The Competition

Seeing Chen Wu laughing heartily, Old Wang did not get annoyed, but instead took the opportunity to slide the third fish over to his side.

"Little Chen, there are two of us and only three fish. We'll each take one of the first two, but as for this last one, we'll have to compete for it."

Chen Wu heard this and said, "You are my elder, so I shall yield this fish to you."

"I don't need you to yield. Are you saying I'm an old bag of bones?" Old Wang said with a beaming smile.

"Then... how do you propose we compete?"

"The fish is on the rack. Neither of us shall project our internal energy; we will only use these two small knives to spar within this square inch of space. Whoever grabs it gets it."

"Fine—"

Chen Wu's expression turned solemn, knowing this was a chance for guidance, and he immediately thrust his knife straight toward the third fish.

"You little brat, I haven't said 'start' yet."

Though he said this, his hand was not slow in the slightest; his knife rotated slightly, gently blocking the tip of Chen Wu's blade.

Ding—

Chen Wu felt as if the opponent's knife were a spinning top; the moment his blade touched it, it was knocked flying.

"Are you cheating?"

Chen Wu assumed the other had used the spiral energy of the Nine Evolutions Dragon-Expelling Art.

"Come again!" Old Wang said, noncommittal.

Chen Wu thrust his knife at the fish once more, only to see Old Wang's knife meet it again.

Ding—

Chen Wu's knife was knocked flying once more.

But this time, Chen Wu saw it clearly: when Old Wang moved, the blade was already spinning, and the moment their edges met, the rotation suddenly accelerated, creating an effect similar to a spinning top in that instant.

"Understand now?" Seeing Chen Wu lost in thought, Old Wang couldn't help but nod. "If you understand, come again!"

Chen Wu attacked again, but this time he mimicked Old Wang's method. Just as their blades met, he twisted his wrist to accelerate the rotation in the opposite direction of Old Wang's.

Ding—

Both knives were sent flying apart simultaneously.

"Good—"

Seeing Chen Wu was a quick study, Old Wang was pleasantly surprised. This time, he took the initiative, his blade tip lunging toward the fish meat.

Chen Wu hurriedly responded, blocking Old Wang's tip, but he didn't expect Old Wang to twist his wrist. The tip moved like a nimble snake, winding around Chen Wu's knife to bypass the block, appearing as if it were about to pierce the fish.

Chen Wu did not panic; he pulled his wrist back and thrust directly at the upper part of Old Wang's knife.

Ding—

He struck Old Wang's knife away.

Ding, ding, ding, ding—

The sound of clashing knives rose and fell, becoming increasingly rapid, like a long, rhythmically precise melody.

Chen Wu's Concentrated Spirit Realm flared, his entire focus drawn into this tiny space, and he felt that all the doubts he had previously held regarding swordplay were being answered.

Every move and stance of Old Wang was based on the concept of rotation. There was forward rotation, reverse rotation, fast rotation, slow rotation, solid rotation, void rotation, rotation driven by the wrist, and rotation driven by the arm.

It was ever-changing and dazzling. A single rotation could be played out in a thousand ways.

Only then did Chen Wu sigh in admiration; the name Dragon-Expelling Divine Sword was truly well-deserved.

Just as Chen Wu was immersed in this martial realization, the knife opposing him suddenly vanished, and Chen Wu's blade plunged straight into the third fish.

"Eat up—" Old Wang smiled even more brightly. "If you don't eat it now, it's going to burn."

Chen Wu immediately cupped his hands and bowed, and Wang Jiuyuan accepted it with composure.

Chen Wu sliced the fish in two with his knife and respectfully offered half.

"Half for each of us!"

"Good—"

Once the meal was finished, Wang Jiuyuan spoke first.

"Little Chen, your talent is exceptional, and your future is limitless. I can only guide you for a time; if you truly wish to become a master, or even a grandmaster, you must walk your own path."

Chen Wu acknowledged the teaching.

Old Wang looked at the sky and stood up, saying, "It's getting late. I'll head back now. I'll come find you again tomorrow at this same time."

Chen Wu hurriedly stood up to see him off.

As he watched Old Wang extinguish the brazier and pick up the brazier, iron rack, and clay pot, Chen Wu suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a moment!"

Chen Wu returned inside, and when he emerged again, he was holding a letter in his hand.

"Someone entrusted me to deliver this letter to you."

As he spoke, he laid out the matter of Xu Songnian entrusting him with the letter to Old Wang.

"Xu Songnian?" Old Wang held the letter, lost in thought.

Jinheng Watch Shop.

"What is your take on this matter?"

Wang Jiuyuan faced Old Liu and posed the question.

"You make the call."

"Do we have a suitable candidate in our building?"

"You've decided to agree?"

"This is a good opportunity."

"Then... let me think." Old Liu pondered for a moment. "There is one!"

Early the next morning, the monks in the temple rose to perform their morning lessons. Once the chanting concluded and they began their breakfast, Chen Wu slipped in to snag a vegetarian meal.

However, the dining hall was cramped and crowded with monks. Finding it inconvenient to compete for a seat, Chen Wu carried his bowl to the doorway and squatted down to eat.

It was a bowl of millet porridge, half a steamed bun, and some tofu and cabbage. Though bland, Chen Wu ate with great relish.

As he ate, he flipped through the Yanhe Daily he had swiped from the watch shop the day before.

The style of this paper was indeed much higher than the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette; at the very least, it wouldn't put Legend of Dayu'er on the front page, relegating it instead to the very last page.

Aside from Chen Wu's own wanted poster, the biggest news in the paper was that the late former abbot of Lingshan Temple, Master Yongyan, who had passed away not long ago, had been revealed to have three illegitimate children.

This matter had been exposed for some time, but this issue of the paper featured a comprehensive special report.

It was unclear who had provided the leads, but the names of these three children, their places of residence, and their current occupations were all written out clearly and explicitly.

There were even subtle hints that the death of Master Yongyan had a scandalous flavor to it, suggesting he hadn't died properly within the temple.

With such explosive gossip paired with the writer's witty prose, Chen Wu found his vegetarian meal tasted all the better as he "ate the melon."

Just then, a young monk who had just exited the dining hall passed by Chen Wu. He glanced down, saw the gossip about the former abbot on the newspaper, and his expression changed in shock.

"Benefactor, do you have a death wish?" The monk hurriedly closed Chen Wu's newspaper. "Do not read such things here. If the people from the Discipline Hall see this, you'll be in serious trouble."

Chen Wu knew the monk meant well, so he said, "Thank you, Master."

"I dare not be called Master!" The monk shook his head repeatedly. "Just call me Mingcheng."

"Benefactor, the temple is holding a Dharma assembly over the next two days. Please do not read such frivolous texts here."

"What Dharma assembly?"

Mingcheng gave an awkward smile. "Abbot Yongyan departed in such haste that he left no final instructions, making the succession of the Dharma lineage a difficult problem."

"These days, hearts in the temple are restless, and various factions are vying for power. Seeing the instability, the authorities have sent a commissioner to hold a Dharma assembly, requiring the monks to elect a new abbot."

Oh, a good show to watch!

Chen Wu was immediately interested. "Can outsiders participate in the Dharma assembly?"

"If you wish to watch, Benefactor, you may observe alongside the lay followers. Once the new abbot is elected, it should settle the recent disturbances."

"Good, good, good. Many thanks, Master." Chen Wu tucked the newspaper away, sat on it, and continued eating his breakfast.