Establishing Authority

Establishing Authority

He Jin came from the Mount Meng He Clan. His ancestors had once produced a marquis at their height, but by He Jin's generation, the family had already declined. When he came of age, he merely inherited the title of Baron of Mount Meng County. Unwilling to remain ordinary, He Jin enlisted in the army and slew enemies, swearing to reclaim his ancestors' glory. At thirty, he luckily advanced into the Mysterious Realm. Relying on his cultivation, he entered the service of the Li Family of Jinyang, and after many twists and turns, finally rose to become commander of the Pingwei Army.

He Jin knew something about Qin Mo. "The weakest Mysterious Realm in history"—that title had once resounded throughout Great Xia. Yet he himself had entered the Mysterious Realm amid bloody battles with the Orc Tribe. In He Jin's eyes, only a Mysterious Realm warrior tempered on the battlefield was a true Mysterious Realm warrior.

The Breaker Manual was mighty and tyrannical, suited for slaughter on the battlefield. Its cultivation path also matched the campaigns of the war-torn plains, so many cultivators of the Breaker Manual honed their cultivation in battle, hoping to find an opportunity to advance their realm.

There was a training ground within the Ulan City Governor's Office, not far from the council hall, used by Li Zinian's household guards for practice. Qin Mo and He Jin chose it as the site of their duel.

He Jin held a long saber and wore a suit of leaf-patterned armor, fully equipped as he quietly awaited Qin Mo. His attire drew much ridicule. Qin Mo had come in formal robes without armor, while He Jin had clad himself in heavy armor from head to toe. He truly had no shame.

"He Jin, how old are you this year? How can you be so shameless? That heavy armor of yours weighs fifty jin, doesn't it?" Qin Yumu had the hottest temper and was the first to curse him out.

"If he cared about shame, how could he serve as someone's running dog? Being a running dog would be one thing, but he can't even tell loyal from treacherous and bites wildly at random. Who knows how many meat bones he's been rewarded with."

The one who said this was an unexpected person—Qin Yu, heir to the King of Ji. It was not that he wanted to help Qin Mo. Rather, he hated these newly risen nobles to the bone. Prince Heng's line clearly had only Qin Mo left, yet they still forced him toward the most dangerous places. What intentions could they possibly have... did that even need saying?

He Jin had a dark face, so no one could tell whether he was blushing. He merely stood there waiting for Qin Mo to prepare. I'm wearing armor? Which of you top nobles doesn't have fine armor? I've fought on the battlefield for more than ten years, walking back and forth between life and death God knows how many times. Shame? If I cared about shame, I'd have become nothing but a pile of dry bones long ago.

To everyone's surprise, Qin Mo did not have anyone bring him armor. He merely removed his golden crown and tied up his hair. Then, holding his twin blades, he walked into the training ground. He had given the pair of blades a name: Phantom Shadow. Yet this name, which he considered exceptionally cultured, was met with Allen's profound disdain.

Only epic-grade weapons and armor qualified to have names. Qin Mo's twin blades were merely rare-grade weapons, yet he had named them. Did he think he was Achilles, the former emperor of the Elven Race? The elven emperor liked naming the items he used, regardless of their grade; it depended only on whether he liked them. But who was Achilles? No one dared mock him. Yet Qin Mo dared do the same—was he not simply inviting ridicule?

Qin Mo did not care about such messy rules. Whatever he liked was the best. He was even planning to name that battered axe! Qin Mo had seen plenty of messy things in the past. So what if he named weapons he liked? Was it getting in anyone's way?

Seeing Qin Mo enter the training ground, He Jin could not help tightening his grip on the long saber. The blade was nearly seven chi long and looked plain, much like the horse-chopping sabers commonly used in the army. Yet it was actually an exceptionally powerful superior-grade weapon, engraved with an extremely rare Bloodletting Array.

This array could make the elemental energy infused into the weapon vibrate at high speed. Once it tore through an enemy's skin, it would leave behind a jagged, irregular wound and cause massive blood loss. If one's elemental energy was pure enough and the array was driven to its utmost, it could even leave a thread of elemental energy in the wound to hinder healing. When He Jin saw this weapon, he greatly liked its hidden attribute. But the Mount Meng He Clan no longer possessed its former foundation. Gritting his teeth, he spent half his fortune on this long saber.

"Today, Qin Mo, heir to Prince Heng, and He Jin, Count of Mount Meng, shall spar in martial combat. Life and death shall be left to fate, with all present as witnesses. Both sides have signed a life-and-death contract. Regardless of the outcome, no revenge may be sought..." An official of the Ulan City Governor's Office publicly read out their life-and-death contract, dragging everyone present in as witnesses.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Three drumbeats rang out, and the duel began. Li Zinian had deliberately arranged things so solemnly in order to make people believe this was a military sparring match, not a life-and-death duel provoked by Qin Mo. This way, regardless of whether Qin Mo died or was injured, it would not trigger a fierce backlash from all sides. Dayuan could not stir up trouble over losing the duel either. After all, Allen was only in the Earth Realm, not a Realm powerhouse capable of disregarding all rules.

Before the drumbeats had faded, He Jin raised his saber and charged head-on at Qin Mo. Long blades and heavy armor were made for killing in battle formations, relying on an unstoppable, forward-driving momentum. He Jin had honed himself on the northern battlefield for more than ten years, and his combat techniques had long reached mastery. The He Clan lacked the means to alter the Breaker Manual, so the elemental energy he cultivated was exceptionally violent. Combined with that long saber and heavy armor, He Jin's bearing became even more mighty and tyrannical.

He Jin exerted strength through his waist and back. His body, reinforced by earth elemental energy, erupted with tremendous force. Elemental power flowed from the saber's edge, its blade-light flickering in and out of sight. A sky full of saber shadows swept through several zhang in every direction, like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.

Qin Mo... was that fallen leaf... After such a long period of cultivation, his figure had finally gained the faintest trace of muscle. Yet once dressed, he still looked so thin and frail.

Whenever he used elemental energy to strengthen his muscles even a little, that rascal Nirvana Flame would rush out and use black radiance to hammer and temper them. His strength grew greater and greater, but his build barely changed. Qin Mo had cried out in his heart countless times, At this rate, when will I ever become a muscular man?

Whether it was the long-dead Huang Seshu or today's He Jin, both intended to crush Qin Mo directly with sheer strength. They were plainly bullying him for not being fully developed. He Jin's arrogance infuriated Qin Mo. With Phantom Shadow at his side, he stuck close to He Jin, his twin blades flashing again and again as blood dripped onto the ground.

The longer He Jin fought, the more panicked he became. He had pushed his elemental energy to the limit, extending it dozens of zhang around him, yet he still could not detect Qin Mo's attacks. Whenever he sensed Qin Mo's twin blades, it was already too late to block them; he could only desperately evade the vital areas. He shouted inwardly, Why is there no elemental energy fluctuation around him? Could his realm be higher than mine? Could he be in the Earth Realm?

Little did he know that Qin Mo had been tricked by Allen countless times and had finally learned how to deliberately conceal his elemental energy, launching sneak attacks with physical strength alone. Only when his blades were about to strike his opponent would he suddenly activate his elemental energy and explosively increase his force. The first time his twin blades brushed Allen's clothing, he had jumped up in delight... even throwing his weapons into the air. Allen had then given him a vicious beating, but even when he was beaten until he could barely breathe, his carefree laughter never stopped.

Goose-feather snow began drifting through the air, concealing the scent of blood on the field. Qin Mo circled and danced around He Jin, constantly slicing at the gaps between the joints of his heavy armor. Specks of blood stained the white snow red, only to be swept up and buried by more snow.

He Jin's roars grew more and more impassioned, and his attacks increasingly fierce. The elemental energy leaking from him had already forced the onlookers to the edge of the training ground, yet Qin Mo's figure still danced with the wind, impossible to grasp.

As He Jin's roars shifted from rage to sorrow and became increasingly mournful, everyone understood that He Jin's life was no longer in his own hands.

"Stop... Your Highness, the heir. You are all brothers in the army. Leave him some dignity." Ulan City Governor Li Zinian's voice was not loud, yet it resounded through the entire Ulan City Governor's Office.

Qin Mo's figure paused, becoming clear in everyone's eyes. He had been moving constantly, and only now did they see that Qin Mo's clothes had not gained even the slightest wrinkle. They remained as neat and crisp as before. Though He Jin's entire body was covered in armor and no one could see what lay beneath, he was now leaning on his long saber, white mist continuously billowing from beneath his visor as he gasped. Who had won and who had lost... was obvious at a glance.

"Dignity... Heh heh... When he insulted my father just now, why did no one speak of dignity? He is a mere count—when he spoke disrespectfully to me, why did he not consider my dignity?"

"I, Qin Mo, am not refusing to give you a chance. If you can withstand one strike from me, today's matter shall be considered settled."

Qin Mo's final words made He Jin's eyes widen, like a dying man clutching at a straw.