The Villain's Counterattack

The first martial arts conference was highly valued by the imperial court. Five levels were arranged and six powerful men were in charge. Among them, Emperor Martial Arts Zhang Wuji personally participated in it and was in charge of the first level: Zhongshan!

The participating masters went to Qixia Mountain in advance to receive their identity tokens. At sunrise on the day of the martial arts conference, each of them took a certificate, signed and sealed it, and then set off for Xuanwu Lake. They received a pass seal on Xuanwu Lake and went to Zhongshan. The first 100 people entered the first venue and were received in person by Emperor Martial Arts Zhang Wuji. The first 300 people entered the second venue and were received by Left Envoy Yang Xiao. The first 1,000 people entered the third venue and were received by Wudang Song Yuanqiao.

You mean outside the top thousand?

Oh, sorry, you can't even make it into the top 1,000, yet you still dare to call yourself a master and participate in the martial arts conference? However, Emperor Wu is merciful and will open another arena at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, with 18 public arenas. If you can persist in ten bouts without being defeated, you will get a spot.

What quota are you talking about?

Naturally, it is the quota to enter the Royal Library and choose a martial arts method. However, the Royal Library is divided into nine floors, and this quota is only valid in the first three floors. It is not too high-end, but it can definitely attract many ordinary people.

The martial arts discussion in Jinling City lasted for three days, after which all the masters needed to change their identity tokens, travel north along the Grand Canal, enter the Yellow River and climb Mount Tai, where they would receive a pass stamp at the foot of Mount Tai and then climb the mountain together at an agreed time. The first 100 would reach the summit and be personally received by Zhang Sanfeng, the number one figure in the martial arts world; the first 300 would be received by the White-browed Eagle King of the Ming Cult at the South Heavenly Gate; and the first 1,000 would be received by Yu Lianzhou of Wudang at the foot of the Eighteen Bends.

Three days after discussing martial arts again, everyone crossed the Yellow River and took a boat to Luoyang. They exchanged their identity tokens in Luoyang City and then set off for Shaolin Temple in Songshan. The first one hundred people could enter Shaolin Temple and be received in person by the Three Masters of Shaolin. The first three hundred people would be received by the Three Voids outside Shaolin Temple. The first one thousand people were not allowed to climb the mountain and would be received by the Five Wanderers of the Ming Cult at the foot of the mountain.

Three days after the martial arts discussion, the masters had to cross the Yellow River again and rush to Mount Hua. However, this time the experience was more difficult. Everyone gathered at the foot of Mount Hua and climbed the mountain at the same time, regardless of order, to recreate the style of the Song Dynasty's Mount Hua Sword Contest. The people responsible for presiding over this sword contest were Zhang Cuishan of Wudang, Wei Yixiao of the Ming Cult, Nun Miejue of Emei, the two elders of Mount Hua, and the Grand Marshal of the Army Chang Yuchun.

This sword contest has its own rules. There are five peaks to be crowned champions in five categories: sword, fist, hidden weapon, lightness skill, and internal strength. The winner can be called a master and be recognized and canonized by the court.

What do we seek in life?

It's nothing more than fame, wealth and power. Most people in the martial arts world are fighting for a reputation. Although this unique skill may not be the best in the world, or even among the best, a unique skill with a single attribute is enough to make one famous. What's more, the imperial court brought out five first-class skills at once in the Huashan Sword Contest, which made them very envious.

The Huashan Sword Contest lasts for five days, and after five days it is the final leg. This leg is divided into two groups, one group goes to the Guangmingding of the Mingjiao in the Western Regions to discuss the way of fighting, and the other group goes to Wudang Mountain to discuss the study of martial arts.

The Guangmingding group was received by the Right Envoy Fan Yao, the Five Elements Flags, the Five Elders of Kongtong and others. The King of the Sky Eagle Kingdom, Yin Yewang, and the King of the Jeju Kingdom, Zhu Yuanzhang, also attended the meeting. The Wudang group was received by the Seven Heroes of Wudang. The King of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Zhou Zhiyang, also attended the meeting. There were also many Taoist and Buddhist masters in attendance.

The meaning behind this is worth pondering. If one really passes the five levels and travels eight thousand miles, one may be recognized by the court and awarded a privilege that ordinary warriors do not have.

However, this first checkpoint is located in the capital, and is personally commanded by Emperor Wu Zhang Wuji. Therefore, the entire empire has to be cautious, and the Intelligence Department has been mobilized on a large scale. Zhou Zhiruo and Zhao Min have been working all night to coordinate the overall situation.

As a direct subordinate of Master Shuo Bu De, Sun Yuankai needs to follow him all the way and go through at least three levels and complete the Shaolin martial arts discussion before he can be free. This first level is so busy that he has no time to spare.

However, following Master Shuo Bu De has its pros and cons. The disadvantage is that his style of doing things is much more high-profile and his whereabouts cannot be hidden. The advantage is that in addition to having a first-rate master around him, there are also many second- and third-rate masters to support him. Not to mention ordinary killers and assassins, even a flying knife who wants to launch a sneak attack needs to think carefully.

Even so, Sun Yuankai was still not very reassured. He made a special trip to find Song Qingshan and asked for a full body armor that covered him tightly from head to toe. Even the face shield was made of steel. Except for a pair of eyes, only his fingers were exposed, which made Master Shuo Bude speechless.

I have seen people who are afraid of death, but this is the first time I have seen someone as afraid of death as Sun Yuankai. Although you say he is afraid of death, this little guy is willing to stand in front of me and endure the rain of bullets and arrows.

Song Qingshan personally led 3,000 troops to garrison Zhongshan and served as the personal guard of Emperor Wu Zhang Wuji, guarding outside the venue. Master Shuo Bu De was from the Ming Cult and helped the Left Envoy Yang Xiao greet the masters attending the second venue. Sun Yuankai's outfit was really eye-catching, but he was unaware of it and greeted everyone with a smile, and from time to time he puffed out his chest so that people could see the bronze medal of the Intelligence Department on his chest.

"Master Shuo Bude, did you borrow this guard from that kid Song Qingshan?" Yang Xiao walked into the venue, accompanied by Zhou Dian and Wei Yixiao, and a team of ten royal guards, who were sent by Concubine Yang Buhui.

It was said that Monk Bu De and Yang Xiao had already forgotten their past grudges. He patted his belly and said with a smile, "He is somewhat related to that boy, but he is not from a military family. He is a small beggar from the Beggars' Sect. He was promoted some time ago after making meritorious contributions."

Yang Xiao looked at him in surprise, then suddenly realized something and said with a smile, "I remember now, the best bait."

Everyone was puzzled and asked why. Yang Xiao laughed heartily, "Somehow this little beggar caught the attention of the Mongol spies. They tried to capture him several times, but Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo used him as bait several times, catching dozens, even hundreds, of fish. But for some reason, those spies only cared about eating and not about fighting. Every time they released this boy's substitute, they always caught some fish. That's why those two girls called him the best bait."

Upon hearing this, the Ming Cult masters couldn't help but burst into laughter. Wei Yixiao looked at Sun Yuankai with a smile, but Sun Yuankai was covered in a layer of iron, even his face was blocked, so how could he see clearly? "Not bad, kid. It's a pity for you to follow Monk Shuo Bu De. How about working for me? I, Wei Yixiao, am absolutely the best in martial arts. With my guidance, your martial arts skills will surely improve by leaps and bounds, and you won't have to worry about being targeted by those rats in the future."

"Even if they target you, they can't catch you." Wei Yixiao was very confident in his lightness skills. Master Shuo Bu couldn't help but complain loudly. Wei Yixiao always kept to himself and didn't have any useful subordinates. His leadership ability was notoriously poor among the high-level officials of the Ming Cult. On the contrary, he was not as strong as the five scattered people. After all, they were trained as rebels.

Everyone was chatting and laughing. Sun Yuankai stepped forward to greet them. Suddenly, he stared at Yang Xiao in shock and said, "Lin Bufan, it's you?!"

Yang Xiao was slightly stunned, and the five scattered people also looked at him in surprise, wondering what this kid was doing all of a sudden. At this moment, a black light flew like lightning and went straight to Yang Xiao's back.

"How dare you!" Master Shuo Bude suddenly threw the Qiankun Qi Bag in his hand and it fell behind Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao remained calm and turned his right hand backwards, with a whistling sound, but as soon as it reached his back, his palm turned into a claw and grabbed a dark wooden flying knife.

"A flying knife makes a red mark!" Yang Xiao's face was gloomy. Wei Yixiao passed by like lightning. One of the ten guards shot arrows to his left and right to attack his companions. Then he stepped aside and quickly ran to the side.

"Little beggar, you've ruined my plan again. Next time I'll take your life!" The armor on Feidao Yidianhong's body suddenly faded away, and the whole person shrank in an instant. He rolled over to avoid Yang Xiao's finger magic, and took a palm from Wei Yixiao, then fell into the jungle and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Wei Yixiao didn't pursue him any further. Jianghu masters were already arriving, and it was unlikely they would be able to capture him. So, he returned to Yang Xiao with the armor in hand. He examined it and marveled, "No wonder the two girls couldn't catch the flying knife. This guy's disguise is incredible, his form changes almost imperceptibly. Boy, how did you recognize him?"

Sun Yuankai: Can I say that I just wanted to test whether Yang Xiao was Lin Bufan, so I suddenly did this?

Unexpectedly, he pronounced the three words "Lin Bufan" very softly, and only Yang Xiao, Wei Yixiao and the Five Wanderers heard it. However, he spoke the following words very loudly, and pretended to be shocked. Unexpectedly, Yang Xiao did not trick it out, but tricked out the flying knife Yi Dianhong.

Does this mean that one may plant flowers with care but they do not bloom, but plant willows by accident and they grow into a shade?

But I never thought that Fei Dao Yi Dian Hong had such skills and could actually get close to Yang Xiao. If he hadn't been tricked out, he could have really dealt a heavy blow to the Ming Cult's Left Envoy.

It seems that I have accidentally accomplished something great again?

"They're truly omnipresent! I'm sure those two girls will have a good meal this time." A sinister arc crossed Yang Xiao's lips. Wei Yixiao and the Five Wanderers nodded simultaneously. "Putting your hand among the Royal Guards—that's something most people can't do. How big a fish can you catch by following this line?" Not to mention the two delicate girls, Zhou Zhiruo and Zhao Min, even they would have a good catch.

"Little beggar, you just mentioned Lin Bufan. Could it be that you know that flying knife Yidianhong?" Wei Yixiao looked at Sun Yuankai curiously. The latter smiled bitterly and said, "I may have seen his figure and heard his voice, but I may not have seen his true face. Just now, I mistook Yang Zuoshi for an old friend named Lin Bufan, so..."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. "So, you didn't see through Fei Dao Yi Dian Hong's disguise at all, and you simply mistook him for the wrong person, and your scream scared the guilty Fei Dao Yi Dian Hong out?"

After hearing Sun Yuankai's reply, the masters couldn't help but burst into laughter. Yang Xiao couldn't help but patted him on the shoulder and said, "I don't know how much your friend Lin Bufan looks like me, but your luck is unmatched. You can even achieve merit with such a mistaken identity. It's really..."