Volume One: Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Clever Elder

“Heh… Bastard! Are you tired of living?”
Chen Budiao’s hand trembled as he held the paper, and those nearby could clearly see it shaking.
Chen Buqun knew his elder brother better than anyone; this was Chen Budiao at the height of his rage.
It was an outright insult to the Chen Sword Sect… Xiao Yan was as good as dead.
“Xiao Yan! You must die and leave not a whole corpse!”
Chen Budiao spat out each word with icy precision.
At that moment, a figure slowly walked from beneath a nearby tree—it was Elder Huiming.
He muttered discontentedly, “What a lunatic… Xiao Yan, damn you… Told you to fetch the Abbot, and you run out here yourself… Must be mad…”
“Hm?” Chen Budiao turned his head and recognized the bald man, calming himself quickly and saying in a low voice, “Heh… Elder Huiming? Are you here to meddle in this matter?”
“I… Well… They’re people of my Jinshan Temple… I hope you’ll show me some respect…”
Elder Huiming gritted his teeth, stepped forward, his ample belly jutting, and spoke.
“Heh… Show you respect? And who will show respect to the Chen Sword Sect?” Chen Budiao sneered coldly, then squinted at the trio. “Fine, the three of you can come at me together! It’ll save time—die all at once.”
In his eyes, only Elder Huiming posed a challenge; the other two were mere weaklings at the fifth level of internal energy, hardly worth his attention.
“Humph… You underestimate this old monk…”
Elder Huiming bristled with anger. A man may be killed, but not insulted. This was no longer a personal matter—it concerned the honor of Jinshan Temple.
“Swish…”
As Elder Huiming stepped forward, the nearby trees began to sway gently…
Twenty-two levels of internal energy!
“I may not be a combative man, but don’t push your luck!”
With that, Elder Huiming turned to Xiao Yan and Lin Dong. “Step back…”
Truth be told, Elder Huiming wasn’t adept at fighting; monks were supposed to be merciful.
Facing Chen Budiao, he truly lacked confidence…
…
“Heh… Is the Elder serious?” Chen Budiao smiled slightly, letting his internal energy surge forth.
Twenty levels of internal energy…
He was clearly two levels weaker than Elder Huiming, but he didn’t care.
He had survived countless battles in the martial world, unlike the pampered Elder Huiming—he held absolute advantage.
Moreover, he had utmost confidence in his Chen Sword Technique. Over the years, he had slain dozens of experts whose internal energy surpassed his own, thanks to this very method…
With the right technique, one could kill above their level—that’s why Chen Budiao was so interested in Lin Dong’s “Dung Shovel Sword Technique.”
“Swish…”
Sword drawn, Chen Budiao’s green robe and handsome features, along with his upright posture, made him seem every inch a heroic knight…
In contrast, the slightly stooped Elder Huiming looked rather awkward.
“Come, I’ll let you strike three times, lest people say I don’t honor my elders!” Chen Budiao assumed his stance, gesturing with his hand.
…
“The Chen family is so domineering! Who do you think will win?” a burly, thick-browed martial hero asked.
“Hard to say. Look, Elder Huiming’s internal energy is deep, and surely he has more martial experience than Chen Budiao, so…”
“That’s true… But I feel you’re missing something…”
“So, you think Chen Budiao will win?”
“I’m not sure myself…”
…
A loud shout interrupted their speculation.
“Hah!”
Elder Huiming wasn’t a stickler for etiquette; since Chen Budiao said so, he didn’t hesitate—he raised his fist and struck.
Six Harmonies Fist!
He unleashed his signature move, the wind and thunder of his fist filling the air.
Chen Budiao’s expression grew relaxed, lips curling in a smile, his movements light as a crane, feet darting swiftly, causing each of Elder Huiming’s attacks to miss.

“Third strike!”
Elder Huiming began to grow anxious. He had already thought highly of Chen Budiao, yet the man was even more formidable than expected.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in Elder Huiming’s mind.
His clever brain seemed to capture something… What was it?
Why…
He kept recalling how Li Bai broke through the Eighteen Arhats Formation days ago…
!!!
That’s it!
He didn’t have a pagoda, so pushing it was impossible… But… Elder Huiming rolled up his sleeves, looked at his fist, and without a second thought, thrust it forward…
Zzz…
It went in.
The whole fist…
…
“Hiss… I’ve let you strike three times… That’s enough… Farewell!”
Chen Budiao gasped, his face turning a sickly shade, grimacing in pain…
Terrifying. Had the elders of Jinshan Temple turned wicked?
He never expected the esteemed Elder Huiming would use such a shameless move.
With a flick of his sword, Chen Budiao’s arm swept across Elder Huiming’s face.
“Bang!”
“Thud, thud, thud…” Elder Huiming staggered back ten paces.
“All right, old man, I’m done playing with you! Get out of my way…”
Chen Budiao sheathed his sword, walking stiffly, and coldly looked at Elder Huiming.
“You… I’ll fight you to the death…”
Elder Huiming, hearing this, raised his fist for another charge.
At the sight of that fist, Chen Budiao instinctively dodged. Damn, the old man was addicted to using his fists…
“If you want to die, I’ll send you on your way.” Chen Budiao snorted, sword drawn.
Chen Sword Technique: Yellow Springs!
“Swish…”
The sword tip lunged straight for Elder Huiming’s chest.
He had no intention of playing with this fool any longer…
A fierce sword move, aiming for the heart!
“This…”
Elder Huiming finally realized their gap in strength was enormous. Heroes are indeed born young.
There was no way to dodge this strike…
The onlookers began to chatter:
“As expected, the difference in strength is too great… The old man’s overestimating himself…”
“But the Chen Sword Sect is truly formidable… With a single sword technique, he can overwhelm even someone two levels stronger…”
“I wonder if the Chen Sword Sect still accepts disciples… I want to grow strong too…”
…
“Bang!”
In that instant, a loud crash rang out.
The sword was knocked aside by a rod-like object, missing its mark.
…
Chen Budiao, thrown off balance, nearly fell.
“What happened?”
The crowd looked on in utter confusion…

By the time everyone regained their senses, Xiao Yan was already standing in front of Elder Huiming.
He turned his head and said calmly to Elder Huiming, “Enough. Let me handle this.”
“You?”
Elder Huiming hesitated.
Xiao Yan gave him a look and a thumbs-up.
Elder Huiming sighed and stepped back.
…
“Was that a sneak attack?”
“The rumor is true—Xiao Yan really is a despicable man, resorting to sneak attacks!”
“Such shamelessness…”
…
Unknown to them, Chen Budiao was actually terrified. He had seen clearly in that split second.
To thwart a sword move so easily, a sneak attack was one reason, but with Chen Budiao’s skill, it shouldn’t have been that easy.
He was confident that if anyone below the fifteenth level tried to surprise him, they would already be dead.
But at the crucial moment, Chen Budiao saw Xiao Yan’s rod transform into several different weapons, each used in succession to break the Chen Sword Technique…
Such skill was nothing like someone with just five levels of internal energy…
Could it be that he had pushed his internal power to the limit by using various weapons in tandem?
Most terrifying of all, Chen Budiao felt as if he was facing not one man, but eighteen…
Was it an illusion?
“You… What technique was that?”
Chen Budiao steadied himself and asked.
“Guess,” Xiao Yan replied with a serious smile.
“Hmph, ignorant brat—you’ve got guts… I’ll play along!” Chen Budiao sneered, raising his sword and pointing at Xiao Yan.
To him, regardless of whether he could obtain the sword technique Lin Dong had used, Xiao Yan had to die.
Never mind the sneak attack…
To use the Chen Sword Technique as toilet paper—that alone was a capital offense.
“You and Lin Dong both stole the Chen Sword Technique, didn’t you?” Chen Budiao glared fiercely at Xiao Yan.
As long as he accused them, he needn’t worry about Jinshan Temple; Xiao Yan was at fault, so even if he killed him, the Abbot wouldn’t dare utter a word.
“Heh… Your sword technique is full of flaws…” Xiao Yan shook his head. “So I created my own.”
“You… Foolish boy… You’ll die by the Chen Sword Technique…”
Chen Budiao sighed, his gaze growing intense.
His sword traced a semicircle in the air, suddenly bursting forth with a “swish, swish…”—the sound of internal energy burning in the air.
Chen Sword Move: Burning Life!
This was the hardest move in the Chen Sword Technique; Chen Budiao had only used it once before.
That winter, he slew the notorious master, the twenty-fifth level Yellow Brow Daoist, with a single stroke—the burning blade even melted the ice beneath him.
Even the self-proclaimed genius Chen Buqun hadn’t mastered it; this was his first time seeing his brother use it.
“This…”
…
“Look, Chen Budiao’s sword is on fire!”
“Is this the legendary move? But his opponent is just a fifth-level weakling… Isn’t this overkill?”
“Exactly. But Xiao Yan is truly courting death… If you don’t seek trouble, trouble won’t find you!”
…
“Look, Xiao Yan has taken out his weapon… Wait—he’s plunging it into the manure bucket?”