Xue Wantao raised his head.

“That will not do!”

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Before the emotions within his heart appeared on his face, Xiao Tieleng and the other officials here already couldn’t hold back their shock, standing up together, shouting out to stop this.

Lin Xi pretended to not hear the berating of the high level officials here, only calmly looking at Xue Wantao.

The expression of mockery on Xue Wantao’s face already disappeared like ripples. He raised his crippled left palm, revealing a cruel smile. “Could it be that you think just because my hand is crippled, moreover suffering from an internal injury, that you are my opponent, wishing to take this opportunity to challenge me and kill me?”

Lin Xi also laughed and said, “Enough nonsense has already been said.”

“Regardless of what you two think…” Xiao Tieleng took a step forward, looking at the two expressionlessly and saying, “I won’t allow it.”

“As for the reason, even if he doesn’t understand it clearly, you should.” Xiao Tieleng then looked at Xue Wantao and said coldly.

Xue Wantao’s eyes flickered slightly, but Lin Xi already spoke out again calmly, “Sir Xiao, why is this not permitted?”

Xiao Tieleng took a deep breath. He already heard the forcefulness behind Lin Xi’s words. He didn’t know just what happened between Lin Xi and Xue Wantao, but he knew that if he didn’t stop this, the blood of at least one of them will scatter across Yunqin’s earth. He looked at Lin Xi and said with a forceful voice, “Because according to Yunqin law, even though my Yunqin attaches importance to martial might, even though we do not restrict the battles among warriors who share grudges, also often revering this type of fair battle to resolve grudges, Yunqin officials are different from the common people. According to Yunqin law, a battle between officials is not permitted.”

Because he thought of a certain possibility, Xiao Tieleng then added coldly, “Even if you two wish to resign from your post, it still has to be authorized by Government Sector, Government Sector definitely wouldn’t allow you all to resign just because of this type of reason.”

That grizzled haired Judicial Sector old official wanted to speak out as a mediator, but when he heard Xiao Tieleng’s words, he immediately calmed down, feeling like there was already no chance for them to fight. He also released a breath, not saying anything.

Only Jiang Xiaoyi and Bian Linghan who were the most familiar with Lin Xi saw the determination and stubbornness in his eyes. The two also knew that when Lin Xi was determined to do something, it would normally be impossible to stop him, and he would definitely have confidence. As such, the two only calmly looked at him.

Lin Xi opened his mouth, looking at Xiao Tieleng and saying seriously, “I am aware of this as well. However, a battle between an official and a criminal, this doesn’t violate Yunqin law… Yunqin law has annotated that Yunqin is an empire established through military might, that publicly carrying out vendettas is better than shamelessly acting in private. It is also easier to control, easier for one to understand what glory is, so they do not restrict battles between warriors, they also don’t restrict battles between an official and a criminal. This is also because there are some officials who feel like a punishment is too light, moreover having a grudge against the criminal.”

“Right now, this is within Judicial Sector’s domain. If I can prove that this person purely slandered me, with everyone here, we can immediately condemn him. He will already no longer be an official, but rather a criminal.”

“This way, the battle between the two of us shouldn’t be an issue.”

After calmly saying these sentences, Lin Xi turned around to look at Xue Wantao. “Right now, I am asking you, do you dare fight against me or not.”

Xue Wantao coldly extended his crippled cloth wrapped palm, saying indifferently, “Fine, I agree to the battle against you… However, I want to see just how you can prove that I am guilty.”

Lin Xi smiled. He didn’t say anything, only undoing his clothes, exposing his chest.

His chest didn’t have any scars.

Almost everyone here immediately became petrified. Xue Wantao’s green and pale face suddenly flushed with an unnatural redness, also releasing a shocked and furious voice of disbelief, “You…!”

Xiao Tieleng and the other officials couldn’t help but exchange a look, all of them seeing the shock and confusion in each others’ eyes.

Even though they didn’t understand just which great figure was behind Xue Wantao, they knew that the battle between Xue Wantao and Lin Xi was real, the wound Lin Xi carried should also be just as real as Xue Wantao’s crippled hand. However, everyone could clearly see that Lin Xi’s chest didn’t have a single scar.

Lin Xi put his clothes back on, starting to laugh.

He didn’t like to be overbearing either, but Xue Wantao was someone’s deathsworn soldier. Judging from his coldness and madness, he knew that Xue Wantao definitely wouldn’t hesitate to use any means fair or foul to kill him, so his reply to Xue Wantao and the one behind him was extremely simple, to do everything he could to kill Xue Wantao.

Meanwhile now, he already spoke so much nonsense, finally successfully pushing Xue Wantao on a path of no return.

However, he still felt like it wasn’t enough, because even though the other party’s serious injuries hadn’t recovered, in the end, he was still a formidable cultivator, so he had to use every method possible to attack his opponent. As such, while Xue Wantao was in disbelief, his voice filled with alarm and anger, Lin Xi said with a smile, “Perhaps I recover fast? Also, I bathed for a larger half of a day in the sun, so the color of my skin became the same… however, not having a wound is not having a wound.”

Xue Wantao began to cough lightly, discovering that he actually fell into the other party’s trap step by step. He slowly raised his head, facing Lin Xi’s gaze of mockery, coldly saying, “Regardless of what kind of schemes are used, in this world… many times, it is still strength that speaks.”

“I agree.”

Lin Xi nodded. He no longer looked at him, instead turning around to look at Xiao Tieleng and the other officials, bowing slightly. “I must ask sirs to process the necessary documents… Teacher isn’t a cowboy, but he is quite busy.”

…

No one understood what the ‘nonsense’ Lin Xi spoke in the end about cowboys meant. However, in this type of situation, no one tried to think or bicker with him over this sentence.

Everyone knew that a battle between the two was unavoidable. This was especially the case when even a Green Luan Academy black-robed lecturer nodded in praise, the first to walk out of the courtyard to wait, purposely stalling already really lacked meaning.

Xue Wantao slowly walked out. He stood in an open space, his eyes narrowing slightly, looking into the sky, waiting for Lin Xi.

Lin Xi accepted a green umbrella from Jiang Xiaoyi’s hands, opening it to shield himself from the sunlight. He walked up to the other side of Xue Wantao.

When he saw that grizzled haired Judicial Sector old official walk out with a bitter expression, a document in hand, Xue Wantao didn’t say anything more. He reached out his right hand, gripping his emerald green dagger in it.

Lin Xi continued to hold the umbrella, only calmly giving him a look.

Two bursts of smoke and dust exploded under Xue Wantao’s feet, as if two yellow lotus flowers blossomed from the ground. The battle instantly began.

Chi!

The emerald green dagger in Xue Wantao’s hand released a sharp stream of air, an inch of lush green radiance was emitted from the sword tip. His right hand went perfectly straight, his entire body like a spear as it thrusted fiercely at Lin Xi.

The green umbrella in Lin Xi’s hands flew spinning into midair.

A light green longsword appeared in his hands. Then, his figure also rose into the air, scattering out an expanse of daybreak radiance.

Xue Wantao’s cold blade edge moved slightly upwards.

With just this slight change in his stance, he already adjusted his movement of attack with incredible precision. His right leg smashed into the ground like a hammer, the flat and sturdy ground immediately caving in. Under a muffled dong noise, a wave of power began to spin like a whirlpool, instantly condensing into a wave of power. The emerald green dagger smashed into Lin Xi’s longsword with incomparable precision, releasing a tremendous metal shaking noise, even causing the air to immediately become chaotic.

His body was heavy like a mountain. Lin XI who flew over released a muffled groan, staggering to the ground.

Regardless of whether it was in terms of power, speed or grasp of timing, Xue Wantao instantly displayed absolute superiority.

However, Xue Wantao’s figure instead became slightly rigid, not immediately approaching. Fear surged from deep within him, his body shaking intensely, his expression immediately became snow-white. Under his chest’s thick layers of bandages, it was already completely wet. He understood more clearly than anyone that this wasn’t sweat, but rather blood that poured out from his injuries.

…

When two rocks collided, the weaker one would definitely suffer greater damage.

A battle between cultivators would often precisely be like this type of clash between two rocks. Even though they could stop the other side’s weapon, the flesh of the side with weaker cultivation would become numb and sore, some fine blood vessels even directly rupturing.

However, Lin Xi clearly understood that the rock on the other side already had a large crack. Moreover, the other side’s confidence and boldness, in that instant just now, had already been completely shattered by him.

That was why when he staggered after landing on the ground, he instead took another step out, once again hacking towards Xue Wantao without any tricks.

The soul force within his body surged to the limit, his skin releasing faint radiance. The fine soul force completely broke through his flesh’s shackles, entering his hairs, making even his hair flutter about, this in itself giving off a type of powerful feeling.

Xiao Tieleng’s hands also trembled slightly, inwardly shocked beyond words.

Even though he had never tested Lin Xi’s cultivation before, there was a lot of information that proved that when they met, Lin Xi’s cultivation definitely didn’t reach late stage Soul Expert level.

There was more than one person who testified that Lin Xi leapt into the waterfall’s deep pool, moreover, according to the more recent information, Lin Xi should have been hiding in the cave depths. Even if it was this Green Luan lecturer from Dragon Snake Mountain Range, his whereabouts had always been tracked by East Forest Province. There was no way he had any contact with Lin Xi.

Even if Green Luan Academy had some pill medicines that could leave all cultivators under the heavens shocked, if any cultivators had this type of pill medicine, they definitely wouldn’t keep it on them and not eat it, wait until this time before taking them.

Lin Xi’s cultivation, under this type of situation, could only drop, it definitely couldn’t increase. However now, his cultivation took a large leap, already reaching late stage Soul Expert level!

…

Xue Wantao slid backwards, backing up.

He, who was originally a rock tougher than Lin Xi, instead didn’t dare face Lin Xi’s sword.

His grasp over timing and distance was still extremely great. He saw that Lin Xi’s blade clearly couldn’t reach his body, yet Lin Xi instead released a short shout, the longsword leaving his hands.

Extremely sturdy old cloth strips wrapped around the longsword’s hilt and his wrist.

Dang!

Xue Wantao’s emerald green dagger, with a flip of his wrist, still struck Lin Xi’s light green longsword with great precision. When the great power caused the light green longsword to fly out, it made the sturdy old cloth release pi pa exploding noises.

However, right at this time, Lin Xi’s foot already kicked out in a natural and flowing manner.

Xue Wantao’s left hand struck down. Even though he sunk into a state of extreme fear, his instincts that had been polished through countless life and death battles still made his defenses seamless.

However, at this time, he forgot that his left hand already wasn’t his past left hand.

A pa noise exploded.

Lin Xi’s body swayed, but he didn’t back up.

Xue Wantao instead took several steps back again. Half his body couldn’t help but tremble, some blood color seeping out from the black bandages on his left hand.

The green umbrella in the sky slowly floated down.