The Martial Emperor

Chapter 6 - New Strength

Lin Feng and Zhang Hao’s footsteps sounded heavy as they trod upon the stone stairs leading to the main gate of the Cloud Sword Sect. Their blue robes, which were once neat, were now tattered, covered in dried bloodstains and black mud from the bottom of the abyss.

The wounds on their bodies had indeed closed, but the remnants of the battle in Black Bone Valley still lingered clearly on their haggard faces.

As soon as they passed through the gate, the eyes of the outer disciples began to fixate on them. It did not take long before whispers filled with mockery started to creep through the crowd.

To them, Lin Feng and Zhang Hao remained two pieces of trash who had somehow lucked into the title of inner disciples a month ago.

"Look at that, our hero has returned!" shouted a stout disciple while laughing boisterously. "It looks like their first mission was a grand success... a success at becoming monster snacks to end up looking that ragged!"

Zhang Hao gritted his teeth, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. He nearly stepped forward to retaliate against the insult, but Lin Feng held his shoulder.

Lin Feng’s gaze was flat, as if those discordant voices were merely a meaningless gust of wind. There was a new tranquility within him, a depth of emotion that now felt like the surface of a frozen lake.

"Do not waste your energy barking back at dogs, Hao," Lin Feng said in a low but sharp voice. "Let them laugh for now. We stand tall not because of our appearance, but because of what we carry."

The two continued to walk with straight backs, ignoring the laughter that grew louder behind them.

The Mission Reception Hall was a magnificent building with stone pillars carved into the shapes of swords thrusting toward the sky. Inside, the atmosphere felt more formal and quiet.

Behind a long table made of high-quality wood, a middle-aged man with a thin mustache and sleepy eyes appeared to be checking several scrolls. He was Elder Han, the mission manager for inner disciples.

Lin Feng moved to the front of the table and placed a cloth bundle upon the polished wooden surface. "Lin Feng and Zhang Hao, reporting the completion of the mission to retrieve the Blood Moon Flower in Black Bone Valley," he said in a calm yet emphasized tone.

Elder Han raised his eyebrows, looking slightly surprised to see Lin Feng return in such a state. With slow movements, he opened the cloth bundle. Instantly, a sweet fishy aroma and a somewhat dense Qi energy wafted through the air.

Inside the cloth, a flower with bright red petals, as if it had just been plucked from a pool of fresh blood, lay gracefully.

"Blood Moon Flower...," Elder Han muttered. He picked up the flower and inspected it closely. "Judging by the quality of the energy, this grew in a very special place. You truly managed to reach it?"

"We were just lucky, Elder," Lin Feng answered briefly, not wishing to disclose details about the cliff crevice or the vision of the Martial Emperor.

Elder Han nodded slightly. Although the Blood Moon Flower was not an extremely rare item for a sect as large as the Cloud Sword, for disciples who had just risen to the Marrow Refinement realm, obtaining it in a dangerous place like Black Bone Valley was an achievement worth considering.

"Very well, the mission is considered complete," Elder Han said while taking two small pouches containing spiritual stones. "This is your payment. Two hundred low-level spiritual stones for each of you. Use them wisely to increase your cultivation."

As Lin Feng’s fingers touched the stone pouches, he felt a foreign sense of satisfaction. For two years he had been insulted and stripped of his resources by Dan Wuji, now he held the results of his own sweat and the gamble of his own life.

However, that happiness lasted only a moment. As soon as they turned to leave the hall, a large shadow blocked the exit.

"Where do you think you are going, Little Rats?"

The voice was heavy and full of a dismissive tone that was already very familiar to Lin Feng’s ears. At the threshold, Dan Wuji stood with arms crossed, accompanied by three loyal followers who were always ready to lick his boots at every step.

Dan Wuji’s ruthless eyes immediately fixed on the scar on Lin Feng’s left eye, then shifted to the pouches of spiritual stones still clutched in the youth’s hands.

"I heard you brought back trash from that valley," Dan Wuji mocked while stepping forward, forcing other disciples who were waiting in line to move aside. "Look at yourselves. A fishy stench, torn clothes... you look more like beggars than inner disciples. Wouldn't it be better if you handed those stones over to me as a protection f*e?"

Zhang Hao took a step forward, his face flushed red. "Dan Wuji, you have gone too far! We earned this with our lives. Get out of our way!"

Dan Wuji laughed boisterously, a laugh followed by his three friends. "Your lives? The lives of trash like you are worth nothing at all! I am already at the fifth level of Marrow Refinement. You two won't even be able to touch the hem of my robes even if you attack together."

Lin Feng pulled Zhang Hao behind him. He looked Dan Wuji straight in the eye, an act that would usually end with Lin Feng crawling on the ground.

But this time, Lin Feng felt no fear. Instead, he felt the flow of Qi within his body moving with extraordinary order, thanks to the filtering technique taught by the mysterious woman.

"Dan Wuji," Lin Feng’s voice sounded very calm, almost like a whisper. "For two years I remained silent while you stepped on me. But today, this path is mine. If you want these stones, take them from my hand if you are able."

Rage exploded on Dan Wuji’s face. "You are looking for death, Lin Feng! You three, beat him! Break his legs so he knows the correct way to crawl!"

The three followers of Dan Wuji, who were all at the third level of the Marrow Refinement realm, immediately rushed forward. They underestimated Lin Feng, thinking the youth was still weak even though he had leveled up. The first attack came from the left side, a powerful punch aiming for Lin Feng’s ribs.

However, with a slight shift of his feet, Lin Feng dodged. Without wasting time, he countered with a single thrust of his palm toward the opponent’s chest.

Thud!

The third-level Marrow Refinement disciple was thrown backward, hitting a wooden pillar with a loud sound before falling unconscious. The other two were stunned for a moment but then attacked together in a rage.

Lin Feng moved like water, he dodged, caught the wrist of one attacker, and used the opponent’s momentum to slam him toward the other attacker.

In just a matter of seconds, three disciples whose levels were above Lin Feng’s lay on the hall floor. Lin Feng himself stood still, his breath remaining steady. Within his mind, he was surprised. His strength at the second level of Marrow Refinement currently felt much denser and purer than the third level possessed by his opponents.

"What has happened to me? Why did it feel so easy?" Lin Feng’s mind wondered.

"What... how is it possible?!" Dan Wuji shouted, his face pale with shame and anger. "You used a forbidden technique! You cheated!"

"Forbidden technique?" Lin Feng smiled coldly. "This is the result of the life-gamble I mentioned, now it is your turn!"

Dan Wuji roared and lunged forward. As a fifth-level cultivator, his punch carried wind pressure strong enough to make the surrounding disciples back away. His fist was channeled with quite dense Qi, aiming for Lin Feng’s face.

Lin Feng crossed his arms, blocking the strike directly.

Boom!

A strong wind swirled between the two of them, blowing the dust off the hall floor. Everyone gasped. Lin Feng still stood in his place, although his feet sank slightly into the stone floor, he managed to withstand a full attack from someone whose level was three levels above him.

"Enough!"

A voice thundered from the direction of the entrance stairs. A youth in black robes with a scale emblem on his back appeared. He was Shang Hui, one of the disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall famous for his strictness.

"How dare you cause chaos in the Mission Reception Hall!" Shang Hui stared at the two of them sharply. "If you want to hit each other, do it at the Duel Square. This is not the place for you to squabble like children."

Dan Wuji pulled back his hand, his face still flushed with suppressed emotion. He spat at Lin Feng’s feet with pure hatred. "You are lucky today, Trash, but Shang Hui is right. In three days, at the Duel Square, I will show everyone that trash remains trash. Do you dare?"

Lin Feng wiped the dust off his sleeve. He turned toward Zhang Hao, who was looking at him with both admiration and concern. Lin Feng knew this was a risk he had to take if he wanted to stop being a doormat.

"Three days," Lin Feng answered calmly. "Prepare your coffin, Dan Wuji."

***

In a dark corner of the second floor of the Mission Reception Hall, a disciple appeared to be observing the whole incident from behind a curtain. Once the crowd dispersed, he immediately ran to a remote part of the sect’s rear territory.

Inside a room lit only by a few aromatic candles, an old man in grey robes sat with his back to the door. He was staring at an ancient map that was very fragile.

"Reporting, Elder," the disciple said while kneeling. "Lin Feng has returned from Black Bone Valley. He brought the Blood Moon Flower as you ordered in the mission."

The elder slowly turned his body. A smirking smile appeared on his wrinkled face, but his eyes emitted a glint of cunning intelligence.

"Second-level Marrow Refinement in three days, and able to withstand a fifth-level...," the elder muttered to himself. "It turns out to be true that he is the heir. That Yin-Yang body has finally awakened from its slumber."

He tapped his fingers against the wooden table. The mission to find the flower was actually just bait he had set to verify his suspicions about Lin Feng. He knew that only someone with a special bloodline or destiny could survive and thrive in that cursed place.

"Go to the Mission Reception Hall," he ordered in a cold tone. "Take the Blood Moon Flower that Lin Feng brought. Say it is for the benefit of the sect’s research."

The disciple nodded obediently and left immediately. The elder now stood, walking toward the window to look at the mountains and valleys in the distance.

"Martial Emperor... this world has been quiet for too long under the heels of those false gods," he whispered hoarsely. "Let us see if this 'seed' is strong enough to burn down the entire existing order."