Hanlin

Time flew like a white stallion passing a crevice, and seven or eight days slipped away in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Shen Xiuhan spent his days behind closed doors at home, practicing bitterly.

Two days ago, the long-standing tranquility of Changyun County was suddenly shattered by a dense barrage of thundering hooves.

The special envoy of the Longxiang Army had arrived!

The leader was none other than Colonel Zhenyue, Zhao Zheng!

He had brought a full fifty fully-armed Longxiang regulars, drawn up in a solemn formation with a forest of sabers and spears.

What was most shocking was that these regulars were all, without exception, martial artists who had broken through to the Mingjin Rank!

Such military might sent a shockwave of excitement through the entirety of Changyun County!

Hundreds of young martial artists swarmed outside the gates of the Wang family mansion, everyone craning their necks and standing on their tiptoes just to catch a glimpse of the Longxiang Army's majestic display.

It was at this moment that Zhao Zheng, in conjunction with the head of the Wang family, released a piece of news.

The Longxiang Martial Feast would officially begin its blood-pledged tournament in half a month!

The martial feast would be divided into two tournament groups: “Mingjin” and “Anjin.”

Any martial artist under the bone age of thirty, regardless of their background or status, could step onto the stage to fight!

The top three of both groups would be granted entry into the Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool to cultivate.

That precious land possessed a majestic abundance of blood qi, which offered inestimable benefits to Mingjin and Anjin Rank martial artists trying to break through their barriers!

Spending a single day cultivating in the pool was worth half a year of bitter training!

Once the news broke, the entire city seethed with excitement.

In less than a day, the great families of Changshui County received the news. They immediately brought over the young martial artists they had painstakingly nurtured, creating an endless stream of carriages and horses.

The smaller clans and martial arts halls that were slightly slower to react also moved upon hearing the news, gathering their disciples and flocking over.

In an instant, the restaurants and inns of Changyun County were completely packed, to the point where even woodsheds were cleared out to accommodate guests.

On the streets, martial artists carrying sabers and swords with arrogant expressions could be seen everywhere. They moved in groups of three to five or walked alone, each possessing a sharp aura and eyes like daggers.

The entire county town was bustling with extraordinary activity, and even the business of the Shen-Ji Eatery improved significantly, packed to the brim every single day.

Yet Shen Xiuhan remained completely oblivious to the noise of the outside world.

The Ji family would naturally step forward to handle the registration and verification process for the martial feast, leaving him with nothing to worry about.

Shen Xiuhan simply cast aside all stray thoughts, cultivating bitterly with absolute focus.

Every seven days, he would consume one Tendon-Refining Pill, feeling the medicinal power burn through his meridians like raging fire. He would then sink his waist and settle his stance, practicing his stance work and punching until his blood qi rose like steam and his clothes were drenched in sweat.

Day after day, he never stopped.

Finally...

The thirty-ninth day since Tu Xiaotian, the Ninth Chief of Chenjian Dock, showed his lack of judgment.

Evening.

A cool breeze blew.

Shen Xiuhan stood in the courtyard with his bare, muscular upper body. His entire being was like a furnace, steaming up a large cloud of white mist.

His eyes were half-closed, and his footsteps were as steady as a mountain. With every step he took, the ground emitted a dull, heavy thud.

His arms spread wide like a giant roc spreading its wings, practicing the stance frames of the Golden Eagle Soaring Technique over and over again.

Every time he sank his waist and exerted force, it carried a sharp whistle of air, howling as if a bird of prey was pouncing.

The blood qi within his body was like a raging tide that had burst through a dam, surging wildly through his meridians.

At a certain moment!

Shen Xiuhan opened his eyes, a captivating, sharp light flashing across them!

His muscles swelled and bulged, guiding his blood qi along his spine to crash fiercely against his Ren and Du main tendons!

A series of crisp, dense popping sounds erupted like crackling beans.

Under the devastating rush of power, the Ren and Du meridians were instantly cleared!

Like a wild dragon, his blood qi instantly surged into the new channels, rolling forward!

“Whew...”

Shen Xiuhan's chest heaved violently. Of the five main tendons, his Ren and Du meridians were now fully connected!

He was now only one Yangqiao meridian away from the Anjin Rank!

“Crack, crack...”

Shen Xiuhan stretched his muscles and bones, his tone carrying a hint of regret:

“The martial feast is tomorrow. It seems I can only stop here for now... But it is enough.”

Feeling the heavy, surging blood qi like liquid lead and mercury in his body, Shen Xiuhan was still quite satisfied.

With a cultivation level nearly at the Great Perfection of the Mingjin Rank, combined with his various martial skills, he believed he had no rivals left in the Mingjin Rank.

“However...”

“The martial feast is of great importance, and there is no guarantee that others won't be hiding some trump cards. If I want to secure a certain victory and eliminate any variables, I need to have another card up my sleeve.”

Thinking of this, Shen Xiuhan walked to the stone table in the courtyard, his fingers lightly brushing over a brand-new booklet on the table.

Flowing Cloud Swordplay!

Since his return from the Ji Mansion that day, the Ji family had sent someone to deliver a copy of this sword technique the very next day.

However, Shen Xiuhan had been constrained by a lack of “intelligence” and the absence of a handy weapon, which was why he had set the sword technique aside and had not practiced it yet.

Now, he had accumulated enough intelligence points and had even entrusted fifty taels of silver to the Ji family to help him purchase a precious sword!

A mid-grade precious artifact would naturally be the best.

Although... that was unrealistic.

In a tiny place like Changyun County, there was no weaponry shop that could stably forge mid-grade precious artifacts.

Even the quality of low-grade precious artifacts was highly inconsistent, entirely dependent on the craftsman's luck.

Therefore, Shen Xiuhan thought that buying a handy low-grade precious sword would also do.

If all else failed...

...a refined steel longsword would be barely acceptable.

However, several days had passed, and the Ji Mansion had yet to give him a reply.

Just then, a sudden knock on the door came from outside the courtyard.

Shen Xiuhan pulled a short coat over his shoulders and went forward to open the door.

Outside the door stood two members of the Ji family holding wind lanterns, and the leader was none other than Ji Zhong!

“Young Master Shen... please forgive us for disturbing you so late at night.”

Upon seeing Shen Xiuhan, Ji Zhong offered a smiling bow with cupped hands.

Shen Xiuhan stepped aside and smiled politely. “Uncle Zhong, what are you saying? Please come in and have a cup of tea.”

“No, no, we wouldn't want to disturb your family's peaceful sleep.”

Ji Zhong waved his hand with a smile, then his expression turned solemn as he whispered:

“Young Master Shen, I have been ordered by the Family Head to inform you that tomorrow morning, the martial feast will raise its flags and open the tournament!”

As he spoke, Ji Zhong took out a black wooden draw token and handed it over.

The draw token was the size of a palm, with vermilion characters carved on the front. It was inscribed with Shen Xiuhan's name and his draw number.

“The family has already drawn your lot. Your first match is scheduled for the morning after tomorrow. Just rest well these next two days and conserve your energy...”

Once Shen Xiuhan had tucked the draw token away, Ji Zhong stepped aside and waved his hand.

The servant behind him immediately unstrapped a long wooden box from his back and presented it to Shen Xiuhan with both hands.

Seeing this, Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up.

“This is...”

Ji Zhong stroked his beard and smiled:

“Young Master Shen, to help you find a good sword, the family has spent the past half month turning the weaponry shops of both Changyun and Changshui counties completely upside down!”

“But who would have thought that for this Longxiang Martial Feast, martial arts halls and families from all over would go crazy buying weapons? Let alone mid-grade precious artifacts, even low-grade ones were completely bought out. A single sword was hard to find.”

“Once the Family Head learned of this, he immediately dispatched a fast boat to rush to the Treasure Pavilion in the prefecture capital overnight to purchase this sword for you...”

Shen Xiuhan's heart shook slightly. He took the long wooden box and flipped open the lid.

In an instant, a chilling, cold silver light poured out like autumn water, illuminating half of his face.

Inside the box lay a slender, double-edged precious sword.

Ji Zhong took the initiative to introduce it:

“This sword is three feet, nine inches, and three tenths long, weighing sixty-three catties and eight taels. It is forged from cold-iron essence gold, with a perfectly straight spine and a blade that gleams like flowing water. When unsheathed, its biting cold is overwhelming, pure and white as frost. It can be considered a standout among mid-grade sword weapons...”

“Thus, it is named...”

Ji Zhong paused, pronouncing each word slowly as he uttered the name, “Hanlin!”