"Be more obedient to Qiao Zhi. Out of respect for his master from the Martial Arts Hall, Liang Cheng won’t act against you rashly. You must not even think about revenge. Remember this: don’t do anything unless your power becomes unrivaled in all of Lin Wu City."
"After that, keep a low profile until you find what the Qiao Family is looking for. Then leave immediately. Only return when you’ve become so powerful you have nothing to fear."
"Do you understand?"
With tears welling in his eyes, Xu Zhi nodded again and again.
"Good. It’s late. You should head back to the Qiao Mansion."
"Father, take care!"
...
「Celestial Dormitory.」
Lu Qingzhou clenched his fists and couldn’t stop himself from bursting into laughter.
It was a shame Liang Cheng had refused all visitors for the past three days, but Lu Qingzhou knew that given Liang Cheng’s character, his own previous efforts would be handsomely rewarded.
Unfortunately, Liang Cheng’s progress had been too rapid. The original plan—to suggest Liang Cheng become a disciple of a certain Master at the Martial Arts Academy when he was promoted to the Celestial Dormitory—had come to nothing.
’But who could have predicted Liang Cheng’s talent was so monstrous? I can only blame that Master for his indecisiveness. He wanted to wait and observe a little longer, and he ended up missing a golden opportunity.’
...
「Three days later, in the plaza before the Martial Arts Academy’s Martial Hero Hall.」
Banners snapped in the wind, and a crowd of distinguished guests had assembled.
Nearly every influential figure and major power in Lin Wu City was in attendance.
Shen Wenyuan from the City Lord’s Mansion, Wu Zhenshan from the Martial Preparation Hall, the patriarchs of the great families, and the leaders of the Commerce Association were all seated in the viewing stands.
On the high platform at the center of the plaza, Dean Bai Hong sat in the seat of honor, flanked by other high-ranking officials of the Martial Arts Academy, such as Lü Bingchen and Yan Song.
The auspicious hour had arrived.
A bell tolled nine times, its chimes resonating throughout the entire city.
Dressed in a brand-new, jet-black True Disciple Robe embroidered with the dark gold cloud insignia of the Martial Arts Academy, Liang Cheng ascended the high platform with a steady, deliberate gait.
His expression was serene. With every step he took, the air around him seemed to thicken, faintly resonating with the presence of wind and thunder—a visual manifestation of his externalized True Qi.
"So that’s Liang Cheng? He really is ridiculously young!"
"The True Qi Realm... A nineteen-year-old in the True Qi Realm, and a True Disciple on top of that..."
"The younger generation is truly fearsome. The Martial Arts Academy has been quiet for three years, only to unveil such a shocking talent."
A low buzz of discussion spread through the crowd.
The ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Dean Bai Hong personally bestowed upon him the True Disciple Token and the True Inheritance Jade Ring, a symbol of his new status. From this day forward, Liang Cheng would reside on True Inheritance Peak, receive a monthly stipend of 10,000 Contribution Points, be permitted to have close relatives live with him, and be allotted his own quota of Servant Disciples.
Countless gazes from the audience converged on him, filled with a mixture of envy, awe, and apprehension too complex to name.
Just as the ceremony was about to conclude and Liang Cheng had given his thanks, he suddenly took a step forward. Facing the crowd below, he clasped his fist and swept his gaze across the guests.
The entire plaza gradually fell silent, all eyes fixed upon him.
Liang Cheng’s voice rang out, infused with True Qi so that every person could hear him clearly. "I have been shown great favor by the Dean and the Martial Arts Academy in my promotion to True Disciple. However, I still have a personal grudge and a matter of public justice that must be settled here and now!"
His words sent a shockwave through the crowd. Lü Bingchen and Yan Song exchanged a glance but did nothing to stop him, a clear sign of a tacit agreement.
Liang Cheng raised his hands, revealing two items.
In his left hand, he held a heavy Black Iron Token engraved with a sinister ghost-head. In his right, he held several letters with aged envelopes.
"This is the Identity Token of Tie Xiongshan, the Iron Arm Evil Blade, bandit chief of West Mountain Black Wind Ridge!"
"And these letters were found in Tie Xiongshan’s secret chamber! They are secret correspondences, handwritten by Xu Zhang—master of the Xu Family’s third branch in Lin Wu City—plotting to ambush, encircle, and kill me at Black Wind Ridge!"
The crowd below exploded into an uproar.
Innumerable gazes shot toward Xu Zhang in the stands.
Xu Zhang’s face turned livid. He shot to his feet and roared, "You insolent brat! How dare you slander the honor of the Xu Family? You were already a suspect in the disappearance of Elder Xu Cangming! Who’s to say you didn’t kill him, steal some letters, and forge the contents to frame me?!"
Liang Cheng’s gaze was like a lightning bolt, fixed directly on Xu Zhang.
"We can easily determine if they’re forgeries. Do you dare ask Special Envoy Shen from the City Lord’s Mansion, or any of the other worthy figures present, to authenticate the handwriting and examine the letters right here, right now?"
At that moment, Shen Wenyuan rose to his feet, his expression grave. "I can handle the authentication."
His gaze sharpened as he looked at Xu Zhang. "Xu Zhang, are you willing to do this to prove your innocence?"
Dean Bai Hong then spoke, his voice quiet yet powerful enough to quell the entire crowd. "Since this concerns a conspiracy to assassinate a disciple of our Martial Arts Academy—a violation of our iron laws—I shall examine the letters myself."
With a grasping motion, he summoned the letters from Liang Cheng’s hand into his own.
Bai Hong’s eyes scanned the letters. A moment later, he passed them to Shen Wenyuan. Wu Zhenshan remained impassive, sitting silently as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
Shen Wenyuan raised his eyes to Xu Zhang. "The handwriting and seal are a perfect match for Patriarch Xu’s past correspondence. Xu Zhang, what more can you say?"
The personal verifications from the Dean of the Martial Arts Academy and the City Lord’s Special Envoy sealed his fate!
Xu Zhang’s lips trembled. His fingers unconsciously tightened on the hem of his robe, knuckles turning white. All color drained from his face as his gaze shot to the impassive Wu Zhenshan nearby, and the last flicker of hope in his heart was extinguished.
He knew there was no escaping this. Xu Zhang’s eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins. He roared, his voice hoarse, "So what if it was me?! Liang Cheng, you little rat! I’ll fight you to the death, right here, right now! Do you accept the challenge?!"
He had thrown all pretense to the wind, hoping to carve out a chance for survival with his own strength. If all else failed, he would drag Liang Cheng down into death with him!
The crowd erupted once more!
No one had imagined that a True Disciple ceremony would devolve into a duel to the death!
Facing Xu Zhang’s murderous, predatory gaze, Liang Cheng’s expression remained completely unfazed.
He stepped forward and bowed to Dean Bai Hong. "Dean, since this man has confessed and publicly issued a challenge, I request to accept his challenge. Let us settle this grudge here, before the Martial Hero Hall—to the death!"
Bai Hong looked deeply at Liang Cheng, then glanced at the crazed Xu Zhang before giving a slow nod.
"Granted."
"This battle will decide not only victory, but also life and death. When it is over, the grudge between you is settled. No one is to use this as a pretext to cause further trouble. To do so would be to make an enemy of the Martial Arts Academy."
The implication was clear: Bai Hong supported Liang Cheng killing Xu Zhang, but the matter would end with Xu Zhang alone and would not escalate into a full-blown war between the Martial Arts Academy and the Xu Family.
This was also a way of giving the Xu Family an out.
"Thank you, Dean!"
Liang Cheng turned and, with a single step, drifted down from the high platform onto the wide Martial Arts Arena at the plaza’s center. He fixed his gaze on Xu Zhang, who had also leaped into the arena, his aura raging violently.
He then reached for his waist and slowly unsheathed his Zhenxian Saber. The dark blade, inlaid with faint star-like patterns and Wujin threads, shimmered with a cold luster in the sunlight.
A grayish-black True Qi exploded from Xu Zhang’s body. A pair of jet-black Short Halberds forged from fine steel slid from his sleeves, their blades gleaming with a harsh, cold light.
The battle was about to begin!
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