Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

"Someone's there!"

The old monk suddenly stood up, gripped his staff tightly in his hand, and tilted his ear slightly to listen outside the temple.

Lin Ji also stood up from the ground, shielding Gu Yanqiu behind him, his brows slightly lowered, sensing the rustling of the wind outside.

"Here."

Lin Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he sensed a blurry figure standing to the side outside.

The old monk slammed his staff on the ground and turned his head to "look" in the direction Lin Ji sensed.

"Benefactor, what brings you here so late at night?"

"Good hearing."

An elderly figure moved slightly and immediately stood outside the ancient temple gate.

"Squeak!"

The ancient wooden door was gently pushed open.

An elderly figure walked in slowly, looking older than Lin Ji.

"Ghost Orphan, long time no see."

"It's you! Jing Xiu!"

The old monk tilted his head slightly, a look of surprise on his face.

Lin Ji raised an eyebrow; these two knew each other.

"Ghost Orphan, it's been decades. You've got your eye on the Heavenly Evolution Notes again?" Jing Xiu said, not looking at the old monk, but at Lin Ji and Gu Yanqiu in the corner.

Jing Xiu's gaze fell on Lin Ji, and his eyebrows suddenly twitched.

His cloudy eyes stared at Lin Ji's heaving chest, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them: "You've overturned the Heavenly Evolutionary Record!"

Ghost Orphan also turned his head to look at Lin Ji, his face showing surprise: "What's going on?"

"Hahaha, good lad, you actually saw through the clues of the Heavenly Evolution Notes from just the first volume! Then I can't let you live!" Jing Xiu smiled sinisterly, drew an ancient longsword from his waist with a whoosh, and with a wave of his left hand, shot two silver needles toward Lin Ji.

Lin Ji suddenly turned his head and pulled Gu Yanqiu aside to dodge the two silver needles. The next second, Jing Xiu's ancient longsword was already coming.

"Boy, take this!"

"Who are you calling 'kid'? This old man is a full hundred years old today!" Lin Ji thought to himself.

Gu Yanqiu, seeing Lin Ji's face clearly in the moonlight, exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Lin... how come you look so young again?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yanqiu suddenly realized that his previously severe injuries had completely disappeared.

Lin Ji then realized that he had just returned to ten years of his youth, and with the continuous training and martial arts improvement during this period, he now looked to be only in his early fifties.

"Ding!"

Just as Jing Xiu's sword was about to strike Lin Ji.

The old monk suddenly thrust out his staff, blocking the long sword in Jingxiu's hand.

"Ghost Orphan, you really want to stop me! Do you still remember who killed this ancient temple monk? You and I each have a copy of the Heavenly Evolution Commentary. You couldn't understand its contents, so you wanted to seek the Sixth Prince's help and handed over the first volume. Why are you going back on your word now?"

The old monk didn't say a word, but raised his staff and pressed it down hard on Jingxiu's long sword.

Jing Xiu forcefully pushed the old monk back, saying, "Hmph, you think you can stop me? Thirty years have passed and you're still only at the mid-stage of Inner Strength, while I'm already at the peak of Inner Strength, and I've even figured out a bit of the secrets of the Heavenly Evolution Technique. Reaching the Transformation Realm is just around the corner!"

As soon as Jing Xiu finished speaking, his sword flashed, and the sharp blade came crashing down.

"Ding!"

With a single sword strike, he sent the old monk, who was charging at him again, flying as he crashed into the mottled stone statue.

"boom!"

The mottled stone statue collapsed with a crash.

The entire ancient temple shook violently.

"Boy, hand over the Heavenly Evolution Notes and the Register of Names, and I'll spare your life!" Jing Xiu swung his longsword at Lin Ji.

Lin Ji, having nothing of value, dared not take the blow head-on, and could only pull Gu Yanqiu back as far as he could.

Within his mind, the black and white jade pendant spun at an accelerated speed.

"Please accept this staff, benefactor!"

The old monk was seriously injured. Leaning against the stone statue, he raised his hand and threw his staff away.

Lin Ji leaped high into the air, firmly grasped the monk's staff in his hand, and with a wave of his hand, blocked Jing Xiu's longsword.

"Buzz—"

At its peak, the hidden strength was unparalleled.

The old man had reached the threshold of the Transformation Realm again. With a single sword strike, Lin Ji almost lost his grip on the staff, even though he held it with both hands.

He was knocked back several meters, finally stopping when his shoulder hit the corner of the ancient temple wall.

"Buzz!"

Lin Ji was in the sea of ​​knowledge.

The black and white jade pendants spun faster again, and a bright light suddenly shone from the black jade pendant.

The trembling staff in Lin Ji's hand was suddenly gripped tightly, and it could no longer shake even slightly.

Jing Xiu exclaimed in surprise, "Early stage of internal energy?"

"You can block my attack even at the early stage of Dark Force? What exactly did you see in the Heavenly Evolution Injection? Tell me, and I'll spare your life!" Jing Xiu's tone was violent, lacking any of the composure of an old man.

"Hahaha!" The old monk laughed out loud: "Ahem! Jingxiu, you went so far as to accept a name bestowed by the Japanese imperial family in order to obtain their resources, and now, thirty years later, you are still inferior to a junior who understands the Heavenly Evolution Notes in a single night. How laughable!"

"Boy, will you talk or not!" Jing Xiu swung his sword again, the blade sweeping horizontally, the energy on the blade was chilling, this strike was even more powerful.

Lin Ji narrowed his eyes slightly, his senses landing on the black jade pendant in his sea of ​​consciousness.

at once!

A torrential aura erupted from Lin Ji's body.

Seeing Jing Xiu's fierce sword strike coming at him, Lin Ji felt a surge of pride.

You want war? Then I will fight!

What is there to fear!

He gripped the staff with both hands, drew an arc in the air, and poured all his strength into the head of the staff. When the strength reached its peak,

Lin Ji suddenly shouted in his heart: "Hidden Dragon Abyss!"

The aura emanating from the Zen staff suddenly surged once more!

The staff, carrying immense force, met Jingxiu's sword tip head-on.

Jing Xiu's expression changed drastically.

The sword suddenly stopped.

He instantly retreated more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

"boom!"

The tip of the Zen staff landed on the ground of the ancient temple.

In an instant, the ancient temple shook violently, and the already precarious temple collapsed with a deafening roar.

The four of them quickly crawled out of the dust. They had narrowly escaped being buried under the ruins of the ancient temple.

Outside the ancient temple,

Jing Xiu stood at a distance, sword in hand, his gaze towards Lin Ji burning with fervor, his eyes filled with barely concealed greed.

"Good! Good! Good! Half of the Heavenly Evolution Treatise can exert such power. I will spare your life today. I have plenty of ways to make you hand over the Heavenly Evolution Treatise."

Lin Ji stared coldly at Jing Xiu without saying a word.

"Lin Ji, the gatekeeper of Jiangcheng Martial Arts Hall, has two great-grandchildren: Bai Yu'er and Bai Xiaonian."

"The head instructor of Jiangcheng Martial Arts Academy lives in Xincheng with his mother still alive. Am I right?"

Jing Xiu stood with his sword on his back, a playful look rising in his eyes.

"What…" Gu Yanqiu exclaimed suddenly from behind Lin Ji, shocked, "Uncle Lin, he…"

"I will spare your lives today, and I will not use you two as hostages. I want to see how Principal Xiao Jinglan of the Martial Arts Hall will protect you two criminals from the Japanese Imperial Family, and how you will deal with the Imperial Family's retaliation!" Jing Xiu sheathed his sword, his eyes still gleaming with amusement.

"Hand over the Heavenly Evolution Record, or the Japanese Imperial Family will raise an army against Guanghua!"

"Uncle Lin..." Gu Yanqiu dared not imagine what kind of massacre the people of Guanghua Province would suffer if the Japanese launched a large-scale attack on Guanghua Province.

"Since that's the case, it seems I can't let you live today." Lin Ji flicked his staff, twisted his foot, and leaped into the air to attack Jing Xiu.

"Well done! I'll show you the true power of a half-step Transformation Realm expert!" Jing Xiu drew his sword again.