73: Chapter 73 Testing Lin Tian!

The air in the hall was stagnant; one could hear a pin drop.

The only sounds were the faint popping of the candle flames and the nervous, suppressed breathing of the constables drifting in from outside the hall.

Facing Lin Tian's piercing, unyielding questioning, the hypocritical warmth on Magistrate Zhou Wenhai's face finally vanished completely.

He did not get angry, nor did he immediately deny it; he simply slowly set down the jade thumb ring he had been toying with and leaned forward slightly.

His seemingly cloudy old eyes now contained a hidden brilliance, carrying the scrutiny and pressure of one who had long held a high position, staring fixedly at Lin Tian.

"Young Master Lin," Magistrate Zhou Wenhai said slowly, his voice low but carrying an unquestionable weight. "You say your Comprehension Ability is extraordinary and that you Cultivate at a rapid speed, not relying on external objects. These words... empty claims are not proof. How will you prove it?"

He did not answer "yes" or "no" directly, but instead kicked the ball back.

This was giving Lin Tian one last chance to "confess" or "make excuses," and also a chance for him to show his trump card.

Upon hearing this, Lin Tian was not flustered; instead, a confident arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Proof? That was the one thing he feared least.

"Magistrate Zhou, that is incorrect." Lin Tian's clear voice echoed in the silent hall. "Outstanding talent is not only reflected in the rapid progress of one's Realm. Comprehension Ability, natural aptitude, and the speed at which one understands and masters martial arts are all part of talent. You must agree with this, right?"

Magistrate Zhou Wenhai was noncommittal, merely giving a faint "Hmm."

The advisor with the goat-beard on the side immediately interjected, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate provocation and goading: "Ah, Lord Lin is right! Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it out for a walk!"

"If Lord Lin is truly gifted, then not only your Realm, but your hand-to-hand skills must also be extraordinary!"

"If you could open our eyes and let us witness Lord Lin's profound martial arts, then this old man would naturally be convinced and admit that Lord Lin is indeed a once-in-a-century prodigy!"

"But if... hehe, Lord Lin's skills are mediocre and do not match this Second Grade Middle Stage Realm, then that would... inevitably invite speculation!"

"What is difficult about that?" Lin Tian chuckled, finished the remaining wine in his cup, and casually placed the cup on the table with a crisp sound.

Immediately, he stood up tall, his right hand pressing onto the hilt of the saber at his waist.

"Clang—!"

A clear, resonant sound of a saber rang out, like a Dragon's roar!

The bright saber light instantly illuminated half of the hall, and a cold, sharp, murderous Aura spread out!

The goat-bearded advisor was intimidated by this sudden unsheathing and the piercing Saber Qi. The hairs on his body stood on end, his face turned deathly pale, and he subconsciously stumbled back two steps, shrieking: "You... what are you trying to do?!"

"Clatter!"

The seven or eight constables who had been ready outside the hall instantly drew their sabers and rushed in. The flashing blades vaguely surrounded Lin Tian in the center, everyone looking nervous as if facing a great enemy.

The atmosphere became instantly tense!

Lin Tian acted as if he did not see the bright blades and hostile gazes around him.

He held the saber with one hand, the tip pointing obliquely at the floor. His gaze passed over the nervous constables and fell directly on Magistrate Zhou Wenhai in the main seat, his voice calm and unruffled:

"Magistrate Zhou, I have joined the Imperial Guard for only two or three months. The only weapon technique I have practiced is the 'Xiuchun Saber Technique' basic seven Moves passed down by the Guard. By luck, I have gained some insight and have now practiced it to... the 'Major Achievement' Realm. I wonder if this technique can prove that I still have some 'talent' for martial arts?"

"Xiuchun Saber Technique? Major Achievement?" Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zhou Wenhai was stunned at first, then acted as if he had heard some huge joke, throwing his head back and laughing "Hahaha."

The laughter sounded particularly harsh in the silent hall.

He laughed a few times before stopping, his face showing undisguised mockery and gloom. "Young Master Lin, do you take me for a three-year-old child, or do you think I have stayed in the yamen for so long that I am ignorant of the martial Dao?"

"The Xiuchun Saber Technique is the signature of the Imperial Guard. It is easy to enter but difficult to master; reaching Major Achievement requires years of hard work!"

"Reaching Major Achievement in two or three months? Let alone you, even Centurion Shen Lian of the Heishan City Imperial Guard, back in his day, would have had absolutely no possibility of that! Your words are too much of a joke!"

He clearly believed that Lin Tian was talking nonsense, trying to intimidate him with empty words to get through this.

"Whether it is true or false, one test will tell." Lin Tian's expression remained unchanged; he simply raised the long saber in his hand by an inch.

"Good! Today, I would like to broaden my horizons and see what kind of spectacle your 'two or three months to Major Achievement' Xiuchun Saber Technique really is!" Magistrate Zhou Wenhai sneered, said no more, and waved his hand.

"I'll learn from Lord Lin's high Moves!" A fierce-looking constable at the very front gave a low shout, clearly having received instructions.

He shook his steel saber, and without any frills, delivered a forceful "Splitting Mount Hua" strike, slashing fiercely toward Lin Tian's shoulder!

The wind of the saber whistled, and the force was not bad; it was clearly a practical saber technique commonly used by those in official service, following a rigid and fierce path.

Lin Tian did not Move his feet, and he did not even glance at the constable.

Just as the opponent's blade was about to touch his body, the long saber in his hand suddenly moved. It was not a block, nor was it a dodge; it was just a seemingly casual, light flick from bottom to top!

"Swish!"

The saber light was like lightning, arriving after starting later but striking first!

The constable felt his vision blur, and suddenly felt a chill on the outside of his right forearm holding the saber; a shallow bloodstain had already appeared.

A burning pain came, his force leaked away, and he could no longer hold onto the steel saber. It fell to the ground with a "clang."

The wound was not deep, not even reaching the bone, but the timing, angle, and force of the strike were mastered to perfection, just enough to break his Move while stopping at the right point.

"Hmm?" Magistrate Zhou Wenhai frowned.

"Attack together!" he said in a deep voice.

Before the words fell, the three constables surrounding Lin Tian on the left, right, and behind suddenly attacked!

Three steel sabers aimed at Lin Tian's upper, middle, and lower paths, coordinating perfectly, sealing off most of his room for dodging.

However, Lin Tian still used only one simple action—a horizontal sweep of his saber!

"Swish!"

A condensed, moon-like pale white saber light suddenly spread out like ripples in water!

There was no earth-shattering Aura, only a precision-to-the-extreme swiftness and sharpness!

As the saber light passed, one could only hear three soft "swish" sounds. On the arms of the three constables, at almost the same position, each had an additional shallow saber mark identical to the one on the previous constable!

The three men let out muffled groans, their attacking force instantly collapsed, and the three steel sabers fell to the ground "clattering" one after another!

The whole scene was dead silent.

Everyone widened their eyes, looking in disbelief at the grey-robed youth standing with his saber, his expression as calm as water, and then at the four colleagues clutching their arms, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

From the time Lin Tian drew his saber to the time the four constables lost their weapons, it was only a few breaths of time!

He had not even moved his feet! That seemingly simple-to-the-extreme "flick" and "sweep" contained a heart-palpitating speed, precision, and control!

This was definitely not something that could be achieved by an ordinary "Proficient" Realm saber technique!

"Good saber technique!" In the main seat, Magistrate Zhou Wenhai's eyes flashed with brilliance, the mockery on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by shock and gravity.

He stared fixedly at the saber in Lin Tian's hand, as if trying to see some clues from it.

This saber technique... it had indeed grasped the essence of the "fast, accurate, and ruthless" nature of the Xiuchun Saber Technique, and the ingenuity of its application far exceeded the ordinary!

Could it be... what this boy said was true? This thought made his doubts grow, and also raised a stronger intention to test him.

He stood up abruptly from the main seat, no longer letting others do it for him!

"Let me personally learn from you!"

Before his voice fell, Magistrate Zhou Wenhai's figure had already moved!

Although he looked elderly, his figure was exceptionally agile. With one step, he was already a few feet in front of Lin Tian.

His right hand's five fingers were curved like hooks, his finger joints thick with visible veins, carrying a sharp, wind-breaking sound, like a hawk reaching out with its claws, directly hooking toward Lin Tian's right wrist holding the saber!

This claw was swift and tricky, the angle was strange, and it vaguely blocked Lin Tian's possible routes for changing Moves. It was surprisingly a famous grappling ultimate skill in the official service—the "Throat-Locking Eagle Claw Hand"!

The wind of his fingers was sharp, and it surprisingly carried the vigorous strength of a Second Grade Martial Artist!

This Magistrate Zhou Wenhai was actually a hidden Second Grade Martial Artist!

And as soon as he attacked, it was a ruthless Move to grapple vital points!

Seeing those iron-hook-like five fingers about to lock onto Lin Tian's wrist!