Chapter 135: Blade Drawn Without Regret

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Blade Drawn Without Regret

In the Hidden Skills Pavilion, the mingled scent of sandalwood and old paper hung silently in the air.

The smile on Qin Mingqian’s face froze, then cracked.

He clearly hadn’t expected Chen Yue to refuse so bluntly, using the almost perfunctory excuse of being busy with his cultivation.

After a moment of stiffness, the smile was forced back onto Qin Mingqian’s face, though a subtle twitch at the corner of his eye betrayed his inner displeasure.

He cupped his fists, his deliberately maintained friendliness now ringing hollow.

"Fine. In that case, we’ll wait for a day when Junior Brother Chen is free."

With that, Qin Mingqian stopped looking at Chen Yue. He gave a signal to the side and led the men behind him away from the area. Yet no matter how you looked at it, his retreating figure radiated suppressed fury.

Lin Junshi’s gaze locked back onto Chen Yue, and some of the gloominess on his face dissipated.

"I have to say, I’m starting to admire you, Chen Yue."

Lin Junshi’s voice echoed in the quiet Hidden Skills Pavilion. "You’re arrogant! But you certainly have the right to be!"

Chen Yue met Lin Junshi’s gaze, his own eyes perfectly calm. "If you have something to say, Senior Brother Lin, just say it."

"It’s simple."

Lin Junshi leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them, and lowered his voice.

"Join the Mutual Aid Association. The past enmity between you and Jiang Linkuo’s pair will be wiped clean. Once you’re in, I can personally see to it that the brothers in the association do their best to support you with resources."

"With your Talent and the support of the Mutual Aid Association, I guarantee your strength will increase much faster than it is now. What do you say?"

His words were full of temptation, but they also carried an implicit ultimatum.

Accept, and all past grievances would be forgotten. Refuse, and it would mean true opposition.

Chen Yue looked at Lin Junshi, his face showing no sign of temptation or hesitation. He simply shook his head slowly.

"I appreciate your good intentions, Senior Brother Lin. But our paths are different; we cannot walk together. If you’re willing, let’s consider the matter on the Life and Death Platform as the end of our grievances. From now on, we can keep to ourselves and focus on our own cultivation."

"Keep to ourselves?"

Hearing this, Lin Junshi’s eyes narrowed to slits, a cold light flashing within them. The last trace of his feigned cordiality vanished completely.

"You’re impossibly arrogant! I’m offering you a way out, and you refuse to take it!"

A dangerous aura suddenly erupted from Lin Junshi. No longer bothering to restrain the pressure of his Refining Organ Realm cultivation, he unleashed it upon Chen Yue like a tidal wave. Several nearby disciples felt their breath catch in their throats and subconsciously took a few steps back.

Chen Yue stood perfectly still. The Qi Blood in his body simply circulated naturally, neutralizing the oppressive force before it could affect him.

His foundation was so solid that such a casual display of pressure was no longer enough to shake his resolve.

Seeing that his pressure had no effect, Lin Junshi’s anger flared even hotter. But this was the Hidden Skills Pavilion, after all. Forcibly suppressing the urge to strike, he stared at Chen Yue and said, word by word:

"Then have a fair fight with Junior Brother Cheng. If you win, all our grievances will be wiped clean. If you lose..."

He didn’t need to finish. Losing meant death.

Chen Yue looked at Lin Junshi, then glanced at the expressionless Cheng Fengjun standing to the side.

The corner of his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply turned to leave the Hidden Skills Pavilion.

But after only two steps, he seemed to remember something. He stopped, turned, and walked back to the On-Duty Disciple, who had been staring at the floor, pretending he didn’t exist.

"Excuse me, Senior Brother,"

Chen Yue’s tone was perfectly calm, as if the tense, sword-drawn confrontation had never happened. "Excuse me, which section holds the Sect’s Saber Technique Manuals?"

The On-Duty Disciple started, then looked up at Chen Yue as if he were some kind of monster.

’At a time like this? After completely turning against the Mutual Aid Association, this Junior Brother Chen still has the presence of mind to look for a Saber Technique Manual?’

’Is he just that unflappable, or does he simply not see Lin Junshi and Cheng Fengjun as a threat at all?’

He opened his mouth, then pointed toward a direction deep within the Library Pavilion. "Weapon-type Cultivation Technique Manuals are over there, in Area A. Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds are all on separate shelves."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Chen Yue thanked him politely and, under Lin Junshi’s baleful gaze, calmly walked toward Area A.

Chen Yue had, in fact, been wanting to find a stronger Saber Technique. The Furious Wave Saber Technique he’d learned in Youlin County was, after all, of a rather low tier.

Its moves were relatively simple, and its power-generation techniques were rather crude.

It was fine in Youlin County, but here in the Panshi Sect, if he were to duel someone with a saber, his technique held almost no secrets. He was relying purely on the formidable Physique and abundant Qi Blood granted by his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield and Vast Heart Rock Skill to overwhelm opponents with brute force.

There was nothing wrong with overwhelming opponents with force; the idea that brute strength could overcome all skill was a valid path.

But if he could combine his advantage in strength with a more refined and incisive Saber Technique, applying every ounce of power in the most optimal way, wouldn’t that be even better?

He needed a Saber Technique that could channel the properties of his Qi Blood and bring out the ferocious power of his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield.

Lin Junshi took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled it.

Here in the Panshi Sect, inside the Hidden Skills Pavilion, there was nothing he could do.

The Panshi Sect was a tangled web of minor factions, but truly forcing a disciple into a corner was exceedingly difficult—unless it was done outside the Sect’s grounds.

And with someone like Chen Yue, who was impervious to both threats and enticements, unafraid and uninterested in petty gains, it was nearly impossible to find a weakness. For a moment, Lin Junshi felt the frustrating helplessness of having no angle of attack.

The only way was for Cheng Fengjun to kill him in a Life and Death Decision!

But Chen Yue simply wouldn’t accept the challenge.

Cheng Fengjun also watched Chen Yue’s back disappear between the bookshelves, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly.

’He suddenly felt that this Chen Yue was quite a character.’

His composure under such immense pressure was truly unusual. But admiration was one thing; their positions were ultimately different.

’But if their positions were reversed, if he were Chen Yue, what would he choose?’

’He would join the Mutual Aid Association!’

’It was all benefit and no cost.’

’As for whether the Mutual Aid Association exploited other ordinary disciples or acted tyrannically... what did that matter?’

’The cultivation world was, by its very nature, a place where the strong preyed on the weak. The strong controlled the resources, while the weak either clung to the strong or struggled on their own. That was the natural order of things!’

’Joining them and becoming a beneficiary was far wiser than standing on the outside as some tragic challenger.’

’In his eyes, Chen Yue’s persistence certainly showed some backbone, but it was mostly the foolishness and naivety of someone who couldn’t read the situation.’

"Senior Brother Lin,"

Cheng Fengjun withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Junshi, whose expression was still grim. "It seems he’s made up his mind not to accept," he said, his voice flat. "What’s our next move?"

Chen Yue arrived before a heavy wooden shelf labeled "Saber Techniques." The shelf was crafted from some kind of dark, dense wood and gave off the faint, musty scent of age.

Barely visible dust motes danced in the air, drifting slowly through the few beams of sunlight slanting in from a high window.

Chen Yue casually pulled a manual from the shelf. The cover had four words written on it: Wave-Breaking Saber Technique.

He opened the yellowed pages. Inside were only a few leaves, recording the Technique’s general outline, its characteristics, a rough description of its power, and a brief summary of its core moves.

The actual Cultivation Technique had to be redeemed for a transcribed copy using Contribution Points. This outline was just to let disciples understand the general nature of the technique and whether it was a good fit for them.

Chen Yue’s eyes swept over the text. The Wave-Breaking Saber Technique drew its inspiration from the endless, relentless ocean waves. Its Saber Momentum focused on a layered, advancing assault, making it suitable for a battle of attrition, but it lacked instantaneous explosive power.

He returned the Wave-Breaking Saber Technique to its place and picked up the manual next to it: Light-Splitting Shadow-Stealing Saber.

This Saber Technique excelled in speed. Its strikes were like splitting light into fleeting shadows, making them difficult to track. It pursued the ultimate in swiftness and unpredictability.

Chen Yue returned the Secret Manual. Speed was good, of course, but his advantage lay in the terrifying power granted by the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield. To abandon his greatest strength in pursuit of pure speed would be to neglect the root for the branches.

In this way, Chen Yue flipped through the manuals quickly. He often needed only to read the outline and core principles to deduce a Saber Technique’s style and its compatibility with him.

Overlapping Waves Nine Slashes emphasized building up power for an explosive burst, each slash stronger than the last, but its wind-up was too long.

Blazing Fire Saber required a compatible Fire Attribute Cultivation Technique or a special Heart Method to unleash its true power.

No Return Saber was all offense, no defense—a blade that, once drawn, offered no retreat. It was excellent, but it didn’t suit Chen Yue’s current mindset of seeking stability before victory.

Silk-Winding Saber was subtle and deceptive, using finesse to overcome power, which was also not to his liking...

In less than an hour, Chen Yue had already skimmed through the outlines of no fewer than fifteen Saber Technique manuals.

Any one of these Saber Technique Manuals would be considered a clan-defining treasure in a place like Youlin County. Their sophistication and profundity were far beyond what the Furious Wave Saber Technique could offer.

If he had enough Contribution Points, he could have redeemed all of them. Then, with his special fusion ability, he could absorb the essence of each, discard the dross, and forge them into his own unique Saber Technique.

But as it was, his Contribution Points were stretched thin.

Although refining the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill was profitable, the costs were also high. He also needed to redeem other Elixirs to aid his cultivation, like the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pill. His Contribution Points simply couldn’t withstand any extravagant spending.

Chen Yue placed a manual called Blade Condensing Technique, which described how to condense Saber Qi into silk-like threads, back on the shelf. His finger traced the spines of the other books as he wondered if he should check another section.

His gaze drifted to the top shelf, where one Secret Manual was pushed further back than the others. The writing on its spine looked slightly antiquated.

A flicker of interest stirred in Chen Yue, and he reached up to take it down.

The writing on the cover wasn’t ink but was branded into the leather, the strokes powerful and carrying a sharp aura. They formed three words: Hidden Blade Technique.

"That’s a good one."

A calm voice suddenly spoke up beside Chen Yue. It wasn’t loud, but it was perfectly clear.

Chen Yue’s expression didn’t change as he turned his head.

A young man stood beside him, though Chen Yue hadn’t noticed him arrive. He looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with handsome features and a scholarly air about him. He was looking with great interest at the Hidden Blade Technique in Chen Yue’s hands.

The young man wore a standard Inner Sect Disciple’s Robe, but his aura was deep and steady. Standing there, he seemed to blend into the surrounding light and shadow.

’Refining Organ Realm!’ Chen Yue thought. ’And not a newcomer to it, either.’