Trouble Before the Law Enforcement Hall, Vast Sea Finger Slays a Traitor

Afternoon.

The hour of the Rooster.

Chen Duan finished his cultivation, and the Hongyuan Internal Qi slowly withdrew from the bones throughout his body.

He moved his Tendons and Bones slightly, and crisp cracks rang from every joint, carrying a strange texture to them.

If cultivating the Wood Element Art were compared to growing a tree,

then the first three levels were its branches, leaves, and veins, while the fourth level was its core trunk.

Chen Duan lightly pressed his arm bone.

It seemed that because of his true qi, the Blood Worm could no longer continue containing the Fuhu Fist for the time being.

Yet unexpectedly, despite the Fuhu Fist's dominance, cultivating the Wood Element Art alongside it did not cause any internal energy conflict.

Chen Duan could feel that the internal energy of the Fuhu Fist had undergone some fundamental change.

It was no longer merely a stream of energy flowing through his body, but had become part of his body itself, fitted into his flesh.

It was like a fusion where "you are in me, and I am in you."

Chen Duan rose to his feet and pushed open the door to the Meditation Room.

The sky had already begun to darken.

Night fell early in this season.

As he walked along the path out, he suddenly heard a commotion ahead.

"Let me go!"

"What right do you have to stop me from leaving?!"

"What right? The sect has nurtured you for years, yet now that the situation is delicate, you want to walk away just like that? That is betrayal of the sect!"

"And you even dared steal sect resources! Your crimes have multiplied!"

Several Law Enforcement Hall disciples had hold of a male disciple attempting to flee the sect.

Chen Duan merely glanced over before withdrawing his gaze.

That final line—"stealing sect resources"—was the crucial part.

Quite a few people had fled recently, but if they slipped away quietly, hardly anyone would notice.

These were generally greedy fellows, though, planning to make one last haul before leaving.

That was why they exposed a flaw and got caught.

Chen Duan stepped aside to clear the way.

The group passed by him.

However, just as they crossed paths,

Chen Duan had only taken two steps when he suddenly sensed something.

"Don't move!"

A short sword pressed against Chen Duan's waist.

The male disciple from before had somehow broken free of his restraints.

His reaction was swift. In the blink of an eye, he had directly taken Chen Duan hostage.

"Bastard! Let him go!"

The Law Enforcement Hall disciples were shocked and enraged. They quickly spread out and surrounded the two of them.

"Back off! All of you, back off! Otherwise, I'll kill him immediately!"

The male disciple pushed the short sword another half inch forward, his voice trembling.

"Let me leave! Now!"

The Law Enforcement Hall disciples froze in place for the moment, not daring to act rashly.

Chen Duan tilted his head slightly and swept the man with the corner of his eye, meeting his gaze by chance.

The male disciple's heart jolted at that look.

In his panic just now, he had seized a hostage at random without looking carefully.

But this fellow seemed rather strong.

Still, he quickly calmed down.

He had joined the Yuanxiang Sect midway through life. Before entering the sect, he had already been a somewhat renowned Third Level swordsmanship Expert in the Jianghu.

At such close range, the sword tip was already pressed against a vital point.

No matter how strong the other party was, he was confident that he could kill him first before he made a move.

I've been taken hostage?

Interesting.

Chen Duan's lips curled up. Rubbing his chin, he actually felt some admiration for the man's courage.

Then, he slowly raised a hand.

"I told you not to move!"

The male disciple's nerves were stretched taut. Seeing this, he immediately shrieked a warning.

His wrist tensed, and the short sword stabbed down toward Chen Duan's kidney, intending to draw blood and establish his authority.

However—

Crack!

The male disciple's pupils dilated.

The sword had broken.

His mind went blank.

In that instant of distraction,

a huge hand pressed down toward his Skull Cap.

It carried a suffocating pressure.

A hollow sound came from behind his head.

He lifted a hand to touch his forehead and felt a hole.

It had not come from the front, but from behind.

In the end, he never managed to turn around and see who had struck.

The light in his eyes rapidly dimmed. His body swayed, then he collapsed to the ground, all breath gone.

"Oh?"

Chen Duan raised an eyebrow slightly, surprise flashing through his eyes.

He had not expected someone to get there first.

Immediately afterward, a massive blue figure walked past him.

It was a young man dressed in a blue robe.

He was about as tall as Chen Duan, but several times wider, like a mountain of flesh.

Yet in contrast to his astonishing bulk, his steps were rather light, without the cumbersome heaviness of a fat man.

"Senior Disciple Ji!"

"Thank you for acting, Senior Disciple Ji!"

Upon seeing him, the Law Enforcement Hall disciples bowed one after another, their faces full of reverence.

"Mm."

The blue-robed young man called Senior Disciple Ji wore a gentle expression with a faint smile.

He nodded slightly, his voice rich and mellow.

"Be more cautious in your actions next time."

"Yes! We shall heed Senior Disciple Ji's instruction!" the Law Enforcement Hall disciples answered in unison.

Only after the blue-robed young man leisurely departed with his hands behind his back did the Law Enforcement Hall disciples step forward to deal with the corpse.

One Law Enforcement Hall disciple approached Chen Duan and asked with concern,

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Chen Duan looked at the receding figure and asked, "May I ask who that senior brother was?"

"You don't even know Senior Disciple Ji of the Water Court?"

"I am a Wood Courtyard Disciple and have not been in the sect long, so I am not yet familiar with everyone," Chen Duan explained.

"So you're a junior brother from the Wood Courtyard. No wonder."

The Law Enforcement Hall disciple understood. Wood Courtyard Disciples spent all year in secluded cultivation and paid no heed to worldly affairs. They were famously mysterious and solitary within the sect.

"That man was the Senior Disciple Brother of the Water Courtyard, Ji Canghai—Senior Disciple Ji!

He is a Fourth Level Peak master. He once challenged the two genius disciples of the Chiliu Sect and the Taihui Sect by himself at the same time.

Not only did he not fall behind, he even severely injured one of them, raising the prestige of our Yuanxiang Sect! He is a model whom everyone in our Water Court is proud of!"

As he spoke of Ji Canghai, his face showed the pride of one sharing in the honor.

Chen Duan's gaze narrowed slightly at these words.

Only then did he notice that the disciple speaking to him was also rather round in build.

"Forgive my bluntness, but are all Water Courtyard Disciples built like you?"

The plump disciple was not angered. After all, Chen Duan was far from the first person to ask him that.

He smiled and patted his round belly, a trace of sentiment appearing on his face.

"Back then, I was a handsome young lad renowned throughout my village. This appearance is all due to the Water Element Art.

It is the nature of the Cultivation Technique. The circulation of internal energy affects one's physique, making it easy to store essence and qi in the body. Though I may look fatter, the increase in strength is real. For power, such a small change is nothing to be ashamed of!"

"You cultivated yourself into this?" Chen Duan mused.

This Water Element Art was rather peculiar.

"Junior Brother, if there is nothing else, we will be going first."

"All right."

They carried the corpse away. Chen Duan looked at the hole in the corpse.

"Fourth Level Peak..."

In that strike just now, he had sensed the presence of true qi.

Water Court.

The elder's quiet chamber.

"Master."

"My disciple is here! Come, come, sit!"

When Water Courtyard Elder Zhou Shang saw Ji Canghai, his face immediately broke into a smile, and much of his worry dissipated.

"Thank you, Master."

Ji Canghai followed his instruction and sat on a cushion beside him.

Zhou Shang looked at his prized disciple, his eyes full of gratification as he smiled and said,

"How is it? Now that you have first entered the Fifth Level, does everything feel smooth?"

"Reporting to Master, it feels very good. My successful breakthrough this time was also thanks to Master's careful assistance."

"Ah, disciple, do not belittle yourself."

Zhou Shang waved a hand, the smile on his face growing broader.

"This master merely fulfilled his duty. For you to have reached this point, ninety-nine percent of it was due to yourself."

He sighed inwardly. With the Water Court gaining another Fifth Level cultivator, even if he had not broken through to the "Extreme," the Water Court would be able to preserve a little more strength amid the coming raging currents and storms.

Master and disciple then spoke in depth about their insights into the Fifth Level for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn.

After Ji Canghai took his leave, Zhou Shang summoned another disciple.

"Master, what are your instructions?"

"Qiao Fu, how are those children in Shuilian Village doing?"

"Reporting to Master, over the last three months, ten children from that group have condensed internal energy."

Qiao Fu secretly raised his eyes and glanced at his master's expression.

Zhou Shang still wore that kindly smile on his face.

But compared with moments ago, it now carried an additional chill that made one's blood run cold.

"Only ten? That is rather few. Go and bring them here tomorrow.

Also, in my name, allocate more resources from the Mansion Treasury and deliver them there. Strive to raise the output further.

Beyond that, there is no need to be stingy with resource supplies for the sect's current disciples either.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We must grasp both ends at once."

"Yes! This disciple will make the arrangements at once."