Afternoon.

Tiger Roar Martial Arts Hall.

"Poisonous Snake Young Master?"

Li Tianhu, dressed in a blue robe, sat in the garden pavilion, his brows tightly knit, baffled and lost in thought.

But—

The disciples of the hall: eight were killed last night, and another five were just reported dead, all with the Little Iron Snake mark of the Poisonous Snake Young Master left on their corpses. Everyone at the hall was on edge.

He had led people to investigate all day but had come up empty-handed.

"Master, bad news... There's just been another report, South City... four more disciples have died, all marked with the Little Iron Snake. It's the Poisonous Snake Young Master's doing!"

At that moment, Housekeeper Zhang Lin rushed over, stopping thirty feet away to bow with cupped fists, worry etched on his face.

"What? Four more are dead!"

"That bastard!"

Hearing this, Li Tianhu erupted in anger, slamming his fist down onto the stone table in front of him. Qi Force shot out, and the stone table was instantly blasted to pieces!

A fierce aura swept through the area, blowing fallen leaves within a twenty-foot radius in all directions!

So many disciples killed in just one day—no one felt safe anymore. From now on, who would dare join Tiger Roar Martial Arts Hall?

Housekeeper Zhang Lin stayed silent.

"How many new disciples joined today?"

Li Tianhu calmed his breath somewhat and asked.

"Reporting to the master... there were... no new disciples today..."

Zhang Lin answered anxiously, bowing low.

"I don't remember offending the Poisonous Snake Young Master, nor do I know anyone like him. Could it be..."

Li Tianhu squinted, considering a possibility, and said grimly, "Housekeeper Zhang, send someone to keep an eye on Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall. See what they're up to!"

"Master, you mean... it's some scheme by Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall?"

Zhang Lin's eyes went wide in surprise.

"If we at Tiger Roar Martial Arts Hall keep having people die every day and everyone's afraid for their lives, the hall will surely collapse. Then, Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall will be the only one left in Min Nan City!"

"There's a good chance this is that bastard Qian Wantong pulling the strings!"

"Go now, stay on them."

A shadow flickered in Li Tianhu's eyes. He hadn't built this modest martial arts hall up to one of the top two in Min Nan City by being a fool—he was quick to spot the key detail.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Lin turned and hurried off.

........

Lin Chang'sheng slung the Dawn Blade, wrapped in gray cloth, and the Iron Embryo Bow on his back as he left South City.

Outside South City.

Qingshui River, twenty li out.

Here, the river was about fifteen to twenty feet wide, and looked to be about ten feet deep.

[Cultivation: Martial Arts Grandmaster (1/62500)]

Lin Chang'sheng stood by the riverbank, hand gripping Dawn, glanced at his status panel. True Qi surged in his dantian, flooding his meridians, coiling around his long saber!

Zheng!

Dawn let out a clear saber cry!

"Thunder Shock Slash!"

Lin Chang'sheng slashed forward. Mighty True Qi erupted from his dantian, surging along his meridians and through Dawn, blasting out a five-zhang-long Blade Aura, emanating a matchless, savage edge!

Because his True Qi was so refined, the Blade Aura shone pale blue!

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

The Thunder Shock Slash landed like exploding thunder!!

The clear Qingshui River—fifteen to twenty feet wide, ten feet deep—was split instantly, the riverbed carved with a gash more than three feet deep, and water burst upward in dozens of columns, each over fifty feet high, shrouding a sixty-foot radius in mist!

A ring of fierce pale blue Qi Force shockwaves blasted in all directions!

The riverbank grass was shredded to dust by the Qi Force!

"Now that I've advanced to Martial Arts Grandmaster, the power of Thunder Shock Slash is absolutely monstrous!"

"With my current strength, even if that Canglang Blade Master Lightning Blade Zhong Ling and Situ Zhan of the Min Nan Five Tigers ganged up on me, they'd be nothing but trash!"

Seeing the devastation his Thunder Shock Slash wrought, Lin Chang'sheng's eyes glowed with satisfaction.

"Swish!"

With a thought, Lin Chang'sheng sent True Qi flooding beneath his feet—his figure blurred into afterimages, skimming over the river. He leapt over the fifteen to twenty foot wide river in a flash!

His movement was like a great bird soaring, gliding over treetops, blades of grass, and water, his speed reaching its peak—sleek as fleeting shadows!

Half a quarter hour later.

Lin Chang'sheng stood by the river once more, Iron Embryo Bow drawn. He loosed an arrow, pouring vigorous True Qi into it—so fast it whistled with a piercing screech through the air!

The arrow struck a boulder over a hundred feet away on the riverbank, easily the size of a bathtub!

Bang!

The arrow plunged in as if through tofu, and a burst of violent True Qi shattered the giant rock to dust!

"Not bad, but this Iron Embryo Bow is already lagging behind my power now,"

Lin Chang'sheng thought as he looked at the bow in his hands.

Just now, he'd pulled the bow to full draw but only used about sixty percent of his strength; any more, and the Iron Embryo Bow would probably snap.

"Huh? Even more spoils?"

"Can't let good stuff go to waste—I'll take this back and make a nice stew."

Lin Chang'sheng was just about to head back when, by the riverside, he spotted an old, pie-dish-sized black turtle, legs in the air, already dead from the shock. He picked it up at once.

At this point—

The sky darkened.

"Right, it's about time. I'll find a place in town to eat first—then I'll hit Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall!"

"If I can get my hands on their saber techniques, my Thunder Shock Slash will probably reach even greater heights!"

With expectation gleaming in his eyes, Lin Chang'sheng made up his mind, shouldering the Dawn Blade and Iron Embryo Bow, and dashed off at top speed.

.......

Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall.

Within a secluded courtyard—

"In South City, two disciples died in an abandoned yard—killed by Great Success Iron Sand Palm?"

Qian Wantong, dressed in luxurious robes with his hands behind his back, eyed his eldest disciple Zhuge Buping with a deep frown.

"That's right, Master. Both fellas had their skulls crushed, bones driven right into their chests. But who could've killed them?"

Zhuge Buping bowed with cupped fists, an uneasy feeling gnawing at him inside.

"Great Success Iron Sand Palm... The Chen Family practices Horizontal Golden Bell Shield Training, and plenty of their clan members train Iron Sand Palm too... Could our men have crossed the Chen Family?"

Qian Wantong furrowed his brow. The Chen Family was one of the Five Great Clans of Min Nan City. Their disciples all practiced Golden Bell Shield, had powerful physiques, and several were first-class experts—not to be trifled with.

"Master, should I send people to watch the Chen Family's movements and proceed with the original plan?"

Zhuge Buping bowed low.

"Yes, stick to the plan."

Qian Wantong nodded.

"By the way, Master, my men report that Tiger Roar Martial Arts Hall is in frightful chaos. At the disciple recruitment desk today, a bunch of teens turned tail the moment they heard the Poisonous Snake Young Master was looking for revenge!"

Zhuge Buping bowed again.

"Oh?"

Qian Wantong's eyes brightened, "Speed up the plan! Go!"

"Yes, Master!"

Zhuge Buping bowed out and left.

......

Night deepened.

Moonlight, silver as mercury, bathed Min Nan City.

Brothels, gambling halls, taverns—many still glowed with light.

Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall.

Within a private, shadowy courtyard, a lantern still flickered.

"As expected, you have to give to get! Spend enough silver, and you can buy more secret manuals!"

"Fools clutch their treasures and miss out on greater opportunities!"

Qian Wantong sat in a lavish private room, still wide awake, a register in his hands as he muttered, "If I wasn't willing to part with Gale Saber Technique and Five Internal Organs Guiding Technique, how would Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall have grown so vast? How would I have gained such a great estate?"

"Now, with Stepping on Snow Without Leaving Traces, my strength will soar even higher!"

More than satisfied, Qian Wantong stepped to a corner, moved a cabinet aside, pressed a spot behind it—revealing a secret compartment behind the cabinet. He placed the register inside, slid the cabinet back, and set it in place.

"Who's there?!"

Qian Wantong whirled around and was startled to see a man in a bulky black outfit, face covered by a black cloth, gloved hands, standing in his room. Instinctively, his hand shot toward the saber on the wall.

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