by Tinalynge
Xu Min was very apprehensive and did not wish for the snake to take action. But he did not wish to die either, so he was just as stubborn as the young men who wished to defeat him.
Cracking his neck, Xu Min gestured to the opponent to enter the ring. A mocking smile appeared on his face.
“Don’t you think that you are something just because you managed to defeat one puny little expert,” a loud voice boomed through the entire hall. Everyone who was still battling stopped for a moment to glance towards Xu Min and the loud speaker. Yong Meiling giggling as she heard the words.
Although Xu Min was the one who was battling, Yong Meilin felt no worry at all. She had seen how hard the young man trained day out and day in. He never let himself relax and currently he was filled with the extra energy from the medicinal pill. In Yong Meilin’s eyes, there was simply no way for Xu Min to lose. She was also aware of Cao Cao being coiled around his neck as the snake was ready to assist him whenever needed.
The man who had called out was a large man. He was at least two heads taller than Xu Min who was a good one hundred and seventy centimeters. The man’s body was bulging with muscles. However, these muscles were still only of a Two-Star Warrior. His focus had been solely on strength.
Xu Min frowned slightly as he knew that this man was going to be much harder to deal with. The muscles were not only good for displaying strength, but they also managed perfectly well to protect the man. The tactic he had used so far would definitely not work on this man. Grumbling for a few moments, the young man returned to his mocking smirk as he looked at the super strong man. Strength might be a benefit when it came to defense and hitting the opponent. However, this man who focused solely on strength was not well versed in speed.
The moment the man appeared, Xu Min stomped the ground hard and sped towards the man who was taken by surprise. His eyes widened, but then he grinned loudly and spread open his arms.
Just as Xu Min was about to arrive, he stepped on the strong arm and borrowed the force from his strength to plant his knee into the face of the strong man. He broke his nose in a clean hit before he used the recoil to jump far back. He went back out of range of the large man who was shrieking with agony.
Chapter 37 - Silence before the Storm
Landing on the arena ground once more, Xu Min smirked as he saw that the large man who had been so loud previously was now screaming in agony as his nose had been broken. He was not the only one who was shocked. Everyone within the arena was astonished to see how he had moved around with such nimbleness. How he had managed to use the strength of his opponent to put enough force behind his attack to do some real damage was incredulous.
Unfortunately, this man was far tougher than any other opponent Xu Min had faced before. After having released a few agonizing screams, he glared at the young man in front of him. His eyes told that when he got hold of the young man, he would ensure that he did not make it out of the arena alive.
At the start, this large man had wished to show his prowess to Yong Meilin and some sort of real strength to this man who was rumored to be Yong Meilin’s beloved. Now the young woman was nowhere within his mind. The only thing he could think about was to get revenge for the broken nose and redemption from having been wounded by a mere One-Star Warrior.
Yong Meilin lifted her hands to cover her face as she saw the attack Xu Min had made. Her eyes filled with disbelief. Although she knew that Xu Min’s physique was far above the One-Star Warrior, she was instantly certain that he was at a disadvantage against such a physically strong man. To see how Xu Min managed to be the first to draw blood, she was shocked. Her eyes were now glued to Xu Min, waiting to see other surprises he had in store.
Xu Min was grateful that this man had appeared as soon as he did. Had he fought two or three more experts before this one appeared, then it was highly likely that he would not have had the stamina to deal with him. But, he was the second opponent and the young man held nothing back as he dashed around on the stage. He was abusing his speed to the limit and managing to dodge every single attack from the large man.
Although his opponent was far stronger than Xu Min, he had focused all his practice into becoming strong. Such strength was useless against a nimble and swift Xu Min. If he could not get his hands on the person, how was he to trash him?
Xu Min knew that he was only able to keep running so long before his stamina would be used up. By constantly glancing at the large muscular man, he quickly found that his gamble was paying off. The muscular man was getting more and more frustrated. His eyes were turning red and the blood from his nose kept dripping, He soaked both himself and the floor of the arena deep red. He left a metallic scent within the air.
Waiting for a bit longer, Xu Min glanced over the body of his opponent. For once, he swore at the Hall of Champions for not allowing weapons. Had he had his sword, the one he had been gifted by his teacher, he could easily deal with such a large man. He could force enough strength into the blade and catch enough momentum to thoroughly defeat this giant. However, it was not allowed and Xu Min had to find another way to deal with him.
Suddenly. his eyes were caught by the blood pool on the floor. A sinister smile appeared on his face as he once more charged towards the giant man. His focus was fully on the two arms and he expertly dodged the both of them before he twisted his body slightly and placed a foot behind his leg.
Having done so, Xu Min pushed his two hands forward. He borrowed momentum from his advance and the two palms heavily collided with the bare upper body. He released a slapping sound before the bulky man tripped in the blood. The large man was incapable of regaining his balance as a foot was placed behind the legs. This caused him to fall and his head banged into the stone flooring.
Once more, Xu Min retreated as far back as he could. His main goal was to stay alive and ensure that no one was allowed to reach his dantian so that it would be smashed.
Now lying on the ground, the man once more let go of a scream. Yet this time, it was not an agonizing scream. Instead, it was a roar of rage that he, who was clearly stronger, was incapable of defeating this youngster who was nimbly running all around.
Had this man used any sort of martial art skills instead of trusting one hundred percent on his physical strength, it was highly likely that Xu Min would have lost. Now the two of them were battling completely based on their physical strength. It was a duel where they ranked the same, but their strengths were different, In the end, Xu Min’s speed was what determined the advantage he had gotten.
Standing tentatively to the side, Xu Min waited to see whether or not the opponent once more stepped up. He waited to see what he was going to do this time.
Coming to the conclusion that he could not wait without having at least an attack ready, Xu Min took for the Radiant Jade Shower. While his hands were reaching forward, a translucent mist left his body before it crystallized into thousands upon thousands of small jade shards behind him.
Waiting patiently for the large man to step up once more, Xu Min’s senses were on high alert. He could see how countless men within the arena were staring at him in disbelief and jealousy visible in their eyes. Some of them even showed strong hatred.
Sensing the hatred which was aimed towards him, Xu Min did not care. He had been hunted before. This was nothing compared to the life he had led when he was on the run. Not to mention how he constantly had feared for someone to recognize him back when he moved to Honghe City.
Now he was in Ri Chu City and he knew that there was no need for him to fear his past sneaking in on him. Now, he was once more a hunted person because he had become close with the most beautiful woman in town.
Most men would have accepted the fact that Yong Meilin had found herself someone she loved. The cultivators had a hard time accepting this since accepting that he had been chosen meant that he was better than them in one way or another.
The man whom Xu Min was battling was in no way different from the others. He too had challenged Xu Min b
ecause he thought that he was a far better option for Yong Meilin. He found himself injured time and time again. This time when he had been knocked to the floor, he had heard a terrible cracking sound coming from his skull. Blood was flooding the stone floor once more and it did not take long before his entire world turned black.
Seeing that he had succumbed, Xu Min could only heave a heavy sigh of relief. Although he had the stamina to continue for a few more minutes, his speed was not unlimited. He could already feel how he was pulling on his reserves. This caused him to leave the arena after only two matches, still two away from the four that Cao Cao had told him to fight.
‘You owe me a great meal,’ Cao Cao said, his usual words as they left the Hall of Champions. Yong Meilin was by their side and many experts slowly making way for them to move through.
Although the higher ranked experts felt like attacking him, they knew that if they stooped to that level, they would have no face left to live within Ri Chu City.
Having shown that although he was only a One-Star Warrior, he had managed to defeat Two-Star Warriors and even the ones with physical strength. Everyone had to admit that this man was truly a talent amongst talents. They started to understand why Yong Meilin paid attention to him. However, this did not make them more prone to accepting the young man.
After having battled at the Arena, Xu Min and Yong Meiling went back to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion together holding hands.
“I never believed that you would be able to defeat that large loaf of muscles,” Yong Meiling said with a giggling voice. “I actually expected that you would be the one to lose.”
“Harumph,” Xu Min pushed out his chest and made a serious expression on his face as he twisted his voice and said, “I am the great Xu Min. How can I lose to a bundle of muscle but no brain?”
Hearing the words, Yong Meilin’s giggles increased and the two of them walked in comfortable silence.
“How long do you plan on staying within Ri Chu City?” Yong Meilin suddenly asked as she rose her head and looked at the sky above. Her brows were furrowed and her heart beating rapidly in fear for the answer.
Looking at the young woman, Xu Min could not help but sigh. He had become friends with her after all the time they had spent together. But even now, his heart was set on nothing more than getting revenge for his sister. To do that he needed to train, to gather strength. Although he could gain some of this strength within Ri Chu City, he needed to experience true life and death battles. He needed to pave a road for himself in the world, not just within the city’s Hall of Champions.
The question Yong Meilin had asked required all her courage to ask. Her heart was pounding hard and a sadness welled up within her as she saw the complicated expression within Xu Min’s eyes.
“I will stay here until I am strong enough,” Xu Min finally said with a sad smile on his face. He dared not say how long that would be. He was unaware of how long it would be, but he did know that he was currently weak. The only reason he dared acting as arrogant as he had the previous night was due to Cao Cao. His revenge had to be taken by his own hands, not by Cao Cao stealthily attacking.
“Strong enough for what?” Yong Meilin asked as she furrowed her brows. It was true that everyone trained to be strong, but the young men within Ri Chu City were not training for any specific goal. For them, it was enough to be stronger than their peers; however, hearing him speak sounded as though he had a goal in mind. This caused her curiosity to pique.
Looking at the sincere and curious eyes in front of him, Xu Min felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. In many ways, Yong Meilin was like his dead sister as he got to know her and a melancholy overtook him. It swept him away in emotional struggles until he finally managed to calm himself. A sad smile was on his lips as he petted Yong Meilin’s head.
“You don’t need to worry your pretty head with my affairs,” he said gently. Moments after he excused himself, he turned down a road heading for the courtyard he had been given.
Standing back in the dark night was Yong Meilin. Her heart was hurting and her eyes moist. Although Xu Min had smiled at her, that smile had contained a world of pain and sadness. The young woman finally gave up and accepted that she would do anything as long as he never showed such a sad face again.
Chapter 38 - Drums of War
That night, Xi Mun spent the entire time cultivating his inner energy. At first, his body had been rigid. He was filled with hate and pain as he once more remembered the scenes from his childhood where he was sitting on the ground and his beloved sister was dead in his arms. As the night progressed, his body got to relax and Xu Min thought about all the warmth he had received.
First was meeting Cao Cao. Although he had been scared witless by the father, Xu Min was grateful for the snake. It was the only reason that he had managed to survive the ordeal within the forest.
Having fought together like this, the two of them were comrades. Cao Cao had turned out to be very much like a little child and Xu Min enjoyed spoiling him. He fed him all the foods he could dream about and pet his small head whenever he could.
Cao Cao was not the only one who treated him with friendliness. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion and Yong Meilin had opened their home to him and allowed him to be safe for a while. At the same time, they ensured that he had everything he needed. Yong Meilin alone was spending all her time together with him. She was definitely the closest thing to a friend he ever had.
Thinking about these things, Xu Min slowly managed to let go of his anger. Once more, he buried himself completely in his training as golden specks appeared all over the room.
….
“Father, are you sure we want to do this?” Tang Jing asked curiously as he walked to his father’s side in a humid dungeon. No one apart from themselves knew of their location. The dungeons below their Tang Manor was only known to the main branch of the Tang family.
On a day like today, five men had been led into a room within these dungeons. Tang Ye, the father, and Tang Jing, his young son, were on their way towards this underground room. Their faces were both serious and their steps were hurried.
“Don’t worry about it, son,” Tang Ye said with a frown on his face as his legs led him closer and closer to the underground room. “Had this young man not appeared, then we would not act. But now it seems as though we have lost our only way into the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.”
Hearing the words spoken by his father, Tang Jing’s gaze became hard and he nodded his head. At first, when it was only gossip, no one had paid it any mind. Upon seeing Yong Meilin together with the young man entering the Hall of Champions holding hands. It seemed that all the rumors were ground in some sort of reality.
“We cannot wait any longer; the Alluring Treasure Pavilion have been too full of themselves recently. They have a monopoly on all treasures that appear within our Ri Chu City. They should learn to share some of that glory.” Tang Ye said as the two of them entered a round room far underground. Both of their faces were filled with sleek smiles and their arms opened up to welcome the five men who were seated within.
“Welcome to our Tang family’s underground chamber,” Tang Ye said with a friendly manner. “Today, let us discuss how we should convince the Alluring Treasure Pavilion to share some of the fortune they have taken from all us nobles of Ri Chu City.”
“Newcomers like them think that they can do whatever they want to within our family,” a man said, his voice deep and his body large. His face was hidden behind a mask. Even though it was hidden, everyone within the chamber knew that he was Lord Shiu Kang.
“This is hypocrisy.” one man said. His words caused anger to flare amongst everyone present. None of them dared say a word as they waited for him to continue.
“Because that Yong girl has decided to find a lover, you want to start a war against the Alluring Treasure Pavilion? Everyone in here has been wooing her. What would you have done had my son won her affection? Would you then go against my family as well?”
Hearing the words, the other four men were slightly unsettled. They too had been wooing her, but no one had been successful. Had they been successful, would the Tang family then have gone against them? The thought was frightening.
“Lord Guo, I can assure you that I would not have gone against anyone within this room,” Tang Ye said with a smile on his face and a easy voice. He was in no way insulted by the question; however, his eyes were lit with anger as he spoke. It was a detail no one failed to notice.
“We are all from Ri Chu City. To lose to one of us is acceptable, but now this youngster appears from out of nowhere. He is talented, that is certain, but he has no backing, apart from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. To hand over the prospects of such wealth to an unnamed talent is not acceptable! We will share the Pavilion six ways and give an even amount to each who participate.”
Snorting, the masked man who was called Lord Guo stood up. “I don’t want to be part of this, but don’t worry, I won’t tell the Alluring Treasure Pavilion about your plans. They are rubbing me the wrong way too. But to directly act, I see nothing that can justify it.”
