Chapter 119 – Dantai Zhen

Desert North, Dantai tribe.

At dawn, the men of the grasslands went hunting, tended to cattle and sheep, or practiced martial arts and archery, sparring with each other in a lively scene.

After waking up, the disciples of the Confucian School, with nothing better to do, curiously watched the grassland men’s contests, cheering loudly and watching with excitement.

Grassland warriors focus more on tempering their physical bodies, unlike the martial artists of the Central Plains who prioritize cultivating their internal breath.

The two distinct martial paths cannot be judged as superior or inferior; due to different physiques and understandings, each chooses their own path.

However, to a Grandmaster Level cultivator of the Five Realms, external techniques like tempering the body, though advantageous in the early stages, have a low ceiling, making further cultivation difficult and limiting the potential for strength enhancement.

Of course, most martial artists, limited by their martial talent or cultivation resources, can at most open one or two Divine Hidden Techniques in their lifetime, making it hard to gain an advantage over those who cultivate external techniques.

“Friends from the Central Plains, don’t just watch, come and join us.”

A Dantai warrior, seeing the Confucian School disciples spectating, warmly invited them.

“No, no.”

Chang Yu and others quickly declined, having learned their lesson from the Helian tribe, no one dared to stir up trouble this time.

The Dantai warriors, puzzled by the strong reaction of the Confucian disciples, wondered why these Central Plains people were so vehement.

What’s going on? It’s just a friendly spar, why such a strong reaction?

Among the crowd, Li Ziye, Bai Wangyu, and Wen Xiuru were content being onlookers, unwilling to step forward; watching was fine, but sparring? Impossible!

In the distance, Dantai Jingyue stood quietly in her light blue fur robe, watching the young man among the Confucian disciples, a fleeting murderous intent in her eyes.

Li Ziye, feeling it, immediately turned to look.

Their gazes met again, and after a moment, they both nodded in acknowledgment.

Quickly, they looked away, pretending nothing happened.

Their fates mutually restrained each other, and both felt a strong aversion, but neither Li Ziye nor Dantai Jingyue knew the reason, nor whether the other felt the same, so they showed no sign of abnormality.

In the center of the crowd, the Dantai warriors’ contest continued, punches and kicks full of power.

Close combat, fist to flesh, further excited the onlookers, their faces flushed, shouting their approval.

Before long, the intense fight between the two Dantai warriors ended with one being thrown out of the ring, landing in a disheveled heap.

“Good!”

Immediately, the surrounding Dantai people and Confucian disciples clapped and cheered, thoroughly excited.

Li Ziye, always keen on excitement, clapped the most enthusiastically among Bai Wangyu and Wen Xiuru, his cheers the loudest.

“Dantai General.”

At that moment, the Dantai warriors parted, making way for a young man approaching from behind, none other than Dantai Zhen who had previously welcomed the Confucian visitors.

“What a lively scene.”

Dantai Zhen, smiling at the crowd, said, “Why didn’t you invite our friends from the Central Plains to join in the fun?”

“We did invite them, but…”

The Dantai warriors glanced at the Confucian disciples, leaving their sentence unfinished.

“It must be that your sincerity was lacking.”

Dantai Zhen stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the Confucians, then settling on the seemingly unremarkable youth, smiling, “Instructor Li, I’ve heard that the martial art you practice, the Flying Immortal Technique, is the finest in the world. How about we spar a bit, just techniques, and stop at the touch?”

In the crowd, Li Ziye, upon hearing his name called, was momentarily stunned.

Him? He hadn’t spoken, caused trouble, or shown off, so how could he be singled out?

Regaining his composure, Li Ziye looked towards Little Red Riding Hood, conveying with his eyes, “See, I’m not the one stirring things up.”

Bai Wangyu also showed a helpless expression; even this couldn’t be avoided. Brother Li really had a knack for attracting trouble wherever he went.

“Brother Li, go ahead. Since General Dantai has graciously invited us, we can only respectfully comply.”

All eyes were on them as Bai Wangyu spoke.

He knew they could not refuse any longer; otherwise, they would not only insult the Dantai’s honor but also tarnish the reputation of the Confucian School.

Hearing Little Red Riding Hood’s agreement, Li Ziye no longer hesitated and stepped into the center of the crowd.

“Eldest Senior Brother, why is Dantai Zhen suddenly challenging Brother Li to a spar?”

Wen Xiuru expressed his confusion, “Strictly speaking, Brother Li isn’t really one of us. If someone were to be chosen, it should be you, me, or Chang Yu.”

“Perhaps he’s more interested in Brother Li’s Flying Immortal Technique.”

Bai Wangyu watched the two ahead, replying thoughtfully.

“Dantai General, you must win!”

“Instructor Li, you absolutely can’t lose!”

In the center, as the two faced off, the surrounding crowd was already boiling with excitement before the fight even began.

Naturally, the Dantai warriors supported Dantai Zhen, and likewise, the Confucian disciples hoped for Li Ziye’s victory.

“Please!”

Dantai Zhen, holding an unsharpened curved saber, courteously said.

“Please!”

Li Ziye, also holding the sheathed Pure Jun Sword, responded.

Neither wished to cause harm, so they both chose to restrain their weapons’ sharpness.

The next moment, both figures moved simultaneously in the arena.

One with a saber heavy as a mountain, the other with a sword quick as lightning, neither used Genuine Qi, relying solely on the skill of their techniques to vie for victory.

As the saber and sword clashed, a dull thud sounded. Li Ziye felt a numbness in his right arm, shocked by his opponent’s strength. In an instant, he altered his technique, spinning his sword towards his opponent’s chest.

Dantai Zhen, seeing this, sidestepped to avoid the sword’s edge, then struck out with a palm, heavy and forceful.

Li Ziye stepped aside, dodging the palm strike, his Pure Jun Sword swinging even faster.

The contest of techniques, without the suppression of cultivation levels, saw their figures constantly intertwining, attack and counterattack happening in the blink of an eye, the speed of their moves breathtaking.

Dantai Zhen, second only to Dantai Jingyue in the Dantai clan and a prodigy among the young generation, was not inferior in martial talent or combat experience to the Four Great Young Prodigies of the younger generation, making him one of the most outstanding young warriors among the eight tribes of Desert North.

In comparison, Li Ziye started learning martial arts late, and his martial talent was not particularly outstanding. However, along the way, with guidance from great cultivators like the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal and Sword Enthusiast, and careful teaching from young prodigies like Bai Wangyu and San Zang, coupled with the experience of being named in the Book of Heaven, Li Ziye’s strength also rapidly improved day by day.

Overall, Li Ziye was no longer weak among the younger generation, having caught up gradually. The main reason wasn’t that Li Ziye was particularly hardworking, but because he was wealthy enough, had broad connections, and was fortunate.

In terms of cultivation resources, if Li Ziye claimed to be second, probably no one would dare claim to be first.

In Sword Enthusiast’s words, the resources wasted on Li Ziye could have built a Five Realms cultivator, yet Li Ziye was only at the mid-stage of the second realm.

“Bang!”

In the arena, as the saber and sword collided, both stepped back three paces, their contest of techniques ending in a draw.

“Good!”

The surrounding spectators all clapped, even the Confucian disciples didn’t expect the usually unserious Instructor Li to be so formidable.

“Let’s call it a draw, what do you think, Instructor Li?”

After testing the strength of the person before him, Dantai Zhen did not attack again, smilingly said.

“Thank you for going easy, if we were to really fight, I wouldn’t be your match.”

Li Ziye was also not boastful, honestly admitting.

“I’m a few years older than Instructor Li, and have been practicing martial arts for longer, so naturally, my cultivation is higher. In the future, with Instructor Li’s martial talent, you will surely catch up quickly,” Dantai Zhen smiled.

“Heh.”

Hearing the word ‘talent’, Li Ziye laughed soullessly, courteously bowed, and then turned to walk back.

After a fight, it was good enough to compliment each other a few times. Talking about martial talent, didn’t he know that was the last thing Li Ziye liked to hear?

“Brother Li, well done!”

Among the crowd, Bai Wangyu saw him approaching and smiled, “I never noticed before, but Brother Li has become so powerful.”

“It was just a contest of techniques, it doesn’t count for much. If we were to really fight, I still couldn’t beat him,” Li Ziye grumbled.

“Don’t be so impatient, Brother Li.”

Wen Xiuru also smiled and advised, “Over the years, Brother Li is the person I’ve met with the worst talent but the fastest progress in martial arts. It’s been only a year since Brother Li started practicing martial arts, and you’ve already achieved today’s cultivation. That’s something no one else can do.”

“I think you don’t have to emphasize the worst talent part,” Li Ziye said through gritted teeth.

“My apologies, my apologies.”

Hearing this, Wen Xiuru couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s mainly because Brother Li’s cultivation journey is too legendary. If it weren’t for Eldest Senior Brother saying it himself, I wouldn’t believe it.”

As the three joked, Dantai Zhen quietly left the crowd and went to the Celestial Maiden’s tent.

“How was it?”

Dantai Jingyue, who had witnessed the fight, asked calmly.

“The Flying Immortal Technique truly lives up to its reputation as the best in the world. The sword moves are sharp, the footwork extremely fast. At the same level of cultivation, it’s invincible,” Dantai Zhen evaluated truthfully.

“Now, do you still have absolute confidence you can kill him?” Dantai Jingyue continued.

“Yes.”

Dantai Zhen affirmed, “But the time needs to be changed to two quarters of an hour. If he intends to drag out the fight, one quarter of an hour may not be enough.”

“Agreed.”

Dantai Jingyue nodded, “It will be tonight. I will create an opportunity for you to face him alone. Remember, this is the only chance to kill him, and you must not fail.”

“Yes!”

Dantai Zhen respectfully responded.

The day passed quietly.

In the west, the sun set, and day turned to night.

Inside the tent, Li Ziye and the others were preparing to rest.

Suddenly, a shrill shout pierced the night from outside.

“Assassins, there are assassins, protect the Great Sovereign and the Celestial Maiden!”

The urgent voice immediately alarmed those about to rest, and even the disciples of the Confucian School came out of their tents to see what was happening.

In the distance, shadows flitted by, and the roaring flames illuminated the night.

“Go help put out the fire!”

The Confucian disciples reacted and left their tents to help extinguish the fire.

“How could assassins suddenly appear?”

After stepping out of the tent, Li Ziye looked at the fire outside and frowned slightly.

“Let’s go help put out the fire first.”

Bai Wangyu said, then quickly walked towards the direction of the fire.

“Brother Li, let’s go, we should help too.”

Beside him, Wen Xiuru also followed quickly, both heading to put out the fire.

Seeing this, Li Ziye frowned again, feeling something was amiss.

Under the cover of night, with the appearance of the fire and assassins, the entire Dantai tribe was in chaos, with all men, women, and children busy fighting the fire, and the Dantai warriors trying to capture the assassins.

Among the burning tents, including those of the Great Sovereign and Dantai Jingyue, several assassins moved swiftly, each a skilled fighter with murderous intent.

Soon, the Dantai warriors clashed with the assassins, swords and sabers clashing, plunging the Dantai tribe into greater chaos.

In the distance, Bai Wangyu and Wen Xiuru, having left to help put out the fire, had not yet realized that Li Ziye had not followed.

The two helped the Dantai people, young and old, to extinguish the fire on one tent after another.

“Xiuru, why haven’t we seen Brother Li?”

After a while, Bai Wangyu seemed to remember something, looked around, and asked.

“Brother Li?”

Hearing this, Wen Xiuru was also startled, looked around, and said, “I haven’t seen him, did he not come?”

“That’s not right.”

Bai Wangyu immediately sensed something was wrong. Although Brother Li was prone to trouble, he was kind-hearted and wouldn’t just watch the Dantai tribe’s fire without coming to help.

“Let’s go back, Brother Li might be in danger.”

Bai Wangyu said anxiously and rushed towards the direction of their tent.

He had been careless; how could he forget about Brother Li?

If something happened to Brother Li, he would blame himself for a lifetime!

Inside the tent, as Li Ziye rushed in to find the assassin, a saber light flashed, mercilessly threatening his life.

The ruthless strike, tricky in angle and full of force, aimed to kill.

Caught off guard, Li Ziye couldn’t draw his sword in time and instinctively bent backward to avoid the lethal saber light.

“Rip!”

The sound of tearing fabric rang out, and Li Ziye’s left arm was slashed by the saber light, blood spurting out.

Although he avoided a vital spot, he still suffered a light wound, his blood staining his clothes.

Before him, the masked assassin wielded a curved saber, and after failing to kill with one blow, followed up with another deadly attack.

Li Ziye was shocked, facing the assassin’s relentless assault, wanting to draw his sword but finding no opportunity.

The masked assassin seemed to know the key to Li Ziye’s martial arts, attacking in a way that left no chance to draw his sword.

“Clang!”

As the saber came down, a harsh collision sounded. In Li Ziye’s hand, a short sword appeared out of nowhere, the Fish Intestine Sword hidden on his body.

As the saber and sword collided, Li Ziye stepped back half a step, seizing the moment of his opponent’s shock to draw the Pure Jun Sword from behind and slash down.

With a loud boom, the saber and sword collided again, the air rippling, and the entire tent was torn apart.

At the same time, far away, Bai Wangyu and Wen Xiuru, who had gone to help put out the fire, had yet to realize that Li Ziye had not followed.

The two helped the Dantai people extinguish the fire on tent after tent.