Blade - Unbound

Watching the scene, Li Yan's heart skipped a beat.

From Zhang Shitong's explanation as they traveled over, the Divine Fist Association was filled with experts.

Hadn't they agreed they were only here to broaden their horizons and keep a low profile? How had Zhang Shitong ended up picking a fight the moment he arrived?

Frowning, Li Yan quickened his pace. But as he drew closer, he couldn't help letting out a chuckle. Standing opposite Zhang Shitong was an old man dressed in worn clothing, wearing a bamboo hat with a twig stuck into the knot of his hair.

The old fellow looked every bit the down-and-out wandering martial artist, yet he also stood with his hands on his hips, glaring with a pair of dead fish eyes, his expression almost identical to Zhang Shitong's.

"What did I ever do to you?"

Zhang Shitong was clearly annoyed, suppressing his anger as he replied, "How are you not bothering me?!"

The old man replied in a muffled voice, as though pinching his nose while speaking. "You little bumpkin. What gives you the right to look like me?!"

The moment he opened his mouth, his thick Ezhou accent was unmistakable.

Zhang Shitong's chest rose and fell with anger, but, for once, he refrained from spouting insults. Instead, he cupped his fists and said, "Us people from the Guanzhong Plains are generous. Since you've traveled such a long way, Senior, I won't argue with you."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" The old man refused to let him go, clearly enjoying messing with Zhang Shitong as he stepped forward and reached for the back of Zhang Shitong's collar. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm petty?"

Frustrated beyond belief, Zhang Shitong suddenly spun around. The Xinyu Liuhe Fist he practiced emphasized that intent was born from the heart, then transformed into technique through that intent. As he turned, his movement flowed along the old man's palm. Simultaneously, he swept his arm backward, intending to knock the old man's hand aside.

Yet with a casual lift, the old man moved after Zhang Shitong had already acted, effortlessly pulling him off balance until he nearly stumbled.

Li Yan watched with silent astonishment. Zhang Shitong had been a Dark Jin Realm expert for years. The Xinyi Liuhe Fist was also renowned for its rooted stance. Zhang Shiyong wasn't someone who would lose balance easily.

There was only one explanation. The old man was also an expert!

Sure enough, as Zhang Shitong tried to resist, the old man tugged him left, then pulled him right, making him stagger about like a child in an utterly miserable state.

All the while, the old man kept teasing him. "Oh dear, kid, can't you even stand properly? Don't go dragging this old man down with you."

"Hahaha!"

Quite a crowd had already gathered to watch as laughter erupted all around. Even Li Yan couldn't help smiling as he folded his arms and enjoyed the show.

He had already figured it out. The old man was clearly an extraordinary senior. Seeing that Zhang Shitong looked somewhat like him, the old man had simply decided to amuse himself.

Zhang Shitong also realized what was happening. He immediately gave up resisting, plopped down onto the ground, and shouted, "What are you all laughing at? Can't you see this outsider is bullying a junior?"

At that moment, a voice rang out from the distance. "Senior Zhang, please stop."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man strode out from the main gate of the Divine Fist Association. He seemed to be stepping casually, yet he moved with astonishing speed. By the time he finished speaking, he had already arrived before them.

Li Yan's pupils constricted. The man's feet had stayed perfectly level with every step. It was the Eight Trigram Mud-Wading Step!

Each time he lifted a foot, hidden force burst forth. Everything appeared effortless and natural, and there wasn't the slightest indication that he was exerting himself. Still, the strength in each step was immense. To anyone watching, it created the illusion that he was shrinking the distance beneath his feet.

Such exquisite mastery over hidden force meant that he was undoubtedly a top expert among Jin Transformation practitioners. The middle-aged man wore a dark crimson military robe, and stood tall with an honest, broad-featured face.

Upon arriving, he respectfully cupped his fists and smiled. "Senior Zhang, why bother teasing the younger generation? Master has already been waiting for you."

When he was done, he turned toward Zhang Shitong, who was still sprawled on the ground. With a smile on his face, he said, "Shitong, this is Senior Zhang Xiaoshan from Yunyang Prefecture in Ezhou. He's a Core Jin Realm expert.

"His Eight Trigram Willow Leaf Silk Palm is renowned throughout the jianghu."

Zhang Shitong shot to his feet as though jolted by electricity. His face immediately broke into a broad smile as he cupped his fists. "Many thanks for your guidance, Senior. My family name is Zhang as well. I'm from Xianyang and practice the Xinyi Liuhe Fist."

The old man instantly seemed bored. Curling his lips, he muttered, "Thin-skinned fellow. Heh, you have mediocre martial arts too. You're no fun at all."

With that, he followed the middle-aged man through the main gate.

The moment he left, the entire entrance erupted into chaos.

"A Core Jin Realm expert!"

"A real Core Jin Realm expert! Damn it, that was worth seeing!"

"Zhang Shitong, what did it feel like just now?"

Thoroughly puffed up by the fact that he traded blows with a Core Jin Realm expert, Zhang Shitong dusted the snow from his clothes and nodded. "Wonderful. Truly wonderful. It felt like I was trapped in a swamp. I couldn't stand steady at all!

"To exchange moves with a Core Jin Realm expert makes my life worth living."

"Bah!"

"Shameless asshole!"

The people nearby laughed and cursed at him. Clearly, they all knew one another.

Meanwhile, Li Yan gazed thoughtfully into the distance. He couldn't comprehend the subtleties behind the old man's application of force, but he had discovered something else. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but only after learning the old man was a Core Jin Realm expert did he realize that the scent emanating from his body hadn't changed at all.

Li Yan's divine ability had become increasingly refined. At his current level, not only could he distinguish every person's unique scent, he could even determine their physical condition from changes in the smell of their sweat.

For example, whenever a martial artist exerted force, their qi and blood surged, and the scent of sweat naturally intensified. However, the old man's scent had remained completely unchanged. That meant that even while exerting force moments ago, he had remained perfectly restrained.

Could that be one of the characteristics of a Core Jin Realm expert?

I'll observe more carefully later. If that's really the case... I'll have something to go by in the future. At least I won't end up standing before a true expert without even realizing it.

"Well, aren't you a loyal friend?" By then, Zhang Shitong had walked over and muttered, "You just stood there watching while I got bullied."

Li Yan sighed. "Sorry. I should've stepped in earlier."

Zhang Shitong froze for a moment, somewhat touched. He eventually muttered, "Well... That wasn't really necessary."

Li Yan shook his head. "Don't misunderstand. It isn't often you run into a Core Jin Realm expert who's willing to joke around. If he wasn't going to hit hard anyway, I should experience it myself."

Zhang Shitong spat and stormed off. "Bah! Pretend I never said anything!"

Li Yan smiled faintly before following behind him. The Divine Fist Association had originated during the previous Great Xing Dynasty. Originally, it had been an organization formed by martial artists to resist the Wolf Kingdom. After the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, it had been incorporated into the government, becoming a semi-official organization.

In a sense, it was the imperial court's hand reaching into the jianghu.

Some experts within the martial world despised it and withdrew entirely. Others, however, found the status useful and embraced it. As a result, most members of the Divine Fist Association nowadays came from the local martial community.

With that affiliation, opening an escort agency or martial arts school became much easier. Naturally, the imperial court didn't simply provide benefits for free. Besides maintaining order within the jianghu and serving as instructors for local militias, the Divine Fist Association also had to assist the authorities in capturing criminals and suppressing bandits.

Since they were the imperial court's lackeys, they couldn't lose out in appearance either. Their headquarters had been built on a grand scale. Broadly speaking, the compound consisted of three successive courtyards.

The front courtyard housed offices and meeting halls, and surrounded a massive circular arena. Its surface was perfectly level, while the perimeter featured stone carvings of the Eight Trigrams, dragons, tigers, and other totems that had existed for many years. Time had already left it weathered and worn.

The central courtyard was the largest. The main hall resembled a hall of sworn brotherhood, with a painting titled: Flying Snow, Fierce Tigers March by Night hanging prominently above.

It commemorated the heroes' winter night raid against the Wolf Kingdom. Many martial artists had fallen in that battle, yet they had also achieved a glorious victory. Countless Prairie Eagles and Golden Wolf Warriors had been slain. Even the kingdom's marshal, who had been hiding among them, had been killed. Several later battles that had ultimately reversed the tide of the war had been the fruit of that single victory.

The rear courtyard naturally served as the reception area for distinguished guests.

After walking several steps, Zhang Shitong noticed Li Yan had stopped following. Turning around, he saw Li Yan standing motionless before the arena and couldn't help but ask. "What are you staring at?"

Curious, he walked over. Only then did he notice that the originally smooth stone platform now bore a long trail of footprints, as though someone had walked across wet mud. Even the patterns on the soles of the shoes remained perfectly visible.

One had to remember, the arena had been constructed entirely from solid bluestone.

Zhang Shitong's interest was immediately piqued. "Now this is something extraordinary."

Lowering his voice, he said, "The former president of the Shanzhou Divine Fist Association was Cui Donghai, a master of Shaomo Fist. He had reached the Core Jin Realm, and was an overbearing man.

"With Lu Kang backing him, he was close to Zhou Pan. His disciples also became accustomed to acting arrogantly. But five years ago, he offended a wandering expert.

"That man spoke with a Shu accent, and he came straight to challenge the association. Without wasting a single word, he simply left these footprints on the arena. He declared that only someone capable of reproducing them would be qualified to fight him."

Li Yan's eyes widened as he asked, "What happened then?"

"No one dared step forward. My father said that it was a technique only Astral Jin Realm experts possessed. Even if Shanzhou had someone at that level, no one knew where such a person was hiding."

"With Cui Donghai's reputation, he wasn't worthy of asking such a person for help. In the end, that man waited for three days. Not a single person accepted his challenge. In the end, he threw back his head and laughed before leaving.

"The Shanzhou Divine Fist Association's reputation was trampled into the dirt, overwhelming Cui Donghai with shame. Soon, he fell gravely ill. Afterward, he resigned as president and never again left seclusion."

Li Yan frowned. "What? After he left, they just left this here?"

Zhang Shitong nodded. "The new president is Li Siping, a member of the Li Family. When he assumed office, he insisted these footprints remain as a warning. He told everyone to place martial virtue above all else and never repeat the same mistake."

Li Yan nodded. "Oh... He's got vision."

Looking at the footprints, he couldn't help feeling astonished. Once hidden force reached a certain level, its explosive power became terrifying. If one didn't mind tearing flesh and splitting skin, breaking stone monuments and smashing rocks was entirely possible.

But leaving muddled steps on stone ground was bordering on the mystical. No wonder people said that once one reached the Astral Jin Realm, their fists could commune with ghosts and gods.

This trip had truly broadened his horizons. Feeling even more eager, Li Yan followed Zhang Shitong through the front courtyard into the central courtyard.

Quite a crowd had already gathered there. The moment they entered, Zhang Shitong was immediately surrounded with questions.

"Shitong, Elder Zhang didn't come?"

"Senior, something came up in Xianyang. He couldn't get away."

"Ah, what a pity. I hoped to share a few drinks with him."

"Shitong, have there been any promising youngsters in Xianyang lately?"

"May I ask why, Senior...?"

"Tsk, tsk."

"One of the Mount Hua families lost an entire escort and every last disciple died. Their family line has been severed, but the inheritance must not be allowed to disappear. That old fellow asked me to find a talented youngster to carry on their lineage."

"Don't worry, Senior, I'll keep an eye out."

Once inside, Zhang Shitong's foul-mouthed habits seemed to vanish entirely. He handled everyone with effortless ease. At last, he looked somewhat like the proper successor of the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall.

Meanwhile, Li Yan quietly played the role of an attendant. He spoke not a word but simply by watching and listening, he gathered a great deal of information. Shanzhou appeared peaceful on the surface. Yet beneath that calm, every region was unsettled.

The bandit organization known as the Pilgrimage Society in Longyou had expanded rapidly during the year. Their mounted raids had repeatedly cut off trade routes. Even the local escort agencies were beginning to collapse.

In Pu County, a blade expert known by the nickname Peerless Yuan had appeared. He was an overbearing man who disdained escort work. Instead, he chose the other route, accepting money solely to kill. His notoriety was growing rapidly.

Several major banking houses in Jinzhou had begun expanding into maritime bills of exchange. They were opening entirely new trade routes. Escort agencies throughout every province were now eyeing that enormous opportunity.

The Tapping Blade of Weinan had apparently been attacked by some unknown beast descending from the Qining Mountain Range, taking catastrophic losses.

Such was the era. Though the Great Xuan Dynasty stood at the height of its power, imperial authority did not truly reach every village. The manpower allocated to local governments remained limited, and it was impossible to oversee every region.

Chang'an, being the center of Shanzhou, naturally enjoyed stability. Yet even so, the Enforcement Hall of Chang'an's City God Temple numbered only around a hundred men.

Once they grew busy, many matters inevitably slipped through the cracks. The Military Surveillance Department had greater numbers, with three divisions amounting to three thousand soldiers. Yet scattered across the entirety of Shanzhou, it was like throwing a pebble into the sea.

The true pillars maintaining local order remained the regional garrisons, as well as the constables of the courthouse, the Divine Fist Association, and the various heterodox practitioners.

Naturally, the more deserted regions also had fewer true experts. Their jianghu was purer, a world of flashing blades and bloodshed where only the survivors earned the right to speak.

"Is this the Sick Tiger's son?"

Just as Li Yan was deep in thought, someone suddenly asked.

Looking up, he saw an elderly man with gray hair. The old man wore dark green brocade robes and jade prayer beads around his wrist. He looked every bit the wealthy noble.

Zhang Shitong immediately introduced him. "Li Yan, this is Senior Du Qing, President of the Lantian County's Divine Fist Association."

Li Yan calmly cupped his fists. "Greetings, Senior Du."

Du Qing smiled warmly. "Excellent. A truly promising young man. I've heard you've already made quite a name for yourself in Chang'an. Lantian County's Divine Fist Association is in desperate need of outstanding young talents like you."

Li Yan shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but I've already entered the mystic path. My aspirations lie in cultivation. I won't be joining any Divine Fist Associations."

"Tsk, what a pity." Du Qing sighed helplessly before adding, "Still... We're fellow countrymen. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I still have some influence in Lantian County."

Li Yan cupped his fists and bowed. "Many thanks, Senior."

The old man sighed and turned to leave. Li Yan and Zhang Shitong exchanged a knowing smile without saying a word. Anyone could tell that the old man had ulterior motives.

Li Yan had already gained some fame in Chang'an. If he ever showed interest in leading Lantian County's Divine Fist Association, the old man would undoubtedly wear an entirely different face when speaking to him.

Such was the current state of the Divine Fist Association. In some places, people fought tooth and nail over leadership. In others, like Lantian County, the position had practically become hereditary family property.

Though Du Qing appeared amiable, Li Yan knew perfectly well that the old man had leveraged the association to recruit numerous followers and establish private jade mines for himself. The old fellow was unimaginably wealthy!

Before long, the master of ceremonies invited the representatives from the various Divine Fist Associations to take their seats. Announcements rang out one after another and the proceedings were carried out with meticulous formality.

Naturally, Li Yan blended in among the Xianyang delegation. Their seats were located behind the main hall.

"Everyone, please."

No sooner had everyone sat down than footsteps echoed from outside. An elderly man in splendid robes entered with a smile, raising his hand as he courteously urged several others to enter before him.

Everyone immediately stood again and cupped their fists. "Greetings, President Li!"

Stealing a glance, Li Yan observed that President Li resembled a refined merchant far more than a martial artist. His face was kind and his bearing elegant.

The Li Family had been one of the Guanzhong Plain's great clans since the Great Xing Dynasty. Though they had risen and fallen over the generations... They had now returned to prominence through maritime trade and the office of Provincial Administration Minister.

This president of the Divine Fist Association possessed only a Jin Transformation Realm cultivation, but rumor had it he rarely fought anyone personally. Even so, no one dared underestimate him.

Naturally, the people he had invited were the Core Jin Realm experts.

Beside him, Zhang Shitong whispered quietly, "The gentleman earlier was Luo Yingchuan of Chang'an's Eight Trigram Palm. He became famous throughout Chang'an over a decade ago. Later he traveled across the country, and no one knows when he came back.

"This person is Wu Chengzong of the Wu Family's Xinyi Liuhe Fist. I heard you met the junior of his family, Wu Mao, at Niubei Ridge. That brat's as crafty as they come...

"And that one is Wang Mu of Praying Mantis Boxing. He's also proficient in the Pigua Palm. If you ever run into him in the future, you'd better run."

Zhang Shitong continued muttering introductions. Even though he was talking throughout the introductions, it wasn't considered rude. Nearly every local Divine Fist Association had someone quietly explaining the distinguished guests to the younger generation behind them.

Clearly, everyone had come to broaden their horizons.

As for the Core Jin Realm experts, they paid no attention whatsoever. They were busy laughing and chatting among themselves. They clearly belonged to another circle entirely. As for the few visiting experts from other provinces, they hadn't even been formally introduced to the rest.

Listening to Zhang Shitong's whispered explanations, Li Yan calmly watched everything unfolding before him.

Suddenly, a single sentence surfaced in his mind.

That year, at the Shanzhou martial gathering... I stood there like a mere lackey.