150: Chapter 150 Unconvinced! Challenge!

Zhao Mingyang intercepted Lin Tian when he reached the halfway point of the mountain.

The path through the pine and cypress forest was narrow, and the sky had already grown quite dark, with only a trace of dark red sunset remaining on the western ridge.

Lin Tian was walking up the mountain path, his footsteps rustling against the gravel, when suddenly a figure emerged from the shadows of the trees ahead.

Zhao Mingyang was wearing a brand-new set of Disciple robes, with the treasure sword he had purchased at Wanbao Pavilion hanging at his waist, the patterns on its scabbard glimmering faintly in the twilight.

He stood in the middle of the path, his chin slightly lifted, his gaze crossing the distance to fixate on Lin Tian's Face.

"Lin Tian, I challenge you."

Lin Tian's footsteps faltered for a moment. He glanced at Zhao Mingyang, his expression indifferent, as if he were looking at a strangely shaped rock by the side of the road.

Then, he stepped around to the left and continued walking forward.

Zhao Mingyang shifted sideways, blocking his path once again.

This time, his voice was half a note higher than before, as if he were trying to bolster his own courage, or perhaps announcing something to the surrounding pine and cypress forest: "I want to defeat you and prove to the Peak Master that I am the number one Genius among the newcomers!

You were merely lucky, and the Peak Master misjudged you, which is how you obtained those benefits. Once I defeat you, the errand at the fishery should be given to someone else."

Lin Tian stopped. It wasn't because he was provoked by Zhao Mingyang's words, but because his path was blocked.

He looked up at Zhao Mingyang's Face, which was slightly flushed with excitement, his gaze devoid of any ripples.

Having spent over three months at Yunhai Fishery, he had killed more Vicious Beasts than Zhao Mingyang had ever seen.

Those black wolves, gray wolves, and other beasts whose names he didn't even know—which one of them wasn't a fourth-rank Vicious Beast?

When his arrows pierced through those beasts' eye sockets and exited from the back of their heads, his hands never even trembled.

Zhao Mingyang stood there, clutching that treasure sword bought for seven thousand taels of silver, talking about challenging him—he only felt bored.

"Move." Lin Tian said, his tone as flat as if he were commenting on the weather.

Zhao Mingyang did not move. He stood there, unhooking the treasure sword from his waist and holding it in his hand, the scabbard held horizontally before him like a wall.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something more, but Lin Tian had already stepped around him and walked past.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, the same rhythm he used when patrolling the fish ponds by the lake.

"Are you afraid?" Zhao Mingyang's voice chased after him from behind, carrying a sharp, humiliated anger after being ignored. "Lin Tian, do you not dare to fight me? Do you know you aren't good enough?"

Lin Tian did not look back. The sound of his footsteps on the gravel—crunch, crunch—faded further and further away.

Zhao Mingyang's fingers gripping the scabbard turned white. He watched as Lin Tian's back was swallowed bit by bit by the shadows of the pine and cypress forest, his chest feeling as if a stone were stuck there, neither able to be swallowed nor spat out.

He had come to challenge him, to prove himself, to tear down the name that had been pressed over his head for more than three months.

Yet, the other party hadn't even given him a single direct look.

More humiliating than being defeated was the realization that the other party didn't even consider you worthy of being an opponent.

Zhao Mingyang stood there as the twilight spread from all directions, shrouding him alone in the deepening night.

A wind rose in the pine and cypress forest, rustling the leaves as if someone were softly laughing in the darkness.

A hand reached out from behind and rested on his shoulder.

Zhao Mingyue walked out from the shadows of the trees.

She was wearing a pale purple dress today, with the same treasure sword she and her brother had bought together hanging at her waist, the sword tassel fluttering gently in the night breeze.

She had watched that scene from beginning to end from the darkness, seeing Lin Tian walk past her brother without even lifting an eyelid, and seeing her brother standing there clutching the sword hilt like a throttled fighting cock.

"Brother." Her voice was very low, but her tone carried a suppressed calmness, as if she were calculating something very practical. "He won't fight you because there is no benefit in it.

Think about it, what would he gain if he won against you? Nothing at all. If he loses, he loses Face. Would you do something that only results in a loss and no profit?"

Zhao Mingyang's brow furrowed, and his fingers gripping the scabbard loosened slightly.

Zhao Mingyue walked around to Face him, looking up at him, her eyes reflecting the last trace of dark red sunset on the horizon: "We can offer some stakes to make him interested."

Zhao Mingyang's eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again. Stakes. What could he use as a stake?

The most valuable thing he owned was the treasure sword at his waist, bought for seven thousand taels of silver. But did Lin Tian lack a treasure sword?

At Wanbao Pavilion, the shopkeeper had said that Lin Tian had bought a set of flying daggers for twelve thousand taels.

Twelve thousand taels—nearly twice as expensive as his sword. Moreover, he had seen the sword Lin Tian carried, and its grade was not inferior to his own.

Silver? He only had a few thousand taels on him, while Lin Tian received twelve thousand taels from a single herb-gathering commission; he was much wealthier than him.

"Don't we have that tattered map?" Zhao Mingyue's voice dropped another notch, as if speaking of some unspeakable secret.

"That map has been at home for so many years; no one can understand it, and no one has ever found the place on it. Take it out and claim it's an extremely precious treasure map."

The corner of Zhao Mingyang's eye twitched: "Will he believe it?"

"We can try." Zhao Mingyue tucked the hair blown forward by the night breeze behind her ear, her voice casual. "Anyway, that map is just gathering dust in our hands; we can't understand it, can't use it, and it's no different from scrap paper.

If we take it out as a stake, it's best if he believes it. If he doesn't, we'll think of another way."

Zhao Mingyang was silent for a moment, then turned and strode off in the direction where Lin Tian had disappeared.

Lin Tian had not yet reached the gate of his small courtyard. He was walking slowly; the three months at Yunhai Fishery had tempered his temperament significantly.

At the fishery, days were measured by the day, by the number of patrols, and by the intervals between Vicious Beast attacks.

Calm and unhurried, neither hot nor cold. Zhao Mingyang's challenge hadn't even caused a ripple in his mind.

Footsteps chased after him from behind, rapid and dense, crunching on the gravel path.

"Lin Tian!" Zhao Mingyang's voice came from behind, carrying a slight panting breath after running a few steps. "I will duel you with a stake! If you win, I'll give you a treasure map!"

Lin Tian's footsteps stopped. It wasn't the words "treasure map" that moved him, but the word "stake." He truly had no interest in a pointless fight.

Winning would gain him nothing, and losing would gain him nothing; it was a pure waste of time. But a stake made things different.

Regardless of whether the treasure map was real or fake, at least in Zhao Mingyang's words, it was a treasure map.

If he won, the item would be his. If he lost, it would just be losing a match that didn't matter anyway. This kind of business where he could only gain and not lose was worth spending a little time on.

He turned around to look at Zhao Mingyang, who was panting slightly from the chase. The twilight had completely subsided, and moonlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, casting mottled silvery-white patches of light on the path.

Zhao Mingyang stood a few steps away, his chest heaving, one hand gripping the scabbard, the other clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning white.

"A treasure map?" Lin Tian's voice was unhurried.

Zhao Mingyang took a yellowed piece of sheepskin from his bosom and shook it open under the moonlight.

The edges of the sheepskin were jagged, as if torn, and it was drawn with some blurry lines and markings, the colors already so dark and dull that they almost blended into the sheepskin itself.

One could not tell if it depicted mountains or rivers, nor could one tell what the markings represented. One side of the map had neat tear marks, clearly just a part of a larger map.

Lin Tian took a glance. He couldn't tell if it was real or fake. But the texture of the sheepskin, that dark, dull color soaked in by the years, was not something that could be faked by aging. Even if it were a fake, it was a fake made with effort.

"Fine." He said.

Zhao Mingyang was stunned, seemingly not expecting Lin Tian to agree so readily.

He folded the sheepskin back up and tucked it into his bosom, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement: "This afternoon, at the dueling arena. I will spread the news so everyone can come and watch.

At that time, whoever loses cannot go back on their word!"

He turned and left immediately after speaking, his footsteps quick and hurried, as if afraid that Lin Tian might change his mind.

Zhao Mingyue stepped out from the shadows of the trees and walked beside him; the siblings' backs soon disappeared into the pine and cypress forest at the end of the path.

The news spread even faster than Zhao Mingyang had anticipated.

Duels between newcomer Disciples were naturally the most popular pastime in the Sect, and even more so when the two parties involved were Zhao Mingyang and Lin Tian.

Zhao Mingyang, a Genius among the newcomers, someone the Peak Master had personally praised as "not bad," had broken through to the Fourth Rank in less than a year after joining, and it was said that his Xiaguang Sword Technique had reached a considerably profound Realm.

Lin Tian was even more legendary—just after joining, he was personally judged a waste by the Peak Master and nearly expelled from the Sect. Yet, a year later, not only did he pass the assessment, but he was personally taken to the back hall by the Peak Master to be taught martial arts, and he even went to work at the Yunhai Fishery, eating one Treasure Fish a month.

With these two clashing, it was more entertaining than any performance on a stage.

Almost every Disciple who heard the news arrived that afternoon.

The dueling arena was located halfway up Zixia Peak; it was a bluestone platform three zhang square, raised three feet off the ground, with stone pillars standing at its four corners.

Around the arena was a gentle slope, where several gnarled old pine trees grew, their branches spreading out to provide shade for the onlookers.

The newcomer Disciples had occupied the front row early; some sat on the slope, some leaned against the pine trunks, and others sat directly on the ground with their legs crossed.

Quite a few senior Disciples also arrived, standing in twos and threes on the periphery, arms crossed, their gazes passing over the sea of bobbing heads to land on the arena.

When Zhao Mingyang stepped onto the arena, he had changed into a crisp martial outfit, and the precious sword at his waist shimmered with a pale golden luster in the sunlight.

He stood in the center of the arena, gripped the hilt with his right hand, and drew his sword, the tip pointing diagonally toward the ground. He stood perfectly straight, like a long spear thrust into the bluestone platform.

His gaze swept across the dense crowd below the stage, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.

So many people had come.

More than he had thought.

The more, the better.

The more people there were, the less Lin Tian could go back on his word after he won.

The more there were, the further the news of him defeating Lin Tian would spread.

The more there were, the greater the chance the Peak Master would know that he was the true number one among the newcomers.

The buzzing discussions from below the stage surged in from all directions.

"Zhao Mingyang looks quite confident with that stance."

"What use is confidence? Didn't you see the last assessment? The Peak Master personally probed Lin Tian's Internal Energy, and the depth of that hidden energy was far stronger than Zhao Mingyang's. I don't think Zhao Mingyang is his match."

"What do you know?" Zhao Mingyue, standing in the front row of the crowd, turned her head upon hearing this. Her voice was not loud, but it fell clearly into the ears of everyone around. "My brother's Xiaguang Sword Technique has already reached the Minor Achievement Realm.

With one thrust, three sword lights appear. Do you think he just stopped progressing after reaching the Fourth Rank?"

The people around immediately let out a low gasp of amazement. Xiaguang Sword Technique, Minor Achievement Realm. How many months had it been since Zhao Mingyang broke through to the Fourth Rank?

When he joined, he was just a newcomer who only knew basic sword techniques, yet he had already practiced a Yellow Rank Medium Grade sword technique to Minor Achievement so quickly.

This speed was truly among the best, even for a newcomer Disciple.

"Already reached Minor Achievement so quickly? Zhao Mingyang's talent is really no joke."

"One sword, three lights—the power of the Xiaguang Sword Technique at the Minor Achievement Realm is more than double that of the Proficient Realm. If Lin Tian's sword technique Realm can't keep up, even if his Internal Energy is more profound, he might not be able to block it."

"I wonder what Realm Lin Tian's sword technique has reached."

"Him? He probably spent all his time Cultivating to improve his cultivation, right? Sword techniques are things that require time to hone; where would he have the time for that?"

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun stood on the other side of the crowd, and upon hearing these words, her brows furrowed slightly. She had seen Lin Tian strike before.

During those three months in Taixuan Mountain, although she never understood how those Vicious Beasts had inexplicably died, she had seen Lin Tian's movements when drawing his sword—clean, crisp, and without a single wasted motion.

That composure was not feigned; it was carved into his bones after countless repetitions. But she, too, did not know what Realm Lin Tian's sword technique had actually reached.

During the entrance assessment, Lin Tian didn't seem to have displayed any sword techniques.

In the center of the arena, Zhao Mingyang lifted his sword tip from the ground, pointing it at Lin Tian. The sunlight traced a brilliant, snow-white arc along the blade, causing several newcomer Disciples in the front row to squint their eyes.

"Lin Tian." His voice echoed across the arena, carrying a sense of satisfaction at finally waiting for this moment. "This time, I will definitely defeat you!"

Lin Tian stood on the other side of the arena. He was wearing the same cyan martial outfit he was accustomed to wearing at the Yunhai Fishery, with his sleeves rolled up slightly, revealing the black knife sheath strapped against the skin of his forearm.

The autumn water sword hung at his waist, its scabbard glimmering with a faint, cold light in the sunlight. Compared to the radiant, precious sword in Zhao Mingyang's hand, this sword appeared much more low-key.

However, a few sharp-eyed senior Disciples below the stage saw the patterns on the scabbard, and their gazes tightened slightly.

Lin Tian smiled slightly.

It was not a cold sneer, nor was it mockery; it was just a very ordinary smile, as if he had heard a joke that wasn't very funny but wasn't so bad that it would kill the mood.

The smile remained on his Face for less than a breath before it vanished, leaving behind only a plain, emotionless curve.

"Make your move," he said. "Let me see where your confidence comes from."

Zhao Mingyang's pupils contracted slightly. Lin Tian's indifferent tone and the look in his eyes—as if he were watching a Junior perform tricks—made his chest feel tighter than any provocative words could.

He stopped speaking.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, lifted his Internal Energy from his Dantian, and channeled it along his Meridians into the sword.

A layer of faint radiance lit up on the blade of the precious sword—not from the refraction of sunlight, but the light naturally emitted after being infused with Internal Energy.

Then, he struck.

Xiaguang Sword Technique. With one thrust, three sword lights simultaneously appeared in the Void Realm.

They were not phantoms, nor were they afterimages; they were real sword lights infused with Internal Energy.

The three sword lights were arranged in a triangular formation, with the tips pointing toward Lin Tian, aimed at his brow, throat, and heart.

The three sword lights tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound, like three arrows released from their bowstrings at the same time.

The crowd below the stage fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a chorus of exclamations.

"Three! It really is three!"

"The Xiaguang Sword Technique at the Minor Achievement Realm! Zhao Mingyang has really practiced it to Minor Achievement!"

"The speed and solidity of these sword lights don't look like they've just entered Minor Achievement; he has at least taken another step forward in the Minor Achievement Realm!"

"Brother is sure to win!" Zhao Mingyue clasped her hands in front of her chest, a brilliant smile blooming on her Face.

Her gaze crossed the arena and landed on Lin Tian opposite her, waiting to see him panic and dodge in a disheveled manner.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun's hands clenched tightly. She subconsciously took a step forward, and her voice burst from her throat: "Junior Brother, dodge!"

Lin Tian on the arena did not dodge. He stood where he was, his feet nailed to the bluestone platform as if they had taken root. The three sword lights rapidly enlarged in his pupils, and the sharp sound of the sword tips piercing the air grew closer.

He didn't even draw his sword. The autumn water sword still hung at his waist, and the cold light on the scabbard shone quietly.

His hands hung at his sides, his fingers slightly curled, but he had no intention of raising them. He just stood there, watching the three sword lights thrust toward him, the expression on his Face exactly the same as when he had said, "Make your move."

The exclamations from below the stage turned into an uproar.

"What is he doing? Why isn't he dodging?"

"Is he scared stiff? He isn't even drawing his sword?"

"It's over, it's over. If he takes this sword strike, he'll be severely injured if not dead!"

Zhao Mingyue's smile deepened. She had known it would be like this all along. Besides having some filthy money, what else did the other party have?

The corners of Zhao Mingyang's mouth curled up completely. The three sword lights had already pierced within three feet of Lin Tian; at this distance, even if he wanted to dodge, it was too late.

Just at this moment, Lin Tian moved.