"You're pretty alert!"
A rough, booming voice rang out.
With the voice, a brawny, square-faced middle-aged man with a rugged face and bronze-spiked bracers strode out.
At his side were two other men—one, pale and beardless, roughly fifty years old; the other was someone Lin Chang'sheng had met before—none other than He Tieshou, Hall Master of Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall.
"Hall Master He, if I'm not mistaken, these two must be the masters of Golden Bell Martial Arts Hall and Liuyun Martial Arts Hall, right?"
Lin Chang'sheng looked at He Tieshou and spoke faintly.
"Precisely!"
He Tieshou eyed Lin Chang'sheng, his gaze gloomy. "Why have you entered my martial arts hall and stolen the Iron Sand Palm technique?"
At that moment, even He Tieshou was puzzled.
The youth before him was so young, his presence barely noticeable—he didn't look like a second-class expert at all!
Yet Chen Ling claimed he was the one who killed Ma Zhankui!
You had to know, Ma Zhankui was one of the four top experts in Mu City. To kill him, one had to at least be at the second-class realm!
"At your Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall, anyone can learn the Iron Sand Palm for a price. I paid 10 taels of silver, went in openly and above-board—so what's all this talk about stealing?"
Lin Chang'sheng gave a faint, cold smile. "I learned your Iron Sand Palm, so there's some kind of connection between us. But since you've still come all this way, there's nothing left to say."
"Enough nonsense! You entered my Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall with foul intent. Today, I'll reclaim the Iron Sand Palm you stole!"
He Tieshou squinted, his voice deep and dangerous.
"You're sharp! I am Liao Jinzhong!"
"Ji Liuyun. I've been entrusted by someone to take your head. Apologies!"
Just then, the other two stepped forward, forming a three-cornered formation, surrounding Lin Chang'sheng—killing intent suffused the air, thick enough to cut!
"Entrusted by who? Chen Ling?"
Lin Chang'sheng's eyes narrowed.
"You killed Ma Zhankui, and, I admit, your archery is brilliant. Still, you have no bow in hand now, so death is certain!" Ji Liuyun stared at Lin Chang'sheng like he was already a corpse, and stepped forward!
The aura around him kept climbing.
"Heh!"
Lin Chang'sheng sneered coldly. "Is that so?"
He'd already advanced to first-class expert!
Killing three second-class experts? Like picking veggies!
"Arrogant bastard!"
Liao Jinzhong narrowed his eyes, his bowl-sized fist tearing through the air as he smashed it at Lin Chang'sheng's head.
At the same moment—
He Tieshou also struck, slicing his palm toward Lin Chang'sheng's neck.
"Shwish!"
Lin Chang'sheng's figure flickered; in an instant, he dodged the three-man encirclement.
He unleashed Flying Eaves and Light Body Skill, fueled Iron Sand Palm, and slashed at the nearest—Liao Jinzhong's—shoulder!
"Golden Bell Shield!"
Seeing Lin Chang'sheng's palm coming at him, Liao Jinzhong tensed his arms, his whole body flickering with a faint yellow light—the Perfect Golden Bell Shield!
Liao Jinzhong had cultivated Golden Bell Shield for decades, reaching the Perfection Realm!
His body was insanely tough; ordinary blades couldn't scratch him.
This youth before him might have killed Ma Zhankui using archery, but right now, with no bow in hand, he was a tiger with no fangs!
"Crack!"
A burst of crackling bones rang out. Liao Jinzhong felt piercing agony in his shoulder as a tremendous force sent him flying, landing ten feet away!
"Agh~!"
Liao Jinzhong grunted, turned to look—his shoulder had caved in, all mangled flesh and bone. Clearly, that arm was ruined for good.
"You... you actually broke my Golden Bell Shield? This... No... Impossible!"
"Wait... you're a first-class expert!"
Liao Jinzhong stared at Lin Chang'sheng, disbelief flooding his eyes.
His heart shuddered at once.
To have broken his Golden Bell Shield, there was only one possibility!
A first-class expert!
He never imagined his famed Golden Bell Shield would be shattered by a youngster not even twenty—who was somehow already a first-class expert!
How the hell did he cultivate?
He'd slaved away at Golden Bell Shield for over forty years and was only at the peak of second-class; it had blocked him from entering first-class for decades!
"A first-class expert! This is... bad!"
He Tieshou looked at Liao Jinzhong's battered shoulder and the sudden burst of terrifying force from Lin Chang'sheng, and instantly felt plunged into an ice-cold pit; without hesitation, he turned to flee!
He knew well the gulf between a second-class and first-class expert!
Even if it meant offending the county magistrate Chen Ling, he wouldn't dare face this youth anymore!
Staying alive came first!
"And where do you think you're going?!"
Lin Chang'sheng flickered and appeared beside He Tieshou, unleashing a Perfect Iron Sand Palm!
"Break!"
Seeing there was no escape, He Tieshou bellowed, met Lin Chang'sheng with his own Perfect Iron Sand Palm.
"Bam!"
"Crack!"
Qi force roared; the sound of bones shattering split the air.
"You... Perfect Iron Sand Palm!"
He Tieshou stumbled backward four or five steps, staring at Lin Chang'sheng in shock—his right hand utterly shattered, twisted like a pretzel!
Both had Perfect Iron Sand Palm—but with difference in realm, he was outclassed completely.
But what was truly unbelievable—Lin Chang'sheng had mastered Iron Sand Palm in less than two months?
Right then—
In a matter of moments, Liao Jinzhong of Golden Bell Martial Arts Hall and He Tieshou of Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall had both been crippled. How could Ji Liuyun of Liuyun Martial Arts Hall dare to linger? He flashed away in an instant, suddenly appearing thirty feet off!
Liuyun Martial Arts Hall's Liuyun Light Body Technique was renowned for lightweight skill.
"Nine-Star Linked Beads!"
Lin Chang'sheng's eyes glinted. He grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground, unleashed the Nine-Star Linked Beads Hidden Weapon Technique—nine stones, charged with his first-class expert's inner strength, whistled through the air with deadly speed, angling in tricky trajectories toward Ji Liuyun.
Ji Liuyun, hearing the hidden weapons' whistle, spun up a sword curtain, trying to fend them off.
But the Nine-Star Linked Pearl Hidden Weapon Technique poured special inner strength into the projectiles, forming a relentless attacking pattern that shifted angles at the last possible moment—so sly it was almost impossible to defend.
Ji Liuyun's eyes and back were both struck by the hidden weapons—his eyeballs burst from their sockets, and he fell wailing and writhing on the ground.
Meanwhile, Liao Jinzhong and He Tieshou staggered toward Mu City, trying to escape.
"Die!"
Lin Chang'sheng used Flying Eaves and Light Body Skill, caught up to Liao Jinzhong, and smashed Iron Sand Palm onto his head. In an instant, Liao Jinzhong's skull caved in and he died on the spot. After killing Liao Jinzhong, Lin Chang'sheng headed for He Tieshou.
"P-please... l-little brother... we can talk this out—"
He Tieshou could only watch as Liao Jinzhong was slaughtered; realizing he couldn't outrun his fate, terror filled his eyes—he knelt, kowtowing desperately.
"Since you came, you should've known your end. Die!"
Lin Chang'sheng spoke coldly, stepped forward, smashed his palm atop He Tieshou's head. He Tieshou died with eyes wide and unwilling. Lin Chang'sheng then turned toward Ji Liuyun, confirmed Chen Ling was the one behind it, and stomped, crushing his balls.
Lin Chang'sheng showed no mercy—if his skills weren't enough, his own fate would be far worse!
"Chen Ling! You're courting death!"
Lin Chang'sheng looked toward Mu City, his gaze icy and lethal.
From the three hall masters, Lin Chang'sheng gathered over 230 taels of silver, and found two bottles of Qi Blood Pills—a decent haul.
Since Chen Ling had paid these three to take him out, both the three martial halls and Chen Ling himself would be shown no mercy.
Moreover—
His Great Dao is Simple panel simplification, and buying Qi Blood Pill ingredients—all required a huge sum of silver.
The fortunes of the three martial arts halls would do just fine!
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
Lin Chang'sheng kicked the corpses of He Tieshou, Liao Jinzhong, and the rest into the Grand Canal. The current swept them away, vanishing without a trace. Only then did he look over behind a big boulder and speak blandly, "Your turn. Come out."
"Villain! You killed my son—I'll never rest while you live!"
Before Lin Chang'sheng's words had faded, a black-clad old man leapt out from the grass behind the boulder, blade in hand; fear and venom twisted his eyes, cursing furiously all the while!
This man was Old Li—he'd shown the three hall masters the way, but since his skills were weak, he'd hidden by the side, hoping to see Lin Chang'sheng killed, then sneak up for a couple vengeful stabs and avenge his son a little.
He never expected all three hall masters would be slaughtered by Lin Chang'sheng!
Now, he knew he was doomed.
"I killed your son?"
Lin Chang'sheng kicked the old man flat on the ground, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
"Bastard, you killed Gang Leader Ma, and over thirty Cyan Snake Gang disciples! My son was among them! I hate you!"
Liu Li's eyes burned with rage.
"Heh!"
"Cyan Snake Gang were thieves and rats, charging protection money, dumping innocents into the canal, calling it 'accidentally falling in'—you've killed your share too. Time to go!"
Lin Chang'sheng smashed his palm atop Liu Li's head. His skull shattered; his eyes still held bitter unwillingness as he died.
Killing these Cyan Snake Gang thugs was public service for the people!