My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

Rumors swirled through the streets.

Some said the Fire Worship Sect had returned with a vengeance. Others claimed a rare treasure had appeared at the Border Sea, drawing the Cult into a struggle for it. Still others whispered that with the City Lord’s Mansion’s elite forces all deployed, the other areas under Lin Wu City’s jurisdiction were left vulnerable and ripe for disaster.

For a time, the city was gripped by panic.

Liang Cheng stood atop True Inheritance Peak, his brow furrowing slightly as he gazed toward the Border Sea.

’The Fire Worship Sect is acting with such impunity, treating lives like grass. What gives them this confidence?’

On the third day after City Lord Shen Jun left the city, even worse news arrived: Dongshan Mine had been attacked!

A messenger disciple, covered in blood, nearly fainted as he stumbled into the Martial Arts Academy.

"Senior Brother Wang Teng is severely injured and unconscious! Lord Cheng Wen was killed in action! Senior Brother Zhao Yuan is gravely wounded! Countless miners were killed or injured, and the Fire Worship Sect even built a Jingguan..."

The entire courtyard fell deathly silent.

Bai Hong smashed the stone table beside him with a single palm strike. "Lü Bingchen! Liang Cheng! Gather your men and depart for Dongshan Mine at once!"

How could the Martial Arts Academy possibly tolerate such savagery from the Fire Worship Sect?

Before long, Wu Zhenshan arrived with the Martial Preparation Hall, having heard the news.

"Dean Bai, this matter concerns the safety of Lin Wu City. With the City Lord away, the Martial Preparation Hall will cooperate fully with the Martial Arts Academy to guard Dongshan Mine."

"It seems the Fire Worship Cult has been plotting this for a long time. The moment the City Lord left with his men, they started a massacre at Dongshan Mine. I’m afraid we must trouble you on this journey, Wu the Treasurer, to advance and retreat alongside our Martial Arts Academy."

"Rest assured, Dean. Cheng Wen was also a Steward from our City Lord’s Mansion’s Internal Affairs Department. This mission is for the City Lord’s Mansion as well. You need not be so courteous."

Afterward, the Martial Arts Academy and the Martial Preparation Hall joined forces, heading straight for Dongshan Mine.

For Wang Teng’s sake, Bai Hong had also invited Elder Huang to travel with them to Dongshan Mine.

...

On the main road from Lin Wu City to Dongshan Mine, the sound of hooves thundered like rolling thunder.

Liang Cheng galloped at the very front, his black robes pulled taut by the wind.

Lü Bingchen was on his left, his expression as dark as still water. On his right was Wu Zhenshan, clad in the dark cyan uniform of the Martial Preparation Hall, his eyes unreadable.

Behind them were several hundred Steward Disciples from the Martial Arts Academy and Black Armor Guards from the Martial Preparation Hall, their killing intent palpable.

A carriage followed behind them, carrying Elder Huang, who was on his way to Dongshan Mine to treat Wang Teng.

"Report—!"

A scout galloped back from the front, nearly falling from his mount as he reined it in, his face as white as a sheet.

"Liang Zhenchuan! Master Lü! Wu the Treasurer, ahead... ahead..."

"Speak!"

Liang Cheng had a bad feeling, his voice cold as he demanded an answer.

The disciple’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a trembling voice, "Outside the mine... they’ve built a Jingguan of human heads!"

"Senior Brother Wang Teng is severely injured and unconscious. Senior Brother Zhao Yuan took a palm strike to the chest and has three broken ribs, but he’s conscious. As for Lord Cheng Wen, his body was found, but his head isn’t in the Jingguan. The Fire Worship Cult must have taken it separately!"

Before he could finish, the air grew tense. Lü Bingchen’s eyelid twitched violently, and deep within his sleeves, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Lü Bingchen took a deep breath. "Let’s go!"

...

The Dongshan Mine Guardian Station was now a ruin. The mine pit had completely collapsed; restoring production would likely take a year or two.

The broken walls were splattered with blackened bloodstains. Several fires still smoldered, sending up plumes of black smoke. But the most jarring sight was the square in front of the Guardian Station.

Over a thousand heads had been neatly stacked into a tall, conical mound. At its peak was a crimson banner, embroidered with a twisted flame insignia.

The blood had congealed into a dark brown, and the metallic stench, mixed with the smell of burning, assaulted the nostrils and turned the stomach.

Fewer than fifty miners and guards had survived. They huddled in a corner, shivering, their eyes vacant.

A few disciples from the Martial Arts Academy were squatting nearby, bandaging the wounded. Zhao Yuan was propped up against a broken wall, his chest wrapped in thick bandages, his face a waxy yellow.

Elder Huang was led directly to a simple thatched hut where the unconscious Wang Teng lay. After checking his pulse, Elder Huang began his treatment.

"Senior Brother..."

Elsewhere, Zhao Yuan saw Liang Cheng and struggled to stand up.

Liang Cheng stepped forward and pressed him down. "Don’t move. Tell me what happened."

Zhao Yuan coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam and said through gritted teeth, "The night before last, at Midnight, they attacked without warning. Rebels from the Fire Worship Sect. There were at least thirty of them, all masked and dressed in black. Their cultivation techniques are wicked, and their palm strikes are laced with poison. Senior Brother Wang Teng was the first to charge, but he was sent flying in three moves by a man in a bronze mask..."

"A bronze mask?"

Liang Cheng’s eyes sharpened.

"Yes. He must be their leader. His True Qi is sinister and bone-chillingly cold. Senior Brother Wang Teng’s Cloud Sword Qi couldn’t even break through his Protective True Qi."

Zhao Yuan gasped for breath. "Lord Cheng Wen led his men to form a defensive formation, but that man shattered his sternum with a single palm strike. By the time I rushed over, I only managed to see him take Lord Cheng Wen’s head."

Hearing this, a muscle in Wu Zhenshan’s cheek twitched.

Liang Cheng continued, "Did they say anything?"

Zhao Yuan was silent for a moment before saying in a hoarse voice, "Before leaving, the man in the bronze mask stood before the Jingguan and said, ’Liang Cheng, you were lucky to be transferred away from Dongshan Mine. We’re just collecting a little interest today on that old blood debt. The Fire Worship Sect has your life marked down. We’ll be back for it sooner or later.’"

Deathly silence descended again, broken only by the wind whistling through the ruins like a mournful sob.

Lü Bingchen walked up to the Jingguan and stared at the crimson banner. "The Fire Worship Sect didn’t come to seize the mine," he said slowly. "They came to kill and make a statement."

Wu Zhenshan suddenly spoke up. "Liang Zhenchuan, it seems the Fire Worship Cult was targeting you. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that Wang Teng, another True Inheritor from your Martial Arts Academy, happened to be the one guarding Dongshan Mine."

His tone was calm, but Lü Bingchen whipped his head around, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "Wu the Treasurer, what is the meaning of that remark?"

"It means nothing."

Wu Zhenshan remained expressionless. "I am merely stating a fact. The Fire Worship Cult is acting solely out of revenge. By killing the miners and building a Jingguan, they sought to slap the Martial Arts Academy in the face, and more importantly, to slap Liang Zhenchuan in the face."

He paused, then looked at Liang Cheng. "Liang Zhenchuan, you are young and full of vigor, but your edge is too exposed. There’s a saying: that which is too rigid is easily broken. The Fire Worship Sect is warning you that you cannot protect the people around you."

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