Qin Fengming had killed his opponent with such decisiveness, but in his young heart, he had endured a fierce struggle. (www..com)
He had been a kindhearted mountain village child, but when he thought that if his methods had not been astonishing just now, and if he had not possessed the hidden weapon given to him by First Senior Brother, he would already have been killed by the person before him.
Although he was not yet twenty and was still only a child, what he had experienced was far beyond that of ordinary children. When he was ten, he had once killed a python one or two zhang long all by himself. If other children had seen such a python, they might not even have been able to move their feet.
At this moment, Qin Fengming had already come to understand the dangers of the human world in his young heart. When dealing with evil people, one could only be more evil than they were.
After killing Yuan Kejian, Qin Fengming moved and swiftly circled back to where the three men had originally been. He stabbed each of them once more, completely killing all three.
After finishing everything, Qin Fengming collapsed onto the stone ground.
At that moment, he was only a child. A surge of fierce energy had driven him to kill four people, but afterward, the overwhelming terror of killing someone for the first time still left him utterly frightened.
Only after remaining there for two whole hours did Qin Fengming somewhat recover his composure. He moved the four corpses to a hidden place and covered them with broken stones.
The object that had shot and killed the first man had been the small jade sword given to him by Second Senior Brother Lü Xuan. Seeing this, Qin Fengming felt extremely grateful toward both Senior Brothers. If not for the hidden weapon given to him by First Senior Brother, then the one who had certainly died here today would have been none other than himself.
When he saw the Bamboo Tube at Yuan Kejian's waist, a trace of lingering fear appeared in his heart.
Recalling Yuan Kejian's expression and movements at the time, Qin Fengming suddenly awakened. Yuan Kejian had definitely been pretending to beg for mercy in order to confuse him, then waiting for an opportunity to use this hidden weapon to kill him.
Thinking of this, Qin Fengming could not help but deeply reflect in his young heart...
It was not until noon that Qin Fengming returned to his residence. After washing up briefly, he went to the dining area to get something to eat. As for the matter of killing Yuan Kejian and the other three, Qin Fengming was not particularly worried. Disciples from the same sect often disappeared for no apparent reason.
Luoxia Valley was surrounded by high mountains and deep valleys. If someone fell from a cliff, that was an utterly ordinary occurrence. Naturally, no one would search carefully. In the end, this matter would certainly come to nothing.
Just as Qin Fengming was holding a steamed bun and eating, he suddenly heard the voices of two Luoxia Valley disciples conversing behind him:
"I heard that Senior Brother Lin has been working incredibly hard lately. His Tiger Subduing Staff Technique has already reached the fifth layer. At next year's grand competition, there won't be any suspense about him smoothly entering Elite Hall."
"That isn't necessarily so. The other disciples with strength aren't pushovers either. Although they lost the competition three years ago, after three years of cultivation, their strength must have increased greatly. It's also possible that some other disciple will suddenly emerge from nowhere. Winning in the competition won't be easy."
"The grand competition? Elite Hall?"
The two words fell into Qin Fengming's ears, immediately startling him. He had naturally already heard something about Elite Hall, but he still had not figured out exactly what it was.
When he turned around, he saw that the two speakers were about fifteen or sixteen years old. They were probably disciples selected in previous years. He bowed and respectfully said, "Two Senior Brothers, sorry to trouble you. There is something I would like to ask you about. I wonder if you could tell me a thing or two?"
The two men looked up at Qin Fengming. Seeing that he was only twelve or thirteen, they knew he was a new disciple. A trace of displeasure appeared on their faces as they said flatly:
"I don't know what you want to ask. If it isn't too much trouble, we can explain a thing or two to you."
Seeing their expressions, Qin Fengming did not take it to heart. He bowed again and said, "It won't be any trouble. Junior Brother only wishes to ask the two Senior Brothers about something. What exactly is the grand competition you mentioned just now?"
"So that's what this is about. It is understandable that you don't know. When next year's grand competition arrives, all the instructors will naturally explain it to you in detail. Since you are asking now, we can tell you a little in advance."
Hearing Qin Fengming's question, the displeasure on the two men's faces immediately changed greatly. One of them even spoke with evident excitement.
"Speaking of our sect's grand competition, it is a major event concerning every one of us disciples training in Hundred Refinements Hall. The grand competition is a martial competition held among the disciples of Hundred Refinements Hall once every three years. Those who place among the top twenty can enter Elite Hall to continue cultivating. You presumably know about Elite Hall, right? It is where the essence of our sect lies."
"During the martial competition, if someone performs exceptionally and catches the eye of a Hall Master or an Elder, being directly accepted as their disciple would be a true ascent to the heavens in a single step. However, this competition does not require new disciples like you to participate. You can only wait until three years later for the next competition."
The two men supplemented each other and explained the grand competition in great detail. Though it had taken only a few short sentences, Qin Fengming had already gained a complete understanding.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brothers. I wish you both success in this competition and hope you can smoothly enter Elite Hall."
Hearing Qin Fengming's flattering words, the two men showed hopeful expressions, waved lightly, and left.
After returning to his residence, Qin Fengming's heart was no longer calm. Ever since his battle with Yuan Kejian and the other three, he had gained a clear understanding of his own strength. As long as he trained diligently for another year, his strength would certainly improve greatly.
By then, even if he could not compare with fellow disciples who had joined the sect seven or eight years earlier, defeating disciples who had joined five or six years earlier should not be difficult.
At this thought, Qin Fengming could not help but grow excited.
Early the next morning, before dawn had broken, Qin Fengming went straight to Hundred Zhang Cliff. He had already made up his mind: for next year's grand competition, he would definitely plead with his master to let him participate.
Yet for several days in a row, he did not see his master at Hundred Zhang Cliff. He did not even catch sight of his mistress or Senior Disciple Sister Zhang Ruotong, which left Qin Fengming deeply puzzled.
With no other choice, Qin Fengming could only put the grand competition aside and once again devote himself wholeheartedly to martial training. For more than ten days straight, although four fewer disciples who had entered the sect at the same time were around, none of the other people living with him sensed anything unusual.
In truth, all the children secretly wished someone would disappear. That way, there would be one fewer person to compete against.
One day, Duan Meng suddenly came to Qin Fengming's room and handed him a letter with a delighted look on his face.
The moment Qin Fengming saw it, he was overjoyed. There was no need to ask; he knew it must be a letter from his Elder Brother. No one else in the household knew how to read. He quickly accepted the letter, opened it, and read it carefully.
Only after a long while did Qin Fengming carefully put the letter away. His face was filled with joy.
In the letter, his Elder Brother told him that the thirty taels of silver he had sent home had been received. His parents and grandparents were all well. His Elder Brother told him to take good care of himself, focus on practicing martial arts, and not worry about home.
Sitting upright beside the bed, Qin Fengming's thoughts unknowingly flew back to the small mountain village where he had lived for ten years. He saw his grandparents, his father, and his mother...
A month later, Qin Fengming finally saw his long-absent master. After kneeling on the ground and kowtowing in greeting, Qin Fengming hurriedly gave his master a detailed account of his intention to participate in the martial competition the following year.
Hall Master Zhang listened to Qin Fengming, gazed at him for a long while, and only after pondering briefly did he speak:
"Fengming, given your age, it is not impossible for you to participate in next year's competition. However, your foundation is still shallow, and compared with the other participants, your strength is somewhat lacking. If you insist on participating, I imagine you will not place very highly."
Although Zhang Li favored Qin Fengming greatly, this young disciple of his had practiced martial arts for only two or three years. Compared with those who had practiced for five or six years, the gap was not small.
"Please rest assured, Master. I am not participating in the competition because I hope to enter the top twenty. I only want to gain more practical combat experience. I hope Master can agree."
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