Rules

In truth, Xu Yi had never imagined that such a marvelous object existed in this world.

Last night, he had tested the iron gall. Held in his palm, it could transform into any object wherever his energy flowed, taking whatever shape he pictured in his mind. The stronger his palm force, the faster and more fiercely it responded. At its longest, it could stretch more than three zhang, becoming a thin, sharp spear.

Even more remarkable, it transformed instantly, without a sound, and at incredible speed, like a flash of lightning.

Such a divine treasure, kept for close-range sneak attacks, would make him practically unstoppable.

Xu Yi knew that however good a treasure was, keeping it would mean staking his life.

His most urgent task was to improve his cultivation and gain the means to protect himself. That was the key above all else.

Now that he had suddenly arrived in Guang'an City, he was completely in the dark. He had to find someone he knew and get the lay of the land.

Clearly, Master Zhou—the disheveled, wine-loving old man who had left him an address—was the best person to ask.

Iron Cat Ear Alley was hard to find. The narrow lane was squeezed between seven or eight houses facing one another, leaving barely enough room for two people to pass.

If he hadn't looked carefully, he would never have spotted it. Xu Yi had walked past the entrance several times.

Only after asking a pair of old men who were squatting on their thresholds playing chess did Xu Yi find the lane. At its far end, in front of a short, humble tiled house, he found Master Zhou.

Though it was still morning, the sky was terribly gloomy, and the wind was biting cold. The old man had set a bamboo recliner in front of his house, draped a thick blanket over himself, and was sleeping soundly. Xu Yi could hear his snores from a distance.

When he came close, Xu Yi didn't call out. Instead, he deliberately lifted a corner of the seal on the wine jar. At once, the sleeping old man's nose twitched. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he sprang up from his recliner.

The moment he recognized the wine jar in Xu Yi's hands, the old man slapped his palm and laughed. "Speak of the devil! I ran out three days ago. These past few days, with no wine, I had no energy and just lay in my chair waiting to die. I was thinking that even if I died and turned into a ghost, I'd go to Furong Town and settle the score with you, boy. Ha! I was dreaming of giving you a piece of my mind, and here you are, walking right into my trap."

With that, the old man turned and ducked into the side room. He came rushing back with a wooden ladle, pulled the seal from the wine jar, scooped out a ladleful, and tipped his head back, pouring the clear, crisp wine down his throat.

"Ah, ah, ah! Good wine, good wine! Ten-year-aged wine from Drunkard's Workshop. You really have treated this old man well, boy!"

As he spoke, he dipped the ladle into the jar again and scooped out another helping. He carefully set it on the low stool beside the bamboo recliner, sealed the jar tightly, and snatched it away. Struggling to carry it, he hauled it into the side room. Only then did he come back out, sink into the recliner, and lift the ladle for a leisurely sip. "Now, tell me what you want to get out of this old man. That jar of wine was worth more than two gourds, so I owe you one. Today, I'll answer anything you ask. Hurry up, don't dawdle and keep me from my nap. Besides, you can dawdle all you like, but those bastards from Black Dragon Hall won't."

Xu Yi was astonished. "You already know about the grudge between me and Black Dragon Hall, old sir?"

Master Zhou said, "What's so strange about that? You think what you did in Furong Town yesterday was some small matter? Heh. It's been years since anyone killed under the banner of the Great Yue Law. Don't forget, I'm practically a man of the government myself!"

Xu Yi said, "So the Guang'an Prefecture Governor's Office knows what I did yesterday. If so, how dare Black Dragon Hall come after me?"

What Xu Yi had come to Master Zhou for was precisely his experience.

Master Zhou took another sip of wine and smiled. "That's right. What you did made everyone in the Guang'an Prefecture Governor's Office look good, especially Director Gao of the Patrol Division. Word is, he argued with the Prefect and insisted on protecting you. But the Prefect replied with one sentence: 'Without rules, how can there be order?'"

"Damn it!"

Xu Yi hadn't expected that all his hard work putting on a show still couldn't compete with the glitter of gold.

Master Zhou laughed. "You're still young. Let me tell you, there are plenty of things in this world that money can make ghosts do. If they broke the dueling rules in Guang'an City for your sake, they'd be smashing the rice bowls of every office, big and small, in Guang'an Prefecture. The Prefect isn't a fool. Why would he do something so stupid? So don't get your hopes up. Prepare for the fight like a good boy."

Xu Yi wasn't foolish enough to pin his hopes for survival on someone else. He said in a low voice, "Master, there's something I can't understand. I hope you'll clear it up for me. According to Gu Jianming, the dueling rules in Guang'an City say that the party who issues a challenge only needs to pay ten gold coins to the Prefect's Office for the duel to take effect. Anyone who refuses to fight will be expelled from the city. But if someone is in the Qi Sea Realm, couldn't he bully anyone below that realm at will? If they refused, all he would have to do is pay ten gold coins to the Prefect's Office. Wouldn't the person being challenged have no choice but to die?"

Master Zhou stroked his long beard and smiled faintly. "That pack of bloodsuckers in the Prefect's Office aren't fools. How could they design the rules and leave such a glaring loophole? You should know that the wealth accumulated from duels in the city each year accounts for more than a third of Guang'an City's tax revenue. The Prefect's Office naturally wants to keep feeding on this juicy piece of meat for as long as possible. Why would they let anyone ruin it? If they left a loophole like that, Guang'an City would soon become an empty shell."

"The dueling rules laid down by the Guang'an Prefecture Governor's Office forbid challengers from using their superior strength to bully the weak. In other words, someone in the Qi Sea Realm can't challenge someone in the Body Tempering Realm. They don't even allow someone at the Body Tempering Peak to challenge someone at the Body Tempering Late Stage. In a word, the challenger's realm can't be higher than the challenged party's. So your worries are completely unnecessary."

Hearing this, Xu Yi felt the weight lift from his heart. When competing against people of the same realm, he truly feared no one.

Master Zhou saw Xu Yi's expression and smiled. "Don't think that just because your Soul Power is extraordinary, you have nothing to fear. There's always someone stronger, and there's always a higher mountain. If Black Dragon Hall wants to kill you, it won't be difficult. After all, money can make ghosts do anything, and there are countless experts at Body Tempering Peak. If you want to stay alive, you'll have to become king at Body Tempering Peak."

Master Zhou's words struck Xu Yi like a bolt of lightning. He hadn't been worried that Black Dragon Hall would bring in experts. What shocked him was that Master Zhou had seen right through the secret he had kept hidden.

Master Zhou scoffed. "Don't look like you're at a funeral! You should know that the moment you effortlessly killed the young master of Black Dragon Hall's Baima Branch Hall, your Martial Arts realm stopped being a secret. As for how I know your Soul Power is extraordinary, it's simple. That day, you chased after me for ages to ask about the soul. You should know that below the Qi Sea Realm, hardly any martial artist even thinks about the soul."

"If you asked such a question, you must have had a reason. Either your soul was weak, or your Soul Power was thicker than most people's. Now I know that you're at Body Tempering Peak, so the answer is obvious: your Soul Power must be astonishing. Otherwise, you couldn't have reached Body Tempering Peak at such a young age!"