162: Chapter 162 The Battle for Captainship

The carrier pigeon arrived at Yunhai Fishery at dusk.

A grey-feathered, red-clawed carrier pigeon flew in from the direction of Qixia Sect, circled the lake twice, and landed fluttering on the pigeon rack in front of the bamboo building.

The deacon Disciple in charge of the pigeons untied two letters from the pigeon's leg. He glanced at the handwriting on the envelopes, and his expression changed slightly—it was Peak Master Su Hanyan's handwriting. One was for Field Master Zhou, and the other was for Lin Tian at Fish Pond No. 6.

He dared not delay the letter for the Fishery Master, so he jogged to deliver it into the bamboo building. As for the one for Lin Tian, he entrusted it to a passing guard.

Lin Tian was meditating in his bamboo house. He had just finished a cycle of the Purple Qi Diagram Mind-Cultivation Technique when footsteps sounded outside, followed by two knocks on the door.

He opened his eyes, got up to open the door, and a guard shoved the letter into his hand, said "It came from Zixia Peak," and hurried away.

Lin Tian looked down at the slender and powerful handwriting on the envelope, recognized it as Peak Master Su Hanyan's, and opened the letter to read it by the oil lamp.

The letter was short, but every word felt as if Peak Master Su Hanyan were standing in front of him, speaking in that cold and resolute tone: "The Team 7 captain position is vacant. I have recommended you to Field Master Zhou. Prepare yourself to take this position."

"Ask the Team 6 captain for details." When he read the last line, Lin Tian's hand holding the letter tightened slightly. Half a month ago, Peak Master Su Hanyan was still sitting in his room saying the captain position wouldn't change easily, telling him to focus on his Cultivation and wait for his Breakthrough to the fifth rank. Now that the position was vacant, her recommendation letter arrived the very next day.

Lin Tian folded the letter, tucked it into his robe, and pushed the door open into the night.

Captain Ma's bamboo house was at the other end of Fish Pond No. 6, and the light was still on in the window.

When Lin Tian knocked and entered, Ma Gang was sitting on a bamboo stool, sharpening his long saber with a whetstone. The rhythmic rustling sound of the blade against the stone filled the room.

Seeing Lin Tian standing at the door with a letter in his hand, he placed the whetstone on the table, wiped his hands with a rag, took the letter, read it at a glance, and then looked up at Lin Tian.

That look contained surprise and scrutiny, but more than that, it was a realization that was unexpected yet reasonable.

"The Peak Master thinks highly of you." He returned the letter to Lin Tian, his tone tinged with emotion but without any jealousy. "How long have you been at the fishery? Less than half a year, and you've jumped straight from a new guard to a captain candidate."

"I stayed at the fishery for nearly ten years before becoming a captain, and you've caught up in one go."

He motioned for Lin Tian to sit opposite him, picked up a teapot from the table, poured two cups of cold tea, pushed one toward Lin Tian, and took a gulp of the other himself. "Junior Brother, there is something you don't know. The Peak Master recommending you doesn't mean the Team 7 captain position is yours."

"It's not just our Peak Master; the Peak Masters and Elders of other peaks will also recommend their own people. Chixia Peak, Qingxia Peak, Jinxia Peak, Bixia Peak, Moxia Peak—which peak doesn't have a few Personal Disciples at the fishery grinding for seniority?"

"When a captain position becomes vacant, all the backers behind these people will move. Field Master Zhou cannot afford to offend any Peak Master, so he can only follow the rules—holding a tournament."

He set his teacup on the table and drew a circle on the surface with a rough finger. "All candidates with recommendation letters from Peak Masters or Elders will draw lots to be paired up for one-on-one duels. The winner advances, and the loser is eliminated."

"The person standing on the ring at the end will be the new captain. This is a rule set by the Sect, and no one can say otherwise."

Lin Tian picked up the cold tea and took a sip. It was coarse tea, slightly astringent, but it quenched his thirst well. He put down the cup and asked, "What about the qualification to participate? Is a recommendation letter enough?"

"That's enough. The recommendation letter is the admission ticket. Without a big shot's endorsement, no matter how high your Cultivation is, you won't be allowed on the ring." Ma Gang held the teacup with both hands, his gaze lingering on Lin Tian's face, his tone becoming more solemn.

"Your opponents are all Genius Disciples recommended by big shots from other peaks. You should keep in mind that these people who can get recommendation letters have at least a Late Stage fourth-rank Cultivation, and most of them are hiding a few trump cards."

Lin Tian nodded. The moment he rose to bid farewell, he already had a plan in mind.

Late Stage fourth rank—he was not afraid.

Within the same Realm, he was confident he could arm-wrestle anyone. But he couldn't reveal all his hidden cards—the Flying Knife in the Sleeve was an assassination technique and couldn't see the light of day.

The White Dragon in the Waves and the Divine Turtle Breathing Technique were underwater skills and wouldn't be useful on the ring.

The Meteor Arrow Technique could be used for long-range attacks, but ring duels were close-quarters combat. The advantage of a bow and arrow was limited, and it was easy to be countered at close range.

What could truly be used upright on the ring were the Xiaguang Sword Technique and the Dragon Roar Iron Shirt. One offensive, one defensive—perfect.

For the next five days, Lin Tian paused all other martial arts Cultivation and practiced only these two.

During the day, he practiced the Xiaguang Sword Technique, stabbing sword after sword at the lake. The reflection on the lake was shattered by the sword light, and seven beams of sword light pulled seven straight water marks on the surface that took a long time to dissipate.

At night, he practiced the Dragon Roar Iron Shirt, sitting cross-legged by the lake, using his Internal Energy to wash over his skin according to the Body Tempering method of the Iron Shirt.

The pain was no longer as heart-wrenching as when he first started; biting his teeth and pushing through it led to a feeling of coolness. The copper skin beneath his skin changed from faint to substantial.

It changed from substantial to a strange texture that was both hard and tough; even pinching with his fingernails hard couldn't leave a mark.

On the evening of the fifth day, he finished his practice and stood still, calling up his proficiency panel. The proficiency of all his martial arts had improved, but only two had truly achieved a Breakthrough in Realm.

The Xiaguang Sword Technique had moved from the peak of the Minor Achievement Realm to the Major Achievement Realm—

One sword with five lights was Minor Achievement, one sword with seven lights was Major Achievement.

The Dragon Roar Iron Shirt had also broken through from Minor Achievement to Major Achievement, and the tough membrane beneath his skin was nearly twice as thick as before, doubling his defense.

He drew the autumn water sword and stabbed at the lake casually.

Seven beams of sword light lit up simultaneously, like seven shooting stars connected in a line in the twilight. The sword light was solid and sharp, and the patterns on the sword were clearly visible.

When it swept across the water, the wind from the sword pressed seven shallow grooves into the surface, which took several breaths to be refilled by the lake water.

He sheathed the sword and let out a long breath of turbid air.

The stagnant Qi in his chest, accumulated from successive fierce battles and closed-door training, was expelled completely with this sword strike.

Let the tournament come.