Chapter 4: Unveiling Potential

Mountain Luyan undulates and crisscrosses, rising thousands of meters above sea level, with the entrance to the Huajian Sect's mountain base conveniently located halfway up the mountain range.

Walking along the edge of the martial practice field, through the white mist, Shi Xiaole could see the numerous buildings of distant Emerald Feather City. When he looked up, he could see the overlapping green mountains covered in snow, presenting a picture-perfect landscape that gave one an illusion of being in a fairyland.

Feeling at ease, Shi Xiaole turned and walked towards the center of the martial practice field.

It was bustling here, with about hundreds of disciples. Some were engaged in martial contests, others were conversing, and a large group was gathered in front of a stone wall on the eastern side of the practice field, seemingly debating something.

"This Yue Tianlin is indeed fierce. It's said that he's only sixteen and has already reached the sixth tier of the Qi Absorption Realm. He far surpasses us by a long shot."

"Compared to his battle records, what is the level of internal power? Yue Tianlin made his name by killing the Thirteen Cloud Bandits with a single sword strike as soon as he began his career. Recently, he single-handedly wiped out the notorious Fierce Tiger Gang in Qingxue State. Many people have already given him the nickname 'Wandering Dragon Swordsman'."

"Yue Tianlin is indeed formidable, but Guan Duli, who is known as the 'Swift Sword', is not weak either. Both his strength and battle records are on par with the Wandering Dragon Swordsman, making him a strong contender among the four young swordsmen of our new generation in Qingxue State."

Shi Xiaole stood outside the crowd, glanced at the posters on the stone wall, and understood the situation.

To encourage disciples to practice diligently, the Huajian Sect would post interesting events from the Martial World from time to time. These served as one of the few topics of conversation among the disciples.

The reaction this time was particularly intense.

It made sense. There were 358 towns under the jurisdiction of Qingxue State, and Emerald Feather City, where the Huajian Sect was located, was just one of these insignificant towns.

That Yue Tianlin and Guan Duli, two individuals of the same age, were famous throughout Qingxue State spoke volumes about their capabilities.

"Speaking of that, Chu Lin of the Changfeng Sect, which also belongs to the thirteen sects of Mountain Luyan, is not weak either. It is said that he killed three experts in the Qi Absorption Realm during a battle in the Martial world."

Someone steered the conversation back to Mountain Luyan.

"Hmph, Chu Lin is strong, but our senior brother is not weak either. As one of the top four of Mountain Luyan, it's not certain who would win unless they fight."

"People like Yue Tianlin are beyond our reach. If we can catch up with the senior brother in this lifetime, we will be content."

Someone sighed and shook their head, seemingly feeling helpless.

"What a shameless boast! Do you even think you can compare to our senior brother?"

A mocking voice rang through the crowd just in time.

"Who?"

The complexion of the young man who had spoken earlier turned red as he looked around.

The crowd parted as a skinny young man with a long sword at his waist slowly approached and said with a smile, "It's me."

"Crazy Zhao, what nonsense are you spouting now?" the young man called out.

Known as Crazy Zhao, Zhao Buping was impulsive and extreme in his actions. His martial arts were even tinged with ferocity. Generally, no one wanted to provoke him, but faced with a blow to his pride, the young man couldn't hold back.

"I just can't stand it. A piece of trash dares to claim he can catch up with senior brother. Are you insulting the Huajian Sect?"

Zhao Buping lightly caressed the hilt of his sword and laughed.

The young man angrily retorted, "Who are you calling trash? Do you just think you're great? You're just another ordinary disciple."

This statement hit a sore spot for Zhao Buping and infuriated him. He drew his sword and swung it horizontally at the young man who had spoken.

Caught off guard by this unexpected move, the young man had no choice but to draw his sword to defend. However, one was going all out while the other was rushing to counter. Coupled with Zhao Buping's superior strength, the young man's sword was knocked out of his hand, and he himself was sent rolling on the ground.

Zhao Buping did not stop there. He swung his sword, creating a gust of sword wind that shocked the disciples present to dodge, leaving the young man on the ground exposed along with another person.

That other person was Shi Xiaole.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Shi Xiaole felt that Crazy Zhao's sword strike did not seem to be aimed at the young man on the ground.

His hand gripped the hilt of his sword as he unsheathed it.

Clang!

Three sparks splattered as Zhao Buping held his sword and sneered. Shi Xiaole, however, retreated three steps.

"Senior Brother Shi."

The young man on the ground stood up quickly, his heart still racing. Although he was certain that, respecting the sect's rules, Crazy Zhao wouldn't dare severely injure him, he was still frightened by the close encounter.

Zhao Buping looked at Shi Xiaole and said, "When I want to teach someone a lesson, no one should interfere. Shi Xiaole, are you itching for a fight?"

Shi Xiaole said, "We are all brothers in the same sect. Why resort to this unless there's deep hatred?"

"You're preaching to me?"

A flash of anger crossed Zhao Buping's eyes, but he recalled the Grand Elders' words from the night before.

"Buping, find a way to cripple Shi Xiaole by pretending it was an accident. I will defend you when the time comes. At most, you'll face a hundred days of confinement. When you get out, I will take you as my disciple."

Zhao Buping knew that his natural talents were limited. Following the usual trajectory, he would at most end up as an administrative officer in the sect for the rest of his life. However, being accepted as a disciple by the Grand Elder could change everything. Even if the Grand Elder didn't groom him, just being the disciple of the Grand Elder would elevate his status significantly.

The price for all this was just a hundred days of confinement.

The ambition in Zhao Buping's heart flared up at this thought.

"I'm not preaching, just stating an opinion," Shi Xiaole replied.

Not interested in arguing, Shi Xiaole turned to leave.

"Wait, Brother Shi, I heard that half a month ago, you passed the annual test with an injured body. You must be quite capable. How about we have a little contest?"

Zhao Buping said this calmly.

A thought crossed Shi Xiaole's mind. He said, "There's no need, as I am no match for Brother Zhao."

Zhao Buping chuckled, "I am aware of that. To keep it fair, I will suppress my internal cultivation at Fifth Tier Hidden Qi to the Second Tier, for a fair fight."

This was surprising; everyone present looked at each other. What had gotten into Crazy Zhao?

A teenager, who was first targeted by Zhao Buping, caught on and shouted to Shi Xiaole: "Brother Shi, don't be fooled! Crazy Zhao is upset that you've acted earlier. He just wants to humiliate you."

Everyone started to realize this. Crazy Zhao was indeed a cunning individual.

"Brother Shi, we are martial artists and should have the pride of martial artists. Nobody in the Martial World has ever refused their peers' challenge."

Zhao Buping continued to provoke with his words.

Unexpectedly, Shi Xiaole still refused: "I'm not as talented as Brother Zhao." With that, he decisively turned to leave.

Zhao Buping was not expecting Shi Xiaole to be such a coward, especially in public. Thinking of what the Grand Elder had promised him, he became determined. "To fight or not is not up to you!"

Suppressing his Qi to the second tier, Zhao Buping fiercely lunged his sword toward Shi Xiaole, causing a sharp sound, along with gasps from the surrounding disciples.

Zhao Buping has been a member of the Huajian Sect for two years, and it was said that he had mastered the Third-Rank Painted Plum Sword Technique to a near-perfect degree. Hence, even if he suppresses his Qi, he could easily defeat Shi Xiaole.

In everyone's eyes, Shi Xiaole was in big trouble for crossing path with Crazy Zhao today.

Feeling the sword wind behind him, Shi Xiaole's face turned cold. He dodged and drew out his sword to retaliate, saying, "You better not push me."

Zhao Buping roared with laughter: "Push you? Do you think you're better than me?"

In the meantime, Zhao Buping's swordsmanship kept flowing, but it wasn't the Painted Plum Sword Technique. It was merely a basic sword technique. By doing this, he was trying to avoid leaving any handles to others.

With my cultivation suppressed and only using the basic sword technique, if Shi Xiaole still gets defeated by me, it's definitely not my fault but rather because he's simply too weak.

Shi Xiaole is not a rash person, sometimes he willingly endures humiliation to achieve his ultimate goal.

However, Zhao Buping overestimated himself since with his current condition, he certainly did not deserve Shi Xiaole's patience.

"You're the one continually pushing me, so don't blame me for not being polite!"

His intent sinking, Shi Xiaole fiercely strikes with his sword.

The stroke was executed using Huajian Sect's basic sword technique, which launched Zhao Buping off his route just after a few strokes.

Zhao Buping could not master the basic sword technique before, because he had progressed hastily to Painted Plum Sword Technique after his Qi broke through the Fourth Tier. Consequently, his expertise in basic swordplay remained at near perfection for a long time.

No. To be exact, because of his prolonged negligence, his basic swordsmanship was even worse than before. He was at best, barely perfect.

This way, the gap was immediately apparent.

"What?"

Shi Xiaole's wrist was agile, stroke after stroke sealed Zhao Buping's posture, pressing him completely. Amazing, he was overwhelmed and angry to be in such a situation.

The surrounding disciples, on the other hand, marveled as if they had discovered a new world.

"Good! So you, Shi Xiaole, were hiding your capabilities. You have actually reached partial mastery of Spirit Integration in the basic sword technique. However, it seems that I still went too easy."

Overwhelmed by rage, Zhao Buping decided to use the Painted Plum Sword Technique to defeat Shi Xiaole decisively.

Noticing a slight curl at the corner of Shi Xiaole's mouth, his speed suddenly accelerated, forcing Zhao Buping into a chaotic state that he didn't have a chance to switch his sword move.

"Brother Zhao, no need to suppress your cultivation. Even with the same tier, you're no match for me."

As he fended off the attack, Shi Xiaole said.

"You're asking for it!"

Shi Xiaole's words blocked Zhao Buping's plan to unleash his full strength. After all, he was the one who suggested suppressing his cultivation from the beginning. Retracting his promise would cause humiliation, which he couldn't afford.

Clang... Clang... Clang...

After a dozen or so moves, Shi Xiaole had the upper hand but still couldn't fully defeat Zhao Buping.

Shi Xiaole knew that the problem lay within his own internal power.

The Huajian Sect's basic Mind Methods were simply too elementary, lacking the power for a sudden burst and endurance. After a dozen or so bouts, he was already running out of Qi.

In contrast, Zhao Buping suppressed his cultivation level but his internal power was much more profound than Shi Xiaole's. Continuing the fight would result in Shi Xiaole's defeat.

"Hehe, let's see how long you can last."

Zhao Buping saw this as well and began to sneer ominously.

Just as he spoke, Shi Xiaole's face turned cold, and he recklessly dashed towards the tip of Zhao Buping's sword. His long sword stabbed upward, emitting a dangerous rhythm.

The Huashan Sword Technique's first movement—White Clouds Emerging.

Shush!

Zhao Buping's wrist hurt and his long sword fell to the ground. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shi Xiaole delivered a whack to the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.