"I believe you, and I thank you for your restraint, sir," the Martial Arts Alliance Leader bowed sincerely. The opponent's martial arts were far superior to his own. Had he intended to kill today, he would have been doomed. Clearly, the opponent merely wished to spar and had no intention of taking his life.
After this battle, his previously floating heart settled, and he resolved to diligently study martial arts upon returning home. Truly, there was no end to learning.
The leader of the Lianshan Sect had been awaiting news of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Wu Caiwei, and Shangguan Ke all being defeated. Instead, what he received was a pronouncement from the Alliance Leader that the secret manual was not in the possession of the latter two. The rumors, he stated, stemmed from the Shangguan family's attempt to deal with them, but lacking a direct method, they sought to use the martial artists to eliminate their rivals.
The martial world erupted in an uproar. The Lianshan Sect leader was the first to voice his displeasure. "Clearly, my disciples said their moves bore some resemblance to the rumors. How is it that after only one visit, the Alliance Leader has changed his mind? Or is it that the secret manual has already fallen into your hands?"
Everyone immediately craned their necks to look at the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. The moment they heard the news, they had rushed here overnight, eager for an explanation.
"To tell you the truth, I did seek them out, and I did exchange blows with them. I know nothing else, except that their martial arts are far superior to mine. Never mind if the manual isn't with them; even if it were, who among you could defeat them?" the Alliance Leader said with a solemn expression.
After a moment's thought, he continued, "Speaking of which, I wanted to ask the Lianshan Sect leader. Clearly, they stated that the secret manual is not with them, and their moves have no relation to the rumors of the martial arts manual. How is it that in your words, it has become this way?"
"What can you say about it? Whoever gets it will never admit it. Furthermore, the one who fought with them was my disciple. So many people, so many eyes, I believe they saw correctly. Conversely, you yourself made a trip, and your attitude has done a complete 180-degree turn, which inevitably makes one suspicious," the Lianshan Sect leader retorted without any sign of guilt.
"You all think I've colluded with them, don't you? In reality, I am concerned for your lives. If you're not afraid of death, then by all means, go find them. I'll say this now: Shangguan Ke's martial arts are far beyond mine. As for Wu Caiwei's prowess, I believe the Lianshan Sect leader knows best, considering his daughter, after clashing with her, has yet to awaken. I heard she couldn't even last a single round against that woman," the Martial Arts Alliance Leader said sarcastically, looking at them.
In any case, they were all superficially amicable but inwardly at odds, merely going through the motions. Since they were so eager to court death, why should he stop them?
The moment his words fell, all eyes turned to the Lianshan Sect leader. He wanted to refute the Alliance Leader's words, but he also feared that if they truly confronted those two and discovered their strength was as he described, they would turn their anger towards him, which would be a loss not worth the gain.
Seeing that the Lianshan Sect leader remained silent for a long time, the crowd realized that what the leader had said was likely the truth. Their hearts sank by half. Those who had traveled great distances immediately began to curse, "Which son of a bitch lied to me? I'll make him pay the price he deserves for making me sleep out in the open and travel day and night, fearing others would get there first, only for it to be a wild goose chase."
Normally, they all prided themselves on being righteous individuals of the martial world and disdained such vulgar language. However, at this moment, they found the man's curses quite cathartic, as if he were their mouthpiece.
"Are their martial arts truly that formidable?" The Sect Leader of the Nanshan Sect, a white-haired elder with a compassionate heart, focused his attention on the martial prowess of the two individuals.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leader nodded affirmatively and reassured him, "Esteemed elder, you need not worry. Those two are upright individuals. They are merely merchants who keep a low profile. As long as our people do not provoke them, they will not actively stir up trouble in the martial world."
The elder stroked his white beard and breathed a sigh of relief. "That is the best outcome. The new generation will always surpass the old. The martial world will be the domain of you young people in the future. I am old now and my strength is insufficient. In any case, let us all strive for peaceful coexistence. Mutual slaughter benefits no one."
The crowd remained silent, understanding the elder's underlying meaning.
The Lianshan Sect leader remained silent for a while, then slowly stood up, staring intently at the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. He said dismissively, "When we fought before, you narrowly won. So many years have passed, and I have always harbored resentment about that match. Today, with everyone present, let us spar again. Perhaps I shall become the Alliance Leader."
Before the Martial Arts Alliance Leader could speak, others involuntarily frowned. Although there was a rule in the martial world that the one with superior martial arts became the leader, no one had ever issued such a direct challenge. Usually, a more circuitous approach was taken: first, persuade several sects with one's strength, have those sects jointly propose it, then convene everyone to discuss a date for the competition. His method was unheard of.
Compared to the anger of the others, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader was indifferent. After all, for so many years, the other's jealousy had been evident. Although his martial arts were inferior to Shangguan Ke and Wu Caiwei, dealing with the Lianshan Sect leader was more than sufficient. If he were to lose, he would have no complaints, as it would simply mean he was outmatched.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leader slowly stood up, quelled the commotion, and calmly stated, "I accept your challenge."
Since the involved parties had no objections, the others had no right to speak. Their attitude immediately shifted, and they watched with keen interest. The martial world had been relatively peaceful for many years, with only occasional minor skirmishes. They had not witnessed a contest between masters for a long time and were eager to witness it today.
The two men moved to a flat area not far away and grappled. To be precise, the Lianshan Sect leader initiated the attack, having harbored his displeasure for a long time. Who could resist such an opportunity to strike openly?
Masters were indeed masters. The moment they began, it was a dazzling display that captivated the onlookers. Initially, some disciples tried to learn a move or two, but soon realized their naivety; their eyes simply couldn't keep up. In the end, they could only discern the shadows of the two. Even so, they could tell that the Lianshan Sect leader was consistently at a disadvantage.
Some of the newer disciples had not experienced the great battles of previous years. They had only heard that the martial arts of the two were comparable, and after fighting for two days and two nights, the younger Martial Arts Alliance Leader, with his superior stamina, had emerged victorious. Thus, the Lianshan Sect leader had always felt the victory was undeserved. Today's battle clearly showed that the Martial Arts Alliance Leader's martial arts had improved considerably.
This also brought to light another issue: even with this level of skill, the Alliance Leader still claimed his martial arts were far inferior to those two individuals. The terrifying extent of their prowess was beyond their comprehension.