From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

"My surname is Han. I hold a nominal position in the Ministry of War. Don't worry, although I am a third-rank official, I am only an examiner. I will know my place." The old man's voice was hoarse.

"General Lin's footwork is very interesting; is it a modified version of the 'swimming body step'?"

Lin Yan stared at the old man's shoulder.

He had only ever fought the gray-clad man as an opponent at the Unending Realm.

If Gao Wenjing hadn't arrived that time, he would almost certainly not have been able to escape unscathed. That time it was in a mountainous area with trees and slopes, so he could have managed to maneuver around for a while. This time, it was in a courtyard surrounded by walls, with nowhere to hide.

"Master Han," Lin Yan said, "please."

Old Man Han drew his sword.

Lin Yan slid a step to the left the instant Han drew his sword, and Old Man Han did not chase after him.

He lowered the tip of his knife, pointing it at the ground, and walked towards Lin Yan step by step. With each step, Lin Yan could feel the aura around him changing.

Lin Yan unleashed his perception of "Viewing the Mountains," and the vibrations of the ground and the flow of air all flooded into his mind.

This time, [Guanshan] captured something more than before.

Previously, he could sense the terrain and the location of people; now, he could also sense something flowing inside Old Man Han's body.

Starting from the dantian, it ascends along the Ren meridian, passes the Tanzhong point, and splits into two paths: one path runs along the three Yin meridians of the hand to the fingertips, and the other path runs along the three Yang meridians of the foot down to the Yongquan point.

It's true qi!

It was Old Man Han's true energy. The true energy of the Unending Realm is different from that of the True Qi Realm, which is released outward as a gas membrane. The true energy is compressed inside the body and then attaches to the weapon to form a protective aura after leaving the body.

Before Lin Yan could think further, Old Man Han's knife had already arrived.

No tricks, just a straight punch.

The blade sprang up from the ground, aiming straight for Lin Yan's throat.

The blade's energy arrived before the blade's tip, raising goosebumps on Lin Yan's skin.

He tilted his head. The blade grazed his neck, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

Instead of retreating, Lin Yan advanced, striking Han Laotou's wrist holding the knife with his left hand, unleashing the first level of the Overlapping Wave Force.

Old Man Han flicked his wrist, dissolving most of the first layer of the Overlapping Wave Force with his true energy. However, his wrist still deviated by half an inch. In that half inch, Lin Yan seized the opportunity and punched Old Man Han in the ribs with his right hand.

Old Man Han blocked the fist with his left hand, and at the same time turned the hilt of his knife, flicking the tip of the knife upwards.

Lin Yan withdrew his fist and stepped back, and Old Man Han's knife tip instantly cut a gash in his clothes, and the two separated again.

Lin Yan looked down at the hole in his chest, then looked up at Old Man Han.

The speed of the Unending Realm was indeed far beyond Lin Yan's imagination. Although Old Man Han looked weak and frail, his speed was far beyond what Lin Yan could compare to.

He no longer used his "Mountain Viewing" perception to observe the terrain, but instead focused all his attention on the true energy within Old Man Han's body.

From the dantian, the chest, the three yin meridians of the hand, and then down to the tip of the knife.

Every path is clearly marked.

Before each strike, Old Man Han would first twist his true energy in his dantian, as if twisting several ropes together to form a powerful force that travels along his meridians to the tip of the blade. The greater the twisting motion of this true energy, the greater the force and speed of the strike.

A thought suddenly flashed through Lin Yan's mind: if I could make a move the instant he twisted his true energy and interrupt his energy gathering, would his sword still be so fast?

Old Man Han is about to make his second cut.

This time, the strike was changed to a horizontal slash, the blade energy drawing an arc as it cut towards Lin Yan's waist.

Lin Yan didn't dodge. Instead, he took a step forward to meet the blade's energy, crouched down, and the blade's energy grazed his scalp. Just as the true energy in Old Man Han's dantian began to gather again, Lin Yan's left palm struck his lower abdomen.

Triple Wave Force!

The first strike broke through Old Man Han's protective aura, the second strike struck his dantian, and before the third strike could be delivered, Old Man Han's knife was already at Lin Yan's side.

Lin Yan quickly withdrew his palm and barely dodged to the side.

The blade grazed his waist, tearing another hole in his clothes.

Old Man Han took a step back, looked down at his lower abdomen, then looked at Lin Yan with a puzzled expression before making another move.

Twenty moves passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Yan's stamina was almost exhausted, and he gradually couldn't keep up with Old Man Han's pace. His body was slashed open by the blade's energy, leaving bloody cuts.

Lin Yan was panting heavily, and his proficiency with the [Viewing Mountains] skill in his mind was increasing rapidly.

【Skill: Mountain Viewing (Mastery) 4000/4000】

[Has Guanshan reached a critical juncture for advancement? Will he break through?]

Lin Yan silently uttered the word "breakthrough" in his mind.

The handwriting on the panel has changed.

[The breakthrough from "Viewing the Mountain (Mastery)" is: "Observing Qi (Entry-level)"]

[Function: Allows perception of the movement of true qi/罡气/真元 within living beings within a ten-step radius; accuracy increases with proficiency. Currently identifiable paths, flow rates, and nodes.]

Ten steps.

Ten steps is enough in the yard.

When Lin Yan looked up and saw Old Man Han again, the true energy in his body was no longer a blurry line, but was clearly displayed in Lin Yan's eyes. The dantian was the source, the meridians were the channels, and the nodes were the passes.

The speed, direction, and amplitude of each twist of the true energy were all presented in Lin Yan's perception.

The twenty-first move.

This time, Lin Yan didn't wait for him to make a move; he acted first.

He pushed his swimming steps to their limit, his figure gliding in an arc around Old Man Han.

Just as the true energy in Old Man Han's body was about to converge into protective energy, Lin Yan cut in and pressed his palm against the inside of Old Man Han's elbow joint.

The three overlapping gusts of force struck his elbow joint. Old Han's arm bent slightly, and the tip of the knife deflected by half a foot, missing its mark.

Lin Yan didn't stop. He circled around Old Man Han, striking each of Old Man Han's vital energy points with his palms—elbows, shoulders, waist, and knees—hitting him at the moment when Old Man Han's power was at its weakest, directly breaking his power chain.

Old Man Han's true energy was interrupted by Lin Yan every time he was halfway through circulating it, so he couldn't unleash his full power, and his sword became slower and slower.

Thirty moves have been made.

Old Man Han sheathed his sword, took two steps back, and distanced himself from Lin Yan.

Zhao Wenhan held his teacup without moving; the tea had long since gone cold. The bald, burly man sat on the ground, clutching the wound on his forehead, his mouth agape, forgetting to close it. The skinny man leaned against the wall, the blood on his chin already dried, his eyes fixed on the scene.

The courtyard was so quiet that only the sound of footsteps and the rustling of clothes could be heard.

Old Han stared at Lin Yan for a few moments, then sheathed his knife back at his waist.

"I'm done fighting," he said. "Your footwork and palm techniques are quite well coordinated. To have such skill at such a young age is quite impressive. Alright, the test ends here. You can leave now."

Zhao Wenhan stood up, his face grim.

"Master Han! The Second Prince instructed..."

"Lord Zhao, thirty moves have been completed; that's the rule." Old Man Han interrupted Zhao Wenhan, walked to Lin Yan's side, and asked, "How old are you this year?"