Killing Lan Xinghe

"Brothers, the gang provides us with good food and drink. Now is the time for us to risk our lives."

To Lin Xiao's surprise, Cheng Liang did not flee. Instead, he fearlessly led a dozen men to charge at the Iron Oar Hall's dozens of men, who outnumbered them several times over. This impressed Lin Xiao, who had already prepared himself for a solo battle.

If his subordinates weren't afraid of death, then he had even less reason to be. Moreover, he had nothing to fear.

Soldiers fight soldiers, generals fight generals. This was an unwritten rule in the conflicts between martial arts gangs. Lan Xinghe took out two Silver Thread Gloves from his bosom and put them on. Maintaining a smile on his face, he strode towards Lin Xiao, clearly brimming with confidence.

Lin Xiao dismounted and drew his Hundred-Forged Fine Steel Saber with a 'clang'. He threw the scabbard aside and turned to face Lan Xinghe. Their speeds increased, and within three steps, less than ten meters apart, they met. Lan Xinghe suddenly stomped on the hard ground, leaving deep footprints, and his speed abruptly increased. He clasped his palms together, bent his fingers into claws, and lunged straight for Lin Xiao's face.

Lin Xiao charged forward without hesitation, unleashing the Three Rivers Saber technique 'Galloping Waves' and slashing down. He infused his Hundred-Forged Fine Steel Saber with a century's worth of Yang Sha inner energy. The saber body, infused with inner energy, lit up with a faint glow and slashed towards Lan Xinghe's claws like a silken ribbon.

The sharp saber energy caused Lan Xinghe's expression to change slightly. He dared not meet the blow head-on and quickly changed his move, transforming his claws into palms to strike the incoming saber.

"Clang! Clang!"

The saber and palm separated upon contact. Lan Xinghe used the force to rebound five to six meters and stopped, his face filled with surprise.

"Hall Master Lin is so young yet possesses such profound inner energy. This old man is shocked!"

Lin Xiao also retreated a few steps, examined the saber body, which was undamaged, and smiled up at him.

"Protector Lan will be even more surprised later."

"Oh? Then this old man will wait and see!"

With that, Lan Xinghe's figure flickered and split into two, with two figures lunging at him from the left and right.

"What a movement technique!"

Lin Xiao couldn't help but praise, but his hands didn't slow down as he directly swung his saber at the figure on the right.

He didn't try to discern the real from the fake. It didn't matter which was which; he would fight first.

He unleashed 'Rushing Waves' and destroyed the figure on the right, which was the fake. The figure on the left had already closed in, striking Lin Xiao's left shoulder and waist with two palms. A considerable amount of inner energy was injected into his body, violently rampaging along his meridians and causing damage. However, Lin Xiao was prepared. His century and a half of inner energy cultivation was not for show. He easily blocked the inner energy injected into his body but did not expel it. Instead, he feigned a struggle, luring Lan Xinghe into thinking he could subdue him with one decisive blow.

Lan Xinghe indeed fell for the bait. No matter how cunning he was, he would never have imagined that such a young man would possess up to 120 years of internal cultivation. Thus, when he prepared to transform his palms into claws and strike Lin Xiao's vital points at the waist to subdue him, Lin Xiao's century of Yang Sha Technique inner energy and century of Yin Sha Technique inner energy erupted simultaneously. This not only completely repelled the energy Lan Xinghe had injected into him but also, through his hand gripping Lin Xiao's waist, rebounded back into Lan Xinghe's palm and into his Three Yang Meridians.

Lan Xinghe, who thought he had succeeded, suddenly turned pale and cried out, "This is bad!" But it was too late. Lin Xiao's profound inner energy surged, completely subduing him. With a swift counter-attack, Lin Xiao slashed down with his saber. A crisp 'crack' echoed, and an aged head flew into the sky, with blood gushing out like a fountain more than two meters high.

Lan Xinghe was killed with a single saber strike. The entire exchange, from start to finish, took only a few rounds, happening too quickly. The subordinates of both sides, who were engaged in a chaotic battle nearby, hadn't even noticed. Lin Xiao didn't announce his victory by holding up the head and shouting for them to stop. Instead, he lunged into the fray and split an Iron Boat Gang member in half with his saber, along with his oar-like blade.

These were all walking Potential Points; they couldn't be wasted.

It wasn't until he had killed five men that someone noticed the headless corpse lying on the ground. Someone shouted, "Protector Lan is dead!" The remaining men's morale plummeted, and they began to flee. Lin Xiao pursued them, killing seven or eight more before stopping.

After the battlefield was cleared, the Iron Boat Gang had lost more than ten men. Their own side had lost only one, but everyone was injured.

Fortunately, Lin Xiao had eliminated Lan Xinghe so quickly. Had it been any slower, these injured men would likely have died, especially since the Iron Boat Gang had superior numbers and could surround and kill one person with several.

The dozen or so injured subordinates excitedly cleared the battlefield, searching the corpses for valuables. The dozen or so oar-blades were all collected and piled together; these were their spoils of war.

Having survived a great disaster, everyone was exhilarated. Their admiration for Lin Xiao soared like a rocket. If they had followed him before out of duty and a desire for advancement, they now felt fortunate to have come. Following such a powerful Hall Master, their future prospects were far beyond mere leadership.

Cheng Liang kicked the headless corpse on the ground, his face filled with disbelief. "Hall Master, do you know who he was?"

Lin Xiao, who was wiping his saber with a white cloth, rolled his eyes. "Didn't he introduce himself? Protector Lan Xinghe of the Iron Boat Gang."

"Then don't you feel anything?"

"What kind of feeling do you want?"

"Heavens!"

Cheng Liang covered his forehead with his hand. "The Iron Boat Gang's main headquarters also has four protectors, on the same level as our own gang's four protectors. Hall Master, your ability to defeat him shows that your martial arts are now on par with these experts."

"Oh? And so what?"

Cheng Liang: "..."

After everyone had collected their spoils and gathered the warhorses, Lin Xiao took a silver ingot from the pile. "You can split the rest."

The subordinates erupted in cheers.

He didn't need these things. What he wanted were the good items used by people of his level, such as the pair of Silver Thread Gloves on Lan Xinghe's hands, and a one-star top-grade claw technique manual called 'Eagle Claw Technique' that he had taken from his embrace.

The name 'Eagle Claw Technique' was very familiar and common, much like 'Five Tiger Breaking Door Saber', appearing in many wuxia novels. It seemed cheap and worthless.

In reality, this was not the case. This was, after all, a one-star top-grade claw technique and Lan Xinghe's most proficient skill. He even carried the manual with him at all times.

Lin Xiao picked up the manual and flipped through it, immediately deciding to learn it.

For others, practicing too many miscellaneous skills was a major taboo. But for Lin Xiao, who possessed a special ability, there was no issue of "too much of a good thing." As long as he had enough Potential Points, he could learn any number of martial arts.

He had gained 18 Potential Points for defeating Lan Xinghe alone, but defeating the thirteen Iron Boat Gang subordinates had only given him a total of 3 Potential Points. Adding the previous remaining 2 points, he now had a total of 23 Potential Points.

This meant that killing low-level soldiers yielded very little, and the rewards would decrease as his strength grew. This forced him to seek out experts to challenge.

Of course, while individual soldiers were not worth much, if their numbers were large enough, they could still accumulate. After all, there were only so many experts in the world; he couldn't kill them all.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the total of 23 Potential Points was exactly what was needed to upgrade Flying Heaven Steps from the second to the third level (10 points) and from the third to the fourth level (13 points). He had used up all his Potential Points, and Flying Heaven Steps had been upgraded to the fourth level.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.