Free Web NovelChapter 10: Chapter 10: You Were Looking For Me? So I Came
Although some elders were unhappy about Chen Xuan becoming the new squad leader, none dared to oppose him openly.
This was because Chen Xuan had won the position through his actual combat achievements.
Nearly half of the seventy-two squad leaders in the Red Sand Gang had followed a similar process.
It was legitimate, reasonable, and by the book.
Any opposition would have been futile.
After the meeting dispersed, Elder Ge called out to Chen Xuan again.
"Chen Xuan..."
"Elder Ge!"
Chen Xuan turned and walked straight over.
Next to Elder Ge stood a middle-aged man with a gentle and refined demeanor. He wore a long, ink-black robe, had a smile on his face, and sported three long wisps of a beard beneath his chin, looking every bit the well-read scholar.
"This is the Left Protector. His status in the gang is second only to the Gang Leader,"
Elder Ge introduced him to Chen Xuan with a smile.
"Greetings, Left Protector!"
Chen Xuan immediately bowed in respect. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The Red Sand Gang had both a Left and Right Protector, who had long been locked in a covert power struggle.
’I owe my selection as squad leader this time to the Left Protector.’
’It was his proposal to hold a tournament to recruit a new squad leader that gave me this opportunity.’
’If it had been up to the Right Protector, he would have directly recommended a worthy candidate from within the gang, like Elder Fang’s son, Fang Zheng. In that case, there would have been no tournament at all.’
"Not bad, not bad at all!"
The Left Protector, Zuo Qiuyun, nodded with a smile. "I heard you gave Liu Zifeng a good tongue-lashing?"
"That bastard was asking for it, so he can’t blame anyone else. I was already showing him face by not hitting him. He came up spouting nonsense, demanding I give up the squad leader position. He must have been drunk,"
Chen Xuan said with a frown.
"That Liu Zifeng has reached the Second Level of Dark Strength. He’s even more difficult to deal with than Fang Li. Aren’t you afraid of him at all?"
Zuo Qiuyun said with a laugh.
"What good would being afraid do? I can’t just bow my head to him, can I?"
Chen Xuan said.
"That’s true. Kid, from now on, do whatever you see fit, boldly and without hesitation. I’ll have your back. But you must also be careful. Don’t give Liu Zifeng and his people any opportunities. That man is the type to seek revenge for the smallest slight!"
Zuo Qiuyun said with a laugh.
"The type to seek revenge for the smallest slight?"
Chen Xuan smiled.
’What a coincidence.’
’So am I!’
"Alright, keep up the good work. It’ll be a few more days before the Qingshui Sect’s base is ready. We’ll be counting on you then. For the next few days, you can stay here at the headquarters."
Zuo Qiuyun patted Chen Xuan on the shoulder with a smile and left.
Only after Zuo Qiuyun was a good distance away did Chen Xuan pull Elder Ge aside and ask, "Elder Ge, where is the Scripture Pavilion?"
"The Scripture Pavilion is in the southwest corner of the gang’s territory. When you get there, just look for the tallest building."
Elder Ge smiled and said, "You can peruse the manuals on the first three floors as you wish, but you are not permitted to enter the fourth floor."
"The first three floors!"
Chen Xuan nodded, turned, and headed for the Scripture Pavilion.
「A short time later.」
He soon found a tall, massive building, just as described.
Upon entering, he saw that it was filled to the rafters with books, with row after row of shelves.
Every single shelf was packed with books.
There were countless manuals of all different types.
As Chen Xuan walked through the aisles, he felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices.
[Lower-Grade Middle Martial Skill: Mountain Splitting Palm]
[Lower-Grade Middle Martial Skill: Tongbei Fist]
[Lower-Grade Lower Martial Skill: Flowing Cloud Step]
[Lower-Grade Middle Body Technique: Serpentine Body Technique]
"They’re all Lower-Grade..."
Chen Xuan frowned.
’No wonder they let people borrow freely from the first three floors.’
’The good stuff must be on the floors above the third.’
However, he soon discovered the grade of Tongbei Fist.
Lower-Grade Middle!
"It really isn’t a high grade!"
Forced to pick the best from a bad lot, Chen Xuan searched all the way to the third floor before he finally found two decent Martial Arts manuals.
[Lower-Grade Superior Martial Skill: Black Evil Palm]
[Lower-Grade Superior Martial Skill: Thunderbolt Step]
According to their descriptions, once these two Martial Arts were mastered to perfection, their power could rival some Middle-Grade Lower Martial Skills.
’Of course, that had to be an exaggeration.’
’After all, if their power could truly rival a Middle-Grade skill, why weren’t they graded as Middle-Grade?’
"Oh well, I’ll just have the system work on the Black Evil Palm first."
Having made up his mind, Chen Xuan opened the manual and recited the words in his mind.
"Retribution points, deduce the Black Evil Palm!"
[Ding! You have consumed 100 retribution points. Your Black Evil Palm has begun its slow cultivation process. As you have already achieved Grand Success with the Tongbei Fist, your progress with the Black Evil Palm is barely satisfactory.]
[But you are not satisfied with this speed, so you go all-in with your remaining 600 retribution points. Finally, your speed once again reaches six times the normal rate!]
[You feel your Black Evil Palm improving by leaps and bounds. At the same time, your control over your strength has reached a new level. Congratulations, Host! Your Black Evil Palm has reached Minor Success, and you have achieved the Seventh Level of Bright Strength!]
[Evaluation: This training session’s results are equivalent to three years of practice for an ordinary person!]
Lines of text materialized before him.
"Only the Seventh Level?"
Chen Xuan frowned.
He carefully sensed the changes in his body.
Yes, the changes were indeed significant.
His strength had increased again.
The Black Evil Palm, in particular, actually contained a toxic property. He could faintly feel a layer of poisonous energy circulating within him.
"A pity my retribution points are all used up again."
Name: Chen Xuan
Heart Method: None
Martial Arts: Black Evil Palm (Minor Success), Tongbei Fist (Grand Success)
Cultivation: Seventh Level of Bright Strength
Talent: Innate Divine Strength (Each time your renown increases by one level, a new talent can be unlocked. Current renown: Obscure)
Retribution Points: 85 (Can be used to deduce Martial Arts)
’I wonder if I can find someone else to squeeze some more points out of,’ Chen Xuan muttered to himself.
He slid the Black Evil Palm manual back onto the shelf, took only the Thunderbolt Step manual, registered it, and left the pavilion.
He had not gone far when a disciple came running toward him. The disciple threw out a hand and shouted, "Wait, Squad Leader Chen! Squad Leader Liu has business with you and requests your presence!"
"Squad Leader Liu?"
Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"Squad Leader Liu Zifeng of the Flying Eagle Sect,"
the disciple barked.
"Oh, that piece of trash. I don’t have time!"
Chen Xuan paid him no mind and continued walking forward.
"You dare refuse Squad Leader Liu? And you dare curse him?"
The disciple’s expression changed, and he shouted in shock and anger.
"Oh?"
Chen Xuan paused, a smile playing on his lips. He turned to the disciple and said, "You’re right. I can’t refuse him, and I shouldn’t curse him. Lead the way!"
"That’s more like it!"
The disciple snorted coldly, then turned to lead the way for Chen Xuan.
The two of them passed through a corridor and walked directly toward a courtyard.
「In the courtyard.」
Three figures were gathered there.
"Brother Liu, do you think that kid will really dare to come?" a man in a blue robe asked.
"Who knows? The man was acting quite wild in the side hall earlier, even threatening to kill my entire family. Maybe he really does have that kind of nerve,"
Liu Zifeng sneered.
His heart was filled with gloom, and his hands were clenched into tight fists.
’Damn it, I can’t believe I let that brat bluff me earlier.’
’I lost so much face in front of everyone.’
’What will the Gang Leader and Elder Fang think of me from now on?’
The veins on his forehead bulged as he recalled the earlier scene.
"That little punk’s cultivation realm is low, but his strength is immense. A Body Technique-type martial art is actually perfect for dealing with someone like him. If he dares to show up, I can kite him all by myself!" the third figure said with a cold laugh.
"If he doesn’t come, it doesn’t matter. His Qingshui Sect has only just been established, and it’s full of thorns. We can just send a few of our own people over to give him a world of trouble. He’ll have endless problems from now on!"
the man in the blue robe chuckled.
"That’s nothing. Isn’t he awfully concerned about that group of people from the Panshi City slums? Later, I’ll have a few of them killed just to liven things up for him. I’ll make him understand that the more you cherish something, the easier it is to lose it. And there won’t be a single thing he can do to change it. Hahaha,"
the third figure from before laughed heartily.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the closed courtyard gate was kicked open with brute force, shattering on the spot.
Countless splinters shot violently into the courtyard with a harsh, piercing whistle.
Startled, the faces of the three men in the courtyard changed, and they all shot to their feet.
