Exchange

"Lord Dang, what is your take on this?"

After Chen Wu withdrew, Duke Chen spoke up.

"The current situation leaves us no choice but to release Liu Zhixie," Lord Dang said. "We must prioritize getting Zhenwu back first."

"Liu Zhixie and his disciples have long harbored treasonous intent and were plotting an uprising. If not for their lack of discretion, which allowed us to seize the opportunity and capture them in one fell swoop, we would be facing a major crisis right now."

"It was precisely because I feared letting a tiger return to the mountains that I broke my word and refused to release Liu Zhixie," Duke Chen said. "I never imagined these scoundrels would use Zhenwu to blackmail me!"

Lord Dang shook his head. "You bargained with a tiger; why complain now? If the Emperor holds you accountable later, you shall bear the consequences yourself."

"I asked you to come, Lord Dang, specifically to help me resolve this dilemma," Duke Chen said, his face full of supplication. "I originally had three sons, but the first two passed away in infancy. Zhenwu is the only seedling I have left."

"I cannot avoid this exchange. However, once the trade is complete, I must ask you to strike and kill Liu Zhixie."

"Maitreya Descended Qi Lin is not so easily dealt with. Although his reputation as the foremost expert in the Mystic Realm was shattered by a single sword strike from Guo Xuchu, he is still far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Mystic Realm practitioner."

"That is precisely why I must ask you to act," Duke Chen said. "Only your Returning Wind Blade can kill Liu Zhixie right under Qi Lin's nose."

"What about Liu Zhixie? He is also a master!"

"Do not worry about Liu Zhixie. Although his martial arts are formidable, he has been imprisoned for so long that he is extremely weak. To be safe, I will also drug him to ensure he has absolutely no power to resist."

"I am not an assassin from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower; I cannot guarantee success."

Duke Chen gritted his teeth. "Just do your best, Lord Dang. If the matter truly fails, I will take full responsibility for any punishment. If you have any requirements, state them now, and I will grant them all."

"Duke, there is no need to say such things. I, too, am a descendant of the Old Five Battalions."

"Old Wang, why did you have me agree to a ten-move pact with that Qi Lin?" Chen Wu asked, puzzled.

"This matter concerns your Concentrated Spirit Realm."

"Concentrated Spirit..." Chen Wu recalled the Wisdom King on Qi Lin's lotus throne. "What is so special about Qi Lin's Concentrated Spirit?"

"Do you know why Qi Lin dared to claim the title of the world's foremost expert in the Mystic Realm?"

"It has to do with his Concentrated Spirit?"

"Indeed!" Wang Jiuyuan shook his head and recited a pedantic phrase. "The White Lotus Sect has been passed down for over a thousand years. Despite constant suppression, it remains unyielding. The root of this lies in that Concentrated Spirit."

"The Maitreya within that Concentrated Spirit is something the White Lotus Sect followers have worshipped and passed down for generations. Whenever a new sect leader takes office, they must use a secret method to invite the Maitreya from the previous leader into their own body, which the followers view as a divine miracle."

"Could that really be the true Maitreya?"

Chen Wu was somewhat shocked; he had never heard of any incense-based divinity in this world!

"How could it be? It is merely a trick of smoke and mirrors," Wang Jiuyuan scoffed. "In reality, it is the White Lotus Sect's secret White Lotus Heart Method, which uses a method similar to empowerment to transfer the Concentrated Spirit energy accumulated by the previous leader to the next."

"That Maitreya is simply a manifestation that appears after the White Lotus Heart Method reaches the Concentrated Spirit stage; it shares many similarities with the theories of the School of Heavenly Principle."

"This... this is still quite formidable!" Chen Wu realized. "But the Concentrated Spirit is the sublimation of one's own soul. Transferring it to another person must surely cause problems, right?"

"Correct!" Wang Jiuyuan nodded, quite satisfied with Chen Wu's comprehension. "The greatest drawback of this empowerment is that the Concentrated Spirit becomes impure, effectively cutting off that person's path to becoming a Grandmaster."

"But there must be benefits, right?"

"Naturally, the power of the Concentrated Spirit far exceeds that of an ordinary person, and it can even manifest the Maitreya to attack the Concentrated Spirit of others," Wang Jiuyuan said. "The secret techniques of the School of Heavenly Principle can at most interfere with another's Concentrated Spirit, but Qi Lin's Concentrated Spirit is like a living entity that can actively attack."

"In this way, when Qi Lin fights, he battles his opponent both through martial arts moves and within the void of the Concentrated Spirit, occupying every advantage. An ordinary Mystic Realm practitioner is certainly no match for him."

"Then why did you have me duel him?" Chen Wu was immediately displeased.

Wang Jiuyuan smiled and did not answer.

Chen Wu suddenly realized. "You want Qi Lin to help me shatter my Concentrated Spirit?"

"Exactly! I have thought it over, and while I cannot shatter your Concentrated Spirit myself, I can let someone else do it!" Wang Jiuyuan laughed. "Qi Lin's Concentrated Spirit is the perfect whetstone. Let him shatter your Concentrated Spirit, and then you can reform it—that way, it will be foolproof."

"Old Wang, if you have a backup plan, tell me sooner!" Chen Wu understood that Wang Jiuyuan had already prepared a contingency and would not let him go to his death.

"Hehehe—" Old Wang chuckled softly and produced an object.

The next day, at dusk.

It was that same clearing.

Only this time, there were many more people!

Two groups of men stood in confrontation, five against five, separated by several dozen paces.

"Uncle Dang—"

As soon as the cloth was removed from his mouth, the Crown Prince of Duke Chen let out a shrill cry. It seemed that this day and more had left the Crown Prince with endless trauma.

Slap—

As if annoyed by the Crown Prince's incessant wailing, Qi Lin backhanded him, cutting off his cries.

"Returning Wind Blade Dang Wanxing?" Qi Lin spoke up. "I did not expect you to come in person!"

"Since you, Maitreya Descended Qi Lin, have come out in person, why shouldn't I?" Dang Wanxing replied without hesitation.

"Where is the person I asked for?"

Clap, clap.

Dang Wanxing clapped his hands twice, and Chen Wu escorted a man in his fifties over. The deep furrows etched into the man's face told the story of a life filled with hardship.

"Old Liu—" Qi Lin called out, "How are you?"

"Hahaha, I'm not dead yet—" Liu Zhixie laughed heartily, "It's just that these imperial lapdogs are too cowardly; they fed me Power-Dissipating Powder beforehand just to dare let me out."

"You!"

Qi Lin glared at them with fury, while Dang Wanxing remained calm.

"Just a precaution," Dang Wanxing said. "With his martial arts, he will recover after a few months of diligent cultivation."

"Hmph, the imperial court—" Qi Lin sneered, "Can we make the exchange now?"

"As you wish!" Dang Wanxing replied.

Qi Lin waved his hand, and a young woman escorted the Crown Prince forward. On this side, under Dang Wanxing's signal, Chen Wu also slowly escorted Liu Zhixie forward.

One, two, three...

Chen Wu counted the steps silently in his heart.

Not a step more, not a step less; at exactly twenty-five paces, Chen Wu and the woman met!

Both sides pushed forward simultaneously, sending the Crown Prince and Liu Zhixie stumbling toward each other.

Swish—

Qi Lin and Dang Wanxing moved at the same time, leaping into the air!

In the next instant, they both pulled out revolvers mid-air, each aiming at the other's hostage!

"Shameless—"

"Scoundrel—"

Both were shocked and enraged, and at the same time, they shifted their aim to point at each other.

Bang—

Two gunshots merged into one.

Clang—

Qi Lin raised a hand, blocking the bullet. Across from him, Dang Wanxing was no less capable; his Thick-Backed Saber had already left its sheath, knocking the incoming bullet aside.

A great battle was triggered right then and there!