Martial Cultivator

As that voice sounded, especially the words “this official” still lingering, most of the qi refiners’ expressions changed slightly. This Sixty-Year Gathering was supposed to be a grand event for the qi refiner lineage. Now with such an embarrassing start, if anything else went wrong, it wouldn’t just be Three Streams Manor that became a laughingstock, but the entire qi refiner lineage as well.

However, everyone looked around but couldn’t see who had spoken. Just as they exchanged glances, from the seat at Pine Stream Mountain, Liang Jinjin suddenly looked toward a nearby bamboo pavilion. Her realm wasn’t high, and compared to many present, she was insignificant. But she had the Qi Observing Technique. People appeared as flows of qi to her. While everyone else searched for the voice’s source, she followed a thread of qi toward the bamboo building.

That qi was both familiar and strange to her. Familiar because she had seen it before, not just seen, but interacted closely with its owner in the desolate north. Strange because now, in her eyes, this qi was no longer the same as before.

It was a snow-white qi mixed with golden fragments, but inseparable. Liang Jinjin had never seen such qi on anyone else.

But she quickly stopped guessing and watched the bamboo building, knowing someone had arrived at a place invisible to her naked eye.

Liang Jinjin’s heartbeat began to speed up. Although she had always thought about this reunion, when it finally came, she felt helpless.

Sage Bamboo Moon glanced at her disciple and followed her gaze, raising her brow but keeping a calm expression. This female qi refiner grandmaster was one of the few in the world and said nothing.

On the distant bamboo pavilion, a tall young man dressed in black robes, a saber hanging at his waist, was playing with a gold-and-jade royal seal in his hand.

Watching the commotion from afar, the young man smiled and squinted toward the even higher Ancestral Hall.

There was some sword qi over there.

......

......

On the high platform, Tu Beihai, Three Streams Manor Lord, had already spread his divine sense but couldn’t locate the speaker. His face darkened. Looking down at the qi refiners below, this manor lord took a deep breath and loudly asked, “Who’s speaking? Since you’ve come, why hide in the shadows? Are you afraid even to show yourself?”

Relying on years of cultivation, his voice spread instantly across the surroundings. The person hiding should have heard clearly.

Still, Tu Beihai was rather conflicted. Though he did not know the speaker’s identity, the words “this official” made him worried. If it were any other Great Liang official, it might be fine. But if that young martial artist personally showed up, how would this end?

He wasn’t worried that the young martial artist could do anything to Three Streams Manor. He even thought that if the young martial artist came alone, Three Streams Manor could capture him. But then what?

They had said before that if they saw Chen Chao, they would kill him. But if that really happened, was Three Streams Manor really going to kill him?

If they killed him, how would Great Liang respond?

The current Great Liang was not the Great Liang it used to be.

“He’s there!”

Just as Tu Beihai was thinking, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.

Following the shout, countless eyes turned to the same place. At the edge of a lake in the distance, a green stone carved with “Heaven-bestowed” had been cut in half. A young man in black sat on the stone, holding a jade-green fishing rod, quietly fishing.

Even with so many gazes fixed on him, he remained unmoved, focused solely on the lake.

Black robe, saber hanging, young martial artist.

Nowadays, it was hard to count how many young men imitated this young man’s style. Among young martial artists, seven or eight out of ten would wear this look.

But this young man quietly sitting there made it clear to all: he was the real one, not a copycat.

Not all qi refiners present had seen the young martial artist before, so many looked on with curiosity.

But Tu Beihai on the high platform was already ashen-faced.

He had not expected Chen Chao to come to this Sixty-Year Gathering held by Three Streams Manor. Even more unexpected was that he truly came alone.

What did this meant? Does this mean the young martial artist before them had already decided that Three Streams Manor dared not do anything to him?

Thinking this made Tu Beihai feel even more uncomfortable.

When traveling the world, cultivation realm was one thing, but face was another.

There was even an interesting saying in the cultivation world from long ago: not giving someone face was like killing their entire family.

Though it was just a joke, it was enough to show how important face was to them.

As Tu Beihai took a deep breath, countless qi refiners had already fixed their gaze on him. At this moment, everyone still clearly remembered Tu Beihai’s earlier words: if Chen Chao appeared here, he would skin him alive and extract his bones.

But who would have thought that right after he said those words, the very person in question appeared here?

Some glanced at the white-haired elder who had spoken before and thought to themselves, how could so many coincidences happen? Could it be that all this was planned beforehand?

The white-haired elder was now bitterly complaining. He was not stupid and knew that with things as they were now, he had no way to defend himself. But dammit, if it really were his doing, that would be one thing. Yet he had not even met Chen Chao, let alone been instructed by him!

“Manor Lord Tu, didn’t you say before that if this official appeared here, you would skin this official alive and extract my bones? Now that this official is here, Manor Lord Tu, when do you plan to make your move?”

Chen Chao’s eyes stayed fixed on the lake surface without looking up, as if everything happening was less important than his fishing.

Tu Beihai’s face had already turned ashen. He had been thinking about how to resolve this, but now that Chen Chao had spoken, he had to respond. With a grim face, he said coldly, “Chen Chao, though you are the Lord Warden Commander of Great Liang, I doubt any rule allows you to trespass into another sect without permission, right?! You come uninvited, is my Three Streams Manor nothing in your eyes?”

This was Tu Beihai’s carefully considered and cautious reply. He did not want to lose face, nor did he want to escalate the situation beyond repair.

Yet no one expected the young Lord Warden Commander to keep his head down and simply replied with a word:

”Yup.”

This word carried more weight than even a full-power strike from a great sword immortal.

Some qi refiners who were gloating over others’ misfortune all could not help glancing at Tu Beihai with pity in their eyes. This leader of the southern qi refiner lineage would likely lose all face today.

Unless he truly made up his mind to kill this young Lord Warden Commander here and now.

“Manor Lord Tu said you would skin and dismember this official, yet still expects this official to care about Three Streams Manor? Isn’t that ridiculous?”

Before Tu Beihai could speak, the young Lord Warden Commander by the lake spoke again, his voice echoing across the entire lake.

Tu Beihai’s face darkened, and for a moment, he was speechless.

Things had reached an unexpected level. Even Tu Beihai could not understand why this young martial artist insisted on breaking into the manor now. Did he really believe no one in this world dared provoke him anymore?

Thinking this, Tu Beihai grew more furious, killing intent surging in his eyes.

Qi refiners were said to be closest to Heavenly Dao. Tu Beihai had long stepped into Nepenthe. At this moment, his killing intent rose, and heaven and earth responded, ripples spreading across the lake surface.

Chen Chao who was current looking down at the lake sensed the disturbance among the fish and the killing intent. Smiling slightly, he looked up and said softly, “If you want to make a move to kill this official, then do it. What are you waiting for? Must this official destroy your Three Streams Manor’s Ancestral Hall before you’re willing to take action?”

If Tu Beihai could barely tolerate what Chen Chao said before, at this juncture, Chen Chao’s words were unbearable.

“Chen Chao, you’re bullying people too much!”

Tu Beihai flicked his sleeve and said no more. He glided from the high platform and lightly landed on the lake surface, his toes stepping on water as he walked across.

Ripples spread before him, growing into fierce waves. Moments later, the lake exploded, and columns of water shot toward the sky.

The greatest difference between qi refiners and other cultivators was that qi refiners understood how to harness the power of heaven and earth. Therefore, their attacks often carried great commotion, carrying the might of heaven and earth.

The water columns kept spreading on the lake surface, finally stopping about three meters away from the lake shore.

The young martial artist did not look at the dense water columns but simply stared quietly at the lake surface without speaking.

Tu Beihai’s face was dark from afar by the lake. Many qi refiners watching the fight wondered why, after all this, Tu Beihai was still hesitating. They did not know that Tu Beihai was already giving his all, a grand and mighty attack, but he could not get close to his opponent from start to finish.

“What’s the point of making such a big commotion?”

The young martial artist shook his head, somewhat displeased. As his words fell, the water columns that had shot toward the sky began to fall back down, finally turning into a heavy rain, making the lake surface quite turbulent.

The young man slowly lifted his head, not looking at the rippling lake surface but at Tu Beihai, and said seriously, “Is it so hard for this official to fish for a while?”

“Since you won’t let this official fish for fish, then this official can only fish for something else.”

After his words, Chen Chao suddenly jerked his arm. The green fishing rod in his hand - no one knew where it had come from - was sharply pulled up. The fishing line instantly became taut, and the entire lake surface suddenly rose at that moment.

Three Streams Manor instantly trembled. Underneath the qi refiners standing in the middle of the lake, it also began to tremble violently.

Then countless people widened their eyes.

Because they saw a shocking scene.

The young martial artist sitting by the lake fished up the entire lake!