Speaking of which, he glanced at Wu Ba unhappily, "Never seen someone eat like this, chewing a peony like an ox, spoiling the mood!"

"The master is mistaken."

Li Yan laughed silently, shaking his head, "This brother of mine has a big appetite, but he's had plenty of good stuff, his tastes are getting pickier, never seen him act like this."

"How much? That table is on us too."

"Hehe, how can I accept this?"

The blind Daoist took a sip of tea, chuckled, "Little brother, this pockmarked one cooks for us for free. If you're feeling generous, you could give us... ooh~"

Before he could finish, the young boy covered his mouth.

The boy looked embarrassed, quickly shaking his head, "Young Hero Li, please don't mind, my master has no filter."

"You fool!"

The blind Daoist shoved his hand away, grumbling, "Too proud to admit it, you'll suffer for it one day!"

While the two were goofing around, Wang Pockmark on the other side didn't waste words, directly stating: "They won't take money, your table is thirty taels."

"Alright."

Li Yan nodded, took out thirty taels of silver notes from his pocket, along with some loose silver, and handed it to the little servant, "Thank you for your hard work, little brother."

The little servant was immediately flustered, turning his head to look at Wang Pockmark.

"What are you looking at?"

Wang Pockmark widened his eyes, "They have money, if they give it to you, take it. Following me, you'll never worry about tips."

Though his words were harsh, it was clear he appreciated this diligent young apprentice.

Meanwhile, the young boy holding the sword was getting impatient, and he cupped his hands towards Li Yan, "Hero Li, since you're full, how about a practice? "

"Haha, what's the rush?"

Li Yan smiled slightly, picked up the teapot, poured some hot tea, "Exercise after eating isn't good for the stomach, have some tea and relax first."

"Little brother, when having a match of martial arts, we ought to introduce ourselves and our lineage, right? Can't just fight blindly."

He could tell that the blind Daoist wasn't easy to talk to, so he aimed for the boy for answers.

The boy blushed, turning to look at the blind Daoist, spoke timidly, "My surname is Chang, with the name Gousheng, trained in the Chopping Wood Swordsmanship passed down by my master."

Li Yan's eye twitched, "Little brother must be joking?"

"What's wrong with Chopping Wood Swordsmanship?"

The blind Daoist snorted, "A sword technique good enough for chopping wood is useful, useful means it's a good sword technique."

"The elder speaks wisely."

Li Yan smiled slightly, saying no more.

He already figured out that the elder was probably a hidden expert, with a foolish apprentice.

Didn't expect to encounter such a scene.

There's no use hiding; when they start, it'll become clear.

Thinking of this, he asked no further questions, and after sipping some tea, slowly stood up and smiled, "Shall we find a place where no one is around?"

"Sure!"

The sword-carrying boy Gousheng eagerly nodded.

"Wu Ba, let's go!"

Li Yan smiled slightly, turning to leave.

Once outside the tent, he headed directly towards the mountains, taking just a few steps, it was as if he was Shrinking Ground into Inches, instantly arriving more than ten meters away.

Wu Ba stomped his feet, his speed equally astonishing.

"Young Hero Li! Young Hero Li!"

Wu Kang of the Chang Chun Association was anxious, running, pleading earnestly, "Could you let me witness?"

He had heard earlier that the two were about to have a match, and he waited all this time just for this.

Opportunities like this are rare in a lifetime, naturally not willing to miss it, even if it meant pleading shamelessly to broaden his horizons.

"Alright!"

Li Yan turned, with a few steps reached his side, grabbed his arm and walked forward.

With his current Dao, even with someone in tow, his speed didn't slow at all, purely Martial Arts techniques.

Wu Kang felt his arm being tugged, and immediately his feet left the ground, wind whistled by his ears, the scenery in front of him quickly receding.

Immortal... Immortal Law?

He was dumbstruck, his heart filled with excitement.

However, behind, the blind Daoist slightly twitched his ears, a hint of surprise on his face, sneered, "Gousheng, look, compared to them, you're far behind, stop fighting and go back with the old man to chop wood and farm?"

The boy Gousheng, his face also filled with shock.

He could see that Li Yan didn't use any spells, but rather an incredibly advanced technique, his use of power had reached the pinnacle.

But it didn't discourage him; instead, it ignited his fighting spirit.

"Whether I can or can't, we'll know only after the fight!"

With that, he pressed off his foot, and with a whoosh, darted forward.

His method of swift movement was completely different from Li Yan's, it involved holding his sword in one hand, lowering his body, while his toes touched the ground, darting forward like a sharp sword.

In terms of speed, he was on par with Wu Ba.

As for the blind Daoist, he seemed like a mere spectator, a laid-back look, leisurely following behind.

Appearing carefree, but consistently maintaining a three-step distance from the boy.

The commoners outside the banquet tent still didn't know what had happened. A few people rushed out at a high speed, leaving them dumbfounded.

"Master, aren't you going to watch?"

Inside the banquet tent, the young servant asked timidly.

Wang Mazi awakened his Divine Skills, and judging by his knife skills in cooking, he was clearly no ordinary hand.

However, he showed no interest at all, sitting silently on the bench, crossing his legs, and taking a few puffs from his pipe.

"Remember, a cook is just a cook."

"A lifetime is short; it's enough to do one thing well..."

...

A few people moved at lightning speed and arrived at the mountainside of Lingquan Mountain in less than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, at a remote and deserted place.

Li Yan suddenly stopped. He saw that half of the area was surrounded by bamboo forest, with a stream flowing and a collapsed ruined temple, leaving only the broken walls. The distant mountains and clouded forests looked like ink paintings.

"What a place!"

Li Yan laughed heartily and turned to look behind him.

The master and apprentice duo arrived one after the other.

"Gousheng, what do you want to compete in?"

Li Yan smiled slightly and asked directly.

He had some fondness for this young man, so he did not beat around the bush.

"Let's start with weapons!"

Gousheng, the sword-hugging youth, could not hide his excitement and drew his sword with a clang.

But upon seeing it, Li Yan frowned, "This sword won't do; it'll shatter upon contact. Let me find something."

He looked around, then picked up a wooden stick from the ground.

It turned out that the sword the young man had was truly pathetic, just an ordinary wrought iron sword, rusted, and full of nicks.

The young man's face turned red upon seeing this, "Are you looking down on me?"

"You fool!"

The blind Daoist behind him raised his leg and kicked him on the butt, "He's fighting you, using a wooden stick all the same."

The young man stumbled, showing a face full of indignation, and turned his wrist, ready to charge with his sword.

"Hey~ Stop!"

Li Yan quickly made a gesture to halt.

"What's it now?!"

The young Gousheng was somewhat speechless.

On this journey, he had heard many rumors about Li Yan, saying he would kill at the slightest disagreement, like a fierce murderer.

Why did he seem so hesitant in person?

Li Yan smiled slightly, twirled the wooden stick in his hand like a flower, and said calmly, "Let's regulate your breathing first, otherwise, it won't be fun."

Upon hearing this, Gousheng's face turned red, "Thank you for the advice."

With that, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

When he opened them again, he was calm; he slowly raised his sword and formed a sword technique gesture with his hands, his body slightly crouched, left foot moving forward gradually.

Li Yan squinted his eyes slightly and raised his wooden stick.

Swish!

Gousheng suddenly launched a surprise attack.

He did not attack head-on, but twisted his body and the sword gleamed, slicing diagonally from Li Yan's neck.

This was called "snatching the outer gate."

A sword has two edges, thin and sharp on both sides.

Thus, with a sword, one should not block head-on but move diagonally to the side gate, which is called "snatching the outer gate."

Li Yan expected this all along, moved his left foot slightly back, his wrist gently shook, and the wooden stick flicked perfectly against the sword's edge.

There was a loud clang, and Gousheng felt his long sword go out of control, as if it was about to slip from his hand.

He reacted swiftly, flicked it upwards, then flipped his wrist, his body soaring into the air, like a scorpion tail, directly pointing at Li Yan's head.

Li Yan smiled slightly and raised the wooden stick to block it.

Upon seeing this, Gousheng felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Even if his sword was lousy, it was easy to chop through a wooden stick, fighting with this thing was utterly ridiculous.

Yet within Gousheng's heart, there was some discomfort.

On his journey, he had encountered a few famous experts who were quickly driven into a wretched escape by him; he never expected this person before him to also be a fake being.

Forget it, better not harm him.

Thinking this, he even withheld some of his sword's force.

But when the sword clashed with the stick, Gousheng realized something was wrong.

His sword only managed to break a little of the wood's surface, and the power seemed to vanish completely, like being stuck in mud, making it extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Li Yan just turned the wooden stick around, and Gousheng's sword was once again skewed off, almost slipping from his hand again.

He quickly withdrew his sword and retreated, wide-eyed and dumbfounded:

"What kind of skill is this?"

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