Intimidation

In Tian Jie's eyes, the aura around Lin Xuan was not particularly imposing, which was why he dared to act so arrogantly.

His arm glowed with a hazy yellow light as it grabbed at Lin Xuan.

"Hmph, you think you can pass yourself off as some master just by wearing a black robe? Senior Brother Tian Jie is Meridian Condensation Stage Five!" The youths sneered.

"You dare snatch our things? You're simply courting death!"

The yellow-faced stall owner was frightened pale, curling up to one side and not daring to watch the bloody scene.

Lin Xuan's brows furrowed slightly. Gripping the Brown Stone in his hand, he met the hazy yellow fist head-on.

When Tian Jie saw Lin Xuan using the Brown Stone to block his attack, he felt stifled with anger, yet he did not dare strike it head-on for fear of damaging the stone. Midway through, he changed his fist into a claw and seized at Lin Xuan's shoulder.

Lin Xuan continued to swing his arm swiftly, using the stone to ward off the attacks. He said leisurely, "I offer sixty Spirit Stones."

"Damn it, don't get too arrogant! If you delay our business, even dying will be a luxury for you!" Tian Jie was deeply frustrated. He clearly possessed formidable strength, yet could not use it freely. The feeling was unbearably suffocating.

"I'll count to three. If you don't raise your bid, I'll crush this stone on the spot." Lin Xuan sneered. "One."

When the martial artists on Commercial Street saw people fighting, they assumed some treasure had appeared and crowded over.

"Damn, who's this lucky to have found something good?"

"Good things are only useful if you live long enough to take them. He actually ran into a Fifth-Stage Spirit Warrior!"

"Two!" Lin Xuan shouted. "If this draws any experts over later, don't blame me."

Tian Jie's palm shifted continuously, his techniques exquisitely intricate, but Lin Xuan always used the Brown Stone to seal off his attack routes.

"I offer seventy!" Tian Jie said through gritted teeth. He had already made up his mind: once he got the stone, the first thing he would do was tear this black-robed man apart.

"What? Seventy? Did I hear that right?" The people around them shouted. "A treasure is being sold for only seventy Spirit Stones?"

"I offer eighty. Can I buy it?" someone asked.

"The highest bidder gets it!" Lin Xuan laughed.

"I offer one hundred!"

"Damn it, all of you get lost!" Tian Jie flew into a rage. Spiritual energy surged from his body, yellow currents leaping like flames.

Some people still wanted to bid, but Tian Jie's aura cowed them into silence.

"Hmph, we are from the Profound Heaven Sect's Divine Might Corps. Whoever dares cause trouble, we won't spare him afterward!" the young disciples shouted coldly.

Many people gave up competing. The treasure might be good, but their own lives were more precious.

"Oh, what a big mouth. I offer one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!" A teasing voice rang out.

Quite a few people turned around, all wanting to see who was bold enough to challenge someone from the Profound Heaven Sect. Tian Jie also stopped attacking and stared coldly at the bidder.

Lin Xuan also shot a quick glance over, only to discover that he actually knew the bidder.

"Luo Yi!" Tian Jie said through gritted teeth. "Your Battle Group wants to interfere too?"

"I hadn't planned to interfere, but I just can't stand the sight of your Divine Might Corps!" Luo Yi said with a grin.

"Two hundred Spirit Stones!" Tian Jie did not continue arguing with Luo Yi. Their strength and status were evenly matched; if they truly tangled, no victor could be decided in a short time.

"Two hundred and twenty Spirit Stones!" Luo Yi crossed his arms, looking utterly at ease.

"Die!" Tian Jie did not raise the bid. Instead, he suddenly launched an attack, his fist pouncing like a fierce tiger and making even the air hum and tremble.

It was far too sudden. Luo Yi and the others had never expected it and had no time to rescue him. They could only hope that the black-robed man would evade it.

Like a tiger descending the mountain, the yellow fist was wrapped in spiritual energy and gave off a deep tiger's roar as it shot straight at Lin Xuan's face.

"It's the Yellow Tier mid-grade martial art, Tiger Roar Fist! This man in black is dead for sure!"

"Senior Brother Tian Jie truly is formidable. I'm afraid no one of the same rank could take that punch, right?"

Lin Xuan raised two fingers of his left hand like a sword. Azure spiritual energy gushed forth, forming a blade of sword light. Using his fingers in place of a sword, he jabbed forward, like a Heavenly Meteor.

Sssht!

It was precisely the move Heavenly Meteor, merely executed with Lin Xuan's finger. Yet its power was not weakened in the slightest. The sword light flashed, flying out like a startled swan and instantly shattering Tian Jie's Tiger Roar Fist.

Pfft!

Pain shot through Tian Jie's arm. He staggered back, his eyes filled with terror. The disciples following him still wore smiles on their faces, but their muscles had frozen as stiff as stone.

"H-how is that possible?!" The youths nearly bit off their tongues. That was Senior Brother Tian Jie, an elite of the Divine Might Corps, a dignified Fifth-Stage Spirit Warrior!

Luo Yi's pupils also contracted. He thought it over carefully and realized that if it had been him just now, he likely would not have been able to evade that sword.

Who is this black-robed man? His heart was filled with apprehension.

"A sneak attack?" Lin Xuan's voice was icy. "I've changed my mind. If you don't produce five hundred Spirit Stones, forget about getting this stone!"

Tian Jie was still reeling in shock. That sword strike had directly shattered his confidence. He was now convinced that Lin Xuan was a mysterious expert. He had never seen anyone whose sword could be so fast!

"Please calm your anger, Senior. This junior had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended you." Tian Jie said in panic. "These are five Spirit Notes worth one hundred each. They can be exchanged for Spirit Stones at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in the city. I only hope Senior will give me that stone..."

Tian Jie's behavior was completely different from before. There was no helping it; this was a world where strength reigned supreme. Only those with strength could make others submit.

"Take it!" Lin Xuan accepted the Spirit Notes and said in a deep voice, "We'll let this matter go today. If there is a next time, I'll kill without mercy!"

He tossed the Brown Stone to Tian Jie. Wine Lord had already extracted the Spirit Branch from within it, so the stone was useless to him.

"Senior's lesson is correct!" Tian Jie said respectfully. Having obtained the stone, he immediately led his group of disciples away. It seemed he had truly been frightened badly.

Lin Xuan then pulled out one Spirit Note and gave it to the street stall owner, asking, "Where did you get that stone?"

The yellow-faced stall owner accepted the Spirit Note with trembling hands and said softly, "In answer to Senior, I picked that stone up on the outskirts of Taihang Mountain. That day, a hurricane swept through the forest and blew in many things. That brown stone was among them."

"A hurricane?" Lin Xuan immediately thought of the enormous bird, so vast it seemed boundless, from that day. "It seems this stone was originally deep in the forest and was only accidentally carried out by that bird."

"Are there many stones like this?" Lin Xuan asked again.

"I only picked up one. The rest all fell into that deep pit, and I didn't dare retrieve them." The stall owner said cautiously, "That is a Demon Pit. Any living creature that approaches it loses itself, then dies and becomes a pile of white bones. Senior, you should not go there."

"You should stop setting up your stall for a while. Be careful those people don't come looking to cause you trouble." Lin Xuan gave him a reminder, then left without looking back.

He had also heard of that Demon Pit. It was a forbidden ground in the Taihang Mountains. People had been seen entering it, but no one had ever been seen coming out alive.

"It's actually in such a dangerous place." Lin Xuan had originally wanted to collect more Brown Stones, but now he could only abandon the idea. He went somewhere deserted, quickly removed his black robe, and returned to his original appearance.

"I'll return to the sect first. Once Wine Lord finishes brewing the Spirit Wine, I can begin cultivating the Thunder Movement Swordsmanship." Lin Xuan's heart brimmed with anticipation.

Tian Jie and the others brought the Brown Stone to an inn. Several of them sat around a table, curiously staring at the stone upon it.

"Senior Brother, is this really a stone from the depths of the Taihang Mountains? There's nothing special about it!" one disciple said.

"I don't know either, but an inner sect senior brother asked for it. We outer sect disciples can only collect it." Tian Jie said solemnly. "Senior Brother once instructed us that we absolutely must not damage the stone. It seems there is something special inside, but I do not know exactly what it is."

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