Chapter 134

133. Chapter 133: Jin Family Martial Arts Hall (Ally Master Bonus: Dusky Moon Buries Night)

“Master, the hallmaster—disaster! Someone claiming to be a Qi-Channeling expert from Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall has come to seize our hall! Brother Jin Dadao has already been killed by him.”

A Bone-Refining expert, now terrified and flustered, sprinted all the way toward the main hall of the martial arts hall, shouting loudly to spread this critical news and alert the hall to prepare for the imminent threat.

As the Bone-Refining disciple shouted,

the previously calm Jin Family Martial Arts Hall erupted into chaos. People surged out from every corner—new recruits, martial arts instructors, government office runners, and even core disciples of the Jin family—all with fear flashing in their eyes upon hearing the news.

Seize the hall?

This is a matter of grave consequence.

In the Four Seas and Eight Zhou, running a martial arts hall meant fearing most of all someone coming to seize it.

Seizing a hall meant an opponent with a powerful expert, unwilling to spend time and effort building a new hall from scratch, would simply storm into an established one, kill the hallmaster, exterminate its core disciples, drive away the rest, and forcibly take over.

Thus, seizing a hall was essentially brute force theft.

As the commotion within the Jin Family Martial Arts Hall grew louder and more people gathered, and with Jin Dadao and several other Blood-Refining guardians absent, the scene spiraled into chaos.

“Wasn’t Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall already wiped out? Where did this Qi-Channeling expert suddenly come from? Did you missee?”

A newly Blood-Refining martial artist shouted loudly, glaring at the messenger disciple.

The disciple hurriedly replied: “No, I didn’t missee! The man outside is young, barely twenty, claims to be Zhao Family’s senior disciple. Brother Jin Dadao couldn’t withstand a single strike—he was killed instantly. His corpse still lies at the gate. If he weren’t a Qi-Channeling expert, how could he have slain Brother Jin Dadao?”

“A Qi-Channeling expert at twenty? You still claim you didn’t missee?” the newly Blood-Refining martial artist barked again, hoping to calm the crowd.

But it was useless—the other disciples grew even more panicked. Jin Dadao had been truly killed, and in a single strike. What did that prove? It proved that no matter who the enemy was or how young he appeared, he possessed Qi-Channeling-level power.

And in the entire Jin Family Martial Arts Hall, only the hallmaster, Jin Zhihuan, possessed Qi-Channeling power.

If the enemy truly came to seize the hall, he might actually succeed.

Thinking of this, some had already begun considering fleeing the hall—unwilling to get entangled in this mess. If the hallmaster lost, they’d be purged along with him. Most disciples here had paid to learn martial arts; they weren’t core Jin family members and had no desire to risk their lives.

Though several Blood-Refining martial artists tried to restore order, this conflict involved Qi-Channeling experts—something they couldn’t control.

As the situation worsened and chaos intensified, many disciples were on the verge of breaking under pressure and preparing to flee.

Inside the main hall of the Jin Family Martial Arts Hall, a short, plain-dressed man, resembling a field farmer, stepped out slowly, holding a precious saber. Though silent, his gaze radiated authority, enough to awe the crowd and stabilize the situation.

“Hallmaster.”

“Hallmaster.”

A chorus of responses rang out; the chaotic scene instantly fell silent.

This man, around sixty, wrinkled and unremarkable in appearance, was Jin Zhihuan, the hallmaster of Jin Family Martial Arts Hall.

“What’s there to panic? I’m still alive.”

His voice carried martial energy, vibrating the ears of all who heard it.

“Hallmaster, a man claiming to be Zhao Family’s senior disciple, accompanied by a woman named Rongniang, has come to seize our hall. He is suspected of Qi-Channeling power. Brother Jin Dadao, our guardian, couldn’t stop him—he’s been killed. We beg you to take charge.”

Jin Zhihuan’s face darkened: “Five days ago, Jin Bufen and Han Sui, a Blood-Refining martial artist from the Han family, each led a squad to pursue the old bastard Zhao Ge—and vanished without a trace. I knew Zhao Family had encountered a variable. But I never imagined it would be this. Zhao Ge is truly treacherous—he’s been hiding a final disciple outside. Had Zhao Family not been destroyed, his final disciple would never have shown his face.”

As he spoke, he walked out of the main hall, holding his saber. All disciples stepped aside to clear a path.

“Enough. It’s just a fight. I want to see what kind of disciple Zhao Ge has secretly trained these past years. All third-rank disciples, disperse. The rest, follow me.”

As soon as he finished speaking,

a large number of disciples obeyed and left immediately. Yet many remained—over forty Bone-Refining and Blood-Refining martial artists. But this wasn’t the full strength of Jin Family Martial Arts Hall; many disciples had been dispatched. If all were recalled, they could still muster another thirty to forty.

Jin Zhihuan walked toward the hall’s main gate, his bearing confident, his steps firm—but inside, he was uneasy.

He had already heard the clash between Jin Dadao and the enemy.

But he never expected Jin Dadao and the others to fall so quickly.

Jin Dadao was at the peak of Blood Refining—just one breath away from entering Qi Channeling. For such a guardian to be slain in a single strike was unthinkable.

“The enemy’s power is unquestionably Qi-Channeling level, and he’s young, with robust blood and qi. Just now, I heard the sound of his punch—like thunder exploding. His sinews and bones must be extraordinary, his strikes heavy and devastating, one blow to kill.” Jin Zhihuan felt immense pressure.

He had passed sixty last year; his blood and qi had begun to decline, no longer at his peak.

For years, he had avoided fighting Qi-Channeling experts, fearing he’d suffer the same fate as Zhao Ge—wounded, exposed, and eventually swallowed by rival halls.

He had thought Zhao Family’s decline meant relief—that Jin Family would be safe for at least ten years. During that time, he planned to train Jin Dadao into a second Qi-Channeling expert to succeed him as hallmaster. Who could have imagined that today, his perfect plan had been instantly overturned?

“Whether I kill Zhao Family’s senior disciple today or not, Jin Family Martial Arts Hall’s decline is inevitable. Will I truly let the Han family profit? If only the enemy had first sought revenge on the Han family—I wouldn’t be so helpless.” A bitter taste rose in Jin Zhihuan’s heart.

Yet even so, since the enemy had come to his door, he, as hallmaster, had no choice but to face him. If he didn’t show himself today, Jin Family Martial Arts Hall would still be destroyed.

With these complex thoughts, Jin Zhihuan, surrounded by his disciples, walked slowly into the front courtyard.

“Boom!”

The moment he stepped forward,

a thunderclap erupted from nowhere—the heavy wooden gate of Jin Family Martial Arts Hall shattered instantly. Splinters large enough to crush ordinary men flew everywhere, smashing the courtyard walls, collapsing the screen wall, and cracking the ground. The deafening noise turned many disciples pale.

“Such a thick gate, shattered by a single punch?” a Blood-Refining martial artist muttered, swallowing hard, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

“Powerful,” Jin Zhihuan muttered, eyes narrowing.

Smashing a gate wasn’t remarkable. The terrifying part was the residual force—enough to collapse walls.

This meant the enemy hadn’t even used his full strength.

Beyond the shattered gate, a tall, muscular figure stepped forward as if strolling through a garden. Behind him, a woman in tight martial attire followed closely.

She was nothing—just a follower.

But the man—

Jin Zhihuan halted, studying the newcomer.

He was indeed young—barely twenty. A natural martial artist’s frame: tiger’s back, wasp waist, mantis legs, dragon sinews, tiger bones, qilin power—a flawless jade, extraordinary talent. Yet despite his massive physique, his steps were light, agile—not heavy or clumsy.

It was as if his body contained a terrifying force, one that effortlessly controlled his powerful frame, giving the impression of immense strength paired with surprising agility.

“Are his eyes glowing?” Jin Zhihuan then noticed Li Yi’s eyes, and his heart trembled.

It was true—his eyes were glowing in broad daylight.

What caused this?

He didn’t understand. But after living most of his life, he knew this was no ordinary phenomenon—it was something supernatural, beyond his comprehension.

Finally,

Jin Zhihuan glanced at Li Yi’s attire. He had only glanced casually—but when he saw the five-clawed black dragon embroidered on Li Yi’s fish-scale robe, his expression shifted slightly.

Such youth, such talent, such astonishing power—and dressed in a robe bearing the five-clawed black dragon. This man’s origins must be extraordinary.

“Hallmaster, this man is Li Yi, Zhao Family’s senior disciple,” a Blood-Refining martial artist whispered.

Jin Zhihuan nodded slightly, then gripped the hilt of his saber and stepped forward.

“You’ve brought quite a crowd. But in this world, numbers mean nothing—it’s power that counts. Old bastard, you’re the hallmaster of Jin Family Martial Arts Hall?”

Remembering how many Zhao Family disciples had been slaughtered, this unremarkable old man was one of the culprits—ruthless, cruel. To call him an “old bastard” was mild.

“You call me an old bastard? Even if you’re Zhao Family’s senior disciple, you’ll speak with respect!” a Blood-Refining disciple shouted, emboldened by his hallmaster’s presence.

Li Yi said: “The elders haven’t spoken, yet the juniors jump out? Old bastard, you’re clearly past your prime—you can’t even control your own disciples. Shall I help you? I’ll kill them all, clean your house for you. I’m here to avenge anyway—it’s just an extra task, no trouble.”

At these words,

the Blood-Refining disciple turned pale.

Jin Zhihuan’s face remained calm. His gaze steady, he spoke slowly: “Don’t try to provoke me. I’ve seen enough storms in my years. These childish insults mean nothing. But I’m curious—why would someone so young, with such strength, risk himself for Zhao Ge? Zhao Family is finished. It’s not worth your time. Join my Jin Family Martial Arts Hall. I’ll make you the next hallmaster. Take over a ready-made hall—far better than rebuilding one from scratch.”