Chapter 117: Contradiction

In the reception hall, a man around his thirties, dressed in a purple brocade robe, was casually surveying his surroundings. When he took a sip of the tea on the table, he frowned and shook his head, clearly very dissatisfied with the tea.

Beside him was an elderly Hante man with graying hair, tied into over a dozen braids. This old Hante wore only a thin garment, revealing his robust chest. He looked weathered and mighty, like an aged lion.

The purple-robed man leisurely asked, “Zhong Bo, what do you think?”

This purple-robed man was He Minghai, the second son of He Zizai, the master of Zizai Hall. The old Hante man he called Zhong Bo was their family servant. In his youth, this old Hante had been the bravest hunter in his tribe, but during a past battle, he was ambushed and left half-dead.

After He Zizai saved him, he faithfully served the He family. Because he risked his life multiple times to save He Zizai’s relatives, he was granted the He surname. He was given a Han name, He Zhong.

He had been by He Zizai’s side for decades. Under He Zizai’s guidance, his martial arts progressed rapidly, blending the authentic transmission martial arts of the Hante people and the Great Qi people. He combined the strengths of both schools. Although he never achieved the Grand Completion of Qi Training, and his martial arts declined in his old age with weakened vitality and diminished physical strength, he still possessed sharp insight and powerful instantaneous explosive power.

This time, He Minghai came south to Xinlu to establish a branch of Zizai Hall, so He Zizai sent He Zhong to assist him.

Hearing He Minghai’s question, He Zhong said, “In this old servant’s view, among the other martial halls, there are very few who have achieved success in martial arts training. They are not worth worrying about. However, Zuo Zhicheng from the Haoran Martial Hall is said to have the courage to face a hundred men alone. His master is known as the Xinlu Divine Fist. We should be cautious with them.”

It turned out that He Zhong not only practiced martial arts but also learned Dao Arts from an unusual person in his youth. Although his aptitude was poor, he never reached the Leakless state, did not understand the nature of things, and had no powerful Dao Arts for self-defense.

But he gained Spiritual Energy Vision, allowing him to gauge the depth of other martial artists.

This was the key reason He Zizai sent him to assist He Minghai.

Hearing He Zhong’s reply, He Minghai nodded. “Then we will rely on you, Zhong Bo.”

After they exchanged a few more words, Zuo Zhicheng arrived with A Fei and Zi Tianjun. Zuo Zhicheng waved his hand. “I have long heard of the great name of Zizai Hall. Truly, seeing it is better than hearing about it.”

“I have also long heard of Master Zuo’s martial arts. Going alone to a meeting to avenge your teacher—it makes me yearn with admiration.”

Both were superficially polite and complimentary, but Zuo Zhicheng and He Zhong were secretly observing each other’s strength.

‘Purple Innate Qi, covering all four limbs. The young proportion is 68%, the old proportion is 38%. This level… is not worth fearing.’

He Minghai’s strength was already above Blood Rakshasa’s. But considering Blood Rakshasa was only in her twenties, an ordinary member of the Dìyù Gate’s Soul-hooking Envoys, while he was in his thirties, the second young master of Zizai Hall. The depth of the two forces’ foundations could be clearly judged.

As for Zhong Bo, at his peak in youth, he was naturally stronger than now. But in his old age, with his body weakened, he was actually inferior to He Minghai beside him.

‘Innate Primordial Breath, emanating from both hands and the head. How strange. But those born with Innate Primordial Breath gathered in the head are indeed sharp-eyed, clear-eared, and have broad knowledge and strong memory. No wonder they say he has talent in martial arts.

But although this innate fire is vigorous, its quantity is too small. His strength is still insufficient. But this talent…’

Each made their own quiet assessment of the other’s strength. Of course, one had errors in judgment, the other did not—something neither was aware of. After superficial pleasantries and small talk, He Minghai proposed opening a martial hall and joining the Xinlu Martial Arts Association.

Zuo Zhicheng patiently explained the procedures and formalities. After a pleasant interaction between host and guest, He Minghai left with Zhong Bo.

Watching their retreating figures, Zuo Zhicheng narrowed his eyes. In the light circle displayed by his left eye, the two were initially yellow. But as the old servant left, a faint trace of red subtly blended into his yellow circle.

After seeing various people and animals over the past months, Zuo Zhicheng understood what this meant. It indicated that initially, the two held no hostility toward him, but the old man had developed a slight hint of hostility at the end.

However, there were many possibilities. It could be dissatisfaction with something Zuo Zhicheng said, a sudden bad mood, or simply disliking Zuo Zhicheng. So, for now, he didn’t take it to heart, merely adding them to the Sea Dragon Gang’s surveillance list.

If Zizai Hall was just here to open a martial hall, he welcomed it. But if they had any ill intentions, he would use thunderous means to eliminate them.

On the other side, after He Minghai left with Zhong Bo, he eagerly asked for the results. Zhong Bo naturally told He Minghai his assessment.

He concluded, “This young man has exceptional talent. The key is he hasn’t fully developed yet. If you can subdue him and make him your subordinate, it will definitely add wings to a tiger.”

He Minghai trusted Zhong Bo’s judgment greatly. After all, Zizai Hall had been open for decades, and Zhong Bo’s judgments had never been wrong. He began planning how to subdue Zuo Zhicheng and seize the position of the Martial Arts Association president. To him, this wasn’t difficult; it just required some careful planning to do it elegantly.

…

In the north, within an ice cave of a snow-covered mountain.

White Wraith was kneeling on the ground, shivering. Before her, a pale, bald old man in a red robe slowly opened his eyes.

As his eyes gradually opened, it seemed as if trails of fire spread from the depths of his pupils.

With just a simple glance, White Wraith felt her body grow hot, as if flames were born from the void, about to turn her to ashes. Yet, the surroundings showed no change; the ice and snow showed no signs of melting.

But under these circumstances, White Wraith’s body temperature began to rise. She could even see behind the red-robed old man, fiery dragons soaring into the sky, emitting soul-shaking roars.

The next moment, the flames vanished. White Wraith felt she had broken into a hot sweat. It seemed the earlier body-burning flames were just an illusion. But she knew that if the old man had exerted just a little more force, she would have been reduced to ashes in an instant.

“Congratulations, Master, on achieving the Great Dharma Body. Next year, you will surely reclaim the position of Dharma King.”

The red-robed old man said expressionlessly, “Achieving the Dharma Body is not that easy. But this time, through seclusion cultivation using the method of the ice-fire polarity and generating yang from the yin extreme, I have finally advanced a step further. I am now just one step away from achieving the Invisible Sunfire described in the Crimson Sun scripture.”

White Wraith knew that what the red-robed old man called achieving the Invisible Sunfire was what ordinary martial artists knew as the Dharma Body realm. Within the Dìyù Gate, the Dharma Body the old man cultivated was called the Dharmapala of Immeasurable Karmic Flames.

She then heard him ask, “Where is Rakshasa? I have emerged from seclusion; why hasn’t she come to greet me?”