Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 97 The Will to Win, A Sudden Storm

"Actually, my swordsmanship is quite good, and I can protect myself."

Lu Wubing looked at Dong Ning and Teng Fang, who were walking on either side of him and were almost touching his shoulders, and felt both amused and exasperated.

Dong Ning was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes; he looked like a stubborn person.

Upon hearing this, he said solemnly, "It's not that I don't believe in Senior Brother Lu's martial arts and swordsmanship, but the villains are rampant and full of tricks, so we must be on guard."

A few days ago, several of our fellow disciples from Jingxin Hall were patrolling the mountain when they were ambushed and defeated one by one by the bandits. Before they could arrive in time, one was killed and another wounded.

When Dong Ning spoke of this, a sorrowful expression appeared on his face. He had moved away from Lu Wubing by about half an arm's length, but he still dared not relax his guard in the slightest.

Thinking that he had made a promise to his fourth senior brother Zhang Dexing to protect this newly initiated disciple, he naturally kept his word and had to stay by his side during patrols.

"Senior Brother Lu, are you worried that you won't be able to defend yourself with your sword if we are suddenly attacked? It's alright, we'll stand apart, you can strike freely without hurting us."

Teng Fang, standing on the right, also spoke with a smile.

She was a bit older, looking to be in her early twenties, with a round, slightly chubby face and a friendly expression.

The way they looked at Lu Wubing was like how they would look at their own little brother.

Lu Wubing could tell that although the older sister addressed him affectionately as her senior brother, her tone carried a hint of disdain.

Perhaps, in her view, although her status as a direct disciple naturally gave her a higher status, she could only look forward to the future; for now, she was nothing.

Respect is necessary, but admiration is not.

Lu Wubing looked up at his seventh senior sister, Lin Wenjing.

They then noticed that this senior sister was gripping the sword hilt with complete concentration, her eyebrows slightly raised, her gaze sweeping across the dark forest in the dead of night.

They walk rather slowly... but are extremely focused.

I don't know if I overheard their conversation or not.

Lu Wubing guessed that given Lin Wenjing's tendency to be reluctant to refuse people, her silence on not suggesting a rearrangement of the patrol formation likely meant she was tacitly agreeing.

Sure enough, after walking for a while, they arrived at an open area. Lin Wenjing turned around and said with a gentle smile, "Junior Brother Lu, this is your first night patrol. It's mainly to familiarize you with the terrain. Just be careful."

As for whether we'll encounter enemies? I doubt we'll be that unlucky.

She is still as understanding as ever.

They would not directly question Lu Wubing's swordsmanship and martial arts skills in front of the disciples of Zhujingxintang.

The underlying meaning, however, was a roundabout admonition.

"Yes, even if there are thieves watching, with Seventh Senior Sister personally leading the team, how could there be any problems? It's just a matter of giving away credit."

Several disciples of Jingxintang echoed this sentiment.

Clearly, in their hearts, Seventh Senior Sister Lin Wenjing held a very high position.

Seeing her back makes me feel at ease.

How could I not feel at ease?
Lu Wubing glanced at "that wall" and felt quite at ease.

Let's leave aside for now how strong Seventh Senior Sister's swordsmanship really is.

Her physique is the result of rigorous training day and night; without putting in just a little more effort, one could not develop such a robust and powerful build.

I wonder what kind of external body-refining technique she is practicing.
I heard from Senior Sister Xiaolan that the Tianxing Sect has a superior martial art for tempering muscles and bones called "Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist," whose attack power is even far superior to the East Sea Sect's "Surging Wave Palm."

Seventh Senior Sister's top-notch physique likely stems from her mastery of this martial art.

"If nothing happens, that would be best," Lu Wubing chuckled and said no more.

We can't simply say that such careless thinking is unacceptable.

We also need to be prepared for a surprise attack at any time.

Saying this is either a "jinx" or suggests a lack of trust in one's fellow disciples.

'After all, he's just a novice disciple, insignificant and powerless. Not only does he waste cultivation time joining the night patrols, but he also loses the trust of his fellow disciples.'

The thought of his senior brother, who was currently enjoying rabbit meat and fine wine, and who was about to use "fireflies" to curry favor with his senior sister Xiaolan, made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Sure enough, even in a different world, this competitive mentality is still unacceptable.

It can easily cause psychological imbalance. Let it develop slowly; there's no need to wait long.

It's only been a little over a month.

The Three Sects Grand Competition is just around the corner. The winner will not only receive the extremely high status of Young Sect Leader, but will also be rewarded with the Body Refining Saint Medicine [Glazed Pill], which will greatly increase their cultivation level.

That's fine, but the most crucial thing is that the sect leader will also teach them the sect's most powerful internal cultivation technique, the "Vast Ocean Divine Skill".

Legend has it that those who master this skill will have an expansive and boundless dantian, and internal energy as deep and vast as the sea…

He's heard some things these days.

Although the sect leader has not yet broken through to the Innate Realm, even those in the Innate Realm dare not underestimate him. The reason lies in his successful cultivation of the [Vast Ocean Divine Art].

When he made his move, he exuded an aura of "I am invincible below the innate level, and I can exchange one for one above the innate level."

I heard that in the battle of Tiger Ridge, the sect leader and the Demon Sect's innate expert, Horse-Faced Soul Hook, fought head-on and were both injured, but neither was at a disadvantage.

Instead, after being injured, he killed two elders of the Blood Shadow Sect and retreated calmly.

While not as overwhelmingly powerful as Master Bi of the Ziyang Sect's six Yang techniques combined to fight against two Innate Realm experts working together, his achievements are still quite remarkable.

This caused quite a stir in the martial arts world.

In the battle of Tiger Ridge, the sect leader's inner strength was immense and inexhaustible. Afterwards, he fought across thousands of miles and was almost exhausted.

It's easy to imagine just how powerful this [Vast Ocean Divine Skill] is.

Lu Wubing was already drooling as he listened.

"The 'Dripping Water Force' is excellent for building a solid foundation, and its internal energy quality is also quite strong. However, the cultivation speed is unfortunately too slow..."

It cannot compare to the Heavenly River Orthodox Method's expansion of meridians, which is like a mighty river flowing endlessly. Nor can it compare to the Vast Ocean Divine Skill's accumulation of internal energy, which is as deep and boundless as the ocean.

If one could cultivate both the Heavenly River Orthodox Method and the Vast Ocean Divine Art, not only would one's meridians expand more than tenfold, increasing the power of one's attacks countless times, but one's internal energy would also become a hundredfold more abundant, inexhaustible no matter how much one used it.

Even the most devastating and exhausting attacks can drag on for a long time; this advantage is enormous.

Lu Wubing took a deep breath, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He thought to himself that he could give way to anything else, but not to this Three Clans Competition.

No matter how you look at it, this is my best opportunity.

……

Perhaps Heaven took pity on the hard work of the night patrol disciples, for just after midnight, a wind rose up on the back mountain.

"Wow..."

A strong wind swept by.

The moonlight was hazy in the sky, dark clouds shifted with the wind, and the leaves rustled.

"It is going to rain."

Teng Fang, the older junior sister on the right, exclaimed joyfully, her voice filled with relief.

The others also breathed a sigh of relief.

Even the most conscientious and responsible seventh senior sister, Lin Wenjing, who had been cautiously paving the way, had a smile on her face.

Lu Wubing was taken aback at first, but quickly understood.

In this world without electric lights, when going out at night, the only light sources are the moon and torches.

Once it rains, the sky becomes misty, and even if the moon isn't obscured by clouds, it can't illuminate the mountain paths at all.

Torches, of course, cannot be lit.

No matter how dedicated a thief is, it's impossible for him to trek through the rain and mud in such a pitch-black environment.

They're just bad, not stupid.

If there's a profit to be made, people will fight tooth and nail for it.

Few people would willingly do things that involve suffering and hardship.

……

(End of this chapter)