Harvesting Tournament

In the blink of an eye, the two men were already sprawled on the ground. Duan Xuan planted his feet in the Wolf-Suppressing Skin-Stance Technique, a wild aura surging around him.

His eyes glowed a dim green, his claws sharp and streaked with blood.

On this hillside beneath the setting sun, he truly looked like a bloodthirsty wolf king returning from the hunt.

Yet he forcibly held back his howl.

Though without that cry, it felt as if something of the soul were missing.

Xiao Rong would never have imagined, even in death, that Duan Xuan had come from a hunter's family. On top of that, he was already a Bright Force martial artist, and his senses and powers of observation far surpassed those of ordinary martial artists.

He had long since taken in every abnormality nearby.

The reason Xiao Rong and his men had not noticed when he circled behind them—

was because the Azure Wolf Stealth Hunt Duan Xuan had practiced these past few days had shown its effects.

Although the Frost Wolf Vanishing-Step could not conceal a martial artist's aura, it could make the muscles draw tight and the footsteps light, allowing one to approach an enemy without a sound.

This technique truly was useful, but it would not work against a Dark Force expert.

They were extremely sensitive to fluctuations in aura. An external technique like Azure Wolf Stealth Hunt would have negligible effect against them.

It seemed that when the time came, he would need to find a technique specifically for concealing his aura.

Only by pairing the two could he truly kill without leaving a trace!

Looking at the two corpses, Duan Xuan's heart was like a mirror-smooth lake, without the slightest ripple.

If such wretched people were not removed, they would surely rely on their family's influence and the martial hall's name to bully his younger aunt, Duan Xin.

Duan Xuan could not tolerate such a thing happening.

Before long, Duan Xuan took all the valuables from the two men.

He ruined their faces, buried them separately on opposite sides of the dirt road, and erased every trace.

No matter how capable someone was, they would never be able to find this place.

The next day, after practicing his boxing, Duan Xuan headed to Benevolent Harmony Hall's medicinal garden as usual.

Yet when he arrived at the garden early in the morning, it was strangely bustling.

The medicinal garden, usually empty, now had more than a dozen people gathered in scattered groups.

Before Duan Xuan could look inside, Zhou Wei greeted him at the entrance with a smile. "Little Brother Duan, come, come! You're the only one missing."

"Me?" Duan Xuan was quite curious. Zhou Wei nodded and led him inside. It was roughly four hundred paces from the entrance to the medicinal garden's main platform.

At that moment, those standing around were either eyeing the medicinal herbs greedily or discussing their effects, chatting and laughing amid the clamor.

When they saw Zhou Wei, they all bowed politely in greeting.

Zhou Wei merely responded with a few perfunctory words, keeping all his attention on his conversation with Duan Xuan.

"Who's that kid? Never seen him before."

"He's probably another newcomer brought in to fill a post. The previous two new faces both died, so this third one must be the same."

"I understand that, but why is Elder Zhou so polite to him? He has never chatted and laughed with us retainers like that."

"Look, look! Flowers are practically blooming on Elder Zhou's face."

Nearly everyone noticed the young man following behind Zhou Wei. Displeasure, resentment, confusion, and all sorts of emotions tangled together in their words and expressions.

But when everyone saw Young Master Ren Yun warmly greet Duan Xuan, the emotions in their hearts exploded like bombs, bursting in every direction.

"No, Elder Zhou speaks to him so pleasantly, but why is Young Master so enthusiastic too?"

"Could he be some distant relative of the Ren Family?"

"This kid looks utterly ordinary, and his skin has the color of a mud-legged peasant. How could he be a Ren Family descendant?"

"No matter. Since he has come to the medicinal garden, he must be here for the Blood-Qi Grass. Later, we can all go up and test his skills."

"Go easy on him. That kid is so scrawny, he probably can't take more than a few of our punches. Besides, we should leave Young Master some face."

"Hahahaha, yes, yes, I know. I understand that much restraint."

"But I'll definitely let this kid know that the Blood-Qi Grass isn't so easy to take away."

"Brother Duan, you're here. Today is Benevolent Harmony Hall's annual Harvesting Tournament. The old medicinal garden was destroyed, and only this last one remains."

"But there is nothing to worry about. Meeting you has been worth more than anything!" Ren Yun said, leaning on his cane.

"As for this Harvesting Tournament, it is not about who gathers the most and takes first place. Victory is decided by fists."

"Don't worry, these people are all retainers of my Ren Family. With Young Master here, no one will fight to the death. Most matches end after a brief exchange."

"Whoever wins three rounds takes the top spot and receives one Blood-Qi Pill."

"And so on."

Zhou Wei rubbed his old lower back and chuckled. "Brother Duan Xuan, don't treat yourself as an outsider."

"Since my Ren Family has already sponsored you, you are one of us."

"Would you be interested in showing us what you can do?"

Duan Xuan did not immediately agree. As thoughts raced through his mind, he swept his gaze over those present and found no Dark Force experts among them.

On second thought, victory or defeat did not matter. The greatest gain would be learning something from crossing hands with these Ren Family martial artists.

As for the Blood-Qi Grass, he gave it little thought. He believed he would certainly obtain some; sparring was the true purpose.

Before long, the "Harvesting Tournament" began.

There were twenty-two Ren Family martial artists present, but only seven were participating in the competition.

The rest knew they could not win and only wanted the guaranteed free Blood-Qi Grass.

"It is the same every tournament, the same every year. Even in old age, it will only remain the same." Disappointment flashed through Zhou Wei's eyes.

He had personally trained all these people. Setting aside their realms, even with the aid of medicinal herbs, none had reached the eighth level of Dark Force.

And as Benevolent Harmony Hall declined, they had long lost that former air of being the strongest under heaven.

Only the remaining few gave Zhou Wei and Ren Yun a measure of comfort.

Soon, a simple fighting arena was set up, and two disciples took the stage first.

The techniques they used were both Zhou Wei's Tortoise Spirit Breath-Control Technique.

From the name alone, Duan Xuan could tell that Elder Zhou was an extremely cautious man, skilled in defense rather than offense.

But the fourth character in the technique's name caught Duan Xuan's attention.

When a tortoise holds its breath, it can live for a thousand years.

It can survive for decades without food or drink.

Could this technique also have the effect of recuperating one's vitality and prolonging one's life?

Since this technique was considered a secret art of Benevolent Harmony Hall, Duan Xuan found it inappropriate to ask.

While he was pondering, the two men on the stage exchanged names and began their contest.

"Although Ren Yu is not a member of my Ren Family by blood, my father bestowed the surname Ren upon his grandfather. By sentiment and reason alike, he can be considered half a Ren Family member."

"This kid is among the most outstanding Bright Force martial artists of my Ren Family's current generation."

"When those Dark Force experts are absent, he alone upholds Benevolent Harmony Hall's safety."

"He has also cultivated the Tortoise Spirit Qi-Control Technique to minor mastery. He can attack while retreating and defend while advancing."

"He is currently the younger generation member with the greatest hope of advancing into Dark Force!" Ren Yun briefly explained.

Duan Xuan nodded slightly and watched Ren Yu's fight attentively.

As the saying went, even among the strong, there were differences. Ren Yu and that retainer practiced the same technique and stood at the same realm, but Ren Yu possessed his own understanding.

His footwork had become slightly more varied and somewhat more intricate, but in exchange, his shifting speed far surpassed that of the retainer.

Just as the retainer lunged and blocked, completing the buildup for a heavy punch before smashing it out fiercely, Ren Yu seized his fatal weakness.

Though a heavy punch dealt doubled damage, its speed was far inferior to that of a light punch.

At once, the Tortoise Spirit Qi-Control Technique accelerated his breathing, casting aside all that slow, ponderous defense.

It transformed into powerful force that drove his arm forward.

With a whoosh, he thrust out viciously.

"Hiss!" Just a fraction closer, and Ren Yu's powerful fingers could have severed the retainer's right arm.

Everyone could not help drawing in a sharp breath. Ren Yu had brought the Tortoise Spirit Qi-Control Technique to the point of consummate mastery.

Too strong. If Benevolent Harmony Hall's veteran Dark Force experts did not step in—

Ren Yu likely had no equal...