148: My dear friend, you are really a man who has been away for three days and I look at you with new eyes

Thump, thump, thump.

Light, unhurried footsteps echoed across the plaza as Qin Jiang slowly advanced towards Jiang Yun, looking less like he was entering a battle and more like a wealthy Young Master strolling through a scenic landscape.

Opposite him, Jiang Yun watched Qin Jiang approach, his heart feeling as if a giant boulder had pressed down on it; those footsteps seemed to be treading on his very soul.

Gripping his battle saber, a flicker of flame appeared in his eyes, gradually intensifying.

Crimson Blood!

This was precisely the Legacy Blood that originated from his Bloodline!

Whoosh—!

Flames surged, exploding instantly, scorching the air and emitting a whooshing sound.

"Martial Grand Uncle, be careful! Even I cannot fully control this Bloodline Power!"

With that, he pushed off with his legs, his body lunging forward abruptly, leaving a trail of afterimages and stirring up a strong gust of wind.

Watching Jiang Yun attack, Qin Jiang smiled faintly, his right hand forming a sword with two fingers, a layer of Vajra luster appearing on them.

Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang!

A series of metallic clashes rang out in an instant, and the figures of the two disappeared from everyone's sight.

Boom, boom, boom!

The air vibrated violently, the two figures appearing and disappearing, each appearance accompanied by increasingly louder roars.

The finger-sword clashed with the battle saber, each strike accurately hitting a weak point in the force, causing the crimson flamesentanglement around the saber to surge and nearly shatter.

Boom—boom—boom, boom, boom, boom!!!

The battle grew more intense, cracks slowly appearing on the stone surface of the plaza, which then exploded with a roar!

Thick smoke and dust billowed up, and the booming sound paused.

The smoke gradually dispersed, revealing the figures of the two.

Qin Jiang's sword-finger rested on Jiang Yun's glabella, leaving a drop of blood, while Jiang Yun's battle saber had cut through the right corner of Qin Jiang's clothes, a shred of fabric fluttering down and disappearing as black fire.

"Congratulations, you won."

Qin Jiang retracted his hand, and the next moment, he returned directly to his stone seat.

In the plaza, Jiang Yun still maintained his saber-wielding posture, a look of defeat in his eyes.

At the final moment of his full power burst, his pure strength had even reached a level comparable to a Peak fourth-rank Divine Warrior!

Yet, even so, he still couldn't break through Qin Jiang's sword-finger.

If Qin Jiang hadn't intentionally shifted his body slightly, he wouldn't have even touched the other party at all!

Could it be that technique was truly more important than raw power?

Slowly retracting his battle saber, he bowed slightly towards Qin Jiang, "Thank you, Martial Grand Uncle, for your guidance."

At the edge of the plaza, Bai Lingyun, Ning Youyi, and the others slowly recovered from their shock.

Before the duel began, they would never have imagined such a result.

They had originally thought that even if this Martial Grand Uncle could win, he would never win so easily.

After all, Jiang Yun's true strength was already on par with a fourth-rank Divine Warrior, and his combat power at the same Realm was absolutely top-tier!

But the reality was that not only did Jiang Yun fail to defeat Qin Jiang at the same Realm, but even after fully unleashing his restraints at the end, he still couldn't defeat Qin Jiang.

As expected of someone who could rival a fifth-rank Divine Warrior during his Secret Martial Artist period!

Even with his strength limited to that of an ordinary second-rank Divine Warrior, he still possessed the ability to fight across two Realms.

Don't think it's just a difference of two ranks; one must know that Qin Jiang's second-rank Divine Warrior strength and an ordinary second-rank Divine Warrior's strength were vastly different to begin with.

If it were them, or even Jiang Yun and the various Hall Masters and Elders, they might not be able to achieve invincibility at the second-rank with the strength of an ordinary second-rank Divine Warrior, let alone fighting across Realms.

One can only say that the Realm Qin Jiang was in was truly somewhat beyond specification.

"Junior Brother, you've worked hard," the Sect Leader of Changshou said with a smile.

Among those present, besides him and Jiang Yun himself, probably no one could tell that Qin Jiang had held back at the end.

"Senior Brother is too kind; all the Disciples of our Sect are Prodigies," Qin Jiang said with a smile.

The Sect Leader of Changshou nodded, looking at everyone, "Alright, everyone, now I will explain the arrangements for this time.

For the four southern cities along the border, Hall Master Bai and the Grand Elder will be stationed in Nanlin City, while Ning Youyi, Bai Lingyun, and Shang Xingjin, the three Personal Disciples, will be stationed in Songshan, Yuehe, and Antai cities, respectively.

For the three eastern cities along the border, Deputy Sect Master Qin and the Third Elder will be stationed in Wanghai City, while Jiang Yun and Yuan Anyi, the two Personal Disciples, will be stationed in Huiyun and Chaofeng cities, respectively.

Hall Master Yuan will be stationed at the Sect, and the inner Sect Secret Martial Artists from each Peak will be allocated to various cities for defense according to the arrangements.

This will be the temporary plan; we depart in five days!"

Qin Manor.

"A million-strong army from Huai Country is invading!" Xu Yanran exclaimed, not expecting Huai Country's actions to be so swift.

One must know that the so-called million-strong army did not refer to ordinary soldiers; commoners had no right to participate in national wars at all.

Every single one of these soldiers was at least a Martial Artist who had practiced Martial arts! There was definitely no shortage of top-tier experts and above!

It could be said that if not for the intervention of Sect Martial Artists, these armies would be enough to cut through all seventeen countries of Shenzhou.

Qin Jiang nodded slightly, "Your grand money-making plan can be expedited. I think this war won't end so easily, and a large number of refugees will inevitably appear. You need to be prepared."

Someone would inevitably profit from national calamities; rather than letting those people take it and not give it back, it's better to take it all himself. Then, when it's time to use it later, it won't be so troublesome.

With his current strength and status, there were few in Yuan Province who dared not give him Face.

"Okay, I understand. But, if anyone causes trouble then, should I kill them directly or capture them first?" Xu Yanran asked.

Qin Jiang was taken aback; he had thought Xu Yanran would ask what to do then.

He took out a golden token from his embrace, "This is the Sect Leader's Golden Token; anyone who sees it will give it Face.

If anyone causes trouble, activating this Golden Token can give you strength comparable to a Divine Warrior for a short period. How to deal with them is up to your discretion, and I will handle any problems that arise."

Xu Yanran picked up the Sect Leader's Golden Token, clearly feeling the power contained within it.

Her fingertip moved, a drop of blood appeared and fell onto the golden token, disappearing in an instant, and an invisible but tangible connection appeared between the two.

"Besides those matters, also help me keep an eye out for ancient maps and various antiques and old items from the Ancient Yu Country ruins," Qin Jiang said.

Once he went to Wanghai City, he probably wouldn't have much time to collect potential points, so he wanted to gather some beforehand.

"Understood, husband. I've already been keeping an eye out for you; a batch will be delivered within three days," Xu Yanran said with a smile.

Although she didn't know why Qin-ge was collecting these antiques and old items, she didn't ask further.

"Haha, only Yanran truly understands me!"

The next day, Governor's Mansion.

"Deputy Sect Master, the Governor is already waiting for you," an elderly man in a butler's attire came out to greet him.

Entering the mansion, a faint floral scent permeated the air, making Qin Jiang feel somewhat familiar.

Before long, after passing through several arched doorways, they arrived at a slightly old-fashioned small courtyard.

The courtyard's furnishings were simple: a stone table, a few stone stools, and a lush loquat tree.

"Governor, Deputy Sect Master Qin has arrived," the butler walked to the door of the house and bowed slightly.

Creak~

The wooden door opened, and a handsome middle-aged man walked out, a smile on his Face; it was none other than Governor Lin Mingzhi from that day.

"Young friend, indeed, a separation of three days calls for a fresh look."

Lin Mingzhi looked at Qin Jiang, his heart filled with emotion.

He knew that Qin Jiang had gone to the Longevity Sect, originally thinking he would become the sixth Personal Disciple, but he hadn't expected that after a few days, he would become the Longevity Sect Leader's Junior Brother, and a Deputy Sect Master, something the Longevity Sect had never had.

Especially after hearing that yesterday, Qin Jiang, with only the Realm of an ordinary second-rank Divine Warrior, had defeated the Longevity Sect's current top Personal Disciple.

He had met Jiang Yun before, and he was definitely a Prodigy, especially with his mysterious Bloodline and infinite potential.

Yet, such a Prodigy was defeated across two Realms while giving his all, which was truly hard to believe.

If it were him, he wouldn't have believed it either when he first saw Qin Jiang today.

But when he truly saw Qin Jiang, he had no choice but to believe, because he found that he could no longer see through Qin Jiang.

This meant that Qin Jiang at least possessed the strength of a sixth-rank Divine Warrior.

"Governor is too kind," Qin Jiang said with a smile.

"Heh heh, come in and sit, I've already prepared tea."