A Challenge

"Could it be that Lianwu Mountain is about to make a move against my family?" Luo Chuan looked at everything around him, his anxiety spiking instantly.

He had been away from home for over a month. Although he had undergone a transformation of sorts under Lu Bo's tutelage during this time, it was of little use when facing the entirety of Lianwu Mountain.

"Not at all. They are here to watch the battle," Lu Bo said with a smile.

"Watch the battle?" For a moment, Luo Chuan couldn't process what he was hearing.

"It's the Blood Monk, Lu Bo!!"

"He's already here."

"Is it starting?"

"Is that person beside him the Luo family's third young master, Luo Chuan?"

"No wonder the location was set in Weishan City."

However, many people were also looking at this group with suspicion.

Luo Chuan listened to a few of the discussions, and only then did he understand what Lu Bo had actually done.

The letter he had asked Lou Jingren to send was addressed to Lin Haixian.

This swordsman possessed great fame, and although Lin Haixian had studied at Linjiang Academy in his early years, he had dropped out afterward and did not remain affiliated with the school.

He had a certain connection to Linjiang Academy, but it was not a deep one.

Nevertheless, the academy would certainly be able to find Lin Haixian.

After receiving that letter, Lin Haixian had come to Weishan City.

This was normal enough; Weishan City belonged to the East Province and fell within Lin Haixian's usual sphere of activity.

But soon, they discovered something unusual: Lin Haixian had stopped in Weishan City, and he had stayed for a long time. Eventually, someone obtained information from him—Lin Haixian was waiting for someone, waiting for an opponent he had agreed to duel.

The Blood Monk—Lu Bo.

The news of this duel spread rapidly.

People in the Martial Forest loved fame and fortune, and fame and fortune were naturally accumulated through various events.

Helping the weak, eradicating evil, martial arts duels, and the like were all ways to gain prestige.

Therefore, people in the Martial Forest loved to join in the excitement.

Lin Haixian had immense fame, and while Lu Bo's reputation was somewhat weaker, Lin Haixian was more than enough to make up for that deficiency.

Given Lin Haixian's status, even if he were to duel a dog, that dog would instantly become a star of the Martial Forest.

Lu Bo was wanted by the Hundred Flower Grave and had crushed the forces of Lianwu Mountain, so his strength was recognized to a certain degree.

On top of that, the conflict between the Hundred Flower Grave and the Holy Land had been intensifying lately, with bloody incidents breaking out almost constantly.

The Martial Forest had become restless, and naturally, the people within it were restless as well.

Now that such a grand duel had emerged, many Jianghu figures were naturally gathering here.

"At the same time, this can keep Lianwu Mountain and the Hundred Flower Grave in a state of hesitation," Lu Bo said to Luo Chuan.

Lin Haixian alone could not stabilize Lianwu Mountain and the Hundred Flower Grave, but the reaction triggered by his reputation could.

Guiding the momentum of the situation had its own pros and cons.

No matter how corrupt the Hundred Flower Grave was in private, they were currently standing on the side of 'justice' in the public eye. For the sake of the greater momentum, they were inevitably constrained in their external actions.

Otherwise, the momentum they had built would only slip through their fingers, and once the hearts of the people were lost, the faction would be difficult to lead.

Therefore, during this period, although they had been putting pressure on the Luo family, they had not taken any major overt actions.

"So that's it. By using this method to stabilize the situation, then we can...!" Luo Chuan's eyes lit up. There were already enough Martial Forest figures gathered here now.

If they announced the news in front of such a crowd, they could certainly deal a massive blow to the Hundred Flower Grave and Lianwu Mountain.

"No, that's not..." Lu Bo shook his head, intending to tell Luo Chuan that his idea was unrealistic, but he was interrupted by a loud shout.

"That shameless Blood Monk!" A man standing on the street, holding a long sword and dressed in fluttering white robes—a man who would have been a perfect hero if not for his mediocre looks—shouted coldly at Lu Bo.

"I originally thought you would flee in terror upon hearing the name of Senior Lin Haixian, but it seems you have a shred of courage after all."

"It is a pity that someone like you is not worthy of dueling Senior Lin Haixian. It should be me, Five River Sword, who..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Five River Sword saw a fist growing larger and larger. He had no time to react before he was punched directly in the face.

"First, I hate it when people call me by that nickname."

"Second, you should learn some manners. When someone else is speaking, you should wait for them to finish before interrupting."

"Third, you talk too much."

Lu Bo retracted his fist and then casually patted the man down.

The sword was nice, take it. The silver was not bad, take it. The white robe was decent, the size seemed appropriate, and the material was excellent—take it.

The surrounding crowd watched this scene, feeling a wave of panic.

They weren't sure about Lu Bo's martial prowess, but his methods were truly vicious.

A young hero from a prestigious sect had just suffered social death; he was actually wearing floral underwear.

Five River Sword, I reckon he'll have to be called Five River Flowery-Pants Sword from now on.

"Such! Such shamelessness!" someone shouted upon seeing this scene.

To knock someone unconscious and strip them in the middle of the street—this was meant to ruin a person's entire life.

Immediately, someone stepped forward.

"Stop, you shameless bald thief!" A middle-aged man charged up with his sword, flicking his wrist to send the scabbard flying directly at Lu Bai.

"Go back!" Lu Bai grabbed the clothes he had just stripped off and whipped them out to wrap around the incoming scabbard.

Like a hammer thrower, he spun once and hurled it back.

The middle-aged man who had rushed out sidestepped to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, while his vision was obscured by the clothes, an identical fist arrived right before his eyes.

There was no time to dodge; the middle-aged man was knocked unconscious by a single punch.

Lu Bai's movements were highly practiced, and soon two people were lying side by side on the street, one old and one young, both in flowery shorts.

"Heh, so it's a family tradition."

After this display, there weren't many people left who dared to meddle; anyone with a bit of discernment could see how effortlessly Lu Bai had defeated that middle-aged man.

Clearly, Lu Bai was not a man who played by the rules of martial arts.

The opponent had obviously wanted to make a name for himself, and the best way to do that was to choose a good stepping stone.

If he could step on someone to rise, that was best; if he couldn't, he would at least try to rub off some of their fame.

With elders watching from the sidelines, people usually gave a bit of face, allowing a few exchanges so that a reputation could be built.

Unfortunately, Lu Bai struck too quickly, scoring a one-punch knockout before stripping and humiliating his opponent, then defeating and humiliating the elder who had been watching over him as well. He simply wasn't a man who followed the rules.

A person like Lu Bai was what people often called a demonic outsider, someone who didn't abide by the secular rules of the Martial Forest.

To deal with such a person, one could only speak with raw strength; otherwise, it was better not to step forward and invite humiliation.

Lu Bai tossed the clothes aside, completely indifferent to the gazes of those around him, and looked toward the several groups in the distance.

Those people were the real focus.

Lianwu Mountain, the Luo Family, and Hundred Flower Grave.

If the likes of Five River Sword from before were only looking to make a name for themselves, then the goal of this group was likely to see Lu Bai dead.

Fortunately, at this moment, a voice drifted over from afar.

"Lu Bai is this old man's opponent; I suggest you all refrain from acting rashly for now."