The Challenge

"A car's coming!" On the outer perimeter of Hengduan Canyon, less than fifty li in a straight line from the great rift itself, the road had long fallen into ruin. The highway that once crossed straight through Hengduan Canyon had reached its dead end here. Further ahead, the Hengduan Sky Bridge had been blown apart years ago. Back then, immense resources had been spent to construct a sky bridge spanning Hengduan Canyon, only for it to be destroyed more than a decade ago, severing northern and southern Silver Moon. In those earlier years, when the Hengduan Sky Bridge still stood, the north and south of Silver Moon had been connected. The southern and northern cities traded freely, fostering a flourishing commerce. Now, divided governance between north and south had left the entire Silver Moon region somewhat desolate. Silver Moon had attempted several times to rebuild the Hengduan Sky Bridge, but every effort ended in failure. By now, fewer and fewer people even mentioned rebuilding it. At this moment, at the end of the road, someone stared at the approaching vehicle and whispered. "Are we robbing it?" "Do you have a death wish?! Can't you see that's an Inspectorate car?" "What about the Inspectorate? Their reach doesn't extend out here!" Behind a massive boulder, several people spoke in hushed voices. The Inspectorate held immense prestige. Yet that was within the cities. Out in the wilderness, what did the Inspectorate matter? Over the past years, with the rise of supernaturals, the Inspectorate had long lost its former splendor. If the Night Watchers arrived, that would be another story, but even the Night Watchers had to act cautiously in the barren wilderness. Several martial masters and Starlight Masters whispered among themselves. In this day and age, anyone daring to conduct highway robbery in the wilderness was no ordinary person. Some martial masters and Starlight Masters lacked sufficient strength yet refused to be tied down by rules, so they resorted to highway robbery. With good luck, they might plunder some decent goods. Of course, with bad luck, if they crossed paths with an expert, they could only accept their fate, write it off to misfortune, and let themselves be slaughtered at will. As the group was still conversing, the speaker suddenly felt the surroundings go dead silent. Looking back, his face instantly drained of color. Just as he turned to flee, a staff descended straight upon him, smashing his skull to pieces in a split second! From behind the boulder, three figures stepped forth. Two men and one woman, all very young. On the ground lay seven or eight corpses. Some had been split apart by a staff; others had their throats crushed. Sun Moxian walked at the front, gazing at the distant vehicle, and said softly, "Is it them?" "Should be!" the woman answered in a low voice. The youngest among them, at the Ten-Slayer realm, frowned. "Why didn't Master come over directly to strike down this Yuan Shuo? Why did he have us deliver a challenge letter instead?" Indeed, a challenge letter. Sun Yifei had not come directly, nor did he intend to hide his presence. He had ordered his disciples to wait along Yuan Shuo's mandatory route. He wanted to issue an open, honorable challenge! Sun Moxian said softly, "This is the custom of martial masters. Junior Brother, you must remember this! Back then, Master challenged Old Demon Yuan and met defeat at the Hengduan Sky Bridge. Master has an inner demon over this..." "An inner demon?" "It isn't an inner demon in the supernatural sense, but rather a mental knot. Master lost to Yuan Shuo, went into exile, advanced into the supernatural realm, and became a Three Sols powerhouse. Yet in the martial path, he still carries the name of the defeated! He wants to reclaim his lost honor... Only by challenging Old Demon Yuan honorably in the open and defeating him can he wash away that past shame!" "Still..." The junior brother in the Ten-Slayer realm found it hard to comprehend. Was there really a need? This differed completely from the style of the Central Region. In the Central Region, strength was king; victory was all that mattered. Who cared about challenge letters? Ambushes, assassinations—dead men had no right to speak. Master was stronger than Yuan Shuo. If he simply came over and struck him dead with a single blow of his staff, who would dare claim Master was inferior? "These are the rules of the Silver Moon martial arts world!" Sun Moxian reinforced his tone and whispered, "When they arrive, show some courtesy." "Huh?" Behind him, both the man and the woman showed strange expressions. Show courtesy? As their eldest martial brother on the martial path, Sun Moxian could not help but warn them, "This is Yuan Shuo, Old Demon Yuan... He is merciless. Back then, he slaughtered half of the Silver Moon martial arts world! We are here to deliver a challenge, not to throw away our lives. If he feels we were lacking in manners and slaughters us, our lives will be forfeit in vain, even if Master later kills him to avenge us!" The two sucked in a breath. That made sense. This was an old demon! A monster who had killed countless people. The three fell silent and began to wait. Ahead, the car gradually ground to a halt. The road was simply too bumpy; walking was actually faster. A moment later, four people and a dog stepped out together. *** Liu Long took the lead, with Yuan Shuo following behind. After walking for a bit, Liu Long glanced ahead, his brow slightly furrowing. "There's a scent of blood!" They had just reached the vicinity of Hengduan Canyon, yet the smell of blood was already in the air. This area was sparsely populated. Had a battle between supernaturals broken out? Yuan Shuo said nothing, merely glancing in that direction before continuing forward. Li Hao also swept his gaze across. Spotting no spheres of light, he knew there were probably no supernaturals, so he kept quiet as well. Even if people were present, they were either ordinary folk or martial masters. Wang Ming, bold as ever, laughed aloud. "What's there to be afraid of? With our lineup, even if a Three Sols expert showed up, they'd end up dead!" A Thousand-Battler who had slain a Three Sols, another Thousand-Battler, a Solar Radiance, and two Hundred-Breakers. With this kind of strength, they could run rampant almost anywhere. Of course, the Central Region was a different story—there were too many powerhouses there. The group said nothing more, advancing at a brisk pace. They were still several dozen li from Hengduan Canyon, but to martial masters, that distance was nothing. Having set out in the morning, the sky was already approaching dusk. They hoped to reach their designated spot before dark and pitch camp to avoid trouble at night. After walking a while longer, they spotted a massive boulder ahead. Beside the boulder stood three figures. Their attire differed slightly from the usual garb worn in Silver Moon. It was martial master attire, yet it gave an impression of greater luxury. The fabric alone looked far more extravagant than anything in Silver Moon. Those with sharp eyes could even spot gold thread embroidered along the borders. Li Hao and the others felt no fear. Three youths! In truth, Li Hao and his companions had already made an educated guess about their identities, as each of the three carried a long staff on their back. The Eyebrow-Level Staff King! Of course, the three before them could not be the Staff King himself; they were more likely his disciples. Before Yuan Shuo could speak, Li Hao sprinted forward at extreme speed. "Li Hao of Silver City, disciple of the Five Animals King! May I ask what business you senior brothers and sister have?" Li Hao! Sun Moxian cupped his fists somewhat awkwardly, not entirely sure if his etiquette was correct. Whatever—as long as it was close enough. "Sun Moxian of Southern Dipper Province, eldest disciple under the Eyebrow-Level Staff King! By Master's order, I have come to deliver a challenge letter! Tomorrow at the Hengduan Sky Bridge, my master invites the Five Animals King to duel!" With those words, a letter shot toward Li Hao like an arrow. It was infused with inner force! The inner force was formidable, yet the fragile paper showed no sign of damage. Li Hao reached out to catch it. As the inner force within the paper erupted, the strength in Li Hao's fingers hardened like a sword, instantly shattering the burst of inner force. He caught the letter firmly in hand. "I accept this challenge letter on behalf of my master. As for the duel..." Behind him, Yuan Shuo's expression remained tranquil. "Yuan will arrive on time! Tell Sun Yifei that now that he has become a supernatural, he should drop this grandstanding! Tomorrow, I also look forward to seeing whether he has made any progress after loitering in the Central Region for so many years and hanging around with the likes of Ying Hongyue!" Sun Moxian felt a tremor in his heart. Daring not say another word, he cupped his fists. "The letter has been delivered. We shall await the Five Animals King tomorrow!" With that, he quickly retreated. His junior brother and sister promptly followed. Only after putting some distance between them did the junior brother in the Ten-Slayer realm whisper, "Eldest Senior Brother, why didn't you deliver the harsh words Master told us to say?" "..." Sun Moxian fell silent for a while. After walking a bit further, he finally said, "Those were Master's words, not ours. Spouting harsh words is useless. Old Demon Yuan strikes viciously; if he beat us to death, we'd have died for nothing. Furthermore... if there is a duel tomorrow, the Silver Moon martial arts world holds the custom of disciples fighting a few opening bouts for entertainment... Tomorrow, I will step forward directly to face that Li Hao!" The other two were startled. Why? "Eldest Senior Brother..." "When Li Hao caught my challenge letter, I had infused a wisp of momentum into it. Originally, I just wanted to give him a show of force, yet he crushed it with ease. That Li Hao is either in late Hundred-Breaker or Hundred-Breaker culmination!" At these words, both disciples gasped. "No way! I inquired with Red Moon. This Li Hao was only taken in as an apprentice by Old Demon Yuan three years ago, and in the beginning, he wasn't even taught martial arts. At best, he's in the Ten-Slayer realm. How could he be a Hundred-Breaker?" "Even if he's a Hundred-Breaker, early stage should be his ceiling. How could he be in the late stage, or even culmination? Culmination requires comprehending momentum..." Both found it hard to believe. Was that possible? Sun Moxian pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Hard to say. In any case, be careful. Master said the Silver Moon martial arts world produces many powerhouses, and indeed it does. In the Central Region, we're considered geniuses along the martial path, but here, Hundred-Breaker martial masters seem to be everywhere." The group quieted down and hastened their departure. *** At the same time. Yuan Shuo glanced at the letter and sneered. "Decades haven't passed without him keeping that same old routine." Turning to Li Hao, he asked, "Why did you catch it head-on? I thought you would choose to dodge." Li Hao smiled innocently. "I couldn't bring shame to Master! You are martial masters of the same generation. When his disciples come to deliver a challenge, if I brought shame upon Master, losing a life would be a small matter, but losing face would be enormous! In our martial world, doesn't face matter more than life?" "..." Yuan Shuo nearly burst out laughing, struggling to keep a straight face. What a joke! He studied Li Hao for a while before saying, "That Sun Moxian is no simple figure. He has likely comprehended momentum. I didn't expect Sun Yifei to nurture such a young Hundred-Breaker culmination martial master. That isn't easy." A martial master at Hundred-Breaker culmination was definitely harder to produce than a Solar Radiance. Advancing to Solar Radiance merely required breaking three locks. That relied on innate talent and consuming mysterious energy. But for a martial master to reach Hundred-Breaker culmination, it relied on comprehension—and comprehension was an elusive thing. Even someone brilliant might never comprehend momentum. He looked at Li Hao again. "Sun Yifei brought his disciples along to settle a score. I understand his intentions! Think it through carefully: if you can avoid taking the field tomorrow, don't." Li Hao had hidden his strength up until now, and many spectators might gather tomorrow. Exposing himself would not be beneficial. While Li Hao typically preferred keeping a low profile, he shook his head today. "It's different this time! Master once dominated the Silver Moon martial arts world. Now that you've retired in Silver City and taken a closed-door disciple, if I can't even handle Sun Yifei's disciple, wouldn't that be a monumental embarrassment?" This truly was an era where face mattered more than anything, especially to these older-generation martial masters. Hiding strength had to be done at the right time. If Li Hao forfeited without a fight right now, that would be truly humiliating. Supernaturals might not understand or care about such matters, but those on the martial path certainly did. Beside them, Wang Ming seemed to catch on and hurriedly chimed in, "I'll go! Master, I'm your nominal disciple too... A nominal disciple is still a disciple! Watch me beat that fellow to death!" Yuan Shuo glanced at him sideways before finally speaking. "You? I'm not looking down on you, but if that Sun Moxian isn't a novice... if you step up, the odds are seventy-thirty!" What did that mean? Seventy-thirty? Wang Ming could not help but ask, "Seventy-thirty... Master, you mean my chances of winning are only seventy percent?" Isn't that too low! I'm a Solar Radiance, and the other guy clearly isn't a Thousand-Battler. "Thirty for you, seventy for him!" At those words, Wang Ming's face turned green. That was looking down on him too much! "I'm a Solar Radiance..." "Just newly advanced to Solar Radiance!" Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Think that's impressive? It is impressive, but before Liu Long reached Thousand-Battler, he might not have matched you because while his raw power reached culmination, he hadn't comprehended momentum. A pseudo-culmination like that would definitely lose to a Solar Radiance." A martial master without momentum certainly could not match a Solar Radiance. Yet once momentum was comprehended, everything changed. Calling it seventy-thirty might be an exaggeration, but a fifty-fifty split was a certainty; victory could swing either way. At this moment, Liu Long also gave a slight nod. "Without comprehending momentum, one definitely cannot rival a Solar Radiance! With momentum, it depends on its strength, experience, and technique... The outcome is indeed hard to call." Pausing, he added, "Elder Yuan, Sun Yifei delivered this challenge letter directly, setting it for tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't the scheduled time to explore the ruins yet... Elder Yuan is someone they want inside. Is Sun Yifei ignoring everyone else's intentions?" Yuan Shuo said calmly, "Who knows? Either Sun Yifei is dominant enough that neither the Three Great Organizations nor the Night Watchers can stop him, or he wants to test the waters—or perhaps injure me severely so that once I enter the ruins, I'll be completely at their mercy instead of causing trouble with my strength intact." Liu Long's frown deepened. He looked at Li Hao, then at Yuan Shuo. "If you accept the duel and your strength is exposed tomorrow... will that be unfavorable for what comes after?" Exposing his power before even entering the ruins. If he proved stronger than Sun Yifei, everyone would be on guard. If he was weaker, he might be beaten half to death... Killed, perhaps not, since the ruins had yet to be explored. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like a bad deal. Yuan Shuo scoffed. "Exposed is exposed! When you lack strength, keep a low profile! When you have strength, what's wrong with being high-profile? Whoever dares provoke me, I'll beat them to death!" In that instant, he showed a glimmer of his old demon demeanor. Exposed is exposed! If he could beat Sun Yifei to death, he would dare beat anyone to death. Sun Yifei could also serve as a benchmark to gauge the strength of the Spirit Nourishing stage, preventing Yuan Shuo from overestimating himself. He had kept a low profile previously because his strength was inadequate. Now... he feared no one! With that, he suddenly looked at Li Hao. "You were so eager to accept the challenge letter, even willing to expose your strength. Speak up—do you have something in mind?" Li Hao smiled. "Master, I do have an idea. I realized that that strike... requires charging forward fearlessly! Sever Self, draw blood... That person's strength isn't weak, and he possesses momentum. He is the best opponent for me! If I can strike him down, my sword momentum might take shape." At these words, Yuan Shuo's eyes lit up. "So... you intend to hide your earth momentum?" "Yes!" Li Hao nodded. "I transform my inner force into swords. Few people would guess that I've comprehended the earth. So I want to fight him using the strength of late Hundred-Breaker! If I can win, there's hope I can comprehend sword momentum!" Once sword momentum formed, both momentums would be complete. If he could subsequently merge both momentums, Li Hao might be able to step into Thousand-Battler. Only now did Wang Ming realize what was going on. He said in astonishment, "What do you mean? Li Hao, aren't you in mid Hundred-Breaker?" The more he listened, the less right it felt! Late Hundred-Breaker? Culmination? What on earth! How could he not know Li Hao's strength? How had it changed in the blink of an eye, as though he had slept through decades? Li Hao smiled and said nothing. Liu Long ignored Wang Ming entirely and said directly, "Let's move. Head to the Night Watchers' side first. Regardless of what happens, discussing it with Director Hao is wise. Tomorrow, countless eyes will be watching; having someone hold the line will be good." The others nodded and hurried toward Hengduan Canyon. *** At the same time. Beneath Hengduan Canyon. Tents stood row upon row. Beneath a cliff, someone reported, "Someone under Lord Sun went to deliver a challenge letter to Yuan Shuo!" Ghost Face. Red Moon's encampment. From inside a tent came a voice, tinted with indifference: "If Sun Yifei insists on doing this, let him!" Calling him directly by name. Clearly, the figure inside was at least a Three Sols powerhouse. Evidently, Red Moon was not particularly pleased with Sun Yifei directly challenging Yuan Shuo. First, it exposed Sun Yifei's presence. He had arrived in Silver Moon with far too much arrogance, making no effort to conceal himself, which irked Red Moon. Second, they still needed Yuan Shuo to guide the way, and more than one party had their eyes on him. The man had slain Duan Tian, after all; his strength was genuine. If Sun Yifei ended up injured, it would diminish Red Moon's overall combat power. Right now, everyone else was likely happy to watch the spectacle. Only the Night Watchers and Red Moon had headaches. Two powerhouses—one who had slain a Three Sols, the other in late Three Sols. If one truly died or both suffered severe injuries, the other factions would rejoice. Even if Yuan Shuo perished and they lost an expert... if he really died, they could accept it. Outside, the Ghost Face operative hesitated. "Should we intervene?" "How could we?" The voice inside said flatly, "Sun Yifei's arrogance in Red Moon isn't a matter of a day or two. Aside from the Chief, whom does he listen to? Never mind me—even if Chief Purple Moon were here, he wouldn't necessarily obey." The chief stationed in Silver Moon was Purple Moon, but Purple Moon had gone to White Moon City and was not currently present. This location was overseen by the speaker. Another Three Sols! The sheer might of Red Moon was evident: the slain Duan Tian, the newly arrived Sun Yifei, Purple Moon who had left for White Moon City, and this Three Sols expert—just among those who had appeared, there were already four. Even without Sun Yifei, there had originally been three Three Sols powerhouses in Silver Moon. As for the son of Ying Hongyue who had been killed earlier... no one particularly cared. Ying Hongyue had many sons and quite a few grandsons. Being placed in Silver Moon meant either his talent was too poor for the Central Region or he possessed great talent and had been sent here to be tempered. Clearly, the one killed had not possessed remarkable talent. After all, despite having a father like Ying Hongyue, he had only reached early Solar Radiance by now... Clearly nothing extraordinary. *** The Night Watchers' encampment. Hao Lianchuan had also received the news. Right now, he paced inside his tent, nursing a severe headache. Rotten luck! To run into this right after arriving. "Damn that Sun Yifei!" Hao Lianchuan cursed. "We haven't even begun exploring the ruins, and this bastard is already picking a fight! A late Three Sols challenging a martial master who just reached Thousand-Battler—damn it, does he have any shame left? Tomorrow, I'll go meet him myself!" He was genuinely furious! He had originally thought that even if Sun Yifei came to issue a challenge, it would likely happen after the ruins exploration had concluded. For the sake of the bigger picture! To hell with that—the man didn't care about any of it and scheduled it straight for tomorrow. Was Hao Kong over at Red Moon utterly useless? He couldn't even keep Sun Yifei in check? He was referring to that Three Sols expert, the leader of Red Moon's ruins expedition. Hao Lianchuan had originally hoped that fellow might exercise some restraint. Only now did he realize it was completely futile; Sun Yifei paid him no heed at all. Inside the tent, Huang Yun and the others were also present. At this moment, everyone wore grave expressions. Late Three Sols! To be honest, everyone was deeply wary. In all of Silver Moon, aside from Director Hou, who could guarantee a victory over Sun Yifei? However, someone spoke softly, "Director Hao, while it isn't good news... it isn't necessarily bad news either! Sun Yifei will definitely enter the ruins. Testing his depths now is fine too. Otherwise, once we're inside, we won't know his true strength. Though we've heard he's late Three Sols, how strong is late Three Sols exactly? Let Yuan Shuo test his foundation now... At the critical moment, we can find a way to interrupt the duel." Otherwise, entering without knowing his capabilities would make him hard to counter. Hao Lianchuan frowned. "Tomorrow, who knows how many people will be waiting to watch a joke! They'd love nothing more than for the two to fight to the death... The ways of these older-generation martial masters truly haven't changed!" Such was the culture of the Silver Moon martial arts world. It had always been this way! Even knowing powerful enemies lurked all around, these fellows would start a fight over the slightest disagreement, battling to the death until outsiders swept in to reap the spoils... In the past, this had played out repeatedly in the Silver Moon martial arts world, by no means unique to Sun Yifei and Yuan Shuo. The problem was, these martial masters never learned their lesson. Or rather, even knowing what the outcome might be, they insisted on doing it anyway! Hao Lianchuan's head throbbed. After a long moment, he said in a heavy voice, "When Yuan Shuo arrives, I'll persuade him to drop this duel. If Sun Yifei dares show up, I'll make him understand that this is Silver Moon, not the Central Region. Here, he doesn't call the shots!" He had prepared himself: if Sun Yifei dared come, he would take up the Fire Phoenix Spear and go beat him down! Though exposing the Fire Phoenix Spear so early wasn't the outcome he wanted, wasn't his hand being forced? The others exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for how to advise him. Sun Yifei's emergence had indeed disrupted everyone's plans. *** Meanwhile. Across the various encampments, people were buzzing with discussion. Sun Yifei challenging Yuan Shuo! Two martial masters from the Silver Moon martial arts world of decades past, bitter enemies, meeting here and immediately preparing to clash. Some were eager, while others were apprehensive. *** In another encampment belonging to Sword Gate. Inside the tent, a middle-aged man with sharp, cold eyes heard the news and suddenly laughed. "Not beyond my expectations. When the Eyebrow-Level Staff King and the Old Demon of the Five Animals cross paths, a clash is inevitable! Back then, Sun Yifei was defeated by Old Demon Yuan at the Hengduan Sky Bridge. Unable to bear the humiliation, Sun Yifei leaped off the cliff to kill himself... Everyone thought he was dead, but who knew he would return alive, and as a late Three Sols supernatural no less." He added with a touch of anticipation, "A rematch between the two truly gives one something to look forward to... A pity that one has become a supernatural while the other has only just reached Thousand-Battler; their strengths are no longer equal. Still, with Old Demon Yuan's Five Animals momentum merged, even as a newly minted Thousand-Battler, he won't be weak. Duan Tian being killed by him was well deserved. Even if Old Demon Yuan loses tomorrow, it will still be a fine show to watch!" Clearly, he maintained high confidence in Yuan Shuo. Not confidence that Yuan Shuo would win, but confidence that even in defeat, Yuan Shuo would put on a peak-level battle for everyone to witness. Such was Yuan Shuo! Beside him, a young woman spoke upon hearing this. "Father, was Yuan Shuo truly that powerful back then? If so, why does he appear to be the worst off today? Red Moon's Ying Hongyue, Sun Yifei, and Father all crossed into the supernatural realm early. Why did he remain stuck at Hundred-Breaker for twenty years?" If he was so formidable, why hadn't he entered the supernatural realm sooner? By now, he might have been an existence on the same level as Ying Hongyue. The man before her was none other than Hong Yitang, the Earth-Overturning Sword, one of the Seven Swords of Silver Moon. Hearing his daughter's question, he pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Hard to say, but it might have to do with his foundation being too profound." Too profound? His daughter somewhat understood, yet still found it unclear. Hong Yitang continued, "He reached Hundred-Breaker culmination and merged five momentums. For another Hundred-Breaker culmination, breaking the supernatural lock to advance might require one thousand units of mysterious energy. For Yuan Shuo, it might take five thousand!" "Tell me, in that era, where would one find so much mysterious energy for him to advance?" "Later on, Ying Hongyue grew powerful and came seeking vengeance, forcing Yuan Shuo to cower in Silver Moon Province, even holing up in Silver City. Naturally, he missed his opportunity." "He was that strong?" His daughter marveled. "Five times the consumption?" She had heard about her father's past. To advance, he had consumed an enormous amount of mysterious energy and received external backing, only then barely managing to succeed. Now he had entered Three Sols, becoming a regional hegemon and founding Sword Gate. Yet Yuan Shuo had required five times her father's consumption. No wonder he had never been able to advance. Hong Yitang chuckled. "Do you think his title of Old Demon Yuan came from nowhere? He calls himself the Five Animals King, and others address him as such to his face, but behind his back, everyone called him the Beast King! The King of Beasts! He struck viciously and underhandedly; without real strength, he would have been beaten to death long ago. Of the other six swords who shared renown with your father back then, three were beaten to death on the spot by him!" "Was Father also inferior to him back then?" This was a daughter's admiration for her father. Under normal circumstances, one might boast a little and let it pass. Yet Hong Yitang thought for a long moment and shook his head. "Inferior to him!" His daughter's face filled with shock. Whenever her father spoke of the martial arts world back then, he had always been full of confidence and pride, exceedingly haughty. Even when discussing certain martial masters from the Central Region who were now illustrious figures, her father treated them with utter disdain. Yet today, in front of his daughter, he openly admitted to being inferior to Yuan Shuo. This... was that man truly that terrifying? Hong Yitang paid no heed to his daughter's astonishment and laughed. "Inferior is inferior! If we had been evenly matched, or if he were only slightly better, it wouldn't matter. But that fellow far surpassed me! To tell you the truth without fearing your mockery: back then, whenever I knew where he was, I never went near that place, avoiding unnecessary trouble. He loved sparring with experts, and the trouble was... when he sparred, he tended to beat people to death!" "So when he sent me challenge letters twice back then, I refused both. If I had accepted, you wouldn't exist today." Hong Qing instantly grew interested. "Father, then tomorrow... can we go watch the battle?" An expert whom even her father admitted being inferior to had only now reached Thousand-Battler, yet had already slain a Three Sols. The other party was the famous Eyebrow-Level Staff King of the martial world, who had now reached late Three Sols and carved out a fearsome reputation in the Central Region. A clash between these two was bound to be explosive. Hong Yitang considered it and nodded. "Very well, broaden your horizons! You're at the Hundred-Breaker realm now... If you still can't break through to Thousand-Battler, you should prepare to step into the supernatural realm and reach Solar Radiance. All these people have mastered momentum, especially Yuan Shuo! Seeing it might help you." Older-generation martial masters, even after advancing to supernatural, looked down on supernaturals somewhat—even if they were supernaturals themselves. When they had children, they would always have them practice martial arts first until reaching Hundred-Breaker. If the children remained unable to comprehend momentum for a prolonged period, only then would they consider letting them absorb mysterious energy to enter the supernatural realm. That would not hinder their progress; a Hundred-Breaker martial master advancing had a high probability of entering Solar Radiance directly. If one could reach Thousand-Battler, the top choice was always to reach Thousand-Battler first, comprehend momentum, and only then advance to supernatural. Such circumstances were common not only in Silver Moon, but throughout the Central Region as well. Today, many of the powerhouses running rampant in the Central Region fell into this category: they had either advanced from martial masters or were Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters. These two types were the most difficult experts to deal with in the Central Region. *** Before Yuan Shuo even arrived, the news had spread throughout Hengduan Canyon. Countless powerhouses hoped to witness tomorrow's clash between the two veteran martial masters. As dusk gave way to darkness, Li Hao and his group arrived. Ahead lay a row of tents. While the others were unfamiliar, Wang Ming knew the place well. From far off, he shouted excitedly, "We're here! I can already see familiar faces!" In the distance, voices called out softly: "Professor Yuan is here!" "The people from Silver City have arrived!" A moment later, before Li Hao and the others even entered the tent area, Hao Lianchuan strode over, disregarding any formalities. From a distance, he voiced his displeasure: "Arriving this late is one thing, but I hear you accepted the challenge letter?" What were they thinking! In the Silver Moon martial arts world, accepting a challenge letter meant agreeing to the duel. If they hadn't accepted, there would still have been room to maneuver. Yuan Shuo cast him a sideways glance and ignored him. Li Hao, however, stared blankly at him. Yes, an utterly dazed look. Because right now, when he looked at Hao Lianchuan, the man appeared completely different. Inside him, something like a fire phoenix seemed to be surging and darting about! What was going on? That fire phoenix appeared alive, nestled inside Hao Lianchuan's body, and the aura it radiated was unimaginably powerful. Yet... it wasn't a supernatural aura, but an indescribably mighty presence! Hao Lianchuan, who had been speaking to Yuan Shuo, felt the gaze and turned toward Li Hao, momentarily stunned. Why is he staring at me like that? This kid is sly and mischievous! In the past, Hao Lianchuan might have thought he had frightened the boy, but now he suspected the kid was plotting some devious scheme. Seeing Hao Lianchuan look over, Li Hao immediately lowered his head as though frightened. Yet inside, shock roared through him. What is that? Could it be... an Origin God Armament? Right now, that was the only conclusion he could draw. The crucial point was: could an Origin God Armament be hidden inside the body? Why couldn't his sword do that? If it could, how convenient would that be? He could bring it out whenever he wished without fear of losing it. "That feeling... it feels terrifyingly powerful!" Even separated by a body, hidden inside Hao Lianchuan, it still gave Li Hao an overwhelmingly formidable sensation. It was as if a true phoenix were poised to burst free from his flesh. Li Hao looked away from Hao Lianchuan and scanned the surroundings. There were many small moons, all powerhouses at the Lunar Nether level. There were also quite a few small suns, all at Solar Radiance. A few of them even approached Qiao Feilong's level, clearly at peak Solar Radiance. The Night Watchers had truly spared no expense this time. The next instant, Li Hao's gaze fell upon a very unassuming woman in the crowd. Indeed, an ordinary-looking woman in her thirties standing among the Lunar Nether group. Like the others, she seemed to be peering curiously in their direction, and her eyes met Li Hao's. Li Hao looked back, then immediately averted his gaze, appearing bashful and timid as he peeked furtively around. Inside, however, he was cursing violently. Who said the Night Watchers only had two Three Sols experts? Who said only Hao Lianchuan had come this time?! Then what was with this woman? She was a Three Sols, and a very powerful one at that—stronger than Qiao Feilong, perhaps even stronger than Hao Lianchuan, likely at mid Three Sols. Liars! All of them are liars! Li Hao cursed silently. The intelligence wasn't accurate at all. This woman might possess a treasure similar to the mirror he carried, concealing her aura. Others truly seemed not to notice, and even Master didn't appear to have sensed it. She hid so deeply! Furthermore... could she be an enemy? Li Hao's heart leaped into his throat. That wasn't out of the question. Could she be someone planted by the Three Great Organizations? Should he... tell Hao Lianchuan? Yet if she belonged to the Night Watchers and Hao Lianchuan didn't know because Hou Xiaochen had arranged it, wouldn't revealing it to Hao Lianchuan stir up trouble? Besides, no one else could see through her. How would he explain knowing it? That was another problem. In that moment, Li Hao had a massive headache. I just got here, and I've already stumbled into trouble! *** At that moment, the woman whom Li Hao had glanced at looked toward him, found nothing unusual, and resumed her curious gaze, observing Yuan Shuo and the others alongside everyone else. When she saw Wang Ming, she was slightly taken aback. Solar Radiance! She knew of Wang Ming. Before he left, he seemed to have only been at the Full Moon level. Only a few days had passed, yet he had bypassed Moon Overflow and stepped straight into Solar Radiance. That speed was simply too fast. Thinking this, the woman looked at him a few more times before looking away. She cared far more about the conditions of Yuan Shuo and Liu Long. Liu Long was hard to judge; he felt somewhat like he had stepped into Thousand-Battler. As for Yuan Shuo... truly nothing could be gleaned from him. Yet vaguely, she sensed that this Yuan Shuo harbored an intense fiery temperament! A restrained, suppressed fury! That sensation felt like an imminent volcanic eruption, giving the woman a slight jolt of surprise. Truly, an illustrious reputation was never unwarranted! This Yuan Shuo was formidable. As she observed, Yuan Shuo suddenly glanced toward her, his brow slightly furrowing. His eyes held a chill, sharp as sword glints, as he looked at the woman, then turned to Hao Lianchuan: "Tell your people not to use any spying methods on me, or if I lose my temper, you won't be able to handle the fallout!" Hao Lianchuan froze. Had someone done that? He glanced back, spotted nothing, and frowned. "Don't probe recklessly! That's extremely rude. Mind your manners, all of you!" He had given instructions before coming. Had someone investigated Yuan Shuo? He hadn't felt any supernatural fluctuations. Was old man Yuan picking a fight on purpose? Quite likely! He felt somewhat annoyed. A few words from me, and you're already impatient. Relying on your advanced age, your breakthrough to Thousand-Battler, and having killed a Three Sols, you truly don't put me in your eyes anymore. "You are not permitted to fight tomorrow!" Tossing out those words, he walked off in irritation. Not permitted, no matter what! Yuan Shuo glanced at his back and laughed, whispering to Liu Long, "Did Hao Lianchuan forget? I'm not actually a Night Watcher." "..." Liu Long had no words. The others around them heard this too; their expressions tightened, some wanting to laugh, others growing irritated. Hao Lianchuan heard it as well, completely speechless. He didn't bother replying. He had indeed forgotten; only now did he remember that this old bastard wasn't a Night Watcher. Right, his student was! Hao Lianchuan cursed inwardly once more. Tonight, I'll have a talk with your student. If you don't listen, I'll have your student sent packing home! Besides, he needed Li Hao to talk some sense into him. What was the rush to throw his life away?