CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 80 I AM A DISCIPLE OF LIN DAOYAN (SEEKING INVESTMENT AND FOLLOWERS)

At noon, on Paulownia Peak.

Lin Daoyan entered the infirmary with an expressionless face, approached Lin Yiru’s sickbed, pursed his lips slightly, and gazed at his overly willful daughter.

"Master."

"Shh." Lin Daoyan stopped Zhu Wushang, who was about to rise and bow.

Lin Daoyan quietly brought a small stool and sat beside Lin Yiru’s sickbed. He carefully observed his daughter’s pale, delicate hands, now rough from fighting. The expressions on his face shifted like clouds.

After the loss of two beloved disciples, Lin Daoyan’s educational philosophy had become incredibly extreme. For those he deemed incapable of achieving Martial Saint status, he advocated a laissez-faire approach to education. For those he believed had the aptitude to become Martial Saints, he was strict, offering vigorous training after assessment.

His daughter, Yiru, was someone he saw as lacking the potential to become a Martial Saint. Even with a Class A Aperture, he was unwilling for his daughter to become overly involved in valorous combat or to achieve Martial Saint status through killing.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that his daughter had developed such an overly strong-willed character?

Yet as a child, she was clearly intelligent and knowing, gentle and sensible, greatly adored by Wushang, Jiuyou, and the others...

"What is Yuan doing now?" Lin Daoyan suddenly asked in a soft voice.

"Yuan has already left the infirmary. I told him to go back early to research the intelligence on Li Jianxiang and seek revenge for Xiaoru," replied Zhu Wushang in a low voice. "Yuan watched the battle with me today; he and Xiaoru get along well. After Xiaoru was humiliated by Li Jianxiang, Yuan took the initiative to avenge her, demanding a blood debt paid in blood from Li Jianxiang."

"Oh?" Lin Daoyan’s eyebrows relaxed slightly. "Yuan has good intentions. After the festival passes, arrange for him to travel to the Nanyang Government, visit Jiuyou’s subordinates, and accumulate some merit."

Hong Yuan’s fifth senior brother, Mo Jiuyou, was General Black Wolf of the Yong State army, commanding the Black Wolf Cavalry. He was currently leading an army detachment to suppress the rebellious Nanyang Government, a region that had broken away with connections to the Qinglu Taoist Temple.

In simple terms, if Hong Yuan managed to fight impressively against Li Jianxiang, he would get a rare opportunity for glory from his master, Lin Daoyan!

...

Meanwhile, Hong Yuan had already rushed back to Phoenix Fire Peak, to his own courtyard.

Hong Yuan lit the oil lamp, bent over the case files, and seriously reviewed the full stack of "Li Jianxiang" intelligence provided by Senior Brother Zhu.

Despite having the ability to kill Li Jianxiang with a single punch, it would be negligent not to carefully examine such detailed intelligence. What if Li Jianxiang were concealing his true abilities?

[Li Jianxiang’s Social Interactions]

[Li Jianxiang’s Habits and Behavior]

[Li Jianxiang’s Cultivation Techniques and Moves]

[...]

"Outrageous, how did Senior Brother Zhu manage to gather all this? Li Jianxiang’s understanding of himself might not even be as profound as Senior Brother Zhu’s," Hong Yuan marveled.

The materials were incredibly detailed, covering Li Jianxiang’s social relations, personality traits, cultivation techniques, battle weaknesses, and more. It was enough to make Hong Yuan’s skin crawl.

These veteran True Disciples... indeed not to be underestimated.

Undoubtedly, with such comprehensive intelligence, even a common mortal could plan against Li Jianxiang, causing him to meet his end unknowingly.

Yet with such detailed information, Lin Yiru had still been defeated so miserably...

Hong Yuan couldn’t help but wonder, Why didn’t Lin Yiru follow Senior Brother Zhu’s analysis?

But in an instant, Hong Yuan disregarded the question. Why Lin Yiru acted in such a way was not important to him.

Perhaps in Senior Brother Zhu’s eyes, Lin Yiru and I get along well, but in truth, that was just an act to appease our Master and senior brothers.

A day had passed, and Hong Yuan had already committed all the intelligence on "Li Jianxiang" to memory.

Of course, that still wasn’t enough for Hong Yuan to take immediate action.

This is all Senior Brother Zhu Wushang’s information. I still need to verify it myself and set up some contingencies.

Ideally, I should be able to thrash Li Jianxiang without many people knowing my true identity. The challenge is, I can’t fight him in secret—if I did, it would be for nothing.

It’s quite challenging, but it’s an effort worth making. After all, I still want to live my quiet, contented little life.

In the following two days, Hong Yuan trailed Li Jianxiang constantly.

Li Jianxiang was vaguely aware that someone was tracking him, but he did not care and continued to behave as usual, accepting challenges from other official disciples and cultivating disciples.

After all, Sword Tao martial artists believe in the principle: "With my sword, I can move mountains, cut rivers, overturn seas, subdue demons, suppress evil, command gods, pluck stars, demolish cities, and split the heavens."

Moreover, Li Jianxiang had already been followed by too many people recently. Many wanted to understand his limits so their allies could defeat him in the Sect’s grand tournament.

...

The weather was excellent today. The wind and snow had ceased, leaving the sky clear and azure, vast and cloudless, as pristine as polished jade.

Embracing a sense of joyful anticipation, Hong Yuan placed the challenge letter into his robes and stepped out of the courtyard. The snow underfoot made a crisp sound. His destination was the Sword-washing Stand.

「Sword-washing Stand.」

Several official disciples were gathered around, gazing admiringly at the graceful figure practicing in the center—Li Jianxiang.

"Have you heard? Brother Li has been dubbed the Nine Heavens Little Sword Immortal by those guys from Tianji Pavilion."

"Yeah, it seems that Chu Tianjiao also regards Brother Li as a formidable enemy and doesn’t dare to underestimate him."

"Heh-heh, I haven’t heard, but I’ve seen it."

"Wow, when did you get this Little Phoenix Singing List?"

Amid the praise of the official disciples, Li Jianxiang turned a deaf ear, calmly continuing his cultivation of the Nine Heavens Sword Technique.

The first time he heard such praise, he would get excited, but it had gradually become routine.

It’s like being a handsome guy; you know you’re handsome, but when others praise your looks excessively, you don’t feel much. You know it’s just a simple, objective fact.

SWISH! SWISH!

The wind from his sword swirled as his graceful figure moved.

Li Jianxiang, practicing his swordsmanship routines, felt somewhat bored. He looked forward to today’s challenger, hoping they could exert some pressure on him.

THUD. THUD.

Hong Yuan stepped onto the Sword-washing Stand, searching for Li Jianxiang. Upon finding him, he didn’t act rashly but instead carefully observed the other disciples there.

When he didn’t see any disciples from the Refining Equipment Hall of A06 Workshop or any other familiar faces, Hong Yuan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

If possible, I’d like to wear a mask to hide my identity, or deal with Li Jianxiang in private.

Unfortunately, as a disciple of Lin Daoyan, I can’t do that. After all, if the master has troubles and a disciple with the ability fails to address them, it would become a serious issue.

’A teacher for a day is a father for life.’ Yet, ultimately, Lin Daoyan isn’t my father. How could I expect to reap benefits without putting in any effort? It’s not like I’m Lin Yiru...

Hong Yuan took a deep breath, recalling the plan he had meticulously formulated. He then took out the challenge letter and resolutely advanced towards Li Jianxiang.

「Flower Rock Ground.」

Li Jianxiang was currently practicing his swordsmanship.

When Hong Yuan called out to Li Jianxiang and threw the challenge letter, Li Jianxiang turned around, unruffled.

Seeing Hong Yuan, a subtle smile appeared on Li Jianxiang’s lips. He held his sword, his stance proud, and said, "Oh, it’s you, the coward..."