Lin Haixian

Lin Haixian was truly a benchmark within the Martial Forest.

In his early years, he was merely the son of a fisherman, but after saving a disciple of Linjiang Academy while rowing his boat, he was recommended to study at the academy.

When he went to Linjiang Academy, he focused primarily on literature, with little involvement in the martial path.

Because his skin was tanned from a childhood of fishing and his lifestyle differed from the others, he was inevitably ostracized.

Consequently, he did not finish his studies at Linjiang Academy; instead, he chose to drop out, openly denouncing certain people within the academy as vermin and fat maggots who delusionally wished to stand above the common people.

For this, Lin Haixian experienced the treatment of being hunted for the first time.

Lin Haixian was lucky; he jumped into the water to escape, and when he appeared again, he already held a sword in his hand.

"He's just like a protagonist in a novel," Lu Bai remarked. Lin Haixian was either being hunted or was busy causing trouble while on the road to being hunted.

It was as if Lin Haixian were protected by destiny; despite being hunted many times, he always managed to escape with his life.

The sword in his hand grew stronger, and in the end, he became famous overnight after successfully wounding a core member of the Tianwu Holy Land.

However, in the end, he could only flee for his life.

Yet, even so, he became a god to most martial artists.

The title of "Immortal" was not something just anyone could possess.

In short, after that incident, the only ones who dared to hunt him were the Tianwu Holy Land, and he became the one who hunted others.

This was the life of Lin Haixian, spent between hunting and being hunted.

This also made Lin Haixian's practical combat ability extremely formidable.

Excluding those Traveler entities that exceeded the limits of this dimension, Lin Haixian was one of the strongest in this Martial Forest.

There was even a possibility that the "one of" could be removed.

"If only he were a little younger," Lu Bai said.

The man was old, and the years of being hunted had indeed caused his body to accumulate many hidden injuries.

It was precisely because of this that Lu Bai estimated he had a thirty percent chance of winning.

"If possible, I could set traps here at Lingfeng Tower, or even place a large amount of gunpowder traps nearby; then, all the spectators around would become my hostages to use as leverage."

"It's a pity these cannot be used, and there is no time to set them up."

Lu Bai smiled and shook his head, brushing away his previous thoughts.

The purpose of challenging Lin Haixian was not to win; this was not a simple life-or-death struggle. Otherwise, Lu Bai would have truly set everything up as he had previously considered.

From the fact that Lin Haixian came directly here after receiving his letter, one could see that the man truly cared for the world; such a person had to be threatened with the world itself.

"Combat module..." Lu Bai could feel something condensing within his body and mind, and it was not just one thing.

Actions could also condense corresponding modules. During his travels over the past month, constantly climbing mountains and crossing waters, Lu Bai had condensed the [Mountain] and [Water] elemental modules, as well as an operation module called [Travel].

According to the module's description, as long as he was in a running or moving state, he could use this module to activate other modules.

This module was quite useful; if he gradually integrated it into his core martial arts in the future, he might be able to transform static techniques into dynamic ones.

Every move and gesture would then become a form of training.

"Then, I shall wait for tomorrow's decisive battle." Lu Bai lay down to rest, feeling quite at ease.

During this time, there were many winds and clouds stirring.

After Luo Chuan was brought back to his family, he was placed under house arrest.

They paid no attention to what had happened to Luo Chuan during this period.

In the past, Luo Chuan would have immediately kicked up a fuss, but at this moment, he was much calmer, staying in his room and contemplating the current situation.

Soon, he understood the reason: in the current climate, the Luo Family dared not get involved.

He was the one in danger now, and his family was confining him to protect him. If he started making a scene without knowing the consequences, he would likely be abandoned.

He was filled with resentment toward what the Hundred Flower Grave had done, but could he truly ignore his family's situation, confront the Hundred Flower Grave, and bring disaster upon his home?

"I cannot." Luo Chuan sighed, feeling the weight of a thousand catties upon his shoulders. It was at this moment that he grasped a lesson Lu Bai had once taught him.

Mountain and River Fist required one to grasp the momentum of a mountain, to be as steady as a great mountain itself.

At that time, Luo Chuan still did not understand how a person could possess the momentum of mountains and rivers.

"When you carry enough things on your back, you naturally become a mountain."

The month-long journey, those difficult treks over mountains and ridges, had instead become his most relaxing moments.

"Only when a person hides in the mountains can they be a carefree immortal; yet in this world, most people are forced to turn themselves into a mountain."

At this very moment, Luo Chuan's momentum of mountains and rivers had finally condensed. Within the Martial Forest, he could now be considered an expert.

As long as his internal energy cultivation improved, Luo Chuan might not reach the heights of Lin Haixian, but at the very least, he could hold up a piece of the sky and become a peerless expert whose name was celebrated in his era.

This was what Luo Chuan had wanted before, though he did not feel particularly happy about it now.

Beyond that, outside Lingfeng Tower, a man with a face full of scars was watching the increasingly empty Lingfeng Tower from afar.

After the people of Lingfeng Tower collected the gold and silver from Lu Bai and arranged a room and food for him, they had taken their staff and fled.

It was hard to say whether this was a disaster or a stroke of good fortune.

"Is he inside?" Flower Face's expression remained unreadable. By now, he had already received the news that his old man, along with his old man's mistress, had been slaughtered.

The one who had slaughtered his father was Lu Bai, and as for the villagers, the majority of them had also died shortly thereafter.

It was said that two women were responsible, though only one had actually done the deed, while the other, dressed quite provocatively, had simply watched from the side.

"Has Lu Bai made contact with the Holy Land?"

As things stood, Lu Bai had first moved to wipe out the Black Tiger Stronghold and saved that woman.

Subsequently, that woman was found by Phoenix Flying Lady of the Holy Land. According to intelligence, the woman had originally possessed no martial arts, yet a month later, she was able to slaughter an entire village. Clearly, Phoenix Flying Lady had provided some assistance.

To enable an ordinary person to master such martial prowess in a single month—that kind of help likely touched upon the core secrets of Tianwu Holy Land, much like the flower fields where Hundred Flower Grave was currently located.

Lu Bai had issued his challenge so brazenly, and then entered Lingfeng Tower just as brazenly.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was a trap.

Word had already come from the Luo Family that Luo Chuan would not appear tomorrow under any circumstances; the witness no longer existed.

With their arrangements in place, even if that information were to leak, it would not implicate Hundred Flower Grave.

Yet, Flower Face remained uneasy. After all, Lu Bai also hailed from that place.

"I can only wait for tomorrow!"