Chapter Nine: Senior Sister

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, the day of Chen Fan and Mu Lei’s duel had arrived.

After more than ten days of arduous cultivation, Mu Lei finally emerged from seclusion.

“How did it go? How’s your progress?” Xiao Chunkong asked, gazing at the just-released Mu Lei.

Mu Lei nodded. “After I finished the Essence Gathering Pills, my tempering speed dropped considerably. The rest was slow and laborious—fully refining my muscles will take at least two more years… But with my current strength, defeating Chen Fan is absolutely no problem!”

Xiao Chunkong sighed. “It’s a shame my own strength is too high. I’ve long since completed muscle tempering and am on the verge of refining my internal organs. My martial skills are all at the peak of the fundamental stage. I could easily defeat Chen Fan, but he’d never agree to face me…”

Xiao Chunkong was only twenty-three or twenty-four himself, already close to completing the third level of martial cultivation—a strength far superior to Mu Lei’s. Yet precisely because his cultivation outstripped Chen Fan’s by so much, it was impossible for him to challenge Chen Fan to a wager. If anything, it should be Chen Fan challenging him.

Mu Lei’s eyes were sharp. “Rest assured, I’ve reached the second level in true skill and have mastered the secret technique of the Mighty Eagle Claw. Among the core disciples, few at the second level of martial cultivation are my match. Even those at the third level, I can put up a fight. There’s no way I’ll lose to an Inner Breath stage martial artist!”

…

At the dueling arena, rumors of Chen Fan’s upcoming challenge had long circulated. Many disciples gathered early, eager to witness the showdown.

Chen Fan, as the master’s newest disciple and widely regarded as the most gifted youth in Feiling County, had already attracted much attention. Among the crowd were several core disciples—though most were below the fourth level of martial cultivation. The truly formidable disciples did not concern themselves with a contest between two ordinary fighters.

Soon, the arrival of two figures stirred the crowd into a frenzy.

“Sister Yun, and Uncle Li—you’re both here too?!”

Sister Yun was a charming young woman just past twenty, with refined features. As for “Uncle Li,” though dressed as a man, his face was even more delicate than a woman’s. It was none other than Li Linliu.

The two walked side by side, their closeness evident. The onlookers were astonished—what was it about a duel between two minor disciples that had drawn these two?

Sister Yun smiled. “I heard Master had accepted a new disciple—reputedly the greatest genius in Feiling County. Naturally, I had to come and see.”

So Sister Yun was also a disciple of the master, and Chen Fan’s senior.

Li Linliu smiled with satisfaction. “Chen Fan was discovered by me personally in Feiling County. He’ll surprise you, Yun Wei!”

Yun Wei covered her mouth, laughing lightly. “Does Uncle think Chen Fan has a real chance of winning, then?”

Li Linliu nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

Chen Fan had even bested Yan Linzu, whose constitution was extraordinary—Li Linliu’s confidence in him was unwavering. Supposedly, his opponent was only at the first level of martial cultivation.

Yun Wei giggled. “Don’t be so sure, Uncle. You’re often away, and even if you know Chen Fan’s strength, do you know his opponent’s? I think our little junior brother will have a hard time. He’s too impatient. If he’d waited another year or two, his opponent wouldn’t stand a chance…”

Martial artists at the first level were certainly limited, but mastery of true skills and martial techniques was a different matter altogether. A potent technique could boost one’s strength more than cultivation alone—besides, Chen Fan’s cultivation was nothing exceptional.

Li Linliu merely shook his head.

Yun Wei’s eyes sparkled as she teased, “Since you’re so confident in Chen Fan, Uncle, shall we make a wager?”

“Haha, so that’s what you’re after.” Li Linliu smiled. “I have plenty of treasures. If Chen Fan loses, I’ll give you a top-grade sword artifact. How about that?”

Artifacts were a special class of weapon, often possessing unique attributes and far surpassing ordinary arms in power. They were also extremely expensive.

Yun Wei’s eyes lit up, but then she looked pitiful. “But I don’t have anything of that value, Uncle…”

Li Linliu waved it off. “No matter. If Chen Fan wins, just give him something of equivalent worth.”

Yun Wei brightened immediately. “You really dote on Chen Fan, Uncle. But you must keep your word!”

Clearly, she believed Chen Fan’s stake couldn’t compare to what Li Linliu was offering.

Li Linliu smiled. “It’s just an artifact.”

They sealed the wager with a clap.

Yun Wei laughed. “Uncle, you’re bound to lose. Chen Fan’s opponent has been a core disciple for two years, and his Mighty Eagle Claw is quite formidable…”

Li Linliu only smiled in response.

Their banter set the surrounding disciples abuzz, their expressions complex.

“A single artifact… and he says ‘just’?”

Even the cheapest artifact cost at least a thousand or two silver taels, and that was if you could find one—often, they were priceless. Even among the scions of great families, owning a single ordinary artifact was a matter of pride.

Of the more than a hundred core disciples at White Cloud Martial Hall, fewer than a fifth possessed an artifact, and without exception, those were all from martial aristocratic families.

And Li Linliu’s “top-grade” artifact was the finest among them, beyond price.

As the two laughed and joked, a sudden commotion broke out. “They’re here! They’re here!”

It was not Chen Fan, but Xiao Chunkong, Mu Lei, and their companions.

Seeing the crowd, Mu Lei’s expression grew complicated. It was obvious that the attention wasn’t on him, but on the master’s new disciple—the preeminent prodigy of Feiling County!

He gritted his teeth, thinking, “Just wait and see how I teach Chen Fan a lesson!”

Xiao Yurong’s eyes widened as he spotted Li Linliu among the throng. “Even Li Linliu came in person—Chen Fan is no ordinary man!”

They were self-aware enough to know none of them could draw such figures to watch their matches.

Xiao Chunkong, caught between a rock and a hard place, looked helplessly at Mu Lei. “You have to win this match, but try not to injure Chen Fan…”

Mu Lei’s face darkened. None of them were the type to shy from a challenge. Otherwise, even with the hall encouraging competition, they wouldn’t dare profit at the expense of the master’s personal disciples!

But now that things had blown up, and Mu Lei had already broken through to the second level, he was clearly using his advantage in cultivation—it didn’t look good.

One after another, their faces grew grim as they waited for Chen Fan’s arrival.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Fan appeared, flanked by several disciples, and ascended the arena.

He immediately spotted Li Linliu and hurried over to greet him.

“Uncle, you’re here!”

Li Linliu’s face shone with approval. Pointing to the beautiful woman beside him, he said, “This is your third senior sister, Yun Wei.”

Meeting Chen Fan for the first time, Yun Wei’s eyes lit up.

“Little junior brother!”

Though not as delicate as Li Linliu, Chen Fan had a more masculine air. Young as he was, he was already a handsome youth.

“Senior sister!” Chen Fan greeted her, then withdrew his gaze.

He’d heard their master, Dong Guzhi, had previously accepted five disciples, each a remarkable talent. This senior sister, about twenty-four or twenty-five, was similar in age to Lin Shiyu—who knew if she was at the fourth or fifth level of martial cultivation.

Li Linliu smiled at Chen Fan. “For your duel today, your senior sister and I have made a wager. If you win, she’ll owe you a great gift!”

At this, Chen Fan quickly cupped his fists to Yun Wei. “Thank you, senior sister, for your generosity!”

Yun Wei couldn’t help but laugh and sigh. “You haven’t even fought yet, and you’re so sure you’ll win. Aren’t you underestimating your opponent?”

Chen Fan replied, “It’s not that I underestimate him—it’s just that I have confidence in myself.”

With that, he turned to face Mu Lei on the other side of the crowd.

Mu Lei’s gaze was equally sharp.

Chen Fan said, “I’ll go win this bout first, then we can talk, senior sister.”

His words brimmed with confidence.

To lose in spirit was worse than losing in combat.

Chen Fan had never seen Mu Lei fight and didn’t know how formidable his true essence martial arts were—he couldn’t guarantee victory. But he had enough confidence in his own strength.

He turned and strode straight onto the arena, looking toward Xiao Chunkong and the others.

“Mu Lei, come up. What are you waiting for?”

Mu Lei’s lips twitched. “This brat is really arrogant…”

Resentment smoldered in his chest. He’d intended to heed Xiao Chunkong’s advice and go easy, but Chen Fan’s attitude irked him.

“A little lesson won’t hurt—as long as I don’t cripple him, the master won’t mind!”

With that thought, Mu Lei strode briskly onto the arena, tilting his neck until it cracked with a series of pops.

The two combatants took their places. The appointed referee stepped onto the platform and declared the match open.

Mu Lei glared coldly at Chen Fan. “Boy, when we arranged this fight half a month ago, I accidentally broke through to the second level of martial cultivation in the meantime. Don’t complain that I’m suppressing you with my cultivation!”

In truth, he had used both spirit stones and pills—hardly an “accidental” breakthrough.

Chen Fan shook his head. “Enough talk. If you want to fight, then fight!”

He had just finished honing three first-class techniques; he was eager for the pressure of real combat to push his limits further.