Chapter 52: Bullying an Old Man?

Fifteen minutes later.

Liang He defeated his opponent.

But his methods were truly dishonorable.

The crowd stared at the burly man lying on the ground, clutching his groin and howling in pain; their own groins tightened, lips twitching uncontrollably.

The King of Low Blows?

The Heaven and Earth Alliance never claimed to be a righteous sect, but such vulgar techniques were still rare.

“Interesting.”

Han Qin sat upright on the platform, her expression turning curious.

Zhu Yue gazed at Han Qin with a strange look: “Senior Han, are you favoring that disciple?”

Han Qin nodded:

“In martial combat, victory is what matters. Especially in life-or-death fights, you must seek weaknesses—don’t lose your life for the sake of face.”

Zhu Yue’s eyelids twitched violently.

He never expected Han Qin, who appeared so refined and elegant, would say such a thing.

He quietly shifted his seat to the side.

He silently vowed never to offend Senior Han.

He didn’t want to suffer that kind of groin pain.

Li Rui watched his two only disciples with satisfaction.

“Good.”

This grand examination, though Zhou Shulin and Liang He weren’t as dazzling as Liu Tong, both still won—this was already quite impressive.

“Your rankings have risen. If you want to transfer to another hall, just let me know.”

Li Rui was very open-minded about such matters.

If you have talent and are still young, there’s no point wasting time in Tianyi Hall.

But to his surprise, both Zhou Shulin and Liang He shook their heads.

“No, we’re staying with the Hall Master.”

“.”

Li Rui fell silent, then smiled and shook his head: “Do as you wish.”

The grand examination lasted two full days.

The competition among ordinary disciples had ended; now came the matches between Hall Masters and Executives.

Unlike last year.

News had spread that the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s Ning Alliance Master had broken through; many well-known martial artists from Qinghe had come to join.

But there were only so many positions for Hall Masters and Executives.

Naturally, there were too many candidates for too few posts.

By past custom, any ranked martial artist could at least secure a Deputy Executive role in a branch.

But now Qinghe Branch had over forty ranked martial artists, meaning some—even if ranked—could only receive benefits, not an official title.

Compared to the bustling energy of the ordinary disciples,

the platform now was far quieter.

No one stepped forward.

Ranked martial artists were naturally more cautious; whoever stepped up first risked exposing their strengths prematurely.

Finally, a bearded giant broke the stalemate, striding onto the platform.

The bearded giant scanned the Hall Masters and Executives below, instantly locking eyes with Li Rui among the crowd.

He raised his massive hammer and pointed at Li Rui.

“You, old man, stop staring—I’m talking to you.”

Li Rui, standing at the very back of the crowd, unnoticed, never expected to be called up so soon.

Wu Tu whispered beside him: “That red-beard is Sha Jinliang. He used to run a small martial school in West City. Heard the Alliance Master broke through, so he came over. Wields twin hammers, strong as an ox.”

Li Rui nodded.

“Thank you.”

Then he walked calmly onto the platform.

Seeing the two men on the platform—their size difference so stark—many in the crowd regretted not rushing up first.

“Should’ve moved sooner.”

Without doubt, Li Rui, in both build and age, was clearly the easy target.

Being Hall Master of Tianyi Hall was still better than being a senior disciple.

Besides, as the Heaven and Earth Alliance grows, Tianyi Hall’s status will rise too—competition will only get fiercer.

The bearded giant chuckled.

He felt he’d scored an easy win.

The old man before him looked at least fifty or sixty—likely older. Martial cultivation declines if you don’t advance; at this age, his blood and qi were already waning. Perfect to bully.

“I’m Sha Jinliang. Old man, save yourself the trouble—step down now, or I’ll bury you early!”

Sha Jinliang glared fiercely at Li Rui.

Beating up an old man gave him zero guilt.

Li Rui smiled faintly: “You’re Brother Sha, right? Perfect—let this old man stretch his bones.”

Sha Jinliang hefted his massive hammer.

Grinned wide.

“Old man’s trying to hang himself—looking for death.”

Before he finished speaking, he charged at Li Rui, twin hammers swinging, smashing straight for his face.

Despite his eight-foot-tall, burly frame, Sha Jinliang moved swiftly.

In an instant, he was upon Li Rui.

Li Rui seemed slow to react.

Only when the hammer was about to strike did he roll aside, then drew his blade and engaged Sha Jinliang in close combat.

One hand gripped the hilt, the other supported the blade’s back.

He turned his longsword into a short weapon, pressing tight against Sha Jinliang’s body.

Sha Jinliang grew increasingly frustrated.

His twin hammers needed wide swings to unleash their full power, but now the old man kept darting into his chest, forcing him to never fully extend his arms.

“Old bastard, have the guts to step back—we’ll fight properly!”

Sha Jinliang’s temples bulged with veins, but the old man slipped like an eel—he couldn’t land a single clean hit.

Li Rui replied: “Have the guts to come closer.”

“Yah! Yah! Old thief!”

Sha Jinliang let out a furious roar.

But Li Rui gave him no opening—his sword form was tight, flawless, with no gaps.

They fought for a full half-hour.

Finally, Li Rui seized an opening and slammed the flat of his blade into Sha Jinliang’s back.

Sha Jinliang lost his balance and tumbled off the platform.

Watching Sha Jinliang crawl up from the dust, the crowd wore smug grins.

“Served you right for bullying an old man!”

Any seasoned observer could see:

Li Rui had defeated Sha Jinliang purely through years of combat experience.

Simple to say, but such insight took decades to cultivate.

It’s true youth holds the edge in fists, but don’t forget the next line:

“The staff fears the old master.”

It means that when aged, wielding weapons, one’s experience lets them easily overpower those who rely only on brute strength.

Li Rui walked calmly off the platform.

He ignored Sha Jinliang’s shouts demanding a rematch.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance’s grand examination had a rule: once challenged, a fighter could refuse to fight again.

Otherwise, no one could survive a wheel of challengers.

Tang Sheng on the platform studied Li Rui curiously: “How old is this old man?”

Dao Xiong answered: “He just turned seventy this year.”

“Huh!”

Even Tang Sheng couldn’t help marveling: “Truly, age brings no weakness.”

Most martial artists at seventy have long retired; Li Rui was rare indeed.

Zhu Yue was also astonished.

This old Li was nothing like the old stablehand he remembered.

“I wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

Zhu Yue’s expression darkened further at the thought.

He, a disciple of Huaqing Sect, had been outshone by an old stablehand—his daily cultivation must have gone straight into the dog’s belly.

Jiang Yan’s gaze drifted aimlessly.

As if lost in thought.

(End of Chapter)