Offering Assistance

"Stop being so arrogant. Fine, just as you said, a one-on-one duel. Each side will send out three people, so you'll be convinced you've lost fair and square. The losing side will kneel and beg for mercy! Wang Zhong, you go first," the young man in brocade robes, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, shouted angrily.

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhao!" A burly young man wielding a large ring-hilted saber stepped out from the crowd and taunted the Thunder Blade Sect members, "You turtles from the Thunder Blade Sect, who dares to fight me!"

"If you want to fight, then fight. Tao Chong, I'll rip this kid's mouth apart later and show him the consequences of a foul mouth," Shi Qingshan sneered.

"Yes, Senior Brother Shi, I will definitely use my blade to tear his stinking mouth apart and let him know the result of relying on his sharp tongue."

Tao Chong was a young man who wielded Willow Leaf Blades with both hands. He was small and thin, but his steps were light, and he appeared to be quite fast.

With a light shout from both sides, they engaged in a fierce battle, with blade light and sword shadows flashing. Wang Zhong of the Black Tiger Gang attacked with great force and power, his large saber whistling as he swung it, looking incredibly imposing. Tao Chong, however, was forced to dodge and parry Wang Zhong's attacks. After taking two hits, he could only focus on evading.

The Black Tiger Gang members cheered them on.

"Quick, Senior Brother Wang, finish him off with one strike and let the Thunder Blade Sect know how powerful we are!"

"Senior Brother Wang is amazing!"

Meanwhile, the members of the Thunder Blade Sect were sweating nervously, but Shi Qingshan remained calm and composed. Lu Xiaotian watched the martial artists' duel with great interest. Whenever he passed by the Thunder Blade Sect's Training Ground before, he thought the disciples' moves were incredibly powerful, their actions dazzling, and some were even too fast to see clearly.

However, in this current match, both sides' movements seemed somewhat clumsy in his eyes. Even Tao Chong, who clearly relied on agility, was obviously using his speed to wear down Wang Zhong of the Black Tiger Gang.

Lu Xiaotian immediately saw through Shi Qingshan's intention. It seemed Shi Qingshan had also recognized Wang Zhong's weakness and sent him out. However, Wang Zhong's footwork, in Lu Xiaotian's opinion, was not fast at all. Even though Tao Chong was jumping around agilely, he could block Tao Chong's path with just one sword.

It seems that cultivators are indeed incomparable to ordinary martial artists. He couldn't see through these techniques before. Lu Xiaotian was overjoyed. He was only at the Qi Refining First Layer now; if he reached the Qi Refining Second Layer, he would probably be even more formidable.

"Senior Brother Shi, what do we do? It looks like Tao Chong can't hold on against the Black Tiger Gang member," a young woman in white beside him asked Shi Qingshan with a worried expression.

"Don't rush, the real show is yet to come," Shi Qingshan said calmly, showing no signs of worry.

As expected, just as Shi Qingshan and Lu Xiaotian had predicted, after more than twenty exchanges, Wang Zhong of the Black Tiger Gang's continuous, forceful attacks had failed to achieve their goal. He was now sweating profusely and clearly lacking stamina. He swung his saber, and its speed was a few points slower than before. Tao Chong, who had been constantly evading, dodged the opponent's strike and seized the opportunity to step forward. His short blade flashed rapidly towards Wang Zhong's face. Wang Zhong was greatly alarmed and threw his head back, but he still couldn't completely avoid it, a bloody gash several inches wide appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"Haha, the Black Tiger Gang members only know how to flap their gums. They're useless when it comes to actual fighting."

At this moment, the disciples of the Thunder Blade Sect breathed a sigh of relief and burst into laughter.

"It's a best of three, there are still two more rounds, and the outcome is still uncertain. What are you so proud of!" the young man in brocade robes shouted. Having already lost one round, they couldn't afford to lose the second, or the third would be meaningless. The young man in brocade robes strode forward, "I'll take the second round. Who among you will come forward to die!"

"Are the Black Tiger Gang members only capable of talking big?" Shi Qingshan drew his long saber and pointed it directly at the young man in brocade robes, launching a frontal attack.

The young man in brocade robes hastily blocked.

Clang, clang.

A series of clashing sounds followed. The young man in brocade robes and Shi Qingshan were evenly matched in skill. Shi Qingshan's saber techniques were more fierce, even carrying a killing intent. His combat experience was also richer. The young man in brocade robes, on the other hand, often had flashy but impractical movements, wasting unnecessary energy. After six or seven exchanges, Shi Qingshan seized an opportunity and unleashed a combo skill, the Thunderous Blade Technique. Four consecutive strikes forced the young man in brocade robes to retreat repeatedly.

The long sword in the young man in brocade robes' hand was almost knocked away. Greatly alarmed, he realized he was no match for Shi Qingshan. Filled with both anger and frustration, he yelled, "What are you all standing around for? Attack them all! Take down these Thunder Blade Sect brats."

"Kill!"

Under the command of the young man in brocade robes, the other dozen or so Black Tiger Gang disciples drew their swords and rushed towards the Thunder Blade Sect members.

"Despicable! Senior Brother Shi, be careful!"

The disciples of the Thunder Blade Sect shouted in anger as both sides clashed. Overall, the Thunder Blade Sect members were slightly superior, but the Black Tiger Gang had the advantage in numbers, fighting two against one. Shi Qingshan was even surrounded by the young man in brocade robes and two other disciples, fighting valiantly but unable to hold his ground. In a short while, two disciples were wounded by the Black Tiger Gang members, and Shi Qingshan himself also sustained a burning saber wound on his back.

It seemed he had no choice but to act. He could ignore others, but Shi Qingshan was his childhood friend and had taken good care of him in the Thunder Blade Sect. However, if he, a Menial Laborer who knew no martial arts, suddenly became a powerful martial artist, it might attract unwanted attention. If he were just an ordinary martial artist, he could handle it, but who could guarantee there were no other cultivators in Pingwu County City?

Thinking of this, Lu Xiaotian tore off a piece of coarse cloth from his body and tied it around his face. He drew the short sword at his waist and charged forward rapidly.

"Haha, you Thunder Blade Sect curs, today I'll show you how capable I am!" The young man in brocade robes, his face contorted, thrust his sword towards Shi Qingshan's abdomen. He was accustomed to being obeyed among the younger disciples of the Black Tiger Gang, yet he couldn't even last ten moves against the person before him. He had to return this humiliation to Shi Qingshan tenfold, or his hatred would not be appeased.

"Senior Brother Shi!" the young woman in white cried out in alarm. Seeing Shi Qingshan parry the other two, his strength depleted and his next move not yet formed, she knew this sword strike was unavoidable.

Clang!

A figure in gray flashed by. The young man in brocade robes' long sword was knocked aside. He felt a blur before his eyes, and then his abdomen ached as he was kicked flying.

The gray figure didn't stop after kicking the young man in brocade robes away. He agilely lunged at another Black Tiger Gang disciple and, after a couple of exchanges, wounded the opponent's arm with his sword.

In a short period, the gray figure had injured seven people, and none of them could withstand even a single move from him.

"Go!" The Black Tiger Gang disciples were terrified. The young man in brocade robes' face turned even paler. He quickly shouted, "Let's go!" and then, in a sorry state, led his men in a retreat.

"Thank you for your help, brother. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid none of us would have made it back safely today. May I ask your name? The Thunder Blade Sect will surely repay this kindness!"

Shi Qingshan recovered and looked at the young man in gray with admiration. Effortlessly injuring seven people, he was likely comparable to a top-tier martial arts master.

"No need for repayment. The Black Tiger Gang disciples have suffered a loss and will likely find experts to retaliate soon. This is not a place to linger. You should leave quickly," Lu Xiaotian said. He then leaped onto the rooftop by the street and disappeared from their sight.

After jumping off the rooftop, Lu Xiaotian pulled off the coarse cloth from his face and shook his slightly sore wrist. He had exchanged blows with the Black Tiger Gang disciples just now, and his wrist felt a little numb. These were just disciples from a gang; if he were to face renowned, first-rate martial artists, or even Peerless Martial Artists, he would likely still be outmatched. It seemed that after cultivating the Primordial Scripture, the increase in physical strength was secondary. His eyesight and perception of his surroundings were more significant advantages than those of a martial artist. In terms of raw strength, he was probably inferior to a first-rate martial artist.

In a luxurious room at the Dongyang Inn in Pingwu County City, a dignified middle-aged man with a square-shaped face slammed his palm onto a table. With a loud crack, the sturdy wooden table instantly shattered into a pile of splinters.

"Outrageous! The Black Tiger Gang actually attacked our Thunder Blade Sect disciples, disregarding martial ethics! We must settle this score."

"Junior Brother Qian, there's no need to be so angry. If we were in Qingzhu County, we could have just gone to their doorstep. But this is Pingwu County, and the Black Tiger Gang are the local bullies, so they're naturally more arrogant. Fortunately, Qing Shan and the other disciples weren't seriously injured. With various gangs gathered here for the Martial Arts Convention, it's a mixed bag. The Sect Leader hasn't arrived yet, so let's observe the situation for now. When the Martial Arts Convention begins, we can publicly denounce the Black Tiger Gang in front of all the sects and issue a challenge to curb their arrogance," said another half-aged elder with graying hair sitting beside him, shaking his head.

"Fine, we'll wait for the Sect Leader's decision. But what about this masked swordsman you mentioned who saved you?" The square-faced man, Zhou Lie, was the head of the Thunder Blade Sect's Disciplinary Hall and Shi Qingshan's master.

"This disciple doesn't understand either. That person's martial arts were extremely high-level, and he wore a mask, seemingly unwilling to reveal his identity. He consecutively injured seven Black Tiger Gang disciples and scared the others away, allowing us to escape safely. Otherwise, under the Black Tiger Gang's encirclement, we would have been captured," Shi Qingshan said with gratitude when mentioning the masked man. However, he then thought of something else, "But judging by his build, he should not be much older than us disciples."

"What? Not much older than you and possesses such skill?" Zhou Lie and the gray-haired elder exclaimed in surprise. "To defeat six or seven Black Tiger Gang members without sustaining a scratch, he must be at least a first-rate master. There are very few young individuals in the martial arts world with such ability; they would be at least close to thirty years old."

"I didn't expect Pingwu County City to be a place where dragons and tigers hide. However, since that person didn't wish to reveal his identity, so be it. Based on this incident, this person is an ally, not an enemy. It's good for us," the gray-haired elder said, shaking his head.