A middle-aged man, wearing a majestic fur coat, chuckled and said,
"Jiaozhun! Whatâs that look for? Get up quickly!"
"Yes, Master of the Sect!"
The moment Jiaozhun heard the Iron Blood Sect Masterâs words, he mustered his strength and stood up. Indeed, the figure standing at the forefront was none other than the supreme leader of the Twin Dragon Clan and the ruler of the Luoyang martial world, the Iron Blood Sect Master. Behind him stood six experts, who were undoubtedly the elders of the Iron Blood Sect, and behind the elders were the hall masters who supported the sectâs power.
Judging by their martial arts and numbers, they seemed to be on par with the Nine Great Sects. I couldnât help but swallow hard, and the Iron Blood Sect Master looked at me with a calm gaze and said,
"Your name is Bai Xiong, right? Your business here isnât finished yet, is it?"
"......"
I racked my brain. Why did the Iron Blood Sect Master appear and start talking to me like this? There must be some hidden motive. I rolled my eyes and replied,
"No, my business is finished. The duel ended with my victory, as you wished, didnât it?"
My finger pointed at Jiaozhunâs broken sword blade. Seeing the blade embedded in the wall, Jiaozhun, the Hall Master of Linjian, blushed in shame. I was asserting that my business here was resolved and intended to leave quickly.
'Good thing I finished it quickly. If I had waited, I would have had to fight one of them for sure.'
It was partly a bluff, but I thought it might work. After all, in a duel, the challenger has the right to go first. Moreover, I calculated that the Iron Blood Sect Master, renowned throughout the land, wouldnât kill me recklessly.
The Iron Blood Sect Master stood with his arms crossed, silent. Then, he suddenly looked at Jiaozhun, the Hall Master of Linjian, and said,
"Hey, Jiaozhun! Did you lose?"
Jiaozhun, embarrassed, bowed his head but then regained his composure and replied,
"Yes."
"Good, well done. Itâs fortunate youâre still alive."
"......"
"Then, Bai Xiong, prepare for the next duel."
Huh?!
What is he saying?!
I was taken aback by the Iron Blood Sect Masterâs casual and friendly tone, as if he was urging me to the next duel without allowing any room for objection. I naturally protested, knowing that continuing the duel here would gain me nothing.
"What are you talking about? The duel is over, so Iâm leaving the Iron Blood Sect."
The Iron Blood Sect Master laughed. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes showed no change.
"Hehe... What do you mean? If thatâs the case, youâll have to repay your debt immediately."
"Debt? What are you talking about?"
The Iron Blood Sect Master glanced around the training ground. He touched the splintered wooden floor and the damaged walls and said,
"All this was broken by your Lionâs Roar. Youâll have to pay for it."
"......!!"
"The Iron Blood Sect is now demanding compensation from Bai Xiong. Donât you understand?"
I almost dropped my sword in shock.
What a load of crap!
While itâs true that my Lionâs Roar damaged the building, it was a loss incurred during a martial arts duel. Why should I have to pay for it? I was about to protest when I suddenly felt hundreds of eyes on me.
Whoosh -
"......"
At that moment, I realized that this was enemy territory, and the dozens or hundreds of martial artists gathered here were ready to stab me if necessary. Although the Iron Blood Sect is classified as a righteous sect, they are fundamentally people who use swords. If they decide to bury someone, it happens in an instant.
The Iron Blood Sect Master would never accept repayment in money. Iâm not that stupid.
As I swallowed hard, the Iron Blood Sect Master said,
"Running away after winning is not allowed. This is the Iron Blood Sect, after all."
"Damn... What a load of crap."
"Youâll have to fight at least two more times. If you win both, you wonât have to pay any compensation, I promise."
"What if I refuse?"
"Youâve got guts."
A cruel smile played on the Iron Blood Sect Masterâs lips.
"If you can escape from here and are willing to challenge the Iron Blood Sect again, thatâs fine! We can have a fun time in the martial world."
I realized I had no choice. I might be able to escape using my inner strength, but I had no idea how much I would be injured. The Iron Blood Sect Masterâs and the eldersâ martial arts were at the peak of the martial world. Even if I managed to escape by luck, I would spend the rest of my life fighting the Iron Blood Sect, and I didnât have the stamina or resources for that.
'Damn... Damn...!!'
I realized the Iron Blood Sect Masterâs intentions.
[Running away after winning is not allowed.]
He had come to set up the stage to ensure the Iron Blood Sectâs victory. Perhaps many previous challengers had managed to defeat one or two of the Iron Blood Sectâs martial artists, but they ultimately lost after a series of forced duels. The Iron Blood Sect had likely maintained its honor this way from the very beginning.
Maybe it would be better to lose appropriately and then run away. However, the high-level experts of the Iron Blood Sect who would fight me twice would likely cripple or kill me. It was a series of choices as dangerous as walking on thin ice, making my head spin.
I realized I had underestimated the Iron Blood Sect and the martial world. In a martial arts novel, the Iron Blood Sect Master might be impressed by my skills and let me go, or even offer me a position in the sect. But this is reality. To the Iron Blood Sect Master, Iâm just a strong wandering martial artist who needs to be eliminated. The martial world is a place where even despicable acts are committed to protect oneâs honor.
'Am I going to die either way?'
I had no choice.
Would I die running away or die fighting?
'If so, Iâll bet on my luck.'
I prepared to die and said,
"Fine. But I have a request."
"What is it?"
"Give me some weapons. A good spear and a good sword."
"......"
Murmurs
The Iron Blood Sect disciples were surprised. Looking for weapons at this point seemed strange. Perhaps they thought I was maintaining my composure in the face of a life-or-death situation. The Iron Blood Sect Master, unlike before, had a smile in his eyes.
"Youâre really an interesting guy. You really donât belong to any sect, do you?"
"Why do you keep asking? I already said I donât."
"Amazing... Amazing. Even the three great figures of the righteous sects would find it hard to produce someone like you."
The Iron Blood Sect Master sighed and looked around before shouting,
"Hey! Bring a spear and a sword."
The Iron Blood Sect Masterâs command was absolute. As soon as he gave the order, several disciples rushed to bring the weapons I had requested. The Iron Blood Sect Master handed me the two weapons and said,
"Is this enough?"
"More than enough."
The weapons were of such high quality that there was no need to nitpick. Both the spear and the sword were new and gleaming silver, made of excellent iron. They were of a quality that only high-ranking martial artists would use, so I had no complaints.
A moment later, the Iron Blood Sect Master snapped his fingers.
"First Elder, step forward for the duel."
"Yes, Master."
Swoosh
The First Elder, called Gu Ying Jianke (Ghost Shadow Swordsman) Zhenping, adjusted his hat and stepped forward. He was a rather short figure, his face smaller than mine. He drew a long sword that seemed disproportionately long for his height, looking somewhat awkward.
"I am the First Elder of the Iron Blood Sect, Gu Ying Jianke Zhenping. Letâs have a good match, Bai Xiong."
I had no idea how strong Gu Ying Jianke Zhenping was.
This meant that Zhenpingâs martial arts were at such a high level that I couldnât gauge them with my current abilities. I could only sense the strength of his inner energy, but even that was hard to estimate accurately. He was suppressing his aura to the maximum to maintain a calm and composed stance.
The only thing I could deduce was that Zhenping was likely a swordsman who could decide a match with a single strike.
'Damn. Am I going to die here?'
My mind was in turmoil. All sorts of thoughts raced through my head, but I couldnât accept the idea of dying here without a fight. I held my sword and asked Zhenping,
"I come from a small village and donât know much about your reputation. Do you have skills comparable to a Huashan Sect elder?"
"......!!"
Zhenping looked surprised, and the people around him were taken aback. Asking about oneâs martial prowess directly was not only impolite among martial artists but also an awkward question for the person being asked. As Zhenping hesitated, the Iron Blood Sect Master laughed.
"Ha ha ha... You really have guts. Iâll answer that question for you.
In my opinion, the First Elder of our sect is on par with the elders of the Nine Great Sects! If itâs the Huashan Sect, it would be a close match, but against a Zhongnan Sect elder, our side would have the upper hand."
Gu Ying Jianke Zhenping glanced at the Iron Blood Sect Master, his face slightly red with embarrassment.
"Master, youâre flattering me too much."
"Whatâs wrong with it? Itâs the truth, and no one can say otherwise."
"... Thank you."
"Focus on the duel now."
As they exchanged words, I felt a burning sensation in my chest.
An elder of the Nine Great Sects!
If he was at that level, he was undoubtedly a peak expert. Peak experts were rare in the world, but for a major sect like the Iron Blood Sect, it was natural to have such a level of expertise among its leaders.
I held the spear and the sword, pondered for a moment, and then planted the spear on the ground. I took a deep breath and assumed the proper stance for the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique.
'Forget the Thunder Command Eight Forms. Iâll fight with the familiar Thunder Shadow Sword Technique.'
The Thunder Command Eight Forms was undoubtedly a stronger martial art than the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique. As the pinnacle of spear techniques, it was not only versatile in offense and defense but also had a higher practical value than the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique. I had tried hard to practice the Thunder Command Eight Forms, but I found that sword techniques suited me better. Having used sword techniques as my primary weapon for years, I couldnât fight awkwardly with the Thunder Command Eight Forms now.
The only thought that occupied my mind was:
Luck!
Now, all I had left was luck. I pointed my sword and said,
"Gu Ying Jianke, will you let me have the first move?"
"... I was planning to, but Iâve never heard anyone say that before."
Gu Ying Jianke Zhenping said this with a look of amazement, but I ignored him and shouted,
"Ha!"
At the same time, my body shot towards him like the wind. I moved twice as fast as usual, the world around me blurring, and the sword trails in the air looked like afterimages. To