Chapter 400 399: Xu Jishan's Whereabouts

Mu Tianran let out a loud laugh, completely unfazed by Chen Dingshan's accusation, and said coldly,

"This entire hall is filled with useless trash. Why shouldn't I be here?"

Chen Dingshan's anger flared. He couldn't believe it—the martial arts hall he had run for so many years was being utterly disrespected by some young punk.

Mu Tianran ignored Chen Dingshan and began to curse loudly,

"Whoever healed Yuan Zhen, stand up and show yourself! Or else, you die!"

Mu Tianran's arrogance was off the charts. Mu Lin calmly stepped forward.

"I'm the one who healed him. What are you going to do about it?"

He spoke with absolute confidence. This Mu Tianran was nothing to be alarmed about.

His strength and skill were far from a level that required any caution.

'Still, seeing him like this... it's a bit of a shame.'

Mu Tianran glanced at Mu Lin. Sensing no oppressive presence from him, he decided Mu Lin couldn't be anyone important.

'In that case, I can strike without hesitation.'

Mu Tianran raised his hand and struck out at Mu Lin.

A powerful surge of Qi locked onto Mu Lin, immobilizing him.

"So it even has that little trick. Interesting," Mu Lin said with a cold smile, his eyes narrowing.

Mu Tianran lunged at Mu Lin. His speed drained the color from the onlookers' faces; they had absolutely no courage to fight back.

Mu Lin, however, looked completely unfazed, as if this was nothing he couldn't handle.

'Mu Tianran was ecstatic. Mu Lin hadn't even reacted. This single palm strike would be enough to send him to his grave.'

'He'd originally thought that for someone putting on such a big act, Mu Lin must be a formidable character he'd have to make an effort to deal with.'

'But no. It seemed this story was over before it even began.'

'Good. No need to waste any more time. The longer a mission like this drags on, the higher the chance of something going wrong.'

THUD!

Mu Tianran's palm landed squarely on Mu Lin's body, making a sound that was anything but small.

But everyone was stunned. Mu Lin hadn't moved an inch. It was terrifying.

'Chen Dingshan was terrified. Even as a Grandmaster, Mu Lin should have been injured! How could he be completely motionless?'

Mu Tianran gasped, clutching his wrist in astonishment. "What the hell? How is his body so hard!"

His technique was called the Bone-Shattering Palm, a signature art of the Celestial Dragon Temple. He had once killed a Martial Arts Master with a single strike, so he knew its power all too well.

'But how could it have no effect at all when it landed on Mu Lin?'

Instead, it was like dropping a huge boulder into the water without making a single splash.

Mu Lin said calmly, "Your skill isn't bad. With that move alone, you could defeat many people. Killing opponents one or two realms above you wouldn't be a problem."

"However, compared to me, you're pathetic. This isn't something you can pull off," Mu Lin said slowly. "You were doomed to lose from the start. Your only mistake was picking the wrong opponent."

Mu Tianran suddenly panicked. He knew he had just messed with the wrong person.

Without a second thought, he turned to flee.

But how could Mu Lin possibly let him escape? With a slight tremor of his body, a powerful stream of Qi Force surged from Mu Lin through Mu Tianran's hand.

Mu Tianran felt this boundless power surge up his arm and throughout his entire body. Pain erupted everywhere, as if he were being torn limb from limb. The agony was unbearable.

His meridians suffered grievous damage.

A sweet, coppery taste filled Mu Tianran's throat before he violently spewed a mouthful of blood. His body was sent flying backward, slamming into a wall.

He slid down slowly, like a smear of wet clay plastered against the wall.

His eyes bulged as he pointed a trembling finger at Mu Lin, his mind racing. Things weren't supposed to go this way. The world was far more complicated than he'd imagined.

Everything had to be considered in the long run.

"You, you..." Mu Lin said.

"A promising kid. If you had a brain and weren't so arrogant, and if you had just worked hard for a bit longer, you might have even stumbled upon a great destiny."

Mu Tianran was stunned. His mouth hung open as he forced out the words, "You... You're a Martial Arts Grandmaster?!"

Mu Lin just smiled, not answering directly.

But an answer wasn't necessary. Mu Tianran had already succumbed to his injuries and passed out.

Saying anything more would be a waste of breath.

Yuan Kun was dumbfounded. He knew Mu Lin was strong back at the bar, but he never imagined he was *this* strong.

He had knocked out Mu Tianran in a single exchange. Mu Tianran, who had single-handedly injured everyone in the Chen Martial Arts Hall. Didn't that mean Mu Lin was far, far stronger than everyone in the Chen Martial Arts Hall?

Stronger than all of them combined?

'How freaking incredible is that? I wonder if He Zheng knows?'

As He Zheng's drinking buddy and close friend, he felt he ought to help a friend out.

The disciples, who had only been lightly injured and were now recovering, were in utter shock. Mu Tianran had single-handedly swept through the entire Chen Martial Arts Hall, not even sparing Chen Dingshan.

Yet this same Mu Tianran had been defeated so effortlessly by Mu Lin.

And Mu Lin was so young, probably around their age. That was just incredible.

For a moment, all the disciples were speechless. Who knew what would happen next?

They knew things couldn't go on like this; something had to be done.

Yuan Zhen leaned against Yuan Kun and whispered, "Bro, your friend is incredible!"

Yuan Kun chuckled. "Friend? I'm not worthy of being his friend. He's *my* big brother! From now on, you call him that, too."

Yuan Zhen said, "Then he's my grand-bro?"

"I don't care what you call him. Just be respectful to my big brother, you hear?"

Yuan Zhen nodded, though he didn't quite understand, momentarily at a loss for words.

Mu Lin turned his head, feeling as though he'd just overheard something rather awkward.

The movement startled Yuan Kun. "Mu Lin, you... what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mu Lin figured he must have misheard. He turned back, walked over to Mu Tianran, and struck him with a powerful surge of energy.

Mu Tianran's body convulsed, and he snapped awake.

He was battered and bruised, completely drained of energy.

Mu Lin's face was stern as he looked at the man who, for all he knew, could have been a distant kinsman from centuries ago.

"Why did you target Yuan Zhen? Out of everyone in the Chen Martial Arts Hall, he was the one you beat the most viciously. You were trying to kill him. On whose authority?"

Mu Tianran looked defiant. "Are you an idiot? Why would I tell you?"

Mu Lin slapped him.

A bruise formed on Mu Tianran's cheek, and his eyes glinted with venom. Stunned that Mu Lin had dared to strike him, he pursed his lips and snarled,

"You just wait! My master will avenge me!"

Mu Lin laughed coldly. "Your master is coming for revenge? Perfect. I was just wondering how I'd find him."

"But I doubt a cowardly old bastard like him would show his face personally, or he wouldn't have sent you to do his bidding. Rather than kill you to lure him out, I might as well just get the information from you directly."

"In your dreams! Even if I die, I'll never..."

But Mu Lin instantly seized control of his mind. Mu Tianran's expression went slack, his eyes vacant. He had no idea what was about to happen.

Mu Lin said, "I'll ask you again. Why did you target Yuan Zhen?"

Mu Tianran replied slowly, "It was an order from my master, Master Mingjue. He said Yuan Zhen witnessed something he shouldn't have and must be silenced."

Mu Lin's gaze sharpened. "What did he see?"

"I don't know."

"Then why didn't you kill him on the spot? You'd already beaten him half to death."

Yuan Zhen shuddered at those words. Even though Mu Lin's treatment had healed him, he vividly remembered the feeling of being crippled.

He felt a deep-seated hatred for Mu Tianran, wishing he could beat the man to a pulp himself.

Unfortunately, he wasn't skilled enough. Otherwise, he would have already taken matters into his own hands.

"Yuan Zhen's social connections are too simple. He has no enemies, and no ties to me. Killing him directly would attract unwanted attention. So, I chose to injure him first, then kill him secretly while he was in the hospital."

Hearing this, Yuan Kun clenched his fists in fury.