Chapter 225 - 224: Li Qinghong
Chapter 225: Chapter 224: Li Qinghong
"Yes, Senior Brother! I’ll get it done right away!"
Song Xiang felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He quickly bowed in agreement and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Chu Feng suddenly called out to him again.
Song Xiang stopped in his tracks and looked back, confused.
Chu Feng’s eyes flickered. After a moment of thought, he said,
"Also, send word to the two True Inheritors, Zhao Wuji and Sun Mo. Tell them to pull back. We’re calling off the stakeout for now."
Song Xiang was stunned. "Senior Brother, recall True Inheritor Senior Brothers Zhao and Sun?" he asked reflexively. "But the thief..."
"The thief?"
Chu Feng’s recently suppressed anger flared up again.
"Zhang Yuan has spread the news far and wide. How could the thief possibly not know?"
"Knowing there’s an ambush, would the thief walk right into a trap? Continuing to lie in wait is just a waste of manpower and time. It’s completely meaningless!"
His tone was laced with unconcealable irritation as a vicious anger swelled within him.
This move by Zhang Yuan hadn’t just humiliated him; it had completely upended his plans, causing his entire operation against the thief to fall apart at the last second.
"Yes, I’ll send the message at once!"
A chill ran down Song Xiang’s spine, and he broke out in a cold sweat. "Yes, I’ll send the message at once!" he said hurriedly.
With that, he dared not linger a moment more. He rushed out of the study, feeling as if another second inside would have suffocated him.
Inside the study, only Chu Feng was left once again.
He slowly sank back into the Grandmaster’s Chair. Leaning back and closing his eyes, his face was a mask of gloom and frustration.
There had been no progress in finding the thief, only a massive expenditure of resources.
His attempt to suppress Fang Han had failed, instead allowing him to use the momentum to rise and on the verge of becoming a True Inheritor.
He was also losing his struggle against Zhang Yuan...
Nothing was going right. It felt as if an invisible net was slowly tightening around him, leaving him with a strange sense of suffocation.
...
「A day later, at noon, at the main gate of the Qingxuan Sect.」
A somewhat hurried, travel-worn figure sped into view. It was Li Qinghong, who had traveled day and night to return after receiving the summons.
He had lost all of his usual composure as a True Disciple. His expression was so dark it looked like storm clouds were about to burst.
His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were pursed into a thin line, holding back an explosive mixture of fury and regret.
He didn’t even bother to brush the dust from the Silver-Striped Cyan Robe that marked him as a True Inheritor.
He could never have imagined that by simply accepting Chu Feng’s invitation to stand guard outside the Sect for half a month, the rankings would be so completely overturned.
’My rank was actually surpassed by some kid who’s only been here a year!’
’If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have left the Sect for anything, not for Chu Feng’s promised rewards, not even for double the amount. I would have stayed here and focused on my cultivation.’
The preferential resources and superior status that came with being a True Inheritor were far more valuable than any external reward.
"It’s True Inheritor Senior Brother Li Qinghong!"
"He’s back, looks like he got the news!"
"He looks absolutely furious..."
Many disciples were coming and going at the main gate. They recognized Li Qinghong immediately and began to whisper among themselves, their gazes a mixture of emotions.
Li Qinghong paid the surrounding chatter no mind. His face grim, he strode past them without slowing his pace.
The news of his return spread through the Sect like wildfire.
...
「Sub-Branch.」
Fang Han had just finished his morning cultivation when Xiao Chen rushed over, his face etched with worry.
"Fang Han, True Inheritor Senior Brother Li Qinghong is back! It looks like he’s going to challenge for the rankings!"
Xiao Chen’s tone was urgent, with obvious worry in his eyes.
Clearly, he was afraid Li Qinghong would succeed in reclaiming his rank, causing Fang Han to fail in his bid to become a True Inheritor.
"That’s to be expected. It’d be stranger if he didn’t come back after what happened."
Hearing this, Fang Han’s expression didn’t change much. He just nodded slightly and said in a calm tone.
Seeing him so calm, Xiao Chen was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly.
"You... aren’t you worried at all? Li Qinghong is a veteran True Inheritor, after all. He’s incredibly strong. What if he..."
"Worrying is useless."
Fang Han interrupted Xiao Chen, his gaze as calm as still water.
"I gave my all in yesterday’s test. If Li Qinghong can break back into the top thirty within three days, it just means he’s stronger. I’ll have nothing to say to that. Even if I were to test again, the outcome wouldn’t change."
His tone was level, filled with a quiet confidence.
Xiao Chen looked into Fang Han’s placid eyes, opened his mouth to speak, but finally let out a helpless sigh.
"Sigh... I’m more worried about this than you are. My heart is about to pound out of my chest, and here you are, perfectly calm... Fine, fine. As long as you know what you’re doing."
Fang Han smiled faintly and patted Xiao Chen’s shoulder. "I appreciate your concern, Brother Xiao. Let’s go get something to eat."
The reason he was so calm was not blind arrogance.
’It’s true that in yesterday’s test, I performed at the absolute peak of my current abilities.’
’But my cultivation is already approaching the Late Stage of Sixth Grade.’
’Even if Li Qinghong manages to luckily reclaim a spot in the top thirty this time, it’ll only be temporary.’
’Once my cultivation breaks through to the Late Stage of Sixth Grade, my strength will surge again. At that point, never mind thirtieth place—challenging for an even higher rank won’t be difficult.’
’As far as I’m concerned, becoming a True Inheritor is just a matter of a few days, sooner or later.’
...
After returning to the Sect, Li Qinghong didn’t immediately rush to the Overall Martial Arts Stele to test and attempt to reclaim his spot in the top 30.
Instead, he returned to his personal residence in the True Inheritance Courtyard, refusing all visitors to recover from the fatigue of his non-stop journey.
It wasn’t until the next day that Li Qinghong, dressed in a Silver-Striped Cyan Robe, with a solemn expression, walked out of his residence and headed towards the plaza where the Overall Martial Arts Stele was located.
"True Inheritor Senior Brother Li Qinghong is out!"
"Look at the direction, he’s going to the Overall Martial Arts Stele!"
"Quick, let’s go to the plaza!"
Disciples who had been watching the True Inheritance Courtyard for any movement immediately spotted Li Qinghong. They called out to their friends, and everyone hurried toward the plaza with the Overall Martial Arts Stele.
And this news also spread rapidly as if it had grown wings.
Figures sped out from various courtyards, converging on the huge White Jade Plaza from all directions.
By the time Li Qinghong stepped onto the plaza, the edges of the once-open square were packed with a dense crowd of several hundred people.
Not only were disciples from the Twelve Courtyards present, but numerous figures in True Inheritance Robes were scattered throughout the crowd, their auras ranging from profound to sharp and imposing.
Even in some positions with excellent views, a few figures dressed in Steward or even Elder robes could be seen, standing quietly, their gazes calmly fixed on the giant stele in the center of the plaza.
Clearly, whether or not Li Qinghong could hold onto his position as a True Inheritor had drawn immense attention from all levels of the Sect.
Li Qinghong strode toward the towering Overall Martial Arts Stele in the center of the plaza, coming to a halt about ten feet before it.
He closed his eyes, focused his mind and calmed his breath. The aura around him began to retract inward, like a volcano about to erupt, accumulating its final power.
The entire plaza also quieted down, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the result to be revealed.
A few breaths later, Li Qinghong’s eyes snapped open, a brilliant light shooting from them!
The aura around him erupted. His powerful Inner Qi surged forth without reserve, causing his robes to billow and snap in the still air.
A pressure far mightier than any ordinary disciple could produce washed over the crowd, causing many faces to pale.
"BOOM!"
Clenching his right fist, his knuckles cracking with a sharp POP, he unleashed a punch filled with a brutal, domineering intent, smashing it ferociously against the stele’s smooth surface!
The wind from his fist was sharp and piercing; visible ripples formed in the air as it passed!
It was precisely his famous ultimate technique—the Top Grade Fist Technique, "Breaking Army Fist"!
His fist struck the stele, producing a deep, thunderous BOOM!
The entire Overall Martial Arts Stele shone brightly, its surface vibrating violently as ripple-like energy waves spread out madly.
Li Qinghong’s name suddenly lit up, and the number representing his rank behind it began to flash wildly!
But in the end, the number stopped flashing and remained fixed at—Thirty-first!
Li Qinghong’s rank had not changed!
The entire plaza first fell into a dead silence, so profound you could hear a pin drop.
Then, the silence shattered as an uproar erupted—a chaotic mix of gasps, shouts, and frantic discussions.
"He failed! True Inheritor Senior Brother Li Qinghong couldn’t get back into the top thirty!"
"Fang Han... Fang Han is going to become a True Inheritor!"
The eyes of many in the crowd were wide with shock and a complex mix of emotions, their hearts overflowing with indescribable envy and awe.
"To become a... True Disciple after just over a year in the Sect... his talent... is just terrifying!"
"I fear we could spend our whole lives and never even hope to catch up to him..."
Some True Disciples discussed Li Qinghong’s failure, their words laced with sighs of regret.
"A pity for Junior Brother Li. If he hadn’t left the Sect and had just focused on his cultivation, he might not have been surpassed..."
"The position of a True Inheritor is never secure. The slightest bit of carelessness, and you can be replaced by those who come after!"
At these words, many of the True Disciples present tensed up, a flicker of alarm and gravity crossing their faces.
Li Qinghong’s experience undoubtedly sounded a warning bell for them.
Even as a True Inheritor, one could never afford to relax. Otherwise, the Li Qinghong of today could very well be them tomorrow.
At the front of the crowd.
Li Qinghong stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the unmoving "Thirty-first" on the stele. The look of anticipation on his face drained away, replaced by an ashen despair.
His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut, his chest heaved violently once, and when he opened them again, his eyes held nothing but a bottomless pit of defeat and gloom.
He took a deep look at the Martial Arts Stele, as if to carve that ranking into the depths of his soul, then suddenly spun around.
Parting the crowd, he staggered away quickly, his departing figure filled with desolation and bleakness.
Elsewhere, Chu Feng’s expression had become so dark it looked like it could drip ink.
He stared fixedly at Fang Han’s name on the Overall Martial Arts Stele, his gaze so bone-chillingly cold it seemed to bore holes through those two words.
His knuckles were white from clenching his fists. The oppressive aura radiating from him was so intense that Song Xiang, standing beside him, didn’t dare to breathe. His face was pale, and he instinctively shrank back.
Li Qinghong’s failure to return to the top thirty meant that Fang Han becoming a True Inheritor was a foregone conclusion.
A True Inheritor and an ordinary disciple have completely different statuses and levels of importance within the Sect.
From now on, even with his status as a Celestial Pride True Inheritance, it would be difficult for him to make a move against Fang Han. Fang Han had truly become a force to be reckoned with.
An unspeakable regret welled up in his heart. ’If I had known Fang Han would grow this fast, I should have suppressed him by any means necessary, even if it meant ignoring the thief. But it’s too late for regrets now.’