Chapter Forty-Three: Amicable Exchange
The master brought Song Yue with him, riding a paper crane to the Kunlun Sect.
When Song Yue saw the three majestic characters above the mountain gate, his expression betrayed a moment of unease. Still, he wisely refrained from asking any questions.
The disciples guarding the mountain gate spotted the paper crane approaching from afar and, recalling the recent events of the past days, their faces turned ashen. One of them broke into a frantic run to report the news.
“Something’s wrong! The man riding the paper crane is back!”
“And he’s brought someone with him this time!”
The gatekeepers didn’t recognize Song Yue, but the sight of the paper crane rider alone was enough to frighten them out of their wits.
Inside the Kunlun Sect, everyone was stunned. Back again?
Hadn’t that calamity just extorted a trove of supreme-grade medicinal herbs from their sect?
In the blink of an eye, led by the sect master, a swarm of Kunlun elders and disciples poured out in force, giving Song Yue, who had just dismounted from the crane and whose legs were still unsteady, the impression that the entire sect had mobilized to greet them.
He already knew the Kunlun Sect feared the master; the deputy sect master’s grief-stricken expression when Song Yue had emerged from the stone stele had made that abundantly clear.
But he hadn’t expected the master to command such influence here!
Song Yue couldn’t help but look at his master with admiration, wishing he too might one day command such awe and respect—then he wouldn’t have to worry about being targeted for merely exiting an underground palace a little late.
The Kunlun Sect master, still not fully recovered from his injuries and looking sallow, spotted the master and a young man standing outside the gate from afar, and his rage flared.
At his side, the deputy sect master, who had met Song Yue before, whispered, “That young man is Song Yue!”
So that’s the little bastard!
A heaviness pressed on the Kunlun Sect master’s chest.
Thankfully, this time the master hadn’t immediately shattered their mountain-protecting formation, which was a small consolation.
“Mr. Lu, you return to our sect again so soon—what brings you here?” The sect master approached the gate and, suppressing the urge to tear the master limb from limb, greeted him with forced politeness.
Song Yue was momentarily surprised—had the master visited Kunlun before finding him?
Then he suddenly remembered the potent medicines that had helped him awaken the Thunderforce. Could it be… that Kunlun Sect had supplied them?
The master appeared calm and spoke gently: “I’ve brought my disciple to broaden his horizons.”
A mouthful of blood nearly choked the Kunlun Sect master. Why was he so cursed?
What in the world was this man?
It was said that Lu Shengfu had been renowned since his youth, a true scholar whose legends bordered on the absurd.
A scholar? More like a shameless old rogue!
Your disciple killed seven of my men!
Seven! Four Foundation Establishment cultivators and three advanced adepts, and then you extorted a fortune in precious alchemical treasures from us. Isn’t that enough?
The sect master said grimly, “Mr. Lu, there’s a limit to revenge. It’s true that Kunlun was at fault before, but we’ve paid dearly for it!”
The master replied, “You misunderstand. I truly only came for a friendly exchange with my disciple.”
Friendly exchange your—!
The sect master was sorely tempted to respond with the most vulgar curse he knew.
The elders around him all felt aggrieved but dared not speak out. Last time, they had tried to stand up to him, but were so thoroughly routed that even their living fossil of a patriarch had knelt and died on the spot.
Among them, the sect master was the strongest, having just entered the Unity stage, but in front of Lu Shengfu he’d had his life-bound artifact destroyed in a single move and had vomited blood on the spot!
If they wanted to kill Lu Shengfu now, they would have to summon every last one of their sequestered living ancestors—perhaps then they’d have a chance.
But who dared to take that risk?
What if—even after exhausting all their hidden strength—it still wasn’t enough?
The sect master’s face was dark as he stared at Lu Shengfu. “What sort of exchange do you have in mind?”
Lu Shengfu smiled faintly. “Don’t look so aggrieved, as if I’m bullying you. This time, I’ve really come only to let your young disciples spar with mine. If my disciple happens to win all his matches, I’d like to borrow some of your Kunlun Sect’s Azure-Gold Ore—not much, ten pounds will suffice.”
The sect master’s lips twitched uncontrollably. He looked at Lu Shengfu. “Ten pounds?”
Lu Shengfu nodded. “Surely, with the resources of a great sect like Kunlun, that’s not too much to ask.”
The sect master was nearly in tears. “Mr. Lu, you overestimate us. Not to mention ten pounds—we don’t even have five!”
Azure-Gold Ore sounded like a kind of stone, but was in fact a rare and precious metal, used to forge top-grade artifacts and in constructing formations.
The Kunlun Sect’s own mountain-protecting array relied on Azure-Gold Ore as its foundation.
For such a vast array, less than half a pound was enough.
So for the master to demand ten pounds outright was enough to nearly scare the sect master to death.
“Not even five pounds?” The master frowned slightly and sighed. “Then let’s make it four and a half.”
“I…” At this point, the sect master truly understood: this so-called renowned Confucian was nothing of the sort. If this man was a sage, he would eat his own hat.
Just then, an elder beside him whispered, “Sect master, we… might not lose!”
That’s right! How could I forget?
He’d been so infuriated by Lu Shengfu’s shamelessness that he’d lost his head.
The master was formidable, but that didn’t mean his disciple—wait, wasn’t his disciple also a handful?
There was still debate within the sect about how those four had died previously—judging by the wounds, it seemed a powerful cultivator had intervened, with both traces of lightning spells and evidence of a massive artifact’s crushing blow.
So many believed Song Yue must have had a protector.
It was nearly impossible for Song Yue alone to kill four Foundation Establishment cultivators. If he had done it single-handedly, he’d be a monster beyond belief.
But then, in another fight, six Kunlun disciples—two Foundation Establishment, four advanced adepts—had nearly been wiped out by Song Yue alone!
So, recalling this, the sect master’s sallow face turned faintly green.
This master and disciple pair—neither was easy to deal with!
If the sect’s young disciples were to fight Song Yue, likely none could match him.
Maybe it would be easier just to hand over the Azure-Gold Ore.
But he wanted four and a half pounds! It was enough to cost him his life.
Just then, several young men behind the sect master spoke up in unison, “Sect master, we’re willing to fight him!”
The humiliation was unbearable! The sect master was getting old—too timid, too cowardly! The young men could not stomach such shame.
Even though they all knew Song Yue’s legendary feat of defeating six and crippling three, so what? The enemy had come brazenly to their doorstep!
Last time, it was the master—utterly overpowering, leaving them no will to resist.
But this time, it was his disciple—a young man, however strong, how many nails could he hammer in alone?
They’d rather risk their lives than see their sect humiliated!
Let these shameless master and disciple know that not all of Kunlun’s people are spineless!
The sect master’s face grew even uglier. He didn’t need to look back to know who had spoken.
He’d been too lenient with them, letting them speak out of turn even at such a critical moment.
But since they’d spoken, if he stopped them now, he’d lose all authority as a leader who dared not even let his people fight back against an intruder.
He sighed inwardly. So be it! If outmatched, he would simply have to endure.
He sincerely hoped that one day, Kunlun would produce a peerless genius of its own. For now, he could only wait for the tides to turn.
Soon, the crowd moved to the sect’s sparring arena.
Song Yue roughly understood his master’s intentions—he wanted him to familiarize himself with the sensation of having awakened Thunderforce.
And truly, Kunlun was the perfect place!
He and they were enemies—if not mortal enemies, then nearly so. The hatred in the young disciples’ eyes was unmistakable.
The Kunlun disciples about to enter the arena would show him no mercy.
Nor would he.
This was the best kind of trial.
The sparring among mortals was nothing compared to this—only in life-and-death struggle could one grow quickly.
Besides, what was this Azure-Gold Ore? Though raised under the master’s guidance and fairly well-informed, Song Yue had never heard of it.
It must be useful—so he had to win!
As he was about to enter, the master said to Song Yue, “Do your utmost.”
Song Yue nodded.
The first challenger from Kunlun’s side was a youth of about twenty-six or twenty-seven, carrying a drawn longsword, his entire presence as sharp and cold as a blade.
A sword cultivator.
The Kunlun disciples seemed to realize that, against a martial artist with formidable close-combat skills, ordinary cultivators likely wouldn’t survive long enough to cast a spell.
Song Yue stepped into the arena.
The young sword cultivator wasted no words. With a flick of his sword, a streak of white sword energy shot forth, and he lunged at Song Yue.
Though he appeared robust, his style was not brute strength but nimble and agile, as deft as a monkey in the forest.
In a blink, he was upon Song Yue. With his other hand, he formed a spell seal, muttering an incantation. As his sword thrust toward Song Yue’s face, he shouted, “Now!”
A burst of flame descended from the sky, radiating intense heat.
A lesser martial artist might have panicked, trying to dodge.
But Song Yue activated his protective aura, letting the Supreme Body-Tempering Sutra draw in spiritual energy to sustain his shield, then raised his fist.
Thunderforce, like a small dragon, surged along his arm and into his fist, his blood and qi roaring, thunder rumbling within his body.
Boom!
Song Yue’s fist crashed toward the young cultivator’s face.
The sword, meanwhile, barely missed Song Yue’s own face. He could feel the biting chill of the sword energy—if he’d had a long beard, it would have been shaved clean!
Missing his strike, the young man still didn’t panic. With a snap, a three-inch flying sword shot from his mouth, aimed at Song Yue’s fist.
No wonder he hadn’t spoken—he was waiting for this!
Song Yue’s fierce punch sent a blast of wind that ruffled the young man’s hair. Seeing the flying sword speed toward him, he didn’t dodge—it was fist against blade.
Thunder rumbled from his punch—this was the most brutal blow of the Thunder Fist.
The tiny sword, as if disrupted by electromagnetic force, lost its aim and veered aside before it could even reach Song Yue’s fist.
Song Yue’s punch landed squarely on the sword cultivator's face.
Crack!
The sound of shattering bone—his nose and cheek shattered by the blow.
With a nonhuman scream, the youth collapsed on the spot.
Song Yue showed no mercy—he kicked the half-fallen youth, sending him flying more than a dozen meters.
The fire sword and flying sword had all been lethal attacks; even without his master’s instructions, he would not have held back.
A lifetime of brawling had taught him: mercy to your enemy is just giving them a chance to hurt you.
On the sidelines, Kunlun disciples rushed to protect the unconscious youth, some breaking into tears.
Too ruthless! The enemy was a savage!
“Our senior brother is dying... sob...” a young woman cried bitterly, her eyes full of hatred as she glared at Song Yue. “You murderer!”
Song Yue shrugged indifferently. “Why don’t you come up and avenge him?”
The girl was left speechless and dared say no more, only weeping over her fallen senior.
The sect master and elders looked grim.
The youth defeated just now had been among the top three of Kunlun’s younger generation, famed for his swordsmanship and his aura of invincibility.
Yet he’d been crippled with a single punch—though not dead, he was ruined, and it was doubtful he’d ever recover.
Perhaps not even in a lifetime.
Another young man, just over twenty, stepped forward next.
He wore white, was strikingly handsome, his long hair flowing, empty-handed, and his eyes showed little hatred.
He faced Song Yue. “Li Yibo of Kunlun, please instruct me.”
He seemed polite, but Song Yue didn’t care. To him, everyone in Kunlun was an enemy. Their attitude meant nothing.
Song Yue nodded. “Make your move.”
The young man in white stood still, but his hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, had already begun forming spell seals.
Reciting an incantation, he summoned rolling black clouds above the arena, flashes of lightning flickering within.
Song Yue and the young man in white were about ten meters apart. He could see the man’s face redden, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he were forcibly casting some forbidden technique.
Song Yue grew wary and stepped forward with his Phantom Footwork. For a martial master, the distance was covered in a blink.
But the moment his body lifted off, a surge of danger struck him. He dodged to the side at once.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck silently in his path.
The sneaky bastard! Pretending to be polite, all to catch him off guard!
More silent lightning bolts rained down on Song Yue.
This was a young Foundation Establishment cultivator! His true age was certainly more than twenty.
Yet the master remained silent on the sidelines—he had brought Song Yue here to test him.
Song Yue still hadn’t reached the realm of a martial grandmaster, but if he couldn’t even defeat a young Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Thunderforce within him had been awakened for nothing.
Dodging, Song Yue tried channeling Thunderforce into his legs.
The result was astonishing—his speed doubled in an instant!
Lightning was fast, but its frequency was not so high. Besides, the young man in white was clearly forcing himself beyond his limits.
To Song Yue, this fierce lightning spell was better suited for ambushes, especially in stormy weather. A surprise strike could be deadly.
But now—
He was growing more adept at reading the pattern, and his control of Thunderforce was improving.
Seeing his opponent on the verge of collapse, Song Yue, now swift as wind, dodged a bolt and circled behind the young man.
He struck with a punch.
“Spare him!”
“Don’t!”
“Ah!”
Many on Kunlun’s side cried out.
Song Yue’s punch landed on the young man’s back, yet at the last moment, he held back half his strength.
Already at his limit, the youth coughed up blood and collapsed.
But he was alive—Song Yue had not shattered his heart meridian.
He was quickly carried away, and after examination by several skilled healers, it was confirmed he would survive.
At this, the sect master gazed at the silent crowd of young disciples, raised his head with a hoarse sigh, and said, “Mr. Lu, enough. Your disciple is a peerless talent, a leading figure even in the cultivation world. We concede, utterly convinced!”
Somehow, as he spoke, not only the sect master but everyone else felt a strange sense of relief.
At last, the torment was over.
The young man who’d just fought was actually close to forty, having reached Foundation Establishment in his early thirties, long considered the most outstanding of Kunlun’s younger generation.
His entry had filled many with anxious expectation. Surely, a Foundation Establishment cultivator skilled in lightning spells could handle a formidable martial artist like Song Yue?
But the youth was too monstrous—even lightning couldn’t touch him!
The sect master had five pounds of Azure-Gold Ore brought out—nearly half their total reserves, accumulated over countless years. Since they had already admitted defeat, it was better to be generous and not quibble over mere fractions.
He personally handed the ore to the master, and said in a near-pleading whisper, “Mr. Lu, could we perhaps… not have any more ‘exchanges’ in the future?”
He looked sincerely at the master. “We have learned our lesson. We will strictly discipline our disciples, and if any stray, we’ll purge them ourselves—no need for your intervention.”
He then turned to Song Yue. “Your disciple is a peerless prodigy. Please… take him to wreak havoc elsewhere in the cultivation world.”
By now, the sect master guessed why Lu Shengfu wanted the Azure-Gold Ore, so he made it plain—they had surrendered, just take the ore and go cause trouble somewhere else.
After all, the secret realm and the cultivation world were separate; even if word got out, it would be no big deal.
The master nodded slightly. “It’s good to be reasonable.”
Then, with Song Yue, he mounted the paper crane and flew away.
The sect master was left standing in the wind, dazed. Would they return or not? If only they’d give him a straight answer...
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There may be another chapter tonight—I’ll do my best.