Chapter 293: The Soldier Saint

Asking the fist is a refined term for fighting in the martial world, also called sparring.

Wang Li raised his head.

He gazed in surprise at Yuan Xiong and Hu Yan Ku before him.

'Why would two Immortal Sea cultivators challenge an old man of Observing the Sea? What logic is this?'

He knew well Yuan Xiong's prowess.

He once rode alone for a thousand miles to slay the Black and White Killers—a ruthless man among the ruthless.

After being adopted by Yuan Dingting, he surged forward without pause, and countless Observing the Sea martial artists fell to his hand.

Yet he dares challenge Li Rui to a duel?

Is this reasonable?

Is this proper?

What if one punch kills Li Rui? Won't you then have to go to Marquis Yuan and be accused of disrespecting the elderly?

Wang Li was momentarily bewildered.

But he quickly understood, leaning close to Li Rui's ear: 'Old Brother Li, I heard Lord Yuan once sought to spar with Lord Jiang, but Lord Jiang refused.'

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

He knew Jiang Lin had visited Yunzhou many times, but never suspected such a story existed.

Of course.

To Jiang Lin, it probably meant nothing at all.

Yuan Xiong spoke: 'Mr. Wang, there's nothing shameful in saying this—I truly wished to spar with Lord Jiang, but he said I was unworthy, and added that even without Jiang Lin, Yunzhou still has Li Rui.'

As he finished, he gazed at Li Rui with burning eyes:

'Mr. Li, Yuan humbly begs for a fight.'

'.'

Li Rui nearly choked on his breath.

So Jiang Lin was behind this whole affair after all.

'Having such a powerful ally isn't always a good thing.'

Li Rui promptly bowed: 'Lord Yuan, I yield.'

'.'

Yuan Xiong insisted: 'My realm is higher than yours, so I cannot use my fists or feet. I've asked my adoptive father to seal my spiritual power—I'm now merely at the threshold of Observing the Sea. I beg you, Master, to instruct me.'

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

Yuan Xiong had even gone to Marquis Yuan.

He was determined to fight—this duel could not be avoided today.

'If that's how it is, since Lord Yuan is sincere, this old man will do his best.'

Li Rui agreed readily, no longer hesitating.

It was just about finding a decent way to fall.

Yuan Xiong heard this.

His battle spirit surged instantly. Though Jiang Lin had mentioned Li Rui before, he'd assumed it was just Jiang Lin trying to boost Li Rui's reputation, and paid it no mind.

But during Marquis Yuan's martial lecture, he saw Li Rui comprehend the True Meaning of the Soldier Saint in a single day.

Only then did he begin to truly respect Li Rui.

At first, he thought if Li Rui entered the arena, he would too.

But Li Rui had no intention of fighting on the arena—he was just sitting there eating sunflower seeds.

So he came here himself to seek instruction.

Yuan Xiong appeared ordinary on the surface, but in truth he was a martial fanatic—his standards were extremely high, and ordinary people had no right to face him.

Only true geniuses earned his regard.

Jiang Lin was one. Now Li Rui was too.

Yuan Xiong stepped back, put away his weapons, and assumed a fist stance: 'Mr. Li, please.'

Then, fearing Li Rui might not understand, he added:

'I favor fists. Mr. Li may use his blade.'

The meaning was clear: he had no intention of scheming or taking advantage of Li Rui.

A martial fanatic fights not to win, but to gain insight into the Way.

Li Rui nodded.

He had heard of Yuan Xiong's Splitting Mountain Palm.

Indeed, though Yuan Xiong was a soldier by origin and Yuan Dingting's adopted son, and though he used the spear, his true mastery lay not in the spear but in palm techniques.

Generally speaking,

bare hands against blades would be at a disadvantage.

But for a master like Yuan Xiong, whose body had reached the Immortal Stage, such concerns vanished.

His flesh could rival divine weapons.

Li Rui did not hesitate—he drew his waist blade and said: 'Please.'

Yuan Xiong truly did not take advantage—he did not use any true qi.

He fought Li Rui with pure physical strength alone.

Even so, it was extraordinary. Marquis Yuan could seal spiritual power, but the body remained—unchangeable, unsealable. An Immortal Stage martial artist's body was a pure vessel, far beyond mortal flesh.

The palm wind roared as it slashed toward Li Rui.

Li Rui held his blade, fighting while retreating.

'Incredible palm technique.'

The 'Splitting Mountain' in Yuan Xiong's nickname was no exaggeration—each palm strike carried crushing force; a graze meant injury, contact meant death.

In an instant,

the battlefield shifted a hundred zhang.

On the surface, Li Rui was clearly at a severe disadvantage.

Hu Yan Ku and Wang Li stood to the side.

'Mr. Wang, who do you think will win?'

Wang Li smiled faintly: 'Of course Lord Yuan. The power of an Immortal Stage is overwhelming—Old Brother Li won't last long.'

Hu Yan Ku was about to speak

when he suddenly sensed someone behind him.

He was startled—he whirled around and saw Yuan Dingting standing there, having appeared without warning.

'Adoptive father.'

'Marquis.'

Hu Yan Ku and Wang Li quickly bowed.

Yuan Dingting's lips curled slightly—he seemed in good spirits—and waved his hand, watching the duel between Yuan Xiong and Li Rui with keen interest.

Seeing this,

Hu Yan Ku and Wang Li dared not disturb the Marquis's amusement and stood quietly to the side.

What surprised Hu Yan Ku was

that Yuan Xiong didn't use true qi, and neither did Li Rui.

To him, this seemed arrogant.

Li Rui had built his reputation in Yunzhou largely through the Dragon Form True Qi—if deprived of it, his strength would plummet.

How could he possibly match his eighth brother?

But soon,

Hu Yan Ku realized Yuan Xiong was deliberately suppressing his power too, fighting Li Rui solely through palm technique.

Outsiders like Wang Li thought the situation dire.

But to Hu Yan Ku, it was like children playing house.

Because Li Rui and Yuan Xiong were simply exchanging techniques, testing skill.

When Marquis Yuan taught, he had said:

'A martial artist's essence lies in will, sinew and bone, internal breath, and technique.'

These four are equal—none superior to the others.

Li Rui and Yuan Xiong were now testing only technique.

In moments, they had exchanged over a hundred moves.

Yuan Xiong grew more astonished with each strike. As an Immortal Stage master, his will, sinew and bone, internal breath, and technique were all top-tier.

Yet he never imagined he would be evenly matched with Li Rui in technique alone.

Li Rui's blade intent flowed freely, effortlessly elegant.

At this moment, man and blade became one.

Technique?

Sorry—Li Rui, with the Northern Heaven Gate's enhancement, was a dimensional advantage.

Even an Immortal Stage cultivator must bow beneath him.

These were still him holding back.

After over a hundred moves, Li Rui finally revealed a perfect opening, plopped down on the ground, and waved his hands frantically:

"I yield. Lord Yuan, you are truly formidable."

Yuan Xiong's gaze burned even hotter.

"Again!"

He was a martial fanatic—he craved combat that elevated himself, not mere brawling. If it improved him, the fight was worth it.

Li Rui's swordplay was among the most refined he'd ever seen.

Fighting him would surely elevate his palm techniques.

This fight was well worth it.

How could he let such an ideal sparring partner slip away?

Li Rui was about to speak when he heard Yuan Dingting's voice: "Xiong, that's enough."

Yuan Xiong had been too absorbed.

Only now did he notice Yuan Dingting standing behind him.

He quickly bowed: "Adoptive father."

At the same time, Li Rui rose and bowed deeply: "Lord Yuan."

Yuan Dingting studied Li Rui with keen interest: "I never realized your swordplay was so refined—you're a natural-born swordsman."

"No one in Yunzhou can surpass you in sword technique."

Upon hearing this,

Yuan Xiong, Hu Yan Ku, and Wang Li all widened their eyes.

The Martial Sage himself had declared Yunzhou's top swordsman.

Yuan Dingting: "I didn't expect Yunzhou had someone like you. Excellent."

With that,

he departed with loud laughter, clearly having come solely to watch this match.

Yuan Dingting walked far away.

Yuan Xiong bowed to Li Rui, then called Hu Yan Ku to leave. Before departing, Hu Yan Ku grinned at Li Rui:

"Brother Li, let's spar again sometime."

"By the way, once you reach the Primordial Realm, I'll beg my adoptive father to take you as his son."

Then he ran off.

Li Rui's head was full of black lines.

Yuan Dingting's adopted son?

Martial cultivators live long. Yuan Dingting, a peerless genius, was barely over a hundred years old—age-wise, it was feasible. Besides, his eldest adopted son was even older than Li Rui.

"If you'll have me, may I bow as your adoptive son?"

This bizarre thought surfaced in Li Rui's mind.

After this minor interlude,

Li Rui resumed his spectator's leisure.

"This melon's good—sweet as can be."

The number of people on the small hill had grown from two to four. Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu had both fought, and now both stood here—the outcome was obvious.

They'd both lost.

Both had been kicked off the arena by prodigies from major sects.

What could you do?

Their opponents used the finest cultivation arts and elixirs. Losing wasn't shameful.

"Excellent!"

Ning Zhongtian, mid-bite of melon, suddenly stood up and shouted.

Looking over,

Li Rui understood: the sect prodigy who'd defeated Ning Zhongtian had just performed the exact same "Falling Sand Crane" posture.

Ning Zhongtian was delighted.

After all, an enemy's enemy is a friend—he even hoped the man who'd beaten the sect prodigy would make the top three.

That way,

he wouldn't look bad.

Could losing to someone who'd faced a top-three contender be considered shameful?

He could even boast about it.

But Ning Zhongtian's hope vanished quickly—he lost before even two rounds passed.

The martial contest lasted three full days.

Finally, the top three emerged.

Yang Heng, a retainer of the Marquis's household, was among them; the other two were prodigies from major sects.

The outcome held no surprises.

There aren't that many dark horses in the world—it wasn't a team event, and the winners were all the favored seeds everyone expected.

Then came the much-anticipated award ceremony.

Lord Yuan's gift was envied by all: he would personally guide each of the three for one full day.

Guidance from the top ten in the realm.

A rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Yuan Dingting could guide even sect masters—how much more so their disciples?

Instantly, all three beamed with joy.

Of course,

none of this had anything to do with Li Rui, the mere spectator—he had other matters to attend to.

"What a hardworking life."

Li Rui led a large troop of soldiers through the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Since this was an autumn hunt, all prior steps were merely preparation—if the final hunt wasn't carried out, it would be incomplete.

As the chief official of Qinghe,

he and Cao Wei were responsible for driving the demonic beasts into the Qinghe hunting grounds.

This process would take four or five days, followed by a two-week hunt.

Beside him, Cao Wei's expression was grim:

"Lord Li, are you certain there won't be a mishap?"

Li Rui smiled faintly: "Don't worry, Lord Cao. This is a treasure I specially had someone fetch from Wu Country—it's called the Beast-Calling Horn. Legend says it's made from the horn of the White-Horned Divine Rhinoceros. I'll return it after use."

Cao Wei stared at the ancient horn in Li Rui's hand and blinked.

He gritted his teeth.

'Li Rui handles things well—I'll trust him.'

Driving demonic beasts wasn't an easy task.

The Tian Nan Hunting Grounds maintained a permanent military unit just for this duty.

The job was difficult.

If done well, it was a great merit—but if, when the autumn hunt began, no beasts appeared,

he and Li Rui would be in deep trouble.

He hadn't stayed in camp except during the three-day ritual precisely because he was hunting beasts.

But efficiency was abysmal—so far, they'd caught only twenty-odd.

That wasn't nearly enough.

It would be a laughingstock, especially in front of so many powerful figures—he'd never get back to the capital if this failed.

Li Rui felt the White Dragon stir within his sleeve.

Just look.

North of the Ten Thousand Mountains, ask around—who's the boss?

With the White Dragon, even a hundred demonic beasts—thousands—would be effortless.

The Beast-Calling Horn? All made up.

The thing did exist.

But the one in Li Rui's hand clearly wasn't it—just a cover for his true method.

At that moment, the White Dragon's voice reached his ear:

"A minor demonic tide? Easy."

Year 87 of Tianwu, Beginning of Autumn. Auspicious for hunting.

Yuan Dingting stood on the high platform, gazing far into the deep, silent Ten Thousand Mountains—but no demonic beasts appeared.

Below,

the Provincial Governor of Yunzhou wore a strange expression and whispered to Cao Wei:

"Lord Cao, are there really any demonic beasts?"

This autumn hunt isn't just about Qinghe's reputation—it's the entire Yunzhou government's face. If anything goes wrong, they'll all lose face.

Seeing the situation turn sour, he quickly asked Cao Wei.

Cao Wei cleared his throat: "Yes, my lord, rest assured—the time hasn't come yet."

Even so.

But his inner worry was no less than the Provincial Governor's beside him.

'Li Lao, you absolutely cannot betray me.'

Not a single mistake in content, not one!

All he could do now was hope.

Li Rui was as reliable as ever; otherwise, he'd have to go kneel before Marquis Yuan right now and beg forgiveness.

The sun drifted westward, and soon it was noon.

The ceremonial officer's solemn voice rang out: "Autumn Hunt—begin!"

The instant the word "begin" fell, a resonant horn sounded.

Everyone's expressions sharpened; all turned toward Ten Thousand Swords Mountain.

But even after the horn fell silent, no beast appeared.

Now.

Cao Wei was utterly panicked—he was signaling his subordinate Feng Yu to go check the situation—

Suddenly, someone spoke:

"Something's coming down the mountain."

Cao Wei turned again.

He saw a dark tide of beasts surging down Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, heading straight for the Qinghe hunting ground.

His mouth hung slightly open.

'This isn't a hunt—it's a beast flood!'

But then his shock turned to delight.

Who cared what it was—as long as it was a beast.

The autumn hunt's beasts had arrived; after this, Cao Wei had nothing more to worry about. Naturally, he was delighted.

Seeing the beast flood appear,

Yuan Dingting spoke slowly: "Go. The top three will be rewarded."

Emboldened by the earlier reward, the prodigy disciples all strained to claim the top three spots; even Elders joined the hunt.

Unlike martial contests,

hunting had no clear win or loss—if you didn't make the top three, it was just bad luck.

No one would lose face.

Instantly, everyone was eager to join.

Many impatient ones had already spurred their horses toward Ten Thousand Swords Mountain.

But the beast flood began to scatter, streaming toward all sides of the hunting ground.

"Li Lao."

Wang Li greeted Li Rui as he returned.

Most in camp were out hunting—even Marquis Yuan had taken his lady and young son with him; only civil officials and attendants remained.

"Wang Di."

Li Rui walked over, smiling, to Wang Li's side.

Wang Li: "Li Lao, you've got real skill—making beasts so obedient."

"It was all thanks to our friends from Wu Country."

Li Rui credited Wu Country for the feat.

He'd once been the Trade Officer; not knowing Wu Country people would've been unreasonable, so he spoke openly.

Wang Li: "I've long heard Li Lao has strong ties in Wu Country—today I see it's true."

Knowing how to build connections is a skill too.

Throughout history, those who accomplished great things never acted alone.

Unless one were as strong as the top ten names on the Martial Rankings, perhaps one could do without outside aid.

He deeply admired Li Rui's connections.

Gazing at the distant specks of black,

"Li Lao, aren't you going to try?"

Wang Li meant hunting—he'd heard Marquis Yuan had prepared excellent prizes for the top three, not mere words, but tangible rewards.

Li Rui shook his head: "I still have patrol and guard duties—I won't join the commotion."

"I was thoughtless. Had this been in Yunzhou, Li Lao would've truly shone."

"Wang Di, spare me the empty flattery."

Not just Li Rui,

all regional commanders from every area were assigned patrol duties.

Beasts were fierce.

If someone overestimated themselves and provoked a too-powerful beast, military officers had to rescue them.

Even in Tiannan Hunting Ground, people occasionally lost their lives this way—let alone Qinghe Hunting Ground.

Not only the Anning Guard, but all the elite warriors Marquis Yuan brought were deployed to ensure the hunters' safety.

"On official business, Wang Di—I must go."

Li Rui bowed and took his leave.

Then he led Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu, a team of over ten men, toward the eastern edge of the hunting ground.

Across the lush grassland,

a small deer with sleek fur bent its head to graze; if one looked closely, its tiny antlers faintly glowed with a bluish-purple sheen.

It was a beast.

Suddenly!

An old man and a youth burst from the nearby bushes.

Both wielded swords.

They flanked the deer, cutting off its escape, releasing true qi that took the forms of a tiger and a lion—overwhelmingly dominant.

The moment they appeared, the deer transformed—its body swelled violently.

In an instant,

the cute little deer was gone; in its place stood a monstrous deer, one zhang tall, brimming with killing aura, wreathed in black smoke.

The old man's pupils shrank—he cried out:

"Black Blood Demon Deer!"

Black Blood Demon Deer were ferocious and immensely powerful; this one was clearly beyond their capacity to fight.

"Run!"

The old man roared, abandoning his disciple without a second thought, fleeing backward like a man possessed.

The master escaped—but the disciple had no such skill.

Paralyzed by demonic aura, he stood frozen, about to be crushed beneath the demon deer's hooves.

In a flash—

as the youth had already closed his eyes, awaiting death,

a cry of pain rang from the Black Blood Demon Deer.

He opened his eyes—where was the demon deer? Gone without a trace. Beside him stood an old man, gripping a long blade, its tip dripping crimson blood.

"L-Li my lord."

The youth recognized Li Rui, stammering.

At that moment,

the old man, who'd already fled halfway, returned.

"Thank you, Li my lord, for saving my disciple."

The old man bowed to Li Rui.

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu, who had just arrived, stared at the old man's utterly unashamed expression—no hint of guilt for abandoning his disciple—and sneered.

Li Rui didn't care.

"Both of you—hunt according to your strength. Don't throw away your lives."

"Yes, yes."

The old Daoist nodded frantically.

On that day when Marquis Yuan held his martial lecture, Li Rui's enlightenment had stolen the spotlight—who didn't know how formidable Teacher Li was?

"Hmm."

Saying nothing more, Li Rui promptly led his men away.

He doubted the old man would heed his well-intentioned advice.

As the saying goes: You can't reason with a man bent on death. As long as there's no mass casualty, a few deaths were just part of the death quota—Marquis Yuan wouldn't care at all.

Li Rui led patrols and only rescued those he found agreeable.

In truth, those participating in this hunt all came from major clans and families; most were clever, but you could never rule out a few fools—or unforeseen circumstances, like this Black Blood Demon Deer, which was far too deceptive.

Someone would always fall for it.

"What a piece of trash."

After walking farther away, Ning Zhongtian spat on the ground.

A master, faced with danger, thinks only of saving himself—utterly disgraceful.

Betrayal of trust.

He despised such things most of all; if the Heaven's Alliance had such people, he'd have cut them down one by one long ago.

Li Rui had long grown accustomed to it.

People, after all, none want to die.

What's a disciple compared to one's own life?

Of course, understanding is one thing, but when Li Rui encountered such people, he'd decisively avoid them—even villains need boundaries, don't they?

The autumn hunt lasted half a month.

Li Rui led patrols daily, treating it like an autumn outing.

Time slipped by.

Eight days had passed.

On this day,

Li Rui strolled leisurely through the Qinghe Hunting Ground as usual.

Suddenly!

Boom.

Deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains, a thunderous roar erupted, shaking the forests, and the earth began to tremble faintly.

All martial artists in the Qinghe Hunting Ground froze mid-action.

They all looked up toward the Ten Thousand Mountains.

"Earth Dragon turning over?"

Someone speculated.

Li Rui's eyes narrowed slightly; he sensed two extremely familiar qi signatures.

The next instant—

A silver spear's phantom, capable of piercing the heavens, suddenly appeared, as if about to split the Ten Thousand Mountains in two.

True heaven-splitting, sea-filling power!

His pupils contracted sharply.

"It's Lord Yuan!"

Li Rui sucked in a breath—he wasn't showing off for show, as before; he was truly fighting for his life.

Whoever could force Lord Yuan to go to such lengths

must be no ordinary person.

"Who could it be?"

Many sharp-eyed observers in the Qinghe Hunting Ground recognized that Lord Yuan was fighting someone; some bolder souls had already rushed toward the commotion, hoping for a chance at looting, especially those of Primordial Stage, who relied on their skill and daring to test their luck.

What Lord Yuan deemed unworthy was a treasure to others.

Then, everyone's expressions changed.

The once clear sky over the Qinghe Hunting Ground had instantly turned dark with storm clouds.

A vortex of black clouds formed above the Ten Thousand Mountains, faintly revealing violet-gold lightning.

"Is this the power of the Top Ten in the world?"

Li Rui was now thoroughly unsettled.

Yuan Dingting had single-handedly summoned heavenly phenomena.

This was no small thing.

What difference did it make from the legends of immortals?!

He stared wide-eyed.

Just as everyone expected an even grander spectacle, all anomalies ceased abruptly.

Heaven and earth returned to clarity.

As if nothing had ever happened—like a dream, like an illusion.

Ning Zhongtian murmured:

"My word, this is the Martial Saint?"

Tan Hu was wildly excited, his face flushed: "A true man must live like this! I want to be Lord Yuan's dog!"

Li Rui glanced at the two.

But he had to admit—Yuan Dingting was absurdly strong.

The cessation of the phenomena meant the battle was decided.

Either Lord Yuan killed his opponent, or Lord Yuan was killed.

Anyone with half a brain would choose the former.

Top Ten in the world.

That was the best proof.

Even the High Magistrate of Donghai City couldn't kill Yuan Dingting—only time could, and nothing else.

What is invincibility?

This is invincibility!

Ning Zhongtian asked curiously: "Who do you think Lord Yuan's opponent was?"

Tan Hu: "Definitely a top expert—could it be that old dragon?"

"Possible."

But Li Rui didn't think so.

The old dragon was indeed powerful, but only at the Third Rank Earth Immortal level—Li Rui knew this well; Lord Yuan wouldn't need such theatrics to fight it—one slap would suffice.

So it must be someone else.

Was it a warrior from the Witch Nation, or some unknown entity hidden within the Ten Thousand Mountains?

Yet even with such doubts, he had not the slightest intention of going to investigate.

Do you want to die?

When immortals fight, mortals suffer.

Yuan Dingting and that entity were practically immortals—any stray shockwave could kill him.

Ning Zhongtian watched a shadow dart past in the distance.

He'd briefly entertained the idea of looting.

But under Li Rui's stern gaze, he shrank his neck and gave up the thought.

"Big Brother is just too cautious."

Ning Zhongtian muttered to himself.

Li Rui: "Let's go. Keep patrolling."

About two quarters of an hour later, while patrolling, Li Rui noticed slight movement in the grass ahead.

A few breaths later,

Little White Dragon appeared beside him.

Little White Dragon's face glowed with excitement; he climbed onto Li Rui's palm and cried: "Big Brother, Big Brother, can you believe it? There's a dragon nearly ready to transform hidden in the Ten Thousand Mountains—and even my father didn't know!"

Li Rui was startled: "Little White, how did you find out?"

Little White Dragon beamed: "Because I happened to run into it."

"That big dragon was beaten to pieces—scales shattered and flying everywhere."

He finished speaking.

Little White Dragon grinned mysteriously:

"Big Brother, guess what I picked up?"

(End of Chapter)