032. Abnormality in the Sea of Qi

"Fine!"

Lin Ping nodded immediately, sheathed his long sword, and said to Lin Shan, "Since you are not using a weapon, neither shall I."

With that, he stepped two meters in front of Lin Shan and, feigning a graceful air, added, "You may strike first."

Lin Shan did not stand on ceremony. He threw a punch at Lin Ping. Having sparred with Ge Yan over these past few days—losing far more than he won—he lacked a clear understanding of his own strength. This punch was a move from the "Small Jade Sun Fist" known as "Straight to the Mark," which served both offense and defense.

A cold smirk curled on Lin Ping’s lips as he returned the punch. The two traded blows, and in the blink of an eye, they had exchanged several moves.

As time passed, Lin Ping grew restless. Lin Shan had only been practicing martial arts for a few days, while he himself had been training for three full years. Fifteen minutes had passed, and not only had he failed to defeat Lin Shan, but Lin Shan’s strikes were becoming increasingly powerful. What was going on?

Meanwhile, Lin Shan noticed an anomaly in his sea of energy.

Ever since he had learned to channel energy into his body and perform internal observation, he had discovered a jade pendant inside his sea of energy. It seemed to have carvings on it, but he had never been able to see them clearly.

In the past, the pendant had never shown any signs of activity. But now, amidst the exchange with Lin Ping, it seemed to have been activated, emitting a faint red glow. Other than that, however, there seemed to be nothing else unusual.

Lin Ping grew more anxious with every strike, while Lin Shan remained steady, mostly maintaining a defensive stance and only occasionally launching counterattacks.

Ge Yan, watching from the sidelines, nodded continuously. "He has only been training for a few days, yet his movements are as agile as a veteran's. Alas, one truly cannot generalize about human talent." He sighed to himself, glancing at the increasingly agitated Lin Ping.

In truth, Lin Ping was not usually like this. Perhaps because he was facing Lin Shan and wanted to make him look foolish as quickly as possible, his mindset had become too aggressive, which only made him prone to mistakes.

Xiao Xiao, who had been very nervous, began to relax. Her eyes sparkled with interest; she had never sparred with Lin Shan before, but based on his performance now, she realized his combat ability was already quite impressive.

After another fifteen minutes, realizing he still couldn't overcome Lin Shan, Lin Ping let out a sudden shout and thrust both fists forward, sending a surge of wind barreling toward his opponent. This strike was at the peak of his power, nearly impossible to dodge.

Lin Shan had no choice but to plant his feet, raise his arms, and brace for impact. A head-on clash like this was the ultimate test of cultivation.

"This guy has been training longer than I have; I’m afraid I’m going to take a hit here," Lin Shan thought. Just then, the jade pendant in his Dantian emitted a red glow once more, and a surge of brand-new power flooded into his meridians.

When Lin Ping’s fists slammed into Lin Shan’s arms, Lin Shan felt a numbness followed by a sharp pain. However, Lin Ping was suddenly sent flying backward by an immense counter-force. He soared five meters through the air before crashing into the ground with a loud thud.

Everyone was stunned. Ge Yan and Mu Qing, both being Bone-Forging stage martial artists, understood that with Lin Shan’s limited cultivation, he should have suffered in such a direct collision. Yet, the outcome was the exact opposite: Lin Ping had come off much worse.

Lin Ping struggled to his feet, staring at Lin Shan as if he had seen a ghost. "How could this be..." He had used his ultimate technique to force a clash of cultivation, thinking the victory was assured, but...

Suddenly, a metallic taste filled his throat. Lin Ping’s expression shifted, and he forced himself to swallow the blood, suffering minor internal injuries in the process.

Lin Shan looked at his own hands, finding only a slight soreness. He knew that his victory was due to the sudden activation of the jade pendant. Looking at the fallen Lin Ping, Lin Shan cupped his hands and said, "I concede, Brother Lin."

Lin Ping was in too much pain to speak; opening his mouth would surely result in him spitting blood. He stood up in silence and departed.

Xiao Xiao regained her composure and clapped, saying, "Brother Lin, your skills are truly impressive. I never imagined you would be able to defeat Lin Ping."

Lin Shan, currently preoccupied with wanting to understand what had happened to him, was in no mood for small talk. He shook his head with a chuckle, "Just good luck. He was too impatient."

With that, he cupped his hands to the three of them. "The three of you, my hands are a bit sore from that match, so I must return to apply some medicine. Please excuse me."

After parting ways, Lin Shan returned to his small courtyard. However, no matter how he tried to probe the jade pendant, it remained unresponsive, and he eventually had to give up.

Three days later, Lin Shan accompanied Xiao Qiang to a banquet, where he met the true power brokers of the county. Throughout the event, Lin Shan remained silent, only following Xiao Qiang to be introduced to others.

Finally, the County Magistrate set the date: once the Grand Elder of the Profound Sword Sect arrived, they would wait half a month to regroup before taking action. Lin Shan felt it was too much of a delay, but given his status, he had no room to voice an opinion, so he remained silent.

Having handled these matters, Lin Shan returned to the main world, where another issue awaited his attention. Regarding the evidence against Hua Xiong, after much deliberation, Lin Shan handed over everything he had gathered to the relevant authorities.

It was eight o'clock in the morning. Lin Shan didn't rest; instead, he drove to the hospital.

His car was a Honda XR-V, a small SUV. It had handled quite well when he first bought it six years ago. These days, vehicle technology evolved as rapidly as smartphones, and Lin Shan had begun to look down on the car, though he hadn't had the money to replace it until now.

"In a couple of days, when I have some free time... I'll sell this car."

After parking in the underground garage, Lin Shan walked up to the ground level. As luck would have it, he ran into Ruan Yan at the entrance.

Seeing Lin Shan, Ruan Yan looked awkward. She had tried to get close to him yesterday, only to be completely ignored, which had left her feeling quite irritated. However, not knowing his background, she didn't dare to confront him.

"Lin Shan!"

At that moment, Liu Ying’s voice rang out nearby. Lin Shan turned to see her walking toward him, wearing her white lab coat. She seemed not to notice Ruan Yan and said with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry about last night. I had too much to drink."

Ruan Yan, listening from the side, felt a flash of surprise. "Damn... so they’ve already progressed to this point."

Ruan Yan eyed Lin Shan sideways. "Well, looks-wise, compared to Hua Xiong, he’s like a prince to a frog. Heh, Liu Ying, you’re something else. I thought you were so high and mighty, but it turns out you were just waiting for the right one. Your eye for men is much better than mine—you’ve managed to hook a real big shot."