38: Chapter 38 Fury

The process of the Liu Family taking over the mineral vein was quite smooth.

The result of the fist fight had been witnessed by the City Lord's Mansion. Although the Ding Family's heart was bleeding, they dared not openly renege on the deal and had to grit their teeth to complete the handover.

That evening, the Liu Family held a grand banquet in their mansion, firstly to celebrate, and secondly to thank Lin Tian.

As news of the banquet spread, the relevant circles within the city were inevitably shaken once again.

A newcomer to the martial arts hall who had been training for less than two months had actually killed Master Wu Zhe, a long-renowned First-Rank Middle Stage Martial Artist from the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall, on the Life-and-Death Ring to win an important asset for the Liu Family. Such a feat was hard not to attract attention.

When the news reached the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall, the hall was silent for a moment before it exploded into chaos.

"Senior Brother Wu... is dead? Dead at the hands of a newcomer from the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall?!"

"This Lin Tian... actually has such ability?!"

"Damn it! Including Junior Brother Zhao, who disappeared inexplicably before and most likely also met a foul end, this brat already has the blood of two members of our Liehuo Martial Arts Hall on his hands!"

"A mere newcomer, killed two First-Rank Martial Artists from our hall in a row? This hatred is irreconcilable!"

"We must not let him go! We must tear him into ten thousand pieces to restore our hall's reputation!"

The higher-ups of the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall were enraged, and an aura of murderous gloom permeated the hall.

Although they suspected the disappearance of the First-Rank Martial Artist they had previously sent to assassinate Lin Tian, they had no solid proof.

Now that Lin Tian had killed Master Wu Zhe in full view of everyone, the strength and ruthlessness he displayed made them thoroughly certain—the previous death of their fellow Disciple must have been the work of this kid!

With new grudges added to old, the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall now viewed Lin Tian as an enemy who must be eliminated.

At this moment, Lin Tian was still at the Liu Family's banquet and had not fully realized the surging murderous intent within the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall.

Besides the core members of the Liu Family, the guests included several referees from today's ring match. In particular, the middle-aged man in the green robe who led them seemed to appreciate Lin Tian quite a bit and drank a few extra cups.

After three rounds of drinks, the middle-aged man took the opportunity to toast, leaned close to Lin Tian, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Kid, being decisive in killing on the ring is a good thing.

But when a tree stands above the forest, the wind will surely destroy it. You have been too prominent today; it is inevitable that you will be targeted by those with ulterior motives.

Especially that Master Wu Zhe, who was from the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall. The style of this hall has always been to protect their own and hold grudges. You killed their person in public, so they will never let it rest. From now on... you must be extra careful."

Hearing this, Lin Tian felt a shiver in his heart. He had long suspected that the flaming palm energy of the masked assassin from before shared the same origin as Master Wu Zhe's Fire Killing Palm today. Now that he had received confirmation from this high-status referee, he had no more doubts.

Without realizing it, he had already formed such a deep feud with the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This Junior will remember it." Lin Tian raised his glass, expressed his thanks solemnly, and drank the wine in one gulp. However, a shadow had been cast over his heart.

When the banquet ended, it was already late at night. Lin Tian had intended to return directly to the Sifang Pavilion, but thinking of the middle-aged man's words, his mind raced, and he changed his mind.

He suggested to Patriarch Liu that it was getting late and might be inconvenient, so he wished to stay the night in the mansion. The Liu Family was worried about how to repay him, so they naturally agreed readily and arranged a high-class guest room.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Lin Tian bade farewell to the Liu Family and returned to the Sifang Pavilion.

Walking through the streets that were gradually becoming lively, he appeared casual, but in reality, his mind was tense, observing everything around him.

Sure enough, not long after leaving the block where the Liu Mansion was located, he sensed a faint feeling of being watched, like needles pricking his back.

He remained calm and, taking advantage of a moment when he stopped at a stall, swept his peripheral vision backward.

He saw an old man with a thin figure wearing a dark red robe about twenty zhang away, pacing unhurriedly. He appeared to be strolling, but his gaze always fell on him, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Hanging from the old man's waist was a token as red as fire with clear patterns—the Liehuo Token!

It was someone from the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall! And they were making no effort to hide their identity or murderous intent!

Lin Tian's heart sank. "Damn it, they came really fast." He cursed inwardly; the middle-aged referee's words were indeed true.

It was fortunate that he hadn't greedily taken the shortcut to return to the Sifang Pavilion last night; otherwise, in the dead of night, if the other party had attacked in secret, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

Now, in broad daylight, order still existed in Heishan City, especially with people coming and going on the main road. Even if the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall was arrogant, they would not dare to openly attack and kill a martial arts hall Disciple on the street; that would be equivalent to slapping the face of the City Lord's Mansion and the various order maintainers.

But... that was only limited to within the city.

Lin Tian did not stop his pace, even accelerating slightly, and walked towards the direction of the Sifang Pavilion.

He could feel that the dark red figure was still trailing far behind, like a maggot on the bone.

"It seems that for a short period of time, I absolutely cannot leave the city." Alarm bells rang in Lin Tian's heart, and a heavy pressure descended upon him.

Being targeted like this by a martial arts hall that was at least quite influential in Heishan City was like having a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, not knowing when it would launch a fatal strike.

This kind of invisible threat was sometimes more unsettling than a direct fight.

He did not linger any longer, quickly passed through several streets and alleys, and after confirming he could not shake off that shadow-like gaze, he went straight back to the Sifang Pavilion.

Stepping into the relatively familiar courtyard and closing the door to cut off the outside view, he finally relaxed slightly, but the gravity between his brows did not dissipate.

In the quiet room, Lin Tian sat cross-legged. He did not immediately Cultivate but instead carefully reviewed yesterday's battle on the ring.

"Footwork... is the key." He concluded.

If he didn't have the Wind-Chasing Footwork at the Minor Achievement Realm, let alone counterattacking and seriously injuring Master Wu Zhe, even the opponent's lava-like ultimate move and that vicious, tricky hidden weapon at the end,

he definitely would not have been able to dodge; he would probably have been a corpse on the ring long ago.

And now, he was targeted by a force like the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall. It is easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow.

The other party might not dare to act openly in the city, but methods like poisoning, setting traps, and sneaking attacks when one is off guard are impossible to guard against.

To cope with it, or even counter it, his own strength, especially his ability to save his life, adapt, and maneuver, must be improved faster!

"Footwork must be placed in the first place!" Lin Tian's gaze was firm. If he couldn't win, at least he had to be able to run away and survive; only then would there be a future.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but be glad for his winnings from yesterday's bet. "Fortunately, I have these eighty taels of silver."

This "windfall" came at just the right time.

He stood up, went to the front hall of the Sifang Pavilion, and found the Fat Storekeeper who was always smiling.

"Storekeeper, I would like to purchase some medicinal materials to assist in Cultivation." Lin Tian got straight to the point.

"What does Young Hero Lin need?" the Storekeeper asked enthusiastically. News of Lin Tian's victory in the fist fight had already spread within the Sifang Pavilion, and since he was already "one of our own," the Storekeeper's attitude was even more cordial.

"Two Lingzhi mushrooms over fifty years old." Lin Tian stated the item he had already decided on. Lingzhi is beneficial for nourishing Qi and blood, strengthening the foundation, and has miraculous effects on cultivating Qi and blood and restoring physical strength. It was exactly what he urgently needed for his high-intensity Cultivation of footwork next.

Moreover, purchasing at the Sifang Pavilion's internal price could save a large amount of silver.

The Storekeeper calculated slightly and said: "A fifty-year-old Lingzhi has a market price of about forty taels each. Two would be eighty taels. However, since Young Hero Lin is one of our own, according to the rules, you enjoy a half-price discount, so you only need forty taels."

Lin Tian nodded and, without hesitation, took out forty taels of silver from his bosom and placed it on the counter.

That heavy, huge sum of eighty taels won from gambling was half gone in the blink of an eye, but he didn't feel any heartache.

No matter how good silver is, you have to be alive to spend it; converting it into real strength is the fundamental thing.

The Storekeeper counted the silver and quickly took out two brocade boxes about a foot long from the inner warehouse. After opening them, two brown Lingzhi mushrooms in perfect condition with faint precious light lay quietly inside, with an overwhelming medicinal fragrance.

Lin Tian verified that there were no errors, put away the brocade boxes, bowed slightly to the Storekeeper, and turned back to the quiet room in the backyard.

After closing the door, he carefully put the two Lingzhi mushrooms away.

With the support of these resources, for the next period of time, he could focus wholeheartedly and devote himself entirely to the crazy Cultivation of "Wind-Chasing Footwork" and even other life-saving martial arts.

Pressure is sometimes also motivation. The murderous intent of the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall was like a sword hanging over his head, forcing him to be faster and stronger.

Inside the quiet room, Lin Tian slowly adjusted his breathing, his eyes becoming sharp and focused again.

Cultivation, begin.