The east side of the city.
Wang's Tea House.
Lin Yuan and Lin Jiu had just crossed the deserted front hall when Wang Cheng's raised voice rang out from the rear courtyard.
"Straighten your backs, all of you!"
"I know you used to be mud-legged peasants, so poor your families couldn't keep a pot boiling!"
"But everything changed the moment you put on those flying-fish robes!"
"From now on, your families will have the court's protection, two taels of pay every month, and a hundred jin of coarse rice and white flour. But there's one condition..."
"You must give your absolute loyalty-to the court and to Lord Lin. Do you all understand?"
"Understood!"
Their slightly youthful voices resounded throughout the tea house.
The two entered the rear courtyard and saw fifty youths, all around eighteen, standing inside.
Dressed in flying-fish robes with embroidered-spring sabers at their waists, they looked full of vigor.
Spotting Lin Yuan, Wang Cheng hurried over at a jog and dropped to one knee.
"This subordinate pays his respects, my lord!"
The youths in the courtyard all turned to look.
Wang Cheng whipped his head around and glared at them.
"What are you all gawking at? Pay your respects to Commandant Lin!"
With a rustle and clatter!
Everyone hastily fell to their knees.
"Greetings, Commandant Lin!"
A few youths in the front row secretly raised their heads to study the superior before them, who was about their own age.
Rumors about this baleful star had long since spread throughout Ping'an County.
One dark-skinned youth stared fixedly at the saber at Lin Yuan's waist, breathing heavily, his face full of fervor.
This was how a true man should be!
A few timid ones trembled in the legs and buried their heads even lower.
Taking in everyone's reactions, Lin Yuan waved a hand.
"Rise."
Everyone hurried to their feet and stood properly.
Looking at the somewhat uneasy youths, Lin Yuan patted the hilt at his waist.
"Come on. Today, I'll start by showing you some blood."
It was nearly noon.
Little River Village, twenty li outside the city.
At the village entrance, a dozen or so ragged villagers knelt numbly on the ground, their hands bound.
More than three hundred bandits stood on either side with sabers drawn, watching the nearby road warily.
A pockmarked confidant looked up at the sky, then hesitantly stepped forward.
"General, it's noon. Could that brat have gotten scared and decided not to come?"
Cao Hu's face twitched violently. He was beginning to feel uncertain too.
Was that brat really going to disregard these lowborn peasants' lives?
That shouldn't be. He'd made his name young and was a Dragon Guard. How could he not care about his reputation?
Just then, a cloud of dust suddenly rose in the distance.
Two hidden sentries jumped down from trees and hurried over.
"General! A lot of people are coming!"
Whoosh!
Everyone fixed their eyes on the road's entrance.
As the dust cleared, dozens of figures in black flying-fish robes came walking down the dirt road.
A commotion immediately broke out among the bandits.
"Fuck! That brat broke the rules! He actually dared bring troops!"
Cao Hu frowned too. His right hand had already settled on his axe handle, and he was about to order the villagers killed to vent his anger.
But when the Dragon Guards drew closer, he finally saw that those figures were a group of callow youths.
After a brief silence, everyone erupted into earthshaking laughter.
"Hahaha! They're just a bunch of brats who still smell of their mothers' milk!"
"Look at that brat on the left! Has he pissed himself?"
"Hey! You little pants-wetting bastard, go home and suck your mother's tits!"
"These are Dragon Guards? I could make three of them cry with one punch!"
Cao Hu slapped his thigh in delight too, throwing his head back and laughing wildly.
"Hahaha! Have the mighty Dragon Guards run out of recruits? They'll even take trash like this!"
These youths had never seen anything like it. Faced with more than three hundred vicious men steeped in bloody baleful Qi, every one of them turned deathly pale with fright.
"Is it that funny?"
A cold voice abruptly sounded above everyone's heads.
The laughter stopped dead.
Everyone craned their necks and looked skyward.
Beneath the dazzling sun, a slender figure in blue robes hovered in midair, hands clasped behind his back.
A light breeze stirred his hem.
His sleeves fluttered.
The bandits all sucked in a breath of cold air, their eyes bulging as chills ran down their spines.
Cao Hu's pupils abruptly contracted, and his heart gave a violent jolt.
Flight?
Wasn't that a fucking ability only the upper three ranks of the Spirit Refining Realm possessed?
How could this brat possibly...
No!
Cao Hu stared fixedly at Lin Yuan in midair, sensing carefully.
The blood Qi fluctuations emanating from this brat were clearly only at peak first rank!
His eyes suddenly lit up. This was most likely that Earth Rank lightness technique bought at the Treasure Pavilion auction!
Greed appeared on Cao Hu's face. If he possessed that lightness technique, where in this vast world couldn't he go?
He abruptly raised his massive axe and roared at the top of his lungs.
"What are you panicking for? This brat's only relying on a lightness technique!"
"Surround him! He can't keep it up for long. The moment he lands, chop him into meat paste!"
With a great rustle!
The three hundred-odd bandits snapped out of their stupor and instantly closed in, hundreds of steel sabers pointing skyward at once.
High in the air.
Lin Yuan glanced at the dozen or so blood-soaked villagers and gripped his saber hilt without expression.
They dared threaten him with such filthy tricks. Not one of these bastards would leave alive today.
Clang!
His long saber left its sheath.
Facing the dense crowd below, Lin Yuan unleashed three fierce slashes in succession!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three five-foot streaks of blood-colored saber Qi descended from the sky, shrieking through the air as they slammed into the crowd.
Squelch!
Flesh and blood flew!
Dozens of bandits were instantly cut into pieces, piercing screams rising one after another.
One streak of saber Qi headed straight for Cao Hu's head.
"Paltry tricks!"
Cao Hu truly was a peak second rank expert who had slaughtered his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
He extended a palm-leaf-fan-sized hand, red light gleaming on his five fingers, and grabbed at the blood-colored saber Qi.
Crack.
He crushed the saber Qi on the spot.
"Get down here!"
Cao Hu roared, gripped his massive axe with both hands, and hacked viciously at Lin Yuan in midair!
Boom!
A seven-foot streak of dark-yellow axe Qi tore through the air and hurtled straight toward Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan calmly shifted two steps to the left.
The raging axe Qi brushed past the corner of his robe and flew high into the sky.
"It would be rude not to return the favor!"
Lin Yuan slashed downward three more times with a reverse sweep!
The blood-colored saber Qi plowed three bloody paths through the densely packed bandits.
In just two exchanges, more than half of the three hundred-odd bandits were already dead or wounded!
"Bastard!"
Cao Hu's heart bled at the sight.
These were the last of his forces. If they all died here, how would he get by in the Heaven-Pacifying Army?
"Die, you little bastard!"
Cao Hu's eyes turned bloodshot as he went completely berserk.
He bent his knees slightly, and two deep pits exploded in the ground.
His entire body shot upward, his massive axe raised in both hands as he cleaved toward Lin Yuan with the terrifying momentum of Mount Tai crashing down!
A fierce wind struck Lin Yuan's face.
Lin Yuan lightly tapped his toe against empty air. An invisible wave of air exploded, and he glided three zhang backward with effortless grace.
Cao Hu's axe struck empty air. His massive body crashed down, smashing a half-zhang-deep pit into the ground and sending dust flying.
He leaped out of the pit, looked up, and stamped about in thunderous rage, cursing viciously.
"Little bastard! Come down and fight me fair and square if you've got the guts!"
Five more flashes of saber light answered him.
Five five-foot streaks of blood-colored saber Qi descended in a fan.
Cao Hu's expression changed drastically. Swinging his massive axe, he shattered the two leading streaks of saber Qi.
The remaining three streaks swept past his sides and chopped the bandits behind him into minced flesh!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Cao Hu wiped the blood from his face and looked at his few remaining men. A chill rose in his heart.
He couldn't keep dragging this out!
He abruptly turned his head and fixed his gaze on the youths nearby.
"Fuck it! I'll kill every one of your men and see if you come down!"
Cao Hu roared. His violent peak second rank presence erupted as he charged toward the youths with a savage grin.
The youths had never faced anything like this. Their faces turned deathly pale with fright, and they instantly panicked.
"Mother! Run!"
Someone shouted, and the youths turned to flee.
"Halt!"
Wang Cheng drew his embroidered-spring saber and barred their path.
"Anyone who takes half a step back will have his entire family executed under the law!"
At these words, the youths stiffened all over and forcibly stopped in their tracks.
They still had elderly parents at home, and younger siblings crying to be fed. If they dragged their families into this...
Running meant their entire families would die. Staying meant only they themselves would die!
With a clatter!
On the verge of tears, they tremblingly drew the embroidered-spring sabers at their waists.
Standing at the very front, Wang Cheng stared at the approaching Cao Hu and shouted.
"Hold your sabers steady!"
"The first thing I'm teaching you today is this: Dragon Guards fight to the death and never retreat!"
Beside him, Lin Jiu also drew his saber, but he wasn't nervous at all.
With his young master here, this man could forget about overturning the heavens!
Sure enough!
Just as Cao Hu charged within three zhang of Wang Cheng.
Hum!
A five-foot streak of blood-colored saber Qi descended from the sky, forcing Cao Hu to slam to a halt.
Sensing that little blood Qi power remained in his body, Lin Yuan could only tread down invisible steps, walking out of midair one step at a time.
The youths stared blankly at the figure in blue robes, utterly shaken!
Lin Yuan landed steadily and rolled his neck.
"Fine, I'll use you to test my current strength!"
Watching Lin Yuan finally land, Cao Hu broke into a cruel, savage grin.
"Big talk! You really think you're still a match for me once you're on the ground?"
Afraid Lin Yuan would take to the sky again, Cao Hu pushed off hard with both feet and hurtled forward, low to the ground.
A cold smile curled Lin Yuan's lips.
With a thought, three illusory internal organs shattered at once!
An immense surge of pure energy flowed down his arms into the blade.
Hum!
The long saber trembled violently, its blade radiance surging another nine inches!
A terrifying, suffocating fluctuation spread outward.
Sensing this imposing force mid-charge, Cao Hu's expression changed drastically, every hair on his body standing on end.
This is bad!
This little bastard is actually using a secret art to fight to the death!
He gritted his teeth, hardened his resolve, and likewise unleashed a military secret art for fighting to the death!
He roared.
"Come on! Who's afraid of whom!"
"Blood-Burning Technique! Activate, damn it!"
Fine beads of blood seeped from every pore on Cao Hu's body at once, turning into a blood mist that streamed continuously into his axe.
His once-brawny body visibly shrank, and his cheeks sank deep inward.
"Die!"
Eyes bulging, Cao Hu swung his enormous axe and brought it crashing down with all the power he had cultivated in his lifetime!
A thirty-five-meter-long arc of blood-colored axe Qi tore through the air and howled forth!
At the same time, Lin Yuan gripped his saber with both hands and slashed down head-on.
The opening move.
Shake Kunlun!