Chapter 22: An arm for an arm

Last chapter for today. Tomorrow is another slave day, but I will try and keep it to 2-3 chapters if possible.

Special Thanks to all you supporters, even more to Metazone for sponsoring this chapter. You have all made me feel so welcome and I really hope you will support Pan Pan just as much as you have me. You have really made my experience with translating this novel an absolute joy and I love you all for that xoxo

So to thank you. Here is another cliffhanger… Enjoy!

“That guy is really brave. He actually dares to speak back to an Elder.”

“He’s a madman who acts recklessly. It seems like he’s tired of living.”

The crowd was discussing loudly looking on with eyes filled with pity. They obviously hadn’t expected Lin Feng to be audacious enough to directly confront an Elder.

In the Continent of Nine Clouds, it was a period of great prosperity for the Sect. The Sect was so strong that it could almost call itself a nation. They could bring either peace or destruction wherever they went without anyone batting an eye. Within the Sect there was a fierce competition for power. The ranks in the hierarchy were extremely strict. First, there were the Ordinary disciples and the Elite disciples which were the seedlings within the sect. Then there were Ordinary Elders and Grand Elders. Ordinary was the lowest ranking whether it was an elder or a disciple. Each had their own parts to play within the sect and no one went against the hierarchy.

Lin Feng was an Ordinary disciple and that’s all. Between him and Mo Xie, the difference in status; within the hierarchy of the Sect was huge. If Mo Xie wanted Lin Feng to live, then he would live, if Mo Xie wanted Lin Feng to die, then he would die. This was the difference between them.

Mo Xie was shocked and embarrassed because Lin Feng had directly spoken out against him and made him look a fool.

“Hou Qing, is contradicting a Sect’s Elder a crime?” Mo Xie said as he was intensely staring at Lin Feng and not moving at all.

“Arguing against an esteemed Elder, is the highest crime and he should be expelled from the sect. He should have his cultivation crippled for offending an elder of such high regard and then have his position in the sect revoked.” Said Mo Xie.

How did Hou Qing not understand what Mo Xie meant? How could he miss such a great opportunity?

“Elder, Hou Qing thinks that Lin Feng is guilty of all crimes of which he has been accused, He should cripple his own cultivation and should be expelled from the Sect.” He said with a wry smile.

“No need, he has worked so hard to acquire such meager skills, we should pity the pitiful. Just go cut off one of his arms and then you can expel him from the Sect.” Mo Xie said in a magnanimous tone as if he was being generous to Lin Feng.

“How vicious.” Lin Feng hated him. He thought Mo Xie was unfair. It was at that moment that Mo Xie had been added to Lin Feng’s list and as long as Lin Feng lived Mo Xie’s blood would eventually spill. Lin Feng was accused of many crimes; he would be expelled from the Sect no matter what. He would instantly be given to Lin Qian as a gift. He was scared that Lin Qian and that creepy young guy wouldn’t let him live if they captured him. They had obviously come to take his life.

In fact, it was precisely what Lin Feng had anticipated. Because they had sent an Elder after him, the situation was already hopeless. He would die if he complied, he would die if he resisted.

“On the path of Cultivation those who don’t have sufficient power and natural talent will die. The Sect is also unreliable and can no longer be trusted.” Lin Feng’s heart was like a mirror. This world, everything that had happened, the thing you could count on is your own power. This moment was also solidifying Lin Feng’s concept of this world, an Elder wanted to rip his arm off and to expel him from the Sect; based on false accusations, but that did not matter.

Lin Feng glanced at Nan Gong Ling. The patriarch of the Sect hadn’t said a word so far. He did not want to be part of what was happening and so distanced himself.

“Everything requires strength and natural talent. At the moment, I am not strong which means I need to unveil my real talent.” Lin Feng’s thoughts were quick. “If there is no solution, then I should reveal what I did at the Precipice of Zhangu”.

When he had made the drums beat, two protectors of the Sect had shown up and personally accompanied him back to the Sect. Lin Feng still had doubts as the exam he had passed was an easy one. The exam that he had passed as he initially thought wasn’t an easy one. He had fooled himself into thinking it was easy because of the Protectors kindness.

At that moment, Hou Qing was already in front of Lin Feng with evil intentions. Many people were staring at them. Even some great Elders were watching with disdain at the execution of an ordinary disciple. Hou Qing was feeling nervous and excited at the same time. That was a great opportunity for him to show his skills to the Elders.

“Piece of trash, you can cut off your arm yourself. There is a huge difference between my strength and your strength. I don’t think you’re worth fighting.” Said Hou Qing in an arrogant tone.

Lin Feng saw Hou Qing’s twinkling eyes and felt exasperated. Hou Qing didn’t have a strong personality. For one of the best Ordinary disciples, he was just a pathetic weakling.

“I would rather see how you were planning to take my arm.” Said Lin Feng while unsheathing his sword and held it firmly in front of him. He was standing calmly and didn’t attempt to move an inch from where he was originally standing. He felt like an unmovable mountain, he had no fear remaining.

“Haha, if it has to be like that, then I will show the elders how you really are worthless.” Said Hou Qing who obviously knew Lin Feng wasn’t going to cut off his own arm. A moment ago he had humiliated Lin Feng and made himself appear merciful which would have a great impact on the elders.

“Dancing Wind: Agility Technique.”

Hou Qing vanished in a flash. Dancing Wind: Agility Technique. He had mastered his agility technique to perfection. His moves were so quick it was as if he was dancing on the wind.

“Fellow disciple Hou Qing is amongst the ten best ordinary disciples. His agility techniques are outstanding for someone within the ordinary disciples. How could Lin Feng compete with him?”

“That guy can still stand and look that calm. He’s looking for death, this fight is already over.”

The crowd was looking at Hou Qing who was as quick as the wind. The crowd was loud. Hou Qing was one of the best ordinary disciples. When he was using his agility techniques, even those who were higher in rankings than him, were not able to match his speed.

When Mo Xie saw Hou Qing’s agility technique, he smiled a confident smile. It seemed like Hou Qing’s strength had increased again. He hoped Hou Qing would be able to be one of the five best Ordinary disciples of the Sect by the beginning of the following year so that Mo Xie as his teacher would also gain in reputation.

Whether Hou Qing could defeat Lin Feng or not, Mo Xie had never considered that as a plausible question. Lin Feng was merely at the eighth Qi layer. He estimated that Lin Feng would only be able to make three moves before Hou Qing took his arm, without Lin Feng being able to see his movements.

Amongst the people who were present, sadly it seemed like there was only Lin Feng who believed that he would win, everyone else was prepared to see Lin Feng’s blood. He was holding his sword out with only one hand and he stood motionless like a mountain. Hou Qing was incredibly quick and did not stop dancing from side to side around Lin Feng.

At that moment, a strong whistling wind appeared and Lin Feng’s robes were like a flag in the wind. His long hair was flying in all directions, yet he still remained unmoving. Suddenly, Hou Qing’s silhouette vanished again.

“It’s the end. Fellow disciple Hou Qing’s agility techniques are just too exceptional for even elite disciples.”

The battle hadn’t even really started that the crowd was already coming to conclusions.

Everybody could only see that Lin Feng had closed his eyes. He was feeling calm and his robes were still being blown by the wind created from Hou Qing dancing around him. His breathing was steady and his heart was calm. Suddenly, he stopped breathing and only concentrated all of his senses on the current location of his opponent.

Lin Feng’s sword suddenly moved. His sword was dancing on the wind as if copying Hou Qing’s skill. He looked graceful and agile with only calmness on his face.

“AAAHHH” a loud scream was heard coming from above Lin Feng’s head. Suddenly an oppressive energy filled the atmosphere and shocked many of the onlookers.

“Too Weak”

Lin Feng only said these two words. His sword was still shining and spotless. Right after that, the entire crowd saw blood splash in all directions.

The whole crowd was gasping in shock. What they were looking at was inconceivable.

Hou Qing had been unable even retaliate against Lin Feng. He had lost. It had been an easy win for Lin Feng, he had cut off one of Hou Qing’s arms in a single strike during Hou Qing’s agility technique.

“How is that even possible?”

“How did Lin Feng do that?”

shouted some of the ordinary disciples. They were extremely surprised especially since many of them had heard Lin Feng’s reputation and that he was called a piece of trash by many ordinary disciples. How could he have cut off one of Hou Qing’s arms in one attack with such little effort?

All these ordinary disciples hadn’t seen clearly how Lin Feng had attacked but the Elite disciples had all seen very clearly. Lin Feng had been so quick using his sword that he had managed to borrow strength from the wind and cut Hou Qing’s arm, to many onlookers it seemed that it was actually the wind itself which cut off the arm before the sword had even reached.

“A sword that can fuse with the wind and borrow its strength. Did the Xing Chen Pavilion have such sword skills?” asked Nan Gong Ling as it was the first time in his life that he had seen such a thing. Lin Feng’s sword-play had been wonderful. It could really been defined as perfect. He hadn’t used any unnecessary strength in his attack. He had followed the wind and had cut off one of Hou Qing’s arms. This was Lin Feng’s exact goal as if he had wanted to take Hou Qing’s life, he could have done that in one hit before anyone was able to react.

Lin Feng hadn’t practiced any particular skill for his sword to fuse with the wind. It was just an insight that he had gained when he was at the Precipice of Zhangu, he had realized that the sword, the sky as well as the all things within creation, all had a force which could be used. The sword had a sword force, the wind had a wind force. He had just used that wind force. He had followed the wind with his sword which had created a fusion between the sword and the wind and then cleanly sliced off his opponents arm.

“Wasn’t that him using the wind force?” asked Nan Gong Ling considering that possibility. But he immediately rejected that idea because Lin Feng was only at the eighth Qi layer, how would he be able to comprehend what using the force of wind was?

A Cultivator of the Qi layer couldn’t use forces from the elements. Only Cultivators who had reached the Ling Qi layer and a few geniuses were able to use forces of the elements. If a Cultivator of the Qi layer wanted to use those forces, he could only do that using the power of his spirit. A cultivator could use forces only by using his spirit but during that fight, Lin Feng hadn’t released his spirit at all.

“That piece of trash has become strong. No wonder he became insane. However as far as I’m concerned, that piece of trash is as before, still a piece of trash. That will not change today.” Thought Lin Qian who had seen Lin Feng cut off his opponent’s arm in one hit and one single attempt. She was at the Ling Qi layer and her spirit was becoming stronger and stronger and was on the brink of awakening. She had an ice and fire universal spirit. That small piece of trash, Lin Feng, was no match for her.

Mo Xie looked extremely embarrassed at that moment. He had appointed Hou Qing to cut off Lin Feng’s arm and hadn’t thought Lin Feng would cut off one of Hou Qing’s arms effortlessly in a single strike. It was as if he had been slapped in the face. Lin Feng had to die.

Lin Feng hadn’t noticed everybody’s face. He was looking just as calm as before. He had put his sword carefully back into his scabbard. He looked at Hou Qing who was on the ground, on his knees and didn’t feel the least bit of pity. He just continued to stay unmoving as if nothing had happened.

“One of the top ten within the ordinary disciples ranking. It’s clear that when you said I was not worth fighting that you were not prepared to lose your own arm.” Lin Feng was looking at Hou Qing mockingly and said: “I really don’t understand why you allow yourself to be that arrogant when you are so pathetically weak, I would be ashamed if I was your teacher.”

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