Chapter Seventy-Seven: Equally Matched

This could be considered a balance between work and rest, so the day passed by feeling quite fulfilling. In the blink of an eye, I had stayed at Second Uncle’s place for two days, and my abilities in all respects had improved significantly.

On the morning of the third day, just as I was getting up to wash, my phone suddenly started ringing. I thought it was that persistent nuisance, the Ghost King, again, but it turned out to be my ringtone for incoming calls. Glancing at the screen, I saw it was Li Zijian. I figured he just wanted to chat idly again, but I answered anyway.

“Hello? What’s up?” I asked, brushing my teeth.

“Yao… about that… I didn’t want to trouble you, but…” Li Zijian’s voice sounded hesitant, and I immediately sensed something was wrong.

“Out with it, don’t waste time,” I said, quickly wiping my mouth and grabbing my Snowblade, ready to head out.

“Yao, the people from Tiancheng Group came again. This time, they brought an expert. I wanted to ask if you could come…”

I glanced at the time and replied, “Hold on. Give me twenty minutes.”

With that, I hung up. Second Uncle had gone up the mountain to hunt game today, so I just said a few words to Nangong Xi before heading out.

I hurried down the mountain and flagged down a private car.

“Take me to Tiancheng Group. Hurry!” I ordered as I got in.

The middle-aged driver was startled, then snapped, “Get lost, kid!”

I didn’t bother arguing. I pulled out a dagger and pressed it to his throat.

“If you want to live, get moving.”

The driver hadn’t expected me to be so rough. Trembling, he started the car. It wasn’t the right way to do things, nor was it honorable, but for Li Zijian’s safety, I had no other choice.

“Step on it,” I barked, making the driver shudder again.

His driving skills were actually quite good; my threats made him accelerate immediately. I felt guilty, but if I ever saw this driver again, I’d be sure to repay him generously.

In less than twenty minutes, he had driven me near the Tiancheng Group. I tossed five hundred yuan onto the seat, quickly got out, and called Li Zijian as I ran.

Luckily, he answered, unharmed for the moment.

“I’m here. Where are you?” I asked.

“My company is right next to Tiancheng Group. It’s called Li Corporation.”

As soon as he finished, I hung up.

Li Corporation was easy to find, being in the city center and right next to Tiancheng Group. Before long, I had arrived. For convenience, I dashed straight inside. There were no security guards at the entrance—probably all occupied with the expert sent by Tiancheng Group.

As soon as I entered the building, I sensed a spiritual energy on par with my own, coming from the underground parking garage.

I hurried into the elevator and pressed the button for the first basement floor. Fortunately, at this hour, the elevator was empty, and I soon reached the underground garage.

As soon as the doors opened, a wave of murderous intent rushed at me. I quickly leapt back two steps, gripping the Snowblade tightly in my hand.

With a swift kick, I propelled myself backward, shooting out of the elevator. I controlled my movement precisely—once out, I slashed behind me, my blade striking true.

Looking closely, I realized I didn’t recognize this man. His level was quite low; he wasn’t the one whose spiritual presence I’d sensed earlier.

Ignoring him, I turned and ran toward the clashing sounds of weapons.

From a distance, I saw a group attacking a single person. That person was the powerful presence I’d sensed—the rest were all formidable, but he was fighting more fiercely the longer the battle went on, moving with an almost ethereal grace.

Nearby stood several others, among them Li Zijian. Next to him was a nervous-looking middle-aged man I recognized as his father. In front of the two of them stood two men in security uniforms, each holding a different weapon.

As I approached, I summoned the Snowblade to my hand.

Running, I shouted, “Clear the way! I’m here!”

I knew that if the man in the center wanted to kill, no one present could stop him—he and I were both at the first grade of Spirit Blossom.

“We’re saved! We’re saved! Brother Yao is here!” Li Zijian yelled, flailing his arms in excitement at my sudden appearance.

Leaping off a nearby jeep, I plunged straight into the fray. Thanks to my recent practice, my swordsmanship was almost flawless, needing only the polish of real combat.

The middle-aged man was ugly, with a pointed nose and chin, resembling an evil weasel. At the sight of me, he paused, then, realizing my strength matched his, grew serious.

The others sensibly stepped aside to watch our duel.

“Kid, what’s your name?” the man asked, baring his teeth in a grin.

“Lin Yao,” I replied coldly, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ve got talent. Why not join Tiancheng Group and work for us?”

“If you want to fight, let’s fight. Cut the nonsense.”

I had no time to waste. Taking the initiative, I launched into my Winged Shadow Blade form.

His weapon was a two-meter staff inlaid with golden patterns, looking formidable.

“Blade technique?” he muttered, surprised by my skills.

But his staff was much longer than my Snowblade, and I could barely touch him. I couldn’t afford to get frustrated—emotion would cloud my judgement. I needed to find his weakness.

But he was a battle-hardened fighter and gave me no openings, clearly intent on finishing this quickly.

I had to put aside my blade technique for now and rely on combat experience to fend him off. His staff danced powerfully through the air, like a war god’s weapon.

His reactions were swift. Several times, I nearly struck him, only for him to evade with uncanny skill.

As his staff swung toward my head, I quickly formed a hand seal. In a flash, a glowing Eight Trigrams array appeared in my hand.

I thrust it upward, just barely blocking the attack.

“You really are something. So young, mastering both blade and seal techniques. All the more reason to kill you—eliminate future trouble!” he snarled, dashing at me with blinding speed—surely his strongest attack.

But he’d made a fatal mistake. His lower body was wide open—a clear sign he underestimated me.

Taking a deep breath, I formed another seal, summoning another Eight Trigrams array in my palm. Holding it up, I slashed at his calf with my other hand.

His immense force shattered my array, and his staff struck my chest.

But I left a gaping wound in his thigh.

I struggled to my feet, gasping for breath, feeling as though my organs had been rattled loose.

But I couldn’t let this chance slip away. His thigh was badly injured—I had to press the attack!

I circulated my spiritual energy, struggling to breathe as I watched him.

He fished something out of his ring—a small vial of medicine, which he poured onto his wounded leg.