Chapter 204: Variable

Boom—

At dusk, as the final roar exploded from Sanjiangkou, the contest for the top three concluded.

Wei Wu Yi, clad in a black robe, stood on the platform, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of having a successor.

The seven martial heroes seated around him exchanged bewildered glances, finally understanding Wei Wu Yi's purpose in holding this hero gathering:

To discuss the choice of the next alliance leader was not merely a pretext to gather everyone, nor was the selection to be made from among them; rather, he used this opportunity to let them witness the heir of Xueying Ridge!

On the now littered yellow earth field, a young man no less than one meter ninety tall stood in the center, his hair disheveled, his body covered in blood and sweat, panting like an ox, yet his muscular, knotted shoulders and back remained towering, like a blood-soaked war god amidst the battlefield.

The young man's name was 'Wei Yin'. Though the name appeared for the first time, by tomorrow it would spread across Dajiangnanbei; as the finale, his momentum even overshadowed Xie Jinhuan, who had opened the event.

In this bloody battle, most participants had one win and one loss; even Huo Zhonghu, whom everyone guessed was the favorite from Xueying Ridge to take first place, only fought four rounds.

Xie Jinhuan had originally dominated the top spot, but just then, Wei Yin, Wei Wu Yi's closed-door disciple, emerged from behind the Dragon Sacrifice Altar. Relying solely on his fists, he defeated all remaining participants who had not yet fought, including direct disciples of Fenggu Valley and veteran sect masters with techniques refined to perfection, totaling eleven people.

Wei Yin did not fall; stopping at eleven wins was purely because there were no more opponents, not because he could no longer continue fighting.

Countless martial travelers present, seeing this scene, even forgot Xie Jinhuan, whose sharp edge had just begun to show, their eyes filled only with disbelief.

If he were merely strong, that would be one thing; the most terrifying aspect of this person, like Xie Jinhuan, was that he had just entered the First Rank.

The reason he had just stepped into it was the same as Xie Jinhuan's: to win first place, he temporarily supplemented his cultivation, while spending the rest of his time tempering his bones and refining his techniques.

It could be said that Wei Yin was no longer just a martial artist, but a sword forged by Wei Wu Yi with his life's work, a sword displayed to the hundred schools of thought!

No wonder Wei Wu Yi remained calmly observant while Xie Jinhuan fought the heroes, unlike the other seven heroes who were startled; he only showed a trace of admiration when Xie Jinhuan upheld martial virtue and high character...

No wonder, even though Xie Jinhuan was unstoppable, Wei Wu Yi only mentioned securing a top-three spot, making no mention of winning first place or even having a successor in the martial arts...

With Wei Yin present, all the geniuses, including Xie Jinhuan, would likely only have the qualification to fight for second or third place.

Such a variable affected not only the martial arts sects, but also the Daoist and Buddhist schools that monitored the movements of the martial world.

Inside a courtyard in the county town, Zhang Guan of Mount Zihui drafted a letter to the Zhang Sect, his eyes full of bewilderment:

"When did Wei Wu Yi take on such a disciple? I was wondering why he was so generous; it turns out he still practiced 'keeping the fat water from flowing into outsiders' fields'. If I had known this earlier, only a fool would have come to support him, bringing the hundred martial schools from afar just to prove that everyone present was trash..."

Nangong Ye had no mind to continue struggling with the demoness; after all, judging by the foundation Wei Yin had just displayed, neither Xie Jinhuan nor the demoness could win first place. If this young man were to enter Super Rank, he would likely become the eighth martial hero on the spot.

Great Qian has only three schools: Immortal, Buddha, and Martial. There are only three figures at the level of Sect Master. She was considered the successor of Lu Wu Zhen, the eldest senior brother of Tiantai Temple, Monk Master Fa Chen, was the successor of Monk Wuxin, and Wei Wu Yi's successor was once thought to be his son.

The three could not be said to be unimpressive, but their talent and achievements, when placed alongside historical figures of the same level, were indeed not outstanding.

And this Wei Yin was completely inhuman; at the same realm, he was two or three tenths stronger than Xie Jinhuan, which exceeded normal human understanding.

Regarding why Wei Yin was so fierce, Nangong Ye also had some guesses:

"Wei Wu Yi truly has the courage; he may have placed the opportunity obtained from Bingsheng Mountain onto this young man."

Hearing this, Zhang Guan's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

The world says Wei Wu Yi made his start by selling his tail in Western Rong; that is indeed a rumor.

Because of his good talent, Wei Wu Yi initially studied in Jingcheng, was cultivated by the old generation who founded the nation, and after growing up, traveled everywhere, eventually finding Bingsheng Mountain.

Bingsheng Mountain, like Zhu Que Tomb, hides a great opportunity; Zhang Guan is not clear on its effects, but Bingsheng refers to Jianbing Shenjun, the god of warfare.

After Wei Wu Yi obtained it, he soared to the heavens; without the thick background of the Danding Sect or the Chan Ding Sect, he achieved a status now equal to Lu Wu Zhen and Monk Wuxin.

Such opportunities are considered divine gifts from the Four Directions and Four Gods; even the Sect Masters of various schools cannot have one for each person. It is the foundation of Wei Wu Yi's standing in the world; giving it directly to a disciple is equivalent to abandoning his own advantage to fight for a future for the next generation.

If Wei Yin had been tempering his bones and muscles with this item since childhood, then Xie Jinhuan, having only consumed a single Sixty-Year Lotus, would indeed find it difficult to shake him; the opportunity was too substantial!

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Guan could only sigh:

"If that is the case, then there is nothing to be done. Jinhuan is still young; his talent and resilience are there; suppressing this young man in the future is not impossible..."

Although Nangong Ye's words were cold, she still deeply hoped Xie Jinhuan would stand alone. Suddenly encountering such a freak made her feel depressed in her heart, but she was helpless...

And at the edge of the field.

Bu Yuehua stood in the crowd, gazing at the young man in the field who was comparable to a human killing god, and a hint of shock and doubt appeared in her eyes.

As an elder of the Wu Alliance rolled out from the wastelands of Southern Jiangnan, if she unleashed her full power, using both Wu arts and martial arts, relying on her realm advantage, dealing with this Wei Yin would not be difficult.

But judging solely by martial arts, Wei Yin had no opponents below Super Rank; Wei Wu Yi did not know how much effort he had poured into him. Not to mention technique and bone structure, just the ability to withstand a hundred battles without falling was so strong that it made the martial artists present despair.

She had originally planned to seek progress through stability, winning six matches to preserve her condition, enter the top three alongside Xie Jinhuan tomorrow, and at least have someone secure the Hu Gu Teng.

But now, not only did the two of them have no chance, but as second and third place, they would have to fight each other tomorrow before challenging the rested Wei Yin the day after. This was impossible to win; the promised treasure hunt had turned into Wei Wu Yi gathering everyone just to make his closed-door disciple the background character...

Bu Yuehua felt this matter should be discussed with Xie Jinhuan, who had also made the cut, to see if there was still a chance to break the deadlock; for this, she turned and headed towards the ferry at the riverside.

On the ferry at the riverside.

Everyone at Sanjiangkou was gazing at the circular field in the center; one person, one ghost, and one bird were doing the same.

Xie Jinhuan sat on the windowsill, legs dangling, holding a thousand-li telescope, carefully examining the peer in the field who was still striking poses, his brows tightly furrowed:

"Is this person definitely not a half-demon like He Man?"

Meiqiu's big, black, shiny eyes rarely showed a trace of solemnity; she made a few "Gu Ji..." sounds, meaning—indeed domineering...

Ye Hongshang's perception range was limited, but just by looking at the aura, he could judge some issues:

"A half-demon is only half a rank stronger than a normal person's physique. This person's attacks are ruthless and reach the sky; his physique and bone structure are sturdier than yours. He must have obtained the 'Jianbing Shenjun's Gift'. This opportunity appeared once every sixty years; the one before last who took it was Ye Ci, followed by Wei Wu Yi. The third opportunity, judging by the timeline, should have just emerged. This person has been tempering himself for many years; he must have taken Wei Wu Yi's."

Xie Jinhuan put down the thousand-li telescope:

"My opportunity was at least fought for step by step; giving such things directly, how are others supposed to play?"

Ye Hongshang shrugged slightly: "You cultivated bitterly for three years; how can you fight against three generations of accumulation? The path of cultivation is like this; it is not about moves and techniques, but 'wealth, companions, methods, and land'. When you used the Zhenglun Sword to fight the ghost and the Wu, they could only stand there obediently."

Xie Jinhuan understood this principle, but he could not surrender without a fight; his mind began to ponder his trump cards:

The Huang Lin Seal, the Ice Soul Armor, the Ming Long Spear, etc.; with Wei Wu Yi, he would not lack them...

The Tiangang Jian never wears down; it can be used but cannot turn the tide...

The Zhenglun Sword is for magical duels...

The Jin Guang Zhou can block a full-power strike, but using it on the arena would easily expose it; the Cultivation Surge Pill can boost strength by half a rank, but it is a foul...

That left only one trump card: the omnipotent A Piao!

Xie Jinhuan pondered for a moment, then turned to the ghost bride, intending to ask if there was any 'Rage' martial art.

But he saw the stunning beauty sitting on the windowsill suddenly frown, gazing toward the upper reaches of Huaijiang.

Xie Jinhuan turned his head to look, but found nothing, and asked in confusion:

"What's wrong? Is there movement over there?"

Ye Hongshang's brow showed a hint of bewilderment; after a long while, she said:

"It seems someone is digging up a grave."

Xie Jinhuan blinked:

"Digging up what grave?"

"The grave of the Bai Mao novice nun."

"Huh?"

Xie Jinhuan frowned, thought back for a moment, and felt utterly baffled:

"Who in their right mind would dig up the Spirit-Subduing Tomb? Another tomb raider?"

Ye Hongshang shook her head: "I don't know, but someone's doing something incredibly stupid. If they wake up Bai Mao, and she's in a bad mood, she'll chop her way from northern Danzhou all the way to Lingnan East Road. Let's go take a look first."

Xie Jinhuan had only buried the grave a few days ago—now some lunatic was already digging it up. He couldn't help but feel puzzled, turned back, grabbed his gear, left a note for Bing Tuozi saying he'd be out for a stroll and back by morning, then set off with Meiqiu toward the upper reaches of Huaijiang, vanishing in a cloud of dust...

Meanwhile, on the riverbank.

Bu Yuehua, wearing a veiled hat, strolled beneath the frost-like moonlight, silently pondering her strategy against the enemy.

Before reaching the pleasure boat, she spotted a figure leaping from the deck, riding a giant black bird as it surged across the waves toward the distance—her eyes filled with confusion...

———

This chapter hasn't been polished; I might need to revise it after waking up, and another chapter will be posted this afternoon or2.

(End of Chapter)