Rebirth of The Strongest Swordsman

Chapter 5

Lin Feng calculated the speed of the iron tip, tracking the trajectory of Zhao's shoulder joint and the slight turn of his right hip.

When the spear point reached within three inches of his kneecap, Lin Feng pivoted his lower torso to the right by two inches. The iron tip whished past his tunic, cutting harmlessly through empty air.

In the same fraction of a second, Lin Feng swung the thirty-five-pound black iron sword down off his shoulder, driving the broad flat of the blade directly into the side of Zhao's extended spear shaft.

BOOM!

The massive kinetic impact shattered the wooden core of the iron spear into splinters. The physical shockwave traveled up the shaft, snapping Captain Zhao's wrist bone with a loud crack.

Captain Zhao screamed, dropping his shattered weapon as he stumbled backward on the stone floor.

Captains Sun and Li rushed forward simultaneously, thrusting their spears in a dual cross-pattern aimed at Lin Feng's neck and chest.

Lin Feng stepped inside their weapon reach, advancing exactly twenty-four inches into their blind spot. He rotated the hilt of his black iron sword, driving the solid iron pommel into Captain Sun's solar plexus, while extending his left index and middle fingers into the nerve junction below Captain Li's collarbone.

THWACK! CRACK!

Captain Sun gasped as all oxygen was expelled from his lungs, his body folding in half before hitting the stone floor. Captain Li's entire left side went completely numb as his nerve cluster collapsed, forcing his body to collapse sideways into the dirt.

Captain Qian, the final guard, froze three feet away, his hands trembling violently as he held his spear mid-air. He looked at his three fallen comrades, then back at Lin Feng, whose dark eyes remained completely calm and unhurried.

"Drop the spear," Lin Feng ordered coldly.

Captain Qian released his grip instantly, letting the iron weapon rattle uselessly against the stone pavers before scrambling back into the crowd.

The surrounding five hundred servants stared in absolute disbelief. Whispers erupted across the square as low-ranking disciples pointed in shock at the four fallen captains.

"He has no Qi in his Dantian... How did he neutralize four First Layer cultivation guards in under four seconds?!" a young servant gasped.

"His movements are ridiculously precise... He didn't waste a single millimeter of movement!" an outer disciple murmured.

On the high platform, Elder Liu Tianba's face turned pale, his fingers gripping the marble railing until the stone cracked beneath his palm.

"Useless fools!" Liu Tianba screamed, his voice shaking with anger. "He is using mundane martial leverage! I will personally crush your skull, you arrogant cripple!"

Liu Tianba raised his right hand, blue internal Qi swelling massively around his arm as he prepared to leap down from the four-foot platform.

"Hold," Supervisor Hu Lang said, his voice quiet yet carrying an undeniable pressure that halted Liu Tianba in his tracks.

Hu Lang stepped forward, his gold-trimmed red robes shifting softly in the morning breeze. He looked down at Lin Feng, his amber eyes scanning Lin Feng's limbs, posture, and empty Dantian with calculating scrutiny.

"You possess no internal Qi within your lower meridian," Hu Lang observed, his voice echoing clearly across the quiet square. "Yet your skeletal structure aligns perfectly with high-tier martial precision. Who taught you these body mechanics?"

"You are not worthy to hear his name," Lin Feng replied, meeting Hu Lang's gaze directly without shifting his posture.

Hu Lang's eyes narrowed slightly. He raised his right hand and subtly released his Fourth Layer Sword Meridian spiritual pressure, directing a crushing weight of aura straight toward Lin Feng's shoulders.

The invisible pressure hit the air like a heavy hammer, causing the surrounding stone pavers to hairline-crack. The servants standing ten feet behind Lin Feng dropped to their knees, groaning in agony as the oppressive aura pressed against their chests.

Lin Feng felt the crushing weight descend upon his upper torso. Instead of resisting with non-existent Dantian energy, he channeled the single silver thread of Divine Sword Qi from his newly opened second spinal node straight down his spinal column, grounding the kinetic pressure directly through his hips and heels into the stone floor.

BANG!

The two stone pavers beneath Lin Feng's leather boots shattered into fine powder, yet his spine remained straight as a steel lance. His head did not bow by even a fraction of an inch.

Hu Lang's eyes widened in genuine surprise. 'He stood completely firm under my Fourth Layer spiritual aura without using internal Qi?' Hu Lang thought internally, his suspicion deepening.

"Elder Liu," Hu Lang said, turning his head slightly toward the trembling administrator. "This boy is making allegations regarding land transfer rights. What is the nature of your dispute with him?"

Lin Feng did not wait for Liu Tianba to formulate a lie. He raised his voice, allowing his tone to penetrate every corner of the crowded square.

"Elder Liu Tianba has embezzled nine hundred Low-Grade Qi Stones from the servant division over the past twelve months," Lin Feng declared clearly. "Every servant in this square is entitled to one Low-Grade Qi Stone per month. Liu Tianba steals these resources to fund his personal cultivation pills and bribes the Canglan Sect to secure his administrative transfer!"

The entire square erupted into chaos. Over five hundred servants shouted in outrage, their long-suppressed grievances bursting forth as the exact numbers were laid bare in public.

"Nine hundred Qi Stones?!" a senior servant roared, clenching his bruised fists. "No wonder our monthly distribution was cut to copper coins!"

"He is selling our land to cover his own corruption!" another shouted from the back.

Elder Liu Tianba panicked, pointing wildly at Lin Feng. "Lies! Slander! He is a traitor spreading chaos to sabotage the sect!" Liu Tianba yelled desperately.

Hu Lang held up his hand, silencing the roaring crowd with a sharp flick of his wrist. He looked down at Lin Feng with a cold, calculating smile.

"Regardless of internal financial disputes, the Fallen Sword Valley transfer agreement is backed by the authority of the Canglan Sect. However, since you claim rights under the Founding Ancestor's decree, there is a legal method to settle this."

Hu Lang pointed his long finger toward the large wooden board situated at the edge of the square, where the roster for the annual Servant Elevation Assessment was posted.

Hu Lang said. "In three days, the Servant Elevation Assessment takes place on this very stage. If you wish to overturn Elder Liu's administrative decisions, you must enter the assessment ring as an unranked challenger."

Hu Lang paused, his amber eyes glinting with malice. "The assessment for challengers is a life-and-death ring. You will fight three Outer Disciples chosen by the Canglan Sect consecutively. If you survive, your claims will be heard by the Grand Council. If you die, your body will be thrown into the rear mountain ravine."

"Supervisor Hu!" Liu Tianba whispered hurriedly beside him. "Why give this trash a chance on stage?!"

"Silence," Hu Lang snapped in a low voice. "Killing him here in front of five hundred rioting servants will cause an immediate uprising before our transfer contract is signed. Let him die legally on the stage in three days. It will crush the morale of these servants permanently."

Liu Tianba swallowed hard, then turned toward Lin Feng with a vicious sneer. "Do you hear that, cripple?! In three days, you will be torn to pieces on that stage!"

Lin Feng raised his black iron sword, resting the thirty-five-pound blade back onto his right shoulder. He looked at Hu Lang and Liu Tianba with absolute calm.

Lin Feng said. "Three days. Prepare three coffins for your chosen disciples, Liu Tianba. And make sure you bring the nine hundred Qi Stones you owe to the square!"