expert, just an ignorant servant who recently reached the third level of Qi Refining and doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
"He recklessly offended A'Hu in the past, and A'Hu just wanted to use this grand tournament to conveniently deal with him. An ant that can be casually crushed to death; not worth mentioning."
"So it's just a third-level Qi Refining piece of trash."
The Inner Sect senior sister instantly lost interest. She covered her mouth, chuckling and shaking her head.
"Then there really is nothing to watch."
The several people present were all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. In their eyes, cultivators at the Qi Refining stage were no different from ants.
*Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!*
Right at this moment, three melodious and deep rings from an ancient bell resounded through the entire venue.
An Outer Sect deacon at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment walked to the front of the stage and announced loudly:
"The Servant Disciple Selection Grand Tournament officially begins! Arena defenders, take the stage!"
The moment his words fell, *swoosh, swoosh, swoosh*, several figures vaulted directly from the crowd and landed firmly on the arenas.
These people all had steady auras and were impressively the most notorious, ruthless characters in the Servant Quarters.
After all, the arena tournament was about seeing who could stand on top until the end, not who got up there the fastest.
Those who took the stage right at the opening were all, without exception, confident in their own strength.
"That's Wang Meng from the Dining Hall! Peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining. I heard his Mountain-Cleaving Fist can shatter even boulders!"
"And Zhao Tiezhu from the Spirit Herb Garden, he's also at the fifth level of Qi Refining!"
Several powerful servant disciples took the lead in occupying the arenas.
On the main spectator stand, several elders looked at these individuals and nodded in satisfaction.
"Mhm, that Wang Meng's lower stance is extremely stable, and his physical body is well-tempered. He's a good seedling."
*Bang!*
Accompanied by an incredibly arrogant, muffled thud, Zhang Hu, carrying that Mid-grade fine steel broadsword, also leaped heavily onto a conspicuous arena.
He released his fifth-level Qi Refining spiritual energy without reservation, sweeping his fierce gaze over the crowd below:
"Who dares to come up and instruct me?!"
For a moment, no one below the stage actually dared to answer.
Even the other few servant experts at the fifth level of Qi Refining deliberately avoided Zhang Hu's gaze, choosing to challenge other arenas.
The reason was very simple. Not only was Zhang Hu at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he also held a Mid-grade magical artifact.
More importantly—his cousin Zhang Long was watching right there on the Inner Sect spectator stands!
One had to give face to an Inner Sect disciple. Besides, there were so many other arenas; they didn't necessarily have to fight for this one.
"Mhm, this child's conduct and style quite fit my taste."
An elder with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a rather robust build looked at Zhang Hu on the stage and gave a slight nod.
Seeing that no one dared to take the stage, Zhang Hu inadvertently swept his peripheral vision over the spectator stands and smiled in satisfaction.
Just a few days ago, his cousin came to find him. Besides supporting him with resources and weapons, he also disclosed that a certain elder had a preference and rather liked people with flamboyant and bold conduct.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his mind and dared to risk offending everyone by arrogantly shouting.
One had to know, besides these servants, there were also Outer and Inner Sect disciples watching. If any of these people were dissatisfied with him, his cousin wouldn't be able to protect him.
Next, a strange scene occurred.
The other arenas were packed with people constantly going up to challenge those standing on them, but Zhang Hu's arena remained completely empty.
Everyone was fighting for those twenty spots. As long as they avoided Zhang Hu's arena and fought someone else, it would be fine.
Who would be stupid enough to thoroughly offend an Inner Sect disciple in front of everyone just for a single spot?
The grand tournament proceeded like a raging fire. Brutal, flesh-hitting slaughter had already begun on the other arenas, with blood and screams constantly echoing out.
Only Zhang Hu's arena was completely empty, so desolate it was somewhat bizarre.
Zhang Hu paced back and forth on the stage with his broadsword. He waited for a long time but still didn't see that washed-out figure in the crowd.
"Where is Lin Mo?!"
Zhang Hu was getting impatient.
Pointing the tip of his blade at the crowd below, he mocked loudly, "Where's that sick bastard who said he was going to settle the score with me, principal and interest?! How come I don't even see his shadow?"
The servants below the stage exchanged glances, then erupted into waves of ingratiating laughter.
"Is there even a need to ask? He definitely ran away scared!"
"A month ago, in front of everyone, he was forced into a corner and could only talk tough to puff himself up. Today, when it's truly time to face life and death, who wouldn't piss their pants?"
"With Senior Brother Zhang Hu's current stance, that piece of trash probably packed his bedroll and slipped down the mountain overnight last night!"
Hearing the discussions below the stage, the disdain on Zhang Hu's face grew heavier. He laughed loudly: "I thought he was some tough bone, but he turns out to be a spineless coward! Wasting my feelings!"
"Mhm... it seems A'Hu is going to be disappointed today."
On the Inner Sect spectator stand, seeing this, Zhang Long and his fellow senior brothers and sisters also shook their heads in boredom.
Not even having the courage to take the stage—this kind of trash truly didn't even deserve the right to be discussed by them.
Just as everyone in the venue thought Lin Mo had deserted before the battle and Zhang Hu was preparing to laugh wantonly on the arena.
An incredibly calm, yet extremely penetrating voice traveled unhurriedly from the very back of the crowd on the periphery of the martial arts plaza.
"What's the rush."
The crowd froze slightly. Following the voice, they involuntarily parted to both sides, opening up a path.
Lin Mo wore those old, heavily patched clothes. His face still smeared with a layer of ash, he looked dusty and grimy.
Carrying that rusty, broken axe on his back, he was taking extremely steady steps. Following the path cleared by the crowd, he walked toward the arena step by step.
Facing everyone's gazes—whether shocked, mocking, or looking at a dead man—he arrived, long overdue.
Walking to the base of the arena, Lin Mo slowly raised his head. Those dull, wooden eyes looked at Zhang Hu's sneering face on the stage without the slightest ripple, as calm as an ancient well.
"I slept heavily last night. Slept in a bit and lost some time."
Lin Mo flicked the dust off his cuffs. His tone was as casual as if he had just returned from buying vegetables at the market.
"But getting here now... isn't considered too late."