Chapter 54: Rising to Prominence

“Has Master Li lost his mind, challenging Xu Tai?”

“Xu Tai just defeated the Herbal Hall’s master.”

“I heard Xu Tai used to be a blade-for-hire in the outlying counties—fierce as hell!”

The disciples below the stage buzzed with murmurs.

A blade-for-hire is someone who earns a living by martial skill—some guard convoys or escort travelers, others hunt down fugitives and kill bandits, all trades lived on the edge of the blade.

These men have rich combat experience; making them an opponent is a headache.

Xu Tai often traveled between outlying counties and only recently joined the Heaven and Earth Alliance; his name was unknown.

In that last fight, he toppled the Herbal Hall’s master, and only then did everyone realize Xu Tai’s strength—his swift blade was brutal and fierce, hard for ordinary men to withstand.

“The master actually challenged Xu Tai?”

Zhou Shulin opened his mouth wide.

Even if you must pick an opponent, why choose one so ruthless?

“11”

He’s qualified to be a real master—not some mere master of Tianyi Hall.

In contrast to Zhou Shulin, Liang He’s eyes gleamed:

“The master will win!”

Zhou Shulin glanced at Liang He, momentarily speechless.

“I hope he wins.”

He wouldn’t blindly trust Li Rui like Liang He did.

Tang Sheng, seated high on the dais, also turned his gaze this way and said with interest: “Blade Captain, who do you favor?”

Dao Xiong paused a moment:

“Warriors measure strength by qi and blood. Li Rui handles his weapon well, but Xu Tai isn’t weak either—he’s younger and was a blade-for-hire.”

In one sentence, Li Rui was old.

He’d placed Li Rui in Tianyi Hall before—not out of malice.

A seventy-year-old man simply cannot compete with young warriors; it’s an established fact.

Tang Sheng nodded.

He agreed with Dao Xiong’s assessment.

No matter how skilled, without qi to support it, technique is just a castle in the air—crumbles at the slightest force.

Xu Tai’s face twitched, his right cheek scar looking even more grotesque.

Without a word, he walked calmly onto the stage.

“After you.”

He clasped his hands around the hilt, pulled the blade free with his left hand, and tossed the cowhide scabbard aside.

Li Rui also clasped his fists: “After you.”

Compared to Sha Jinliang, Xu Tai’s strength was clearly superior.

Not a difference in realm, but because blade-for-hires knew how to fight.

Li Rui also drew his long blade from behind.

Xu Tai let out a low roar, stepped forward rapidly, closed the distance, and slashed down at Li Rui—perhaps having watched Li Rui’s earlier fight with Sha Jinliang, he struck precisely three feet away.

The blade’s tip just touched Li Rui’s vital points, yet left enough distance to prevent Li Rui from closing in.

Li Rui blocked with the flat of his blade.

The thick blade easily deflected Xu Tai’s strike, then his wrist flipped, and the thirty-seven-pound blade traced a small circle in midair.

The edge swept through with a gust of force.

Xu Tai was startled.

“What a heavy blade!”

He hadn’t expected Li Rui’s blade to be this heavy—it must weigh at least thirty catties.

Lifting a thirty-catty stone weight is easy, but swinging a thirty-catty blade requires at least three hundred catties of strength!

Unbeatable.

He tried to retreat.

But Li Rui gave him no chance—his blade clung to Xu Tai’s like a fish, following its motion.

The heavy blade was wielded with effortless grace, dancing like a feather or falling leaf.

At this moment, the advantage of weight was fully revealed.

Li Rui’s blade was heavy and kept the upper hand; Xu Tai had to exert far more force to counter.

Soon, Xu Tai’s grip grew numb, his fingers nearly losing hold of the blade.

Just as the crowd was thoroughly engrossed—

“I yield!”

Xu Tai decisively dropped his blade and leapt off the stage without looking back.

His feet had already touched the ground.

The blade on stage still clanged.

Li Rui blinked, then smiled faintly: “Quite decisive.”

He’d dealt with blade-for-hires before—all of them like this: indifferent to victory or defeat, fleeing the moment they sensed defeat.

The “11” badge, secured!

Li Rui achieved his goal and walked calmly off the stage.

The crowd below now looked at this old master with new eyes—his fight had been textbook: classic technique overcoming strength, slowness defeating speed.

Xu Tai had been completely suppressed throughout.

Li Rui’s victory was unquestionable.

Tang Sheng on the stage shook his head and laughed: “Blade Captain, it seems we misjudged him.”

“Master Li’s effortless control is truly remarkable.”

Dao Xiong’s eyes were sharp.

He saw at once the key to Li Rui’s easy victory: both used blades, and Li Rui wielded a heavy one.

“He must have planned this step even before Xu Tai’s last fight.”

Old ginger is the spiciest.

Dao Xiong was secretly astonished by Li Rui’s planning—no wonder he waited so long to choose his target.

Such meticulous thought—his intellect borders on the supernatural.

Tang Sheng was no fool; he understood this too.

Plan first, then act.

These five words sound simple, but are extremely hard to master—Li Rui clearly possessed profound insight into weapons to achieve this.

“Pity—if he were fifty years younger, I’d have taken him as my disciple no matter what.”

But then he smiled and shook his head.

Li Rui’s advantages were all forged by years—no young upstart could possess such depth.

Han Qin’s eyes blazed.

This fight was exactly to his taste—he missed not a single detail.

“One must never underestimate the heroes of the world.”

Though confident he could defeat Li Rui, it would be through realm and power dominance—not technique; his Falling Petals Sword sought mastery of skill.

“After the matches, I must pay this elder a visit.”

Han Qin could hardly wait to exchange insights.

Many in Huaqing Sect thought him reclusive, disliking interaction.

Quite the opposite.

He longed to meet kindred spirits—there were simply too few.

Li Rui was one.

Han Qin would never look down on Li Rui for his low birth or low realm—he himself hadn’t come from privilege either.

Zhu Yue gripped the armrest of his chair so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“I lost to a stable boy?”

But he quickly calmed.

He was a Huaqing Sect disciple—he had no need to lower himself by comparing with a stable boy.

This was already Li Rui’s peak.

He, however, had only just begun.

Perhaps in ten years, Li Rui would be buried, while he stood in his prime, with all of Qinghe County beneath his feet.

Li Rui vanished again into the crowd.

Yet no matter how humble he became, he still attracted glances from those around him.

He accepted it calmly.

If one is to climb ever higher, attention is unavoidable—hiding one’s strength forever is not a lasting strategy.

“After breaking into Eighth Rank, my mindset has truly changed.”

But he did not think it was a bad thing; a martial artist must possess the mindset of a strong person.

At that moment—

A line of small characters appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, host! Achievement completed: Fame and Fortune — Initial Plot — Rising to Prominence.】

This book has had its twists and turns, especially lacking in appeal; thanks to the support of all readers, it has been able to continue. Tuesday follow-up reads are vital for this novel; please try to read to the end and follow closely. (An extra chapter is being added at noon—author’s sincerity has been delivered!)

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(End of Chapter)