Chapter 288 - 274: Aren’t These Flying Legs My Own Legs?
The race began the instant Su Ling’er finished speaking.
"Charge!"
Qin Sihai, the Hall Master of Jingtang Hall, and Ma Tietou of the Masterless Hall both let out a roar at nearly the same instant. Pushing off with their feet, they left faint imprints on the bluestone pavers, each vying to be the first out of the gate.
Behind them, the various experts, Martial Artists, and caravan guards of Anhe City also displayed their unique skills, gathering their energy and leaping forward in close pursuit. For a moment, the starting line was a flurry of figures, brimming with momentum.
"WOO~WOO~WOO~!"
Amidst a series of strange whistling sounds, a group of them started moving. They didn’t bother with the proper stances and Body Techniques of a martial practitioner; their upper bodies could even be described as moving at a leisurely stroll.
The bizarre part was their lower bodies. Their legs had gained a whirlwind-like effect out of thin air, moving at a frequency too fast for the naked eye to capture, leaving only a trail of blurry afterimages. And among them was Lin Qingfeng!
Everyone in this group had a tacit understanding: ’The rules said not to use Spiritual Power or Inner Strength, but they didn’t say anything about using cosmetic movement skins! And aren’t these Flying Legs my own legs? It’s the same thing!’
WHOOSH.
In the blink of an eye, this group turned into human-shaped pillars of smoke. They instantly surpassed Qin Sihai and Ma Tietou, who were still gathering their energy to stride forward, leaving all the NPC contestants far behind and opening up a practically unbridgeable gap.
Lin Qingfeng also scanned these NPCs.
[Qin Sihai]
[Entries: None]
[Evaluation: Utterly unremarkable. A mortal with a bit more strength than average and some Inner Strength.]
[Ma Tietou]
[Entries: None]
[Evaluation: Utterly unremarkable. A grasshopper with Inner Strength that can jump a bit higher than average.]
...
Lin Qingfeng’s mouth began to twitch. ’All blank slates! All useless trash! In this entire, massive Anhe City, there isn’t a single person with an entry that catches my eye? Are you kidding me?!’
’And I was careless. With players involved, there’s no way to use this opportunity to reasonably recruit promising talent into the Guixi Sect. This is just a bunch of rejects. Don’t even get me started. Are they worthy of my Luminous Gemstones? Are they worthy of my Lifespan Extension Pills?’
’I’ll just toss them some copper coins and Spirit Stones as a participation prize and be done with it. From now on, I’ll just enjoy the fun!’
Since "the use of Spiritual Power is forbidden," the players reverted to the most primitive form of street brawling.
The players in the lead were getting their waistbands yanked by those behind. People who jumped were knocked out of the air by thrown shoes. Everyone was trying to sabotage the others to take the lead with their Flying Legs.
This sudden scene brought the roaring crowd at the starting line to an abrupt silence. All the common folk and Martial Artists watching the race stood frozen on the spot, their mouths agape, at a loss for words.
After a brief, dead silence, the crowd erupted.
"What... what kind of Body Technique is that?!" an old master rubbed his eyes. "I’ve roamed the martial world for forty years and I’ve never seen such... such an absurd footwork! The upper body is as still as a mountain, while the lower body is as fast as a phantom. It defies all logic!"
"Exactly! Look at them, there’s no sign of surging Inner Strength. Could this be the legendary, long-lost art of the ’Swift-Footed Guardian’?"
"The Swift-Footed Guardian at least has to strike a pose! Look at them, it’s like their souls have split from their bodies. The top half of their soul is still taking a stroll while the bottom half is already rushing off to be reincarnated!"
In the crowd, a sharp-eyed merchant recognized one of the figures. "Look! That beggar! Isn’t that Jiang Stone, the one who begs in the west and south of the city every day?!"
"With that kind of speed, covering a hundred meters in a single step, he could make a living running errands for any of the wealthy families in the city. Why would he bother begging with a broken bowl?!"
"Why are they fighting now! Are they playing that dirty just for the ranking!"
This comment sent shockwaves through the hearts of many. A street beggar was actually in possession of such an incredible skill? ’He must be a hidden master.’
The disciples of Jingtang Hall watched the back of their Hall Master as he struggled to run, yet still fell further and further behind. Their faces were all ashen.
Meanwhile, Liu Yue, who was standing under a tree, watched Ma Tietou’s figure. The fiery passion in her eyes quickly faded, leaving only a sigh. "Sigh, all I heard was your thunderous roar, but when you run, you can’t even touch the heels of a beggar."
"N-No..." Su Ling’er was also watching from the air, dumbfounded. "Senior Brother! Didn’t you agree not to use Spiritual Power?!"
Su Ling’er spread her Divine Sense, perceiving the energy fluctuations on the racetrack. She could be one hundred percent certain that the people far in the lead, including her Senior Brother, had not a single trace of Spiritual Power or Inner Strength circulating in their bodies. ’So how are they doing it?’
’But... how is that possible?’
Su Ling’er’s brow furrowed, her eyes filled with disbelief.
’Even Body Cultivators who specialize in strengthening their physical forms should show signs of surging qi and blood when exerting themselves. But these people... their lower bodies are moving so fast they’re practically smoking, yet their upper bodies are as steady as Mount Tai. Is that person... eating a steamed bun?’
’Senior Brother’s Cultivation is unfathomably profound, so I can understand how he can achieve such speed. But what about those mortals and Qi Refining cultivators? What’s their reason?’
’Anhe City... when did so many eccentrics with strange arts arrive? What sect or school does this logic-defying Body Technique belong to? Could it be that I’ve been away from home for too long and have become ignorant?’
She couldn’t understand it, but she was utterly shocked.
Her gaze finally fell on her Senior Brother’s figure in the lead group, and she felt a throbbing pain in her temples.
’It was within my expectations that Senior Brother would be in the lead group, but I still can’t understand why someone of his profound Cultivation would do something so childish. What’s the difference between this and the top scholar in the imperial examinations running off to compete with village rascals at reciting the *Three Character Classic*?’
’However, what I find most inconceivable isn’t Senior Brother’s "bullying the weak," but the fact that those mortals and Qi Refining cultivators in the same lead group are all holding their own against him. Their speed is ridiculous. That’s even stranger!’
’It’s one thing for the top scholar to stoop down and bully people, but how can even Wang Dama, who sells sesame seed cakes at the village entrance, keep up with the top scholar and recite *The Great Learning* and the *Doctrine of the Mean* backwards and forwards? Has the entire Anhe City been collectively enlightened by some descended deity like Wenquxing?’
Back at the starting line, the players who had seen this spectacle and hadn’t bought "Flying Legs" had already given up on the race and found new ways to have fun.
Some decisively joined Zhang San and Li Si’s ranks of begging and selling steamed buns. Others pulled out a dilapidated erhu from who-knows-where, sat down on the ground, and began to play with great theatricality.
The next moment, a piercing noise instantly cut through the din of the crowd. The sound was completely devoid of rhythm, successfully drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
A young, sword-wielding Martial Artist nearby clapped his hands painfully over his ears. He cupped his fist towards the performer from a distance and said, "Brother, please stop! We can talk this out. Why must you use such an indiscriminate Sound Wave Internal Power Skill? If you keep playing, even the nearby rats will start bleeding from all seven orifices."
A middle-aged man who looked like a wealthy merchant flushed red. "Stop, please stop! You really have no talent for playing this instrument!"
However, the player turned a deaf ear to the surrounding protests. His eyes were shut tight, his head swayed with the movement of his arms, and a faint smile even hung on the corner of his lips. He was completely immersed in his own artistic world, unable to extricate himself.
Su Ling’er stared blankly at this scene, beginning to seriously suspect that she had been away from home for so long that her memories of her hometown had become distorted. ’When did Anhe City produce so many weirdos?’
’How come as soon as I get back, all these strange people have appeared?’
’I remember that before I left home, the street performers who dared to play in the city at least had some sense of rhythm. But this person before me is creating a noise in public so grating that even a restless spirit would find it too loud, yet he wears a look of utter intoxication. This is practically a psychic attack on everyone around him, using pure noise.’
Just as the crowd was about to reach their limit and take action, the piercing sound stopped abruptly. The player had apparently finally turned on the volume and heard the music he was playing. He nodded and said, "I guess my playing really is a little unpleasant..."
The crowd: "A little... You’re only just realizing that now?!?!"