Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

"In that case, it wouldn’t hurt for you to send someone out to exchange a few moves with Hou Gui."

Gao Yuan fell silent, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Zheng Yuanzhuo sneered. "Could it be that Master Gao looks down on my Lingshan Sect so much that you’re not even willing to spar?"

A wave of disgust washed over Zhao Lin when he heard this.

’It’s a common tactic, one I’ve seen all too often at drinking parties in my past life.’

’It’s always the same line: "If you don’t drink, you’re looking down on me. You’re disrespecting me."’

’Many people can’t withstand this kind of pressure and just pick up their glass and down it.’

’The truth is, anyone who says that already looks down on you, whether you drink or not. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have said it in the first place.’

Zheng Yuanzhuo’s words had Gao Yuan cornered. Hou Gui grinned and strode into the center of the training yard.

Gao Yuan had no choice but to reluctantly agree. "Very well. But as I said, pull your punches."

Qian Chengfei volunteered, "Senior Brother, I’ll go and trade a few blows with him."

Gao Yuan nodded. "Be careful, Junior Brother."

Hou Gui and Qian Chengfei walked to the center of the yard and stood facing each other.

"Hou Gui of the Lingshan Sect."

"Qian Chengfei of the Liuhe Sect."

Without any further pleasantries, they announced their names and immediately engaged.

The Cultivation Technique Qian Chengfei practiced was the Falling Leaves Palm. As his palms moved, they were like dancing autumn leaves, propelled by a sharp inner force.

Like Qian Chengfei, Hou Gui also practiced a palm technique. His was called the Three Rivers Palm. The force of his palms surged like a great river, causing his sleeves to snap and flutter.

Zhao Lin only had to watch for a few exchanges to know Qian Chengfei was no match for him. He turned to Gao Yuan. "Senior Brother, how about I go next?"

Gao Yuan hesitated, then said in a low voice, "Don’t be hasty, Junior Brother."

’He knew full well that since Zhao Lin had been able to capture Chu Liu all by himself, his strength was undeniable. He might even be stronger than I am now.’

’But Zhao Lin will eventually leave, and I don’t want to burn bridges with the Lingshan Sect just yet. Nor do I want to give everyone the impression that Zhao Lin is the only skilled fighter in the Liuhe Sect.’

Zhao Lin understood Gao Yuan’s concerns and said no more, turning his gaze back to the fight.

As he had expected, the match was decided quickly. The force of Hou Gui’s Three Rivers Palm came in waves, each stronger than the last, until Qian Chengfei could no longer compensate with technique alone.

After only a dozen exchanges, Hou Gui landed a palm strike on Qian Chengfei’s chest.

BAM!

The blow was incredibly heavy. Qian Chengfei felt his Qi and Blood roil, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Qian Chengfei was furious, but today was a joyous occasion for the Liuhe Sect, so it wasn’t the time to make a scene. He gritted his teeth. "Senior Brother Hou has won. I concede."

"I accept."

Hou Gui made no attempt to hide his smugness, turning directly to Gao Yuan. "Master Gao, that one wasn’t much of a challenge. Send out another."

He had been soundly beaten by Chu Liu last year, a complete loss of face. He had spent the entire year in bitter cultivation for the sole purpose of one day reclaiming his honor. How could he let this opportunity pass?

Even though Chu Liu wasn’t here, in his eyes, any disciple of the Liuhe Sect was a viable target for his revenge.

Gao Yuan’s face darkened. "Senior Brother Hou, that’s enough for today!"

Hou Gui laughed. "I think I’m starting to understand."

"Understand what?"

"I was right before. The Six Harmonies Fist is a top-tier Fist Skill, but your Cultivation Techniques are lacking."

A low murmur spread through the crowd. Even the slowest person in the audience could now see that the Lingshan Sect had come looking for trouble today.

Most of the guests looked on with contempt. The Lingshan Sect hadn’t dared to make a move while Zhu Huaishan was alive, but now that he was gone, they show up to throw their weight around. It was a dishonorable way to act.

Others, however, were just enjoying the show and hoped the two sects would really go at it.

Gao Yuan knew Hou Gui was deliberately provoking them, trying to force another one of his people into a fight. But he had to respond. If he didn’t, the Liuhe Sect’s reputation would be ruined.

’But as the Sect Leader, I can’t just step in myself. Zhang Ying and Fu Guangming are about as strong as Qian Chengfei, so sending them would be a guaranteed loss. That only leaves Zhao Lin and Yuan Cheng...’

"I’ll take on Brother Hou!"

Yuan Cheng, ever the straightforward one, could no longer hold back. Without waiting for Gao Yuan’s permission, he strode into the center of the yard.

"We haven’t seen each other since last year. You seem to be in even finer form than before, Brother Hou," Yuan Cheng said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hearing the barb in his words, Hou Gui’s mouth twitched and his eyes narrowed. "Very good. I was just hoping to see your skills for myself, Brother Yuan."

Both men were seething with anger. They exchanged a quick, perfunctory bow and, without another word, began to fight.

Only after they began trading blows did Yuan Cheng understand why Qian Chengfei had been defeated so quickly.

The Three Rivers Palm was like waves crashing on a shore. At first, it didn’t seem like much, but each strike was stronger than the last. The power kept building until, after only five moves, the pressure had doubled, and he was gradually overwhelmed.

After some twenty moves, Hou Gui landed a punch on Yuan Cheng’s shoulder that made him stagger. Then, with a quick pivot, he spun around to Yuan Cheng’s other side.

One palm, two palms, three palms...

Hou Gui’s tactic was particularly malicious. None of the palm strikes were particularly powerful. Just as Yuan Cheng was about to fall, Hou Gui would switch to his other side and strike again, batting him back and forth like a tumbler doll.

The intent to humiliate was obvious.

And yet, he hadn’t technically broken the "pull your punches" rule.

After taking more than a dozen palm strikes, Yuan Cheng finally collapsed. Two Liuhe Sect apprentices immediately rushed out and helped him off the yard.

Hou Gui clasped his hands behind his back. He shook his head, sighed, and stamped his foot in a display of mock disappointment.

"It seems I was right. The Liuhe Sect’s Fist Skill is excellent, but as for its Cultivation Techniques..."

Gao Yuan’s expression was so dark it looked like he could wring water from it. He slammed his hands on the arms of his chair and was about to rise and enter the ring himself.

"Senior Brother, let me."

Zhao Lin sprang forward and placed a hand on Gao Yuan’s shoulder, speaking softly.

Before the words had even faded, he was already walking into the center of the yard.

"Look, Zhao Lin’s going up! Now this is going to be interesting!"

"Who’s Zhao Lin?"

"You’ve never heard of Zhao Lin?! He’s the genius disciple of the Liuhe Sect! They say he’s the one who single-handedly captured the bandits on Baitou Mountain last year..."

Zhao Lin’s rise over the past two years had been meteoric, so many had only recently heard of him. Seeing him step forward, the crowd began to buzz with discussion.

"Brother Liang, I hear you know Zhao Lin well. How strong is he? Is he a match for Hou Gui?"

The members of the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall knew Liang Song and Zhao Lin were good friends, so several of them gathered around him to ask.

Liang Song took a sip of wine and said nonchalantly, "That guy from the Lingshan Sect is guaranteed to lose."

"So certain? I don’t think Hou Gui was even using his full strength just now."

"That’s right. They’re both in the Qi Realm, but Hou Gui has been training for nearly a decade. Zhao Lin’s only been at it for a few years, right? Their experience and power shouldn’t even be in the same league."

The people from the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall were immediately skeptical.

"Just watch. Not only is Hou Gui guaranteed to lose, he’s going to lose badly."

Liang Song said with conviction, then casually picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, not looking the least bit worried for his friend.

The others didn’t press him further, because the match was about to begin.

"Why is it you? I thought Gao Yuan would come down himself!"

A slight smile played on Hou Gui’s lips as he spoke in a relaxed, unhurried manner.

’This Zhao Lin... last year he was just an apprentice in the Power Realm. So he got lucky and broke through to the Qi Realm. Does that mean he can stand on equal footing with me? If so, what was the point of all my years of bitter training?’

Hou Gui glanced toward the Lingshan Sect’s delegation. Zheng Yuanzhuo gave a slight nod, signaling him to stop after winning this match.

Their goal for the day had been achieved. There was no need to force Gao Yuan himself into the ring. While that would be a major blow to the Liuhe Sect, it would also damage the Lingshan Sect’s reputation.

"Fine. Since you’re here, I’ll indulge you with a match."

Hou Gui casually took a wide stance, feigning magnanimity. "After you!"

Zhao Lin ignored him completely, instead raising his voice to address the crowd. "A moment ago, this Senior Brother Hou claimed that our Liuhe Sect’s Cultivation Techniques are inadequate. I’m afraid I don’t quite agree."

As he spoke, he channeled energy into his fist, and a visible layer of force immediately enveloped it.

"This is the Stone Roar Fist, taught to me by my master. Today, I will make a fool of myself by using this crude Cultivation Technique, and allow all of you to judge for yourselves whether the Liuhe Sect’s techniques are truly as pathetic as he claims."

Hou Gui sneered from the side. "Junior Brother Zhao, don’t be so quick to sing your own praises. What are you going to do if it turns out you’re all talk?"

Zhao Lin smiled. "A fair point. Let’s see if *you’re* the one who’s all talk."

A furious expression bloomed on Hou Gui’s face. "Let’s begin!" he roared.

With that, he lunged forward. His Qi and Blood surged through his body, and energy flooded into his palms like a tidal wave. Ripples of power became visible in his palms as he struck out at Zhao Lin.